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Jagdeo commits to Monday Edition NEWS releasing oil permits APNU+AFC kept hidden AIETEUR

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

October 05, 2020 -Vol. 13 No. 41

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Price $80

Online readership yesterday, 103,838

Nigeria’s failure to review lopsided deals lead to loss of US$28.6 billion Retrofit containers to be Time to be Blunt established at prisons to on our Wealth conduct virtual hearings - prisoners will no longer be transported to court

Govt. slashes transport costs for Wakenaam rice farmers - approximately $3.5M in savings time to be recorded

Minister Edghill stresses timely completion during visit to Region Five sea defence works Gruesome murder of Berbice teens…

West Coast Berbice villagers protest again

Who do the morons t h a t w e h a v e masquerading as politicians believe they are fooling? They have allowed Guyana to be robbed of hundreds of billions in US dollars. Yet, they go around begging all around the world for loans to build bridges, roads and schools.

We alert all Guyana that Kaieteur News will raise the bar on our leaders when it comes to our national wealth.

WE WILL BE VERY BLUNT! We will be blunt about G u y a n a ’s g o l d a n d diamond. We will be blunt about our bauxite, timber, and, most of all, we will be extremely blunt about our oil. Who owns it secretly?

Who is cheating and stealing from us? Who is lying to us, avoiding answering us, tricking us and covering up?

We want our Guyanese brothers and

sisters to be enlightened and made wiser so that they can judge for themselves who is depriving them of their BIRTHRIGHT to have a comfortable life. The priority right now is to get to the bottom of who is cheating and robbing our country of its fabulously rich oil wealth. This is what all of us, who are being deceived, should be outraged about, and about which we should be ready to do something.

We have been patient and courteous with government after government and one political leader after another. We promise that we will be blunt.

Whoever doesn’t like it can do something about it: they can come clean with the real truths about our oil.

From today on, we will be dedicating Page 7 of this newspaper to our bluntness on this ongoing indecency - go to Page 7.

EITI releases new reporting guidelines for companies buying oil and gas, minerals

Monday October 05, 2020

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Kaieteur News

Retrofit containers to be established at prisons to conduct virtual hearings

- prisoners will no longer be transported to court A decision was made to install retrofitted containers at prisons to conduct virtual hearings in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a press release from the office of the Attorney General (AG).

As a result of that, prisoners will no longer be transported to court houses for hearings or trials.

According to the release, the retrofit containers will be set up at Camp Street, Georgetown; Lusignan, East Coast Demerara; New Amsterdam and Mazaruni.

The release stated that the Government of Guyana, the Judiciary, the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Prisons Service have collaborated to, “Enhance the speedy hearings, trials and disposal of cases in the criminal justice system, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have placed severe restraint on the movement and gathering of persons in every endeavour.”

The Government team is led by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Hon. Mohabir Anil Nandlall, and includes Minister Robeson Benn

and a number of technical personnel from the National Data Management Authority.

Representing the Judiciary are Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire, Justice Naresh Harnanan and Justice Brassington Reynolds, while Assistant Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hickens, led a team from the Guyana Police Force and the Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, and his staff were present on behalf of the Guyana Prisons Service.

The team met yesterday at the Umana Yana, Georgetown, and made a series of important decisions, the main objective of which is to establish the required physical and technical infrastructure for criminal litigation to take place on virtual platforms.

The retrofit containers will be air-conditioned and equipped with the necessary technical apparatus that will provide a link to the prisoners and the various courthouses.

When the containers are implemented, the need for prisoners to be transported

out of the prisons to be taken to court for their cases will no longer be required.

Another aspect of the project that the team has embarked on is to equip some police stations similarly across the country, so that the defendants can virtually make their first court appearance from the retrofit containers that will be set up at police stations.

Other countries in the Caribbean jurisdictions are already moving in this direction with Trinidad and Tobago being the most advanced. The team plans on using Trinidad and Tobago as the model to design Guyana’s system.

Jagdeo commits to releasing oil permits APNU+AFC kept hidden Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Friday said that the government would release the oil permits the former David Granger administration granted to ExxonMobil but did not release. These are the permits for the first two field developments, Liza Phases One and Two, as well as the corresponding environmental permits.

Jagdeo made this commitment during a press conference, and urged the media to critically analyse the differences between the Payara permit and the Liza permits. When informed that the media did not receive these documents, the Vice President said that he will ensure they do. He is of the view that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/ C) has significantly improved upon the mistakes of the Granger administration.

“So look at the petroleum licence for Liza that Trotman signed, and do a comparison with the petroleum licence for Payara that we signed.” He said. “And therein, you will see the massive improvements and how we

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo have moved to protect our patrimony.”

He said that these improvements are there to ensure that the third development, Payara would be executed in a more environmentally safe manner, among other critical considerations.

“Not necessarily from the fiscal perspective,” Jagdeo stated, “because that is subject of another agreement, but definitely in terms of making sure that we can adequately manage this area

through information flow, to see that we’re getting our fair share of the deal… in terms of production; secondly, to see that the development offshore is done in an orderly fashion; thirdly, that we do it in an environmentally safe manner; fourthly that liabilities are not accrued to the state.”

The Liza Phases One and Two projects were approved by the Granger administration. Not only did the former Government keep the permits hidden, it also refused to conduct sufficient due diligence checks to ascertain the integrity of Exxon’s developments.

This is evidenced by the fact that the Granger administration approved the Liza Phase One permit on the same day that it received the 1,500-page environmental impact assessment from ExxonMobil.

The Payara permit was approved by the Ali administration at the end of September, after contentious review processes, which spanned two governments.

Kaieteur News is currently reviewing this permit.

Camp Street Prison, one of the prisons that will be equipped with the retrofit containers.

UG opening moved to Nov. 2 to accommodate more applications

Following an emergency meeting by the Academic Board of the University of Guyana (UG) called by ViceChancellor Dr. Paloma Mohamed, the decision was taken to extend the University’s opening date to November 2. The reason for the decision was to facilitate more applicants to the university.

This was disclosed in a press release issued by the University, explaining all of the outcomes of the emergency meeting. The university stated that there are currently thousands of documents from feeder institutions now being sent into the Registry. It was explained that there was a backlog of over 2,600 applications as there was a need for verification of certain documents and there was also a late appearance of some examination results.

Further, it was stated that the University previously projected the commencement of classes to be from October 12, but if that plan was followed through, many prospective students whose applications were still being processed would have been placed at a disadvantage and

they would also be forced into a late start on their classes.

“All notifications and admission decisions are prioritized by the date of receipt of final documents for verification and other registration agreements by October 20, 2020. Over 3000 applicants would have already heard from the University as at today’s date,” the University stated.

It was indicated that orientation for newly enrolled and continuing students will kick start on October 26 but it will be done online. Students will be sent emails that will carry the necessary login information so that they can attend their orientations virtually.

The commencement of classes on November 2 will also be done online as well as 65% of the University’s classes. It was stated that the other 35 percent which mostly consists of laboratory and field exercises are expected to be blended and will be face to face. These exercises will be administered at various campuses for specific courses or specific parts of courses only.

The University assured that they will be following all

necessary COVID-19 protocols and physical arrangements will be put in place to ensure this is done.

“Students will be notified directly of the schedule and safety measures if any of their courses are expected to be face to face,” they stated.

Additionally, the university is urging all applicants who failed to submit their notarized documents for verification to do so promptly. They further said that in an attempt to provide support for prospective students’, they can have their documents verified by Justices of the Peace, Head teachers, Religious persons, Government officials, and community leaders, but they must be signed and stamped.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they will be required to email these documents to admissions@uog.edu.gy.

Despite the COVID-19 conditions, which the country is currently facing, UG announced that they have seen the largest number of applicants that they’ve recorded. Currently, the number of applicants is almost 7,000.

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Kaieteur News

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

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

EDITORIAL

Trump and COVID-19 On Friday morning, the news resounded around the world that President of the United States, Donald Trump, was tested positive for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

If the pattern is anything to go by, he might likely join his two compadres in recovering successfully from the disease, the world leaders with whom he shares strong mutual admiration, Brazil’s Jair Bolsonarro and the United Kingdom’s Boris Johnson. Like his fellow outrageous right wing heads of state, Trump spent the past few days being afforded the best care his country can offer, even as thousands of his citizens have fallen victim as much to the disease as to inadequate, often sloppy policy action by his administration.

History is not void of examples where a leader’s hubris and intransigence ended up laying catastrophe at their doorstep. What is clear however, as is perhaps fitting for a man who prefers to refer to himself and his achievements in superlatives, never has it been on as grand a scale as this. Every primary school infographic on how COVID-19 spreads could form the basis of a presentation on how Trump’s policy of denial and misinformation was directly linked to his own infection – simply put, the more people, particularly those in his ambit and under his influence, did not adhere to basis social distancing and other precautionary measures, the more his own chances of contracting the virus grew exponentially.

When, in late July, former the Republican nomination aspirant turned rabid Trump supporter, Hermain Cain, died from the coronavirus after attending a Trump rally unmasked, that should have been a wakeup call for the American president. Instead, he would go on to solidify his reputation as a viral source of misinformation on the virus. A study by Cornell University in the United States, looking at 11 sources of misinformation on COVID-19, found that Donald Trump was overwhelming the largest. As the New York Times reports: “…by far, the most prevalent topic of misinformation was “miracle cures,” including Mr. Trump’s promotion of anti-malarial drugs and disinfectants as potential treatments for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. That accounted for more misinformation than the other 10 topics combined, the researchers reported.”

It is not without irony that news of Trump’s infection came just two days after his belligerent, evasive “presidential” (it was anything but) debate with former Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, a debate during which Trump not only justified his mismanagement of the disease but mocked Biden for wearing a mask too often. The reaction to Trump (and his wife, Melania) being infected, has been understandably mixed. In addition to recent revelations that the President earlier this year publicly down-played the serious of the virus while admitting privately to journalist Woodward that he knew how dangerous it actually was, the First Lady herself has received some flack due to revelations of her comments on the treatment of migrant children being held at the US border.

One would hope that his own brush with the deadly virus, one that has so far taken the lives of 200,000 of his citizens, is going to offer a road to Damascus experience in how he treats this disease. That however is unlikely. As Saturday’s editorial in the UK Guardian observes: “If Trump can ride out the infection in hospital, overcome potentially negative factors such as his age (74) and his obesity, and emerge from quarantine within 10 days or so, it’s conceivable he could again turn the personal to political advantage. Boris Johnson briefly managed this trick in Britain after he left intensive care in April. In such a case, Trump may portray a reprieve as proof of his contention that the Covid-19 threat is overrated.”

There is of course the other alternative outcome but the chaos that implies is too complex for a single piece of writing. As the election countdown continues, however you feel about the American president, his recovering from COVID-19 with or without the hoped enlightenment – is the best possible scenario, not only for himself but for everyone else. At least in the short-term.

Monday October 05, 2020

The poorest job done by the master illusionist DEAR EDITOR, Despite saying that they would not be “pressured” into signing the Payara FDP a few weeks ago, the Government signed on a few days ago, ignoring advocacy to refrain from rushing into signing from experts of the caliber of Melinda Janki and Jan Mangal.

The Government felt it had some explaining to do.

This task was too big for the Natural Resources Minister so the master illusionist, VP Bharrat Jagdeo was tasked to deliver.

Jagdeo said, “There is a group that believes we should have held up Payara and not issue the licence and use it as leverage to change the production [sharing] agreement. And it’s wishful

thinking, frankly speaking.

It’s wishful thinking that you could have done that now. “ No explanation was given why this could not be done.

Conversely, Jagdeo said, “there is a large group of people who believe that calls for renegotiation cannot be substantiated because of the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the oil industry.”

While he had named Jan Mangal in the group for renegotiation, not a single person was named from his group that would not substantiate renegotiation.

Should we interpret “wishful thinking” as meaning that the contract cannot be renegotiated? If that is the case, why would it be worth mentioning that a “large

group”, “would not substantiate renegotiation”?

Or is this his elusive way of trying to make COVID-19 take the flak for none renegotiation, in the name of expediency?

In finality, Jagdeo said, “We made it clear that the production [sharing] agreement was signed already” - this was the exact adamant stance taken by the Granger administration. One wonders what exactly Exxon had promised the VP when they spoke to him as opposition leader that he was so reluctant to reveal.

In a display of hypocrisy, Mangal and Janki for publicly advocating for renegotiation and taking time to study the FDP respectively, were spared no flak for their

advocacy in the media by the VP. I wonder how sincere is the VP when he speaks of transparency and how could transparency be possible without the media? At least, the VP’s penchant for secrecy clause is well-documented in the Berbice Bridge contract and the adage that “old habits die hard” often rings true.

Going from, “will not be pressured” into signing to “signing in three weeks” is no ordinary task for the master illusionist to whisk away from the prying eyes of the conspiracy theorists. I think the master illusionist did a terribly, poor job. It was literally nothing more than casting a handful of sand in the eyes of the people.

Yours respectfully, Rudolph Singh

At this crucial juncture, health workers are being ruthlessly misled DEAR EDITOR, Following an examination of President Donald Trump last Friday, he was diagnosed as testing positive for COVID19 and was transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He is being treated with an experimental antibody drug which is meant to provide the body’s immune system with a temporary but immediate boost to fight off the coronavirus. The drug cocktail is a combination of two so-called monoclonal antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are made in a lab to mimic the body’s natural antibodies. Antibodies act by recognizing specific germs – in this case, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 – and harnessing the immune system to fight them off. The therapy, though still unknown, is considered to be one of the most promising treatment options for the illness. It was President Trump who had down played the intensity of this deadly pandemic from its inception and failed to act appropriately, endangering all of America.

The scenario is similar in Guyana’s context with the past caretaker president, David Granger, who was illprepared to execute a rigid programme that should have included a prevention, protection, diagnosing, caring and follow-up exercise.

Granger was unconcerned about the true welfare of the nation and was more interested in securing and regaining financial and political power at the cost of the lives of people. Moreso, his infrastructure that was set up was more aligned in name sake basis only, versus a service oriented structure. It was another loophole for

financial drainage from the already depleted treasury.

Luckily, spirited minded Guyanese came together with various organizations to bolster support and muster selfless service to prepare and package food hampers for distribution to the needy throughout Guyana. Those patriots must be commended for their magnificent efforts.

The APNU+AFC government was all talk and no walk from the beginning.

That government had failed to help the under privileged at a dire time of their real need.

Meanwhile, the spread of the virus was multiplying and a careless government was recklessly exposing the public to further danger, by deliberately encouraging the mass to gather in various forums without taking all the necessary preventative measures. It was President Trump who had mocked Joe Biden for being scared and wearing a mask all the time. His constant lies is reminiscing Granger’s performance.

Guyanese will not forget nor will they forgive the PNC/R for dragging an entire nation through “hell and high water” for that gruesome period that stretched for some 18 horrifying and deplorable months.

As the world continues to perfect a guarantee cure for this deadly disease, many conglomerate corporations are set to rake in billions of dollars in profit shortly, following the costly marketing of vaccines that are potentially manufactured for sale and distribution. On the other side of the coin, many of the global famous philanthropists, are deploying billions of dollars towards the production and

free distribution of a cure.

Leading billionaires included are the world’s richest people. This race for an early production has led to some degree of friendly uncomfortableness between rivals and co-partners.

Noteworthy was the friction noted between Bill Gates and Elon Musk, the second and third wealthiest people on earth, pipped by Jeff Bezos.

While their public spats may not always be serious, they do appear to fundamentally disagree about the coronavirus – and as major players in virus treatment and an eventual vaccine to protect against it, their clashes carry even more weight. Musk recently called Gates a “knucklehead” for criticizing his coronavirus response and Gates referred to Musk’s comments on the outbreak as “outrageous.” Even White House coronavirus task force Dr. Anthony Fauci, are at opposite ends with President Trump and his opinions. In Guyana, Dr. Frank Anthony is daily under the attack for not having a more rigid programme to handle this pandemic and seeing the death rate escalating at a very high and dangerous rate.

Inheriting an ill equipped task force from the caretaker government, he was challenged to implement a complete overhaul of the old system and replace it with a more result oriented programme that has been reinforced by international support.

The PNC/R government was guilty of undermining democracy and as such, international help and support was withheld, thereby Guyanese was denied the assistance they so badly needed.

Again, the PNC/R will not be spared the rod and Guyanese will not be spoiled, come next election.

At this crucial juncture in

the crux of COVID-19, health workers are being ruthlessly misled, instigated to call in sick, tutored to go-slow and encouraged to go on strike.

The death rate is ghastly reaching 100 and recorded cases topped the 3,000 mark.

No man, woman or child, no ethnicity, no religion, no class and no relationship is being spared from this killer pandemic. Guyana is reeling from this virus that has no certain cure, a country that has limited facilities for treatment, protection and prevention and a country that has recently awakened from a misdirected past administration that has kept the nation in abeyance for some five months. Yet, here is a heartless union that is prepared to throw Guyanese to the wolves without any protection and leave them exposed to certain danger and ultimate death. The union has forgotten that they themselves will be exposed to the end result. Here is a barefaced union that had ample opportunities to take industrial actions in resolving the issues under the previous government but refused to do so because of its affiliation. Now a new baby government is in place and the union wants this government not to crawl, not to walk, but to run immediately. It is so vividly clear that dirty and deadly politics perpetrated and instigated by the PNC/R is once again being injected into the nurses and the nurses cannot distinguish poison from reason, but this is no season for treason!

Bob Marley sang, “It’s war in the East and war in the West,” and Harmon declared, “warbreak.” It’s more “slo fiya” and “more fiya” as the tyres are starting to burn again in Berbice. It’s time again to play “More Sanctions ABCE.” Respectfully, Jai Lall

Monday October 05, 2020

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Georgetown may be the capital city, but it is not the entire country DEAR EDITOR, In a recent article (“SVN registered 96.60% overall pass rate at CXC,” SN 9/29/20), we highlighted the continued amazing academic success of Saraswati Vidya Niketan (SVN) school at Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara. We now take this opportunity to address the controversy surrounding the protest by students at “Queen’s College” and other Georgetown Schools regarding their dissatisfaction with their CXC results and the unprecedented intervention by the Minister of Education

to pressure CXC officials.

It is quite alarming that the Minister of Education felt that there was “apparent poor grading of the students” by CXC (“Ministry contacts CXC over apparent poor grading of students at CSEC, CAPE,” SN 9/24/20). Such action is apparently misguided, and leaves open a gaping contradiction: how to explain the fact that SVN has excelled again. This is an important issue and warrants investigation: school lockdown due to COVID-19, apparent poor performance by elite, highly funded Georgetown public schools,

but continued outstanding performance by SVN, a private school not in the power centre of Georgetown, operating on a lean budget, barely enough to survive.

To the best of our knowledge, only the government-run schools in Georgetown are complaining.

Private schools in Guyana and schools in Berbice and Essequibo have not complained and there are no protests by students there.

We have also learnt that the private schools in Trinidad and Tobago have good results and are not complaining. Rather than

complaining, the government schools ought to examine their own role in generating the poor results.

We are not fans of CXC for various reasons outside the scope of this essay, but the actions of the Minister of Education in the CXC results controversy show the power of the Georgetown elites. It is in Georgetown where the political elites and their families primarily reside and attend school. And it is in Georgetown where all the “head offices” are, and “bosses” of public education located/reside. We see that power speaks, but speaks

Guyana’s share of oil revenues will be a nightmarish low of 14.5% for many years to come Dear Editor, A prudent homeowner, who wanted to sell his house, would gauge what is a fair asking price by surveying the sale price for other houses in his neighbourhood. It would spin in his mind for years, if after the sale, he discovered that he had sold his house for a large discount to what a buyer with integrity was willing to pay. Several years ago, the IMF did a study of 67 petroleum agreements where it showed the “government take” normally fell between 65% and 85%.

For the Stabroek block, Guyana’s share of oil revenues will be a nightmarish low of 14.5% for many years to come. A haunting figure.

The Stabroek Oil block has so far turned up 18 oil discoveries. Thus far, 3 of those discoveries have been turned into projects. They are the Liza Phase 1 with a capital cost estimated at US$3.5 billion. The Liza Phase 2 with projected capital cost of US$6 billion. And, the recently approved Payara at US$9 billion. That is a total of US$18.5 billion in capital costs.

But because of lack of ring fencing which means Exxon can allocate any losses

from one project into another, the 75% maximum expense of revenue will be lingering for many years.

With ring fencing, each well is treated as a separate project, and losses cannot be carried over to another project causing Guyana to lose income. Thus, given the no ring fencing between the Liza Phase 1, Liza Phase 2 and Payara projects, the recent US$9 billion capital cost for Payara would mean Guyana will probably earn a paltry 14.5% for a number of years.

Liza Phase 1 became operational in December 2019. It has struggled to reach its goal of 120,000 barrels per day but it is approaching that figure. Liza 2 is slated to start production of 220,000 barrels a day in 2022 and Payara the same output in 2024.

Let’s assume Liza-1’s average for this year is 100,000 barrels per day and the average price of Crude Oil is US$40/barrel for the year.

And in the most optimistic scenario, 75% of revenue is used to pay down the capital cost. There will be operating costs which would reduce how much of the 75% is used to pay down capital costs but let’s ignore that for simplicity.

In this optimistic scenario we would have paid down US$1.1

billion by December 2020 out of the US$18.5 billion we owe just for the first 3 projects.

If oil price hovers around US$40/barrel for the next five years, then the table shows how much we would have paid down at the start of 2025.

A copy of the table is available, at http:// w w w. o g g n . w e b s i t e / w p content/uploads/2019/10/ stabroek_capital _costs_paid.xlsx From the table below, we would have paid down US$16 billion at the start of 2025.

That would leave us about US$2.5 billion to payoff in 2025. Thus, at some point in 2025, we should see the

14.5% of revenue share start to approach the bottom of the IMF average government take, right? No, it is likely other projects within the Stabroek Block would have been approved before 2025 with billions in capital costs.

Plus, it was assumed that 75% of revenue was used to pay down capital costs but a more realistic figure would have been a smaller percentage.

Thus, we will have the 14.5% ring around our necks for many years to come. It will haunt us for generations.

Yours truly, Darshanand Khusial on behalf of OGGN (www.oggn.org)

only on behalf of those wielding power, which is why the power elites and their progeny always have power. Both of us are products of rural communities, born and raised in dilapidated, run-down rural areas. We attended neglected and underfunded public schools. The past and current injustices done to public schools in rural communities, which are apparently propping up the schools in Georgetown, should be addressed.

It appears to us that, with respect to the CXC and CAPE results, most of the media play along with the Georgetown elites. For example, SVN results were released, but none of the media, except Guyana Times carried the news of the school’s outstanding success. Interestingly, all the main “media houses” are also in Georgetown.

The Minister of Education should stop the unprecedented legitimizing of the whining of elitist Georgetown schools and release the entire CXC results. It is no secret that, despite the billions of dollars pumped into education, the public-school system has been a dismal failure and that is what they are trying to hide. That is why, each year they make selective eyecatching splashes of the few high-fliers who pass many subjects, but there is blackout of data on the rest, 95% or more, of the students who wrote the exams. Education data like other data funded by the taxpayers are hidden in a “black-box”. There is no

transparency! The people deserve better! Release the total results for this year and all the other years and let the data speak for itself. Stop politicizing education, a ploy that will only drag down, not lift-up, the dismal state of education in the country.

The Minister of Education must address what system was put in place during the lockdown to ensure adequate delivery of instructions. Can the Minister tell the nation? The Minister must give the nation an update on the current status of the situation. What penalties were in place to ensure compliance? Were there incentives to ensure compliance? How was compliance monitored and what corrective actions were taken in case of identified problems?

Further, since Professor Beckles, Chairman of CXC, announced two days ago that an independent Committee will be reviewing the grading of the exams, both CSEC and CAPE, nothing more has been heard. Has the Committee been set up? Who comprises the Committee? Has the review begun? When are we to expect the findings?

Based on our discussions with parents, little or nothing went on in the government schools during the lockdown, and many teachers were apparently on “paid (Continued on page 6)

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Monday October 05, 2020

Is there anything that we can do for ourselves anymore?

DEAR EDITOR, I would like to use some choicer expressions but manage myself. There is the new ‘Iron Lady’ of Guyana, no less a person than the American Ambassador to Guyana Her Excellency, Sarah Ann Lynch, weighing in to offer civil society help with inclusive governance. I am reduced to incredulity and the questions come.

Is there anything about our own affairs that we can do by ourselves anymore?

Nothing without having the world, especially the Americans, holding our hands, wiping our noses, and cleaning our bottoms?

Indeed, do Americans have to be summoned to run to the rescue and help Guyanese leaders and cognoscenti, who boast of 20/20 vision cross streets, which have no traffic?

Are we that limited? That domestically abused and battered and lacking in shame? What happened to our pride and dignity?

We needed

comprehensive help with elections. Though I said that we opened the door too wide and the foreigners ventured too far inside, that is done and gone. But since those elections, the American presence and influence has gone from strength to strength, and today both are no longer out of sight or camouflaged. I am already at that place, which hears American and its agents saying, “you owe us, pay the price, this is the first installment.”

A quick examination of the time since the elections temporarily expired confirms the following. America controls Guyana relative to Venezuela.

America has set its eyes on the commercial and contractual Chinese presence here, does not like what it sees, and moves to minimize. As an aside, I laud the Hon. Prime Minister, Mr. Mark Philips, in seeking to reassure the Chinese of their staying power and value. It was an unconvincing one, which tells

...Georgetown may be From page 5 vacation” and students were left to “mine dem own business”. In the countryside, a large portion of students, especially poor students, have no computer and could not access online teaching. Then there is the problem of the internet that many students especially in the countryside do not have and whose parents cannot afford. So, stop the whining and learn from the mistakes, and do not neglect the schools in rural

areas. Georgetown may be the capital city, but it is not the entire country.

Current attempts to undermine the CXC will negatively affect the legitimacy of that body. That is unfair to students who have worked diligently to succeed and forever tarnish all those whose wrote CXC, who may write in the future, and the accreditation they received.

Sincerely, Ramesh Gampat and Somdat Mahabir

me that he should have stayed in the army.

Moving along, the Americans through Exxon controls our oil, its returns, and I must say who gets how much.

Those who care about such things should look closer at some of the secretive oil deals involving two oil blocks that started out with mysterious middlemen but ended up with significant percentage shares owned by ExxonMobil. Yes! There are these magic moments in Guyana, but the multitude of jilted Guyanese poor languish in blissful ignorance. What is that one again? About the wife always being the last one to know?

Then, it was the private sector’s turn for prepping for infiltration and invasion, which

was made clear through the mechanism of the equivalent of friendship groups, fraternal organizations, and Chambers of Commerce agencies. The fellows from that other agency in Langley must be celebrating like pigs in, (in the interests of politeness), mud.

The pending dominance is endless, so I continue.

American aviation powers are soon going to knock out CaribbeanAirlines and dominate the welcoming Guyana skies.

As said before, I am a capitalist at heart and an American in vision and spirit, so my preference is to do business with the lesser of other evils (there we go again). And though I like some of what I read, I ask quietly and seriously: how much is too much? Now I read, compliments of the ubiquitous and

increasingly loquacious American Chief Minister to Guyana (of pure, noble, and honourable objectives, certainly) waxing about assistance for helping civil society to contribute meaningfully to inclusive governance and I am shocked.

A new round of questions rushes to the fore. Surely, Guyanese, despite limitations, do not need anybody, including Americans, to enlighten them on what must be done to get in a room and have a conversation?

Do we need anyone to teach us about honesty and integrity? I don’t. Surely, Guyanese civic and political players have enough sense to appreciate that when we are divided and at constant loggerheads, that such redounds to the benefit of Exxon and, by extension, America? I can ponder the

role of America as honest broker, but no more.

But as I think of this one about working with civil society for inclusive governance, I wonder whether this is not another snare to lure unsuspecting civil society into the limelight and primetime, so that it feels good about itself. I wrote this somewhere: when the elites are wooed and bought over, then what remains is for the poor slobs in the streets to brutalize one another. As I see it, we are going in that direction.

Like I keep saying, Guyana may already be the 51st state but it is too ashamed to make it official. God bless America! Good luck Guyana!

Sincerely, GHK Lall

Guyana has enough land to provide house lots to everyone DEAR EDITOR, The confrontation between several squatters on the East Coast of Demerara and GUYSUCO should have been avoided. The reason according to multiple sources is the extremely long waiting period for the residents in the area and across the country to legally obtain a house lot in Guyana. Indeed, it is far too long by any standards. It is shameful and downright demeaning and disrespectful to the residents in a country with one of the sparsest population density in the world to wait for years for a house lot. A comparison is noteworthy: Bangladesh with a physical size of roughly 57,000 square miles and a population of over 160 million inhabitants puts the Housing

Authorities to shame in Guyana because it takes less than one-third the time as Guyana to process similar applications.

Guyana Housing Authorities need to speed up the process.

Housing has and continues to be one of the basic human needs in Guyana where there is more than enough land to provide house lots to almost every adult.

It is time for the government to modernize the allocation process of house lots in Guyana and get rid of the excessive burdensome paperwork, which has been overwhelming the staff at the Housing Authorities for decades. Equally important is the fact that the development and construction of some housing schemes are poorly planned and executed. As a real estate builder in New York City, I can firmly say that all housing units built in and around New York City and probably throughout the United States have to confirm to rigid building codes, especially in the areas of physical structure and electrical and plumbing.

It has been reported in Kaieteur News and other media outlets that many of the mistakes made in the construction of houses in Guyana can be avoided if planned and executed according to the strict guidelines, which many contractors have not adhere

to. The reason is in their quest to build and complete as much residential houses as possible in the shortest possible time in order to make huge profits.

Many contractors have cast aside or have totally ignored some vital areas in the country’s building codes.

Further, the government of the day must ensure that all newly constructed residential housing schemes have adequate recreational facilities such as playgrounds and parks as well as schools and other amenities needed for the residents. Failing this, residents will have turn to nearby villages/districts for such services.

Then there is the problem when the owners of house lots have decided to embark on building their own houses and in some cases with unlicensed contractors in order to “cut corners” and save money. Not to mention that many of them have and continue to ignore the building codes. This is largely due to the fact that house lot owners are often pressured to build on the house lot given to them within a specific timeframe or else the house lot can be repossessed by the Housing Authorities.

Construction and building experts have opined that the aforementioned scenario is perhaps one of the reasons for the poor construction of houses. It was said time and again that the rapid migration

of skilled and qualified workers from Guyana has resulted in a severe shortage of certified urban planners, infrastructure engineers, architects and skilled construction personnel—all of which have resulted in the delay and poor construction of houses. And governments past and present have not been able to find a meaningful solution to the problems which have plagued the nation for decades.

The crux of the matter is plain and simple. The lack of effective zoning and the enforcement of building codes, robust inspections of buildings during construction, usage of correct building materials and qualified building contractors, have placed Guyana in the doldrums of progress. As a Real-Estate builder, I will conclude by saying that in Guyana, construction ought to be relatively straightforward, as the country does not have to contend with the yearly vicissitudes of temperature changes ranging from zero t o o v e r 1 0 0 d e g rees Fahrenheit like in North America. Obviously, the burden of having a wide range of materials to cope with the hot and cold weather is eliminated, along with heaters/furnaces to provide heat in the winter or materials like Styrofoam and fiberglass to insulate houses in order to maintain heat. I will also say that the government should not regularize the squatting areas mainly because they are poorly designed and rife with infrastructure deficiencies like drainage and wells. Simply put, superficial solutions to such serious problems will not work. It requires the use of proper building codes and modern and efficient designs of houses.

Leyland Chital Roopnaraine

Monday October 05, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Monday October 05, 2020

Kaieteur News

EITI releases new reporting guidelines for companies buying oil and gas, minerals The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), last week, released new reporting guidelines for companies and commodity traders looking to buy oil, gas and minerals from governments. The guidelines promote a consistent approach to the disclosure of payments to states or to stateowned enterprises.

The guidelines cover five key steps to data publication. These are, mapping selling entities and transactions; determining the data to be disclosed, including the level of aggregation of the data; providing data assurances; communicating disclosures to selling entities; and determining the way in which data is presented and published.

The guidelines also cover two special cases, namely swap sales and resource-backed loans, the EITI indicated. The body was keen to highlight that the scale and economic significance of payments for these commodities make them a matter of public interest.

“In-kind payments alone”, the initiative

said, “make up almost half of total government revenues declared through the EITI – approximately USD $1.2 trillion to date. Data from leading commodity traders shows that payments for purchases made from governments far exceed tax payments.”

The guidelines can be applied by any company in relation to any jurisdiction, but are particularly relevant where oil, gas or minerals are being sold on behalf of the state in countries implementing the EITI Standard.

Together with reporting by governments undertaken in accordance with the 2019 EITI Standard, they enable stakeholders to form a more complete picture of the terms of sale of mining, oil and gas resources.

With this, the body reminded that greater transparency mitigates the risks associated with such trades, which include revenue leakages, misallocation or diversion of revenues, inconsistent terms of trade, conflicts of interest, bribery, corruption and state capture.

In welcoming the guidelines, EITI Board

Chair Helen Clark commented, “Commodity trades are essential to the global economy.

They play an important role in the global flows of goods that underpin economic growth.

These guidelines will help shed more light on the substantial commodity trades involving purchases of oil, gas and minerals from public entities.”

State Secretary Marie-Gabrielle IneichenFleisch, Director of the Swiss Confederation’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) said, “I am delighted that SECO has been able to support the work of the EITI on commodity trading transparency. The guidelines reflect the consensus view of a wide range of stakeholders. I urge all trading companies – including those domiciled in Switzerland – to use the guidelines to build trust in a more transparent and accountable commodity trading sector.”

The EITI’s Working Group on Transparency in Commodity Trading was the driving force behind the guidelines.

Participants include representatives of governments, industry, commodity traders and civil society.

These transparency-intended initiatives present themselves in a time where oil companies and commodity traders are competing to market Guyana’s crude for the next 12 months. In fact, 29 applicants, last week, submitted their Request For Proposals (RFP) to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB)— the body responsible for selecting the winning

EITI Board Chair, Helen Clark company.

Kaieteur News had discovered that 14 of the applicants were linked to widespread corruption and fraud.

Public documents show for example that four of the world’s largest commodities trading firms – Trafigura, Vitol SA, Glencore PLC and Mercuria Energy Group have used intermediaries to funnel over US$31 million in bribes to corrupt Petrobras employees, so that they may win big contracts along with acquiring other benefits.

Investigations by the Brazilian government have resulted in convictions and fines that have ensnared senior executives of these companies, while others are still under investigation.

Joint Services calls on social commentators to stop character assassination of its leaders

Chief of Staff, Brigadier Godfrey Bess The Heads of the Joint Services are calling on social commentators to desist from their attempts to taint the reputation of some of its members.

According a press release, “The Heads of the Joint Services have noted recent constant attempts by social commentators to tarnish the character of some of its members particularly Commissioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie, DSM and is urging against this practice.”

Kaieteur News understands that the attacks that are allegedly being made by social commentators were being observed and monitored by the Joint

Commissioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie, DSM

Services; those attacks included making lewd allegations against the Commissioner of Police and other members of the Joint Services.

According to the release, the true intentions of the social commentators are still unknown at this time, but it could be concluded that the attacks are meant to cause a country-wide breakdown in law and order, since the social commentators have allegedly started to question the professionalism and integrity of the officers.

The release also highlights that the Chairman of the Joint Services Coordinating Council, Chief

of Staff, Brigadier Godfrey Bess, stated that he is aware of the attacks and is concerned, adding that he stands in full support of the targeted officers as they continue to do their job and confront the daily threats to law and order in Guyana.

In closing, the released noted, “The Heads of the Joint Services wish to go on record to state that they are certainly not intrigued by the releases referred to and thus assure all Guyanese that they will always stand firm in the protection of the law and in the execution of their duties in keeping with their c o n s t i t u t i o n a l responsibilities.”

Monday October 05, 2020

Kaieteur News

Was there deliberate suppression of COVID-19 deaths?

An average of seven coronavirus deaths per day is likely to happen over the next month or so, unless regional plans are implemented to suppress the spread of the virus. The virus had been percolating within the country since March and it is further spiking now that the economy has reopened.

One of the questions which has been asked is if the virus was spreading all the time, including asymptomatically, how come it was only from mid-July that the numbers began to rise steeply.

If you understand exponential spread, you will appreciate how a few cases can lead to a widespread epidemic. It is therefore quite possible that the number of cases was there all along and is now spiking as the economy opens.

But how does this explain the massive increase in deaths? One possible explanation as to why there were not more deaths between March and July, assuming that there was unrecorded spread, could be that persons were dying all along but their deaths were not being attributed to the coronavirus.

On the other hand, it could also be that there was deliberate suppression of the data on COVID-19 deaths.

Suggestions have been dropped in the public domain that there was a suppression of the COVID-19 deaths under the previous administration. An allegation has been made that medical personnel were told not to ascribe some deaths to the virus since this would increase the number of deaths.

This is a serious allegation which should not be treated lightly. It amounts to medical malpractice for any medical personnel to attempt to

falsify the death records.

Professional misconduct is a serious medical offence.

No medical personnel should go unsanctioned if that person is guilty of misrepresenting either the number of COVID-19 deaths or cases.

The Medical Council Regulations lists a whole range of acts which constitute serious medical misconduct.

It defines serious medical misconduct as any document prepared or thing done by a person registered under the Act that is contrary to medical ethics or medical practice.

And this includes “knowingly giving a certificate with respect to birth, death, state of health, vaccination, disinfection or with respect to any other matter relating to life, health, disease or accidents which the medical practitioner knows or ought to know is untrue, misleading or otherwise improper”.

Misrepresenting the case of death on a death record constitutes serious medical malpractice.

And anyone found doing this should face expulsion from the medical profession.

Such an offense is inexcusable. Accurate data allow for the right interventions to be made.

If the amount of coronavirus cases or deaths is misrepresented, then it can lead to serious problems and either the wrong intervention or too late an intervention.

If the allegations of data suppression are true, then those making them should ask the Guyana Medical Council to launch an investigation into their validity. Any medical person found to be complicit in the suppression of the causes of deaths is liable to have his or her licence revoked.

That person, in other

jurisdictions would be liable to a very long prison sentence.

The allegation of the suppression of COVID-19 deaths is an extremely serious matter. It is not something which should be taken lightly because, if proven true, it means that many persons would have died and their families would have been deceived as to the true causes of their deaths.

It is shocking that no investigation has yet been launched into this allegation.

If the allegations, on the other hand, are someone’s idea of a political joke, then that person is sick in the mind.

These are not things that you joke about.

This column is therefore calling for an immediate investigation into whether there was any suppression of COVID-19 deaths and also cases.

It is most likely that if there were concerns over the former, there would have been concerns over the latter.

COVID-19 is a serious health threat. It is not an issue on which to score political points.

This is not the time to be trying to seek political advantages. It would equally be inexcusable if this were the case.

If the government has evidence that there was data suppression, it should invoke the necessary investigation and expose those involved. If it has such information and does nothing, it would be complicit in condoning a terrible wrong to the families of those who died but who were misled about the causes of death.

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

Dem Boys Seh…

Jagdeo mekkin excuse Guyana gat billions of dollars in wealth. Yet we gat to deh going all about like panhandler with begging bowl in hand.

Because of de leaders we gat, we gan gat to beg all de days of we life. De richest country in terms of resources in the Caribbean and we still begging fuh loan while we leff US$55B on de negotiating table fuh de Stabroek Block alone.

Dem boys seh dat Jagdeo hold wan press conference. De man was pitiful. He mekkin’ excuse

after excuse. He nah sound convincing. Dem boys wan know if de man nah shame fuh talk some of dem things wah he talk at de presser.

He party bin promise fuh renegotiate dem oil contract.

But like Jagdeo nah remember dat part. He talk how Guyana could not use the application for de Payara permit as leverage fuh renegotiate de contract. Well he should talk fuh he self and not fuh de nation.

He bin even seh how de former government negotiated peanuts. Dem

boys seh, he get wuss dan peanuts. He get crumbs.

Dem boys know country wah renegotiate dem oil contract. But de PPP/C give in to pressure from de American de same way dat Soula Bai give in to pressure to step aside. Dem boys seh how de PPP/C nah gat de gumption fuh stand up to ExxonMobil. Dem nah even gat de de gumption fuh publish de review wah dem hurriedly put together. Dem boys bin tell them how it nah mek sense fuh review a review.

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Monday October 05, 2020

Kaieteur News

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Roopnaraine and Thomas: When revolutionaries become clowns Below are the reproductions of the words of Rupert Roopnaraine and Clive Thomas about their great revolutionary action in Suriname, Grenada and Guyana in support of Caribbean revolution. These are not extracts from other persons’ books but the words of Thomas and Roopnaraine themselves.

When you reflect on the revolutionary credentials of these men in the seventies and eighties, and you look at

their pathetic self-erasure, then a deep sadness creeps over your psyche. How could these men allow themselves to be so humiliated by David Granger and a cabal of highly incompetent politicians inside the PNC? Here is a little story that I dearly hope David Hinds will not deny or say he cannot recall. We were talking about the strained relation between the PNC and the WPA that was expanding over the removal of Roopnaraine as

Education Minister and Roopnaraine’s flip-flopping without consulting the WPA. At the first meetings between the PNC and WPA to discuss the Roopnaraine fall-out, the WPA fielded a 10man delegation which consisted of some strange personalities. Among the WPA’s delegation was a member of the Justice for all Party, Jinnah Rahaman.

Granger reacted angrily to a comment from Thomas and so he let Thomas have it, and

Thomas kept quiet. I told David Hinds, if I was there, I would have gotten up and told Granger he is a political nonentity compared to Thomas.

But look at what Thomas is today.

Let’s examine the words of yesterday’s revolutionaries who are today’s clowns.

From pages 62 to 71 in his book, The Sky’s Wild Noise, Roopnaraine discusses his confidential closeness to the revolutionary governments of Desi Bouterse and Maurice Bishop in Suriname and Grenada respectively. On page 64, he wrote, “Apart from Maurice (Prime Minister Bishop of Grenada), with whom, it was easy to share an instinctive comradeship that went beyond politics… I became the WPA’s chief contact with the Surinamese military leadership.”

We’ll return to the high regard the revolutionary Government of Grenada had of Roopnaraine but let’s skip across to Thomas’ fight against the dictatorship of Forbes Burnham. Writing in, Walter Rodney: A Promise of Revolution by Clairmont Chung, on page 100, Thomas noted, “Father Malcolm Rodrigues used to put me up every night, he was responsible for my safety.

That is how we survived because of the fear that attempts would be made to assassinate us. In fact, one was made; an attempt to kidnap me from my house.”

Here are the words of Thomas that highlights his

vanished legacy. In the same book, he described how Prime Minister of Jamaica, Michael Manley, requested his advice to help him with the ailing Jamaican economy. He wrote, “Burnham called me and put me on a plane to take me to Jamaica.”

Where was the economic brilliance of Guyana’s leading academic, Professor Clive Thomas, was when he was part of the 2015 government in which in 28,000 family members connected to the sugar estate closures were impoverished; UG spent $21 million just to have an inauguration of the Vice Chancellor; $35 million was spent for the purchase of a Lexus SUV for President Granger. What economic advice did Thomas gave Granger?

Back to Roopnaraine.

Here he presents his revolutionary credentials in his own words in his book, The Sky’s Wild Noise, “I received a telephone call from conveying a request from the NJM Central Committee to come immediately to the island to help in resolving the conflict… I arrived at Pearls Airport in the middle of the morning of October 17. I asked that he arrange a meeting with Maurice (Prime Minister Bishop).”

Here are two Caribbean revolutionaries who were at the height of their power and charisma at the beginning of the 1980s and both were so respected by iconic Caribbean Prime Ministers

Frederick Kissoon that their knowledge was sought by these Prime Ministers.

Look at Roopnaraine and Thomas today. These men who advised the governments of Michael Manley in Jamaica and Maurice Bishop in Grenada signed a pact with the PNC in 2010 to merge the WPA with the PNC with no legal formula as to how power will be allocated if government is captured in a national election.

The merger did come to power in 2015 and the PNC virtually humiliated Roopnaraine and Thomas.

Yesterday’s revolutionaries had become today’s sycophants. And being sycophants to whom? A man named David Granger that Roopnaraine and Thomas could have seen as early as 2016 had no leadership qualities and was the most lackluster governmental leader ever to emerge in the CARICOM region. What would the great Maurice Bishop and the great Michael Manley think of these two comical, faded, jaded Guyanese revolutionaries in today’s Guyana?

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

Former Health Ministers, Leslie Ramsammy and Bheri Ramsaran appointed as MOH advisors

Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Narine Singh

Former Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy

Two former Ministers of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and Dr. Bheri Ramsaran were appointed as advisors to the Ministry of Health (MOH) by the government. This was confirmed by the Ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Daniel Singh who also stated that their appointments were effective as of October 1.

Dr. Leslie Ramsammy served as Guyana’s

Former Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran

Minister of Health between the years of 2001 to 2011. After serving there, Ramsammy was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture where he remained until 2015, when his party lost the election to the former coalition government.

Upon Ramsammy leaving his post as Continued on page 13

Monday October 05, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Monday October 05, 2020

Kaieteur News

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By Shaquille Bourne The Government has agreed to new transportation subsidies for rice farmers of Wakenaam Island to help mitigate the economic hardship incurred by COVID19.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, on Friday met Wakenaam rice farmers to hammer out an agreement during a community consultation.

“Government, led by Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, is doing this for the farmers... [We] will reduce the cost by half if they’re taking it to Essequibo and it will be one-third the cost if they’re taking it to Parika,” Minister Indar said.

The Transport and Harbours Department (THD) within the Ministry of Public Works will facilitate the subsidy by allowing rice on the island to be transported aboard one of its vessels.

This subsidy is only effective for the current crop of rice, and has been instituted after years of pleas to the Government of Guyana for assistance.

Mr. Jitinger Ramkisoon, one of the largest rice farmers in Leguan said, “I really appreciate it because it has been tough for us to get the paddy off the island and it’s very expensive.”

The farmer told DPI a private barge would usually transport the island’s paddy at a high cost. With the subsidies, the farmer plans to reinvest the money saved into growing his business.

“I can plant some more rice. I can buy some more machines to make the work easier,” Mr. Ramkissoon added.

For Mr. Terry Singh, a rice farmer for 20 years, the

Minister of Public Works, Deodat Indar.

Rice farmer, Mr. Jitinger Ramkissoon.

savings will be put towards planting additional rice crops.

Also, a farmer for two decades, Mr. Balram Rampersaud praised the initiative and simultaneously issued his dissatisfaction in the APNU-AFC’s posture towards rice farmers while in Government.

“Under the previous Government, we had no subsidies for rice. In the PPP Government, if you lose your crop, you get things and subsidies. It’s either you get seed paddy [or] you get chemicals, or some fuel and something, but for the five years passed by, nothing,” Mr. Rampersaud explained.

Meanwhile, Regional C o u n c i l l o r, M r. A s e e f Ahmad, described Government’s decision as unprecedented. He said the subsidies will allow the farmers to save a whopping $3.5million.

The decision to allow THD to extend vessel operations on the island from two days to five was also seen as a great stimulus to economic activity in the face of the pandemic.

“That would enhance transportation of products from Wakenaam to Georgetown and other destinations and enhance our ability to trade, in terms of

bringing in more wholesale products,” the Regional Councillor posited.

“We have seen a lot of movements apace in terms of the two months that Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali is in Government. We have seen our President and his Ministers; all the Regional Chairmen and councillors are on the ground. They are moving services to the people and that is what should happen in a country,” Councillor Ahmad stated.

Regional Chairman, Mr. Ishan Ayube also extended his gratitude towards the Administration for responding to the needs of the farmers.

Friday’s relief for Wakenaam farmers did not occur in a vacuum. Rather, it complements the host of measures included in the 2020 emergency budget for the agricultural sector.

Some of those measures are a $9 billion allocation for drainage and irrigation; VAT removals and key inputs in the poultry sector and on agriculture machinery; and the phased reopening of the Enmore, Rose Hall and Skeldon Sugar Estates.

The Ministry of Agriculture was allocated $18.4 billion under the emergency budget. (DPI)

Monday October 05, 2020

Kaieteur News

Four new COVID-19 deaths recorded, 88 new cases The Ministry of Health, yesterday announced four new COVID-19 cases bringing the total death toll to 89. The first death was announced earlier in the day; however, the other three were announced until last night and were not reflected in the Ministry’s daily dashboard update.

The 87th death is a 68-year-old male from Cuyuni Mazaruni - Bartica (Region Seven) and it was stated that he succumbed at 7:30 pm on October 3, while receiving care at a medical facility. The 88th and 89th deaths are two males from Baramita and Port Kaituma in Barima-Waini (Region One). Both men were 56 years old and died while receiving treatment at a medical facility according to the Ministry.

Up to press time details were unclear about the 90th fatality.

It was further stated that both men had test samples taken upon their admission at the medical facilities and they both had positive test results.

Also, 88 new COVID-19 cases were recorded yesterday as shown on the Ministry’s daily dashboard update. The new number of confirmed cases is 3,093.

Further, it states that 15 persons are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), 152 persons are in institutional isolation, 920 are in approved home isolation and 65 are in institutional quarantine. To date, a total of 1,920 recoveries have been recorded.

The dashboard also indicates the Regional distribution of cases, showing Region One with 474 confirmed cases, Region Two- 37 cases, Region Three-236, Region Four-1,455 cases, Region Five- 18 cases, Region Six- 46 cases, Region Seven-292 cases, Region Eight80 cases, Region Nine- 355 cases and Region Ten- 100 cases.

The total number of persons tested to date is 14,815 and of this number 11,722 tested negative.

Former Health Ministers, Leslie Ramsammy...

From page 10 Minister of Health in 2011, Bheri Ramsarran took over his portfolio. Before this, Ramsarran served as the junior Minister of Health. He was later fired from his post in 2015, by then President Donald Ramotar, after he came under fire for threatening a local women’s rights activist, Sherlina Nageer, saying that he would strip her and slap her.

A Director General of the Ministry was also appointed, effective October 1. The newly appointed Director General is Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Member of Parliament and former Regional Health Officer for, East Berbice-Corentyne (Region Six). His position is a newly created one within the Ministry and he will be

responsible for health being delivered at the regional level.

Also appointed was acting Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Narine Singh, a gynaecologist, who will assume all of the duties of the outgoing CMO, Shamdeo Persaud who recently proceeded on preretirement leave, having reached the statutory age of retirement which is 55. Dr. Narine has held important positions in the past, including the Director of Regional Health Services.

Following questions raised as to why Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr. Karen Boyle did not assume Shamdeo’s post; it was revealed that she is a contracted employee of the Ministry and she has also reached the mandatory age of 55.

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Monday October 05, 2020

Lizzie Deignan & Primoz Roglic win Liege-Bastogne-Liege races

Lizzie Deignan adds victory in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege her recent wins in the GP Plouay and La Course. (Getty Images)

BBCsport - Britain’s Lizzie Deignan won LiegeBastogne-Liege in Belgium on Sunday (yesterday) to claim her first ever ‘monument’ one of cycling’s biggest oneday races. Deignan made a solo break with 24km left to open up a minute’s lead.

Australian Grace Brown produced a late counterattack to get within 10 seconds, but Deignan held on for her third victory since the season resumed. A dramatic men’s race saw Primoz Roglic steal victory from Julian Alaphilippe as he celebrated on the line.

The 31-year-old TrekSegafredo rider said having

Monday October 05, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) An unexpected package could arrive, possibly shipped from far away. The circumstances could be rather strange. Friends or relatives that you might not expect could suddenly call or text

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) The planetary energy might find you responding to a sudden sense of inspiration that arouses your creativity.

You may feel an unexpected urge to write, paint, draw, or compose some music.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Today you might strategize ways to make a little extra money to prepare to move ahead with your life and ambitions. This might be in conjunction with your significant other or some close friends.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You've been very busy, professionally and socially, and now you're probably longing for a romantic encounter.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Your naturally passionate nature should be more aroused than usual today.

The festive atmosphere around you gives rise to warm, intimate feelings that bring friends and couples closer together.

CANCER(June21–July22) Your naturally passionate nature should be more aroused than usual today.

The festive atmosphere around you gives rise to warm, intimate feelings that bring friends and couples closer together LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Contact with a friend's may have to be delayed, and this might worry you. It will be necessary to make a special effort to get almost anything done today, Leo. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) A love relationship could take on a higher and more spiritual aspect during this period, creating a desire for your souls to bond.

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SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You're likely to want to spend some time alone with your partner today, but with the current planetary influences at play, either you or your honey's career concerns could get in the way.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) A co-worker might be away, and this could increase the amount of work that you have to do, causing strain and upset, especially if you aren't familiar with the work.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Warm and sensitive by nature, today you could feel especially sensual. Sex and romance are likely to be on your mind. Romantic novels and movies may seem especially appealing now, as could cozy beds and warm baths.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) A minor accident might take place at home today, Pisces, but don't worry. It will ultimately provoke more laughter than harm. You will want the place to look great, Pisces, because a close friend or lover could come to visit.

the “perfect team” was key to ending her wait to win a ‘monument’. “It’s really special,” said Deignan, who adds the title to her recent victories in the GP Plouay and La Course.

Dutch riders had won each of the three races since the event’s inauguration in 2017, with two victories for Anna van der Breggen (2017 and 2018) and one for defending champion Annemiek van Vleuten, who finished 28th on Sunday.

Deignan, who finished second behind Van der Breggen in 2017, said she “raced on instinct”. “In this team we’re allowed to race on instinct and not to fear failure,” she added.

Deceuninck-Quick Step rider Alaphilippe was in scintillating form during the men’s race, a week on from winning the World Road Championships road race in Imola, Italy.

Despite crashing during the race and having to change a shoe, the Frenchman launched an attack off the front of the peloton with 15km of the 256km route remaining. He was followed by JumboVisma’s Roglic, who lost the Tour de France on a thrilling final day to Tadej Pogacar just two weeks ago.

Slovenian countryman Pogacar of UAE TeamEmirates was also in pursuit, alongside Tour stage winner Marc Hirschi of Sunweb. As the four sprinted to the line, Alaphilippe appeared to block Hirschi, who unclipped from his pedal and unintentionally barged Pogacar.

As Alaphilippe sat up from his handlebars to spread his arms wide and roll over the line to embrace victory, he did not see Roglic racing up on his right-hand side. Roglic just managed to sneak ahead by half a wheel.

A frustrated Alaphilippe was then demoted to fifth for the block on Hirschi.

“Unbelievable - finally I managed to win something, huh?” said Roglic in disbelief.

“Really happy I managed to win. It was on my wish list to win a monument.”

The races were delayed from their usual April ‘spring classics’ spot because of the coronavirus pandemic.

...Bureau of the FIFA From page 28 the required exemptions from authorities for sportspersons travelling internationally for the purpose of matches with their national teams.

T e m p o r a r y amendments: 1. These temporary amendments shall apply to all international windows for men’s football, women’s football, and futsal scheduled for the remainder of 2020.

2. All international matches taking place in those windows are required to apply FIFA’s Return to Football – International Match Protocol or an equivalent protocol of the relevant confederation compliant with the said Protocol.

3. The rules relating to release of players to association teams, as provided for in Annexe 1 [of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players], apply as normal except where: i. there is a mandatory period of quarantine or self-isolation of at least five

(5) days upon arrival in: a. the location of the club which has an obligation to release the player to an association team; or b. the location where a representative team match is scheduled to take place; or ii. there is a travel restriction to or from either location (a. or b. above); and iii. a specific exemption from the relevant authorities relating to the above decisions has not been granted to players of a representative team.

FIFA together with the confederations and member associations will continue to monitor the situation regarding the travel and quarantine policies of the relevant authorities in relation to the upcoming international matches.

FIFA strongly urges all member associations, clubs and players to work together in a spirit of solidarity to share information and find compromises for the benefit of all parties concerned under the regulatory framework that has now been temporarily adapted.

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Rafael Nadal sees off qualifier Sebastian Korda BBCsport - Twelve-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal raced into the quarter-finals with a straightset victory over American qualifier Sebastian Korda.

Korda said in the build-up that Nadal, 34, was his “idol” but the 20-year-old struggled to match the clay-court specialist on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Spanish second seed Nadal, chasing a fourth successive title at Roland Garros, took the match 6-1 61 6-2. He will face Jannik Sinner next after the Italian beat Alexander Zverev. The 19-year-old, ranked 75 in the world, put in a superb performance to beat the US Open finalist 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-3.

US Open champion Dominic Thiem came through a scare to beat French wildcard Hugo Gaston in five sets.

Debutant Gaston, who defeated 2015 winner Stan Wawrinka to reach the last 16, found himself two sets down but fought back to level

against an increasingly frustrated Thiem.

The 20-year-old world number 239 had the support of a vocal home crowd inside Court Philippe Chatrier, where up to 1,000 fans have been allowed for this tournament.

But it was Thiem who earned the vital break in the deciding set and he was able to close out on his second match point to win 6-4 6-4 5-7 3-6 63.

Thiem will now play Argentine 12th seed Diego Schwartzman who reached the quarter-finals with a 6-1 6-3 6-4 victory over Italian Lorenzo Sonego. German sixth seed Zverev said after the match that he was “sick” with a fever and probably should not have played.

The 23-year-old called the doctor on court and showed them his throat and later took a tablet at a change of ends.

He told reporters he had had a temperature of 38 Celsius during the night after his previous match against Marco Cecchinato on Friday.

for the use of equivalent protocols, such as those that have already been developed and successfully implemented by confederations in international matches to date.

A dedicated FIFA team has been established to provide hands-on assistance with, support for and coordination in the implementation of the required measures and safeguards for all international matches.

Measures to prevent the spread or reintroduction of COVID-19 In line with the recommendations issued by the World Health Organization, FIFA’s Return to Football – International Match Protocol defines a set of preventative measures to

Simona Halep stunned by Iga Swiatek in fourth round - French Open 2020

Nadal is looking to win a 13th French Open title. (Getty Images) Both Sinner and Zverev lost five-set matches at the US Open from two sets up Sinner in the first round against Karen Khachanov, while Zverev did so in agonising fashion in the final against Thiem.

The Italian took advantage of a passive Zverev, hitting 39 winners to the sixth seed’s 20. Sinner is the first player since Nadal in 2005 to reach the French Open quarter-finals in his main draw debut.

Bureau of the FIFA Council approves International Match Protocol and adapts rules on release of players In light of the current evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bureau of the FIFA Council has approved FIFA’s Return to Football – International Match Protocol, which FIFA shared with its 211 member associations and the six confederations.

FIFA’s Return to Football – International Match Protocol is the result of an extensive consultation process with the six confederations and stakeholder representatives.

It provides important safeguards for the health and safety of players and delegates while simultaneously facilitating a return to play and the provision of exemptions by local authorities, where relevant.

The FIFA protocol allows

Monday October 05, 2020

be implemented in the footprint of matches and all official sites: Strict monitoring and testing of players, delegates and officials, Hand hygiene, Respiratory hygiene, Physical distancing, Cleaning and hygiene regimes, Risk communication and awareness, Defining and tracing contacts, Management of people with COVID-19, its symptoms and their contacts, Management responsibility and planning.

The FIFA protocol also contains detailed operational i m p l e m e n t a t i o n guidelines covering a variety of key aspects such as logistical considerations, match operations, media and broadcasting, the workforce and the return of spectators.

FIFA World Cup 2022™ preliminary competition in

the spotlight Since the protocol will be implemented for the FIFA World Cup 2022™ qualifiers, the relevant competition regulations have been amended accordingly: the amendments include the ability for participating teams to use up to five substitutes during matches.

Release of players temporarily adapted The Bureau of the FIFA Council has also approved several temporary amendments to the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players. In making this decision, the Bureau took into consideration the role the FIFA protocol will play in the mitigation of risks related to COVID-19 and in obtaining (Continued on page 27)

BBCsport - Top seed Simona Halep is out of the French Open after losing to Iga Swiatek in the fourth round in just 68 minutes. The Romanian, a heavy favourite to claim a second Roland Garros title, was stunned 6-1 6-2 by the Polish teenager.

World number 54 Swiatek outhit and out manoeuvred the 2018 champion to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final for the first time. She will play Italian qualifier Martina Trevisan who knocked out Dutch fifth seed Kiki Bertens 6-4 6-4.

The defeats for Halep and Bertens mean there are only four seeds remaining in the women’s singles - Elina Svitolina, Sofia Kenin, Petra Kvitova and Ons Jabeur.

Ukraine’s Svitolina, the highest remaining seed at three, overcame France’s Caroline Garcia 6-1 6-3.

She will face Argentina’s world number 131 Nadia Podoroska, who defeated Barbora Krejcikova 2-6 6-2 63. Two-time Grand Slam champion Halep dominated Swiatek 6-1 6-0 when the two met at the same stage last year.

However, Swiatek asserted herself from the start, taking the first set in 24 minutes and finishing the match with an astonishing 30 winners. She created 14 break-point opportunities and did not face any on her own serve.

Swiatek was in tears after her victory and admitted she had surprised herself with her level of play. “I felt like I was playing perfectly and I was so focused that even I am surprised that I can do that,” she said.

Swiatek ousted 2019

Iga Swiatek is yet to win a singles title on the WTA Tour (REUTERS) finalist Marketa Vondrousova in the first round and had not dropped a set en route to the fourth round. She broke Halep at the first opportunity, hitting through her with her forehand, and outlasted her in the rallies, despite dogged defence from Halep.

Halep did not play badly she made just two unforced errors in the opening set - but Swiatek played with such confidence and power. The longest game came in the second set at 3-1 on the Halep serve, with the world number two attempting to fight her way through an eight-minute game.

She saved five break points but two double faults hinted at her nerves, and she sent consecutive shots into the net post to hand Swiatek a double break. Halep saved the first of three match points but a composed Swiatek slapped a huge first serve down to wrap up an incredible win.

Halep was on a 17-match winning streak going into the meeting with Swiatek and won the Italian Open title in the build-up to Roland Garros.

Simona Halep was bidding for a second French Open title. (Getty Images)

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Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis’ record partnership seals 10-wicket win for CSK ESPNcricinfo - After losing three matches in a row, the Chennai Super Kings finally ditched their go-slow at the top and maximised the powerplay, dragging themselves off the bottom of the points table with a tenwicket shellacking of the Kings XI Punjab in Dubai.

Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson reeled off an unbroken 181 together for the first wicket - the highest partnership ever for the Super Kings - to hand the Kings XI their fourth defeat. It was also the second-highest target chased down in the IPL without losing a wicket.

Du Plessis, in particular, wasn’t fluent in the early exchanges, but he chanced his arm and kept clearing the infield. In the last over of the powerplay, du Plessis flitted around the crease and carted Chris Jordan for four fours in five balls, seemingly ruining the bowler’s 32nd birthday.

After managing 4, 33, 14, 1 in his first four innings this season, Watson, too, dashed out of the blocks rolling out

his vintage slog-sweeps and lofts down the ground. He was the first to raise his halfcentury, off 31 balls, before du Plessis brought up his own landmark off 33 balls.

The pair then cranked up the tempo further and toyed with a Kings XI side that had drafted in Jordan to beef up their bowling attack in place of New Zealand allrounder Jimmy Neesham.

The Kings XI had started strongly, too, earlier in the evening, with captain KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal putting together their third fifty-plus opening stand in five innings.

Rahul cut out all risks and was on 46 off 44 balls at the start of the 15th over; the Kings XI were 114 for 2 at that point. However, the big acceleration didn’t quite come to pass as Shardul Thakur had Rahul edging behind for 63 off 52 balls with a slower yorker. Thakur had also dismissed the big-hitting Nicholas Pooran in the same over - the 18th - to help limit the Kings XI to 178 for 4.

Rahul and Agarwal at it again - After opting to bat, Rahul saw off the early swing from Deepak Chahar and only went on the offensive when the Super Kings’ seamers provided him width. At the other end, though, Agarwal was more adventurous, backing away outside leg and clattering Chahar over extracover.

He then nailed a frontfoot pull off a heavy-length delivery from Thakur.

However, legspinner Piyush Chawla cut short Agarwal’s knock at 26 off 19 balls with his first delivery. Mandeep Singh, who was picked ahead of Karun Nair, infused more urgency into the innings, taking Chawla for 20 off just nine balls.

Then, when he tried to take on Ravindra Jadeja’s leftarm fingerspin, he drilled him straight to Ambati Rayudu at extra-cover. After not picking up a single wicket in his last three matches, Jadeja got away to 3-0-17-1.

However, the left-handed Nicholas Pooran messed with

his figures, cracking him for back-to-back boundaries in his final over, including a massive six over midwicket. In contrast, Rahul continued to play himself in for the slog overs.

Rahul raised his fifty off his 46th ball with a six and hit the next two balls for boundaries as well. Just when he threatened to accelerate, Thakur tricked him with a slower wide yorker that found his outside edge. Dhoni dived to his right and became the second wicketkeeper, after Dinesh Karthik, to bag 100 catches.

A ball before removing Rahul, Thakur had Pooran skying a catch for 33 off 17 balls. Although, Sarfaraz Khan got two fours away off the first two balls off the last over, Thakur adjusted his pace and lines to close out the innings well. In all, the Kings XI scored only 37 off their last four overs.

Hello, again, CSK Watson set the tone for the Super Kings’ chase when he planted his front leg and lofted left-arm seamer Sheldon Cottrell over mid-on in the first over. The Kings XI

then threw Harpreet Brar into the powerplay, matching him up with Watson, who tends to struggle against left-arm fingerspinners.

In the game against the Delhi Capitals, Axar Patel found drift and cramped him for room, drawing a weak pull to deep midwicket. Watson, though, lofted Brar over his head and settled down. Du Plessis then kept swishing at the ball, exploiting the field restrictions, taking the Super Kings to 60 for 0 in six overs.

It was the first time this season that the Super Kings openers had moved past the powerplay unscathed. With Chawla, Shardul Thakur, and

Deepak Chahar at Nos. 9, 10, and 11, Watson and du Plessis kept going after the bowlers.

Legspinner Ravi Bishnoi put Watson off with his reverse diagonal run-up across the umpire like how Mumbai Indians’ Rahul Chahar often does. However, he, too, wasn’t spared as Watson smoked him past extra-cover and then Jordan returned to cop more punishment from Du Plessis.

Du Plessis finished the chase off in grand fashion in the 18th over with a onehanded six followed by a punched four off Mohammed Shami.

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Golf Association President, Hussain, Villa score seven to embarrass champions Liverpool calls for online sporting events Sporting events have been amongst the hardest hit as a result of Covid-19, and by affiliation Sports Tourism has suffered tremendously.

President of the Guyana Golf Association (GGA) Aleem Hussain had raised the idea of creating sporting events from a variety of sports disciplines for streaming online to virtual audiences in the Diaspora, fans who are loyal to all things homegrown, in an effort to boost revenues in Guyana but the concept was disregarded.

Now, with travel somewhat nonexistent and tourism in shambles according to the latest IDB report, maybe those ideas he presented to unify actions and create funds to help all sports should be revisited.

Too often, the burden has been placed on the government and large businesses to carry the cost of funding sports activities.

Hussain proposes that instead of simply spending, investment should be made in a business model that produces revenues that can self-fund future events and grow other sporting disciplines.

Hussain feels that events using the most popular sports should be

funded and created for a virtual broadcast. ” All the sponsors involved should receive advertising of their branding and services as a return on their investment and all funding partners/sponsors should receive a minimum of 10% profit on the money contributed for the life of the project,” he added.

He further stated that 20% of the revenues should be set aside for the development of other sports while a percentage should be paid to promoters.

“Events should be designed to attract a decent number of viewers who will pay a small fee to view the event while tourism companies such as hotels, restaurants, tour operators and airlines can build their brand by advertising.”

He said that more jobs in the sports and media industry can be created by hosting mega-events twice per week than an occasional grand event.

“The two-hour broadcast can be used to promote the country, something we normally wouldn’t be able to afford to pay for if we had to buy airtime.”

“While international advertising costs on average US$25-35,000 per thirty

second commercial, we will have approximately 75 advertising spots per event, absolutely free which will help to bring future travelers to the country.”

“We should choose the top five sports that are most likely to fit this model and all Sports Associations presidents should work together to create the super interesting activities that everyone wants to watch and help build the lesser developed sports from the shared revenues.” ”Let us change the mindset from hat in hand, seeking constant handouts from sponsors and government, to a business proposition that creates independence.

This will eliminate donor fatigue and build a system that is self reliant, not fluctuating due to funding availability or lack thereof from the state.

Bringing the idea of virtual sports tourism to life is no longer a dream but quite possibly the only way to compete and survive in this new postCovid world,” Hussain emphasised.

He said that despite the current state of affairs, something can be done to help the sporting industry.

BBCsport - Ollie Watkins scored a first-half hat-trick and Jack Grealish had a hand in five goals as Aston Villa deservedly stunned champions Liverpool with one of the most unbelievable scorelines in Premier League history.

Villa’s record signing Watkins had never scored a Premier League goal before kick-off and 45 minutes later he had the match ball, as the home side took advantage of Liverpool’s high line and individual mistakes. Captain Grealish scored their final two goals after assisting three.

It is the first time Liverpool have conceded seven goals since 1963 and is only their fourth Premier League defeat since 3 January 2019. Villa, who escaped relegation on the final day of last season, overtake them in the table with their best start since 1962.

Villa’s first was the result of a huge error by Adrian. The Reds stand-in keeper passed the ball straight to Grealish, who cut it back for Watkins to side-foot in from eight yards. Watkins’ second was excellent as he cut in from the left and smashed into the top corner.

Mohamed Salah looked to have restored order when he scored for the Reds, but John McGinn’s deflected volley two minutes later put Villa’s lead back to two. It got even better when Watkins headed in from Trezeguet’s cross to become the first player to score a Premier League hattrick against Liverpool since Dimitar Berbatov for Manchester United 10 years ago.

Villa debutant Ross Barkley, a boyhood Evertonian, was excellent and added a fifth after the break from just outside the box from Grealish’s third assist.

Watkins, a summer signing from Brentford, terrorised the Liverpool back-line in an unbelievable first-half performance. @Pool via Reuters Salah made it 5-2 from Roberto Firmino’s pass on the hourmark but then Grealish smashed in Villa’s sixth before latching onto McGinn’s raking pass to add another.

This is the first time in 18 attempts that Villa have beaten the reigning champions at home - the last was a 3-2 win over Arsenal in December 1998. There have already been many surprising results this season - including Tottenham’s 6-1 win at Manchester United earlier on Sunday - but none can beat this for sheer shock value.

Jose Mourinho returned to Old Trafford and humiliated his former club as Tottenham thrashed Manchester United to record a famous victory.

Son Heung-min and Harry Kane scored twice, with Tanguy Ndombele and Serge Aurier also on target as 10man United suffered a defeat on a par with their 6-1 thrashing at home by Manchester City in 2011.

It meant it was not only the heaviest defeat since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took temporary charge in

December 2018, but also the largest United have suffered since Ed Woodward took over as executive vice-chairman in 2013.

The result leaves United 16th in the Premier League, with newly promoted Fulham and West Brom the only clubs with a worse goal difference.

Only West Brom have conceded more than their 11 goals.

United were completely outplayed, even before they were reduced to 10 men midway through the first half when Anthony Martial dragged his hand across Erik Lamela’s face in reaction to an elbow in his neck.

In contrast, Tottenham moved up to fifth after emerging from a packed schedule of five games in 11 days in three competitions with a creditable four wins and a draw - their last two games have had five-goal winning margins.

Other results on Sunday: Leicester 0 West Ham 3, Southampton 2 West Brom 0, Arsenal 2 Sheff Utd 1, Wolves 1 Fulham 0.

Former youth cricketer Raj Nanan makes donation to Guyana Cancer Foundation Former National Youth left-arm spinner Raj Nanan on Saturday last, donated a quantity of bottled coconut water to the Guyana Cancer Foundation (GCF). The simple presentation was made to the Founder of the GCF at their new office on East Street.

The GCC cricketer informed that the name of his Company is FIT.592FRESH and consumers could find the coconut water at many popular Supermarkets and Snackettes around Georgetown East Bank and West Demerara.

“The reason for this

donation is that I feel many young people are not aware of how serious breast cancer is.... they don’t even know about the cancer foundation.

I just want to help promote it so more people can be aware of it and help the persons affected by it and acknowledge the persons that beat it.

The coconut water would be used by cancer victims and survivors when they visit the Cancer Foundation office or when they hold events” said the young businessman who plays professionally in Canada and Trinidad.

“My company is located on Durban street, you can contact us on WhatsApp or call 6309822 or Facebook @FIT.592” informed the 27year-old.

Nanan is encouraging survivors to continue living a healthy lifestyle and told those living with the dreaded illness not to give up the fight.

He reminded that early detection saves lives.

“I know former Australian pacer Glen McGrath’s wife died from breast cancer and I k n o w p e o p l e w ho are cancer survivors” Nanan concluded.

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Shura Kitata wins the London Marathon ending Eliud Kipchoge’s reign

Shura Kitata has earned a shock victory at the sodden and chilly London Marathon on Sunday.

Kosgei admitted the weather meant runners struggled but said it was ‘wonderful to race’.

MailOnline - In those shoes, with those lungs and that record, we just about assumed Eliud Kipchoge could walk on water.

Nothing like a rainy day for disproving that theory and nowhere quite like the grounds of Buckingham Palace for dethroning kings.

Chances are the greatest runner the roads have ever seen will win again. But those are considerations for another day. For now, it is a time to wonder how it went so very wrong in St James’s Park and why.

That’s because he didn’t just lose to Ethiopia’s Shura Kitata, the 2018 runner-up and a worthy champion here in 2:05.41. He also lost to Vincent Kipchumba, Sisay Lemma, Mosinet Geremew, Mule Wasihun, Tamirat Tula and Benson Kipruto.

All seven of those east Africans ran away from a titan who had previously raced 12 marathons, won 11 and had not lost since he came second in Berlin in 2013. They didn’t merely beat him - they crushed him.

When it was all done, with the Kenyan’s sad limp over the line in 2:06.49, he was a minute and eight seconds behind Kitata and 41 seconds outside the top five. From a position of being the biggest favourite in the 40 years of this race, he was suddenly the shivering victim of its most monumental shock.

He put brave words on it, but the pain was written deep into the contours of his face.

‘I’m really disappointed but this is sport,’ the 35-year-old said. ‘It’s not suicide for Eliud Kipchoge to be beaten.

It’s not going to a tree and hanging myself. This is sport and we need to embrace it.’

There is mitigation of sorts – he explained he had a hip problem in the second half of the race.

His right ear also blocked around 10 miles from the finish. But it is through such attrition that this devilish discipline collects its bodies, and for so long, be it in breaking two hours in a timetrial, or setting his 2:01.39 world record, Kipchoge has achieved the mind-boggling feat of making marathons look easy.

This one never did, though. The early sign came when Kipchoge passed halfway in a modest 62 minutes and 54 seconds, well off his usual pace in those controversial Nike Alphafly shoes and their lesser

models.

At that point it was dismissed as a consequence of foul weather, but already there was a ripple of a thought that a slower race might offer a chance to the mortals in a leading cluster of nine men.

If they ploughed on in expectation of him breaking, then what a surprise to them and 600 others inside the race cordon that it did not happen. By mile 24, they sensed their chance.

K i t a t a , G e r e m e w, Kipchumba and Lemma led the breakaway and Kipchoge, the four-time champion, could not go with them. No response, no extra gear, and before long it was over. Remarkable. And maybe an end of an era, if we are to take the foolish course of reading too much into one

massive defeat. Full credit here to Kitata, the training partner of the great Kenenisa Bekele, who was supposed to be the main threat prior to his withdrawal on Friday with injury. A fine way to step out of a shadow. ‘I was sad that Kenenisa could not run but his advice helped me win,’ Kitata said.

Brigid Kosgei fell short of another world record but maintained her dominance o f w o m e n ’s m a r a t h o n running with a convincing win in London. In pouring rain, the Kenyan defended her London Marathon title in two hours, 18 minutes and 58 seconds.

For around half the race, the 26-year-old was on course to add Mary Keitany’s 2:17.01 record for an all-female race to the 2:14.04 world mark she set

in the mixed-sex marathon in Chicago last year.

But the pace slowed in the dreadful conditions, costing the event the uplift of a record after all the chaos of its staging.

For more than two-thirds of the race it was even at the front between Kosgei and the world champion Ruth Chepngetich, with their pair having burnt off Valary Jemeli after 10 miles. The decisive break from Kosgei came around the 29km mark.

She quickly opened a 10second lead in the race, and ultimately crossed in 2:18.57 with a winning margin of three minutes and three seconds from Sara Hall of the US, who passed Chepngetich in the final 100m. Hall, an Asics athlete, disrupted the Nike dominance of the distance.

rt Spo

GGA President Aleem Hussain giving instructions to a beginner at the Guyana Golf Academy.

Nanan makes the presentation to Founder of the GCF, BIbi Hassan

Former youth cricketer Raj Nanan makes donation to Guyana Cancer Foundation

Golf Association President, Hussain, calls for online sporting events

Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis hit half-centuries in a mammoth opening stand ŠBCCI.

Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis’ record partnership seals 10-wicket win for CSK Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.