K
AIETEUR NEWS
Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly
Biden Wins!
Sunday Edition November 08, 2020 Online: www.kaieteurnews.com
ExxonMobil ramped up flaring in October
Price $140
Online readership yesterday, 85,928
Canje Block owners extend tentacles deeper into oil industry No laws broken, but dreams were
ExxonMobil continues to provide no evidence on billions claimed to be spent on local content E'bo man dies almost CANU to Primo: Come in, we a month after being -attention dragged, pinned by turns to GRA speeding hearse Belgium’s 11.5 tonnes of coke seizure….
can protect you!
Gov’t will go after Nearly 50 global “architects” not companies submit “victims” in Ogle EoIs for new lands giveaway- VP harbour bridge
More giveaways in oil blocks …
After months of deafening silence, Vice President Jagdeo went public to claim that “no laws were broken” in the Canje and Kaieteur Oil Block giveaways. This statement confirms that a moronic mindset rules this land. At a time when Guyanese hearts a r e b r o k e n , J a g d e o ’s specious defence of the oil giveaway flies in the face of all that is considered right. The Canje and Kaieteur Blocks were not his or former President Ramotar’s or former Minister Persaud’s to give away. These blocks belong to Guyanese. The country’s leaders are only stewards entrusted to obtaining the maximum return from these blocks. Instead, the nation got nothing. And yet, this financial guru says no laws were broken. Obviously, the VP inhabits a different universe from the rest of us. For there, he was being disingenuous, which is not breaking the law; but it should be. There he was like an ostrich burying his head in the sand to evade responsibility and
accountability. Men, especially national leaders, are not supposed to be mindless ostriches without morals and principles. Clearly, the Vi c e P r e s i d e n t t a k e s Guyanese for jackasses and believes he can shovel any filth at them and get away with it. How long will rightthinking Guyanese allow him and his clique to get away with these treachery? Secretly giving away the oil blocks, which he says is not breaking the law. Breaking the dreams and shattering the hopes of poor Guyanese are also legal? Don’t they amount to breaking the law? Would Jagdeo sign away his mansion, pension, and savings to corporate paupers, to comrades without a pin to their name? No! He wouldn’t do that! But that is what Ramotar and Persaud did. And now Mr. Jagdeo steps up to defend this revolting act. Since it is not illegal, they might as well give away everything for free, and while they are it, they may want to also throw in Jagdeo as part of the giveaway.
CGX got Coalition to water down work
programme for Corentyne Block
- company still failed to honour new obligations
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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
Oil and Corruption Indifference The small citizen is too weighed down with eking out a daily existence to care too much about oil and corruption, to be preoccupied with Guyana’s iniquities and inequities. He knows both are present in this country in spades, and would count himself lucky if he gets a trickle-down from oil; and in the right place with the right partners to get a slice of the corruption. That is as close as the small man comes to being concerned about oil and corruption. Political schemers and vagabonds are familiar with the outlook of the small fellow. They move swiftly and efficiently to capitalize by making promises intended to be breached, while ripping off the treasury (contracts, sweetheart deals, cronyism, favours owed, and favours delivered.). Both the political schemers and the ordinary man know that the regular citizen - the bulk of the population possess neither physical presence nor intellectual breadth nor spiritual strength, nor moral force to confront endless wrongdoings. Cunning Guyanese leaders have settled for giving the numb multitude what sells, while also giving them leases for precious building, timely handouts to keep quiet. It is not a risky or dangerous way to live politically. If there is one thing that could be said about the wisdom of local political leaders, it is that they have studied Guyana well, know Guyanese better. Throw the Guyanese mobs some dog-meat occasionally, and like curs, they fight over the skin, bones, and fluff. The sinew, fat, marrow, and prime cuts go to the club of political elites. In this sphere, there is no difference between government and opposition, no divide between PPP hustlers and PNC grabbers. It is a free-for-all dog-fight in the trenches, which is why Indian and Black Guyanese (and soon Indigenous and mixed heritage citizens) are at each other’s throats to get the biggest swallow of the offal that is tossed their way to keep them busy and distracted, while the big money games in town are handled and parceled out behind the scenes. For this is what, on the other hand, that occurs in a very civilized arrangement among political contemporaries at the top. Call it whatever fits: political compromise, leadership horse trading, personal pork barrel pet interests and visions, and it is happening. This is what has happened and is happening with Guyana’s oil. It provides one persuasive explanation as to why the Opposition pretends to know nothing, and has nothing of substance or power to present with what really happened with rich portions of this nation’s oil wealth. The money is so much that there is enough to share around amongst themselves to satisfy their greed and cover the most lavish spending imaginable, while setting all of them up for generations to come. It is a nice place for the lead PPP/C and PNCR people to be. They can be generous and extend sweet charity to newcomers and middle of the roaders, who are only too glad to grab their share. Meanwhile, the middle despises and shuns the bottom, since it reminds too much of what could be fate; and it is too close to get ideas or harbour reckless visions. The middle class looks to the top, has a solid idea of what goes on, and yearns to get into the act. It is available, it is ready to sell, it is prepared to grasp at whatever comes its way. Don’t tell its members about who is corrupt, or who has ripped off and siphoned off, or who has cheated country and citizen. There is little by way of interest in what could be perilous pastimes. It is better to take what is there to get while the going is good. That is safer, it is better, it is sensible, and it is rewarding all around: no harm, no foul. The middle class is not taking any chances with its perch. Careful is the word, not drawing any attention to self, not making any waves, through rocking any sensitive boats considered off-limits. When all is finished, it is forever the little people who are taken advantage of, mislead, and left hungry and still hoping that they will get something this time around.
Sunday November 08, 2020
November 6 marks a significant day in Argentine History Dear Editor, 200 years after the first raising of the Argentine flag November 6 2020 marks an anniversary of great relevance in the protracted sovereignty dispute over the Question of the Malvinas Islands: on this date, two hundred years ago, David Jewett took possession of the Malvinas Islands, raising the Argentine flag in the Islands for the first time. At the time of the May Revolution, the Malvinas Islands —which had been disputed between Spain, France and Great Britain in the 18th Century- were under the sovereignty of the Spanish authorities, which had an exclusive, effective and uninterrupted possession, unchallenged by Great Britain or any other foreign power. As successor State of Spain, those sovereignty rights passed on to Argentina. The Spanish presence on the Islands came to an end on February 13 1811, when the last Governor of Malvinas
during the viceroyalty times withdrew from the Islands, in the context of the conflict with Buenos Aires’ Primera Junta. In spite of the Spanish withdrawal, the Malvinas Islands did not remain unoccupied or forgotten. A fluid circulation of goods, capitals and people continued to develop with the archipelago, thanks to its natural resources: sea lions and elephant seals, whales and wild livestock. British, North American, French and Argentine ships exploited those resources and used the islands’ and continent’s shoreline for docking, hunting and dressing stations. These activities drew the attention of Buenos Aires’ authorities, which, since 1813, had issued fishing permits, established regulations to prevent the depredation of resources and controlled the establishing of any permanent settlement in the region. It is in that context that the raising of the national flag and the presence of David Jewett, a United States’ national at
the service of the Argentine Navy, gains special relevance. Since the outset of the independence process in Latin America in 1810, the new national governments had to fight the royalist power that opposed them from sea and land. David Jewett, as many other North American and European sailors, would join the fight at the service of the United Provinces, until 1817. In January 1820, the Supreme Director of the United Provinces, Jose Rondeau, named David Jewett as ‘Army colonel at the service of the navy’, with all the attributions and prerogatives it entailed. He set sail on January 20 towards the South Atlantic in command of the frigate “La Heroina”, which was recognized by the Argentine government as a state warship. By the end of October 1820, ten harsh months later, he reached Puerto Soledad in the Malvinas Islands, where he found vessels of different origins that called at that port temporarily as part of their hunting and fishing trips in
the region. On November 2, Jewett sent the other captains a circular informing them that he had been commissioned by the Government of the United Provinces to take possession of the archipelago and invited the other captains to meet him. He also pointed out that, in compliance with the rules set out by the authorities of Buenos Aires, he would seek to prevent the destruction of the Islands’ resources. On November 6, 1820, a ceremony was held where Jewett took possession of the lslands. According to witnesses like British captain James Weddell —who comments on it in his famous ‘A Voyage to the South Pole (1822-1824) – and Frenchman Louis Freycinet, colonel Jewett raised the Argentine flag, read a proclamation and fired 21 cannon shots in the name of the government of Buenos Aires, before the crews of the ships anchored at Puerto Soledad. Three days later Jewett delivered to the captains present a circular in which he gave an account of the taking (Continued on page 6)
Sunday November 08, 2020
The irony of Joseph Harmon’s congratulatory letter to Biden Dear Editor, The irony of Joseph Harmon’s hurried congratulatory letter to American President-elect Joe Biden cannot be lost on all with knowledge of Guyana’s recent electoral travails, for it would seem President Trump will be replicating claims and legal manoeuvres made by the Granger/Harmon group. So what exactly is Harmon hoping to achieve given that Biden will certainly have no empathy with riggers and election thieves. America is built on democratic principles and those do not vary on party lines. Fraud is fraud and is viewed as such by the American establishment be it Republican or Democrat. In his haste to position himself and others who lost their U.S visas because of their attempt to gain elected office by fraudulent methods, Harmon committed a faux pas by saying “The APNU+AFC Coalition also looks forward to briefing you and Vice President-elect Harris”. American Presidents are not ‘briefed’ by foreign politicians, maybe Comrade Harmon has forgotten about his relinquishment of American citizenship. Harmon also insults the American nation when attempting to curry favour when he says Biden has “the unenviable task of restoring the United States’ status and reputation globally”, for America remains the leading nation in the world and the undisputed economic and democratic superpower; Harmon may want to seek advice before putting pen to paper in such reckless fashion in the future. The nation of
Guyana is still reeling from the effect on her reputation caused by the train-wreck known as the APNU+AFC Coalition; who can forget Karen Cummings at the Ashmin’s building? And for those who forgot about Guyana, a recent article in the Washington Post reminds all too graphically “ThenPresident David E. Granger, on the cusp of losing, baselessly blamed votes by dead people and noncitizens in the March elections” then states that democracy was achieved “After a laborious recount and a feud in the courts, Granger ultimately backed down after a fivemonth standoff, allowing opposition candidate Irfaan Ali to be sworn in as president in August. That happened in no small part due to U.S. pressure. ”The Granger government must respect the results of democratic elections and step aside,” Pompeo said in July as he announced new visa restrictions on “individuals responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Guyana” Given the likelihood of similar claims and legal challenges by the incumbent Trump against Presidentelect Biden, it is unlikely that Harmon and his ilk can/will find favour within the democratic camp. It would have been more helpful for Harmon if he shared democratic principles with the president-elect instead of only the same first name. Too soon to ask for that visa back Joe… way too soon. Yours truly, Robin Singh
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Kaieteur News
Local government elections should be held but not with the present staff at GECOM Dear Editor, There is a saying “you can’t have cat watching the milk”. The GECOM staff presently in front of the courts cannot be the ones managing local government elections. While the PNC (APNU+AFC) would naturally want their rigging cabal in charge of the preparations and the conduct of Local Government Elections (LGE), the vast majority of the country have no confidence that the management crew in charge at GECOM can conduct free and fair elections. The world watched in total shock as a small group in GECOM, under the control of elements within the PNC, tried stealing the March 2020 elections. Who, therefore, would want these same people to be in charge of another election in Guyana? The Guyanese people would be the stupidest people in the world to want these same people to run the elections machinery again. It is wholly untenable to hold any election under the present GECOM management structure. Our collective fear, prior to the holding of the March 2020 elections, that the management structure led by Keith Lowenfield was compromised, was realized during the 2020 General and Regional Elections. Not only did the GECOM management exposed their obscene plan to rig the elections, they did so in front of the whole world, including in front of several former Prime Ministers from CARICOM. Their overt attempts were live-streamed for the world to watch in absolute horror. They were brazen and barefaced in their efforts to thief the elections. Now most of the senior
management, including both the Chief and Deputy Chief Elections Officers and the senior Returning Officer, have been charged with fraud and are before the courts. These are not ordinary charges. In some countries, these offenses are considered treason. How then could these same officers be in charge of another election? The Local Government Elections are due in 2021. But for these elections to be held, GECOM must act with haste to change the management. If GECOM will wait for the outcome of the trials before they decide on management changes, then GECOM must ask for the postponement of these elections. The better option is to move forward with a new management team. GECOM has a constitutional duty and should not be sitting around waiting. While the Vice-President and the General Secretary of the PPP have unequivocally stated the PPP’s preferred position - that the LGE be held on time in 2021 - the Governing PPP and the President have said they will not support LGE being held under the present GECOM management. It is a responsible position. The Opposition, not surprisingly, is insisting the LGE must be held even with the present GECOM management. One can sympathize with the governing PPP, the party which was victimized by the efforts to thief the elections. President Irfaan Ali had to wait five months before he was sworn in because of the attempt to thief the elections. Who can blame the PPP for being wary and suspicious of these same persons who the world watched with amazement as they tried to rig the elections? Who among us
are not flummoxed that the Opposition would want the rigging machinery to be in charge of the LGE elections? One Opposition GECOM Commissioner, Vincent Alexander, asserted that GECOM is not perfect and that GECOM was never perfect, but that did not stop them from conducting elections before. We agree that GECOM is not a perfect organization and that it was never perfect. We agree that elections were held before under a GECOM that we all, on both sides, had reservations about. But when David Granger and APNU+AFC acted arbitrarily in appointing James Patterson as GECOM’s Chair in 2018, they turned an already imperfect institution into a wholly compromised organization. At that moment, GECOM was not just another imperfect organization; it
began its transformation into a rigging machinery. When Patterson led the assault in removing the then Deputy Chief Elections Officer and replaced him with a partisan person, he ensured that GECOM’s management had become an arm of a political party. Those of us who cautioned the nation about this lived to painfully see the plan being carried out during the 2020 elections. Thankfully, the Guyanese people with international support defended Guyana’s democracy. It would be irresponsible and a dereliction of duty for anyone to simply ignore that the main management persons are charged with serious crimes for compromising the 2020 elections and allowing them to lead preparations and conduct of LGE in 2021. But (Continued on page 6)
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Kaieteur News
Aspects of the American election mirrors what transpired here in Guyana Guyana has had some notable firsts during this century and the election saga that recently ended here was no different, our election story hit the world stage like lightening. In some instances, it was with a good message however, in others, it left a bad and unsavoury taste in our mouths, chief of which was the great reluctance by one party to accept defeat. However, today I shall speak of another first and that is how Guyana’s election fiasco mirrored that of The USA. I am talking about the stark realities of a loss staring you in the face, yet you keep shouting from the top of your lungs that you have won, yes, this was the situation in Guyana as well as in the M i g h t y U S A . N o w, i n normal circumstances, one would expect the one who lost the race to do the honourable thing and bow out gracefully, but this was not the case in Guyana. When the PNC-led Coalition lost, they did not concede and kept setting up roadblocks along the way frustrating the process at every turn. Such was the situation in the great USA where Trump was adamant that he will win and was digging in his heels as the Legitimate “owner” of the White House. In the first instance, when he realized that defeat was upon him, he blurted out that there should be a halt to the counting of the votes. Stop the counting of the votes, he shouted while his ardent supporters started a ruckus in the streets. There was a similar situation here in Guyana also where the PNC said
that there should be no recount, just blind a c c e p t a n c e t o M i n g o ’s mangle and Lowenfield’s jangle. In fact, this is one of their filings in the election petition that there should never have been a recount, which makes this whole affair revealingly stupid! But all of this does make sense to them. How else could one determine the results of an election if the votes aren’t counted? Votes make for an election and the counting of those votes determines the winner. So, this crazy guy called Donald Trump was either high on something or plain stupid to say the least. Whichever way the diagnosis went, he was up against it and the truth was soon about to sink in. Now, in the final stages of his rantings, when down on the canvas, he shouted out again that there were “dead voters on the list.” I think this one caught my attention the strongest, that is, dead voters on the voting list, because from all appearances, this seems to have been a scene taken straight from The PNC’s Election book of 2020. So, this loose cannon of an American President would have had some long distance training from Harmon and his PNC Comrades here. As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end; in like manner, all sick jokes must come to an end also, the facts show that the PNC did lose the election and so did Trump, he too lost as the story comes to a screeching end. Yours truly, Neil Adams
...Local government elections should be From page 5 the vast majority of Guyanese want the LGE to be conducted in 2021. The new PPP has vowed to allocate the financial resources GECOM needs for the LGE in 2021. This would only be possible if GECOM acts responsibly and move to change the management structure now. It would be unfair that the LGE is held at a time when most Guyanese have no confidence in the persons who are presently in charge. The GECOM Chair, Justice Claudette Singh, must act now, convene a meeting of GECOM and begin the
reconstitution of the management staff in a way that generates confidence among all stakeholders. The strength of Guyana’s democracy is only as strong or weak as the management staff of GECOM. Keith Lowenfield and Roxanne Myers and the other staff charge d w i t h improper conduct during the 2020 elections cannot be the persons to lead the preparation for the LGE in 2021. While the courts deal with them, GECOM must move on with an entirely new arrangement. Yours truly, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy
Sunday November 08, 2020
The Coronavirus pandemic continues to bring new challenges for parents and children Dear Editor, The Coronavirus pandemic continues to bring new challenges with every passing day and even though there have been solutions to many on the issue related to the pandemic, some problems are still unresolved. The fact that some issues have been resolved, however, should not distract us from the fact that even solutions have problems attached to them and online learning, (while solving the issue of crowded classrooms and protecting our young ones), has created issues for many students and teachers alike. Parents, teachers and students have unanimously expressed their displeasure of the idea that children have to sit still and stare at screens for extended periods of time, doing things that (for the most part) do not capture their attention. Parents are more taxed and burdened with responsibility than ever before. Financially, there has been an increase in spending since children are at home for longer periods of time (all day and night). On a normal school day, parents would have been able to send their children off to school and thus, save money on the number of snacks that the children would use along with electricity and water. Children are bathing more, eating more, using more electricity and also being as loud as ever; even as some of their parents try to work from home. In other cases, parents have lost their jobs, income has dried up and even businesses have taken a negative hit because of the pandemic. Some businesses are spending more (to make sure that
the area is safe and sanitized) while also earning less because of reduced customer purchases. Other businesses have closed down completely, leaving the owners and their children in urgent need of funds. Parents are also more emotionally taxed, since they have the added worry of limited cash flow, the current pandemic and the stress of having to assist their children with education in ways that they never have before. In addition to this heavy burden of stress, parents are faced with constant exhaustion since they are often encouraged (sometimes they respond reluctantly and are thus, forced) to make sure that children do the work that is given to them. Embarrassment and ill-feelings are also at an all-time high since some parents who were not able to properly complete or partake in formal schooling are now regretting the fact that they are not properly educated, even if they are successful adults. Skills like calculation, reading and writing, comprehension and even basic science have many adults baffled. In some of these cases, parents are unable to learn along with their children. This makes classes for the child more difficult. Some parents refuse to learn along with their child or children because of pride or shame or sometimes both. Constant exhaustion is not only attributed to parents but teachers and students also. Both teachers and students are adjusting to a learning environment that has never been in operation before and the added burden of learning how to learn and how to teach increases exhaustion as teachers and students get tired faster. Teachers are also faced with the burden of the lack of the proper environment in which to deliver
their classes due to issues with noise pollution and space. Some teachers and students are cramped into small corners with mosquitoes tormenting them, just so that they can be part of the online learning process. Students from all levels are faced with similar issues as the reports of an increase in cases of back pain and eyestrain are now more common. Another pertinent problem that has presented itself during the pandemic is the lack of specialized attention that was permitted in former classroom sessions. Teachers were able to ensure that students were focused on the content with a simple glance around the classroom but now, with all the faces packed behind a screen, the process is much more difficult. Students who are unable to grasp concepts as quickly as some others are now left behind due to the decrease in option for specialized attention. The teachers can no longer come over to your desks and correct your work or give you praise, so motivation to do work from some teachers and students is also a growing issue. Pranks and rude behaviour have all become a terrible impediment to the entire online learning process. Teachers are also concerned with the conduct of some parents who have no teaching experience nor training but constantly try to instruct the teachers on the best way to do their job. Instead of finding a more suitable way to raise their points, parents are online with their children on a daily basis, giving their so-called professional contributions to the lessons. Some teachers are being threatened and there are even cases of children obtaining the private contact information of their peers or tutors simply to harass them.
The lack of proper electricity is another major issue in Guyana. Blackouts have not only interrupted classes and exams, but have also damaged electronic devices, putting some parents and even students and teachers in unforeseen expense. Added to this setback is the superb issue of the lack of effective internet access. Slow internet speeds and even internet blackouts are also major concerns from children, parents and teachers alike. Many have even complained of the unreliable devices that they are forced to use. Broken tablets, smart phones with no cameras, devices with insufficient memory to store class material and even the lack of a device to use for zoom meetings etc. have all been cited as serious problems that hamper the online learning process. Even if all of the criteria for online learning are met and the students have good electricity and internet access along with a properly working device like a tablet, smart phone or laptop, there is still the major problem of inconsiderate neighbours who blast music loudly during the time that online classes are in sessions. In other cases, the neighbours are not the issue, but rather the people who reside in the same household. Noise pollution is now a major contributor to the stress levels and negative emotional states of all parties involved in the online learning process (parents, teachers and students). All of these issues and more contribute to the increase in stress and frustrations in households and online classrooms around the country. Yours truly, Khadidja Ba
...November 6 marks a significant day in Argentine From page 4 of possession of the Malvinas Islands on behalf of the Supreme Government of the United Provinces of South America, and of his willingness to act with justice and hospitality towards foreigners, also requesting that this information he communicated to other vessels. The circular had a great repercussion in the international press, On August 3, the British newspaper The Times published an article in which it presented Jewett’s act as an act of sovereignty, as did the newspaper El Argos de Buenos Ayres in November. While news of the events that took place in the Malvinas Islands continued to spread, Jewett stayed on the Islands for several
months. He exercised his authority during his stay and until February 1821, when he requested the authorities of Buenos Aires to relieve him of his command. Guillermo Robert Mason was appointed as the new commander of La Heroina. The solemn taking of possession of the Malvinas Islands was an official and public act, which demonstrated the effective exercise of Argentine sovereignty -inherited from Spain-, received wide attention and was not contested by the United Kingdom (nor did it do so in 1825, when it recognized the United Provinces of the River Plate as an independent State by means of the Treaty of friendship, trade and navigation), or any other foreign power. This significant act is a
fundamental link in the long chain of measures that, beginning with the first national government and ending with the forced removal of the Argentine authorities from Puerto Soledad in January 1833, demonstrate the young Argentine State’s continued and effective occupation and exercise of sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands. This usurpation, which took place in times of peace, without a declaration of war, has never been consented by Argentina. Since then, and for the following 187 years, different Argentine governments have permanently claimed for the restitution of the full exercise of sovereignty over the Islands. The international community’s support has
been fundamental in this claim. The unanimous and early pronouncement of the Latin American countries in favour of the Argentine position was followed by those of other regional groups, as the international community organized in different multilateral forums. This support allowed the United Nations to adopt different resolutions directly or indirectly related to the Malvinas Question, which comprises the sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas Islands, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas. Yours truly, Felipe Sofa Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship Argentina
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Sunday November 08, 2020
Kaieteur News
Belgium’s 11.5 tonnes of coke seizure….
CANU to Primo: Come in, we can protect you! -investigators turn attention turns to GRA As local investigators continue their probe into a massive seizure of cocaine in Belgium, said to have been found in a container from Guyana, there is deep worry. Yesterday, head of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), James Singh, in updating this newspaper about the case, was concerned about the safety of a person whom investigators want to talk to. He said that CANU is worried about the safety of Marlon Primo, the owner of MA Trading, the shipper of the container. The CANU chief said that his entity is willing to offer protection and for Primo to make urgent contact and turn himself in, for his own safety. Singh said that CANU has the capacity and assures the protection of Primo. Yesterday, investigators were busy questioning employees of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), including those who work in Customs. Under regulations, containers, considered high risk, leaving Guyana, have to be scanned at a special facility on Lombard Street, Georgetown. It is part of the country’s protocols for exports. It would be virtually impossible for the container to have escaped GRA’s system of being scanned. It has also been disclosed that the destination for the container would have raised
What Belgian authorities found.
Person of Interest: Marlon Primo red flagged and Belgian authorities were told to conduct a 100 percent check of the container.According to information, a number of containers left Guyana on September 25th. It was sent by Primo’s MA Trading, of Atlantic Ville, East Coast Demerara, to the consignee, Lotraco Recycling BV, The Netherlands. The contact party was given as Lumardo BVBA, Belgium. Local investigators on Friday arrested a broker and said they were looking for Primo, whose business involves shipping out scrap metal. The probe is involving the Belgian authorities, the US’ Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and
Primo, who is said to be the brother of local artiste, Jomo ‘Rubber Waist’ Primo. Belgian prosecutors said Thursday they 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. According to the story in the Brussels Times, counternarcotics prosecutors said they had tracked the transAtlantic 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 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, counter-
narcotics 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 organization 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 was suspected to have 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.
Sunday November 08, 2020
Kaieteur News
PAGE 9
Gov’t will go after “architects” not “victims” in Ogle lands giveaway -VP
Vice President (VP), Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, has indicated that the government will not criminally go after the developers or “victims” who received acres of prime Ogle lands. But rather, the VP emphasized that the “architects” under the A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) regime who were involved in the giveaway of the lands “will not be spared.” “The architects are not going to get away that easily,” the VP said to the media during a press engagement, while indicating that a number of the developers have refused to return the lands that were vested to them. When asked why the government has taken the route to allow the developers to walk scot-free, Dr. Jagdeo reminded that those developers had never asked for the titles to be transferred to them. “He (former Finance Minister, Winston Jordan),” the VP said, “unilaterally transferred the lands to them (the developers). I think that there was a hope that they were going to get away with this, or collect some money from the people or something like that. I don’t know what madness would cause this to happen.” It is in this regard that the VP referred to the developers as “victims.” In that same vein, however, he reminded the media that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) had been warning investors not to get involved with the coalition. “We were saying that they shouldn’t engage, so they are not totally exempt from blame,” Dr. Jagdeo noted, as he added that because the developers relinquished the lands that were vested to them, the government will not go after them with legal proceedings. Kaieteur News, in a series of articles, had exposed how the former Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, and,
Former Finance Minister, Winston Jordan VP, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo as well as the head of the National Industrial Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Colvin Heath-London had vested lands without receiving full payments. In fact, Jordan and HeathLondon had vested almost 100 acres of prime Ogle lands that were valued at $3B, but NICIL received a meager $64M as payments. One glaring case involves developer Navigant Builders (Windsor Estates), which had plans of developing a prestigious housing scheme in Ogle. Without its knowledge, and even without issuing any payment to the government, Navigant Builders was gifted 30 acres of land worth $900M. When PPP/C assumed office, Navigant, as well as four other developers, took the decision to return the lands vested to them. The developers premised their rescinding on the fact that they wanted to engage with the government, but on transpar-
ent terms. Last week, the Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall, signaled his intentions of taking legal actions against the former Finance Minister, and the recently sacked NICIL head, HeathLondon.According to the AG, the legal proceedings are grounded in the contention that Jordan and Heath-London had played primary roles in the giveaway of prime Ogle lands, said to be worth billions of dollars. Concerningly, these giveaways took place under the leadership of the APNU+AFC after the March 2 General and Regional Elections. AG Nandlall has since sought the assistance of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and its Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) to investigate transactions involving state lands during the tenure of the APNU+AFC Government.
Former NICIL head, Colvin Heath-London
Dem boys seh...
Trump coming to Guyana! Trump lose de elections and start to cry. He looked at his daughter and she: “My Princess, I tried my best. I am sorry.” “What will happen to us now?” she asked. “Will we go to jail?” “No, my child,” replied Trump. “We are not going to jail. We going to Guyana.” Guyana is de safest place fuh Trump. You don’t get jail in Guyana. Yuh could do whatever yuh want and thief all de money in de Treasury
and still get off scot-free. Yuh could rig election and get people protesting when de police hold yuh. And when de court release you on bail, yuh does get heroes’ welcome home. You could give away de whole country. And still de Vice President gon claim how yuh nah do nothing illegal or corrupt. Dem boys remember when Trump had said dat he could not imagine losing to de worst candidate in de history of
politics. He did even hint dat he might have to leave de country if he loses. Well he lose now and he gon be leaving for Guyana on de next flight. Dem boys seh dat Trump can enjoy he time in Guyana. He gon spend a lot of time with Ramotar and Soulja Bai. Dem gat a lot in common. All three of dem is one-term President. Talk half and wait fuh see if it gon get a motorcade when Trump touch down.
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Philippines terminates $234m deal to buy 16 Bell 412EPI helicopters Feb.13, 2018 Phillipines (army-technology.com)Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered to call off an approximately $234m deal to acquire 16 Bell 412EPI helicopters for the Philippine Air Force. The Philippine News Agency reported that the Department of National Defense (DND) has issued a notice to terminate the contract with Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC). The contract cancellation follows after Canada ordered for a review of the deal based on reports that the aircraft might be used to fight the rebel forces. In a statement, Philippines Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed that the Bell helicopters will primarily be used for the transportation of personnel and supplies, ferrying wounded and injured soldiers, and the conduct of humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations.
Sunday November 08, 2020
Kaieteur News
Nearly 50 global companies submit EOIs for new harbour bridge -submission open until December 4 President Irfaan Ali leading a team a few weeks back in the Providence/Peter’s Hall area to scout the location of the new Demerara River Bridge.
Lorenzana also said that the utility helicopters ‘are not attack or close support aircraft’ and could be deployed in support of Internal Security Operations. Prior to issuing the letter for the cancellation, Lorenzana stated: “Should the Canadian Government choose to discontinue their sale of the aircraft to us, then we will procure them from another source.” The helicopters were
being bought by the country’s defense department through a government-to-government contract signed on 29 December with the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC).The Bell 412EPI helicopters were to being constructed at the company facility Mirabel, Québec, Canada, and were slated to be delivered to the AFP between the first quarter of next year and 2020.
A
pproximately 50 international companies have responded to Government’s invitation for submissions of Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the design-build of a new Demerara Harbour Bridge. Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, made this statement at the installation of the Board of Directors for the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation on Friday. “There will be some technical meetings and companies are coming into the country to do inspections and to do their own studies and to examine and help to
facilitate their proposals,” Minister Edghill said. The Minister said companies were said to have complied with filing the necessary documentation. Other interested companies have until December 4th to submit their EOI. “I would want to continue to invite and ask the world and some of the greatest bridge builders of the world, to participate in Guyana’s development by expressing their interests. We want the best. Guyana deserves the best,” he said. The realization of the new, four-lane, high-span, fixed bridge from Nandy Park, East
Bank Demerara to La Grange, West Bank Demerara, is in keeping with the PPP/C Government’s Manifesto promise. During the 11th Parliament, the PPP/C had sought to hold the Coalition Government accountable for sole-sourcing the contractor for the bridge feasibility study, rather that following the procurement laws. The Guyana Police Force has since launched an investigation into the award of the 2016 contract. Government invited EOIs for the new bridge back in September. The current bridge began operations in 1978.
Sunday November 08, 2020
Kaieteur News
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Sunday November 08, 2020
Ramcharitar heads up new Demerara Harbour Bridge board
Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill (centre) poses with the newly installed Board of Directors under the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation. Missing is the chairman, Ravi Ramcharitar.
After a three-year hiatus, the Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, on Friday installed the new Board of Directors for the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC). The named Board of Directors include Ravi Ramcharitar, who will serve as Chairman; Odinga Lumumba, Vice Chairman; General Manager, Rawlston Adams – (ex-officio member); Aslim Singh; Jaishree Lam; Claudette Rogers; Rafael
Gonsalves and Joseph Holder. During the simple installation ceremony on Friday, Minister Edghill charged the new board directors to provide a good service to the people of Guyana, where accountability and clear policy direction will be implemented for the maintenance and care of the bridge. …”as Minister of Public Works, I believe in good (Continued on page 56)
Sunday November 08, 2020
Kaieteur News
BLUNTNESS ON INDECENCY! In case you haven’t heard, please be informed that as part of our continued effort to channel positive changes in our country, our publisher, Mr. Glenn Lall, has dedicated our page seven to be blunt on ongoing indecency in our land that should matter, not only to us at this publication, but the entire nation. Sunday As Guyanese like to say, we must take sense out of nonsense. Last week, Attorney-General Anil Nandlall fired Head of the NICIL Special Projects Unit, Colvin Heath-London for misconduct and neglect of his duty to safeguard the country’s assets when Heath-London signed off on unlawful land deals. How is that that same attitude logic and attitude do not apply when it comes to the far more valuable Kaieteur and Canje Oil Blocks? Monday This is a true story. A junkie stole a water pump worth $200,000. He went to a businessman and asked for $1,000 for the stolen item. The businessman offered the junkie $500. When the junkie agreed, the businessman gave him $300 and told him that was all the money he had on him. A $200,000 water pump ended up being sold for a measly $300. That is how Exxon and Guyana’s political leaders in the PPP, PNC/R and AFC are insultingly treating Guyanese with the scornful 2% royalty and the pittance for a signing bonus. Guyana’s political leaders, in cahoots with Exxon, treat the Guyanese people like junkies. These white-collar rogues and greedy bastards are swin-
dling Guyanese out of their oil wealth, in return for a $300 here and a $300 there. They believe that, like the junkies, Guyanese are low life, desperate and hard-up for the crumbs which they throw at us. When will Guyanese reject this putting down? How long are they going to allow themselves to be robbed and raped? Tuesday Fellow Guyanese understand this: YOUR prospects of a better and brighter life are being sabotaged by the selfishness, crookedness and greed of our leaders. Wednesday Guyanese leaders know what it means for THEM, and the implications of secret deals our economy and future. But do Guyanese really know the consequences for them? Thursday We place something simple before you, our fellow citizens. If Vice President Jagdeo owns a piece of mining land and doesn’t have the money, the experience and expertise to mine the land for gold, do you think he will make an agreement with someone who has no cash, no experience, no expertise in the gold business to enter onto his mining concession? Certainly not! Well citizens that is what is taking place before our
eyes in relation to the Kaieteur and Canje oil blocks! Donald Ramotar and Robert Persaud handed out both oil blocks, for free to Dookie and four others who have no cash, no expertise and no experience in oil production. These blocks are worth billions in US dollars. Then they authorized them to sell the blocks and keep the cash. Citizens, this is what is taking place with your oil wealth. Where are your voices? Friday Leading Guyanese political hustlers have sold out the Canje and Kaieteur oil blocks. Still, they are not content with the billions involved in that sellout and giveaway. They control ALL the related downstream business from gas to real estate to transportation. Their fingerprints, palmprints, footprints, and tongue prints are all over. Look closely, Guyana. See if it is not the usual greedy political schemers and swindlers asserting themselves. Saturday PPP leaders secretly gave away our US$ billion dollar oil blocks free to persons who had no cash or experience in the oil sector. And on top of this, Guyana owes hundreds of millions to these owners. Can somebody, anybody, answer that question?
Fisherman remanded for murder of drinking buddy A fisherman was remanded on Friday for the murder of his drinking buddy, said to be his friend and former workmate. The murder took place on November 1, at Ocean Garden, Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara (WCD), Region Three. Saif Khatoon aka “Grasie”, 20, of Lot 102 Ocean Garden, appeared at the Leonora Magistrate Court before Magistrate Ali Seepaul. Khatoon was not required to plead the indictable charge which alleges that on November 21, 2020 he stabbed and killed Keron Williams, 20, a labourer also of Meten-Meer-Zorg. The matter was adjourned until November 17, 2020. Kaieteur News had reported that police were hunting “Grasie” as the prime suspect responsible for Williams’ death.
According to a police report Khatoon was nabbed on Tuesday. Williams, bleeding from wounds to his left side chest, at around 17:15 hrs on Sunday, at Ocean Garden, was reportedly picked up by friends and taken to the Leonora Cottage Hospital where he died while receiving treatment. Detectives were then able to name Khatoon as the suspect after it was learnt that he was reportedly seen drinking together with Williams minutes before the latter was discovered lying in a pool blood. Kaieteur News had also received information that Khatoon and Williams were not the only ones drinking that afternoon. There were two others, according to sources. This newspaper learnt that during the drinking
session, an argument erupted between Williams and the suspect. Williams reportedly tossed a bicycle at the suspect and was about to follow-up with a punch. The suspect, however, retaliated by pulling out a knife and stabbing Williams. Williams’ aunt, Susan Williams, told Kaieteur News that her nephew became acquainted with the suspect some four years ago. She said that Williams is originally from Moruca, Region One and had moved to Region Three in search of a better life. Due to his social character, she said, he became friends with “Grasie” and had even worked with him out at sea for some time. Despite working with other folks, Williams’ aunt said that he never broke off his friendship with the suspect.
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Motorcyclist hospitalized after three-way accident involving mayor’s vehicle A three-way collision which occurred on Tuesday at Four Miles, Potaro Road, Bartica, Region Seven, leaving one hospitalized, is being blamed on the lights of the mayor’s pickup. Hospitalized is Marti Subratti, 19, a motorcyclist of Carabese Hill, Bartica. Also involved in the crash are the Mayor of Bartica, Gifford Marshall, 40, and Rudolph Marshall, 38, of Five Miles Housing Scheme, Bartica. According to a police report, the serious accident took place at around 18:20hrs.
Investigators were told that at the time of the incident, Marshall was driving his SUV, PTT 8073, in the southern direction along the eastern side of the Four Miles, Potaro Road. Marshall claimed that he was blinded by the lights of the Mayor’s pick-up PWW 7126, which was travelling in the opposite direction. The lights, Marshall told police, caused him to slow down immediately. This resulted in the motorcyclist, Subratti, who was riding behind him, colliding with his jeep. The motorcyclist then lost control of (Continued on page 56)
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Sunday November 08, 2020
CGX got Coalition to water down work programme for Corentyne Block More giveaways in oil blocks …
- company still failed to honour new obligations
S
ince 2012, CGX Re sources Inc., a sub sidiary of Canadabased exploration company, CGX Energy Inc., has been in possession of a licence for the Corentyne Block. According to the agreement signed with the then government on November 12, 2012 for the offshore concession, CGX was supposed to drill at least four wells on the block by 2019. But this did not occur. Instead of fully meeting its obligations, CGX drilled two wells in 2012, both of which were abandoned — Eagle-1 as a dry hole and Jaguar-1 for safety concerns. Since then, it has made promises to drill more wells in search of oil but never did. Upon examining its 2012 agreement, Kaieteur News found that the initial period of CGX having the licence, lasts for a period for four years (2012 to 2016). Within that time, the company was expected to drill two
CGX Resources Inc. Chairman, Professor Suresh Narine wells, one within 30 months… another within 18 months. As noted earlier, two wells were drilled during that time. Following this, CGX got the first renewal of the licence. This lasted for three years (2016 to 2019). During this time it was expected to drill two more wells. The contract states that CGX must drill one well within 18 months and at
the end of this period; elect to give up the entire contract area except in those parts where it found oil or gas. If it does not want to give up the whole block, then it has to commit to doing more work
before the three-year period is up. Before the first renewal period comes to an end, CGX was expected to drill another well. At the end of it, the com-
pany can once again choose to give up 25 percent of the block or simply hand over everything. Instead of honouring all terms of the contract it signed with Guyana back in 2012,
CGX was able to get the APNU+AFC administration to water down its work programme from having to drill two wells, to only drilling one well. According to the (Continued on page 56)
Sunday November 08, 2020
FRONT PAGE COMMENTS RECAP As we continue our mission to enlighten the nation about issues of importance to this nation, we at Kaieteur News have published a series of front page comments in hopes of having our leaders take the necessary actions in order to realize the desired outcomes. Today we recap the front page comments of the past week to bring you up to speed.
Guyana’s leaders allow Exxon to treats us like junkies Sunday This is a true story. A junkie stole a water pump worth $200,000. He went to a businessman and asked for $1,000 for the stolen item. The businessman offered the junkie $500. When the junkie agreed, the businessman gave him $300 and told him that was all the money he
had on him. A $200,000 water pump ended up being sold for a measly $300. That is how Exxon and Guyana’s political leaders in the PPP, PNCR and AFC are insultingly treating Guyanese with the scornful 2% royalty and the pittance for a signing bonus. Guyana’s political leaders, in cahoots with Exxon, treat the Guyanese people like junkies. These white-collar rogues
Billions for free - where is your voice? gold business to enter onto his mining concession? Certainly not! Well citizens that is what is taking place before our eyes in relation to the Kaieteur and Canje Oil Blocks! Donald Ramotar and Robert Persaud handed out both oil blocks, virtually for free, to Dookie and four oth-
ers who had no cash, no expertise and no experience in oil production. These blocks are worth billions of US dollars. Then they authorized them to sell the blocks and keep the cash. Citizens, this is what is taking place with your oil wealth. Where are your v o i c e s ?
E’bo man dies almost a month after being dragged, pinned by speeding hearse
Scene from the accident last month A man who was struck down by a speeding hearse on the Devonshire Castle Public Road, Essequibo Coast, last month, succumbed to his injuries yesterday morning at the Georgetown Public Hospital. The man has been identified as Tulsie Maniram, 56, of Hampton Court, Essequibo Coast. Kaieteur News understands that sometime around 17:10hrs, on October 12, 2020, on the Devonshire Castle Public Road, Maniram was struck from behind by the speeding hearse, which was driven by Bharat Joseph, a resident of Zorg, Essequibo Coast. Information reaching Kaieteur News indicated that at the time of the accident, Maniram was pushing his motorcycle, CJ 6341, along the eastern parapet of the public road; heading in the northern direction. In the meantime, the motor van, GNN5061, was also proceeding in the northern direction along the public road, when he lost control and collided with the rear end of the motorcycle.As a result (Continued on page 56)
Farmer chopped to death in Baramita trail A shot of a section of the Baramita Village
and greedy bastards are swindling Guyanese out of their oil wealth, in return for a $300 here and a $300 there. They believe that, like the junkies, Guyanese are low life, desperate and hard-up for the crumbs which they throw at us. When will Guyanese reject this putting down? How long are they going to allow themselves to be robbed and raped?
Tuesday
We place something simple before you, our fellow citizens. If Vice President Jagdeo owns a piece of mining land and doesn’t have the money, the experience and expertise to mine the land for gold, do you think that he will make an agreement with someone who has no cash, no experience, no expertise in the
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Kaieteur News
Dead: Tulsie Maniram
The body of a farmer was on Friday discovered lying in a trail at Cassie Creek, Baramita, North West District (NWD), Region One. The corpse was identified to be that of Jonah Williams called “Wammick” also of Cassie Creek, Bartica. According to a police report the man’s body was found with chop wounds at around 15:00 hrs. Crime scene experts who visited the scene observed that Williams’s body bore one chop
wound to his left arm and another to his left lower abdomen. He was taken to the Baramita Health Center where the body was further examined before being transported to the Port Kaituma Hospital’s Mortuary. Based on information received by detectives, the man was attacked and chopped to death. A prime suspect has been identified; however, investigators have been unable to locate him for questioning.
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Sunday November 08, 2020
Kaieteur News
E’bo boat operators told obey COVID-19 regulations or else…
Speedboat operators on Parika to Supenaam route, asked to adhere to COVID-19 measures M
inister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, who visited the region on Saturday, reminded them to adhere to the measures to avoid contracting the deadly disease. The Minister said concerned persons have sent photographs to him of breaches taking place in the boats carrying
passengers. “If we continue to do that and violate all the regulations and protocols, then I would have to instruct the Maritime Administration to take the necessary actions,” Minister Edghill said. He added that while the Government does not “want to put anybody out of business; we don’t want to
stop economic activity. As you can see, we have been doing everything to reopen the country to business… but we cannot put ourselves and others at risk.” During the interaction, some speedboat operators raised concerns about improvements needed at the Parika Ferry Stelling. Chairman of the Sea and River Defense Board, Brigadier Gary Beaton, told the operators that he was aware of some of the issues and encouraged them to discuss them with the Board so that budgetary allocations can be made for them. To date, Guyana has recorded a total of 4,484 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 134 deaths. (DPI)
Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill addressing the speedboat operators
Almost 4,500 COVID-19 cases since March The Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday announced 27 new COVID-19 cases that brings the total number of confirmed cases to 4,484.The MOH’s daily dashboard update also shows 11 persons in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, 73 persons in institu-
tional isolation, 753 in approved home isolation and 40 in institutional quarantine. To date, 3,511 recoveries have been recorded with 134 deaths. Additionally, a total of 21,754 persons have been tested for the virus and of this number 17,270 were negative.
Sunday November 08, 2020
Sunday Ruling on Liza permit shows Exxon, EPA not above the law – int’l lawyer, Melinda Janki – Encourages Guyanese to push for good environmental stewardship Kaieteur News – International lawyer, Melinda Janki, told Kaieteur News that the ruling of the High Court, bringing Exxon’s Liza-1 environmental permit into conformity with the law, is very important because it shows that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and ExxonMobil are subject to Guyana’s laws. “That’s a win for the people of Guyana. This was a public interest case to protect Guyana.” Janki told Kaieteur News in an invited comment. Former President of Transparency Institute Guyana Inc., Dr Troy Thomas, had brought the issue to the court, arguing that the permit was granted for a duration exceeding the five-year limit provided for in law. The court’s ruling, by Justice Joanne Barlow, has brought forward the expiry of the permit from 2040 to 2021, at which point, Exxon will require a new permit to continue its operations at the Liza-1 project. The Liza-1 is the first in line of projects for off-shore production projects by ExxonMobil and its partners. It started production late last year. In this regard, like the Oil & Gas Governance Network (OGGN)’s Darshanand Khusial, Janki noted that the ruling of the court gives citizens opportunities now to demand better from the EPA and the Government for the management of the sector. “The law does not allow the EPA to ignore people and do what the EPA wants instead.” Janki explained. “So let us have people across the country, across the political divide, taking action to protect themselves and their children, grandchildren, friends, neighbours, communities and their livelihoods.” The need for the public to be involved in the environmental stewardship of the petroleum industry is grounded in the fact that risks from oil production impact their lives. Janki said that there are two “massively dangerous threats” from oil and gas production. An oil spill, Janki said, “could exterminate marine life over hundreds of square miles. That would be the end of Guyana’s fisheries. Just look at the BP Macondo well
blowout in the Gulf of Mexico and the devastation it caused. That was 4.1 million barrels of oil, but even a small spill can be devastating. The Exxon Valdez spilled about 260,000 barrels and devastated Prince William Sound in Alaska…30 years later, the area has not recovered.” Oil spills have caused some of the worst and most lasting disasters in modern history. What is left for the EPA, according to Janki, is to do its job and ensure the laws are followed, as they already prohibit pollution. She said the regulator has not been doing its job. The other danger Janki mentioned, is the greenhouse effect. This is a natural process which involves a delicate balancing act between the radiation coming into and leaving the earth’s atmosphere. This balancing act is tipped over when increasing levels of greenhouse gases, much of which is caused by oil production, is released into the atmosphere, resulting in global warming. “When you burn fossil fuels you emit greenhouse gases that sit in the atmosphere and stop heat from escaping.” Janki explained. “The earth’s temperature has already increased by 1.10C and we are seeing massive storms, floods, coral bleaching, fires across the Arctic, Africa, Americas, Australia. Guyana’s environmental laws already require the EPA to take into account the impact of greenhouse gases on the climate, the ocean, ecosystems, everything. Again the problem is that the EPA is not doing its job as the regulator.” Exxon’s flaring at its Liza1operation has threatened Guyana’s place as a carbon sink, and as a good environmental steward. Janki said that it is illegal, and that she has written about that to the EPA. She hopes more persons will come forward to protect Guyana from the dangers of oil and gas development. ExxonMobil, Hess ignored major red flags to benefit from murky Kaieteur and Canje Block deals Kaieteur News – Before the world’s most prominent oil companies enter partnerships for exploration and production, it is common practice that they would execute a thorough due diligence. In the case of ExxonMobil and Hess Corporation, both are required to conduct due diligence on potential partners so as to protect
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shareholders from exposure to corruption and other areas of risk. In fact, ExxonMobil’s 2019 Anti-Corruption Legal Compliance Guide categorically states that before entering into an agreement to acquire assets or form a joint venture, “it is very important to consult with the Law Department for advice on appropriate due diligence and anti-corruption safeguards to mitigate this risk. In some cases, prudent due diligence will be extensive, and may add significant, but unavoidable delay and expense to the project.” Hess Corporation is also a stickler for conducting due diligence on potential joint venture partners. In spite of the having such business principles, both parties still ignored obvious red flags that plagued the award process for the Kaieteur and Canje Oil Blocks and they subsequently farmed into both blocks. Over the last few weeks, Kaieteur News would have published several installments in its “Fleecing of Guyana” series, which exposed the numerous red flags in the award of the two offshore concessions by former President, Donald Ramotar. In the case of the Canje Block, it was awarded by the Donald Ramotar administration on March 4, 2015 days before the elections, to local company, Mid Atlantic Oil and Gas, which was incorporated in 2013 by Hewley Nelson, a management professional and Nicholas Chuck-A-Sang, a geologist. Dr. Edris Kamal Dookie, who was not officially a director at the time the company received the block, came on later and is the sole shareholder. A mere six weeks after being in possession of the block, Mid-Atlantic sold some of the stakes in the block to a company called JHI. This was executed on May 15. It is important to note that Mid-Atlantic and JHI did not have any assets besides Canje; they had no proven track record of exploration, and they did not even have the finances to develop any resources if found in the Canje block. In fact, JHI which holds a 17.5 percent stake in the block is an industry unknown whose financial health remains hidden from scrutiny as it is registered in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Industry experts have warned that BVI is among the world’s most notorious tax havens, hence when companies flock to
Attorney, Melinda Janki such territories to keep their financial dealings a secret, it should raise eyebrows. After acquiring the block, Kaieteur News would have reported that Exxon subsequently farmed into the Canje in February 2016, becoming the operator with 35 percent of the shares. The sum Exxon paid for its share is unknown. In February of 2018, JHI and Mid-Atlantic also struck a deal with Total, which resulted in the French exploration and production company having a 35 percent stake. The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), a reputable corruption watchdog, has noted that the quick flipping of blocks without having done substantial work is as a major red flag, which warrants a probe. With regard to the Kaieteur Block, similar red flags were found by this newspaper. In its ‘Fleecing of the Guyana’ series, Kaieteur News showed that former President Ramotar had awarded the offshore concession April 28, 2015 – just two weeks before the 2015 General and Regional Elections. The former Head of State claimed he had done so on the advice of former Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud. Two companies received the block with 50-50 stakes, Ratio Energy Limited (now Cataleya Energy Limited) and Ratio Guyana Limited. The latter is a subsidiary of the Israeli company, Ratio Petroleum. The parent company has been active in the oil industry for decades. As for Ratio Energy, it was incorporated in Gibraltar, a tax haven, on April 15, 2013, and registered in Guyana on October 23 later that year. Independent watchdog, Global Witness, said in its damning report ‘Signed Away’, that at the time of receipt of the block, the company was owned by an Israeli-based lawyer named Richard Roberts. Ratio Energy’s name was changed on August 3, 2017 after it received the Kaieteur Block. Its two directors are the
Justice Jo Ann Barlow Canadian, Michael Cawood and Guyanese, Ryan Perreira, who have experience in mining. Cawood’s LinkedIn page lists him as Cataleya’s Director and Chief Executive Officer. Pereira’s LinkedIn page lists him as Cataleya’s Director and Co-founder. Pereira’s Pereira Group has a history of collaboration with Cawood’s Riva Gold Corporation. Neither of these men had any experience in oil exploration to talk about, prior to Cataleya’s receipt of the Kaieteur block. Just like the Canje owners, both had no other oil assets or wherewithal to execute exploration programmes. They are also registered in tax havens and both did not receive the oil blocks via a public tender. In line with the behaviour of the Canje owners, the players of the Kaieteur Block flipped interests in the concession. In fact, the owners of the Kaieteur Block sold a large stake to ExxonMobil without doing what they committed to doing under the contract. It was only months after Exxon bought into the block that the oil major started a seismic survey. Exxon’s work revealed that the Kaieteur Block has an estimated 2.1 billion oil-equivalent barrels. Considering how obvious the foregoing red flags are, local industry analysts have said it is safe for the ordinary man to conclude that ExxonMobil and Hess were clearly aware of the risks but moved ahead with the acquisition of interests so that they could reap the benefits of the murky deals which range from billions of dollars in tax concessions along with provisions that protect it from any law that may hinder its financial take. It is important to note as well that Exxon Mobil is the operator for both Kaieteur and
Canje while Hess holds a 15 percent interest in Kaieteur. Also, both offshore concessions are contiguous to the Stabroek Block which now holds approximately nine billion oil equivalent resources. AG should march Ramotar, Persaud to CID over oil blocks deal – Ramon Gaskin Kaieteur News – Ramon Gaskin is of the considered opinion that the Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall, SC, and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/ C) administration should treat the suspicious handlings of the Canje and Kaieteur licenses with the same alacrity with which they treat recent corruption cases related to land giveaways and the recently concluded election. He was at the time giving an invited comment on the manifestation of one of the several red flags observed in the handling of the oil licenses, specifically where the initial owners of the two blocks sold out their operatorship of the blocks without doing much work of their own. The activist said that Nandlall would do well to march former President and Minister of Petroleum, Donald Ramotar and former Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud, down to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Eve Leary so they could answer to Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum about the role they played. Persaud, who currently holds the post of Foreign Secretary, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, should distance himself from the post until such an investigation has been concluded, Gaskin also posited. He pointed to the recent firing of Colvin (Continued on page 26)
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From page 25 Heath-London as a fair precedent for Persaud to follow. London served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the state-owned National Industrial Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) until two days ago. The Irfaan Ali administration concluded, according to the Attorney General, that Heath-London failed to protect the best interests of the agency, thereby costing the government to lose billions in investments. In the case of the Kaieteur and Canje Blocks, by failing to develop its capacity and put the awards through open, competitive bidding process, the Ramotar administration cost Guyana billions in signing bonuses. Gaskin said that before an oil block is given away, it is required that the government be satisfied of the technical, financial and managerial competence of the applicant. In these cases, the activist said there is no evidence to suggest that the Ministers were so satisfied. Ramotar signed the licenses away, but he said that it was Persaud’s advice that he acted on. As for Persaud, he said that he simply acted as a conduit to pass the briefing reports prepared by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to the Petroleum Minister. He said that the reports were prepared by lawyers attached to the Commission, but would not name the lawyers, nor could he provide copies of the reports when asked about them by anti-corruption watchdog, Global Witness. None of the initial owners was actually qualified to develop the ultra deepwater blocks, which raises the question of why such large national assets were given away to these unqualified companies. This is a question Gaskin believes Persaud and Ramotar need to answer to the police. Other persons who should also answer to the police, Gaskin said, include the owners of Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas, Cataleya Energy Limited, and Ratio Guyana – the companies which received the Kaieteur and Canje Blocks. He pointed out that the Government is fervently pursuing the prosecution of persons thought to be involved in the failed rigging attempt of Guyana’s 2020 General and Regional Elections, with investigations and charges against People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) officials Volda
Kaieteur News
Lawrence and Carol Joseph, and former Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo. Corrupt and/or illegal handling of Guyana’s national assets is just as grave an issue as election rigging, Gaskin believes, and it should be treated that way. He is of the view that the awards of the licenses are riddled with illegalities, and that the licenses should be rescinded and properly procured using a competitive bidding process. MONDAY Extra pipelines for Payara well cost US$ billions more than Liza-2 – Hess executive VP Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Hess Corporation, John P. Rielly said that the reason the development cost for the Payara project is so much higher than the Liza Phase Two project, is that the design includes more flow line pipings to cater for the greater number of wells. He made this statement during the company’s Q3 earnings call in response to a question from Paul Cheng, an analyst from Scotia Howard Weil, of the reason Payara ended up costing more than Liza-2, instead of less. Both the Liza Two and Payara projects will utilise Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels capable of producing a maximum of 220,000 barrels per day, and which will each draw from wells estimated to hold 600 million barrels. Yet, the projected development cost for Liza Two is US$6B, while the cost for Payara is US$9B. As Rielly said, Payara will indeed have more wells than Liza-2. According to ExxonMobil, Liza-2 will have approximately 30 wells, including 15 oil producing wells, nine water injection wells and six gas injection wells. On the other hand, Payara is intended to have up to 41 wells, including 20 oil producing wells and 21 injection wells. “Each development is unique,” Rielly told Cheng. “It does cost more and why what happens is Payara has a greater number of distinct reservoirs and therefore also a greater areal extent.” “So it was always, as we said, it was back in our December 2018 Investor Presentation, it was always going to have a higher cost than Liza Phase 2. So those costs now came exactly in with what we were expecting, just the areal extent in the reservoirs caused more wells
to be there, some more flow lines to be there.” Flow lines are pipe lines that connect the wellheads to a manifold or production facilities, according to Schlumberger. This differential is a matter of public interest, since ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC will be recovering those investments from the sale of the Stabroek block crude, and higher recoverable costs mean lower profit for Guyana. Yet, no cost audits have been contemplated on the three field developments the country has already approved, with 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. “Assuming we find some costs that are not acceptable to us, we’d have to bring them to ExxonMobil, that could change the cost oil and therefore, the share of profit oil,” Jagdeo had told Kaieteur News. 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 pre-contract bill, significantly lower than the development costs, is moving at a snail’s pace. Govt. terminates BK, Courtney Benn’s school contracts totaling $1.1B Kaieteur News – After failing to meet their contract obligations, thereby costing taxpayers millions of dollars, the government yesterday exercised its right to terminate two multi-million school contracts which were awarded to Brian Tiwari’s BK International Incorporated and Courtney Benn Contracting Services. An aerial shot of the worksite of the St. Rose’s High School, taken in September 2020. The Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall, this morning dispatched letters to the Company Secretary of both of the local contractors for the construction of the $352M St. Rose’s High School and the $827M Yarrowkabra Secondary School. In the letter dispatched to Courtney Benn’s Company Secretary, the AG reminded that the Ministry of Education (MOE) had awarded the $352M St. Rose’s contract to
Courtney Benn on August 8, 2018, with completion projected on or before April 8, 2020. “The Government of Guyana,” AG Nandlall wrote to the Secretary, “then executed an addendum to the contract dated the 23rd December, 2019 to facilitate the driving of piles by your company. The contract was extended for a period of 20 months and is now scheduled to be completed by 23rd August, 2021.” The official went on to indicate that the contract sum was then increased to the sum of $412,340,357. Despite the fact that Courtney Benn Contracting was given the contract to construct this state-of-the-art school two years ago, the company has only managed to complete 9% of the schedule of works, the letter said. “As a consequence,” it continued, “your company has committed a fundamental breach of the terms of the contract and as a result thereof, the Government of Guyana hereby exercises its right to terminate the contract with immediate effect.” This contractor’s termination was grounded on the breach of Clause 40.2 (a) for failing to comply with the schedule works; as well as the breach of Clause 40.2 (g) read along with the special conditions of the contract for inordinate delay in the completion of works under the contract. Kaieteur News had reported in September that an advancement of $60M was issued towards Courtney Benn for this school’s construction. However, shortly after the initial stages of a pile-driving exercise begun in January 2020, the school’s Board of Governors observed that the contractor had abandoned the site. In fact, the school’s board reported that the contractor had removed all of their construction gear and personnel from the Camp and Church Streets site, and was keen to note that no explanations were given to them by the contractor for their abandonment. With regards to BK International, it was recalled that the $827M contract was awarded through the MoE on December 31, 2019. Despite the law preventing the government from signing contracts after mid December, the former A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) regime nonetheless illegally went ahead and awarded the contract. It was signed on January 7, 2020 with completion projected for March 12, 2021.
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Anti-corruption advocate, Christopher Ram Even with receiving a $214M advance, the AG made it explicitly clear that only 5% of the scheduled works have been completed. Similar to Courtney Benn’s case, the AG Nandlall indicated that BK International has committed a “fundamental breach of the terms of the contract”, with the government terminating the contract with “immediate effect”. The grounds for BK’s termination were akin to those of Courtney Benn Contracting. Notably, these two contractors will not walk scot free, as AG Nandlall made it clear that the government will impose the enforcement of 10% of the contract sum as liquidated damages. Further to this will be the surrendering of the performance security as consequence of the two company’s “fundamental” breach of the contracts. The government reminded the contractors that it reserves its right to institute legal proceedings against the two companies for compensation for their breach of contract. Both BK International and Courtney Benn Contracting Services were requested to have the sites of the two schools cleared “immediately.” Kaieteur, Canje owners violated principle purpose of licenses; Guyana should recover – Chris Ram – Companies sold blocks without doing any work Kaieteur News – Attorney-at-Law, Christopher Ram has determined that the initial owners of the Canje and Kaieteur oil blocks reneged on the commitments they made to explore the blocks and, in doing so, violated the principle purpose of the
agreements when they flipped the licenses without doing any work. He explained that this violation constitutes sufficient grounds for Guyana to recover the asset, and that Government should so do. Ratio Guyana (owned by Ratio Petroleum) and Cataleya Energy Limited (formerly Ratio Emergy) each sold 25 percent of their Kaieteur Block ownership to ExxonMobil in March 1, 2017. The transaction waited two years following their receipt of the license from former President, Donald Ramotar on April 28, 2015, during which the companies did no work. It was only until ExxonMobil became operator that it conducted a seismic survey two months into its ownership, and is currently drilling the Tanager-1 well. As for the Canje Block, Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas handed shares in the block to the Canadian JHI Associates on May 15, 2015 – just two months after it received the block from Ramotar. Neither of them did any work, save for JHI which claimed that it bought data on the basin. The two companies sold shares to ExxonMobil in February 2016, with ExxonMobil becoming operator later that year, then to Total SE in February 2018. The three companies which farmed in now owns 87.5 percent of the asset. “It was a license to do exploration, not to flip the transaction.” Ram told Kaieteur News. “The government should move to recover it.” Under the prospecting licenses, the initial owners committed to “have, or… acquire, the financial resources, the managerial, (Continued on page 27)
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From page 26 technical and industrial competence and the experience to carry out Petroleum Operations and will provide a guarantee” that they will observe the conditions of the license. Such a guarantee is required under Section 13 of the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act. Kaieteur News has carried a sustained series of articles for several weeks, detailing the red flags which have occurred in the handling of these licenses. Yet, the government has remained silent on the matter, with former President Ramotar and Foreign Secretary (once Minister of Natural Resources) Robert Persaud opting not to explain why so many red flags have manifested in the handling of these licenses. “It is disappointing that the administration seems willing to ignore those concerns.” Ram said. TUESDAY Don’t grant licences to oil companies incorporated in tax havens – says Chris Ram Kaieteur News – Anticorruption advocate, Christopher Ram, is of the view that Guyana should require companies that apply for a petroleum licence to be incorporated right here. He made the suggestion during an interview with Kaieteur News, about the suspicious Canje and Kaieteur awards made by former President and Minister of Petroleum, Donald Ramotar just before the 2015 general and regional elections. “A number of the oil companies are incorporated in other jurisdictions where they are nothing more than a shell,” Ram said, “then they come here and they register a branch of the company incorporated in the other jurisdictions.” He said that many companies are incorporated in secrecy jurisdictions because they are generally tax shelters, and that Guyana should not be allowing it. “I have a big problem with it,” he said. He explained that Guyana is free to set conditions that it finds appropriate, for its licences. The owners of the Kaieteur and Canje blocks made sure to set the stage for secrecy in their handling of the licences by hampering full disclosure of information before they conducted transactions involving the sale of shares to other companies. They had flipped
the blocks without doing any work, granting the operatorship in both cases to ExxonMobil. The owners of the Kaieteur Block, Ratio Energy Limited (renamed Cataleya Energy) and Ratio Guyana Limited, were incorporated in Gibraltar, a British overseas territory well-known and used for facilitating financial secrecy. Kaieteur Block agreement lists both of their registered offices at the same Gibraltar address: Suites 7B & 8B, 50 Town Range. One of the early owners of the Canje block, JHI Associates, has managed to stay under Guyana’s radar because of its incorporation in the British Virgin Islands, which is a secrecy jurisdiction and tax haven. JHI farmed into the Canje block just weeks after MidAtlantic, the original recipient, received the block from Ramotar. ExxonMobil’s local subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) and its Stabroek Block co-venturers, Hess and CNOOC, are also incorporated in secrecy jurisdictions. Esso is incorporated in the Bahamas, while Hess is incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Angola, Azerbaijan set aside oil jobs, procurement for its citizens – PPP/C Govt. can do same for Guyanese Local Content Policy … Kaieteur News – As Guyana continues efforts towards creating a robust local content policy that would be supported by legislation, there are several examples within the industry that the Government can use as a guide to ensure its citizens have every possible chance of being given first preference in the oil sector. According to a study that was procured by the World Bank and written by S i l v a n a To r d o , i t s l e a d energy economist along with other consultants, Angola and Azerbaijan are two countries whose local content policies provide examples of how others may go about creating the environment for citizens to benefit the most from the sector. In the case of Angola, the study noted that the dominant secondary legislation for local content is Ministerial Order No. 127/03 on the Contracting of Services and Goods from Angolan Companies by Petroleum Industry Companies. The regulation reserves
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certain categories of procurement expenditure to Angolan companies, including logistics, catering, pressure tests for storage tanks and pipelines. It also identifies spending categories that fall under a “semicompetitive regime,” where bidding by foreign suppliers and service providers is predicated on these companies first forming joint ventures with Angolan companies. Expenditure reserved for this category falls in the area of geophysical sciences, drilling controls and fluid analysis, and the operations and maintenance of production facilities. The law also seeks to establish a “competitive regime,” which places all other categories of expenditure into international competitive tender, yet provides for “Angolan state companies and/or private companies the right of first refusal, provided that the value of the relevant bid is no more than 10 percent higher than those of other companies.” Wi t h respect to ensuring first preference is given to the use of locals i n t h e o i l s e c t o r, s o m e countries focus on employment regulation which is one of the most commonly used tools in local content policies. According to the World Bank s t u d y, such regulation may be accomplished through the imposition of minimum local employment obligations, minimum salaries, and training requirements; the reservation of certain jobs or levels for citizens; the restriction of certain jobs/ levels to citizens; and the oversight of work visas. The study pointed out that Azerbaijan is a classic example of how an oil producing country may use employment regulation to ensure first preference is given to its citizens. The country’s laws state that where export-oriented oil and gas operations are expected to last for more than six months, it is required that the company employs at least 80 percent Azerbaijani citizens at
all staff levels. Kaieteur News understands that the regulation applies to all contractors and subcontractors. With the foregoing in mind, industry experts such as Dr. Remi Piet, Co-founder of Embellie Advisory and Faculty member at the University of Miami and HEC Paris in Qatar, agreed recently that indeed, Guyanese authorities can use these and other provisions to ensure locals are given first preference in the industry. March trial for pharmaceutical supplier charged for providing expired HIV testing kits Kaieteur News – The trial for an executive of a pharmaceutical supplies company, that is charged for providing fake HIV testing kits to the Ministry of Health, is expected to commence in March 2021. The company, Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc., is one of the country’s biggest local pharmaceutical supply companies. Earlier this year, the company was charged and the matter is being heard in the Leonora Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Zameena AliSeepaul. The company was charged by the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GAFDD). Area Manager, Davendra Rampersaud, is the representative in court for the matter who is facing the charge. The matter is being prosecuted by Shemroy Pompey, a Drug Inspector for the Guyana Analyst Food and Drug Department (GAFDD). During the hearing of the matter yesterday, Rampersaud received full disclosure of statements and the matter was adjourned to March 2021, when the trial is expected to commence. On his first court appearance, Rampersaud denied the charge which alleged that on January 16, 2020, Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc. allegedly sold and supplied 400 units (20 packs) of Uni-gold HIV Test Kits, Batch #HIV7120026, with misleading representation, a violation of the Food and Drugs Act of 1971. According to reports, a quantity of the testing kits was seized by the GA-FDD
from the Materials Management Unit of the Ministry of Public Health, at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, and from local hospitals and laboratories. The probe was launched into the fake HIV testing kits after an Irish manufacturer last January wrote to the former Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, warning that it is aware that there are counterfeit Uni-Gold HIV test kits in Guyana. The Irish company supplied photographic evidence, which indicated clearly that the kits expired since July last year. The company, Trinity Biotech, in its complaint, named Caribbean Medical Supplies. According to the manufacturer, the fake boxes were created with expiry dates extended by 17 months and the kits repacked in them. The Irish pharmaceutical company said that the products were already six months out of date when it was brought to Guyana. Trinity Biotech also claimed that its Trinidadbased authorized distributor, Transcontinental Medical Products Limited, is the only authorized distributor for the Uni-Gold kits to Guyana and it had not participated in the transaction. In fact, Trinity called on Lawrence to remove the expired kits from testing centres immediately as they posed health risks to patients. The company had filed a complaint with the WHO. Trinity said that it had previously complained about Caribbean Medical Supplies to the Ministry. WEDNESDAY Guyana has very narrow window to get right what other countries struggled with for decades – IDB Kaieteur News – With an estimated nine billion barrels
of oil, equivalent resources and a projected fiscal windfall of US$49 billion in revenues over the next few decades, Guyana is poised to be a significant player in regional and international energy markets. However, the direction and magnitude of transformations that could come from the wealth Guyana holds will depend on a combination of cohesive policies and strong institutions to ensure benefit transfer to all segments of Guyanese society, for this generation and the next. Making this assertion was the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). In one of its latest reports which focused on the challenges facing Guyana and the development of its resources, the IDB said that as a new oil-producing country in a turbulent global energy market, navigating the challenges and risks associated with overreliance on the petroleum sector should be designed as part of the country’s long-term development strategies. It noted that the recent price swings for crude oil on the market, triggered by both traditional sources of instability (the interplay among producers and underinvestment), and the new phenomena such as the novel coronavirus and the proliferation of renewable energy technologies, will gradually displace the reliance on fossil fuels. Taking this into consideration, the IDB said that Guyana “has a very narrow window to get what other countries in the past have struggled to get right over decades.” The financial institution said it is imperative that authorities embrace the lessons learnt by countries that have had successful hydrocarbon sectors and avoid the mistakes of those that have failed to create (Continued on page 28)
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From page 27 long-lasting value. With strong political will, the bank said, successful countries have overcome challenges and established models of good governance within their extractive sectors. In this regard, it said that Guyana may consider several actions that can improve transparency and the realization of tangible outcomes from the development of its resources. The IDB said for success, Guyana must have a defined national integrated plan for its oil and gas sector with clearly established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and timelines for achievement, supported by operational and funding plans to support implementation. It said these plans will be used as the driver of the sector’s development. Further to this, the financial institution said that transparently delineating the roles and responsibilities among and within government entities would also put Guyana at an advantage in properly managing the sector and avoiding mistakes made by others. It said that the clear assignment of goals, roles and responsibilities has been identified and considered as one of the most valuable lessons learned by various countries. Canadian company bought in to Canje Block even before licence was granted JHI Associates revealed on its website that it farmed into the licence in 2014, one year before former President Donald Ramotar granted the license to Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas. JHI is the Canadian company, which currently coowns the Canje Block alongside ExxonMobil, Total SE and Mid-Atlantic and currently has a 17.5 percent stake. According to a graphic on jhiassociates.com, the company was founded in Ontario, Canada in 2011 and expanded its core team to support Mid-Atlantic’s application for the Canje Block in 2013. JHI said that in 2014 it completed a “prelicence farmin” with MidAtlantic in 2014. The company actually became an owner of the block in May 15, 2015 – days after the 2015 General and Regional Elections, which saw Ramotar unseated by the David Granger-led Coalition. However, this information shows that the companies’ principals had plans for the licence long before the infant Mid-Atlantic, with no qualification to develop the
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ultra deepwater Canje Block, was granted it. Together, the two companies held on to the block for a year, then sold a 35 percent interest and the operatorship to ExxonMobil in 2015. They also sold a 35 percent stake to Total SE in 2018.The two companies have worked in synchrony for years in their handling of the Canje licence. Yet, prior to the transactions in which they sold the block, no exploration was actually done as required under the agreement. They simply ceded the responsibility to ExxonMobil, save and except for some seismic data packages, which JHI says it purchased. The principals of JHI and Mid-Atlantic have worked together prior to their involvement with the Canje licence. Mid-Atlantic’s sole shareholder, Edris Kamal Dookie co-founded CGX in 1996 alongside JHI’s Chief Executive Officer and Director, John Cullen. CGX was granted the Corentyne Block in 1998… In 2000, the company’s rig was forced away from location by Surinamese gunboats while working to fulfill the company’s commitments under the agreement.After the settlement of this matter, CGX was awarded a Petroleum Licence on November 27, 2012 for the Corentyne Block and then in February 13, 2013, a Licence for the Demerara Block. In October, Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo had said that work on CGX’s Corentyne and Demerara Blocks is long overdue, as the company has not been fulfilling its commitments. It was reported in March 2013 that Dookie was no longer part of CGX, but it is unclear why he left, or whether he was fired. In that very month, the application for the Canje Block was made. Cullen is also no longer with CGX. In addition to that linkage, Cullen directs a company called Jaguar Holdings. This company, Dookie and Scott Young (one of JHI’s directors) are all shareholders in a Canada company called Oyster Oil & Gas Limited. Pic saved in Sunday as players THURSDAY Low-cost Liza Phase 2 arguably best project in oil industry – Hess’ Chief Financial Officer – with world class breakeven price of US$25 per barrel Kaieteur News – The Liza Phase Two operation, on track for first oil in 2022, is
The Liza Unity FPSO
arguably the best project in the exploration and production industry, says Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Hess Corporation, John P. Rielly. During its most recent earnings call for 2020, the Stabroek block co-venturer’s principals discussed Hess’ 2020 third quarter performance. Rielly pointed to the Liza Phase Two project as a bright light in its future, in spite of how the industry has tanked due to the fallout from COVID-19. Rielly regards the Liza Phase Two operation, at a total estimated development cost of US$6.6 billion, as “arguably the best” due to its world-class Brent breakeven price of US$25 per barrel. The breakeven price, in economics, is the price at which the production and sale of a commodity would not return a profit or a loss. Oil companies utilize this, among other indicators to determine whether an operation would be economically feasible. In October, Rystad Energy said that Onshore Middle East is the least expensive source of new production with an average breakeven price of around US$30 per barrel. The energy intelligence firm pointed to Offshore deepwater as the second cheapest source of new production, with an average breakeven price of US$43 per barrel – Liza Phase Two is in deep water. Hess sold out producing Gulf of Mexico block for Liza Phase Two Hess expects before the year is out, to close a deal it announced early in October to sell out its 28 percent stake
in the Gulf of Mexico’s Shenzi oilfield to raise US$505 million. BHP Billiton, Shenzi’s operator, is buying Hess’ stake, and is expected to continue its operations in the block in cooperation with Repsol, which also has a 28 percent stake. Hess had announced that the sale decision was taken to raise cash for Guyana. Rielly further revealed during the earnings call that the cash will be plugged directly into Liza Phase Two. “The proceeds from the Shenzi sale will allow us to fund our Guyana investment program in a $40 oil price environment through the start-up of Liza Phase 2 with cash flow from operations and cash on hand,” he said. “As Phase 2 comes online, our operations in Guyana will begin to generate free cash flow for the corporation, even in a $40 oil price environment and depending on commodity prices at that time, the Corporation will begin generating free cash flow between 2022 and 2024.” The Executive Vice President said that this will allow the company to reduce its debt, and to increase returns to its shareholders. Project progress and specifications Hess’ President and Chief Operating Officer, Gregory Hill said that the Liza Phase Two development plan is progressing, with approximately 80 percent of the overall top sides whole, and subsea work completed. The Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO), the Liza Unity is under construction in Singapore, and will join the Liza Phase One operation in 2022, adding 220,000 barrels
per day at peak performance, to the Liza Destiny’s 120,000 barrels per day. Liza Phase Two targets 600 million barrels of oil. A total of six drill centers are planned for Liza Phase Two, as well as approximately 30 wells, including 15 production, nine water injection and six gas injection wells. SBM Offshore, Exxon’s Dutch FPSO solutions provider is using its Fast4Ward hull, a standard design it intends for use across deepwater regions. The hull is also being utilized for the third project (Payara) FPSO, slated to come on stream in 2024. “Guyana will create extraordinary long-term value for our shareholders and for the citizens of Guyana,” Hill said. Couple found burnt in house identified as business owners – police suspect murder/suicide Kaieteur News – Family members have identified the burnt remains of a couple found in their gutted Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD) home on Tuesday, as owners of businesses in Diamond Housing Scheme. The charred bodies were identified to be that of Leeroy King, 34, and Cindy Moses, 35, both of Lot 1139 Block EE, Eccles. According to their relatives, King owned and operated a barbershop while his spouse, Moses, owned a stationery shop at Diamond. The two were reportedly together for two years and had only recently moved into the Eccles new scheme neighbourhood. They have been building their home.
Neighbours had seen the couple’s two-storey unpainted house on fire at around 20:45 hrs. on Tuesday and alerted the Fire Department. Fire fighters, along with police ranks, arrived at the scene shortly after. About an hour later the blaze was put out. Police then entered and found the bodies of King and Moses lying on a bed in one of the bedrooms on the upper flat of the building. The man was said to be holding Moses in a tight embrace. Though details are not concrete as to how the fire started, police believe that it might have been King, who decided to burn the house down after killing his wife. In a report, sent out by the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the incident is being labeled as an alleged murder/suicide case. Base on investigations, it was reported that King arrived home at around 19:15 hrs. that evening. Shortly after, one of the neighbours recalled hearing screams, suspected to be that of Moses. There was then a brief period of silence followed by a loud explosion and flames were seen coming from the upper flat of the house. The tragedy which has left family members of both victims dumbfounded has also left King’s three young kids orphaned. Police, Hughes clash over solving of West Berbice murders Kaieteur News – The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has rejected assertions by attorney-at-law, Nigel Hughes, that it failed to solve (Continued on page 29)
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From page 28 the gruesome murders of West Coast Berbice teenaged cousins, Isaiah and Joel Henry. The force announced Tuesday that it was offering a $3M reward for any information pertinent to the case. But that move, according to Hughes, is an “admission of failure.” “I think that the fact that they are offering a reward is an admission of failure and an admission that they are unable to solve the crime with their present means and, therefore, they are hoping that by a financial incentive that somebody will come forward,” Hughes told the media during a press conference with the Henry family. Not only that, Hughes also pointed out that such a move will only attract persons who have no valuable information to add to the case. The force, however, in a statement, deemed Hughes’ comments “irresponsible” and rejected them. “It should be iterated that the offering of a reward by the GPF is not in any way an admission of failure as stated by Mr. Hughes, but rather a further effort by the police in their investigation with a view to solving these crimes.” The GPF pointed out that issuing a reward for the public information that may lead to the solving of a crime is an “internationally recognized” and acceptable method to assist investigators and is one that has been “utilized from time immemorial.” Further, the force said that while it is unsure of Hughes’ agenda and does not wish to speculate, “what is certain is that his unfortunate utterances are neither in the best interest of the current investigations, nor the consolation of the bereaved family on whose behalf he is acting.” Such statements, the GPF added, have the propensity to undermine the public’s confidence in the GPF and the investigations. “Investigations into the murders by the GPF have received significant assistance from a RSS team of investigators who have opined that the Police have done extensive work in the probe and has the competence to see it to completion,” the force said, adding that it will continue to work diligently to bring the perpetrators to justice. Hughes was quick to response to the Forces’ statement, citing that he was impressed with the “alacrity” with which a response was issued. “Perhaps if,” Hughes
continued “the same diligence, commitment and speed had been applied to the investigation of the murders of the young Henry boys, we might all have been in a different place today.” Further, the attorney said: “I have no doubt that the GPF noted the presence of the immediate relatives of Joel and Isaiah Henry at the press conference and it was with their full prior informed consent and on their behalf that all statements were made at the press conference.” The press conference in question was held to provide an update on the state of investigations being conducted thus far. Hughes, on behalf of the Henry family, made a plea for the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team – EAAFto be brought to Guyana to solve the case. Investigators had already received outside assistance with the probe from the CARICOM Regional Security Service (RSS). While the team’s report has not yet been made public, President Irfaan Ali had disclosed that the team recommended that additional works be conducted. He also said that the team was “satisfied” with the work being done by local police. Hughes had disclosed that to bring the Argentine team with the necessary equipment needed to conduct their investigations would cost $4 million with the exception of travel, meals and accommodation. An additional US$1,000 would be needed to ship the needed equipment and that team would comprise of a forensic anthropologist from Argentina, two forensic pathologists and a criminalist. While the force had expressed positive reports, welcoming the assistance of the team, there has been no response to the several letters dispatched to the Home Affairs Minister regarding their involvement. Family members also pointed out that when the issue was raised with President Ali, merely two weeks ago, his response was not positive. At the moment, there is no confidence that the force would be able to solve the murders, Hughes stated, owing to many factors. He pointed out that they are yet to locate the crime scene where the boys were brutally slain and DNA sample results from a cigarette butt retrieved from the scene did not match DNA taken from the suspects who were arrested. The force had hit a bump in their investigations after it was revealed that the teens were killed elsewhere and their
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bodies dumped in the backdams at Cotton Tree, West Coast Demerara. Detectives had encountered difficulties accessing the crime scene due to the several days of violent protests by the West Coast Berbice residents. The road was blocked in several locations, persons were beaten and robbed and vehicles set afire. However, after the chaos subsided, investigating ranks were able to access the scene and only then could have determined that the boys were not killed at the spot where they were found. The force had said that a full-fledged team that consisted of 75 police ranks, the Major Crimes Unit (MCU) from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters along with ranks from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh, conducted a “methodical” eight-hour search in the backlands with the hopes of finding anything of evidential value to the investigations. Ranks on the ground also received aerial support via a helicopter from the GDF. The team led by the Regional Commander, unfortunately, failed to find any evidence to aid their investigations. Added to that, Hughes revealed that Joel was found in pants other than the ones he was last seen with. But the police, he said, did not send those for forensic analysis. Questions were posed to the GPF on when an update would be provided on that matter, but up to press time, no answers have been provided. The mutilated bodies of Joel and Isaiah Henry were found back on September 6th, in clumps of bushes near to a coconut estate located at Cotton Tree Backdam, WCB. Protests marred by violence had erupted over the news of their gruesome murder and days later, the body of another teen, Haresh Singh was found, lying in a patch of grass and bleeding from the nose at the Number Three Village backdam. Singh was later pronounced dead at a hospital and was identified as the grandson of one of the suspects, a rice farmer, who was in police custody at the time for the murder of the Henry boys. FRIDAY Three doctors disciplined over children cancer patient deaths Kaieteur News – The medical doctors who were under investigation for the
Murdered: Joel and Isaiah Henry 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 receiving 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-yearold 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 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. CGX submits plans to relinquish 25% of Corentyne, Demerara and Berbice Oil Blocks – Says Energy Department sees no obstacle renewing licences Kaieteur News – According 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 company’s Quarterly 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 (Continued on page 58)
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==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==
The day my country failed me in front of my wife and daughter I know President Irfaan Ali reads what I write about him. I wrote that he has 10 years to situate himself in the permanent memory of those who live in and out of the land like Cheddi Jagan, Forbes Burnham, Desmond Hoyte and Walter Rodney. Those are four eternal names. Whatever you think of them, Guyanese believe they are four historymakers. Ten years are a long time to transform Guyana in fundamental ways that would allow people to place the president in the category of those four names above. Dr. Ali has to examine the roads Bharrat
Jagdeo did not take. He has to spend endless time and energy devoted to changing this country from a bureaucratic anachronism to a modern Caribbean country. This is where Jagdeo failed this nation. Despite his power obsessions, Jagdeo had a kaleidoscopic comprehension of Guyana’s economic and financial weaknesses. He had a plausible understanding of our backward bureaucratic system that was even more backward in the private sector. I shared the Kaieteur Radio studio with many prominent private sector personnel
during the five-month election rigging and protocol stopped me from asking them why Guyana’s private sector is so unmodern in the application of technology. Just one example will suffice. I chose this one because it is extremely shocking. Bounty chicken is produced by one of the richest families in the Caribbean, yet the packets do not carry a readable bar code. The cashier at all supermarkets (not most, but all), takes the packet, lifts it up in front of her eyes to see the number, then types the number into the computerized cash register. I
was so disgusted by this time travel back to the 19th century that I stopped buying that brand of chicken. This column was motivated by a letter I read in last Monday’s newspapers. Titled, “Guyana approximately 20 years behind the rest in technology adaptation,” the description and analysis are a must read for President Ali. This cannot be the Guyana he wants to leave in 2030 when his tenure ends. He must say to himself, that in 2030, he is demitting office leaving a modern country in the Third World where technology has liberated Guyanese. I will now describe the perfect example to readers of how ancient and hundreds of years behind the rest of the world this country is. Guyana cannot continue like this. It must not be allowed to continue like this. The event took place in August 2018, that is, a mere two years ago. The Bank of Nova Scotia required us to visit with the usual requirements in keeping with anti money-laundering legislation. For proof of address, it wanted an envelope that if it does have the address on the face of the envelope, it must carry a recent post of-
fice date stamp. Envelopes sent from companies normally have a window through which the post office delivery people will see the address on the document. In actual fact the bank would not know if that envelope belongs to me because all they want to see is the stamp date. This meant I could have collected my neighbour’s envelope for that purpose. Robb Street branch manager, Brian Hackett, came up to serve me. Hackett was a student of mine at UG. He took the envelope put it up into the light and had a problem discerning the date because the ink was faded. My wife asked him if he can actually make out the date. Right there in front of me the functionalism of my account depended on whether this man can see the post office stamp on a silly, discarded envelope when I had in my possession a document from the police force called “certificate of fitness” for my vehicle which carried my address. As Hackett twisted his neck and rolled eyes to make out the date, I looked at my young daughter, standing right next to her mother, hoping the experience would not
Frederick Kissoon be locked away in her psyche. This was a literal pantomime. A well-known citizen will have his bank account deactivated because in an age of phenomenal technology, the bank manager was relying on one piece of unreliable evidence of proof of address - a post office stamp on a corrugated envelope. The letter-writer used an interesting set of words, “appropriately 20 years behind.” We are 50 years behind. Just one more example before we close. The borrowing of books from UG library is based on the filling out of pieces of papers as when UG started at Turkeyen in 1972. President Ali has endless mountains and oceans to cross. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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Coronavirus: A strong, prepared immune system is our best bet By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt Medical Center It’s been more than six months and we are still waiting on the miracle cure for the COVID-19 infection. It has always been challenging for the scientific world to develop treatment cures for viruses. For the most part, supportive care and allowing our immune system to “fight out” the virus has been the mainstay of care for most viral infections. We have always known that a strong immune system is the key to fighting off viral infections such as the flu and common cold. It is no different with the COVID-19 infection. Our immune system is our body’s defense against foreign pathogens such as the coronavirus. If there has ever been a time the world needed everyone’s immune system to be strong, this is it. The stronger your immune system, the better your chances of surviving a COVID-19 infection. I will shed some light on factors that science has shown to boost our immune system and help effectively fight off viral infections such as the coronavirus. Vitamin C Vitamin C is an essential nutrient with many roles in our body. Vitamin C helps our immune health in several ways. Its antioxidant activity can decrease inflammation, which may help improve your immune function. The vitamin also boosts the activity of phagocytes, immune cells that can “swallow” harmful viruses and other particles. In addition, it promotes the growth and spread of lymphocytes, a type of immune cell that increases your circulating antibodies, proteins
that can attack foreign or harmful substances in our blood. We can get our daily requirement of Vitamin C from supplements or the following foods: • Guava • Citrus (lime, orange, lemon, tangerine) • Broccoli • Tomatoes • Peppers We need 65 to 90 mg of Vitamin C Daily. Zinc Zinc is a mineral found throughout cells in our body. There are a number of ways zinc boosts the immune system but primarily it activates enzymes that break down proteins in viruses and bacteria so they are less able to spread. It also increases the activation of cells responsible for fighting infections. It also helps to reduce inflammation that can occur during viral infections. We can get our daily requirement of Zinc from supplement or the following foods: • Guava • Seafood such as crabs and lobsters • Beans and nuts • Avocado • Ground beef We need 8 to 12mg of zinc to meet our daily requirements. Vitamin D Vitamin D is an essential nutrient, which has many roles in our body including fighting off infections. It plays a critical role in promoting immune response . It has both anti-inflammatory and immune regulatory properties and is crucial for the activation of immune system defenses. It enhances the function of immune cells, including Tcells and macrophages that protect your body against pathogens such as viruses. Low Vitamin D levels are also associated with an in-
creased risk of respiratory diseases such as viral and bacterial respiratory infections. We can get our daily Vitamin D requirements from supplements or the following foods: • Sunlight- While this is not a food, daily exposure to sunlight is needed to help our body make Vitamin D active. • Egg yolks • Fatty fish such as tuna and mackerel • Cheese • Beef liver We need 25-100 micrograms of Vitamin D daily. Quercetin Quercetin is a natural pigment present in many fruits,
vegetables, and grains. It is a potent antioxidant that can bind to and neutralize free radicals formed from infections such as COVID-19. It has strong anti-inflammatory properties which is very handy since the COVID19 infection triggers a massive inflammatory response in our body that worsens the illness. You can get quercetin from dietary supplements or from the following foods: • Grapes • Apples • Black tea • Tomatoes • Citrus fruits Daily intake of 500mg quercetin is sufficient to help your body.
Regular exercise, reduce stress Stress has been shown to cause inflammation and suppress our body’s immune response. Exercise has the opposite effect. The more we exercise and less we stress, the stronger our immune system gets. While we wait for preventative or curative treatment options to come out against the COVID-19 infection, we need to prepare our immune system in the event that we do get infected. It’s the main defense that we have and the best way to ensure it is prepared is to utilize the options discussed
Dr. Zulfikar Bux today. Start preparing our immune system and remember to stay home, wear a mask if you have to go out and practice proper hygiene.
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Security sector reform remains a work-in-progress (A review of David Granger’s Public Security: Criminal Violence and Policing in Guyana. ISBN 978976-8178-40-4.) Public security has always been the Achilles’ heel of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) in Government. The PPPC, in office between 1957 and 1964 and again between 1992 and 2015, failed palpably to ensure a satisfactory level of security for citizens. The security situation often deteriorates into crises whenever the PPPC is in government.The PPPC used this pattern of security crises to excuse its own failures. It resorted to claims that its administrations have been victims of political subversion and that its arch-rival – the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) – deploys criminality as a political weapon. David Granger’s Public Security: Criminal Violence and Policing in Guyana demolishes the pitiful claims of political subversion. Granger does this not by disproving these claims specifically but by unmasking the real reasons for the PPPC’s demonstrable record of failed public security policies. Granger, in this regard, takes up where he left off in an earlier book – Public Policy: The crisis of governance in Guyana. He iterates that criminal violence, the antithesis of public security, flourishes where public policy falters. That Bharrat Jagdeo’s PPPC presidency during the first decade of the 21st century ‘falters’ can be said to be an understatement. The crisis of public security and the corruption and unlawful actions of some members of the Guyana Police Force during this period represented a national catastrophe which threatened the very survival of society. Granger, elsewhere, referred to that first decade of the 21st century as a ‘decade of death’. In this book, he observes that, between 2002 and 2008, Guyana had an average of two murders every five days. This is a stark but shocking criminal scorecard for a country of fewer than a million persons and which belongs to one of the more stable regions in the world. Public Security: Criminal Violence and Policing in Guyana is a collection of twenty essays which were published between 2008 and 2011, prior to the author’s election as President of Guyana. The essays examine the reasons why public security was imperiled during that period. The book exposes the absence of a proper security
policy. It highlights the PPPC’s disregard of a profusion of reports making recommendations for security sector reform. It underscores the failure of the PPPC to implement its own National Drug Strategy Master Plan and the high incidence of domestic violence and its disproportionate impact on women. The book recalls that deplorably ugly and grievously gruesome incident in which the genitals of a young boy were set alight in a police station – an incident which Granger refers to as the ‘Crime of the Year.’ The book also recounts the surge in the number of murders, the involvement of criminal gangs in creating an atmosphere of insecurity and the rise and fall of a convicted, notorious narcotics trafficker. The abandonment of the United Kingdom-funded Security Sector Reform programme and the need to address the serious shortcomings of the Police Force are also examined. Granger writes with a command of the facts. He leaves little to conjecture. The essays have benefitted from Granger’s meticulous eye and his scrupulous research. His style of writing is engaging, refreshing and lucid prose. Granger’s arguments are evidence-based. The PPPC will find it impossible to refute the strong conclusions which, inevitably, are drawn by the author. The book’s conclusion indicts the PPPC for its public security failures. These include its failure to learn the lessons of the ‘Troubles;’ the failure to overcome the inertia over security sector reform; the failure to found its anti-drug policy on social justice, the rule of law and respect for authority; the failure to protect women; the failure to investigate police excesses; the failure to rein in a renegade Minister who was complicit in criminal conduct, including possible murder; and the failure to adequately resource government agencies such as the Guyana Revenue Authority and the Guyana Defense Force Coast Guard whose functions involved combatting criminal activity. Jagdeo’s presidency, in summary, represents a failure to guarantee public security. The book, however, can-
not be accused of being onesided or biased. It does not constitute a blinkered view of Guyana’s security problems. Granger, objectively, dispenses credit where credit is due. For example, he acknowledges the actions taken on the legislative front to strengthen law enforcement. He notes, however, that overall enforcement of the promulgated laws left a lot to be desired.Granger even appears to commend then President Bharrat Jagdeo for establishing a Commission of Inquiry into the allegation of the involvement of a Minister of the Government in death squad activities. There appears, however, to be more than a hint of sarcasm here since it is widely known that it was pressure of the United States Government which forced President Jagdeo to launch the Commission of Inquiry. Granger also notes the attempts by the PPPC administration to establish a Security Sector Reform Secretariat which was intended to be a permanent institution to continuously manage the security sector. He was magnanimous enough to describe the National Drug Master Plan 2005-2009 as comprehensive. A number of other key committees, however, were not known to be implemented. A vivid picture of the abject failure emerges from this excellent study of the PPPC’s public security policies. The PPPC failed to implement its own security plans or retreated from those plans for reasons best known only to itself. Had the consequences of such failures not been so calamitous for the country, those shortcomings could have been viewed as a case of a government simply being clueless. If there is any criticism which can be made of Public Security; Criminal Violence and Policing in Guyana, it is that Granger may have underestimated the gravity of reforming the security sector. One of his first tasks when he assumed the Presidency in May 2015, was to reengage the United Kingdom about security sector reform. Security sector reform remains a work-in-progress. In this regard, it is clear that Granger may have miscalcu-
lated the deformities which occurred during the Jagdeo era and the enormous effort which would be needed to reverse this malignancy. Granger, as President, however, laid a solid foundation for security sector reform. He had gone about purposefully establishing the essential infrastructure and sturdy superstructure to improve public security. One of the institutions established during his tenure as President was the National Anti-Narcotics Authority (NANA). The recent dissolution of this Agency forebodes, possibly, another disastrous era for public security under the People’s Progressive Party Civic administration. Public Security: Criminal Violence and Policing in Guyana represents the most authoritative study of the crisis in public security during the first decade of the 21st Century. The book proves that the PPPC’s problems with its Achilles’ heel – public security – is of its own making. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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Sunday November 08, 2020
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All you need to know about Ansa McAL’s Carlo Rosi Wine Collection for Christmas Pt 1 Carlo Rossi wines which are distributed by Ansa McAL, always start with the most delicious grapes from California’s Central Valley. This is to ensure that no matter which tasty wine you choose for the Christmas season or any occasion for that matter, you know you’re getting the best quality and value! Here is a look at some of the wines you can get to spice up the Christmas holidays that are fast approaching. Pink Moscato Sangria: This wine is a light-bodied, fruity wine Sangria with a smooth finish. It is a flavorful blend of Moscato with notes of peach and orange. And although it goes well with just about anything, most especially love this pink treat for girls’ night! Moscato Sangria: The Moscato Sangria is the brand’s newest blend! This sweet and fruity white wine Sangria is a delicious blend of Moscato wine with hints of orange, peach and apple. Ansa McAL loves pairing it with fruits, cheeses and mildly sweet desserts. Pineapple Sangria: This sweet and fruity white wine
Sangria is a delicious blend of Sangria wine with strong flavors of pineapple. Most people love pairing it with fresh berries, fall desserts, and summer salads. Raspberry Sangria:
This sweet and fruity red wine Sangria is a delicious blend of Sangria wine with strong flavors of raspberries. It can be paired with fresh berries, fall desserts, and summer salads.
Enetworks to air New Season of His Dark Materials November 16 Come November 16, the Enetworks team will be airing the new season of His Dark Materials at 10PM. For those unfamiliar with the show, His Dark Materials is a fantasy drama television series based on the novel series of the same name by Philip Pullman. It is produced by Bad Wolf and New Line Productions, for BBC One and HBO, with the latter handling international distribution. The eight-episode first series premiered on November 3, 2019 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on November 4 on HBO in the United States and other markets. Before the series premiered, His Dark Materials was renewed for a second series of seven episodes, which is set to premiere on 8 November 2020 in the United Kingdom, and on 16 November 2020 in the United States. The series is set in a multi-world reality, with the action moving from one world to another. The story begins in an alternative world where all humans have animal companions called dæmons, which are manifestations of the human soul. The series follows the life of a young girl named Lyra who is an orphan living with the scholars at Jordan College, Oxford. As in Pullman’s novel, Lyra discov-
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ers a dangerous secret that involves Lord Asriel and Marisa Coulter. In her search for a missing friend, Lyra also uncovers a series of kidnappings and its link to a mysterious substance called Dust, which leads her on a journey of epic proportions and will lead to her crossing paths with a boy named Will.
Tropical Rhythms launches Cash in you Rhythm Promotion Ansa McAL’s Tropical Rhythms team recently launched their Cash in your Rhythm at the TWEE Gourmet Shoppe, Giftland Mall which will see a grand prize of $1,000,000 will be up for grabs on the final drawing date of November 25 while consolation prizes will be up for grabs on the draw dates prior to the final drawing of the promotion. At the launching, Business Unit Head (BUH) for Non-Alcoholic Brands, Nigel Dodson was keen to note that Tropical Rhythm is the juice to drink this Christmas season. “In keeping with the culture of ANSA McAL we want to give back to our consum-
ers and they will have that chance when they drink Tropical Rhythm throughout the Christmas season. “The promotion is the first of its kind being that it is a WhatsApp promotion, which makes it accessible to anyone with a smart phone. What makes it unique is that you don’t need a coupon to enter the promotion,” Dodson highlighted. Brand Coordinator of the Tropical Rhythm brand Triston Freeman added that, “it’s very simple to enter, just snap a photo of your receipt and send it to the WhatsApp number that will be on our flyers and in the press. “We know that at this time things are not easy on
everybody and this is our way of spreading some cheer by giving our consumers a chance to have that extra cash in hand,” Freeman noted. The promotion will be conducted in all major supermarkets countrywide. Only the purchase of the Tropical Rhythm bottles will be accepted during the promotion. In addition, should persons be unable to access WhatsApp to submit their receipts, there will be agents at all major supermarkets to aid in the assistance of consumers that have an interest in submitting their receipts. The drawing dates are October 14, 21, 28; November fourth, 11, 18 and 25.
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The Farmer and the Well The moral Cheating will not get you anything. If you cheat, you’ll pay soon enough.
The emperor called on Birbal, one of his nine, and wisest, courtiers. Birbal proceeded to question the
Junior page Thanksgiving Craft Tutorial:
Thankful Greeting Card
One day, a farmer was looking for a water source for his farm, when he bought a well from his neighbor. The neighbor, however, was cunning. The next day, as the farmer came to draw water from his well, the neighbor refused to let him take any water. When the farmer asked why, the neighbor replied, “I sold you the well, not the water,” and walked away. Distraught, the farmer went to the emperor to ask for justice. He explained what had happened.
Sunday November 08, 2020
neighbor, “Why don’t you let the farmer take water from the well? You did sell the well to the farmer?” The neighbor replied, “Birbal, I did sell the well to the farmer but not the water within it. He has no right to draw water from the well.”
Birbal said, “Look, since you sold the well, you have no right to keep the water in the farmer’s well. Either you pay rent to the farmer, or take i t o u t i m m e d i a t e l y. ” Realizing that his scheme had failed, the neighbor apologized and went home.
Directions: Use the templates below and cut out each piece. Make a wavy line between the solid and dashed line on the brown piece to look like crust 1. Color the words on the orange piece and add some shading to the edge if desired with an Inktense watercolor pencil. You can use a damp sponge to gently blend the color. 2. Use a Micron Pigma pen to add words on the crust for things you are thankful for. If desired, add some shading to the edges with not glue. Put a brad through the center holes an Inktense watercolor pencil. and open it up on the back. 3. Use the stylus (with adult help!) to 5. Glue the white backing circle over the gently poke a hole through the center of the back of the doily, covering the brad ends. orange and brown pieces. 4. Glue a paper doily to the BACK of the brown crust. Lay the orange pie on top, but do
Supplies: – Free Download Thankful Greeting Card Printables White cardstock Brown cardstock Orange cardstock Inktense watercolor pencils: shades of orange, red and brown small paper brad
Maze Two little kittens
Two little kittens, one stormy night, Began to quarrel, and then to fight; One had a mouse, the other had none, And that’s the reason the quarrel begun.
“I’ll have that mouse,” said the bigger cat; ”You’ll have that mouse? We’ll see about that!” ”I will have that mouse,” said the elder son; ”You shan’t have the mouse,” said the little one. I told you before ’twas a stormy night When these two little kittens began to fight; The old woman seized her sweeping broom, And swept the two kittens right out of the room. The ground was covered with frost and snow, And the two little kittens had nowhere to go; So they laid them down on the mat at the door, While the old woman finished sweeping the floor. Then they crept in, as quiet as mice, All wet with the snow, and cold as ice, For they found it was better, that stormy night, To lie down and sleep than to quarrel and fight.
piece of sponge stylus (use with adult help) Micron Pigma pen Scissors glue stick 4″ paper doily
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TEEN TIME Determine the
Principles to Govern your Life We said last week that you need to adopt and follow right principles so as to be able to be sure that you are responding correctly and reaping the best benefit whenever you are faced with a challenging situation. It will therefore be necessary for you to take some t i m e t o determine these principles and educate your self-conscious on these so as to ensure that you are always on the right path. The world is becoming more and more complicated, with temptations all around, and the young person needs to be very careful in the next steps he will be taking, so as to ensure that he would not waste his life, and would keep on this right course to his eventual success in the various aspects of life. Young adulthood is a period of great challenges, and to have achieved some success in your education, and at
the same time living according to some high values, is worthy of celebration. But the world that is now beckoning is more challenging in every respect, and
will need some serious consideration about your approach to it. You will have to take more responsibility for your actions, display more discipline, and even be willing to make some sacrifices to retain your energy and direction towards your success and happiness, as well as those who should come under your charge, if and when you develop a family of your own. The right course of action then is to sit down and decide on the correct
Sudoku
principles to govern your life from here on, and make up your mind to follow these principles in whatever you do in the future. Some of these principles are: Following your conscience in deciding right from wrong; trying always to be fair to others; being kind to others; giving some service to improve the lives of others; getting rid of bad habits and cultivating good ones that will serve to uplift your life; devoting some time to prayer and worship of your Creator; gratitude to your parents and those who have helped you and will be helping you along the way; identifying your goals in life and working hard to achieve them; giving a fair day’s work if and when you start on a career. Take some time before our next issue, when we shall be identifying some of these principles, to think of those that will improve your life in some way
Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3by3 block contain all of the digits 1 thru 9. If you use logic you can solve the puzzle without guesswork.
Values determine Destiny by Mahatma Gandhi Keep your thoughts positive, Because your thoughts become your words; Keep your words positive, Because your words become your behaviours; Keep your behaviours positive, Because your behaviours become your habits; Keep your habits positive, Because your habits become your values; Keep your values positive, Because your values become your destiny.
MY LIFE IS MY MESSAGE
When we follow set rules in any activity, we are more likely to be right. The same goes for the principles that govern our life.
TELL IT TO UNCLE ROY Uncle Roy is once again appealing to all teens to write to him about any problem you may be facing for which you need a solution. He would also like you to contribute to this Page by submitting other material that he can include here. These include: 1. A poem, short story or bit of advice that you have written and would like to share with your fellow teens. 2. Any significant event that has happened, or any interesting item about what is going on around you. 3. A commentary about where you live to acquaint others about it. As mentioned before, you can email me at: uncleroy1992@yahoo.com
Solutions to last week’s Bridges
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Home-Made Face Mask Recipes 1.DIY Face Mask Recipe To... Soothe And Calm Your Skin Between eleven step skincare routines, city smog and hay fever, our skin can get overwhelmed and irritation and redness is inevitable. Let nutritionist Rosemary Ferguson’s home-made face mask recipe soothe and calm your skin in an instant... What You Need: 1 teaspoon honey 1 teaspoon coconut oil ¼ ripe avocado 2 drops of lavender oil How It Works: Like one big glow in a bowl, this delicious-sounding face mask delivers deep hydration from the coconut oil, gives your skin a hit of antioxidants with the honey and soothes redness with the lavender oil. Mix it up and paint it on with a face mask brush for the ultimate at-home spa experience. As Rosemary herself puts it, ‘For moisture and suppleness for the skin you should turn to essential fatty acids - like coconut oil and avocado. This is a great mask for moisture and to calm the skin.’ This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. 2. DIY Face Mask Recipe To... Hydrate And Nourish A flaky forehead is not a good look, but if your current moisturiser isn’t doing much to quench your dry skin, look no further than this home-made hydrating face mask. What You Need: 1/2 Avocado 1 tablespoon of honey A handful of oats or oat bran How It Works: Yes, it sounds like an Instagram-worthy breakfast (er, who doesn’t love avo toast?) but refrain from scoffing the ingredients for a second, because they’ll work much better all over your face. According to Clean Beauty co-founder Dominika Minarovic, honey is an excellent humectant, which means it helps skin retain moisture without feeling oily - but that’s not all. ‘It’s a wonder ingredient,’ says Dominika. ‘Massaged on to affected areas, it helps with the appearance of scars and increases both healing and tissue regeneration.’ And thanks to the ultra-nourishing oils, the addition of mashed avocado will banish any roughness, leaving your skin silky smooth. If you don’t have any at home, substitute for 3 tablespoons of milk. ‘Adding milk, which contains lactic acid, will gently exfoliate the skin whilst brightening without irritation,’ explains Lorraine Scrivener, skin expert and director at Eden Skin Clinic. Leaving it on for 15 minutes is ample. This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. 3. DIY Face Mask Recipe To... Improve Uneven Skin Texture And Tone You don’t need to spend megabucks on facials or stock up on scrubs to achieve super-smooth and supple skin. What You Need: 1 tablespoon of natural, plain yoghurt 1 tablespoon of honey 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder How It Works: Just like milk, yoghurt is filled to the brim with lactic acid which makes a visible difference to skin by lifting away rough and lacklustre surface cells to uncover much newer, brighter ones. If it’s good enough for Priyanka Chopra... 4. DIY Face Mask Recipe For... An Otherworldly Glow If a dull and lacklustre complexion is your biggest beauty bugbear, you need this mask in your life - and there isn’t a strong acid in sight. Girls with sensitive skin, rejoice! What You Need: 1 tablespoon of cacao powder 1/4 papaya A squeeze of Aloe Vera gel How It Works: Aloe Vera is filled to bursting with vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12 which means its radiance-boosting, skinsoothing and hydrating properties are pretty much unrivalled. Teamed with papaya - which is packed with exfoliating enzymes that will dissolve dead skin cells - it’ll take your face mask sesh (and skin) to the next level. https://www.elle.com/uk/beauty/skin/articles /a38190/homemade-diy-face-mask-recipes/
BACK WORDS
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Confronting issues relating to the Female reproductive health The importance of female reproductive health cannot be stressed enough since it is the female reproductive system that produces the miracle of life. While realising the miracle of life can occur with the aid of science these days, traditionally it follows after unprotected vaginal sexual intercourse between a man and a woman. The process entails the ejaculated sperms of the man travelling to the uterus of the woman and fertilising an egg there.Once fertilised, the result is that the woman becomes pregnant with a baby, which in its unborn form is called a foetus or foetus. In order to safeguard the wellbeing of that foetus there are a number of things that a pregnant woman must adhere to. Do’s and Don’ts during pregnancy There are many published guide books and of course many more pieces onthe internet that can prepare a woman for the various stages of pregnancy. The information we offer will be general. However, we must emphasise that you are to consult your obstetrics and gynaecology specialist (OBGYN) and follow their instructions to the T. You are no longer looking after your own body, you are looking after another life that you can potentially destroy. Visit your OBGYN regularly. After you confirm that you are pregnant, visit your OBGYN regularly. In Guyana, it is common to join a maternity clinic at the nearby health centre. Visiting this doctor will ensure that you have a safe pregnancy or pick up any problems in its early stage. No smoking, no alcohol, no drugs. The chemicals in these substances can cause harm to your body; imagine the harm that it can inflict on your growing baby. These substances can cause deformities in the child and even lead to miscarriages. Do your precious bundle a favour and quit these substances. Cut out caffeine. Studies
have linked miscarriages and other pregnancy problems to high caffeine intake. So say good bye to that daily cup of coffee, and say hello to a healthy baby. Eat a well-balanced diet. Your growing foetus needs all the necessary nutrients to develop and will take what it needs from your body. This means that your body can become starved for these nutrients. So you need to eat a little extra for your baby. Get relief for morning sickness. Lots of women go through this, especially during their first trimester (first three months of pregnancy). Apart from using whatever medication your doctor prescribes, try to eat small snacks and meals frequently. Stick to bland, room temperature foods. Some women say ginger helps. Rest. Get enough sleep at nights and try to take breaks during the day to recuperate. During pregnancy, you will become very exhausted easily. Keep hydrated. Drink lots of water. During pregnancy you need six to eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid per day (48 to 64 fluid ounces) plus an additional eight ounces for each hour of light activity. Do some stretches and take quick walks. Stretches will improve your flexibility and help you to remain relaxed. Try to fit in a 15-minute walk into your daily schedule. It can help boost your energy levels when you’re exhausted. Do not take on stress. Whenever you get stressed, it can affect your baby. So find ways to manage stress and fatigue, such as keeping away from stressful situations, lowering your workload, meditation, and so on. Vaginal issues There are some vaginal challenges women can experience. However, medical experts have been able to establish that most women experience minor vaginal problems at various stages of their life.Although some can de-
velop after pregnancy, there are others that can be side effects of medications, sexual intercourse, use of contraceptives, or even the menstrual cycle, among others. An abnormal vaginal discharge, frequent urination or a burning sensation while urinating could all mean that there is a problem with the vagina. According to an article published in the WebMD newsletter, some of the conditions that may cause a change in your normal vaginal dischargeinclude: infections of the vagina, such as a yeast infection, bacterial v a g i n o s i s , trichomoniasis, human papillomavirus (HPV), or herpes. Infection of the cervix (cervicitis), an object in the vagina such as a forgotten tampon, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia orgonorrhea, various sex practices such as oral-to-vaginal and anal-tovaginal contact, vaginal medicines or douching are also known factors to negatively affect the vagina. While douching can help improve the scent of the vagina, medical experts have warned that douching can interfere with the vagina’s pH levels, reducing its acidity and setting the stage for bacterial infections. PH refers to the vagina’s acidity level. A vaginal pH of 3.5 - 4.5 indicates that there is a perfect amount of good bacteria (lactobacilli), and no overgrowth of the bad bacteria that can cause bad odour, irritation and sometimes infection. If your vagina has a strong or unpleasant odour, you should see a doctor because douching will onlycover up the smell without curing the problem that’s causing it. Avoid using harsh soaps or cleansers on the vulva or inside the vagina, as these also can affect a healthy pH balance.Another problem that women can develop is that is that of pelvic pain. While experts have admitted that determining the true
cause of this problem is sometimes hard to ascertain, the severity of pain and other symptoms may help to narrow down the causative factor. For example: a condition, such as functional ovarian cysts, may cause pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding when you are not having your period. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) can also cause pain in the lower abdominal area. PID can be caused by STD’s such as especially gonorrhoea and chlamydia. Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is believed to be another condition that women can develop if they hold in their urine for prolonged periods. But according to Dr Benjamin Brucker, Assistant Professor of Urology at NYU Langone Medical Centre, in
an article published earlier this year(www.womenshealthmag.com), “there aren’t any specific complications you can get from holding in your urine, although it may put you at a bit more of a likelihood of developing urinary tract infections, which can be treated with antibiotics.” Doctor knows best Being busy is often the excuse used by most women not to go to routine medical checks. However, such checks are very crucial if good reproductive health is to be maintained.In fact, a doctor could detect a developing condition which could be treated at an early stage. This could prevent a potentially life threatening situation. For instance, the local public health sector offers Vi-
sual Inspection with Ascetic acid (VIA) tests to womenfree of cost. This is simply an examination of the cervix which seeks to determine if there are any cancerous cells that can cause the development of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that mostly causes cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in Guyana, according to Chronic Diseases Director within the Public Health Ministry, Dr Morris Edwards. The leading cause of cancer-related deaths is breast cancer.Lots of times, those women did not benefit from treatment at an early stage suggesting that there is a dire need for regular health checks if such issues are to be effectively combated.
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Trump, like Granger, claims he won but that election was fraudulent By Kemol King
B
y all indications, US Democratic nominee for President, Joe Biden is set to win the 2020 election. However, despite several publications calling the election in his favour, B i d e n ’s o p p o n e n t , Republican nominee, President Donald Trump took to Twitter yesterday, claiming that he won as well. There is a glaring caveat to Trump’s claim. He is simultaneously casting doubt on the integrity of the very electoral process he claims to have won. This is not a trope unfamiliar to the Guyanese public. As this country endured the painstaking five-month electoral process in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic, it also faced a situation in which the losing party declared that the electoral process, which it claims to have won, was fraudulent. There are many similarities between what is happening right now in the US, and the recently concluded general and regional election process in Guyana. They are in fact so plentiful that social media users have posted memes, joking that Trump took a page out of the playbook of the Guyana coalition, A Partnership for National Unity +Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC). Here are some of the similarities: Supporters crowd counting centers Several US publications reported that dozens of Trump supporters protested in Michigan and Arizona, two of the final States to have been called. In one case, as they descended on one counting station in Detroit, Michigan, the Trump supporters shouted “STOP THE COUNT!” In Arizona, as the Trump supporters gathered around an election office in Phoenix, it became apparent that they were victims of unproven rumours that the President’s votes were not being counted. Trump had beaten 2016 Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton in the two States. This time around, Biden flipped them both, earning him the 27 delegates allotted. In Guyana, APNU+AFC supporters had descended on
US President, Donald Trump (Steve Sands/WireImage via Getty Images) the Region Four counting centre, while it was at Ashmin’s Building, and as well as when it moved to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)’s Kingston Headquarters. They also appeared at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, where the National Vote Recount occurred, heckling reporters and representatives of other parties. Unproven claims about dead and migrant voters On Thursday, CNBC reported that Trump’s campaign announced intent to file a federal lawsuit to disqualify thousands of “illegal” Nevada votes, which it said came from those who are dead or who became non-residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. “But when pressed for evidence of those alleged illegal ballots,” CNBC stated, “a Trump campaign surrogate refused to answer reporters at a press conference, and said questions about the ballots should be directed to the Clark County, Nevada, clerk’s office.” These were the very claims made by the David Granger-led Coalition in Guyana, in March. When asked to provide evidence of the alleged fraud, the campaign embarked on a campaign of disinformation. When the claims were investigated, they were p r o v e n t o b e unsubstantiated. Recount In Georgia, one of the final States to have been called, Trump had been in the lead for quite some time until Biden surpassed him and slowly began to widen his own lead over Trump.
The State has been reliably Republican in its voting patterns for many years. Election officials in Georgia recently announced that there would be a recount, since the result was adjudged “too close to call”. The Trump campaign also announced that it will demand a recount in Wisconsin. In Guyana, when the Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo declared the result, there was so much controversy over the integrity of the count that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) decided to plan a recount. The recount lasted for 33 days, and uncovered that the R e t u r n i n g O ff i c e r f o r Region Four had tampered w i t h t h e D i s t r i c t ’s Statements of Poll to give the losing Coalition an artificial victory. Baseless claim to victory “I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!” the US President tweeted yesterday after the major new agencies had called the election for Biden. There was no basis for the President’s claim, with Tw i t t e r a t t a c h i n g a disclaimer to the tweet – in the past week, the social media company has flagged many of Trump’s tweets about the election as disputed or potentially misleading. During Guyana’s 2020 election season, APNU+AFC’s campaign manager, now Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon claimed several times that the Coalition won the election, while claiming that it is fraudulent. It had already been uncovered at the time, that the Region Four Returning Officer rigged the elections.
Guyana’s former President, David Granger Kaieteur News had already analysed a series of boxes, and proved that the coalition’s vote totals were inflated, while those of its opposition were deflated. Legal challenges to election results Time Magazine reported that in the past week alone, the Trump campaign has filed roughly a dozen lawsuits, most attempting to stop the counting of votes or disqualify certain votes. They were concentrated in
some of the last remaining States that were called, including Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and Michigan. The publication said that judges already tossed out lawsuits in several of those States. In Guyana, there were many legal challenges made during the process. Many of them were started by the APNU+AFC coalition. They were so plentiful that in the end, judges determined that the repeated attempts to litigate the same matters
amounted to an abuse of the court’s process. APNU+AFC went on to file two elections petitions. Statements from the two campaigns, when juxtaposed against each other, are strikingly similar. The Granger Coalition in July had said, “Any attempt to include fraudulent votes in a ‘declaration’ will constitute a violation of the constitution and the fundamental principles of democracy. We maintain that the Elections Commission can only make a ‘declaration’ based on valid votes.” After Biden declared victory yesterday, Trump said “The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots. This is the only way to ensure the public has full confidence in our election. It remains shocking that the Biden campaign refuses to agree with this basic principle and wants ballots counted even if they are fraudulent, manufactured, or cast by ineligible or deceased voters.”
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Jamaica’s human rights record to be examined GENEVA - CMC – Jamaica’s human rights record will be examined by the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the third time on Wednesday, in a meeting that will be webcast live. Jamaica is one of the 14 states to be reviewed by the UPR Working Group during its ongoing session that ends on November 13. Jamaica’s first and second UPR reviews took place in November 2010 and May 2015, respectively. The UPR said that the documents on which the reviews are based include the national report provided by the State under review; information contained in the reports of independent human rights experts and groups, known as the Special Procedures, human rights treaty bodies, and other UN entities. In addition, the UPR will also discuss information provided by other stakeholders including national human rights institutions, regional organizations and civil society groups. Because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pan-
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith demic, the meeting will be held using a combination of in-person and remote participation. The delegation of Jamaica will be headed by Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, while the three country representatives serving as rapporteurs for the review of Jamaica are Angola, Fiji and Venezuela.The UPR Working Group is scheduled to adopt the recommendations made to
Jamaica on November 13. The State under review may wish to express its positions on recommendations posed to it during their review. The UPR is a unique process which involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States. Since its first meeting was held in April 2008, all 193 UN member States have been reviewed twice within the first and second UPR cycles.
CGX got Coalition to water down... From page 14 company’s quarterly highlights for the period ended June 30, 2020, CGX disclosed that the APNU+AFC regime had approved an addendum to its work programme on December 15, 2017. On December 19, 2017, Kaieteur News would have reported the company’s promises to drill an exploration well by November 27, 2019; acquire additional seismic or conduct seismic reprocessing by November 27, 2020 with another exploratory well in the Corentyne block by 2022. The well which was called “Utakwaaka” and scheduled to be drilled in November 2019, was never drilled. During the year ended December 31, 2019, CGX in its financial statements said that it received another modifica-
tion to the addendum. Kaieteur News understands that is resulted in the order of the work programme being changed. The company was then expected to complete additional seismic acquisition or seismic processing first and then drill one well. Again, no well was ever drilled. It therefore means that even with the watered down work programme, CGX still did
not honour all of its obligations. (See link for company’s financial reports and its contract with Guyana: https:// cgxenergy.com/financial-reports/, https://gyeiti.org/contracts/cgx-contract/) In spite of this poor performance, the company is now asking the Energy Department to grant it approval to hold the block for another three years.
Ramcharitar heads up... From page 12 governance and proper accountability. Therefore, it is with haste that before the Government of Guyana 100 days in office, it is our mission to have all the Boards in my sector and every other sector in place.”
He urged the Board to have the best interest of the Guyanese people at heart, while the two teams work to ensure that the bridge is maintained and continues to serve as an important link between the east and west sides.
E’bo man dies almost a month after ... From page 13 of the impact, Maniram along with his motorcycle, were dragged beneath the bus for some distance. The bus eventually came to a halt in a nearby trench, pinning Maniram in the process. Public-spirited residents came to the assistance of the pinned, unconscious man, before rushing him to the Suddie Public Hospital. Days later, the man was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital. Maniram eventually
succumbed yesterday morning, after almost a month in an unconscious state. Police told Kaieteur News that the driver of the hearse was initially released on
$300,000 bail. Now that the victim is dead, police indicated that the driver will likely be brought before the court, where he will be charged.
Motorcyclist hospitalized after ... From page 13 his bike and further crashed into the right side of the mayor’s pick-up.Surbratti was thrown onto the road and received multiple injuries to his body. Marshall picked him-up placed him in his jeep and took him to the Bartica Regional Hospital where he was treated and admitted. Marshall and the mayor were given a breathalyzer test, which they passed. They were then released on self-bail as investigations continue.
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From page 29 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 and Sapakara West 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
Kaieteur News
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 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. No-case submission for Gary Best dangerous driving to be ruled on Dec. 3 Kaieteur News – Former 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
Sunday November 08, 2020
Map showing the location of CGX’s two offshore blocks (Demerara and Corentyne) and its onshore block called Berbice. death of Bentley. O n We d n e s d a y, t h e 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 no-case 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 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. Guyana deserves detailed explanation for US$9 billion Payara capital cost – OGGN There needs to be a detailed explanation of how the Stabroek Block co-venturers arrived at an estimated US$9B in capital costs for the Payara development, which will come on stream in 2024. So says Canada-based e n g i n e e r, D a r s h a n a n d 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.” Hess Guyana 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 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 r o u n d t h a t , i t ’s $ 1 . 5 billion, so you get about $7.5 billion there.” How do the coventurers 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 pre-sanctioned 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, c o n d u c t e d p r i o r to the signing of the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA). But the (Continued on page 59)
Sunday November 08, 2020
From page 58 audit of the pre-contract bill, significantly lower than the development costs, is Trump, like Granger, claims he won but that election was fraudulent By Kemol King By all indications, US Democratic nominee for President, Joe Biden is set to win the 2020 election. However, despite several publications calling the election in his favour, Biden’s opponent, Republican nominee, President Donald Trump took to Twitter yesterday, claiming that he won as well. There is a glaring caveat to Trump’s claim. He is simultaneously casting doubt on the integrity of the very electoral process he claims to have won. This is not a trope unfamiliar to the Guyanese public. As this country endured the painstaking fivemonth electoral process in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it also faced a situation in which the losing party declared that the electoral process, which it claims to have won, was fraudulent. There are many similarities between what is happening right now in the US, and the recently concluded general and regional election process in Guyana. They are in fact so plentiful that social media users have posted memes, joking that Trump took a page out of the playbook of the Guyana coalition, A Partnership for National Unity +Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC). Here are some of the similarities: Supporters crowd counting centers Several US publications reported that dozens of Trump supporters protested in Michigan and Arizona, two of the final States to have been called. In one case, as they descended on one counting station in Detroit, Michigan, the Trump supporters shouted “STOP THE COUNT!” In Arizona, as the Trump supporters gathered around an election office in Phoenix, it became apparent that they were victims of unproven rumours that the President’s votes were not being counted. Trump had beaten 2016 Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton in the two States. This time around, Biden flipped them both, earning him the 27 delegates allotted. In Guyana, APNU+AFC supporters had descended on
the Region Four counting centre, while it was at Ashmin’s Building, and as well as when it moved to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)’s Kingston Headquarters. They also appeared at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, where the National Vote Recount occurred, heckling reporters and representatives of other parties. Unproven claims about dead and migrant voters On Thursday, CNBC reported that Trump’s campaign announced intent to file a federal lawsuit to disqualify thousands of “illegal” Nevada votes, which it said came from those who are dead or who became non-residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. “But when pressed for evidence of those alleged illegal ballots,” CNBC stated, “a Trump campaign surrogate refused to answer reporters at a press conference, and said questions about the ballots should be directed to the Clark County, Nevada, clerk’s office.” These were the very claims made by the David Granger-led Coalition in Guyana, in March. When asked to provide evidence of the alleged fraud, the campaign embarked on a campaign of disinformation. When the claims were investigated, they were proven to be unsubstantiated. Recount In Georgia, one of the final States to have been called, Trump had been in the lead for quite some time until Biden surpassed him and slowly began to widen his own lead over Trump. The State has been reliably Republican in its voting patterns for many years. Election officials in Georgia recently announced that there would be a recount, since the result was adjudged “too close to call”. The Trump campaign also announced that it will demand a recount in Wisconsin. In Guyana, when the Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo declared the result, there was so much controversy over the integrity of the count that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) decided to plan a recount. The recount lasted for 33 days, and uncovered that the Returning Officer for Region Four had tampered with the District’s Statements of Poll to give the losing Coalition an artificial victory. Baseless claim to victory “I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!” the US President tweeted yesterday after the
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US President, Donald Trump (Steve Sands/ WireImage via Getty Images) major new agencies had called the election for Biden. There was no basis for the President’s claim, with Tw i t t e r attaching a disclaimer to the tweet – in the past week, the social media company has flagged many of Trump’s tweets about the election as disputed or potentially misleading. During Guyana’s 2020 election season, APNU+AFC’s campaign manager, now Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon claimed several times that the Coalition won the election, while claiming that it is fraudulent. It had already been uncovered at the time, that the Region Four Returning Officer rigged the elections. Kaieteur News had already analysed a series of boxes, and proved that the coalition’s vote totals were inflated, while those of its opposition were deflated. Legal challenges to election results Time Magazine reported that in the past week alone, the Trump campaign has filed roughly a dozen lawsuits, most attempting to stop the counting of votes or disqualify certain votes. They were concentrated in some of the last remaining States that were called, including Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and Michigan. The publication said that judges already tossed out lawsuits in several of those States. In Guyana, there were many legal challenges made during the process. Many of them were started by the APNU+AFC coalition. They were so plentiful that in the end, judges determined that
the repeated attempts to litigate the same matters amounted to an abuse of the court’s pr o c e s s . APNU+AFC went on to file two elections petitions. Statements from the two campaigns, when juxtaposed against each other, are strikingly similar. The Granger Coalition in July had said, “Any attempt to include fraudulent votes in a
Guyana’s former President, David Granger ‘declaration’ will constitute a violation of the constitution and the fundamental principles of democracy. We maintain that the Elections Commission can only make a ‘declaration’ based on valid votes.” After Biden declared victory yesterday, Trump said “The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means
counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots. This is the only way to ensure the public has full confidence in our election. It remains shocking that the Biden campaign refuses to agree with this basic principle and wants ballots counted even if they are fraudulent, manufactured, or cast by ineligible or deceased voters.”
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CONSUMER CONCERNS
TO LET
VACANCY
SERVICES Repairs,Services,Spares to Wa s h i n g M a c h i n e Refridgetor Store, Treadmill, Deepfryer,Cooler, Dryer, Grains mill.Call:#694-9733 For Doctoring fits, problems. Asthma, Burns or stroke, Clean your whole body by "Urinary Tract & General cleaner medicines" Bush RENTAL Doc CAR Tel#633-3353,231-8846.
AIDAN'S CAR RENTAL & T O W T R U C K SERVICE:PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MINI BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPORT & FAMILY OUTINGS, CHEAPEST RATE#698-7807. PROGRESSIVECAR RENTAL: CARS & SUV'S CALL:656-0087/6435 1 2 2 , E M A I L : P R O A U TO R E N TA L @YAHOO.COM FOR SALE Allion, Primo, Spacio, Blue Bird, Field Wagon, 212, Carina, RZ, Pit Bull and Canter Tel#650-7501 Buying corilla bush $150 lb & soursop, Noni Leaves $250. Call: 609-8281 New home sea view, four bedroom, three toilet & bath Tel#675-1510 1 Mitsubishi Colt plus PRR Series transmission not working $700,000 or best offer clean car Tel#676-0455 PROPERTY FOR SALE
HEALTH
For doctoring fits, ECD problems asthma, burns, diabetes call bush Doc Tel 231-9020 Services need finanace? Call 231-9020
LEARN TO DRIVE N.Outar Driving School, Learn to Drive the right way @ Cuffy Square.Affordable Package.Call#644-5166/6912561/681-2808.
1 Live-in / night babysitter interested person kindly contact Tel# 600-6887 between 9am - 5pm Sales persons at ARK Enterprise/The container house. Apply in person with written application. One general domestic apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb Street Bourda
219-5000 225-7878
227-2100 227- 1982
WA N T E D C O N T R A C T CARS TO WORK.
2 Bedroom Furinished APT at Guysuco Gradens Tel#2227891 / 609-9202 Eccles furnished apartment WiFi optional safe area. Call 233-3974 / 600-3070
FOR RENT
Experience sales girl apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb Street Bourda Security guard. Must have experience, mature persons can apply. Contact 223-5274 / 227-5003 One experienced dispatcher to work at a Taxi Service. Contact 621-9356. Pump Attendant & Cashier shifts (6am- 2pm & 2pm11pm) shell service station providence E.B.D Email: Shellramsburg@gmail.com Pitmen for interior location. Applicants must be experienced. Call 618-2020 Vacancy for porter apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb Street Bourda Vacancy for a domestic maid with cooking experience Call: 627-1154 Qualified grade 4 & 5 teaches, cleaners and security guard Contact 649-8174 Bus Driver Needed Call 225WANTED 3234
WANTED WANTED Sales Clerk to work in Georgetown. Age 25-45 Must have 5 CXC Subjects Call #:225-9026/27 One able bodied male clerk.Call:#231-2029,616-5954 1 maid needed, Herstelling are Tel# 697-0157/ 673-5300 1 Live in maid. Call 674-9114 1 Graphic Artist. Call 2332725/ 233-2439 Experience excavator operater to work interior Call 223-5180 Excavator operators must have interior experience Please Call 644-2564
GR TAXI. CALL: 24 HRS
Rooms in Albertown appartment in Eccles. Call# 225-3234
Administrative Assistant must be owner of a vehicle Contact 624-4633 Experience painter to work on the East Coast Contact 624-4633 Experience hire car drivers at Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel Contact 616-5419 / 2657076
FOR RENT Office space-top flat king street and North Road$100,000. Call: 225-4708 from 8am-4pm. 2x3 bedroom.Fully furnished Luxury apartments to rent. Long and short term. Tel:6822585/691-1432 Furnished lower flat at Vigilance North,E.C.D, 3 bedrooms, toilet & bath, Kitchen, etc. $60,000 light & water included. Tel# 639-9345 Furished 2 bedroom apartment-Issano Place, Bel Air Park. Parking available$150,000. Call:225-4708 from 8am to 4 3 bedroom botton flat $50,000 monthly south ruimveldt park Contact 603-2640 or 218-4636 Lot 6 Water Street Bagotstown 1 bedroon Apartment top back half Air Condition $ 45,000 1 Month security & Rent Tel#668-5835, 6998865 3 bedroom & bedroom 49 Durban Street Wortmanville 226-9560, Monday - Friday 10:00hrs - 15:00Hhrs
Addressing COVID-19 In Hinterland Areas Demands Different Skills and Mindset Than Coastal
By Pat Dial We had intended to have had this column to speak no further on the COVID-19 pandemic since so much had already been written about it. When, however, we saw the report of how Kwebanna village and other interior communities were the victims of onslaughts of the virus and how the inhabitants felt that they could not contain it, it rang an alarm bell. Kwebanna is an Amerindian community of less than 1,000 persons, and with similar communities at Cuyuni-Mazaruni, PotaroSiparuni and Upper-TakutuUpper Essequibo, they have roughly 40% of the positive COVID-19 cases in Guyana though their population is a fraction of the towns and coastal areas. The COVID-19 problem at Kwebanna could be regarded as a microcosm of what obtains in other interior areas. The onslaught on the village seemed out of control and the Toshao Paul Pierre realized this. He tried to have the villagers conform to the safety precautions of wearing of masks, hand-washing and distancing but they were never disciplined enough to follow such precautions at all times. Toshao Paul Pierre felt that his only option was to have a lockdown. The situation was a challenge which is facing every other hinterland community. Toshao Paul Pierre took up the gauntlet: His community is a close-knit one like all interior communities and it was difficult to establish the new culture of “distancing” and in any case they seldom would follow established safety guidelines. But something had to be
done. In the Toshao’s words: “Well, due to the rise of COVID-19 cases in the village and based on the advice of the regional administration, health Sector and the Police, we have decided to lockdown the village so that we could get control over the situation . . . this is the only way we can get some control. . . Now over the next 14 days, no one will be allowed in or out of the village, unless authorized by relevant authorities. These measures will be supervised and implemented by the regional authorities and police”. The Toshao pointed out that the lockdown will cause economic hardship to his Kwebanna community: “We do have a lot of lumber so the lockdown will affect us, We have a sawmill there and especially this time leading up to Christmas, we would get a lot of orders from persons in Moruca and Kaituma but in the circumstances the sawmill would not be working . . . Farmers will, however, continue to operate their farms but will only be allowed to move between farms and their homes”. The Toshao said that they would not starve since food aid for the village is being mobilized by the regional administration, Amerindian Peoples Association and other agencies. The Ministry of Health is dealing with the pandemic in a different way than in the towns and coastal regions. They use antigen tests where results are obtained in 45 minutes. Each hinterland community is equipped with fixed sites for testing but if there is a high infection rate in any community, a mobile team is deployed to conduct testing and contact-tracing.
It is sometimes difficult to track people in these areas since they do not have telephones or addresses or any other contact information. Help from the police and Toshaos are sought to locate such infected persons and have them isolated. Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in the interior could, therefore, be different from in the city and coastal areas. The World Health Organization (WHO) had been issuing valuable advisories from time to time. In one of their early advisories, it was pointed out that most people who become sick with COVID-19 experience mild to moderate symptoms and recover without special treatment. Some 81% of those who contract COVID-19 will have mild symptoms while 14% will have severe symptoms and 5% will need intensive care. The Ministry of Health has issued is own public notification: “Anyone who displays any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or needs any additional information, can contact the COVID-19 Emergency at telephone numbers - 231 1166; 226 7480; or 624 6674 immediately, or visit the Ministry’s website at www. health.gov.gy (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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Charity waterfront to be regularized - Min. Edghill Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill informing vendors of the regularization that will be undertaken
Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, says, Charity’s waterfront will be regularized as the area is becoming a major economic hub. Currently the waterfront is congested with illegal vending and the occupation of state lands, which the Minister said is hampering Region Two from fully capitalizing on this locale. “This is not just about a market anymore. What is happening here at Charity is what is happening at the Demerara River where there is a demand for waterfront spaces both to accommodate produce that is coming out as well as to carry in hardware for the kind of development that is taking place,” he explained, during an outreach to the area yesterday. Minister Edghill explained that due to the unregulated vending, the trucks are unable to get to the river. He said the idea is not to deter business, but to have it done in a structured manner. “We have to start getting people in compliance and once we get people in compliance, we have to ensure sufficient openings for fuel. Secondly, we have to be able to accommodate vending because as a Government, we are not going to suppress activity. Small or big business, we want to see them accommodated; we want to see them thrive but we have to get them in a regulated manner,” he said. Additionally, it was found that many persons constructed landing places
along the waterfront to accommodate their businesses. However, they are doing so either without the permission of the Board or by hindering other businesses, the Minister observed. “Some people, in the absence of receiving permission, took it upon themselves, went ahead and build. But if you build without an application, you are illegal and you now have to get yourself regularized in manner that does not hinder development and prevent economic activity coming from other sectors,” he said. The Minister will be working with the Regional and Neighbourhood Democratic Council to have the area regularized. He said letters have already been served to some persons on the waterfront asking them to comply with the law. Minister Edghill said Chairman of the Sea and River Defense Board, Brigadier Gary Beaton, will return for consultations with residents to develop a plan for the waterfront. Another matter that must be regularized is the overweight trucks that traverse the roadways, damaging them. To this end, the Ministry will look at improving the quality of the road and regulate the tonnage of the trucks. Secretary to the Board, Jermaine Braithwaite and Chief Sea and River Defense, Kevin Samad also attended the outreach. (DPI)
Charity waterfront occupied by vendors
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Biden beats Trump for presidency in deeply divided United States WILMINGTON, Del./ WASHINGTON - (Reuters) Democrat Joe Biden won the U.S. presidential election yesterday after a bitter campaign, sparking street celebrations among his supporters in major cities even as President Donald Trump refused to accept defeat. Biden’s win of the battleground state of Pennsylvania’s 20 Electoral votes gave him more than the 270 he needed, ending four days of nail-biting suspense in a deeply divided country as angry pro-Trump demonstrators gathered outside some state capitol buildings. “With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. It’s time for America to unite. And to heal,” Biden said on Twitter. Trump, who was golfing when the major television networks projected his rival had won, immediately accused Biden of “rushing to falsely pose as the winner.” “This election is far from over,” he said in a statement. Trump has filed a raft of lawsuits to challenge the results but elections officials in states across the country say there has been no evidence of significant fraud, and legal experts say Trump’s efforts are unlikely to succeed. As the news broke, loud cheers erupted in the halls of the hotel where aides to the former vice president were staying. Biden’s running mate, U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, tweeted a video of her calling Biden to congratulate him: “We did it Joe!” Harris will be the first woman, the first Black American and the first American of Asian descent to serve as vice president, the country’s No. 2 office. Cheers and applause were heard in neighbourhoods around Washington, D.C., with people emerging onto balconies, yelling, honking car horns and banging pots. The wave of noise built as more people learned of the news. Some were in tears. Music began to play, “We are the Champions” blared. In the Brooklyn neighbourhood of BedfordStuyvesant, people clapped, and erupted in screams of joy as the news spread. Some residents danced on a building’s fire escape, cheering while others screamed “yes!” as they passed by. In a reminder of the divided state of the country, however, angry pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” demonstrators gathered at state capitol buildings in Michigan, Penn-
sylvania, and Arizona. The protesters in Phoenix chanted “Trump won!” and “We want audits!” One speaker told the crowd: “We will win in court!” Former and present political leaders also weighed in, including congratulations from former Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican U.S. Senator Mitt Romney. Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham called on the Justice Department to investigate claims of voting irregularities. The networks’ declaration for Biden came amid internal concerns within Trump’s team about the strategy going forward and pressure on him to pick a professional legal team to outline where they believe voter fraud took place and provide evidence. Trump’s allies made it clear the president does not plan to concede anytime soon. One Trump loyalist said Trump simply was not ready to admit defeat even though there would not be enough ballots thrown out in a recount to change the outcome. “There’s a mathematical certainty that he’s going to lose,” the loyalist said. Biden’s win ends Trump’s chaotic four-year presidency in which he played down a deadly pandemic, imposed harsh immigration policies, launched a trade war with China, tore up international agreements and deeply divided many American families with his inflammatory rhetoric, lies and willingness to abandon democratic norms. Prior to the election, Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he lost - and he stuck to that approach. He falsely declared victory long before counting was complete. Yesterday, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien urged supporters to be ready to attend protests or rallies that the campaign is “propping up around the country,” according to a person familiar with the situation. “Stay at the ready,” Stepien said on a call with Trump allies and surrogates. “At a moment’s instance, we may need your help at protests in your states, to make sure the president is represented and our side of the argument is shown.” Biden was expected to address the nation after 8 p.m. yesterday (1 a.m. Sunday GMT) from his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, according to a campaign aide. For Biden’s supporters, it was fitting that Pennsylvania ensured his victory. He was born in the industrial city of
Scranton in the state’s northeast and, touting his middleclass credentials, secured the Democratic nomination with a promise to win back working-class voters who had supported Trump in 2016. He launched his campaign in Pittsburgh last year and wrapped it up with a rally there on Tuesday. It was a tight race in industrial states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, but Biden did enough to prevail. He faced unprecedented challenges. These included Republican-led efforts to limit mail-in voting at a time when a record number of people were due to vote by mail because of the pandemic, which has killed more than 236,000 people in the United States. When Biden enters the White House on Jan. 20, the oldest person to assume the office at age 78, he likely will face a difficult task governing in a deeply polarized Washington, underscored by a record nationwide voter turnout. Both sides characterized the 2020 election as one of the most crucial in U.S. history, as important as votes during the 1860s Civil War and the 1930s Great Depression. For months, officials on both sides raised the spectre of the United States not being able to pull off a fair vote. In the end, however, voting at the polls proceeded with limited disruption. Thousands of election officials worked for four days under intense pressure, sometimes with partisan supporters protesting outside. Biden’s victory was driven by strong support from groups including women, African Americans, white voters with college degrees and city-dwellers. He was more than four million votes ahead of Trump in the nationwide popular vote count. Biden, who has spent half a century in public life as a U.S. senator and then vice president under Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, will inherit a nation in turmoil over the coronavirus pandemic and the related economic slowdown as well as protests against racism and police brutality. Biden has said his first priority will be developing a plan to contain and recover from the pandemic, promising to improve access to testing and, unlike Trump, to heed the advice of leading public health officials and scientists. He also has pledged to restore a sense of normalcy to the White House after a presidency in which Trump
praised authoritarian foreign leaders, disdained longstanding global alliances, refused to disavow white supremacists and cast doubt on the legitimacy of the U.S. election system. Despite his victory, Biden will have failed to deliver the sweeping repudiation to
Trump that Democrats had hoped for, reflecting the deep support the president still retains. This could complicate Biden’s campaign promises to reverse key parts of Trump’s legacy. These include deep Trump tax cuts that especially benefited cor-
porations and the wealthy, hardline immigration policies, efforts to dismantle the 2010 Obamacare healthcare law and Trump’s abandonment of such international agreements as the Paris climate accord and Iran nuclear deal. Should Republicans keep (Continued on page 63)
STANDARDS IN FOCUS
TOURISM SECTOR – BETTER TO INCORPORATE STANDARDS IN ITS RECOVERY As we observe Tourism Awareness Month 2020 under the theme “Destination Guyana: Recover, rebuild – Getting ready to bounce back”, it is opportune to remind ourselves of the importance of meeting standards in this crucial sector – the Tourism Sector. As we try to bounce back from the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sector, it is an opportune time to incorporate the requirements of available standards and guidelines into the sector. The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has several standards, which when implemented are designed to enhance the experience of visitors to our shores. These standards include the Code of Practice for tour operators and tour guides, Bed and breakfasts facilities and Code of Practice for quality management in the restaurant service. Today’s article takes a close look at the Code of Practice for Assessment, licensing, registration, classification, and grading of the accommodation sector. This national standard, which was published in the year 2003, specifies the requirements for the monitoring and management of hotels, apartments, and guesthouses. It sets out procedures for
the grading of these facilities by the authority – the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA). The standard addresses rates for various types of accommodation including sleeping accommodation only and sleeping accommodation with breakfasts and all inclusive. How rates and other information are presented to visitors upon arrival at accommodation facilities are also outlined in the standard. Requirements for electrical installation and supply in accommodation facilities are clearly stated in the document, which include electricity supply intake, condition of installation, lighting levels and emergency lighting. In addition, the standard highlights fire safety requirements, which include means of escape in the event of a fire, directional signs, fire extinguishers and alarm systems. The storage, preparation and service of food and beverages at accommodation facilities are also important aspects covered by the standards and these will ensure that guests are provided with meals that are safe and wholesome. Storage and cleanliness of utensils, temperature considerations for cooked and precooked foods, selfservice food facilities and the manner of garbage disposal are the main aspects addressed in relation to storage, preparation and
service of food and beverages. Other key areas addressed by the standard include the general hygiene of establishments, the hygiene of employees and the requirements for public areas such as washrooms, dining area, swimming pool and beaches. Hoteliers and owners of other properties designed for accommodating local and overseas guests should see this code of practice as offering crucial guidance for the enhancement of their facilities and ultimately the local tourism sector. Once implemented, the requirements can provide the confidence to local and foreign guests that our establishments and ready for business in spite of the prevailing pandemic. Stakeholders are therefore encouraged to acquire and use of this Code to improve the practices and processes within their respective businesses. Copies are available at the Guyana National Bureau of Standards for purchase. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) For further information on this subject, please contact the GNBS on Telephone Numbers: 219-0065, 2190066 or website: www.gnbsgy.org
Sunday November 08, 2020
Biden beats Trump for presidency... From page 62 control of the U.S. Senate, they would likely block large parts of his legislative agenda, including expanding healthcare and fighting climate change. That prospect could depend on the outcome of four undecided Senate races, including two in Georgia that will not be resolved until runoffs in January. Investors said yesterday the market’s focus was likely to turn on the Senate, which would determine how much a Biden administration is able to do in terms of policy. “Trump is going to fight for a few weeks. That’s going to be a little unsettling,” said
Jim Awad, senior managing director at Clearstead Advisors in New York. “But most commentators believe Biden will prevail, that the election is over, and the Senate is going to have to compromise.” For Trump, 74, it was an unsettling end after an astonishing political rise. The real estate developer who established a nationwide brand as a reality TV personality upset Democrat Hillary Clinton to win the presidency in 2016 in his first run for elected office. Four years later, he becomes the first U.S. president to lose a re-election bid since Republican George H.W. Bush in 1992.
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Mottley, Holness praise US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris NEWSDAY - Barbados Prime Minister and chair of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Mia Mottley and Jamaica Prime Pinister Andrew Holness have issued best wishes to US President-elect Joe Biden. They have also praised the country’s first woman Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Harris’ election is widely seen as a victory for women and minorities, given her Jamaican and Indian heritage. yesterday, Mottley tweeted on behalf of her country, “America has spoken and the world is inspired. The people and Government of Barbados warmly
congratulate President-Elect Joe Biden and his Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, the first woman and person of colour to hold that position.“I am sure that we in the Caribbean will look forward with optimism to working with the new administration to confront a number of global Issues from the awful pandemic to the climate crisis to the pursuit of racial justice.“There is much work for the world to do if we are to lift up our people across the globe to fight these issues that know no boundaries but require character and leadership to defeat them.
Canje Block owners extend tentacles... From page 54 the letter and Low-A-Chee answered our questions in relation to that story. But this is not the only position Low-A-Chee enjoys – in company documents related to Mid-Atlantic Oil and Gas, seen by Kaieteur News, a “Notice of Secretary” filing shows that the oil block owner removed original Company Secretary, Nicholas Chuck-A-Sang on October 1, 2015 and replaced him with a Glenn Low-A-Chee. Further documentation shows that in 2017, Low-AChee not only still held the post but was also promoted. Documents speaking to a “Resolution of the Board of Directors” stated that Low-AChee was “authorized and instructed to do all the acts, deeds and things which are necessary to give effect to the appointment of the aforesaid person as an additional Director of the Company.” Kaieteur News is also in receipt of a document bearing Low-A-Chee’s signature in which he consented to act as the Corporate Secretary of Mid-Atlantic on November 27, 2017. This publication contacted Low-A-Chee to field questions about his involvement with both companies. When initially contacted his response was, “Nah, I can’t comment nothing on that.” He suggested that questions be sent via email, which was done, specifically on if he could confirm whether he held the position as Secretary and Director of Mid-Atlantic. To this, Low-A-Chee replied, “I have been the Corporate Secretary of Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas since October 2015,”
an answer in keeping with documents seen by this paper. Kaieteur News also asked Low-A-Chee whether GLASS Holdings Inc. was employed by Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas to which he said “GLASS Holdings Inc. does NO work for Mid-Atlantic Oil and Gas Inc. nor has never done any work for the company.” When it was pointed out that Mid-Atlantic is listed as a client of GLASS Holdings Inc. on its website, Low-AChee claimed that the company has no website. “GLASS Holdings doesn’t have a website,” Low-A-Chee said on a call with this paper, “hold on, that’s a different company, Guyana Logistics Services Inc. GLASS Holdings doesn’t do anything for Mid-Atlantic, Guyana Logistics does.” It should be noted that on the GLASS Holdings letter, a 110 2nd Floor, Duke and Barrack Streets, Kingston address was listed and that address is identical as the one listed on GLASS’s website. The same landline number, 226-4090, listed for GLASS on the company’s website is also listed as the landline in LowA-Chee’s letter to NICIL as his company’s contact number. In further commenting on his claim that they were two different companies with the same address, he appeared to blur the lines even further. “We rent them an office space and we look after transportation when they are in the country, pick them up, bring them home, that kinda thing,” Low-A-Chee told Kaieteur News. Conflict/s of Interest In the second part of this
series, we will explore how the relationship between GLASS and Mid Atlantic Oil and Gas not only establishes an intrinsic conflict of interest, with Low-A-Chee operating in executive/administrative positions in both companies, but how the incestuous arrangement extends in several directions with repercuss ions for everything from local content to the government’s ability to monitor recoverable expenditure.In an interesting late development in the production of this story, after a Kaieteur News reporter
had asked Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo at a Friday press conference whether the relationship between Mid Atlantic and Glass constituted a conflict of interest, not one but two public relation agencies contacted this paper with a very basic press release. It reads simply: “Mid Atlantic Oil & Gas Inc. hereby advises the general public that it has not acquired any property at Eccles/Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara from NICIL or any other Company/Agency/ Individual is not associated with Glass Holdings Inc.” The notice is unsigned by lists a cellular number along with e-mail address that include the names of Mid Atlantic directors, Hewley Nelson and Dr. Edris Dookie. Calls to the number, to clarify the fact that both Low-AChee’s admission and existing documentation contradicts the claim of no association between the two companies, went unanswered. Part two of the three-part series will be published tomorrow.
Screenshot of GLASS Holdings Inc. website showing both JHI Associates and Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas as clients
Sunday November 08, 2020 The ziploc bags containing the suspected marijuana
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Construction worker nabbed with ganja P olice ranks on Thursday nabbed a 25-year-old construction worker of Betsy Ground, East Canje Berbice, Region Six with 32 grams suspected cannabis. According to a police, the man was searched by the ranks at around 22:45hrs in the vicinity of Betsy Ground. Investigators said that they were prompted to search him because he was walking along a road, acting in a suspicious manner. In his possession, they
found a quantity of ziploc bags containing the drugs. He was arrested, taken into to
police custody where he is currently being processed for court.
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Sunday November 08, 2020
Sunday November 08, 2020
...first episode of Cricket Legend’s Live From page 68 and revered in the Cricketing and by extension sporting communities Worldwide. Desmond committed himself to working hard at his chosen profession, gradually establishing himself as one of the finest opening batsmen the game has ever seen. He always played to win, giving
no quarter and asking for none, yet he also competed fairly. A former Barbados and West Indies opening batsman and team captain, he played professional cricket in England, Scotland, South Africa, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, UAE, New Zealand and Australia, having
enjoyed much success in his professional career, winning many individual awards for outstanding performances. For information on ‘On the Front Foot with Desmond Haynes’ check: https:// w w w. f e e l i t l i v e . c o m / experience/talk-shows/onthe-front-foot-with-desmondhaynes/podcasts.
...Messi at the double against Betis From page 67 in the 49th minute, the Frenchman finally making amends for missing four chances before the break including squandering a penalty. Barca’s all-time top scorer Messi then further stretched their lead in the 61st by emphatically dispatching
a penalty after Aissa Mandi was shown a straight red card, following a VAR review, for using his arm to block a shot from Dembele. Betis did manage to pull a goal back with 10 men when striker Loren Moron netted at the far post to make it 3-2 after a marauding run down the left
wing by Alex Moreno. But Messi soon put the game beyond doubt, smashing the ball into the top corner after receiving a wonderful backheel from team mate Sergi Roberto, while 17-year-old Pedri struck the fifth after another fine pass from Sergi Roberto.
Sunday November 08, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) For the past several days, Aries, you've been fairly lucky in financial and material terms. But the day ahead will be an exception. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) The way you act when you first meet people is typical of Taurus. What is it that you do? GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Your philosophy of life comes naturally, Gemini. Others need to study, listen to experts, or sign on to various allegiances. You, on the other hand, already have a profound outlook on life that you surely inherited from your past experiences. CANCER (June 21–July 22) It isn't because your new projects demand such precision that they're causing you problems. You tend to think details keep you from having a global vision, but that simply isn't true. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Yes, Leo, this is a good moment to abandon old beliefs and moral values. Your view of life has changed and, above all, you're more aware of how your outdated, preconceived ideas sometimes poison your life. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Yes, Leo, this is a good moment to abandon old beliefs and moral values. Your view of life has changed and, above all, you're more aware of how your outdated, preconceived ideas sometimes poison your life.
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LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) This would be the moment to say yes to your destiny, Libra. You're a little frustrated because things haven't been moving forward the way you'd like. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Don't expect to meet the partner of your dreams today, Scorpio. Rather, your romantic hopes are likely to meet with frustration. It would be better to devote your energies to something more realistic, such as your financial situation. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) There's some likelihood that a recent meeting with an influential person has put a damper on your hopes for your projects. Will you abandon them and live with regret? CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You will have to expect a few disturbances in the harmony that has reigned over the past few days. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) As a person who embodies affection and tenderness, Aquarius, you may feel especially resentful about today's mood. It will be difficult to charm a smile out of anyone or achieve any semblance of harmony. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) A longing for comfort and the small, simple pleasures in life is likely to cripple your initiative today, Pisces. Have you decided to withdraw from the career world for the time being?
...Sports Minister to From page 69 where West Indies achieved their first Test victory against England in the third Test in 1930. The beautiful Imam Bacchus ground on the Essequibo Coast is another of several grounds to be used as the tournament will be played in all three Counties in Guyana. Guyana’s leading runscorer in Test Shiv Chanderpaul, only behind Brian Lara in West Indies cricket, is likely to be among several former Guyana players expected to participate. The semi-finals and Final will be streamed live with commentary by Guyana’s International commentators.
...Guyanese Fudadin From page 71 of Minor League Cricket in 2020, especially given all of the challenges that our partners at ACE have had to navigate through the COVID pandemic. To get the inaugural Draft completed, team owners appointed and more than 50 games safely played across a wide number of jurisdictions has been a fantastic effort. On behalf of USA Cricket, our thanks go to everyone involved both at MiLC and the broader cricket community for embracing this important concept. The quality of cricket was very strong, and the perfor-
mances from the younger generation of players across all of the teams, bodes extremely well for the future.” In an invited comment, Fudadin said he was happy to be part of the league and was pleased with his performance. He added that he is fit and ready to play at any level and is looking forward to the resumption of cricket in Guyana. More on Minor League Cricket can be found at: h t t p s : / / www.majorleaguecricket.com/ minorleaguecricket. FOR MORE DETAILS CONTACT Email: media@usacricket.org
...Zverev stops Nadal to From page 70 6-4 7-6(4) victory against Canadian Milos Raonic. Medvedev hit 31 winners to 12 unforced errors in a muffled atmosphere at the Bercy arena, where the tournament is being played without spectators amid government restrictions to contain the rise of COVID19 cases in France. The 24-year-old, who arrived in Paris having lost five of his eight previous matches, broke for 3-2 as Raonic made yet another forehand unforced error. Both then stayed strong on serve and Medvedev, who saved six of seven
break points throughout, bagged the opening set with a timely serve and volley on his first opportunity. Raonic dropped serve in the 11th game of the second set but he broke straight back to force a tiebreak, in which he was out of sorts, with Medvedev wrapping it up with a smash to reach his fourth Masters final. “When you play against Milos, you are always at risk because (if) one time he breaks you, it is very tough to break him back,” said Medvedev. “It was shaky here and there, but I am really happy to be through to the final.”
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United ease pressure on Solskjaer with win at Everton LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) - Manchester United eased the pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a 3-1 win at Everton in the Premier League yesterday with Bruno Fernandes scoring twice and Edinson Cavani grabbing his first for the club. United have failed to win at home in the league this season and there were questions over Solskjaer’s future after the midweek defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League. But United, who move up to 13th and ten points, responded with a display which, while far from smooth, was full of character, epitomised by captain Harry Maguire’s determined display at the back. “We knew we had to get three points today. It’s early in the season and we don’t look at the table but the points we have accumulated isn’t good enough for this club,” said Maguire. “It’s important to bounce back from setbacks. We’ve been questioned but we know we don’t answer them in 90 minutes, we answer them day in, day out. The lads are working tirelessly for this club, everyone wants to improve and do better. The manager has to pull the lads off the training ground.” The pressure on Solskjaer
intensified when Everton took the lead in the 19th minute with Brazilian winger Bernard’s low drive through Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s legs squeezing in the bottom corner. Six minutes later though, United drew level when Fernandes met a Luke Shaw cross from the left with a perfectly angled and firm header. Everton left back Lucas Digne then struck the post from a promising position but United were growing into the game and it was no surprise when they took the lead. Fernandes floated in a cross from the left which Marcus Rashford rose to head into the bottom corner but although the striker failed to connect, the ball went in off the post. Substitute Cavani added the third in stoppage time, finishing off a counter-attack led by Fernandes for his first goal since joining the club on deadline day last month. The loss was the third straight defeat for Carlo Ancelotti’s side who, after being the early season pacesetters, have now slipped to fifth in the standings. “The problem was that after we scored we were not able to defend well, and they took advantage. They were able to score easily. We said before the game we had to defend better and we did not defend good enough. We were slow at the back,
Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes scores their first goal. (Pool via Reuters/Carl Recine) we have to improve,” said the Italian. “I know how to manage
difficulties, every year you have them. We can start again after the
international Ancelotti.
break,”
added
Sunday November 08, 2020
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Marquez: Yamaha cheated and the MotoGP riders knew it Alex Marquez (front) claims Yamaha cheated and the riders knew it.
Australia 24-22 New Zealand: Wallabies produce second-half comeback BBC Sport - Australia bounced back from last weekend’s record defeat to New Zealand to edge past the All Blacks 24-22 in a thriller at Suncorp Stadium. The Wallabies started brightly as Tom Wright crossed in the third minute, before Rieko Ioane levelled the scores. Both sides finished the first half with 14 men as Ofa Tu’ungafasi and debutant Lachlan Swinton were both sent off. The visitors led 15-11 before Taniela Tupou scored for the Wallabies, who held on despite Tupou Vaa’i’s late try. The All Blacks sealed the Bledisloe Cup for an 18th consecutive year after a record 43-5 win in Sydney last week, but there were still vital Rugby Championship points
to play for in Brisbane. Both sides made several changes as the hosts handed debuts to Wright and Swinton, and it took just three minutes for the former to have an influence as he crossed for his first international try. The visitors hit back in their slick and free-flowing style as Ioane finished off a well-worked move, but it was the All Blacks who were reduced to 14 men first as prop Tu’ungafasi was penalised for making direct contact with Wright’s chin in the tackle. Flanker Swinton followed Tu’ungafasi off the field 12 minutes later when he hit Sam Whitelock above the legal limit, as the first half ended 88. Codie Taylor scored after the interval as the All Blacks threatened to break away from their hosts but Reece
Hodge’s penalty reduced the deficit before Tupou powered over from close range with five minutes remaining. Vaa’i’ hit back with the clock ticking down but the influential Marika Koroibete smashed Damian McKenzie to force a knock on from the restart and end the All Blacks’ challenge. New Zealand return home to face Argentina in their next Rugby Championship game on Saturday, 14 November, while the Wallabies travel to South America the following weekend. The Rugby Championship features just three teams this year Australia, New Zealand and Argentina - after world champions South Africa withdrew because of fears over player welfare and disruption amid the Covid-19.
Taniela Tupou scored the decisive try for Australia. (Getty Images)
Autosport - Alex Marquez claims Yamaha “cheated” and the riders knew the engines they used in the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix were illegal. Yamaha was docked 50 constructors’ points on Thursday after an FIM investigation found the Japanese marque had unsealed some of its engines without agreement from the manufacturers’ association and fitted non-homologated valves for the Spanish GP in July.The penalty has not impacted any of Yamaha’s three championship contenders in Franco Morbidelli, Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Vinales, but some - including Suzuki boss Davide Brivio - have said a Yamaha title win would cast a “shadow” over the season. Ya m a h a i n s i s t s t h e valves it used were not of a different design to those it had homologated preseason, and that this infringement was an “internal oversight”, while Morbidelli, Quartararo and Vinales have all denied they knew their Spanish GP engines were illegal. But Honda rider Marquez doesn’t buy this, and also believes the other Yamaha riders knew what was going on. “What is clear at the end is that they have cheated or have not been within the regulations,” Marquez said of Yamaha. On the riders claims they
Alex Marquez claims Yamaha “cheated” and the riders knew it. were not aware of any transgressions, he added: “The excuse of ‘I did not know’ exists, at all times the factory is very open and you know what engine you are using. “You know everything, you are up to date, as a rider you are always watching when they install an engine or store it, always you are aware of what you are using.” Dovizioso doesn’t understand Yamaha ruling Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso admits “I don’t understand” the ruling handed down to Yamaha, and is equally perplexed at why the other manufacturers’ accepted the punishment. The points docked from Yamaha’s constructors’ championship are only from
the Spanish GP, which Quartararo won. Given Dovizioso would have been promoted from third to first at the Spanish GP had Yamaha been disqualified from the Spanish GP, it would have strengthened Ducati’s hopes of winning the 2020 title. “That’s what I don’t understand,” Dovizioso, who is 28 points off the championship lead with three rounds to go, said when told about the Spanish GP result implications. “I’m not understanding the strategy of the various manufacturers, which seem to have agreed not to go against it [the ruling]. “I don’t know all the details, so I don’t want to sentence, but it seems very strange to me.”
Messi at the double against Betis after starting on bench Barcelona’s Lionel Messi on attack against Real Betis’ Claudio Bravo. (Reuters/Albert Gea)
BARCELONA (Reuters) Lionel Messi responded to being benched by scoring twice as a substitute and leading Barcelona to a 5-2 home victory over Real Betis yesterday, snapping a fourgame winless streak in La Liga for the Catalans.
Barca’s captain was surprisingly left out of the starting lineup by coach Ronald Koeman and they found themselves drawing 11 when Antonio Sanabria cancelled out Ousmane Dembele’s superb opening strike on the stroke of
halftime. Messi was brought on at the start of the second period and promptly produced a sublime dummy to allow Antoine Griezmann to tap into an unguarded net and put Barca back in front (Continued on page 65)
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Djokovic clinches European MotoGP: Espargaro pips sixth year-end No. 1 Rins to pole as Quartararo struggles ranking to tie Sampras
Novak Djokovic has sealed the year-end men’s world number one tennis ranking for the sixth time. (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic has sealed the yearend men’s world number one tennis ranking for the sixth time to go level with childhood hero Pete Sampras after closest rival Rafael Nadal opted against playing in the ATP Tour event in Sofia next week. Spain’s 20-time Grand Slam champion Nadal, ranked second, was the only player who had a chance to stop the Serbian from finishing as the top-ranked player in 2020. “Pete was somebody I looked up to when I was growing up, so to match his record is a dream come true” Djokovic said in an ATP statement. “I will also keep striving to be a better player, hopefully have more success and break more records in a sport I love with all my heart.” During the year Djokovic won the ATP Cup in January before picking up a recordextending eight Australian Open Grand Slam in Melbourne. He also won the
Cincinnati Masters and a record 36th ATP Masters title in Rome. In September Djokovic also overtook American Pete Sampras, who ended as No. 1 for six straight years between 1993 and 1998, for the most weeks overall at the top ranking and will begin his 294th week in first spot on Monday. The 33-year-old Djokovic, the winner of 17 Grand Slam titles, has mentioned that Roger Federer’s record of 310 weeks as No. 1 remains his target and he will have a chance to move past the Swiss on March 8 if he can hold on to his top spot. “To finish the year as No. 1 is one of the most impressive achievements in our sport, one which requires sustained excellence across the season,” ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi added. “To see Novak achieve this for the sixth time and match Pete’s record is simply incredible, and he continues to cement his place in the history books.”
Autosport Pol Espargaro denied Suzuki pole in a tense wet MotoGP European Grand Prix qualifying, with points leader Joan Mir fifth and a poor showing from Petronas SRT. The Ricardo Tormo Circuit near Valencia was the scene of Espargaro’s and KTM’s first-ever MotoGP podium in 2018 in a wet grand prix, and Espargaro put in another impressive performance at the circuit, edging Alex Rins by 0.041 seconds in qualifying for the first European GP since 1995. Rins set the early pace on the Suzuki with a 1m41.714s, though was soon usurped by team-mate Mir, who posted a 1m41.662s. Top spot continued to change hands as the track dried out, though not enough for a switch to slicks. Franco Morbidelli on the SRT Yamaha, LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami and Rins all traded provisional pole in the first runs in Q2, with the Suzuki prevailing with a 1m41.254s. With just under six minutes to go, Nakagami guided his year-old LCR Honda to a 1m40.530s to go seven tenths clear of the field at that point - though his charge was halted with a crash at the last corner in the closing moments. At the same time as the Japanese rider’s crash, Rins edged ahead with a 1m40.525s to return to top spot and set up Suzuki’s first pole since Catalunya 2015. But KTM’s Espargaro lit
Espargaro piped Rins to pole as Quartararo struggled. up the timing screens on his final effort and produced a 1m40.434s to claim his second pole of the season. Rins will start alongside as the leading member of the top six title contenders, with Nakagami holding onto the front row in third despite his crash. Johann Zarco heads row two on his Avintia Ducati, having come through Q1, ahead of Mir and Pramac’s Jack Miller, while Aleix Espargaro on the Aprilia qualified seventh. Q1 pacesetter Miguel Oliveira on the Tech3 KTM could only manage eighth having topped Q1 and the wet FP4, with Teruel GP winner Morbidelli a disappointing ninth on his Yamaha. His team-mate, and second-placed rider in the
standings, Fabio Quartararo struggled all weekend in the wet conditions and ended up 1.5s off the pace in 11th behind KTM’s Brad Binder and the works Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso. Dovizioso bizarrely aborted a lap that was set to put him at the top of the timesheets at the start of the session and never recovered. Binder will have to serve a long lap penalty in today’s race as punishment for his lap one collision with Miller last time out at Aragon. A late improvement for Zarco in Q1 dropped Honda’s Stefan Bradl out of the Q2 places, with a crash at Turn 1 resigning him to 13th ahead of team-mate Alex Marquez. Maverick Vinales was 15th fastest in qualifying on
his Yamaha, having crashed in FP4, but will start Sunday’s race from the pitlane for exceeding his engine allocation for the season this weekend and fitting a sixth motor. This will promote all of the riders who qualified behind him up a spot, with LCR’s Cal Crutchlow now starting 16th ahead of Pramac’s Francesco Bagnaia and the returning Valentino Rossi, who missed all of Friday’s running as he awaited the results of a COVID-19 test. Danilo Petrucci was a perplexing 19th in the session having dominated the wet French GP last month, with the Ducati rider only bettering Aprilia debutant Lorenzo Savadori and outgoing Avintia rider Tito Rabat.
West Indies Legend interacts with fans in first episode of Cricket Legend’s Live Series West Indies Cricket Icon Desmond Haynes will host his own series ‘On the Front Foot’, which will be streamed live on digital platform FeelitLIVE.com. Haynes, a pioneering opening batsman, opens the account with the first digital installment of the Cricket Legends Series. Known for his creative shot making as a player, his level-headed guidance as a coach and nurturing mentorship to several current players, “On the Front Foot with Desmond Haynes” will engage a community of cricket supporters on issues impacting the game. “This platform provides an opportunity for me to provide advice to aspiring professional players, reconnect with my supporters and discuss issues affecting
today’s game. I look forward to genuine interactions and for individuals to pick my brain on the way forward,” Haynes said. In the first episode, Haynes faces the impact of COVID-19 on the health and well-being of professional players, and provides his thoughts on the growth of T20 leagues globally while zeroing in on the ongoing Indian Premier League. Viewers can interact with the West Indies legend by asking questions at the end of the talk. The opening episode was scheduled for yesterday Saturday November 7, 2020 at 9 AM Eastern Caribbean Time. About Desmond Haynes: Desmond Leo Haynes is an international sporting icon who is instantly recognized (Continued on page 65)
Desmond Haynes (Brooks WICB)
0 Kaieteur News
Sunday November 08, 2020
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Sports Minister to bowl first ball to open BMC tourney
‘Holder always in consideration for T20s
- As ‘Masters Cricket league set to bowl off Nov 22
- WI coach Simmons insists all-rounder’s NZ omission due to scheduling
By Sean Devers BIG MAN CRICKET (BMC) T25 tournament in scheduled to be held in Guyana from November 22, to December 8, 2020 and has attracted 11 teams from across the country including a Rastafarian team. If fully sponsored, the winning team could take home $500,000 with the runners-up pocketing $200,000. The tournament’s MVP, the batsman with the most runs, bowler with the most wickets, the Keeper with the most dismissals and the fielder with the most catches, will all be rewarded for their efforts. Director of the tournament, former East Bank batsman and Ex GCB executive Raj Singh, speaking from Miami vie Zoom on Friday night’s Sean Devers’ Sports Watch on Kaieteur Radio, said the tournament will be played on a 25 overs a side basis with the players being 45 years or older. “It should be noted that this is an historic event for our veteran cricketers as no such tournament has ever been held in Guyana on a countrywide basis. Our organization had applied to the COVID-19 Task Force and has received the requisite permission to host this tournament during this period observing all restrictions to help curb the spread of the global pandemic,” explained Singh. However, although none of the former Cricketers are contracted as players by the GCB or CGI and the tournament is not under the auspices of the ICC or CWI, Singh and his team hit an unexpected hurdle. “We had also asked the Guyana Cricket Board for their blessings for this BIG MAN CRICKET Tournament which has been shot down by that body for, obviously, noncricketing reasons. The GCB claims to have a sanctioned Over-40 competition which we have never heard about until our application. Noteworthy is the fact that the GCB has never hosted an Over 40s competition in its 77year history. Our Organization welcomes an Over-40 competition by the GCB as it will clearly dovetail and can be used as feeder for our Over 45s BMC Tournament rather than be an infringement,” Singh lamented. “Our Committee waited until we obtained the Covid Task Force approval on
November 1, prior to applying to the GCB for its blessings. The GCB’s decision will only serve to eliminate the Guyanese players from the selection to the Guyana team and will also eliminate their possible representation from a Guyana team at the Regional tournament and, ultimately, the West Indies Over 50s team,” stated Singh, who informed that the BMCG committee wrote to the CWI President and the Guyana Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports. “Our revolutionary Tournament is aimed at keeping our retired cricketers adopting a healthier lifestyle and to have them serve as role models for youths in the various clubs and their communities across the country. These players can also look forward to the opportunity to represent their country and the West Indies at a World Cup, something which they can cherish since some of them may have been on the cusp of selection for either team and never picked for various reasons. We trust that you would understand the thrust of our Tournament and future plans which are not intended to infringe on any organisation’s cricket programme,” Singh continued. He added that Minister Charles Ramson (a former leftarm spinner for Everest at Division one level) has supported the Event and will bowl the first ball to officially open the tournament. This tournament is being administered by the Organization called BIG MAN CRICKET-GUYANA (BMC-G) comprised of four persons; Raj Singh, Dave Narine (both in the USA) along with John Ramsingh and Timothy Bhagwandin. “BIG MAN CRICKETGUYANA has adopted the cricket administration for Over 45s cricket in Guyana and is affiliated with CRICKET WEST INDIES MASTERS ASSOCATION (CWIMA). CWIMA has also taken charge of creating cricket structures around the Caribbean to ensure that there are administrators in each country across the Caribbean. CWIMA is directly affiliated with the O v e r 5 0 s Wo r l d C u p cricket. The Over 50s World Cup cricket is a private affair totally outside of the ICC. As such BMC is a totally private event and
the BMC-G has decided to hold its first tournament as an Over 45s T25 overs affair. There has never been a veterans’ association or body administering masters’ cricket in Guyana,” posited Singh. The major objectives behind this BMC Tournament are as follow: • Attract and develop a quality pool of retired cricketers in Guyana who are interested in becoming active once again and motivated enough to make a Guyana and a West Indies team. • We plan to make this Over 45s T25 overs tournament an annual one and can be used as a fundraising affair for BMC-G every year as we plan to run off an Over45, 45 overs tournament also later in the year as the World Cup is a 45 overs Tournament. • The BMC Tournament will be used to select the Guyana Over 50s T25 team to participate in the CWIMA Regional Over 50s T25 tournament to be held early in 2021 • This Tournament will surely encourage these players to lead healthier lifestyles as they all would be aiming for the glory of representing the West Indies at the Over-50s World Cup. This would ultimately lead to healthier nations within our communities. • The players in this BMC tournament will serve as role models for their kids and youths in their community to emulate. • Players from their era in the 80s and the 90s plied their trade in a very proud, disciplined and committed environment and, hopefully, these values can be instilled into the youths around. • In addition, we think that this BMC competition can attract more of our youths to return to the game of cricket when they witness these seasoned and disciplined players in action. • Promote more Regional tournaments within these age groups. • These players can surely assist in the strengthening of our Clubs around the CountryServing in various capacities in their communities as administrators, coaches, umpires, scorers, match referees and selectors Games are scheduled to be contested at Albion, the venue for West Indies’ ODI win in 1977 when they beat Pakistan in the first ODI in the West Indies and Bourda (Continued on page 65)
SportsMax - West Indies coach Phil Simmons has made it clear that Test captain Jason Holder is always in consideration for the regional T20 team, particularly on the back of several recent eyecatching performances in the CPL and IPL. Holder last played for the Windies in the shortest format of the game in India last year. Recently, however, since the resumption of cricket following an enforced break due to the coronavirus pandemic, he has put in a few notable T20 performances. In the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Holder was the Barbados Tridents’ third-
highest scorer with 192 runs in 10 matches and had a high score of 69. He also made an impact with the ball after claiming 10 wickets, the second-most on the team. Despite not being initially drafted to the Indian Premier League (IPL), Holder was called up to replace Mitchell Marsh by Sunrisers Hyderabad where he has made a big impact. The player has, however, not been included in the T20 squad to face New Zealand later this month. Simmons, however, pointed to scheduling being more of a factor than anything else for the Holder’s omission. “This is an odd tour. The
T20 series here finishes a day, two days before the Test match. Being captain of the Test team, the decision was taken by us as a selection panel that Jason would not be considered for that part of the tour,” Simmons told members of the media via a Zoom interview on Friday. “Seeing that he is coming from IPL now, he will have one chance to play in the four-day game before the Test match, so that decision was taken by the panel,” he added. “Jason is always in consideration for the T20s. He has had two good years at CPL and now he has had a good tournament at IPL.”
Spate of Bravo injuries concerns Windies coach Simmons SportsMax - West Indies coach Phil Simmons has admitted concern for the recent spate of injuries suffered by veteran T20 star Dwayne Bravo but insists the player remains in consideration for next year’s World Cup squad once fit and available. The 37-year-old Bravo, who recently set the milestone of claiming 500 T20 wickets in this season’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL), picked up a knee injury that delayed the start of his India Premier League (IPL)
campaign. Bravo started the IPL four games late but found himself sidelined a few games later, this time with a groin injury. The injury led to Bravo being ruled out of the team’s tour to New Zealand. The player’s previous CPL season had also been hampered after he suffered a broken finger. While admitting it is a source of concern, Simmons has assured the player will remain in the minds of the selectors once he can recover sufficiently. “It’s a concern because
he was injured in CPL and now he’s injured in IPL,” Simmons told members of the media via a Zoom press conference call from the team’s training camp in New Zealand. “There’s a break now, so he will go home and do what is necessary for him to be fit enough to play and there are a few series and also another IPL before the World Cup. So, there’s a lot of chance for him to go and get himself fit and we will see what his fitness is like heading into the tournament.”
High Jump record holder supports local athletes During a simple, but significant ceremony yesterday at the office of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), Guyana’s men’s high-jump record holder, Robert Bynoe donated a quantity of running shoes to the Super Upcoming Runners Track Club, Titans United Athletic Club and the Running Brave Athletic Club. Set in April of 1995, Bynoe’s 2.17 metres High Jump record, firmly stands, but speaking to reporters, the former Savanah State University student-athlete was adamant, that it was because of his foundation in Guyana and all his lifelessons as an athlete, he decided to support locals. He posited that he didn’t come from a well-off family and he, “Was happy to have my talent recognised and foster by
some very generous people that helped me along my journey; without them, I may not have existed. That is why I’m delighted to make this presentation to the young athletes,” Bynoe stated. During his time at the St. Rose’s High School, Bynoe dominated the High Jump at the National Schools’ Championships and his leap of 2.03m remains intact. Bynoe continued, “I fully understand the needs of our local athletes and I know first-hand what education and opportunity can bring. I stand here today having benefited from the Amateur Athletics Association of Guyana’s network, the organisation’s resourcefulness, diligent coaches and a lot of improvising on my part due to the lack of facilities.”
Head of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG); Aubrey Hutson, thanked Bynoe for his contribution to the clubs and athletes and described the intervention as timely since the cross-country season is set to run off shortly. Hutson said the AAG, in an effort to preserve the rich history of Track and Field in Guyana, will be “moving into a realm now where we will have portraits of our athletes put up into the schools that they’re coming from, so St Rose’s High School will be blessed with a portrait of Robert Bynoe, the National Record Holder at High Jump.” Bynoe now works in the Oil and Gas sector in the US for a number of years and said he’s hoping to use his resources to help develop track and field in Guyana.
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Kaieteur News
Babar Azam’s 82 trumps Wesley Madhevere’s 70* as Pakistan take 1-0 lead ESPNcricinfo - Zimbabwe have perhaps exceeded expectations on this tour so far, but they turned in one of their more lackadaisical performances today, as Pakistan cantered to a sixwicket win in the first T20I between the sides. Opting to bat first, Zimbabwe were pegged back early, and Pakistan peppered them with regular wickets as the visitors struggled to build momentum. Only Wesley Madhevere really appeared comfortable with what were batting-friendly conditions, bolstering his reputation with a classy 48-ball 70 to give his side 156 to defend. It was never close to par, and Babar Azam punished Zimbabwe for it, countering with his own elegant innings, a 55-ball 82 to run the target down with seven balls to spare. Pakistan rested Shaheen Afridi for the game, but with Zimbabwe captain Chamu Chibhabha a walking wicket on current form, it almost appeared inevitable he would fall e a r l y, S h a h e e n o r n o t . Mohammad Hasnain, fresh off a five-for, needed just two balls to send him back, leaving the usual pair of Brendan Taylor and Sean Wi l l i a m s t o a t t e m p t a rebuild. Taylor ’s cameo meant Zimbabwe’s start was respectable, but his side needed more from him, and when he holed out for 20, it was a bitter blow. Enter Madhevere. The 20year old is without doubt the bright spark of this tour for the visitors, and when he rocked back to knock Usman Qadir out of the park off a delivery there was really nothing wrong with, it was evident he would be key to his side’s hopes. Partners at the other end
Mohammad Hafeez and Babar Azam tap bats during their partnership. (AFP via Getty Images) Wesley Madhevere punches powerfully through the covers © AFP via Getty Images were in short supply, though. Williams couldn’t carry on beyond 25, handing Qadir his first T20I wicket when he charged at the legspinner, only to miss and watch the ball cannon into his stumps. Sikandar Raza was done by the extra pace from Wahab, scooping the ball up from the shoulder of the bat to be forced off cheaply, while Burl’s stuttering innings heaped even more pressure on Madhevere to keep the runs flowing. He did that, brilliantly, bringing up his half-century in just 35 balls and following up with successive boundaries off Faheem, and was aided by Elton Chigumbura, who announced earlier today this would be his last international series. But despite that late little surge, Zimbabwe only put 156 on the board on a wicket that offered at least 30 more as a par score. Defending even that might have proved a challenge for how
untroubled the Pakistan captain looked in the chase. Fakhar Zaman’s little flurry was ended cheaply at the other end, while an out-ofsorts Haider Ali was removed thanks to a fantastic diving catch from Brendan Taylor. All that, however, was a mere footnote to what happened at the other end. By this time, Babar had raced to 35, and brought up another T20 half-century with the effortlessness of a man at the peak of his powers. Mohammad Hafeez at the other end demonstrated his own experience in an unfussy partnership where all he had to do was keep Babar on strike, and despite looking like they were almost going through the motions, the pair put together 80 off just 57 deliveries to bring the target to under 15. Zimbabwe will be disappointed with their efforts both with the ball and in the field, offering up far too many loose deliveries and dropping a couple of fairly
Zverev stops Nadal to set up Medvedev final in Paris
Germany’s Alexander Zverev celebrates winning his semifinal match against Spain’s Rafael Nadal. (Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes)
PARIS (Reuters) - Top seed Rafael Nadal’s bid for a maiden Paris Masters title was halted yesterday when the Spaniard was beaten 6-4 7-5 in the semi-finals by German fourth seed Alexander Zverev. Nadal, who reached the final at Bercy once in 2007, was only briefly in the mix, conceding serve three times. The 20-time Grand Slam champion broke back after falling 4-2 behind in the second set but it was a brief comeback as the 23-yearold Zverev stole his serve again in the 11th game. He then served it out, prevailing on his second match point when Nadal’s forehand flew wide. Zverev will look to claim his fourth Masters title against Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, who qualified with a commanding (Continued on page 65)
straightforward catches in a game where they could illafford to be generous. Even so, Babar will be frustrated he wasn’t able to finish the game off, holing out for 82, but the game was as good as done
either way. Zimbabwe had one final laugh when Blessing Muzarabani knocked back Hafeez’s off stump with one run to get, but he would only succeed in embellishing his figures before Pakistan
wrapped things up. Scores: Pakistan 157 for 4 (Babar 82, Hafeez 36, Muzarbani 2-26) beat Zimbabwe 156 for 6 (Madhevere 70, Rauf 2-25, 237) by six wickets.
Selman prevails over Dottin but both teams reach final
Fast bowler Shakera Selman celebrates the wicket of Barbados and West Indies teammate Deandra Dottin. SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates, CMC – Deandra Dottin hit a cameo but it was her West Indies teammate Shakera Selman’s two wickets which proved pivotal as Supernovas edged Trailblazers by two runs in a dramatic finish here yesterday. Playing in the third game of the Women’s T20 Challenge at the Sharjah Cricket Ground, Supernovas piled up a challenging 146 for six of their 20 overs with Sri Lankan opener Chamari Atapattu top-scoring with 67 off 48 deliveries. She struck five fours and four sixes and put on 89 off 72 balls for the first wicket with Priya Punia (30) before
adding another 29 for the second wicket with captain Harmanpreet Kaur whose 31 came from 29 balls. Once Atapattu holed out to long-off off-spinner Harleen Deol in the 17th over, the innings fell away as five wickets tumbled for 28 runs. In reply, Dottin gave Trailblazers a swift start, belting a 15-ball 27 in a 44run opening stand with captain Smriti Mandhana who scored a patient 33 from 40 balls. The right-hander counted four fours and one six before she was first to fall in the seventh over, lbw to fellow Barbadian Selman off a full length delivery in the seventh over.
Selman, who finished with two for 31 from her four overs, then knocked over Richa Ghosh for four four, two balls later in the seventh over, to put Supernovas in command. However, Mandhana posted 35 for the third wicket with Deepti Sharma, who topscored with 43 in adding 52 with Deol (27) to revive the innings. Trailblazers needed 10 from the last over but 20-yearold left-arm spinner Radha Yadav claimed Deol with the fifth delivery to end their hopes. With the win, Supernovas clinched a place in tomorrow’s final of the threeteam tournament against Trailblazers.
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 08, 2020
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Guyanese Fudadin, Deonarine among prize winners at MiLC franchise awards
Assad Fudadin
Guyanese Assad Fudadin and Narsingh Deonarine were among the prize winners following the conclusion of the Minor League Cricket (MiLC) franchise exhibition matches that were staged throughout the United States over six weekends during September and October. A release from the MiLC stated that these matches would not have been possible without the commitment of players, all 24 team owners, and the support of the wider USA Cricket community. Both MiLC and USA Cricket want to thank all stakeholders involved from across the cricketing community for
their contributions in delivering these matches safely and successfully, with more T20 games completed than ever before at this level in the United States. Franchise Exhibition Match Summary The Franchise Exhibition Matches saw the very best amateur cricketers across the United States, as well as 36 First-Class and international players, produce competitive and highly entertaining cricket. This ambitious project broke new ground for American cricket - 51 matches were played across 17 different venues, with 15,593 runs scored and 657 wickets taken, with matches covered
GFF joins forces with UEFA for 100-day football “Bounce back” plan
T
he Guyana F o o t b a l l Federation (GFF) is working with E u r o p e a n f o o t b a l l ’s governing body UEFA to develop a 100-day action plan as part of its “Bounceback” programme to pave the way for the resumption of football competitions and development. Under UEFA’s second Bounceback partnership in the Concacaf region, European football administration and development experts are collaborating closely with the GFF team to prepare and execute its post-pandemic football recovery strategy, covering areas such as planning, communications, finance, fan engagement, remote working and crisis planning. “In this crucial period of transition, we are committed to focusing all of our time and efforts on ensuring that football hits the ground running as soon as the authorities give us the green light,” said GFF President Wayne Forde. “Through the U E FA B o u n c e b a c k programme, we are receiving expert support to finetune our action plan and to equip our entire team with the tools it needs to continue to deliver on our strategic goal to transform football in Guyana.” “The programme also underlines the significant
progress we have made in building strong and productive relationships with our global partners as part of the Executive Committee’s long-term pledge to restore and e n h a n c e t h e G F F ’s international image and to leave a strong legacy and foundation for future generations.” Through the programme, U E FA e x p e r t s a r e connecting with GFF departments and staff via a series of video conference workshops over five weeks, focusing on a thorough situational analysis, building unity and togetherness within the football community, action planning for the future and preparation for the delivery of the Federation’s 100-day “Bounceback” plan. At the conclusion of the programme, the UEFA experts will continue to provide mentoring support to GFF Heads of Department and staff on a needs basis. The partnership
GFF President Wayne Forde represents a further deepening of ties between the two organisations under t h e U E FA A s s i s t programme, which provides support in capacity building, youth football development and infrastructure projects while nurturing cooperation between UEFA member associations and national governing bodies around the world. In February, the GFF received two minibuses to bolster its youth development programmes by improving access to, and reducing the costs associated with the running of, its national network of GFF Academy Training Centres.
In 2019, also as part of UEFA Assist, the GFF and the Denmark Football Association signed an historic six-year Memorandum of Understanding focused on providing technical and operational assistance ahead of the Concacaf region’s hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. “We would like to thank our European friends and partners for their ongoing support and we look forward to making further landmark announcements related to the UEFA Assist programme in the very near future,” President Forde said.
o n www.majorleaguecricket.co m. Of the more than 2,400 players who originally registered for the MiLC Draft, 364 players were selected to make up 18 squads and 312 players took the field in at least one match. Te s t a m e n t t o t h e competitive nature was the closeness of a number of matches. In total, there were 14 final over finishes, two final ball finishes and two tied matches which led to super overs. Nine centuries were scored, along with four five wicket hauls and even the remarkable feat of six consecutive sixes in an over from Chandrapaul Hemraj. A key objective of Minor League Cricket is to provide young talent with an opportunity to develop and showcase their talent, which was accomplished with 90 players aged 21 and under selected as part of MiLC squads in 2020. Seventyone of those players took the field in an average of three matches, including a host of breakout performances that suggest the future of USA Cricket is in safe hands. MVP Awards MiLC is delighted to announce the winners of a number of individual awards in recognition of notable performances that were seen throughout the league in 2020. The MVP of each conference will receive a $1,000 prize, whilst the Best Batsman and Best Bowler in each conference will receive $500 rewards, respectively. The following players produced consistent and standout performances across the exhibition matches: Awards - Western Eastern Southern Central MVP ($1,000) Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Assad Fudadin, Darpan Patel and Rameez Raja. Best Batter ($500) Narsingh Deonarine, Dominique Rikhi, Rishi Bhardwaj and Shaheer Hasan. Best Bowler ($500) Rusty Theron, Bruce Blackwood, Rohan Phadke and Nosthush Kenjige. East Bay Blazers allr o u n d e r S a n j a y Krishnamurthi edged out some high-quality competition to take home the overall MVP award for the 2020 Franchise Exhibition Matches, along with the associated $4,000 prize. Sanjay, who has been
supported by the M ajor League Academy Network in the Bay Area, was one of the leading run scorers in the Western Conference and scored 264 runs in eight matches at an average of 88.00, picking up four wickets and two man-of-thematch performances. At just 17 years of age, this is a significant achievement given the competitive nature of these matches, and he has certainly announced himself as a name to watch out for in the future. Inaugural Season of Minor League Cricket in 2021 having successfully developed a nationwide 24 team competition structure, the focus now turns to taking the learnings from the Franchise Exhibition Matches and building on this platform ahead of the inaugural season of Minor League Cricket in 2021. Planning is well underway for the 2021 season, with the prospect of more teams being added and a full home and away season culminating in Conference and National Playoffs. The inaugural season of Minor League Cricket is set to commence next year in Spring 2021. Justin Geale of American Cricket Enterprises and Tournament Director of Minor League Cricket was pleased with everyone’s efforts in a difficult year, “We are really delighted with the outcome despite the challenges the country is experiencing at the moment. We are thankful to all of the owners, players, the Minor League Governing Council (including its Chair, Atul Rai, and other members), as well as the officials and volunteers who went above and beyond to ensure we were able to get cricket played safely across the country. The reaction and interest from the community has been hugely positive, and with all the learnings gleaned from this year, we strongly believe the format and structure is going to be a success. We look forward to having the inaugural season of Minor League Cricket in 2021 and building upon the platform we created this year.” USA Cricket Chief Executive, Iain Higgins commented, “USA Cricket is very pleased with the results (Continued on page 65)
Spate of Bravo injuries concerns Windies t r o Sp coach Simmons P. 69
‘Holder always in consideration for - WI coach Simmons insists NZ omission T20s all-rounder’s due to scheduling P. 69
Dwayne Bravo
High Jump record holder supports local athletes P. 69
Jason Holder Charles Ramson Jr
Shiv Chanderpaul
Sports Minister to bowl first ball to open BMC tourney P. 69
- As ‘Masters Cricket league set to bowl off Nov 22
From left, Robert Bynoe, coach Cornell Rose of Super Upcoming Racers and head of AAG Aubrey Hutson at the presentation.
Messi at the double against Betis after starting on bench P. 67
GFF joins forces with UEFA for 100-day football “Bounce back” plan P. 71
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