732 in K NEWS home isolation AIETEUR
Friday Edition
Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly
October 30, 2020 -Vol. 22 No.42
Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Price $80
Online readership yesterday, 129,622
The Fleecing of Guyana series...
Court brings Exxon’s Liza 1 permit in line with the law - reduces 20 +years term to five years A win for Guyana…
ExxonMobil increases daily ‘Big Head’ production at Liza Destiny in plea deal to 105,000 barrels per day with US - Continues to release toxic chemicals into airspace via flaring
prosecutors
Trotman declines to address Canje, Kaieteur block transfers approved by APNU+AFC
Ramotar gave 2-billion-barrel Kaieteur block away for free without public tender
Kaieteur News
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Friday October 30, 2020
ExxonMobil to close aggressive 2020 drilling plans with another well on Stabroek block- Hess COO Even as ExxonMobil races to execute development plans for the Liza Phase Two and Payara projects on the Stabroek Block in a COVID-19 era, it remains hell-bent on aggressively pursuing exploration in other untapped parts of the offshore concession. Providing some detail on this during his company’s third-quarter earnings call that was held on Wednesday was Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Hess Corporation, Greg Hill. He disclosed that ExxonMobil plans to drill the Hassa-1 well that is located 30 miles east of the Liza field. Hill said that the well would be spud before the end of the year with the results expected in the first quarter of 2021. Hill, whose company holds a 30 percent stake in the Stabroek Block, said that this well is expected to target the Campanian aged reservoirs. The Hess official reminded that for the time being, ExxonMobil is carrying out exploration works, in the Kaieteur Block which is adjacent to
Stabroek, using the Stena Carron drillship. It is currently drilling the Tanager-1 well on the Kaieteur Block,
to penetrate multiple geologic intervals, including the Campanian, Santonian, and Turonian. The COO reminded, as
and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), announced the final investment decision to proceed with development
which will have the capacity to produce up to 220,000 gross barrels of oil per day and will initially target a resource base of about 600
Map showing the location of Hassa-1, the next exploration well to be drilled on the Stabroek Block
approximately 46 miles northwest of Liza. According to Hill, this well, which is the deepest drilled offshore Guyana, is designed
well, that it was just last month that its partner and operator of the Stabroek B l o c k , E x x o n M o b i l ’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration
of the Payara Field. Payara will utilize the Prosperity floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel,
million barrels of oil. First oil is expected in 2024 while 10 drill centers planned with a total of 41 wells, including 20
production wells and 21 injection wells. Also in September, Hill noted that ExxonMobil had announced the 17th and 18th discoveries on the Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana. Expounding in this regard, the COO said that the Ye l l o w t a i l - 2 w e l l encountered 69 feet of high quality, oil bearing reservoir, adjacent to and below the Yellowtail-1 discovery. In addition, the Redtail-1 well encountered approximately 232 feet of high quality oil bearing reservoir. The well is located approximately 1.5 miles northwest of the Yellowtail discovery. The Chief Operating Officer said that a drill stem test is planned at Redtail in the fourth quarter. In conclusion, Hill said that these discoveries further demonstrate the significant exploration potential of the block and contribute to the discovered recoverable resource estimate increasing to approximately nine billion barrels of oil equivalent and will likely form the basis of a fourth development project on the block.
Kaieteur News
Friday October 30, 2020
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“The Fleecing of Guyana” series...
Ramotar gave 2-billion-barrel Kaieteur block away for free without public tender
The five flippers of the Kaieteur Block Guyanese: Ryan Pereira Canadian: Mike Cawood
F
ormer President and Minister of Petroleum, Donald Ramotar, handed the ultra deepwater Kaieteur block to two companies, Ratio Energy Limited (now Cataleya) and Ratio Guyana Limited, for free.
Kaieteur Oil Block
Had the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government waited and developed its capacity to subject the award to open, public tender as is a norm in the oil industry, it would have gotten millions of US dollars in the form of a signing bonus. Guyana failed to wait and study its offshore area, instead handing the Kaieteur block to unqualified companies just days before the 2015 general and regional elections. These companies went ahead two years after receiving the block and sold away 50 percent of the rights to ExxonMobil, and the oil major became the operator of the block. ExxonMobil’s study of the block has revealed just how much Guyana lost when Ramotar gave the block away for free. Two months after it received the Kaieteur block in 2017, ExxonMobil started a 3D seismic survey which found nine exploration prospects there. Back in May 2019, a Competent Person’s Report (CPR) on the Block, was carried out by Netherland, Sewell & Associates Inc. (NSAI) which provided estimates of the unrisked prospective oil resources in the nine prospects. The report states that the Kaieteur block holds a gross estimated prospective resource of 2.1 billion oil-equivalent barrels. ExxonMobil is currently drilling
Israeli: Yair Rotlevy
Israeli: Yigal Landau
Israeli: Ligad Rotlevy
Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Commissioner Newell Dennission
Former Minister of Natural Resources Robert Persaud
Former President and Minister of Petroleum, Donald Ramotar
taxpayers make money even before the oil is produced. Take the example of Guyana’s immediate neighbour to the East, Suriname. Earlier this year, Suriname announced, during an oil and gas conference in Trinidad & Tobago, that it would be preparing to sell stakes in a large shallow water, offshore area. The area has been studied for sometime by Suriname, and the country has amassed a wealth of data which it will now use to market to international oil companies for millions of dollars in signing
bonuses. Guyana forfeited this opportunity in the award of the Kaieteur block, which has been found to be riddled with red flags pointing to the need for serious investigation. Kaieteur News’ series on this block has unearthed that the recipients of the block were unqualified, that they flipped the block without doing any work, and that they registered in Gibraltar, a jurisdiction notorious for financial secrecy, allowing them to hide the details of the transaction with ExxonMobil.
the Tanager-1 well, estimated to hold 256.2 million barrels. Guyana’s first million barrels of oil were sold at US$55 a barrel. At that price, the Tanager-1 well alone would be worth more than US$14B. That’s almost ten times Guyana’s 2020 budget. The entire 2.1-billion-barrel block, at US$55 a barrel, would cost US$115B. That would be 77 times Guyana’s 2020 budget. It is this knowledge that governments leverage to ensure that when they grant the rights to oil companies to operate blocks,
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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
Which is the real Axis of Evil? Former United States President, George W. Bush, famously identified Iran, Iraq, and North Korea as an “Axis of Evil.” That pejorative has some application, as it fits rather smartly, given those countries covert policies and actions. But does the shoe belong elsewhere, one that is closer to home? Mainstream western media has pounded uninterruptedly with the evils of that Axis. Some of those have basis, with evidence present. Today’s focus, however, is not on the Axis of Evil named by the younger Bush. Rather, we seek to probe whether another Axis of Evil is in existence and has been in operation in this crippled, polarized society. We shine the spotlight on America and what has happened before and is unfolding presently in Guyana, this pawn of a nation repeatedly made into the basest of puppets. America was the one in the forefront of the talking about what and who is evil. Ironically, it stands as the ultimate in hypocrisy, when any objective analysis is conducted. That is, of what the same America that speaks so fluently about an “Axis of Evil” is all about, given what it has done right here. What American did three decades ago was to arrange the sabotaging, weakening, and eventual ridding of Cheddi Jagan because of his powerful Marxist convictions and what that meant for its own strategic interests and fears of the contagion of the domino effect. As most Guyanese know, stalwarts in the labor unions, the media, and the business community were all engaged for special handling with one purpose in mind: oust Jagan and the PPP from power. After much costly upheavals (euphemistically termed by Guyanese as “disturbances”), the PNC and one Forbes Burnham took over. With the considerable help of his American sponsors and protectors, Forbes Burnham ruled oppressively in what the PPP delights in calling “28 years of darkness.” Today, our interest is not so much on what the longdeparted Mr. Burnham did or how nobly he is re-engineered. Our priority is on pointing out what is not much talked about nowadays. It is of American involvement and American strength that made so many things-oppressively strangling, economically disabling, and racially dividingtake deeper hold on this society. If that was not evil then, and with other like-minded European partners forming an obvious Axis of Evil on our own doorstep, then we have no understanding of how the world works; or of the savaging brutalization(s) inflicted on the different peoples of this society. Other than for an insider group of close cronies, that was the fate of unconnected citizens. Those who did not run (mainly to America) ended up hungry or naked and dead. Thank God for the same America that comes today surrounded by a halo of democratic righteousness and electoral holiness. Today, in the strangest of twists, the circle of Guyanese governance has been reversed. There is the once despised PPP, with leaders lacking a speck of the caliber of Cheddi Jagan, being conspired and partnered with by America to enslave the population of this country, other than for the trusted inner circles in both government and opposition. If American overpowering of Guyanese with its geo-strategic interests (Venezuela and the Chinese presence) at the expense of citizens considerations, is not evil, then nothing is. If invading here with regiments of American commercial generals, with scorned leftovers for locals is not evil, then what else could be? And if condoning today’s gaudy excesses of so-called democratic rulership (like Burnham’s era) that plunder Guyana’s oil promise is not evil, then this world is upside down. The PPP’s reign has just begun. It looks like Burnham again, only worse that he was. For this, Guyanese have to
The first inkling of a coming shock DEAR EDITOR, The first inkling of a powerful, still not come-togrips with, shock, came via the telephone. It was a familiar woman in tears asking whether I heard or knew. Until then, I didn’t know anything, would not have associated any such thing, to something as horrible as the reported suicide of young Ahren Singh. Now the whole Marian community is reeling in disbelief and anguish. From my more than a few years there, I knew this little child, then a growing boy, an always an ever-inquiring student, as someone with tremendous promise. For even at that stripling stage, the glow of promise was there; it was different and special. To say that Ahren was assertive would be an understatement, as I think that irrepressible would more fit the widening contours of his expansive mind. He made himself known, and what he didn’t know he sought out with energy and passion. God! He will be missed. Guyana missed out on a
potential stalwart of likely rare talent, a contributor no longer now that he is gone in one of the worst ways possible. That is our loss. And his family and the extended Marian community feel the piercing pain. And pain it is, for the follow up inquiries I made were all characterized by a word: shock. That was accompanied by grief and disbelief, even from those who did not know him. The pain has to be heavy to those closest; it is that way for those some distance away. For the now departed Ahrens Singh was no stranger to those in the vicinity, always a bundle of energy, of inquiry, of devotion to duty. I never shared classroom space with him as he was, at the time, in the junior classes; but there was occasion to contribute to the Marian Journalism Club and its monthly newsletter, The Pendance, in which Ahren was a spirited participant. My assessment was that with careful grooming he would be a force to reckon with, in time to come, in the field of his
choice. Now we who possess the faith must leave future grooming in those hands in another place, that better place reserved for gifted students; in those hands that are infinitely better than ours, and to where we commend his spirit. I wish it were not so, that this young life snuffed out so early would have spent many more years with us, and given to this country so much of what it needs, but does not come anywhere near to having. For whatever reason, this cruel unyielding land of ours has taken too many, too quickly in circumstances too overpowering in their nearness. Once again, the frailty of this existence is underscored, as we struggle to rise above the demands of our time and the harsh realities in this country. This one is jarring. This one was unthought of and unseen and totally unexpected. And for all those things, it is found so intolerable, so inexplicable, so sometimes unacceptable. As Ahrens Singh goes, hopefully
some light will come that brings wisdoms. The first is that we take nothing for granted. The next is that we are due nothing and nothing belongs to us. And the last is that we must dig deep and find a way to continue somehow, despite our weaknesses, the limitations of our visions, and the draining of our spirit. I pray for the strongest of spirits to be with the Singh family, including his mother, my former colleague. May God in His grace be with each of them in this hour of great loss and the greatest pain. May God in His mercy be with the mourning Marian Academy community. May God be with all of us in this sometimes merciless and unsparing Guyana. Now we must endeavour to make sense of this and pick up the pieces and go forward with some purpose in some manner toward some greater calling. Rest in Peace, Ahren Singh. Death came too early. Yes! He died too young. Sincerely, GHK Lall
Correcting misinformation DEAR EDITOR, Please afford me the opportunity to correct, once again, the goebbelsian attempt to misinform the public on my position on Power Sharing (Inclusive Governance), in Guyana. Mr. Vishnu Bisram seeks in his letter, in the October 26, 2020 edition of Guyana Times, to suggest that my support and advocacy for Power Sharing only occurs during periods when the PNC is out of Government. Not true! It has become the norm for his case to either be mischievously or maliciously built on misinformation or misrepresentations. For the record, I was among those so called “Young Turks”: Sherwood
Lowe et al who during Hoyte’s period in Opposition campaigned for Power Sharing in the corridors of the PNC. It should also be recorded that during the post 97 constitution reform process, the PNC allowed its leaders to make independent submissions to the Constitution Reform Commission. One such submission was made under the signatures of Lowe, McAllister et al young but senior members of the PNC. On the Commission, of which I was a member, I championed that cause. That was the most comprehensive submission on Power Sharing, but it failed to gain the support of the PPP dominated Commission. They were in power. The
records of the Constitution Reform Commission can be accessed to fact check my contention. I had cause, in a recent letter to the Editor, to remind the public that during the period of the Granger regime, I publicly called for Power Sharing at the symposium on constitutional reform that was organized by the Carter Centre; sponsored by the British High Commission; and hosted at the University of Guyana. I also alluded to the numerous television programmes throughout the years and between 2015 and 2020, in particular when I called for Power Sharing. It is public record. Why would Bisram, who purports to be an academic/researcher, not
check the available sources before misrepresenting the facts to the public? What can his motive be? He mentioned Dr. Ramharack as one of the intellectuals who in the 1990s advocated for Power Sharing. A few days ago, Dr. Ramharack reminded me that I was the first person who engaged him on the question of Power Sharing, in Guyana. That was in the early 90s, during one of his visits to the Institute of Development Studies, UG, where I was a Researcher, at that time. Let’s continue the search for a solution and ensure that the truth is at the centre of our contributions. Yours truly, Vincent Alexander
Guyanese Oil Barons, 007, and Citizenship DEAR EDITOR, Before compiling this piece, I checked the “Corruption Index”; which has been around for over 23 years, just to be sure Guyana hadn’t been placed on the list yet. The hue and cry over the Minister of Tourism’s American citizenship is ridiculous; compared to so
much more that is going on. A small matter, into a big fuss; regardless of what the rules state. It is most ironic that 99% of Guyanese including those in the interior, have relatives in the US. Is the message that having dual citizenship does not prove allegiance of some sort to this country?
thank America spearheading its own Axis of Evil and for which the harshest prices will be paid. If what America bring is not terrorism and the partial mass destruction of a whole society, then what is? If what occurred before and is poised to be repeated today is not degrading and sanctioning huge segments of this society, then (again) we ask for the light of wisdom from those, who claim to be wiser than us. What is evil? And who represents the real Axis of Evil?
A few days ago, we were informed of our local 007’s “slush” fund of US$1M from the land deals. We read eye watering details of how: 1) US$55B was given away in the Exxon deal; 2) Guyana owes Canje Owners $100M in precontract cost; 3) $7B missing in Canje/Kaieteur block arrangement. This as we all know is an ugly abbreviated list. On and On and On. Oil barons are in our midst in this small country, who have short changed us, guilt free, with their privileged Guyanese citizenship. These pervasive acts of greed, incompetence, are all done by individuals holding
Guyanese citizenship. How ironic. Once again; Is the thought that certain governmental positions should only be held by individuals who exclusively have Guyanese citizenship, and that proves allegiance of some sort to Guyana? Are we serious? I would hope that the elusive oil barons that want to taint this country, including our local 007’s at least for starters, are put on the “No-Fly” list. They should not go out to enjoy what does not belong to them. Stay here. Yours Truly, Chi Kansi
Friday October 30, 2020
Cuffy was not a dual citizen DEAR EDITOR, I wish to respond to the piece titled “Cuffy was a dual citizen” written by Peeping Tom and published in your newspaper on Thursday, October 29, 2020. Whereas I agree with Peeping Tom’s overall position on dual citizenship as it pertains to Guyana, I am at variance with him on two main points. First, in championing the cause for allowing dual citizens to hold Ministerial positions and to sit in the National Assembly, he refers to Cuffy as an example of a dual citizen. Cuffy is not a good example of a dual citizen, since he came to Guyana as a slave. Cuffy’s migration to Guyana was forced migration. The dual citizenship under question essentially refers to natural-born Guyanese citizens who have
left Guyana voluntarily, have obtained citizenship status in other countries, and have returned to Guyana and seek to become Ministers of Government or Members of the National Assembly. Also included are descendants of natural-born Guyanese who were born outside of Guyana but have Guyanese citizenship. And, although many have left Guyana as refugees during the Burnham reign (not exactly voluntarily, somewhat like Cuffy left Ghana), many of them, along with their offspring, have since remigrated to Guyana – voluntarily, and are doing well. I am sure that Cuffy wanted to return to Ghana, however, he couldn’t. Cuffy, therefore, in this instance was…just Guyanese. Second, the fewer than
half of Guyana’s population that rejected the alien (Janet Jagan) as President did so on account of her being a naturalborn American. Although it is not a position that I hold, it’s quite understandable why even a handful of Guyanese would object to a foreign-born Guyanese holding the office of the President, the country’s highest office. Peeping Tom, consider this: the same country many Guyanese are praising for having intervened to settle Guyana’s recent election kerfuffle and to ensure that the rightful government is in power, has in its own constitution that its President must be a naturalborn citizen of that country. And nobody dares to challenge that. Yours in truth, Q
Payara signing achieved nothing if Exxon oil spill commitment is not revised in Lisa 1 and 2 EIA DEAR EDITOR, When the PPP Government moved from “will not be pressured into signing” to signing the Payara FDP for Exxon within a month, it meant that none of the 55 billion left on the proverbial table by APNU+AFC would be coming Guyana’s way in the future. Our biggest bargaining chip an additional 220,000 barrels per day from the Stabroek block, touted by wall street as a necessity for the survival of Exxon was thrown out the window. The VP had cast the die on any contract renegotiation when he said, “It’s wishful thinking that you could have done that now”. Exxon could not have walked away from the Stabroek block as it had threatened, given the known dire straits the company is in. Looking back at our PSA! Trotman had said he didn’t read the contract before signing. Was it something Exxon people said to or had given him that made it seem unnecessary to even read what he was signing on behalf of the Nation? Jan Mangal, presidential advisor on oil and gas never had an input. On a Global scale, the Stabroek PSA has the lowest Average Effective Tax Rate (AETR) of “government take”. Add the lowest royalty (2 percent) and the picture becomes more dismal.
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Why shouldn’t the present Government (if it is mindful of the people’s best interest) clamour for a renegotiated contract? At least, show some fortitude by publicly asking, while delaying the signing of the Payara FDP would have suffice somewhat. Let the Guyanese people and the world see that at least you tried to correct an injustice done to your people. Instead! The Ali Government bowed out on the same level as the Coalition. Why? It is here the plot begins to thicken! A renegotiated PSA would have surely had repercussions on the Kaieteur and Canje blocks giveaway initiated by a former PPP Government. That would have opened a “can of worms” for the present Ali administration. The savagery of the Kaieteur and Canje giveaway is that both blocks now sit in the hands of Exxon at 35 percent stake and operator and the price and to whom they paid for t h e s e g o odies remain a secret. Should the nation continue to tolerate unsolved mysteries of this kind in a sector that is so important? Secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, speaking prior to his Guyana visit was quoted in the Miami Herald, September 16th; “We’re not trying to broker contacts between the oil companies. We’re going to meet with the oil companies,
see how they’re doing; see what their plans are.” There is no report of Pompeo speaking to Exxon officials here, he didn’t need to, but he did speak to Government people and as soon as he was gone they signed Payara FDP. Knowing the kind of clout held over politicians by Exxon, one has to wonder if Pompeo was instructed to ask the Ali administration to swiftly return a favour. Covert action is the name of the game! The only good thing that allegedly came out of the Payara signing is Exxon’s commitment to pay for an accidental oil spill in the Payara field. No word of Exxon’s commitment being revised for Lisa one and two EIA. Guyana could still be liable for an accidental spill in Lisa 1 and 2 fields. If that is the case, nothing was achieved at the Payara signing. Yours respectfully, Rudolph Singh
Constitutional and Electoral Reforms would significantly change the Guyanese Political Landscape DEAR EDITOR, The recent Chilean Constitutional Victory is an inspiration to the struggle for countries where democracies are being undermined by dictatorships and other forms of oppressive rule. In Guyana, it should step up the demand for Constitutional and Electoral Reforms that would significantly change the Guyanese Political Landscape and hope of a better life for all Guyanese, once the reform includes abolishing the Autocratic powers of the Executive President to Immunity from prosecution and his control of the Electoral Machinery. The Elections Commission should be Independent and not include members of Parties contesting the General Elections. These are all conditions that need to be set in place for the 2025 General Elections if it is to be considered free and fair. Right now the Constitutional and
Electoral Systems are flawed since the manner in which the 1980 Constitution was formed without the participation or consultation with the then opposition parties and Civil Society but as a result of the notoriously rigged Referendum of July 10th, 1978 and unilaterally a creation of the People’s National Congress (PNC). Unlike Chile, the Constitutional and Electoral Reform is not a National Agenda, the major players are the PPP and the PNC - there are no smaller parties and will not be any “third force” representing other segments of Guyanese Society who do not support either the PPP or the PNC. The whole concept of a third force died in the aftermath of the March 2nd, 2020 General Elections when the small parties became appendages of the ruling PPP. Though the ABC+E countries are calling on the PPP Government to be inclusive in its
Ossie Rodgers should be appointed DEAR EDITOR, My name is Camille Ragnauth Steinkraus living in Texas but originally from Black Bush Polder, Conentyne, Berbice. I am asking for our leaders to choose Ossie Winston Rodgers for Consulate General of New York. I was privileged to know Mr. Rogers through his live broadcasting on FB and his numerous radio programmes. I was moved by his dedication for democracy and his selfless fight to ensure Granger and his cabal did not get through in
stealing our country. I reached out to him and his response to me touched my heart deeply. This gentleman will truly be of great service to our people. We need people with integrity like Mr. Rogers. I am calling on our dear President Dr. Irfaan Ali to appoint this decent young man as representative of our people. Me and the rest of my family who reside in New York have all confidence that Mr. Rogers would be a great representative of our people here in the USA. Camille Steinkraus
management of the affairs of the country the PPP has chosen its key players and will not accommodate this even at a community level where the CDC members, eg. The East Ruimveldt CDC, are all Party Loyalists. Whereas inclusivity and National Reconciliation is rooted in Community based Activity, this is already aborted, so we are really screwed. Unfortunately, Guyanese who could contribute to making Guyana a better place for all and for future generations are sidelined and denied Economic Sustenance. Having no choice, more Guyanese Professionals and their families will be forced into migrating, it is not a choice but an ultimatum. Editor, as a Guyanese Artist I have photographs of an activity for the 40th Anniversary of the Fraudulent Guyana 1980 Constitution in Main Street Georgetown on October 6th, 2020, spectators looked on and I can’t say whether the Newspaper or the Television Networks covered anything of the occasion. Yours Faithfully, Desmond Alli (General Secretary Guyana United Artists GUA)
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Compromising Integrity and Nation for would-be son-in-law Dear Editor, Compromising integrity has become a norm. One man sitting at the helm was so compromised he trusted crooks on oil blocks expecting a share of proceeds. Politicians, except for the Jagans and a few others, have had a history of compromising the patrimony of the nation. Regrettably, virtually no one, except two media houses, is standing up for the people against corrupt politicians. Few are campaigning against corruption or advocating for a right price for selling or leasing our resources. Thank you KN for your abiding commitment to expose corruption and for standing up for us on oil royalty. We must get a fair percentage, the international norm on royalty for accessing our oil.
No media house has championed integrity or for fair oil revenue sharing like KN and for this, the nation must forever be grateful. As KN has informed us, because of compromises in political integrity, the country stands to lose hundreds of billions of American dollars. Politicians sold us out for small change, crumbs, for themselves unconcerned about loss of benefits to the rest of the nation. One man compromised oil blocks but was outsmarted when the money was shared among crooks he trusted after portions of blocks were sold for US$60M. He did not learn any lesson. He proceeded to sell out his colleagues when he cut deals with a devil in exchange for a commitment that his would-be son-in-law would become a Minister in government. He breached
confidentiality of discussions among trusted colleagues who had come up with a plan to take on the devil. He took confidential information to the devil in Chief who proceeded to blacklist colleagues excluding several of them from government positions, belittling stalwarts. The would-be son-in-law, an unknown in politics, was handsomely rewarded, appointed a Minister in spite of no background or competence in that Ministry. And the minister has as his secretary who is more powerful than him and is a known bandit placed there to look over the interests of bigger crooks. Had the confidentiality of the information of discussions among colleagues not been breached, the politics in the
camp would have forever changed. Politics in the country would have been different. And instead of 2% in royalty, we may have gotten a much higher amount. If one man had not compromised oil blocks, and had his successors refused to honour that misguided deal or investigate it, we would have gotten 16% royalty. Guyana would have been such a different country. If one man was not thinking about the future of his daughter’s would-be husband, he would not have compromised his colleagues in democratic selections. Guyana would have been a different nation. KN would not have been needed to fight for a higher percentage of royalty. Sixteen percent would have been a reality. Yours truly, Srimattie Gangadeen
Guyanese participation in American politics DEAR EDITOR, This coming Tuesday is America’s general elections. How involved are Guyanese Americans in this or other elections and in politics in general in the US? Based on my interviews and empirical observation, Guyanese political participation is minimal with some of them (less than 50%) voting but hardly involved in campaigns and political activism or donating to campaigns. I attended many political meetings and rallies from the 1980s to now and hardly came across (Indo) Guyanese in political activities. They are easily distinguishable by their physical appearance and speech accents. Generally speaking, Guyanese Americans are not politically or civic minded. Only a handful of us, inclusive of this writer, are civic minded, attending community meetings, or are engaged in political activism or donating to campaigns. Very few are actively involved in political campaigns like getting out the vote and fewer seek elective office. Guyanese turnout rate in voting is very low. Thus, it is not surprising Guyanese do not exert much influence in
American politics except in rare cases as when they lobbied American politicians for the 1992, 2015, and 2020 Guyana elections that were determined largely through US pressure to bring about change in administration. With Guyanese not being a homogenous group, their political engagement varies by ethnicity. Afro Guyanese seem more politically involved than Indians. Place of residency also influence political involvement. Afros seem more politically inclined in Brooklyn than Indians in Queens or the Bronx. There are Afro Guyanese elected to office but no Indos. The two groups are settled in their own distinct communities with little social interaction except for some national festivals like Phagwah or Independence Day celebrations and shopping in Richmond Hill. The two groups live and socialize apart not different from Guyana. In fact, they are more segregated in America than in Guyana. Indos have not been vested with positions of political power whereas Afros have held elective office. Issues pertaining to Indos are not attended to (given resources)
by American politicians whereas Afros interests are attended. Once I approached the Congressman for my area in Woodhaven on an issue pertaining to Guyana. His staff checked the registered voters list for my name and pointed out I am not registered as a voter. Assistance was not provided. I could not vote as a nonAmerican. So it is important to become citizen, register, and vote. Community and civic leader Ashook Ramsaran lamented the minimal participation of Guyanese in mainstream American politics. Ramsaran, President of Indian Diaspora Council International, noted that “despite their arrival in the USA starting in the mid 1960’s and being a substantial potential voting block in various districts in Queens, particularly so in Richmond Hill, Indo-Guyanese have significantly lagged other recent immigrant groups politically, such as the Punjabi and Indian communities who are making rapid strides in political consciousness”. There are 2 Indo-Guyanese appointed or elected district leaders Taj Rajkumar and
Richard David in Queens. On the other hand, says Ramsaran, Afro-Guyanese in the USA have made much more progress in politics at the federal, state and city levels. He points to “Shirley Chisholm (former US Congress Member) and Helen Marshall (former Queens Borough President) who are notable examples. Others include state senator (Roxanne Persaud) and state assembly member (Alicia Hyndman)”. Ramsaran advices that “Indo-Guyanese must take bold actions on this front to achieve political representation in order to be a fully established community”. The paucity of Indo participation in mainstream American politics go back to the 1970s when the few existing Guyanese political groups were involved in issues pertaining to Guyana’s politics and not American politics. This writer joined with other student activists to found a group that championed free and fair elections in Guyana. Because we were not citizens, we were not involved in American politics in the early years of (Continued on page 22)
Better COVID-19 strategy needed DEAR EDITOR, The U.S. adult obesity rate stands at 42.4 percent which is a 26 percent increase from 2008. Vietnam has the lowest obesity rate of 2.1 percent. Vietnam currently has 35 deaths from COVID-19 while the US has 232,834 deaths due to COVID19. Besides the mismanagement of the COVID crisis in the US by their political leaders the health of their populous is a significant factor. Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke, which are the leading causes of death worldwide. I used obesity as an index of a population general health. The global strategy and tactics to combat COVID19 globally seems to come from the twilight zone. Firstly locking down and quarantine people who are uninfected or very low risk of death is asinine. As we see a country cannot afford to keep lockdown and open up and the rate of spread increases rapidly after a lockdown. This has happened worldwide except countries in Asia that did mass testing of their population and quarantine infected people. Secondly, the push for a vaccine is extremely risky because we will not know if the vaccine will have longterm detrimental effect. The vaccines are being rushed and long-term studies will not be carried out before implementation. Vaccines generally give a person a less virulent form of the disease and help them to build immunity. Would it be a better strategy to build up a population immunity through good diet and exercise? If you give someone a vaccine whose immune system is weak, the vaccine will be ineffective and could be dangerous to the vaccinated.
Shutting down a countries economy hurts the poor and marginalizes most. They live from hand to mouth and have no reserve to survive the disruption of economic activity. It favours big businesses over small b e c a u s e big businesses have more capital to survive the economic downturn. Big businesses are usually closer to political power and get more support than small business from government. They used the guise of saving employment. What is ironic is that many big businesses evade paying taxes and generally small businesses pay the majority of business taxes. After the pandemic the business tax based will shrink drastically since at least about half of small businesses will close permanently. Big businesses have lawyers and accountant to evade taxes. Thirdly, the government encouragement of social distancing and people not socializing will lead to people’s spirit being defeated. The human spirit should be strong during a war even if it is against a pandemic. The human being is inevitably social and cutting off socialization will lead to mental and psychophysical deterioration of a populous. How will we build back stronger when we are unmotivated and uninspired or sometimes depress? “We need a spirit of victory, a spirit that will carry us to our rightful place under the sun, a spirit which can recognize that we, as inheritors of a proud civilization, are entitled to our rightful place on this planet. If that indomitable spirit were to arise, nothing can hold us from achieving our rightful destiny.”- C. V. Raman. Yours truly, Brian Ellis Plummer
WAS THE OPPOSITION INVITED? DEAR EDITOR, The occasion of Youman Nabi saw a well organized and executed programme at the ACIC, during which the many speakers exhorted for peace and unity among the
populace. This talk needs to be backed up by the walk. It therefore behooves the question was the opposition invited to the function? If not why not? Shamshun Mohamed
Friday October 30, 2020
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Friday October 30, 2020
Govt. considers app to track COVID-19 patients, arriving passengers As number of home isolated persons soars…
The Ministry of Health (MOH) is seeking to use tracking technology to effectively monitor incoming passengers and COVID-19 patients in Guyana. This was confirmed by an official at the Ministry who was also addressing Guyana’s current battle with maintaining patients in home isolation.Over 700 persons
are in home isolation because of little space in government’s institutions. It was stated that four applications are under review by the Ministryhowever, a subsequent report with the names of the applications will be released over the next few days. Once an application is selected, the implementation
process will be swiftly rolled out by the ministry. The main purpose of the application will not only provide monitoring for the incoming passengers and COVID-19 patients, but it will also ensure that these persons do not mingle with the population by leaving their isolation space, putting more persons at risk for infection.
The source stated that the tracking technology being used is “geo-fencing”. Geo-fencing uses GPS and Radio Frequency Identification technology to create a virtual geographic b o u n d a r y. Wi t h t h e application, once a person leaves their isolation area, the software would trigger an alarm or response that would notify the authorities, according to the source. It was stressed that the application can be the main contributor to a decrease in Guyana’s COVID-19 cases since it would be able to put a stop to persons testing positive interacting with uninfected members of society.For months, persons would have raised concerns about the government’s approach in monitoring
persons who tested positive for the virus and were confined to governmentapproved home isolation. Reports surfaced that persons were not staying in isolation and there was not an efficient monitoring system to ensure they stay at home. Over the course of months, several persons would have also highlighted to Kaieteur News that they saw persons who were supposed to be in isolation visiting shops, engaging in social activities and putting other persons at risk.Kaieteur News understands that the government’s monitoring system for isolation patients included check-ins from ministry personnel, who would call to ensure they are in their homes. The source stated that with over 700
persons in isolation currently, it was necessary for them to ramp up measures to ensure full compliance for their “stay at home” measures.Health authorities were also responsible for calling repatriated passengers to ensure they were not experiencing symptoms and they remained in the one week quarantine they were confined to upon arrival.Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony recently acknowledged the shortcomings of the system, adding that the technology would help to assist in correcting the situation. He also stated that it would help monitor asymptomatic COVID-19 patients who are not in institutional isolation. A government isolation area in Region Ten
Kaieteur News
Friday October 30, 2020
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Guess who is not talking? J
oseph Harmon, the Leader of the Opposition, was a part of the APNU+AFC Coalition government which was in office for five years from May 2015 to August 2020. He therefore should have much more to say to the nation about the actions government took in relation to the giveaway of the Canje and Kaieteur oil blocks just prior to the APNU+AFC taking office. The APNU+AFC had five years to acquaint itself with the status of these oil blocks. After all, was it not the same APNU+AFC which had a stated policy of populating these blocks so as to deter any threat from Venezuela? Surely in those five years the APNU+AFC was not sitting on its laurels. The Coalition therefore should not be claiming that it knows no more than what is being reported in the Kaieteur News. Or that it does not know about the subsequent flipping and buy-in of these blocks. It was the duty of the Coalition to know. The government surely had an interest in finding out who were the lawful owners of the blocks and into whose hands it was unloaded and the interests of the oil companies in these blocks. How can you manage such a critical sector if you do not know who holds propriety interests in the oil blocks? Why would the Coalition government not have been interested in knowing who controlled Guyana’s oil wealth? The Coalition was interested enough in determining the owners of
Dem
boys seh...
Pradoville 2. It was so interested that the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) carried out a special investigation into the matter resulting in charges being filed. The value of Pradoville 2 pales in significance when compared to the value of the Canje and Stabroek blocks. The red flags were visible. So how is it that no investigation was launched into the ownership of these two blocks? The Kaieteur licence was signed two weeks before the elections – a mere two weeks. No such agreement should have been signed so close to an election. And the Canje licence was signed less than two months before the May 11 elections. Here again, this was highly improper. These were sufficient red flags to have caused the incoming Coalition to put a hold on these agreements and to call for an investigation. It should now explain why it did not do so. In early 2016, ExxonMobil is said to have bought in 35% of the shares in Canje. Was approval sought and granted for this sale? Did the government take an interest in this sale? Was it not a requirement that the government should have been advised of any such propriety interests? What was the Coalition doing all this time when these things were taking place? On the 1st March 2017, Exxon bought 50% of the Kaieteur block. This took place when the Coalition was in office. Again, it has to be asked whether approval was sought and granted for this
transaction. No one from the Opposition appears willing to talk about what was done during its five years in office, in relation to these blocks. The State Asset Recovery Unit (SARA) was clearly underutilized. And it could have easily been asked to look into these arrangements. Why was it not asked to do so? The explanations being offered by the Opposition is not adding up. Something is not being said. The Opposition cannot expect the public to believe that it sat in office for five years and did not address the issue of these rich oil blocks and into whose hands they had fallen. It would be difficult to imagine that any new government sitting on an oil fortune would not want to know about two oil blocks which collectively could have just as much reserves of oil than the lucrative Stabroek block. There appears to be convenient memory block when it comes to information about the Canje and Kaieteur blocks. Apart from the Stabroek block which was awarded to ExxonMobil and others, at least nine other licences were granted. According to Global Witness, two of these licences were granted for the Canje and Kaieteur blocks. The other seven, according to Global Witness, were awarded to companies such as Anadarko from the US, Repsol from Spain, and Tullow from the UK. So there are lots of other questions which need to be asked about those other licences also.
Some people memory shorter than dem temper
Dem politician tun like de man wah went to de doctor. He tun to de doctor and seh, “Doctor, I have a serious memory loss problem.” The doctor ask him, “How long yuh gat dis problem?” De man ask, “What problem? Thing happen just de other day and dem politician develop amnesia. Dem tun fuhgetful. Dem can’t remember. Dem short-term memory gone. Who sign seh dem nah know wha dem sign, when dem sign and who sign with
them. Is suh when yuh nah want answer question. Yuh does suddenly get fuhgetful. Or yuh does remember conveniently. Just like de man who dem boys ask how long he had short-term memory loss he answer, “As long as I can remember.” Dem boys remembering good though. Dem remember who bin seh how dem gan renegotiate the ExxonMobil contract. Dem remember how dem bin talk about sanctity of contract. Yesterday dem boys tell
de story about Memory Man. De man had a memory like an elephant. One day a lil girl go up to he and ask he “Wah yuh had fuh breakfast on the 4th October 1954?” Memory Man tun to she and answer “Eggs!’ Thirty years later, de lil girl tun big woman and spot Memory Man at de café. She go up to him and asked, “How?” Memory Man seh “Scrambled.” Talk half and remind dem politicians dat 30 years from now dem boys can ask dem about dem oil blocks.
When that time comes, it is hoped that the APNU+AFC – or whatever remains of it – is not going to state that it knows no more than what Kaieteur News is
reporting. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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Friday October 30, 2020
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
James Bond: Licence to sell I
am not in receipt of evidence that the real life James Bond, has been engaged in or involved in corruption in relation to assets owned by the people of Guyana, so I am going to stay away from that arena because I am not going to allow the man with the licence to kill, to kill me in the court. Al I know is what has been carried in several newspapers. It is reported that Bond secured land from NICIL through a company which in turn transferred said land to an investor and Bond collected sums in American money that when the exchange rate is taken into account is $220 million. The police and SOCU
have been called in. There is an investigation but the Attorney General publicly said that the Bond transaction was not above board. Maybe Bond will invoke his licence to go after the AG. I will not give Bond the opportunity to invoke his licence to confront me. But I still can ask some legitimate questions. When a person applies to NICIL to lease huge amounts of state lands as Bond did, don’t you have to produce relevant information about your life? What type of business you have? How many years the business was in operation? What is your financial standing? Also information about GRA tax clearance and other related
dimensions is requested. I would think in any country those requirements are standard. A project document has to be submitted. That is where the consultants make their money. The investor hires a consultancy firm to prepare the project document. Any Tom or Harry just cannot apply for 20 acres of state land and not meet those requirements. This country has a land usage policy. Of course I am assuming Bond meet these legal demands. To award lands of that magnitude without insisting on the submission of those documents is a case of the law of the jungle. For example; a man applies for
the job of Governor of the Bank of Guyana. The requirement is a higher degree in finance, banking, accountancy and economics. But the job was given to someone with a higher degree in linguistics. I may be wrong but I don’t know Bond was ever involved in any kind of large scale business to allow NICIL to award him 20 acres of land. What about NICIL? Did it follow legal procedure in the lease to Bond? The chairman of NICIL, before the board was changed in August this year, was WPA bigwig, Dr. Maurice Odle. One hopes Odle would speak to the public about the ‘James Bond moves’. Bond is known in the sphere of politics as being an aggressive, street fighter. Not known for diplomatic and suave approaches, the man with the licence to sell and the licence to kill is becoming soft; not normally soft but really soft. When the media solicited a comment about his licence to sell, he said he is not talking. When pressed he maintained his stance of silence. This is not the Bond I know.
This is not the James Bond that is always performing the role of bad boy for PNC politics. One can recall that during the fivemonth rigging of the 2020 poll, Bond rented Frederick Kissoon two huge trucks that were driving all over Georgetown and Bond was Correia Airport. I asked a car dealer and sharing out pamphlets he said he would put it at announcing the $45M but it could be $50M. APNU+AFC as the winner. I asked a PNC youth if it was I see Bond with that vehicle the PNC that financed the all the time, and I thought of operation, to which he doing a column asking the replied, “Na maan, James gat GRA if the correct duty was money bhai; yuh see duh paid. I never went through kyaar dah man driving.” The with it because GRA would youth was right, Bond does not tell me and I didn’t want have money. He has not Bond to sue me. denied he received $220 Last time I met Bond, he million from the land lease. I come now to the car reminded me that my hair has suddenly turned grey. Bond is seen driving. This is because I worry I am writing based on the vehicle I see Bond driving. If all the time because I don’t it is not his own, I stand have money. When you corrected. It is the latest worry about not having model, Range Rover SUV money, your hair turns grey. (The views expressed in with sun roof. I am told that such an expensive item will this article are those of the attract GRA duty of $50M. a u t h o r a n d d o n o t That sum was arrived at by necessarily reflect the an engineer at the Eugene F. opinions of this newspaper.)
Friday October 30, 2020
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Friday October 30, 2020
Three remanded for Sophia execution Three men were on Tuesday remanded to prison for the execution of a 27-year-old handyman of D’Anrade Street, Newtown Kitty. The three accused are Sitaffa Garraway, 28, called “Safo” of Lot 125 Trench Road, East Ruimveldt Georgetown; Rockford Marcus, 22, called “Spent Shell” of 130 James Street Albouystown Georgetown, and Kevin Jordan, 30, called “Little” or “Strong Man” of 21 Perry Street, Tucville, Georgetown. The trio appeared at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Rushelle Liverpool when the capital charge of murder was read to them. They were not required to plead to the charge which alleged that on October 17, 2020, at ‘C’ Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown; they murdered Seon London, 27, also known as “Gaza”. Magistrate Liverpool remanded the men to prison and the matter was adjourned to December 11th, 2020. It was reported that London was in front of his friend’s house when two men walked up to them and riddled him with bullets. According to a police report, on the day in question, London and his wife visited a friend earlier the evening he was executed. They were in front of the house sitting on a bench chatting. During the course of the conversation, London’s wife left to purchase a barbecue meal. Around 18: 35hrs while she was away, two men walked up to London and his friend and pulled out handguns. The men reportedly took aim and started
Dead: Seon “Gaza” London firing shots. When London’s friend got up after the gunmen left, he saw London lying still on the ground.London’s wife returned moments after and was greeted by the bloody sight. With the assistance of public-spirited citizens, London was picked up and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he was pronounced dead on arrival.However, that was not the first attempt made on London’s life. Back in May, he was allegedly shot four times by one of his friends and another man over a motorcycle dispute, in the same area. He was hospitalized but survived the attack. According to a police report one of the suspects Kevin Mc Adam, was arrested and placed before the court where he was charged with attempted murder. Mc Adam secured bail and he is currently out on bail while his accomplice was never apprehended.
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Friday October 30, 2020
Medical team to remain in Kwebanna during lockdown
A medical team is to remain in Kwebanna, Region One during the current lockdown
T
he medical team s e n t t o Kwebanna, B a r i m a - Wa i n i (Region One) to monitor the spike in COVID-19 cases, will remain stationed there for the duration of the 14-day lockdown. This is to ensure adequate support for the local team, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony said during Wednesday’s COVID-19 Update. More than 50 residents in the community tested positive for COVID-19. “The health team that is stationed there is continuing to do both sanitisation of residence and also making sure that persons who have tested positive are properly
Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony isolated. We have moved a team there for the duration of the lockdown, so they’re going to continue to monitor the activities of the residents in Kwebanna, and if they need any additional medical assistance, they would be provided with that.” The team, Dr. Anthony said, is functioning well having dealt with several similar situations since the pandemic started. “This is not new to them. They have been doing this for a while now because they
were involved in the lockdown at Moruca and all the areas where we had spikes in cases. So, they are doing well. We collaborate very closely with the region and the region has been providing all the assistance that we need [there] and in cases where they need extra supplies, we are providing that from Georgetown.” For the duration of the lockdown, no one is allowed to enter or leave the village, unless authorised by the relevant authorities. (DPI)
Task Force finalizing updated COVID-19 guidelines for November COVID-19 guidelines for November are currently being revised by the National COVID-19 Task Force, and will be issued on Sunday.At the moment, the Task Force is considering several requests made by stakeholders. Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony said the new measures will be similar to those already in place. “There would be a few adjustments, but the measures would pretty much be similar to what we have now. A number of stakeholders would have met at various times during the past month with the Task Force, [and] brought to our attention a number of areas that they think we should change. We have listened to those
suggestions and done some assessments.” On completion of the assessments, a decision will be made. “The grouping that deals with the guidelines have met, had their preliminary meeting, and we are working now to finalise those guidelines. So we’re hoping that by Friday that job would be completed and we’ll be able to gazette new guidelines by Friday to come into effect on Sunday.” In the last issued guidelines, the nationwide curfew was extended until October 31; however, curfew hours were reduced from 9pm to 4am. So far, there are 123 deaths with more than 4,000 infections since March, according to official figures. (DPI)
Friday October 30, 2020
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Friday October 30, 2020
Trotman declines to address Canje, Kaieteur block transfers approved by APNU+AFC On the controversial handling of the Kaieteur and Canje oil block awards, several Ministers who held authority over this subject area are refusing to offer insight into what really happened. The latest is former Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman. When contacted by Kaieteur News in early October, Trotman repeatedly
declined to offer comments or to answer questions posed to him about his responsibility as a Minister. “I wouldn’t be in any position to answer anything,” he said, adding that he does not have any documents in front of him, and that those documents would be with the Department of Energy. Asked again to speak to his responsibility in the
transactions, the former Minister again refused to comment. “That was ages ago and I wouldn’t want to make any comment…” He reminded that the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) had opened an investigation into the awards of the Kaieteur and Canje blocks, and due to that, he did not want to comment.
“I don’t want to offer any comment on that matter,” Trotman said. In addition to Trotman, the current Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon, also held responsibility over the management of Guyana’s oil industry during the Coalition’s tenure. He had served as Minister of State, then as Director-General at the Ministry of the Presidency.
The coalition has lost the elections and is now in the Opposition. Like Trotman, Harmon refuses to provide information about the awards and transfers. Harmon has said on multiple occasions that Kaieteur News seems to know more than he does on the matter, despite him having served in posts which give him direct authority. The Canje and Kaieteur blocks were signed away by former President and Minister of Natural Resources, Donald Ramotar, on the advice of former Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud, just days before the 2015 general and regional elections. Kaieteur News has observed that several red flags common to corruption scandals in the industry, exist in the handling of these two valuable blocks. Ramotar has said that the awards were made inkeeping with the law. However, he has not addressed the red flags, including why he agreed to indebt Guyana to oil companies with “pre-
contract costs” with no explanation. Persaud has not addressed the red flags e i t h e r. L i k e Tr o t m a n , Persaud pointed to reports held by government agencies which he said he no longer had access to. While the initial awards of the Canje and Kaieteur blocks were made under the Donald Ramotar administration, Ministers from both major parties are answerable, as it was under the David Granger administration that the blocks were flipped. The process of a transfer of rights in an oil block requires the approval of the Government. Hence, every time stakes were sold in the two blocks, the Government had the responsibility of perusing the application to ensure that the transaction would be above board. Inherent to such a process would be ensuring government knows who owns the companies to which and from which the rights are being transferred. Public statements by the companies involved, indicate that the approvals were granted.
Former Minister of Natural Resources Robert Persaud
Former President and Minister of Petroleum, Donald Ramotar
Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman
Former Minister of State and current Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon
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Friday October 30, 2020
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Court brings Exxon’s Liza 1 permit in line with the law - reduces 20 +years term to five years A win for Guyana…
A
High Court order issued earlier this month has brought ExxonMobil’s Liza I environmental permit in conformity with the law. The order, granted by Justice Jo Ann Barlow, has effectively reduced Exxon’s environmental permit from 20+-years to five- the correct time as prescribed by law. The matter was settled in court following an initial hearing of the case filed against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by Guyanese scientist and the former President of Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI), Dr. Troy Thomas. According to a release issued yesterday, both the EPA and Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd ( E x x o n M o b i l ’s l o c a l operating subsidiary in Guyana) agreed to limit the permit to five years, as provided by law. As a result, an order was issued for Exxon’s permit in the Liza 1 oil field development to expire in the next 18 months instead of 2040 —-24 years after the issuance originally granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In his lawsuit filed last August, Dr. Thomas noted that the permits issued to Esso violated the EPA’s Regulation 19, which specifically cites the limits to the issuance of permits to five years after which it is subject to review before a fresh one is granted to the oil operators to ensure that their exploration activities are
Attorney-at-law, Melinda Janki
keeping with the laws that protect the environment. According to the court documents, Dr. Thomas pointed out that the protracted permit is not only illegal but exposes Guyana and the rest of the world to serious, if not irreparable, harm and adverse e n v i r o n m e n t a l consequences. Since its oil lifting operations began in December 2019, Exxon’s Liza 1 operation has flared
Justice Jo Ann Barlow
Attorney-at-law, Seenath Jairam
Dr. Troy Thomas
more than 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas… emissions which are toxic to the environment.In yesterday’s release, lawyer and environmental advocate, Melinda Janki, disclosed
that by virtue of the ruling, Guyanese people will have an opportunity in just over 18 months’ time, to correct E x x o n M o b i l ’ s environmental permit for Liza 1.
“The earlier expiry of the permit means Esso-the subsidiary will have to apply for another environmental permit in 2022, giving the public an opportunity to demand better terms for
Guyana,” she said. As such, she explained the order made by the High Court also reduced the Liza II environmental permit to five years. “That permit will (Continued on page 24)
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Friday October 30, 2020
Seawall beautification project kicks off - lighting, vagrancy, washrooms, repainting of walls between Kingston and Vlissengen Road targeted
First Lady Arya Ali and stakeholders during a visit to the seawall area, Kingston, on Wednesday.
The meeting of the stakeholders on Wednesday.
F
irst Lady of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Arya Ali, on We d n e s d a y v i s i t e d t h e Kingston seawall following a stakeholders’ meeting which was convened to discuss the development of the area into a tourist hub. The visit was conducted immediately after the meeting to identify sections of the seawall that need immediate restorative works. The meeting, which was hosted at the Ministry of Tourism’s South Road office, was also attended by: Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond; Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill; Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud; and other stakeholders including the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) local nongovernmental organisation (NGO) Seawalls and Beyond, and the private sector. The development of the seawall, stretching from Kingston to Vlissengen Road, forms part of the First Lady’s National Beautification Project. After providing an overview of the project, the First Lady identified several issues that require urgent intervention. These include: vagrancy, improved lighting, improved solid waste collection, increased security, washroom and solid waste disposal facilities, a freshwater source, and regularization of vending, a statement of the Office of the First Lady disclosed yesterday. Once these issues are addressed, phase two of the project will involve landscaping of the area, restorative works to the Police Bandstand, and repainting of the seawall itself. “The idea of the project is to develop the area in such a way that it safeguards the scenic qualities of Guyana, promote sustainability, and
build the country’s tourism capacity,” the First Lady said. Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill expressed how pleased he was to learn of the First Lady’s ambitious plan to embark on a project of this magnitude. With the Public Works Ministry having responsibility for the management of the seawall, the Minister outlined several ongoing efforts to improve the condition of the area. Additionally, Minister Edghill committed financial resources to the project, and immediately instructed his team from the Ministry to begin installing lights and cleaning the area. Minister of Human Services and Social Security, D r . Vi n d h y a P e r s a u d addressed the issue of vagrancy, highlighting that the issue is much more complex than it seems. She noted that while many of the vagrants suffer from mental health problems, others are drug and substance abusers and so any attempt at institutionalizing them would require consent and a collaborative approach by her Ministry and the Ministry of Public Health. The Minster added too, that the Human Services Ministry has already taken steps to reduce the number of vagrants on the streets, and will increase its efforts in the coming months. Regarding solid waste management, a commitment was made by the private sector to supply more bins around the area, while Director of Solid Waste at the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), Walter Narine committed to ensuring that waste is collected on a daily basis.Meanwhile, Tourism Minister, Oneidge Walrond expressed her support for the project and c o m m i t t e d t o o ff e r i n g technical and other support to realize its objectives. She was keen to note that (Continued on page 20)
Kaieteur News
Friday October 30, 2020
Suspect nabbed in D’Urban Street stabbing death of teen The police have arrested a teen in relation to the killing of an 18-year-old who was killed last week during an argument over money.According to Regional Commander, Simon McBean, a teen was arrested and detained for the murder of Adrian Purlette. Two other suspects are still to be apprehended. According information received, on the day in question around 21:00hrs, Purlette was stabbed at a location in D’Urban Street. He died hours later, while receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). It was reported that the suspects walked up to Purlette and started a conversation. It was during the conversation that an argument erupted allegedly over money Purlette owed them. The suspects then armed themselves and stabbed Purlette to the chest, before escaping. Purlette was picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to the hospital where he later succumbed.
Dead: Adrian Purlette
E’bo businessman ambushed by bandits while feeding dogs Three bandits, armed with a ‘chopper’, on Wednesday ambushed, beat and robbed a businessman while he was feeding a number of dogs. Thakoor Singh, 55, of Eastern Hogg Island, Essequibo River, Region Two, was attacked at around 21:30hrs at the Vreed-enHoop Stelling, West Bank Demerara (WBD).Singh told police that he was at his cousin’s snackette, which was about to close. He disclosed that he just finished sharing food to the dogs and was collecting his bag when he
came under attack. It was detailed that one of the men began beating him with a chopper while the other two held on to his hands. During the assault, one of the bandits shoved his hands into Singh’s pocket and relieved him of his cellphone, valued $8,000, and an undisclosed amount of cash. They quickly escaped. The matter was reported to the police and Singh was taken t o t h e We s t D e m e r a r a Regional Hospital where he was treated for his injuries and sent away.
The Vreed-en-Hoop Ferry Stelling
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Kaieteur News
Friday October 30, 2020
Thief breaks into Courts; nabbed with stolen TV, PS4, phones A 38-year-old man has been arrested after he was found with items stolen from the Courts Guyana Inc.- the New Amsterdam branch. Police in Region Six disclosed that on Wednesday, October 28th, ranks received a break-and-enter report that pointed to the Courts branch, located on Main and St. Ann Street, New Amsterdam. Ranks, who responded, observed that the main access glass door that was secured by a lock was shattered at the bottom. The ranks made checks around the area and found the suspect in close proximity of
the scene.He was found with a number of items. He was arrested and escorted along with the articles to the Central Police Station where he was placed into custody and the articles lodged. Police said that they seized a 43" TCL flat screen television set, one PS 4 console, and three smartphones. The suspect has been identified as an unemployed male of Timmers Dam, A n g o y ’s Av e n u e , N e w Amsterdam, Berbice.He is in custody assisting with the investigation. Another suspect is being sought.
The items the suspect was caught with.
The point where the suspect entered after shattering the glass door.
Seawall beautification project... From page 18 the Tourism Ministry will aggressively pursue tourism development in Guyana as the country prepares for economic transformation, which will lead to an influx of tourists.As such, she said the Tourism Ministry will offer its resources to support any
idea that will support the government development agenda.The seawall is a popular Sunday hangout for families, with hotdogs, popcorn, games, and a slew of activities all happening. However, the pandemic has seen a reduction of activities.
Friday October 30, 2020
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Tender Board opens 300 bids | October 27, 2020 Following the passage of the emergency $330B budget, the government is now in a rush to expend the remainder of funds on projects before the end of this fiscal year. With this, the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), on Tuesday, opened -----over 300 bids for 25 major governmental projects at their Ministry
of Finance (MOF) office on Main and Urquhart streets. Notable projects included the ---supply and delivery of 25,000 feet of galvanized wire rope for the Demerara Harbour Bridge; the rehabilitation of ten regular pontoons; as well as the rehabilitation of hinterland roads under the Ministry of Public Works. Below are the companies and their bids.
Guyana Defence Force- Supply and installation of emergency fire and general service pumps about the GDFS Essequibo 1026
Consultancy for the design and supervision of irrigation structure in the main canal along Annandale to Somerset ‌
Ministry of Home Affairs- Procurement of Equipment, Guyana Police Force
Procurement of new vehicle, Guyana Prison Service
Audit Office of Guyana- Supply and delivery of desktops and laptop computers Demerara Harbour Bridge CorporationSupply and delivery of 25,000ft of galvanized wire rope for Demerara Harbour Bridge
Procurement of Equipment Furniture, Guyana Police Force
Institute of Applied Sciences & TechnologyRehabilitation of project shed at IAST Procurement of Inmates’ Uniform, Guyana Prison Service Rehabilitation of ten regular pontoons Procurement of Equipment, Guyana Fire Service Rehabilitation of carpenter workshop at IAST Guyana Elections Commission- Procurement of mechanical tools and equipment
Procurement of goods- Lot one: Office Furniture; Lot two: Office Appliances
Ministry of Public Works- Lot one: Rehabilitation of Main Access (eastern) Black Bush Polder, East Berbice, Corentyne
Ministry of Amerindian Affairs Supply and delivery of uniform materials, uniform-related materials and ready-made uniforms in lots one-six Lot two: Rehabilitation of Burma Access Road, Mahaicony; Lot three: rehabilitation of main access road, De Hoop Mahaica, Region Five
Supply and delivery of nine new outboard engines, seven new all-terrain vehicles and one new 15-seater minibus
Procurement of new tyres
Ministry of Agriculture- Procurement of hydraulic excavators and bulldozers for the NDIA, Region Five
Procurement of goods- Lot one: computer printer and accessories; Lot two: office equipment; Lot three: biometric scanner
Procurement of goods- Lot one: computer printer and accessories; Lot two: office equipment; Lot three: biometric scanner
Rehabilitation of Hunter Street (Front Road Mandela Avenue), Georgetown
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Friday October 30, 2020
Kaieteur News
...Guyanese participation in American politics
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From page 6 the Guyanese presence. We were more interested in the freedom of Guyana. And almost every Guyanese was caught up with earning a living and establishing themselves in a new society and acquiring a home with little time to engage in civic or political activities or even to be bothered in activism to liberate Guyana. Later, during the 1980s, attention was paid to involvement in domestic American politics. We recognized that without Guyanese involvement in American politics, pressure would not be borne on the Guyana dictatorship by American politicians. Several Guyanese volunteered on American political campaigns. I have not missed an election cycle as a volunteer since the late 1980s. Since the 1990s, seminars were held to sensitize Guyanese about American political participation. Yet in 2020, Guyanese, Indians in particular, have not exhibited much activism in politics. Their role has remained very submissive and minimal to some of them voting of about 50%. Very few Guyanese attend political meetings or financially contribute to campaigns. And fewer volunteer on campaigns. Guyanese Americans manifest a resistance to acculturating into American society. This is a result of cultural, religious and ethnic background. They cannot relate with mainstream (White) American culture
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which is not appealing to them. They feel at home socializing among their own in their secluded communities. They are alienated from mainstream activities and by extension politics. And because of political issues in Guyana, that is the principal reason why they find themselves in America, they avoid politics. They find little honour in politics with their experience from Guyana. And, thus they avoid politics except when their leaders from Guyana visit America. Guyanese come out in their numbers to greet, hear, and interact with
the leadership from Guyana. Indians in Queens show up in packed halls to meet the PPP leadership. And Brooklyn based Africans do the same when the PNC leadership visits. The two ethnic groups hardly patronize each other’s political programmes. There is virtually no inter-group political interaction to empower each other in America although Black candidates from Brooklyn are known to seek campaign funding from Queens. Every Caribbean politician from Brooklyn has sought political campaign funding from Richmond Hill. Yet not much political benefits flow to Guyanese.
America has been their home since the 1960s. Guyanese are not returning to live in the former homeland. Thus, they need to become more civic and politically minded to life in the US. Tuesday election is critical for their presence in America and also for relations with Guyana. They must come out in their numbers and cast ballots. And where practical, they should join the campaigns and provide assistance to the few Guyanese seeking elective office to empower the community. Yours truly, Dr Vishnu Bisram (Pol Scientist)
Friday October 30, 2020
Kaieteur News
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732 in home isolation
Police receive DNA results for murdered West Dem cousins
Murdered: Isaiah Henry and Joel Henry Kaieteur News has been reliably informed that DNA samples taken from Isaiah and Joel Henry have since returned to Guyana. However, the results of those samples have not yet been made public by the Guyana Police Force. The samples that were taken were sent to St. Lucia. It was during intense investigations that the DNA samples were taken from the boys during their post mortem examination. It is understood
The COVID-19 dashboard The Ministry of Health yesterday announced 24 new COVID-19 cases with 71 recoveries. The new cases bring the total number of confirmed cases to 4,098, according to the ministry’s daily dashboard update. The dashboard also
shows that seven persons are in the Intensive Care Unit at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation; 78 persons in institutional isolation; 732 persons in approved home isolation with 31 persons in institutional quarantine. F u r t h e r, it was
disclosed that the total number of recoveries is 3,154 while the COVID-19 death toll remains at 123 deaths. Additionally, 19,009 persons have been tested for the virus to date, with 14,911 persons negative for the virus.
...Court brings Exxon’s Liza 1 From page 17 expire in 2024 and not 2043 as in the initial permit issued by the EPA. The environmental permits for Liza I and Liza II have already been revised to conform to applicable law. The Payara environmental permit of 24th September 2020 was issued for five years in conformity with the law,” Janki said in the statement. Meanwhile, lead Counsel for the case against the oil company, Seenath Jairam S.C, noted that “Coming up against an oil and gas giant is always guaranteed to be a battle royal because of their deep pockets and long history in fossil fuels.” Mr. Jairam said, too, that while the EPA was ably represented, the law is pellucid regarding the duration of an environmental permit and for good reason. “Our environment is our most precious resource and the lawmakers obviously intended that the EPA should have an opportunity at regular intervals to assess the
suitability of an operator to continue operations, using international best practices. Dr. Troy Thomas is to be commended and complimented for his conscientiousness and public spiritedness in drawing attention to these environmental matters,” lawyer added. Janki, who was among the team representing Dr. Thomas, noted too that while the Environmental Protection Act Cap 20:05 guarantees citizens’ rights to information and participation in the environmental impact assessments that are a pre-condition to environmental permits, “Successive governments have given away Guyana’s oil.” “We must not allow them to destroy Guyana’s rich marine resources as well. Guyana has strong environmental laws to protect the nation against dangerous oil and gas,” she said adding: “It is clear that the people cannot rely on the government or the so-called conservation
organisations in Guyana to protect Guyana’s rich biodiversity.” The lawyer suggested that “Guyana’s future depends on individuals who are willing and patriotic enough to step forward as Dr. Thomas has done.” Dr. Troy Thomas also commented on the ruling. He stressed that: “The Guyanese people have loudly and repeatedly expressed their concern and anger at the danger that ExxonMobil’s oil production poses to Guyana’s environment and natural resources. I want people to know that we can and should take action to protect our national patrimony. We need to come together and safeguard the future for our children,” he said in the release. Thomas was represented by Seenath Jairam SC, Melinda Janki and Pratesh Satram, attorneys-at-law. The EPA was represented by Ms Anessa Chow, while Esso was represented by Andrew Pollard, SC.
that DNA samples were also taken from those that were in custody in connection with the killing of the boys. Isaiah and Joel Henry, cousins, were brutally murdered and dumped in the Cotton Tree back dam several weeks ago. Their bodies bore gaping chop wounds to their heads and faces along with other marks of violence with other marks of violence evident. Their deaths sparked violent protests, including
blocking of the roads in West Berbice, and the burning of vehicles, forcing the government of Guyana to seek international investigative assistance to work with the team from the police’s Major Crimes Unit. A team from the Region Security System (RSS), which, came to Guyana and spent a week conducting investigations, have already submitted a report to President Irfaan Ali on their findings.
‘Big Head’ in plea deal with US prosecutors Guyanese embattled hotelier, Shervington ‘Big Head’ Lovell, has asked US prosecutors for a plea deal, according to court documents. On Wednesday, the New York Court, presided by Judge, Paul G. Gardephe, heard the plea deal request. It will be recalled that the businessman, along with other persons, Steven Antonius and Ricardo Ramirez, otherwise called Argemiro Zapato-Castro, were arrested at the Norman Manley International Airport, Jamaica on October 25th, 2018. They were all found with cash that were seized by the Jamaican authorities. Lovell has links to Hotel Tower as well as other hotels in Berbice. The men were arrested when a police party from the Jamaican Fugitive Apprehension Te a m conducted special operations at the Norman Manley International Airport pursuant to a request from the United States Government and an arrest warrant pursuant to the Extradition Act of 1991. Lovell, Antonius and
A plea deal: Shervington Lovell Ramirez, Guyanese, Surinamese and Columbian n a t i o n a l s r e s p e c t i v e l y, were located and arrested and their persons and properties searched. During the search, the cash was found and seized by the police under the POCA on the suspicion that it had derived from unlawful conduct. All three men indicated that the cash was obtained from legitimate businesses to include gold mining and a car wash, but neither of them was able to verify the existence of the said businesses. FID investigated and found that none of the
alleged businesses existed and that none of the men were found to possess licenses for the operation of a gold mining business. The men were extradited to the US in late 2018. They are being accused of conspiring to ship hundreds of kilos of cocaine to Europe. US prosecutors told the NY court this week, in a letter to the judge, that they want the exclusion of time under the Speedy Trial Act until the anticipated plea hearing. “As the Court is aware, the defendant, Shervington Lovell, has indicated his intention to enter a plea agreement between the parties and plead guilty before Your Honor. The Court has previously scheduled the plea hearing for October 28, 2020, but the defendant required an adjournment to sign copies of the plea agreement and the consent to remote proceedings form. The parties now anticipate the plea hearing will be rescheduled to a date in approximately two weeks.” The arrest of Lovell had sent shockwaves in Guyana, as he is well-known in the local business world.
Kaieteur News
Friday October 30, 2020
ExxonMobil increases daily production at Liza Destiny to 105,000 barrels per day - Continues to release toxic chemicals into airspace via flaring Hess Corporation, which holds a 30 percent working interest in the Stabroek Block, was pleased to inform its shareholders on Wednesday that production rates at the Liza Phase One Project have increased to 105,000 barrels of oil per day. Prior to this disclosure, the nation was only aware that production hovered around 80,000 to 90,000 barrels of oil. This was the case up to last month. The company revealed, however, that the new rate of production was constant for the last few weeks while adding that in the third quarter, gross production averaged 63,000 barrels of oil per day or 19,000 barrels of oil per day net to Hess. The oil exploration and production company acknowledged that mechanical issues plaguing the gas compressor system for the Liza Destiny vessel is what prevented the oil ship from reaching its full capacity of 120,000 gross barrels of oil per day. The company said: “It is important to note that the delays in commissioning the gas injection system are mechanical in nature, and the reservoirs and wells continue to deliver at, or above, expectations…” While the compressor system remains faulty, ExxonMobil remains forced to burn gas which releases toxic chemicals into the atmosphere.
Kaieteur News, by way of extensive research, would have shown how gas flaring contributes to climate change, which has serious implications for the world. The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, was keen to note in one of its studies that gas flaring is actually a major source of greenhouse gases (GHG) contributing to global warming which could accelerate the problem of climatic change and harsh living conditions on earth, if not checked. The Department also notes that there are over 250 toxins released from flaring including carcinogens such as benzopyrene, benzene, carbon disulphide (CS2), carbonyl sulphide (COS) and toluene; metals such as m e r c u r y, a r s e n i c a n d chromium; sour gas with Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) and Sulfur Dioxide (SO2); Nitrogen oxides (NOx); Carbon dioxide (CO2); and methane (CH4) which contributes to the greenhouse gases. Conscious of the harmful effects of flaring, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had forced the oil giant to cut back on its oil production at the Liza Phase One Project. In June last, the EPA had said that the American supermajor can only produce a maximum of 30,000 barrels of oil per day. In this way,
ExxonMobil had less gas being produced which would eventually have to be flared. Since last year Christmas to now, ExxonMobil has comfortably flared more than 11 billion cubic feet of gas offshore Guyana.
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An image showing what flaring looks like on a FPSO
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Friday October 30, 2020
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...Exclusive: Blow for Global Esports Federation From page 26 Franco Kasper, respectively and Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) head Raffaele Chiulli - revealed it does not plan to work exclusively with one organisation. “The IOC position is that it does not and is not planning to recognise an esports federation,” the letter from the ELG, seen by insidethegames, said. “ We h a v e s t r o n g existing relations with the different stakeholders in the esports and gaming community, such as games publishers, platforms, athletes and players. “We will maintain these direct relationships rather
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than working through a third party. “Both of the organisations who reference themselves as esports federations have representatives on the ELG and we will continue to welcome the contribution of these individuals, however the IOC does not endorse or recognise any specific federation as a representative body in this area. “This is a position shared by ASOIF, AIOWF and GAISF, and as a result we do not encourage Ifs to enter into a formal relationship with these organisations.” The potential inclusion of esports in the Olympic Games is a contentious topic but the ELG claimed
the IOC remains “committed to supporting IFs in this area of innovation and engagement”. The group plans to organise a video working session with the International Federations prior to presenting its annual report on esports to the Olympic Summit in Lausanne on December 12. “[The IOC] is actively engaged in exploring the opportunities and initiatives to engage directly with this young digital community in order to promote participation in sport, engagement with the Olympic Movement and promotion of Olympic values,” the ELG letter said.
Friday October 30, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Your words may fall sharply on someone's ears today, so be aware of the impact you can have. However, this doesn't mean that you need to dilute your message with lies in order to avoid the true topic of conversation. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Be careful of being hypocritical, Taurus. You may not want to disappoint people you meet, so you end up stretching the truth to suit what they want to hear. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You may find that someone approaches you with harsh words that are apt to have a significant impact on your state of mind. CANCER (June 21–July 22) You may have to make an important decision today, Cancer. It has come to the point where someone draws a line in the sand and challenges you to cross it. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) As you take another step upward today, Leo, you may realize that there's a large part of the mountain you hadn't accounted for before. Don't panic. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Try not to overanalyze your actions, Virgo. If you continue to pick apart every aspect, you will end up getting nowhere. This principle applies to your emotions, too. Be sure that you aren't trying to make rational sense out of every feeling that comes your way.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Your actions may go against your rational thinking, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Thoughts and feelings are apt to aggressively clash today. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You may have the perfect plan all laid out. You've communicated to the right people, you've traveled to the appropriate spots to gather data, and you have all your resources in line. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) What you think may happen today is apt to be the opposite of what actually happens, Sagittarius. It could be that you have a strong mental picture of how things should proceed. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Emotions may cloud your thoughts as things start to heat up in a heavy way, Capricorn. In an effort to keep things light and energetic, you may be missing the core of the situation. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Magical events may occur today in the most unlikely places. Perhaps you're expecting to see someone in a certain environment. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) If you find that you aren't necessarily thinking like the rest of the group, don't panic, Pisces. In fact, this is probably a good thing. By going along with the crowd, you may be expected to act a certain way in some situations.
Djokovic survives scare in Vienna Field Level Media - Topseeded Novak Djokovic saved four set points before pulling away for a 7-6 (11), 63 victory against Croatia’s Borna Coric on Wednesday in the second round of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, Austria. The Serbian star improved to 21-2 in tiebreaks since the start of the 2019 Wimbledon final against Roger Federer. Djokovic saved all three break points he faced and withstood nine aces from Coric. In other matches, No. 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece outlasted Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 6-7 (3), 63, 6-4, and No. 4 Daniil Medvedev of Russia posted a 6-3, 6-1 win over Taipei’s Jason Jung. Italy’s Jannik Sinner won 7-6 (2), 6-3 over Norway’s Casper Ruud, South Africa’s Kevin Anderson was a 7-5, 6-1 winner over Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta, and qualifier Vasek Pospisil upset fellow Canadian Felix AugerAliassime 7-5, 7-5. Astana Open - American
...Vuelta a Espana: Penalty denies From page 28 he had secured his 50th career win, said before his demotion he had been involved in a tussle with other riders before the final sprint. “It was slightly uphill and a headwind,” said Bennett. “But we had to come from behind at speed. “There was a big fight with some guys who nearly put us in the barriers trying to take the wheel, so it was a bit sketchy trying to stay upright.” In another incident during Thursday’s stage Caja Rural’s Hector Saez suffered a nasty fall in which his head struck the ground, shattering his helmet. He was checked over by officials and allowed to rejoin the race. The incident fuels questions about how the sport deals with head injuries and potential concussions, following Romain Bardet being allowed to finish stage 13 of the Tour de France despite suffering a bleed on the brain after a crash - as well as several other recent examples during this season’s Grand Tours. In the overall standings Ineos’ Carapaz maintained his 13-second lead over Primoz Roglic of Jumbo-Visma, with Dan Martin of Israel Start Up Nation 28 seconds down and Carthy of EF Pro Cycling 44 seconds behind the wearer of the red jersey.
Novak Djokovic Mackenzie McDonald knocked off No. 6 seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-2 in the first round in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Bublik fired 11 aces but also double-faulted eight times against McDonald, ranked No. 209 in the world. McDonald will face Italy’s Andreas Seppi in the second round. In other action, No. 4 seed
John Millman of Australia earned a 6-3, 6-4 win over Spain’s Fernando Verdasco, and No. 7 American Tommy Paul was a 6-4, 6-0 winner over Moldova’s Radu Albot. Also, Egor Gerasimov of Belarus rallied to beat Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, and Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin held off Argentina’s Federico Delbonis 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2.
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Exclusive: Blow CAF: Ahmad facing FIFA ban after for Global Esports ‘breaching code of ethics’ Federation as IOC warn Olympic sports not to join them
Global Esports Federation Chris Chan set the new organisation the aim of getting esports into the Olympic Games ©GEF insidethegames - Sports have been warned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not to join the Global Esports Federation (GEF). The IOC’s Esports and Gaming Liaison Group (ELG), chaired by International Cycling Union President David Lappartient, has written to all to the summer and winter International Federations telling them they do not plan to recognise any organisation as the world governing body for esports. The Singapore-based GEF was launched last December and is backed by Chinese technology company Tencent. It was set up with the aim to “establish the credibility, legitimacy and prestige for esports” and build “an inclusive platform to bring together all the stakeholders from the esports industry to help shape the GEF mission and maximise the potential for esports and its participants”. The GEF has strong links to the Olympic Movement. Its President is Chris Chan, secretary of the Singapore National Olympic Council, and its chief operating officer is Paul Foster, the IOC’s former head of protocol, events and hospitality. At its launch, Chan set GEF the aim of Olympic Games inclusion,
claiming they could help end the “misunderstanding” of esports, which continues to grow in popularity and has started to enter the Olympic Movement. The GEF was set up as a rival to the South Koreanbased International eSports Federation (IeSF), established in 2008 and whose mission it is to have esports recognised as a legitimate sport. Since its launch, several Olympic sports have become members of the GEF, including archery, canoeing, karate, modern pentathlon, surfing, taekwondo and tennis. The Olympic Council of Asia and the Commonwealth Games Federation have also signed agreements to work with the GEF. The IeSF has not signed deals with any Olympic sports and instead channels its efforts into hosting the Esports World Championship, the organisation’s flagship competition where esports athletes represent their national teams. The ELG - which also includes the Presidents of both the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF), Francesco Ricci Bitti and Gian (Continued on page 25)
BBCsport - Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Ahmad has been found to have breached various codes of ethics, BBC Sport Africa understands. On Wednesday, the Fifa vicepresident from Madagascar announced his intention to go for a second term in office when Caf elections take place next March. This could now be in doubt after the investigatory chamber of football’s world governing body determined that he has breached various codes of conduct. The next step is for the adjudicatory chamber to hand out its sentencing, a source said, adding that this will possibly happen by the end of November. Any ban is likely to rule out Mr Ahmad’s chances of standing for re-election, given he would have to pass an eligibility test to resume his place on the Fifa Council. BBC Sport Africa understands that t h e a l l e g e d b r e a c h es include Mr Ahmad’s role in the controversial deal involving Tactical Steel. Tactical Steel is a littleknown French gym manufacturer, run by an old friend of Mr Ahmad’s then attaché Loic Gerand, which provided sportswear equipment to Caf in 2017 after an original deal with Puma was cancelled.
Mr Ahmad has been President of Caf since March 2017 The deal with Puma, which was slightly smaller, was worth just under $250,000 while the alternative deal with Tactical Steel - for 22,000 items instead of 15,000 - came to just over $1m. At the time, Mr Ahmad denied accusations of any wrongdoing in the deal as ‘totally false, malicious and defamatory’. A Fifa spokesperson refused to comment on the ethics case when contacted by BBC Sport Africa. “Please note that as a general policy, the independent Ethics Committee does not comment on potential ongoing proceedings nor on whether or not investigations are underway into alleged cases,” the spokesperson
said. “As usual, any information the Ethics Committee may like to share will be communicated accordingly upon their indications.” Earlier this week, Mr Ahmad refused to comment on the investigation. “I don’t want to talk about it, especially as the investigation/inquiry is ongoing - (and) there is a respect of confidentiality surrounding an ongoing process,” he said. On Wednesday, the BBC again approached Mr Ahmad for comment but has yet to hear back. Mr Ahmad has previously strongly denied any wrongdoing. Caf’s former Secretary General Amr Fahmy initiated
the complaint in March 2019 when sending documentary evidence to Fifa, with the organisation’s former Finance Director Mohamed El Sherei following suit with his own evidence a few months later. Fifa conducted an audit into Caf last year which - when leaked in February described Mr Ahmad’s organisation as being in ‘disarray’ while questioning the body’s accounting, its governance and its payments. At the time, the audit recommended further investigation into the deal with Tactical Steel. A second audit duly followed earlier this year, concluding in July. Mr Ahmad has also been investigated by French anticorruption authorities who questioned the Malagasy in Paris in June 2019. He has not been charged with any offence. The former vice-president of Madagascar’s Senate has led African football since 2017, when he dethroned long-standing ruler Issa Hayatou. Caf’s next presidential elections take place in March 2021 in Morocco, with the registration deadline for candidates ending on 12 November. Whatever the outcome of any decision, Mr Ahmad would be able to appeal at sport’s highest legal power, the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Djokovic marks Italian teenager Sinner as a potential number one Reuters - Novak Djokovic feels Italian teenager Jannik Sinner leads the pack of ‘Next Gen’ players with the potential of becoming a future world number one, the Serbian said after all but securing his yearend top ranking with a win in Vienna on Wednesday. Djokovic saved four set points in the opener against Croatia’s Borna Coric to win 7-6(11) 6-3 to reach the third round of the Erste Bank Open in the Austrian capital. The win meant that the 17-times Grand Slam winner could only be stopped from tying Pete Sampras’ record of finishing as year end No.1 for the sixth time if Rafael Nadal accepts a wild card in competing in Sofia next month. The 19-year-old Sinner won the Next Gen ATP Finals in 2019 and is currently at a career-high ranking of 43, having reached his maiden Grand Slam quarter final at this month’s French Open.
Jannik Sinner “I definitely see a lot of quality in the young players,” said Djokovic. “(Sinner) definitely possesses a game that is powerful and is with a lot of quality, and you can say he has the potential to be a
top player of the world. “Sinner is definitely, I would say, the leader of the guys younger than (Alexander) Zverev and (Stefanos) Tsitsipas, who I think by many experts’
opinions the next ‘top’ top player.” German Zverev, aged 23, reached the U.S. Open final in New York and is a year older than Greek Tsitsipas and they have won the previous two editions of the season-ending ATP Finals, the biggest event in men’s tennis outside the Slams. Djokovic felt the duo are already established players and would need to sustain their performances over a period to wrest the top ranking. “Many things have to come together in a career and life of a tennis player in order for him to be able to find his best and maximise his potential and to thrive every single year,” Djokovic said. “And to endure, because I think you have a much better chance to have a great Grand Slam or a great season. But can you endure for three, four, five, 10 years? Fifteen years?”
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Smart Cities & Sport Summit hears how city leaders can combat COVID-19 casualties by promoting activity insidethegames - The role public leaders can play in improving the resilience of their communities in the current coronavirus pandemic through new sport and exercise initiatives has been highlighted on the opening day of the seventh Smart Cities & Sport Summit. Philippe Furrer, the Movement and Sports activist who is founder of insPoweredBy, told the twoday, Lausanne-based Summit - which is being held virtually this year - that getting people to be more active had huge physical and economic benefits, particularly with regard to COVID-19. “More and more studies coming out show it makes sense to get people active from an economic point of view,” he said. “Several studies have pointed out that one dollar, one pound
invested in physical activity and sports has a return on investment of at least four or more times depending upon the type of activity. “So we are talking about billions in the economy we can save by simply having a positive impact on the cost of public health, for example, on the productivity of people and absenteeism and that kind of stuff. “There is a growing burden of sedentarism. “We all know the cost of chronic disease burgeoning everywhere. “What the current crisis has revealed is that the more chronic disease and sedentarism you have in your society, the more likely you are to have a lot of people hit by COVID. “We have an overrepresentation of people with chronic disease, obesity and diabetes in hospital beds right
Means of protecting citizens to COVID-19 through activity was high on the agenda at the seventh Smart Cities & Sport Summit today ©Smart Cities & Sport Summit now, and this is an important consideration for public leaders, for city leaders, to anticipate this crisis and to build up the resistance and the resilience of our
Tokyo 2020 volunteer training resumes after eight-month hiatus The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are now scheduled to take place in 2021 ©Getty Images
insidethegames Training for volunteers for the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has resumed for the first time in nearly eight months and is taking place online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As reported by the Japan Times, the Organising Committee restarted its online sessions on October 21 and recently gave access to the media to watch one of the sessions virtually. In October 2019, volunteering training started but further sessions were postponed in late February as the virus spread across Japan and particularly Tokyo. Due to coronavirus, the Games were postponed and are now scheduled to take place from July 23 to August
8 2021. Over 5,000 people in Japan and abroad are set to participate in these sessions until December, according to organisers. There are set to be 80,000 volunteers for the Games, who were selected from over 200,000 applications. Volunteers are set to find out their specific work shift between March and May 2021, with further training taking place from April onwards. It is expected that uniforms will be handed out in May with volunteers beginning training at venues soon after, prior to the opening of the Games. A recent questionnaire conducted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government revealed nearly 80 per cent of volunteers have expressed concerns over
COVID-19. The survey rolled out in August found 79 per cent of volunteers were worried about the virus, while 49.3 per cent were concerned the postponement of the Games would make people less enthusiastic. Forty-two per cent worried about “physical capacity” due to factors such as hot weather. More than 13,000 of the 30,000 City Cast volunteers took part in the questionnaire. Despite the status of spectators at the Games remaining unknown, 74 per cent said they were looking forward to the opportunity of communicating with fans. Sixty-seven per cent were anticipating the “exciting atmosphere” of the Games.
communities. “Because the benefits are so enormous, including in such a crisis situation. “Recent studies have shown clearly the link between the fitness level of people and the likelihood of ending up in hospital. “They are very interesting studies - they are very new and fresh and of course we will need months to digest all of this data. “Another challenge for a lot of cities that every city is sharing is air pollution. We are talking about more than a million people who have sadly died of COVID, but every year we have the death of more than four million people because of air pollution in cities. “Now, pushing for physical activity and sports and more softer, sustainable mobility solutions in cities can actually address also this challenge. “It costs Governments several points on their GDP so it’s an important consideration.” Furrer than looked at trends involving new, “human-centred” designs in cities such as Vancouver, Copenhagen, Tokyo and Lausanne. “Some of these trends have gained attention because of COVID,” he said. “We have all seen a number
of bicycle tracks that have popped up in our cities. “They were supposed to be temporary, but in many cases they remain. “I feel this is where we are going, and probably at a faster pace than we expected. “There is a move to repossess run-down areas in the neighbourhoods to really bring people around the originally designed sports grounds. “Even brands like Nike have just redesigned and launched an active park in Tokyo. “There are a lot of moves and evolutions in this environment right now. “It’s about re-thinking the cityscape and bringing people down in the streets. “And literally in the streets – that is, moving cars away and putting in some of these little park lots…. “It is really time to move away from this car-centric design that we have inherited for decades.” The afternoon session was preceded by a recorded message from Raffaele Chiulli, President of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) “It is a difficult time,” he said. “The world of sport has no doubt been hit hard as have people all over the world, and my heart goes out to all those
affected by the global pandemic. “But through these dark times it has been particularly impressive to see the global sport community find new ways to move sport forward, whether through virtual competition, online webinars or social media challenges. “Sport has connected us when our physical contact with our friends and families has been restricted. Indeed, we have seen how the world needs sport, but also how sport needs its global community. “And this is why it is so important for us to continue sharing best practices. “Sport is needed now more than ever…”I wish all participants in the Smart Cities & Sport Summit the best of success.” Furrer’s comments came during the section on Cities and Sustainable Development Goals. The opening morning session had addressed how cities, international sports federations and international organisations could work together to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, before considering Peace and Sport: How to Shape Better Cities Through Sport.
...Women’s Football - Heavyweight quintet From page 30 securing a goalless draw against hot favourites France in Group G, keeping them level on points and just behind their opponents at the top of the table. The two teams will face off again on 27 November. Switzerland are also on track to qualify directly for the EURO, a 2-0 win over Romania seeing Nils Nielsen’s charges maintain top spot in Group H. The Nati have 19 points from seven matches, and head
into their final match against rivals Belgium on 1 December in pole position. A point would be enough for Switzerland to finish first in the group, but the Red Flames are coming off a 9-0 win over Lithuania. Many a football match sees one team celebrating and the other inconsolable, and that was the case in Group I – even though one of those teams was not even playing. Republic of Ireland saw their campaign hit the skids, and that allowed Germany to
celebrate from the comfort of their own homes. The 1-0 defeat for the Irish in Ukraine meant that Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s side booked their place at England 2022. “We’re delighted that we’ve already qualified for the EURO,” the coach said. “Nevertheless, we’ll still be looking to win our last two matches in this competition, against Greece and Ireland. We want to go through our EURO qualifying campaign without dropping a point.”
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Football helping fight suicide in the Canadian Arctic FIFA - Nunavut has found itself in the headlines lately. Canada’s largest and northernmost territory has come under the global spotlight because, almost uniquely in North America, it remains completely free of COVID-19. The isolation of this vast Arctic region, which has no road or rail network and is only reachable year-round by plane, has undoubtedly contributed to this remarkable status. But while clear of the coronavirus, Nunavut – home to 36,000 people spread over two million square kilometres – faces another insidious and well-established threat. Suicide has long been, and remains today, one of territory’s biggest killers. Nunavut’s suicide rate is nine times the national average and, if it was an independent country, that rate would be the highest of any nation in the world. “We’ve avoided the COVID pandemic thankfully, but suicide is our epidemic,” said Joselyn Morrison, president of the Nunavut Soccer Association. “It’s a massive challenge up here – the biggest one we have.” Morrison, and the sport she loves, are also helping to tackle the issue. While football lags some distance
behind ice hockey as the territory’s most popular sport, it nonetheless provides an invaluable focal point around which physical health and mental wellbeing can flourish. “It’s so important to offer people in this territory, and especially young people, stuff to do,” Morrison told FIFA.com. “I live in the biggest community here in Nunavut (Iqaluit, the territory’s capital), but we’re
still really small – just 8000 people. And having things to do, and to look forward to, is a real challenge – especially during the dark winter months. “The more activities we can offer people, the better. Soccer, and sport in general, is so important in that respect because, as anyone who plays soccer knows, it is so positive for both physical and mental health.” Nunavut, though, is a
territory in which temperatures can drop as low as -50°C, and where the soil is locked in permafrost. Not, in other words, conditions in which the beautiful game would ordinarily thrive. Adaptability, and an embracing of futsal, have been crucial to ensuring the game’s continued place in the region’s sporting landscape. “Aside from the odd pickup game outside over the summer, soccer is definitely an indoor sport for us,” Morrison acknowledged. “Here in Iqaluit we usually play in a gym, although we do have an artificial turf put in for us in from May to September in one of our hockey arenas. We’ve also put a lot of focus on futsal recently because that’s what they play at the Arctic Winter Games. “The travel, the geography, are the biggest challenges soccer faces here. We try to host two
tournaments a year – one at U-15 level and one at U-18 level – and the travel and cost of flights make it very difficult. The cost is outrageous really. “Teams from small communities will do a lot of fundraising to come to these tournaments. But then what you often find is that the day arrives for them to travel to Iqaluit and there’s a winter storm or a blizzard, and they can’t fly. Being at the mercy of the weather makes it very tough to organise things.” Geographical and financial challenges also loom over any attempt to leave Nunavut for competitions in neighbouring territories. “I coach mainly middle school girls, U-12s and U-14s, and we’re the only middle school in the town, so there’s no-one for them to compete against and that’s tough,” Morrison explained. “But there’s a tournament called Super Soccer in Yellowknife (capital of the
Northwest Territories, 1,400 miles from Iqaluit) and we fundraise all year to travel to that. For the flights, hotels and so on – and this is just for a weekend – it costs us between $85,000 and $100,000. That tells you the kind of resource we need just to compete against other teams. “We have fun raising the funds though, and it’s so worth it when we get there. Some of the kids have never left the community or the territory, and it’s things that you wouldn’t expect that blow them away when we get to Yellowknife. Trees are a good example – there are no trees here – and McDonald’s too! (laughs). “It’s a lot of money but it’s such a great experience. That trip, and being part of a team, is something that will leave the girls with great memories their whole life. That’s part of what makes soccer so special for us.”
Boost to cricket’s Olympic prospects as ICC ask members to gauge benefits
Vuelta a Espana: Penalty denies Sam Bennett victory on stage nine, Richard Carapaz retains lead
Cricket has not been part of the Olympics since 1900 Getty Images
Bennett thought he had taken his 50th career victory. BBCsport - Ireland’s Sam Bennett was demoted for shoving another rider on stage nine of the Vuelta a Espana. The DeceuninckQuick-Step sprinter, who won the green jersey at the Tour de France, muscled his way across the line first on the stage into Aguilar de Campoo, near Bilbao. But he was demoted after
race commissaires said he shoulder-charged Emils Liepins of Trek-Segafredo. Germany’s Pascal Ackermann of Bora-Hansgrohe inherited victory. Ineos Grenadiers’ Richard Carapaz remains in the overall lead, with Britain’s Hugh Carthy fourth. The 157.7km stage from Castrillo del Val near Burgos was a largely soporific race
on wide, pan-flat roads. But Bennett showed the strength and efficiency which saw him win on the Champs-Elysees in Paris in September to finish a bike wheel ahead of Ackermann of BoraHansgrohe and Belgian Gerben Thijssen of LottoSoudal. But Bennett, who thought (Continued on page 25)
ESPNcricinfo - The ICC is continuing with its push for a return of cricket to the Olympics, having recently asked all its members to report on the potential financial benefits of inclusion. A questionnaire sent to all ICC members asked them to quantify the “potential financial support” they could expect to receive each year from their government and respective Olympic organisations if the sport’s inclusion was confirmed. Intriguingly, the template also asked members to distinguish between the support available if the sport was accepted to the games on a permanent basis or “on a one-off basis (e.g. 2028 LA Olympics)”. The forms need to be returned by November 2 with
the results set to be discussed at the next ICC board meetings later in the month. The ICC has yet to agree a future tours programme beyond 2023. While the ICC undertook a similar exercise a couple of years ago, the decision to revisit the issue again so soon would appear to suggest growing support for involvement. Quite apart from the exposure the sport would receive were it part of such an event, it would also provide a financial boost to the majority of members. Most governing bodies could expect increased funding from their respective governments or other public organisations if Olympic status was confirmed. In light of the economic difficulties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, that could be
especially relevant. Some substantial impediments remain. Notably, the ‘big three’ nations of India, England and Australia have, in the short term, the least to gain and most to lose from Olympic involvement. They have previously argued that the requisite window in the schedule would eat into their bilateral series plans and leave them out of pocket. For similar reasons, they have resisted the call from other Full Member nations for the scheduling of more global events. Cricket previously featured in the 1900 Paris Olympics. After Belgium and Netherlands withdrew, the only match in the tournament saw Great Britain defeat France by 158 runs. The winners were awarded silver medals.
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GGA Pres. Hussain pleased with response from Female Golfers President of the Guyana Golf Association (GGA), Aleem Hussain has informed Kaieteur Sport that he is pleased with the response from Female Golfers following the second successful event that saw a great turnout by seasoned golfers and beginners to support Awareness for Cancer activity. Hussain said there has been an increase in the number of females in the sport. “It is common today to see women, especially the young professionals who have come to see golf as an alternative to indoor gyms, and a fun way to spend time outdoors with friends and family in a socially distanced environment, learning the game late into the night on Woolford Avenue,” he stated. In June 2020, the GGA established a partnership with Nexgen Golf Academy, a lighted driving range and teaching Academy in Woolford Avenue with the view of making the sport more accessible to all Guyanese. However, Hussain indicated that surprisingly, more than 200 women have taken up the sport in the past four months. “We started during what was described as the worst possible time, political turmoil and covid-19 restrictions rocking the nation
but with dedication and perseverance, we have shown that together we can overcome great obstacles.” Hussain explained that worldwide, golf has always been at the forefront of raising awareness and funds for charity and the recent support shown here by seasoned golfers and newcomers to the sport for cancer Awareness month demonstrates that Guyanese golfers are no different when it comes to social and corporate responsibility involvement in the community. “A major part of growing a sport in a developing country is how active and energetic the leaders of the game are and it is evident from the efforts being put forward by the GGA, golf will become one of the leading sporting disciplines in Guyana.” In 2018, Hussain set out on a campaign to start training new players at the Giftland Mall, University of Guyana, Queens College, Bishops High, St. Rose’s High and ATC, with the help of former Women’s Guyana Open Champion Dr. Joaan Deo. “The interest shown by the public led to the development of the Nexgen Golf Academy in Georgetown and the results are incredible,” he noted. Hussain indicated that they have seen the game
growing quickly and have made efforts to engage students in basic training. They also have planned donations of equipment and balls, scheduled in the coming months as schools are set to reopen. NexGen Golf Academy is currently building a world class putting green complete with sand bunkers to help develop the short game along with a pitch and putt area on the adjoining Guyana Teachers Union ground. They plan to add a Golf simulator to enhance their teaching aids as the demand increases among new players. “In these trying times, the NexGen Golf Academy and Driving Range offers a solution to exercise, stress relief, socially distanced interaction, and a great deal of fun for persons of all ages and skill. We guarantee that within 15 minutes, anyone will be able to hit the ball and begin having fun as they learn,” said Hussain. For more information about how to enjoy and be a part of this growing sport, interested persons can visit the Facebook page Nexgen Golf Academy, call 645 0944 of simply stop by the Academy, located minutes from Marriott and Pegasus hotels.
GGA President Aleem Hussain gives valuable advice to a newcomer at the Academy.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja hurt Kolkata Knight Riders’ playoff chances ESPNcricinfo - A twisting and turning contest between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Chennai Super Kings came down to Ravindra Jadeja facing down Kamlesh Nagarkoti with seven runs needed from the last two balls, in an over that had begun with just ten needed. An ice-cool Jadeja swatted two length balls between long-on and midwicket for two sixes to raise victory for the Super Kings. His unbeaten 31 off 11 balls almost put in the shade a magnificent innings by Ruturaj Gaikwad, who hit 72 off 53 for a second consecutive fifty in IPL 2020. While the win came too late to help the Super Kings qualify, it has seriously dented the Knight Riders’ chances, who can still make it but will need other results to go their way. However, it also means the Mumbai Indians are now assured of a spot in the playoffs. The Knight Riders had put up a competitive 172 for 5 driven by an opening batsman’s fifty and a cameo at the end of their own. Nitish Rana began slowly but then finished with a flurry of boundaries to make 87 off 61,
but it needed Dinesh Karthik’s 21 not out off ten to push them past 170, which looked like a total that would stretch the Super Kings. In reply, Gaikwad was all timing and elegance as the Super Kings began solidly. His shot-making, particularly off Lockie Ferguson, was the best on display on the night, even accounting for Jadeja’s finish. Gaikwad’s second-wicket partnership with an aggressive Ambati Rayudu (38 off 20) set the base for the Super Kings to eventually surge over the line despite a wobble. They went from 118 for 1 to 140 for 4, and visions of their earlier defeat to the Knight Riders, when they had failed to chase a similar total from a similar position of strength, would have swirled. However, in that game, Jadeja had come in at No. 7 and when the chase was much steeper. This time, he came in at No. 6 and had the time to take the game to the finish. Rana stops, then starts Shubman Gill continued the free-flowing avatar that he has unlocked in the last couple of games, beginning with a
boundary first ball. At the other end, Rana struggled to find the gaps against the pacers, counter-balancing Gill’s aggression with his slow start. Rana was on 6 off 16 at one point inside the powerplay, while Gill was blazing away on 23 off 13, but the introduction of spin in the form of Mitchell Santner unlocked Rana. He hit two fours and a six in the sixth over, to give his innings a bit of a surge. After the powerplay was done, Rana couldn’t find the boundary as regularly but wasn’t as bogged down as he had been at the start of the innings. The Knight Riders went with the tactic of maximising their chances at the death, and, therefore, kept Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik for the back end of the innings. Consequently, Sunil Narine came out at No. 3 and Rinku Singh - playing his first game of IPL 2020 - at No. 4. Rana kept going more steadily than in a freestroking fashion, although he was markedly more aggressive against spinners than pacers. Karthik’s cameo - The Knight Riders were 106 for 3
in 15 overs, a rather low run rate for the number of wickets down, and especially low given that they had sent in Narine and Singh early to get some momentum. Rana, already past fifty then, opened up against Karn Sharma, hitting three consecutive sixes that set the ball rolling for a productive last five overs that fetched 66. Karthik walked in when Rana fell to Lungi Ngidi - one of the three changes the Super Kings had made in this game - and immediately got into his stride, with his trademark busyness at the crease. Karthik’s boundary-hitting ensured the Knight Riders had a good finish. However, the sluggishness in the middle meant they still had a total they would have considered a mite under-par, especially because they had brought in Singh for this game in place of a bowler in Prasidh Krishan and lengthened their batting. Gaikwad-Watson start, Gaikwad-Rayudu cruise The Super Kings made a steady more than spectacular start, with Watson not able find runs between his boundary shots. Gaikwad
was much more assured, particularly against Ferguson, whose pace and accuracy had troubled everyone he had come up against till now. In Ferguson’s first over, Gaikwad pulled and straight drove the bowler for boundaries, and was quickly outscoring Watson. When Watson fell, trying to go big but caught at longon, Rayudu joined Gaikwad for the partnership that pushed the Super Kings into the ascendancy. Rayudu took a shine to Rana - the Knight Riders’ sixth bowler on the day - carting him for three fours in what would be his only over, and then punished Nagarkoti too. In between, Gaikwad was in command against Ferguson, and had reached his second successive fifty. Rayudu was out to Pat Cummins to break a 68-run stand that had come in just 6.1 overs and left the Super Kings needing 55 off 38 to win. The stutter and the finish - MS Dhoni fell to Varun Chakravarthy for the second time in IPL 2020, bowled once again, and the Knight Riders began applying a late choke as only 23 runs came from
overs 15 to 18. Not only that, the Super Kings also lost Gaikwad, bowled by Cummins after an excellent knock. That left Jadeja and Sam Curran 30 to get from the last two overs. Ferguson was given the responsibility of the 19th over, and what looked to be a game in the Knight Riders’ control changed with two legal deliveries left in the over. A full toss above waist height was pulled to deep-square leg for a couple by Jadeja and the free hit off the next ball was smashed over deep-square leg. For good measure, Jadeja got a thick outside edge to third man off the final ball, and from needing 23 off 8, the equation came to 10 off 6. Curran’s fluency didn’t materialise but he did manage to turn the strike over to Jadeja with three balls left. There was a dot to follow, but the last two balls proved to be enough for Jadeja to seal the win. Chennai Super Kings 178 for 4 (Gaikwad 72, Rayudu 38, Jadeja 31*, Chakravarthy 2-20, Cummins 2-31) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 172 for 5 (Rana 87, Gill 26, Ngidi 2-34) by six wickets.
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Cricket can become mainstream in the United States, says USA Cricket chief Iain Higgins BBCsport - Cricket already has enough fans in the USA to make it a leading sport in the country, according to USA Cricket chief executive Iain Higgins. USA Cricket became an associate member of the International Cricket Council in 2019, and recently launched a 10-year plan to become a full member by 2030. To achieve that target, they must meet certain criteria at international and domestic level, including beating a full member at a major tournament. Higgins says cricket in the US is on an “upward trajectory” and estimates the sport has between 10 and 20 million “extremely passionate” fans in the country. “The cricket fans in this country stack up pretty well against soccer and other sports,” Higgins told BBC World Service’s Stumped programme. “But there is a disconnect between the number of passionate cricket fans and the amount of cricket content that there is to consume in this country. “Our job is to help plug that disconnect and if we can create that fantastic national product and put our teams alongside the full members in terms of their on-field competitiveness, then we can
start to tap into that 10 to 20m people and really start to make it mainstream in this country.” Any plan as ambitious as USA Cricket’s has barriers to overcome, with Higgins citing the lack of a nationwide schools programme as a key one. “That’s a real barrier for us growing talent which will allow us to perform on the field and achieve some of the performance target and metrics to become a full member,” said Higgins. “It’s also a real barrier to cricket being a mainstream sport in the US. It’s fairly intuitive isn’t it that if you want to become a mainstream sport in this country then you need to have a robust community and schools programme right across the country and we simply don’t have that. That’s one of the key priorities.” Another obstacle, which Higgins describes as the “single biggest hurdle”, is infrastructure. At the moment, the country only has a single ground fit for one-day cricket - in Lauderhill, Florida - but they are holding talks around potential developments with partners in seven or eight locations. “We think having a major league tournament that rivals the likes of the Big Bash and
Pakistan Super League is achievable so we recognise that there needs to be a significant investment of capital into the infrastructure that exists in this country,” Higgins said. “We all know that major league cricket will only be as successful as we want it to be if there are at least six stadiums across the country that are capable of hosting ODI matches, having 10 to 15,000 fans in them, engaging in the domestic and international cricket that will be played in those venues. “You can’t engage a country as big as this by having matches only played in one venue.” ‘No interest in a Test team at this moment’ Associate members play 50over and Twenty20 cricket, but Ireland who, alongside Afghanistan, were the last nation to gain full member status in 2017, specifically wanted to play Test cricket. However, that is not currently part of USA Cricket’s plan. “I respect immensely Test cricket and the heritage, tradition and uniqueness that it provides to our sport but we don’t have infinite resources - human, financial or otherwise - in this country and, like any strategy, we have to prioritise and make
Women’s Football - Heavyweight quintet first to book EURO tickets FIFA - The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway and Sweden have all now qualified for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, joining host nation England. Another ten spots are still up for grabs. Situation in the groups The Netherlands’ title defence campaign continues apace. A 7-0 thrashing of Estonia was enough for the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ runners-up to book their spot at England 2022, and they followed that up by sweeping aside Kosovo 6-0. Russia are also celebrating after picking up crucial wins over Slovenia (1-0) and Turkey (4-2), securing second spot in Group A. In Group B, Denmark have managed to hold off the competition in the battle for a EURO spot. In a showdown in Empoli, the Danes defeated Italy 3-1 to book their ticket for England. Nadia Nadim (2) and Nicoline Sorensen were the scorers as Italy fell to their first defeat on home soil for five years.
Norway can also begin to make plans to spend the summer of 2022 in England. The two-time European champions squeezed past Wales 1-0 in Group C and that was enough to secure their qualification, Frida Maanum getting the all-important goal. The defeat for Wales allowed Northern Ireland to close the gap on second spot with a 10 win over Belarus. A 3-0 win over Moldova saw Poland take over top spot in Group D, a point clear of Spain who bagged a crucial 4-0 victory over Czech Republic. Both Poland and the Czechs have played two more games than La Roja however. Everything is still up for grabs in this particular group, but Jorge Vilda’s team have their fate in their own hands as they host Poland on 1 December in Madrid. Czech Republic got their campaign back on track with a 3-0 win over Azerbaijan, and they can secure second spot on 1 December with three points over Moldova, provided that Poland do not win in Spain.
Things are also tight in Group E. Finland strengthened their position at the top of the table with a 1-0 win over Scotland, who had previously not dropped any points in their campaign. It was a bittersweet result for Finland coach Anna Signeul, who was in charge of the Scotland team between 2005 and 2017. Portugal nipped in to take second in the group with a 1-0 win over Cyprus. Meanwhile, Group F already has its first qualifier, with Sweden securing their place thanks to a 2-0 win over Iceland. Sofia Jakobsson and Olivia Schough got the goals for the Swedes, who have never failed to qualify for a EURO thus far. “I’m convinced that on a good day, we can get something out of this match, and we’ll be doing our utmost to make sure that it’s a good day,” said Austria coach Irene Fuhrmann ahead of the match against France in an interview with FIFA.com. Fuhrmann kept her promise, with Austria (Continued on page 27)
The USA men’s team have won eight of their 23 international games. (Getty Images) trade-offs,” Higgins said. “Our priority will be to put T20 cricket at the heart of the sport’s plans in this country, unashamedly, because like the ICC, we think this is the best product to grow new markets, non-traditional cricket markets.” He added there is “not enough budget” to discuss multi-day cricket and Test cricket at this moment in time. ‘Women’s cricket is almost non-existent’ Another key focus for USA
Cricket will be women’s cricket, with Higgins saying there is a “strong argument” that it could grow quicker than men’s cricket in the country. While they have an international women’s team, which has played eight Twenty20 games, participation in women’s cricket is still yet to take off. “There just hasn’t been the establishment of any real women’s cricket at this point in time. It’s not quite - but it’s almost - non-existent; we’re at a very low threshold,”
admitted Higgins. “We’re working on the engagement and participation of women and girls at all levels of the sport. There are some really exciting and simple things that can be done to improve visibility and to create more opportunities and tap into some of the passion that exists for that. “We are excited about that but we’ve got a lot of ground to catch up, but there’s lots of tools at our disposal that will allow us those quick gains.”
Big series ahead for Chase, Windies batsmen: Estwick Bridgetown, Barbados, CMC – West Indies assistant coach, Roddy Estwick, believes the tour of New Zealand could be a pivotal one for Roston Chase to finally assert himself as a genuine world-class all-rounder. Even while conceding that Chase had been one of the consistent performers for West Indies in recent years, Estwick said it was critical the 28-year-old now took his standard to a new level and assert himself among Test cricket’s best. Estwick also stressed that Chase was a key component of the Caribbean side’s batting machinery which needed to fire on all cylinders during the upcoming two-Test series. “He’s been around long enough now. He’s had four years of Test cricket, he knows what Test cricket is about,” Estwick said referring to Barbadian Chase, who has played 35 Tests. “He’s giving performance but we want big performance, we want match-winning performance. We want him to match all the other all-rounders in the world. “And for us in that engine room – Jason Holder, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich – they’re the ones that have been carrying us with the bat for a number of years. “It’s up now for the Kraigg Brathwaites and John Campbells and Darren Bravo’s back, people like that have to step up and give us a foundation and give us a platform so those coming in can play a lot freer and not be constantly under pressure.” Chase averages 31 with five hundreds but it has been his off-spin bowling with which he has also starred, and has so far managed 69 wickets at 41 apiece with three five-wicket
hauls. In fact, it was his career-best eight for 60 last January at Kensington Oval which fired West Indies to a massive 381-run crushing of England in the first Test, laying the basis for an historic 2-1 series win. In that contest, captain Holder also unfurled a brilliant maiden unbeaten double hundred to also confirm his status as a bona fide world-rated all-rounder. All told, the 28year-old averages 31 with the bat in 43 Tests and has scored three hundreds, while taking 116 wickets at 26 apiece. And Estwick said Holder’s performance would also be key in New Zealand, especially since he brought so much value to the side with the various aspects of his game. “His record speaks for itself. Having the burden as captain, [being] one of the main bowlers and also one of the main batsmen – they’re not too many people in the world that does what Jason does, and Jason is a tremendous asset,” Estwick pointed out. “He’s growing all the time as a leader as well, you can see his leadership qualities coming out in the IPL. And he’s bowling well and once he can continue along that vein, I’ve got no worries about Jason Holder at all.” West Indies left the Caribbean on Tuesday for New Zealand where they play three Twenty20 Internationals and two Tests from November 27 to December 15. They will first undergo 14 days of quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic before beginning their training and match preparation in earnest. Holder is one of several players from the touring party currently campaigning in the Indian Premier League ongoing in the United Arab Emirates and will link up with the side once fulfilling his commitments.
Kaieteur News
Friday October 30, 2020
Dozens of youth players to benefit from joint BCB/Clayton Lambert Project
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ince taking over the reins of the Berbice Cricket Board in February 2018, over 200 youth players have benefitted from the hard work of the Hilbert Foster led executive. Additionally, cricket clubs in the Ancient County have also received over $10M worth of assistance in the form of gears, stumps, balls, water pitchers, rain coats, educational materials, food hampers, school bags and bicycles. Foster, when elected had pledged to assist young players to fulfill their potential on and off the cricket field. Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic the BCB has been busy working behind the scene to develop Berbice cricket further. Those efforts have been bearing fruits with the latest being a special project with former Guyana and West Indies opening batsman
Clayton Lambert. Foster had approached the burly former opener to obtain gears for promising youth players especially those on the East Bank of Berbice. Lambert readily agreed to Foster’s request and on Tuesday last, informed the BCB President that he had secured a large quantity of gears which would be distributed free of cost and includes bats, pads, gloves and thigh pads. Lambert informed the BCB President that many persons were delighted with the current development of Berbice cricket and as such were eager to assist. A shipment of gear has already left India for the United States of America and then would be shipped to the BCB compliments of Caribbean International Shipping. The company has agreed to assist Lambert in this project while Former West Indies Captain Alvin Kallicharran has also agreed to work along with Lambert
to solicit gears. The shipment also includes a large quantity of white uniforms which would be distributed to less fortunate players. Lambert also informed the BCB President that a special supply of Gortonshire Lambada brand coloured clothing would also be ordered. Foster disclosed that the coloured uniforms would be donated to two struggling first division teams. The Gortonshire Lambada brand is a new one and is dedicated to Lambert, who currently coaches in the USA. Lambert, stated that he was delighted to give back to Berbice and to play a part in the development of new talent in the county. The 58 year-old Lambert made his debut for Guyana at the Regional Under-19 level in 1979. He first represented Berbice in the Jones Cup Inter County Tournament in 1983 and captained Berbice
in 1986, 1990, 1991 and 1998. Lambert made his debut for the senior Guyana team in 1984 and in August, 1991 made his test debut at the Oval against England. He later migrated to the USA, where he represented that country at the international level as a player and coach. Foster expressed gratitude to Lambert for his cooperation and for remembering his home county. He also urged former Berbice players to join Lambert in his efforts.
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Clayton Lambert
There has been an increase in the number of female players
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GGA Pres. Hussain pleased with response from Female Golfers After five runs in his first three innings, Ruturaj Gaikwad now has successive fifties ©BCCI
Ravindra Jadeja connects with one against pace ©BCCI
New Comers from left Anicea Spellen, Ashley Chu, Dhez Andrews have shown significant improvement.
Big series ahead for Chase, Windies batsmen: Estwick Roston Chase
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja hurt Kolkata Knight Riders’ playoff chances
Dozens of youth players to benefit from joint BCB/Clayton Lambert Project
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