Agreement signed for K NEWS removal of shipwrecks from Demerara River mouth
Sunday Edition
AIETEUR
September 05, 2021
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Ex-T&T Minister advising Guyana left his own country's gas sector on knife's edge T&T's ExEnergy Minister, Kevin Ramnarine
- Current Energy Minister reveals
Biden warns corporations like Apple, Disney and ExxonMobil that are trying to squash his tax hikes: 'I'm going to take them on' p. 51
Health Minister reminds Guyanese of long-term COVID-19 effects p.8
---says unit being set up to treat patients with prolonged ailments
The protest continues for change to the Exxon contract.
Poverty leads to hunger and hunger leads to crimes of all nature. Pres. Ali calling on the council to manage the taxes to benefit the city and its people, while he is mum and dumb on our resources to benefit our country and the citizens. @ 11am, 4&7pm on VP Jagdeo using events and issues of the past to distract Kaieteur Radio Guyana from what is happening presently in the oil industry. 99.1/99.5FM
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Ex-T&T Minister advising Guyana left his own country's gas sector on knife's edge - Current Energy Minister reveals By Kiana Wilburg
I
f governments r e c k l e s s l y implement policies and rush into poorly constructed deals, there can be dire consequences for current and future generations. This very lesson is what the current administration of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) said it was made to learn since taking office. In fact, T&T's Energy Minister, Stuart Young, in July 2021, was keen to note during a post-cabinet press briefing, that the country's gas industry was practically on a knife's edge due to the decisions of his predecessor, and the former government by extension. He stressed that the Keith Rowley led administration has had to work tirelessly to correct those past mistakes that “decimated the energy sector.” In explaining this state of affairs that gripped the CARICOM state, Young revealed that the country's National Gas Company (NGC) ended 2020 with a TT$2.1B loss. This was not due to the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic or a massive breakdown in equipment. R a t h e r, i t w a s t h e consequence of what Young described as a lopsided deal and policy that were associated with a Natural gas supply contract. That contract was for a methanol plant in La Brea. Although he did not name the foreign company that signed the deal with NGC, Young was referring
T&T's Energy Minister, Stuart Young
to Caribbean Gas Chemical Limited (CGCL). CGCL is a joint venture between Japanese companies: Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company (26.25%), Mitsubishi Corporation (26.25%) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (17.5%), together with The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago (20%) and Trinidad's Massy Holdings (10%). The contract that NGC was part related to the construction and operation of a petrochemical complex, which needed a US$900M loan. Young noted that the provisions of the “disastrous contract,” particularly those that leave NGC covering the loan, will lead to the gas company losing more than what it lost in 2020. In fact, he said NGC will lose TT$4.5 billion in the future. Minister Young added, “But I want to explain to the people how we ended up here. It has to do with the people who held office from 2010 to 2015…It was on September 14, 2015, a mere five days after the government was installed that we were approached by
T&T's former Energy Minister, Kevin Ramnarine
a shareholder in this project for the provision of an opinion by the Attorney General with respect to the legal documentation of the project. But when the files were examined, they reflected that pressure was being placed on public servants at both the Ministry of Energy Affairs and the Ministry of Attorney General on Friday September 4, 2015 (the last working day before the general election), to hustle the contract through and Monday September 7, 2015 (the day of a general election), pressure was being placed on the public servants at the AG's office to sign off on the final opinion that would have cast this (in stone), in terms that we would not be able to do anything.” Yo u n g s a i d h i s predecessor, Kevin Ramnarine, along with Mr.
Larry Howai who served as the Minister of Finance and the Economy, and other former officials were at the forefront of this. Expounding further he said, “But the public servants resisted pressure and the opinion was not signed. God smiled on us.” The Minister also noted other discoveries in relation to the US$900M project. The first he said, related to a 'Debt Tail Buy Down' Agreement. The Minister said this agreement was being forced through despite warnings in “red ink from the country's technical personnel.” Young said, “When we looked at these agreements we realised that not just the
National Gas Company, but the country was disadvantaged by… Something called the 'Debt Tail Buy Down' Agreement.” In this regard, the Minister said this is the first type of agreement of this nature that the country was ever entered into. “What this means is that it bound NGC to guarantee the payment of the loan. In other words, what they negotiated under the former energy minister was to put
NGC as a 20 percent shareholder but NGC would carry the entire debt. So from day one, NGC would have had to carry the full cost of the loan totalling US$900M for the project and if it failed from day one T&T would have to pay to the Government of Japan through their banks, the full cost of the project.” Young added, “And worse than that is the terms show that if they paid the full cost of the debt on the first (continued on page 12)
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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: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210
Editorial Exxon engages in the fanciful and expects Guyanese to accept Trust us! Trust us! Trust us! Though the managers of Exxon did not actually utter those two self-serving words, it is clear that this is what they think should be, and from their smug faces that is exactly what they expect. When Exxon’s top brass and accountants did that with an increasing local content bill (“Exxon’s unaudited local content bill climbs to $19B” KN August 31), they have nothing else on their minds, other than full acceptance by Guyanese leaders and the Guyanese people. Exxon is right in terms of Guyanese political leaders, who bow to its twisted will, and dance to its tune, since they give off the strongest scent of the tainted and woefully comprised. Leaders in the previous coalition government and this current PPP Government are noticeable for their timidity in dealing with Exxon’s financial rapaciousness. Similarly, the impotence of leaders is remarkable for their failure in calling out the company for what it is: a first-rate deceiver for a partner, a possible padderin what it claims, and an exaggerator in what it presents, as monies spent for local content benefits. We have serious problems with what Exxon swells and forces down Guyanese throats. The $19B is debatable, with Exxon most likely guilty of inflating what it truly spent on Guyanese local content. In addition, we challenge that aspect of more than 750 Guyanese vendors of goods and services in numerous streams of activity, since we cannot believe without supporting details. We want to see the specifics for ourselves. That may be good enough for the President and Vice President, both the essence of slavish cooperating and nodding their heads in support of everything that Exxon puts forward, but it is not good enough for us. We repeat our position so that all are clear, especially Exxon and its local political partners: presenting to this country insulting, bulked-up number of billions in spending, and impressive sounding figures about workforce increases and the like are not satisfactory. Until Exxon steps up and delivers the concrete details behind those billions and other related activity claimed to be engaged in, we disbelieve them as fanciful, and lacking in credibility. Exxon has not dealt fairly and cleanly with Guyana from the inception. It has obscured, it has deceived, it has ripped off Guyanese at every opportunity, knowing full well that one political leader and government after the other gives it carte blanche to conduct its business with Guyana in this manner, and to deliver what and how it does, without either exposure, or objection, or the sharpest condemnation. Well, we have news for the people at Exxon and their political cronies in Guyana: we will continue to expose these types of financial sleights-of-hand with numbers and dollars. We will persist with our firm and frank objections on the underhanded things that the company does. And we will condemn, without letup, the attempted and actual skullduggeries of Exxon when it tries to pull these fast ones. We are not that slow, and we certainly are not stupid; at least, not to the extent that sophisticated Exxon manager may think that should be, that the devious is not recognised. That is the shabby lot of our political leaders in the PPP Government, as it was in the coalition government during the 2015 to 2020 period. They can roll over and pretend at dying, like the sellouts they are. Just don’t expect that of us and a growing number of Guyanese. It is our belief, to some degree our knowledge, that Exxon has so wrapped up our political leaders into docile slavishness, there is the expectation on the company’s part, that the rest of Guyana would follow suit. That is, get down on our knees, lick the feet of the company’s managers, and eat out of the company peoples’ hands, while pretending to be well pleased with the kind of trusted partner that we have in our oil corner. There are serious problems with that, for we are not that kind of people. Our politicians and others can line up to do that, not us. We do not trust Exxon, and it just proved us right with this vague, hazy $19B local content claim.
Sunday September 05, 2021
Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
Education must accompany vaccination - NOT A PASSPORT TO NORMALCY DEAR EDITOR, I believe that the government’s fixation on scoring political points has clouded its thought process and judgment, while exposing its policies and measures for what they are - political gimmicks. It is quite obvious that this push to reopen physical school is not founded in any sound analysis of our COVID19 situation, but rather a direct fulfillment of a political gimmick dubbed as “Because We Care.” Don’t get me wrong, that money could have gone into the COVID19 cash grant, giving citizens more than $25,000 per household. However, in their bid to say, “promise delivered” on the reintroduction of publicschool cash grants, schools must now be reopened physically lest the programme be seen for what it is: a political gimmick. Just think about how it would look after giving out all that money to assist parents with uniform
and school supplies and there is no school to go to. Are we seriously asking parents to send their children to school after receiving one jab of the COVID-19 vaccine just a week before school reopens knowing fully well it takes 28 days or longer to receive the second jab and some 14 days after to be deemed fully vaccinated? We must also note that reports have shown that persons died from COVID-19 after receiving just one jab and we have had a few such cases locally. April to August 2021 has been our deadliest months and the Government has and continues to place emphasis on vaccination as its main or seemingly only weapon in the fight against the coronavirus. Don’t get me wrong, vaccines have a role to play in this, but a simple look at what is currently happening throughout the world shows that much more is required. Israel was one of the countries with the highest percentage of vaccinated people. There
was but a handful of positive cases and a rapid decline of new cases. Then suddenly things went in reverse. The mistake that the citizens of Israel made was believing that having over 90 percent of their adult population being fully vaccinated was a passport to open up their bars, businesses and all other forms of physical socialising platforms, while compromising or totally disregarding their once strict COVID-19 protocols. As a result of that, Israel is now experiencing record COVID19 numbers daily, with an average death rate of 18 deaths per day, with over 500 deaths in August. It’s gotten so bad that booster shots are now being offered to persons 12 and older. Why did this happen? Israel, like many others, placed vaccination as its main weapon in the fight against coronavirus, failing to invest in educating and shaping the habits and attitudes of the population towards the best
practices even after being vaccinated. The focus on vaccination has given a false sense of comfort during this pandemic, leading persons to believe that it is ok to relax and go back to some level of normalcy. The fact is while we push vaccination as a main weapon in the fight against the coronavirus, we must pay similar attention to other measures that will aid the vaccination drive and keep people safe before and after being. The reopening of physical school amidst the increase in breakthrough infections worldwide and the more aggressive and fast spreading Delta variant is a risk that should not be contemplated. We are putting our students at serious risk especially since many of them will need to access public transportation to get to and from school. The sad reality is most of the bus drivers and conductors do not ensure passengers wear a mask. Continued on page 5
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The fickleness of American Vaccination is recommended friendship, the foolishness for all, best for all of partisan Guyanese DEAR EDITOR, I read of Afghanistan continuing in its age-old unconquerable mould, the Taliban rising, and my fellow Americans withdrawing. The latter is where I focus today. As I think of this latest shameful American retreat, I recall what Indo- and AfroGuyanese prefer to forget. It is how America came here, then reversed course here. Just like in Afghanistan. And in Vietnam, Chile, Iran, Iraq and elsewhere before, and after. Get me straight, if I have to pick a devil, I gladly take an American one every day than a Chinese or Russian one. But unlike my fellow Indo- and Afro-Guyanese, I can be honest with myself, and tell the Northerners that their eye is black when it is so. I wish that supposedly learned, conscientious, and patriotic locals would learn to be similarly open, and not so fawning, as is the case today. Guyanese must resist against being taken in by the latest American move(s); locals must not unlearn the lessons of precedent. Oh! and when I speak of American moves, they are not the latest dance floor ones; but those moves of what comes first, who is discardable, and why some developments stand as stark testimonies to American follies. Farces, too. For 28 years, rigging was the order of the day, but today Indo and Afro Guyanese pretend that America has got religion, when it was behind those robberies. Inconvenient stripes paint all of us, Americans and Guyanese. Today a lady named Lynch is hailed for her efforts. To forgetful Guyanese, I remind them: so was another fine hailed American with the lovely identifier of Rabbi Washington, who setup a house here. He was wanted by the vaunted FBI, yet American authorities made no move to take him home. Contrast that to those orchestrated political, judicial, logistical moves in Suriname and Trinidad to remove two fellows and take them back to American soil. Even when the good Rabbi’s band of brothers - true patriots, say some - was trashing objectionable Guyanese in the streets, Americans were silent. Back then, the Yanks loved Burnham; just like they did Pinochet, Noriega, Nguyen Cao Ky and Nguyen Van Thieu, Reza Pavli, Karzai, and now another character from the devil’s workshop in
today’s PPP. Editor, recall how America purged Allende (socialist terrorism); gifted Los Angeles Noriega (narcotics terrorism); gave South Vietnam the two Nguyen(s) (containment terrorism), removed Mullah Omar and company (global terrorism), with his descendants now stronger than ever. In every place, America went with the noble ideals of Jesus, then slunk away like Judas. The problem is what is left behind, where wounds are deeper, memories longer, blades sharper, vengeance harsher. I always remember Rwanda, but Belgians get rapped. With those societies as poignant reminders for purposely-forgetful Guyanese, I pinpoint here. Jagan was felled and Burnham rose (Americans); Burnham/Hoyte then fell from grace, and came a resurgent Jagan (America again). Jagan’s forced descent was, incredibly, part of John Kennedy’s famed idealism. Jagan’s American spouse manipulated internal machineries and presented Guyana with its worst nightmare. The nightmare and ‘monstrosity’ as he was then termed was taken out in May 2015 (America), but brought back in 2020 (America, America the Beautiful….). I hear about free and fair and democracy. And I say, like the Beatles: Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. But
take note of two common threads: American hands; the second is the darkness left in tormented lands, when America surrenders of its claims to nobility. Behold the Guyanese abyss; for today’s yawning one, we must thank the man who cleaved America apart. His surrogate did lustrously here; Guyanese should remember her name can also be a verb. The fickleness of American friendship is pronounced, the fragility and hypocrisy of its socalled nobility could not be more glaring than it is in today’s Guyana. Today, once blacklisted domestic money launderers and terror financiers are backburner issues (friends even), with oil power and regional power projection the newer priorities. God bless America. I pray the same for Guyana, too. I leave fellow Guyanese with this parting note: American interest, American influence, and American friendship are all flavoured with an eclectic mix of surging and retreating priorities. Today, it is the PPP’s turn, which may not have been so bad. That is, until one considers the American-backed local Rabbi running the show. When they leave, Guyanese are left with each other, like Afghans and Vietnamese and Chileans and Iranians. Then what, my sisters and brothers, when bells toll? Sincerely, GHK Lall
Education must... From page 4 Have we considered children wearing the same mask all day? The World Health Organization back in March 2020 made reference a study, which spoke to the acceptability and tolerance of mask wearing. When the mask is no longer tolerated, there will be a tendency to touch it often with one’s hands, which increase the risk of contact contamination, and to reposition it on one’s face, which increases the risk of inhaling viral particles. In addition, when the mask is wet, its electrostatic properties decrease therefore it retains less particles, and its air permeability decreases making it less “breathable.” Hence, in some countries, it is recommended that masks be changed after four hours of being worn. The fact that the Government continues to fail in its bid to effectively enforce COVID-19 measures nationwide. I find it difficult to believe that our schools will be a safe space where COVID-19 guidelines are practiced continuously, and our children will not be at serious risk. I will conclude by saying, I do not agree with the position to reopen physical schools just yet. Sincerely Clayon F. Halley
DEAR EDITOR, A seemingly interminable battle is being waged, on whether or not vaccination against the COVID-19 is essential. To this debate, I have a few things to say. This is based on what I observed at the MovieTowne tarmac on Sunday August 29, 2021. My time there was necessary, as I, along with my wife, had to take my two children for the jab, in order to facilitate their re-attending face-to-face classes at their school (both going to the same private institution). I mean what I saw was nothing short of personal sacrifice, commitment and justifiable concern. Of course, all involved have to be commended, and I heap special kudos on the many volunteers. In this regard of recognising and honouring the deserted, I pay homage to the Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, and his colleague, Minster of Education, Priya Manickchand. I mean leaders are supposed to designate, but these two were on the ground, and had been for hours, and had to stay on for hours, until all was said and done. Now that cannot be for political gains, and that is why I penned this missive. I am sure that both of them, like the President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, have bigger
concerns than mere publicity or personal and party mileage. Now, I refer all to a “Save the Children” global survey of children and their families to ascertain the impact of COVID-19 on the access to health, education, livelihoods and protection, and to collect the views of children. It is to date the most complete and exhaustive survey conducted on children and their families since the outbreak of the pandemic. The research was carried out with families participating in “Save the Children” programmes in seven countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. So, we can assume that the survey applies to Guyana. In terms of Education, the following stark reality was discovered: 7 out of 10 children considered that they learned little during the pandemic; 5 out of 10 children required school materials; 4 out of 10 children indicated that they needed counselling; 3 out of 10 children mentioned that the teacher checked homework fewer than once a week; 3 out of 10 children did not know if they will return to school; and 4 out of 10 adults did not know if their children will go back to school. In this vein, “Save the Children” started calling on governments, donors, multilateral organisations and
all other stakeholders, to work together and take action to ensure that: There be a safe return to school whenever possible, fully funded and with specific measures to ensure that the most vulnerable children can return to school; distance learning programmes be effective, flexible and inclusive, that include quality learning resources, including printed school materials, focusing on reaching the most vulnerable children; during distance learning times, children continue to have at their disposal essential services related to school, such as school meals, psychosocial support, and referral systems for cases of child protection, with a focus on gender-based violence; education be prioritised when it comes to relaxing or reintroducing restrictions to control the pandemic; and parents and caregivers receive support on learning at home and mental health and psychosocial support, to allow parents and caregivers to increase interaction and play with children. Overall, it is a herculean task. That is why I want to know what is really wrong with us. At the personal level, I am still baffled regarding why we are having all of this unnecessary fuss, for something that has national and global benefits, and which will soon become inevitable. Continued on page 6
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Vaccines misleaders are worse than the virus itself
Burnham and the PNC did much for Amerindians
DEAR EDITOR, It is clear from the recent surge in cases that the Delta Variant is here in Guyana. The unvaccinated are holding this country to ransom. I repeat: the unvaccinated are holding this country to ransom. We are hearing cries of “I have an immune system.” But alas, the more unvaccinated persons there are, the virus will mutate and become more deadly. Vaccination is the only way out of this pandemic. However, me, criticising the anti-vaxxers will get me nowhere. I have viewed many of their remarks justifying their stance. While I understand that there are some people who are genuinely fearful and have not had access to information, a lot of people CHOOSE to opt in the direction of bizarre conspiracy theories and misinformation especially when they are being pushed by those with high influence. Human beings are imperfect, we believe what WE WANT to believe. When those in influential positions spread misinformation and engage in vaccine related fear mongering, guess what will be the result? The positions of the anti-vaxxers will only become emboldened! Up to two days ago (September 1, 2021), a notable politician (Sherod Duncan) wrote on his Facebook that expired COVID19 vaccines were being distributed in Region Seven. This was later debunked. However, the damage was done. If you are in a position of influence, and you have a large following, you
should use this influence for the good of mankind. You should be using it to encourage your followers to get vaccinated. Why instead play to people’s fears? While Sherod is one of the more prominent politicians circulating this nonsense, the blame cannot solely be rested at his feet. There are pastors spreading vaccine hesitancy. Nigel London, who emerged as a prominent figure in the anti-vax crusade went as far as to hold a protest by the Square of the Revolution. He wore what looked like a piece of cardboard dangling from his neck that read “Your Body, Your Choice.” Yielding influence over a congregation is a power by itself. Why not use this power to positively influence the masses to get vaxxed and trust the medical professionals? Further, everyone has a choice, but choices come with consequences. Nothing is wrong with the current regulations. The scientific facts and info are out there, and the government is circulating them. While it would not hurt for more circulation of info what will have a greater effect are politicians, church leaders and others of influence ceasing the spread of fake news and vaccine related fear mongering. They need to use their influence to promote vaccinations rather than embolden the posture of the anti-vaxxers. Use your influence for the greater good. Yours faithfully, Nikhil Sankar
Clarification on deregistration of GOAL awardees at The UWI’s Open Campus DEAREDITOR, With reference to a letter, appearing in Stabroek News on 3 September, 2021 - teaching sessions for vocational programmes offered by The University of the West Indies (Open Campus) through the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) scholarship programme commenced on July 26, 2021. Through this partnership, the UWI and GOAL have collaborated to enable increased access to courses, which are being offered online using a virtual classroom approach. There has been continuous follow-up with students who have had challenges accessing the Learning Exchange, and provisions made for students
who entered the virtual classroom within the first three weeks of teaching, to receive additional support. Students entering after the first three-four weeks will be at a distinct disadvantage as these courses are generally offered over a period of 10-13 weeks. To ensure student success, those students who have not been able to access the Learning Exchange will be deregistered to allow them an opportunity to join a subsequent offer, and in so doing, gain the full benefit of the programme. The deregistration policy is in no way an indication that the GOAL scholarship has been withdrawn. Students who are on the deregistration list, will be given an opportunity to be part
of their specific programme when it is offered by The UWI during its upcoming semester or in semester 2. Regrettably, GOAL does not have a landline, but all queries and clarifications related to The UWI Vocational Programmes can be addressed to dionne.suecox@goal.edu.gy, info@goal.edu.gy, via WhatsApp on telephone numbers 687-6331/643-7783 or by direct messaging on GOAL’s Facebook page: https:// w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / GuyanaOnlineAcademyofLearning GOAL is committed to online learning and will continue to offer guidance and support to all awardees. Aneka Edwards Program Manager, GOAL
Vaccination is recommended... From page 5 Let me remind people that vaccinating children is routine and widely accepted. I list things like measles, mumps, polio, diphtheria, rotavirus, multiple strains of meningitis, whooping cough, etc. and the list goes on. And mind you, all this starts from just a few weeks old. So why the big resistance about COVID-19? Specifically, concerning children, in the US, they are already immunising children between 12 and 15, and the next phase is to go even younger come next year. Now here in Guyana, the majority of parents are calling for schools to be reopened, and indeed, the Ministry of Education has rightly restated its intention to reopen schools as soon as it is safe to do so, that is, it must take into account the vaccination of all involved, teachers and students, and that is why we must push on with the vaccination programme for pupils 12 years and
over. This is the way forward. I am happy that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States of America has already given full approval for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine for children 12 years and over. In another study, the Netherlands now, it was shown that the impact of school closures on students’ learning clearly demanded that vaccination was and is indeed necessary. It was found that even there, and with just a short lockdown, equitable school funding, and worldleading rates of broadband access, that despite favorable conditions, the students made little or no progress while learning from home, and learning loss was most pronounced among students from disadvantaged homes. What this means? We have to inoculate the entire fraternity for both health and educational goodwill. Yours truly, H. Singh
DEAR EDITOR, I read with interest a letter titled ‘Amerindians benefit from development under successive PPP/C Governments’ by Attiya Baskh. We can have no objection to the writer referring to the things done by the PPP to promote the welfare of our Amerindian brothers and sisters. But what I find disgusting and clearly unacceptable is the unfair and untruthful statement that the PNC did nothing to promote the well-being of Amerindians in Guyana. I understand how affective the propaganda machine of the PPP supporters is, but I think they are going too far. To my knowledge, it was under Burnham and the PNC that an Amerindian was made a Minister of the Government for the first time, Hon. Stephen Campbell. It was the PNC Administration that first put into law the rights of the
Amerindian and promoted their indigenous foods and practices. In addition to ensuring educational opportunities for Amerindian children, it was Burnham’s initiative that had the Umana Yana built at its permanent spot in North-west Georgetown, where Chief Elka and his merry band of workers were brought to Georgetown to build the Umana Yana, using no modern tools nor nails. Which was the centerpiece when Guyana hosted the Non-Aligned Movement Conference in Guyana? The likes of the writer, Attiya Baskh, and our Leaders must put an end to this daily anti-PNC, antiBurnham assault. I recall that in lectures and meetings dealing with the history of the six races, the PNC was careful in the interest of trying to be One People, that it did not emphasise the fact that the Europeans during slavery
made our Amerindian brothers into head-hunters, when they were paid to catch the runaway slaves and bring them back to the plantations dead or alive. After Amerindians took part in the unsuccessful Rupununi Uprising, it was Burnham who had the charges withdrawn and the Amerindians whom he felt were used, were then pardoned and released. We can only climb the mountain peak in harmony, if we count honestly every period in our country’s history determined to make a reality of our slogan, One People, One Nation, One Destiny. It is significant that this distortion by Attiya Baskh should come at the beginning of a month to honour and celebrate with our Amerindian brothers established during the PNC regime. Yours faithfully Eric Moseley
Chaotic and inadequate delivery of financial services DEAR EDITOR, I write on the state of the financial services industry in Guyana noting yet again that consumers are complaining bitterly on social and other media regarding monies missing from their accounts, mediocre services at financial institutions, etc. The standard of services provided by banks in Guyana, are far below that provided by similar institutions across the globe. We are even way behind those in our own region – the Caribbean, not to mention the entire South America. Permit me to underline a few examples of areas that need urgent attention. We still are forcing our working population to have to take time off from work to go deal with banking issues because of our prehistoric closing times. This carries a cost for employers and in some cases, employees as well, since the time taken may be deducted from their annual leave or sick days. Non-teller services most of the time require at least an hour, if not, several hours of waiting before you reach the customer service representative. Even then, simple things like being provided with a replacement card, filing fraud claims, getting a new cheque book, etc. still take way too much time. Online banking services, while they may be able to do some things, fall far behind what 21st century banks offer. I am highly concerned as well, Editor, that we put up with as much substandard services as we do in this country because we lack options. Right now, RBL is the dominant bank in the country, ashamedly so. We are yet to see a new bank open its doors in Guyana for decades. Competition is sorely lacking, which has caused complacency with our existing banks. As a result, not only are we faced with poor services, we also lack variety in the types of financial services available in the country. Most Banks elsewhere have financial advisors that counsel and assist the customers to achieve their financial goals. For example, if you have some money, which you do not wish to keep in a low-yield savings
account, financial advisors go through available options with you - low-interest fixed deposit accounts, protected indexed funds in which you can invest, and of course, riskier investments for those who wish to take it. You can invest in funds that focus on only government bonds, or you may want to invest in something indexed to the non-oil market; some may like to focus on more “green” instruments. The depth of what a developed financial services industry can offer does not exist in Guyana, or at least, not at the scale it should. We have hard-earned savings, but not many options to make those savings work for us. Editor, financial literacy among the general population needs to be improved. And that is not just from the banks’ end, but also from the regulator’s end, because the banks will educate you enough to buy their products, but it is the regulator that needs to go the extra mile to educate the population about what to look out for. What we do not need is people making poor decisions, which lead to Courts or a bank coming to take away their things, because they were unable to make payments (which happens). Last but not least, it is clear that a proper vision for our financial services industry is absent. We are yet to hear what we can expect this industry to look like in 2 to 5 to 10 years from now. It just seems to be languishing and left to its own devices. Maybe what we need, is a substantive finance minister who cares for the entire portfolio of the Ministry of Finance, and not seemingly just the bits and pieces of political priority. It is time the Bank of Guyana shows leadership as well as some level of autonomy. It is my fervent hope that the BoG finds its backbone sometime soon. We need leadership that jumps in leaps and bounds if we are ever going to create this wonderful vision of a Guyana that offers “world class” services as His Excellency has touted for us. Sincerely, Atheria Adler
T N U L B . . . T B N U T L N B T . U . L . L T B . . N . U N U T L N B . U T . . L N N U T B . U . N L U BL BLUNT. B . . T . T T N N U . U L . . L B . T B . . . . N . T U T N N T U N U L L U B . L B . . . . B . T . . T . N N T U N L LU U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . U . . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . . U . N L T U B . N L . . U B . T L . . N B T . . U . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B . T . U . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . U . . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . B . UN .BLUNT. L . . B T . . . N T U N L . . U B T . L . B . UN .BLUNT. L . . B T . . . N T U N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . U . . N L B T . U . . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . . . LU ...BLUN B T . . . N T U N L U B T . L . . N B T . U . . N L T . U B . . N L T U B . N L . . U B T . L . . N B T . U . . N L T BB T...BLU U N L U B . L . . B . T . . N N T T L U U N L L U B U T...BLU B L . . N . B . T . . N T U N N N U L U U B L . BL TLUNT.. UNT...B BL Sunday September 05, 2021
Kaieteur News
The Wales gas-to-energy project was slated to cost US$400M under the coalition government, now it is US$900M under the PPP Government. So said former Minister Patterson as headlined by us on September 3.
We say: don't worry, by the time the PPP Government finished with this waiting white elephant of a project, it will cost the original US$400M PLUS the US$900M estimated by the PPP. In fact, it is likely to cost MORE, if crooked PPP leaders get their way. After all, it is the Guyanese taxpayer who pays the billion dollar (US) bill.
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Sunday September 05, 2021
Kaieteur News
Health Minister reminds Guyanese of long-term COVID-19 effects - says unit being set up to treat patients with prolonged ailments
H
ealth Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, has reminded Guyanese of the prolonged effects COVID-19 can have on the body. As such, during his COVID-19 Update on Thursday, Dr. Anthony announced that the first of several facilities is being established at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) to treat persons who have recovered from the COVID-19 virus, but who are suffering from long-term ailments caused by the infection.
Dr. Anthony said, “We are now in the process of o r g a n i s i n g a multidisciplinary team to provide care for long COVID-19 patients, so this is not just one specialty, it's not just like cardiac… this is g o i n g t o b e a multidisciplinary team.” He noted that post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection or long COVID, as it is commonly called, describes the effects of COVID-19 which persist for weeks or sometimes months after a person was initially infected with the disease.
According to the Minister, lasting symptoms of the disease include fatigue, breathlessness, brain fog (lack of focus), chest pains, joint or muscle pains, palpitations, anxiety or depression. Dr. Anthony said the Health Ministry has been observing patients who have recovered from COVID-19 but are now experiencing prolonged symptoms. He said the multidisciplinary team is important as the Coronavirus in many cases, attacks multiple organs at a time.
“Therefore, you need this multidisciplinary team to assist in the management of some of these patients. So, we're in the process of setting up that unit to be based at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and we will then be able to replicate that to some of our other hospitals depending on the patient load that we'll see,” Minister Anthony added. The Health Minister pointed to a report by Britain's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) that showed ongoing illness (Continued on page 55)
Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony
Alleged Shallot thief dies after reportedly jumping out of bus window
A
man accused of stealing some $70,000 worth of Shallot, died last Tuesday from injuries he received after reportedly jumping out of a minibus that was transporting him to a police station. The dead man was identified as Deonarine Dyal of Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice (WCB). According to a release sent out by the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the driver of the minibus claimed that Dyal jumped out of the bus around 09:00hrs. He further alleged that after he spotted Dyal lying on the road with injuries, he picked him up and took him to the Fort Wellington Public Hospital, where he died hours later while receiving treatment. An autopsy conducted on Dyal's remains has revealed that he died as a result of multiple internal injuries to the chest and abdomen caused by a heavy object. It is suspected that after he jumped out of the bus, it accidently ran over him causing the fatal injuries. The driver of the minibus had told investigators that at the time of the incident he was transporting Dyal to the Fort Wellington Police Station for allegedly stealing his Shallots. He claimed that on August 28, someone stole $70,000 worth of the herb
from his garden. He further claimed that he had reported the matter to the police but his son had told him that the Shallot thief was Dyal. The man related to investigators that last Tuesday he confronted the man about the theft and told him that he was caught on CCTV camera committing the act. Dyal had reportedly challenged the driver to show him the footage. The man agreed and Dyal joined his minibus to check out the footage at the driver's home. However, the driver told the cops that he had no intentions of taking Dyal to show him any footage and instead decided to drive with the alleged Shallot thief to the police station. Investigators reported that the driver claimed that on the way there he reportedly stopped to pick up a female neighbourhood police. The woman reportedly entered his bus and as he was driving off, she asked where he was heading. The driver claimed that he responded to the woman that he was heading to the Fort Wellington Police Station. Immediately, according to the driver, he heard his bus window pull open. When he reportedly looked back, he saw Dyal lying on the public road with bruises to his body.
Kaieteur News
Sunday September 05, 2021
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Stricter guidelines needed to combat COVID-19 in Guyana - Dr. Cummings Former Minister within the Ministry of Health, now current A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Member of Parliament, Dr. Karen Cummings, is calling on the government to implement stricter guidelines to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Guyana. Speaking at a recent virtual press briefing held by the APNU+AFC on Thursday, Dr. Cummings warned that the recently updated COVID-19 emergency measures will only put Guyanese at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19. The updated measures have paved way for casinos, betting shops and cinemas to operate at a capacity of 60 percent. The entertainment hubs were previously allowed to operate only at a 40 percent capacity. In addition to that, the restriction for concession stands at cinemas has been removed, food entities, buffet dining are no longer prohibited and even the capacity per table has been increased from four to no more than six for restaurants. This comes even as cases of the deadly disease are being recorded in the hundreds almost daily. As such, Dr Cummings noted that when measured against the country's rapidly rising COVID-19 statistics, “one can only assert that the Ministry of Health and its team should take a step back.” “One would have thought
Dem
boys seh...
that good sense would have prevailed by now, and they would do some introspection and [assess] the gaps…but here we are, there is an uptick in cases, it is skyrocketing, the deaths and confirmed cases and home isolation as well with no proper guidelines…,” Dr. Cummings said. She said with the Health Ministry's continued use of the updated guideline in the face of rising cases, Guyana is looking at a recipe for disaster. Dr. Cummings noted too that while the World Health Organisation's Director General, Tedros Adhanom
National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) has failed to prevent the increasing spread of the virus and inequities in healthcare delivery. “…The Task Force does not understand that there is a direct relationship between a person's health and social economic circumstance. Vaccines alone cannot combat the disease, noting that there needs to be a holistic approach.” Dr. Cummings said. Further, the former Health Minister said while vaccines are important, powerful and effective public health tools in the fight against COVID-19, the Former Minister within the Ministry of Health, Dr. Karen Cummings
Ghebreyesus, has underscored the importance of working collectively to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, “this Government continues to act unilaterally as it makes pertinent decisions that involve the Guyanese people.” The former Health Minister held too that the
Government has not done enough awareness to inform the public on the efficacy and safety of the available vaccines here in Guyana. “The Government and the Ministry of Health should seek to educate the public about the vaccines and encourage voluntary participation without threats.
Something happening!
Dem boys never hear bout somebody acting as Leader of de Opposition. Dat gat to be a fuss in Guyana. Cheddi was always Leader of the Opposition as was Hoyte and Granger. Dem boys never hear bout anybody acting fuh de Leader of de Opposition Dem nah know which law or which part of de Constitution give anybody de right fuh select somebody fuh act as Leader of de Opposition (LOO) when de substantive wan gan pun leave. De Leader of de Opposition is wan elected office and no provision mek in de law fuh anybody fuh act, regardless of de circumstances. Dem boys know dat is de non-government Members of de National Assembly does appoint de Leader of de Opposition. And parliament in recess till October.And de laws of Guyana nah seh nothing bout wah gan happen if de person
gone away for a short time. So dem boys wan know who give who power fuh put somebody else fuh act. Is nat as if de President going out de country and somebody gat fuh hold de fort. And dem boys know dat even when de President out de country, he does still be de President when he out de country. De only reason somebody else does get swear in is in case something terrible happen to de President when he outside, de country can't be without a President at any time. But dem boys nah know nuttin bout acting Leader of de Opposition. But dem boys suspect dat it gat more to what meets de eye. Could it be dat we seeing a changing of de guard in de Pee N See? Or is some deal mekking between de Pee Pee Pee and de Pee N See? Talk half and wait fuh de surprise.
There must be ongoing communication to ensure comfort…,” Dr. Cummings urged. Presently, the country has
over 2,000 active COVID-19 cases, of which 183 are new. As of yesterday, there were four new deaths and 35 persons were in the COVID-
19 ICU. In total, Guyana has had 26,295 confirmed cases of the disease of which 640 persons have died.
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Sunday September 05, 2021
Salvation Army distributes $4.3M in hampers to flood affected persons
O
ver $4.3 million in hampers were on Friday distributed to persons affected by the flooding disaster and COVID-19, compliments of the Salvation Army Caribbean Territorial Headquarters in Jamaica. Approximately 500 hampers of food and cleaning items were distributed. Overseeing the distribution was Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, MP. Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, MP, along with Chairman of the Advisory Board, Edward Boyer, distributed the hampers.
“This morning, the Salvation Army - Guyana division, has always been working to do social work with people, with the less fortunate of our society, and I want to congratulate them for putting this effort together on behalf of the Government. The Government of Guyana usually partners with the Salvation Army from time to time in initiatives to help our people, and I believe this morning is testament to that,” the Minister said. He also used the opportunity to urge persons to get vaccinated against COVID-19. He said Guyana has over 26,000 confirmed cases of the disease. To date, over 318,000 people have
received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. “It is actually an expression of love to get vaccinated because if you actually love your friend, love your neighbour, love the people you go around, you want to protect them and the only way you can protect them, is if you are protected yourself.” Many persons expressed gratitude for the initiative taken by the Salvation Army. Mark Debarross said, “I feel really good to be honest, and this is a good initiative that the church did and it will help a lot of people.” Patrycia Lambot shared a similar view. “I feel blessed because when the rain falls you do not want to see my
Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, along with Chairman of the Advisory Board, Edward Boyer, distributing hampers house and yard, so I am thankful very much for the cleaning detergents and the food stuff, because you
know how the times hard right now.” The Salvation Army recently held a similar
exercise in Bartica, Region Seven, where over 100 hampers were distributed. (DPI)
Sunday September 05, 2021
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 05, 2021
Secondary schools will reopen once students receive both doses of Pfizer Vaccine - Health Minister W
i t h t h e reopening of schools set for this Monday, secondary schools across the country will open its doors for learning when the students are fully inoculated against the virus, that is, receiving both doses of the Pfizer vaccine. This was announced by Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, on Friday during his daily COVID-19 Update. Recently, the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, launched its vaccination campaign programme for adolescents. To date, over
6,000 children in schools have received their first jab of the vaccine. The country on August 24, received a total of 146,250 doses of the USmade Pfizer vaccines from the United States, which is to be administered to children between the ages of 12 and 18. “We want to vaccinate children so that they can return to school safely. So this is the first dose, 21 days after you will be getting your second dose and about a week thereafter you should be fully immunised,” Dr. Anthony stated. Similar to that of the
Health Minister, the Ministry of Education in its statement on Friday said that “for an adolescent to be deemed fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, they must receive two doses 21-28 days apart with an additional seven to 14 days after the second dose to be fully protected.” The Ministry said this means that different secondary schools will return to face-to-face learning on different dates. Each secondary school, the Ministry pointed out, will be informed of their respective reopening dates. As for the other levels of
schooling, that is nursery and primary, schools reopen on Monday for face-to-face learning. Some schools across the nation will though open fully, while some will operate on a rotational basis. These schools however, have its own individualised
schedule for reopening which can be found on the Education Ministry's website. Both the Ministries are encouraging parents and guardians to have their child vaccinated, as well, encouraging both parents and teachers to do the same.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony.
Ex-T&T Minister advising Guyana left his own... From page 3 day they would not get the plant. So we would not get the ownership of the plant but we have to pay the full cost. Again, Ramnarine and the UNC bound NGC and the country to these untenable conditions that would have destroyed our gas sector.” But that is not the only mindboggling part of the story. Young revealed that Ramnarine and his colleagues were warned in red ink by personnel attached to the NGC that the terms of the agreement would be disastrous for the company and the country by extension. Young said, “I have here a letter dated February 24, 2015, by NGC and signed by then President, Indar Maharaj, addressed to the Finance Minister back then and copied, first person, Kevin Ramnarine. This fivepage letter was sent by NGC in February 2015 before the (agreement for the project) was executed (and it) set out all the red flags on why they should not pursue what they did.” “So on February 24, 2015, Howai and Ramnarine were written to. They were told that it was on December 4, 2014, that Cabinet approved the draft project agreement but the NGC was only told by letter on the 29th of January the following year. Why was there a delay in telling them about the 20 percent share NGC has to take in the CGCL Project. The letter then outlines eight red alert items why it is not a good idea.” Young said Ramnarine and the former Finance Minister were told that going ahead with the contract terms, makes no sense as they could be booted out by larger shareholders. Another major issue was that NGC was tied to a provision that it would stand liability for any cost increase, Young said while adding that “this is what has come to past.” He said too that the former ministers were also warned
that the project would negatively affect NGC's cash in hand and by extension, NGC's budget. Young said he found it troubling that the former Ministers and government by extension were warned of the detriments of this agreement but still pressed ahead. F o r t u n a t e l y, t h o s e contract terms he said, were renegotiated. Another startling discovery the Rowley administration made related to a policy that exposed NGC to billions in claims. That policy was called the “Green Field Gas Priority Policy.” He said this policy dictated that where there is a shortage of gas supply, downstream supply contracts entered into after January 1, 2014 would receive priority over gas supply contracts entered into prior to the date in question. Young said Ramnarine and other officials were told that this would place the country in breach of existing agreements but the warning was ignored. Young said the former government proceeded with the policy, which, as predicted, exposed NGC to billions in claims. “…So in the dark of night, this former minister went to the cabinet then and changed the whole gas allocation policy for Trinidad and Tobago and we, the population, had no clue about it. We were shocked to learn when we came into office in September 2015 that this was done. What this means is that every plant in Point Lisas that had supply contracts with NGC, if there was a shortage of gas, tough luck for them, they would have to suck salt and move to the back of the line, so immediately you can understand how this exposed NGC to billions of dollars in claims,” the Minister explained. Upon discovering these matters, a team was appointed to renegotiate terms of agreement with Massy, Mitsubishi and the
Government of Japan through its bank, the Japan Bank for International Corporation. Young said doing this was crucial so as to avoid the collapse of a whole industry. He was keen to note that T&T's Cabinet appointed the team via the standing committee on energy, and the team included himself and other government officials and technical persons who figured out how they would go about extricating the country from the contract and the policies and agreements that were associated with it. After months of negotiations, Young said the agreements were amended to protect NGC and the Green Field Policy was rescinded. Young said he is aware that Ramnarine and others have since sought to deny the roles they played in “the destruction and decimation of the energy sector in 20102015.” He stressed however that the facts are clear while adding that documents and contracts were already signed; all that was needed was the Attorney General's signature on a Standard Opinion for the project to “consummate everything.” He added, “Volume and costs of gas were already negotiated under the former Minister so to try and remove themselves from the decimation of the gas sector and attempt to moonwalk into the shadows and disappear,” is something the Rowley administration would not allow. ADVISING GUYANA Since the start of Guyana's oil industry, Ramnarine has been advising on Guyana's Local Content initiatives as well as its imminent Gas-to-Energy Project said to cost US$900M. He was also part of the nation's Local Content Panel, which was commissioned last year by President, Irfaan Ali. See tomorrow's publication for Ramnarine's response.
Sunday September 05, 2021
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BLUNTNESS ON INDECENCY! I
n case you haven’t heard, please be informed that as part Page Seven to be “BLUNT” about on-going indecency in our of our continued effort to channel positive changes in our land that should matter, not only to us at this publication, but the country, our publisher, Mr. Glenn Lall, has dedicated our entire nation.
SUNDAY Leaders of poor countries are the same almost everywhere. There is Nigerian President Buhari's son in a celebrity wedding that most likely cost many millions. Nigeria's super elite turned up in style at the festivities to see and be seen. This is while much of Nigeria is saddled with poverty and hunger. This sounds like Guyana, with leaders in Prado-ville mansions, their taxpayers sponsored lifestyles, and their natural resources richened crookedness. Nigerians are dying from hunger, but their leaders and their families are celebrating. Is this not what the PPP leaders are doing, how they and their cronies are living? MONDAY The Guardian Newspaper recently highlighted that ExxonMobil plans to use Corexit 9500, a toxic chemical that was banned in the UK, to treat any unmitigated oil spill that may occur offshore Guyana. Quoting internationally renowned disaster expert, Robert Bea, the news agency reported that the use of this chemical poses severe danger to a nation's health and marine life. One therefore has to ask, why Exxon, with all of its oil industry knowledge, is so thoughtless, even reckless, to include this highly harmful chemical, as part of its oil spill response plan. Is it that the lives of Guyanese do not matter? If the Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, is genuine about holding Exxon accountable, he now has sufficient grounds to express extreme indignation that the company would include this radioactive chemical in its
already shaky plans for Guyana.
TUESDAY An International Analyst said, “Guyana is walking a slippery slope with failure to determine the final price tag for the gas project.” We know what the Int'l Analyst doesn't know. When our political leaders are not interested in the final price tag for the gas project (or any costly project), this is a sign that they give themselves room to pad that price tag for their own benefit and that of cronies. Political leaders are part of the conspiracies that add more money to projects to fill their pockets and rob Guyanese. This is why there is neither hurry nor energy to get to the final price tag for the gas project from now. WEDNESDAY A UN Advisor and Asst. Secretary General to its Climate Action Team has called for global governments to take bolder, ambitious actions to combat climate change for achieving net-zero emissions in the near future. We h a v e n e w s f o r Advisor, Selwin Hart; he is wasting his time with any call to the Guyana Government. He should share his insistence about “no delays, no excuses” elsewhere, because Guyana's leaders are not listening. They don't like that kind of talk; don't want to hear anything along those lines. Climate change means slowing down the gravy train that gives them money. They are so greedy that they grab even that from poor Guyanese. Climate change don't talk such nonsense here, brother. Guyana's leaders don't care. It cuts
into their action. THURSDAY Peeping Tom recently reminded Guyanese of the Pareto Principle. The Pareto Principle estimated that 20% of the people in an organisation did 80% of the work. It could be sales or customer care for hard jobs done consistently. Now we take the Pareto
Principle further: we believe that 10% of the people in an entity are responsible for 90% of the output. It could be stores, hospitals, or governments. Now here is the problem: When 10% of workers are dedicated, that means the other 90% are slacking off or stealing. Now think of successive PPP and PNC governments, and this is what happens here.
Where some 90% of elected o ff i c i a l s a n d s e l e c t e d servants are skulking or cheating the nation.
SATURDAY Health Minister, Frank Anthony, came out recently and gave some Guyanese schoolchildren their COVID-19 jab. Now, he must come out
again and tell Guyanese how his comrades in Government are 'jabbing' this nation with their rich natural resources venom, their oil management stings, and their viral leadership practices. Anthony, the doctor knows that his leaders have certain weaknesses and sicknesses. He should give them a jab of truth serum.
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… is k ee W e th of r ke or W e in tl on Fr ur O
Sunday September 05, 2021
Public Health Nurse,
Michelle JagnarineBhagwandin
Public Health Nurse, Michelle Jagnarine-Bhagwandin
By Sharmain Grainger
M
any people were hopeful that by now COVID-19 would have become a thing of the past and life pre-2020 style would have resumed. But with each passing month hope for this hallelujah moment dwindles as the disease daily forces more of the infected to tap out of the game life. As if the scourge of COVID-19 has not been bad enough from its inception, word from the experts tracking the disease is that it has become even deadlier – evident by the track record of the Delta variant. Although vaccines have been touted as mankind's salvation, many people are still resisting this shield of protection. Despite this worrying state of affairs, health workers on the frontline have not lost hope. In fact, they have been valiantly fighting on in much the way humans have for centuries. Frontline Nurse Among those on the frontline in this corner of our world is a nurse by the name of Michelle JagnarineBhagwandin. Though Nurse Jagnarine-Bhagwandin would much rather enjoy more quality time with her f a m i l y, t h e h e a l t h professional side of her has recognised that her country needs her more than ever if any semblance of normalcy is to be restored. Presently, her role in the COVID-19 fight is as a vaccinator operating out of
Bhagwandin is always conscious of the importance of keeping safe since, according to her, COVID-19 has taught her to “value life and how precious it is to see the break of a new day.” “I'm a family-oriented person who loves to see my family happy,” said our featured Public Health nurse as she listed evening strolls with her family at weekends among her favourite pastimes. Born to Nandram and Amreetee Jagnarine on
“
Please love yourself, value life, protect yourself and love one another. God says we must use wisdom…vaccines are not curable medicine but preventable, so being vaccinated can mean the difference between life and death.
”
the country's premier public health institution – the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). “I think because of my Public Health experience this has made me suitable,” said Nurse JagnarineBhagwandin of her designated role. Despite the known risks, she admitted that factors such as “this beautiful nation of ours” and “my love for humanity” help to keep her focused on the mission. “I always like to see people healthy and despite what we are faced with, I will continue to serve,” she assured. To help alleviate her exposure, she daily safeguards herself by adhering to strict hygiene measures, social distancing, always wearing a mask and the use of personal protective equipment while on duty. She also opted to boost her protection by taking two jabs of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Family-oriented As wife to Rajendra Bhagwandin and mother to two children – Aaron and Arianna Bhagwandin – Nurse Jagnarine-
November 19, 1983, as the elder of two girls, she grew
With her beautiful family
up in the Vryheid's Lust North, East Coast Demerara community. She attended the Pindola Nursery School, then Montrose Primary School before heading to the Cummings Lodge Secondary School. By the time she had completed her secondary education she was eager to join the nursing profession to become like her aunt, Savitrie Balram, who was a Registered Nurse at the GPHC. Because of her aunt, she admitted, becoming a nurse was her first and only career choice.
Ready to vaccinate persons against COVID-19
Noble Profession Trained at the Georgetown School of Nursing, she has been a nurse for 16 years and has held the position of Public Health nurse for the past nine. “Nursing is a noble profession that aids the sick in recuperation back to health. Nurses are with the patients throughout the
Educating persons about the vaccine
continuum of life…nurses are teachers, advocates, caregivers, critical thinkers and innovators. They help patients and families learn to become healthy by helping them through the range of emotional, physical, mental and cultural experiences they encounter during illness. Nurses have been at the forefront of change in health care,” Nurse Jagnarine-Bhagwandin detailed with pride. As such being a nurse on the frontline as the country wages war against the pandemic comes naturally to her. But even she is fully
aware that those within the health sector can only do so much. For this reason, Nurse Jagnarine-Bhagwandin is hopeful that unvaccinated persons will choose to be vaccinated to at least boost their defence against the novel coronavirus causing disease. “Please love yourself, value life, protect yourself and love one another. God says we must use wisdom…vaccines are not curable medicine but preventable, so being vaccinated can mean the difference between life and death,” our featured frontline health worker warned.
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Miss Felicia Ally
Sunday September 05, 2021
This week's beauty is the stunning Miss Supranational Guyana 2021 Felicia Ally. She enjoys reading and exploring nature. Kaieteur News wishes her all the best in her future endeavours.
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Guyana has no economic interests in the Middle East O
ne of the biggest diplomatic failures ever was the Middle Eastern diplomacy undertaken by former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, in 2009 and 2010. Those missions, which were intended to eye-up sources of investment for Guyana, brought little to no benefits to Guyana. Jagdeo's much publicised Middle Eastern diplomacy was a diplomatic disaster. More than 10 years after, Guyana is still awaiting the investment dollars, including from the sovereign wealth funds of some of those States. Jagdeo woke up one day and discovered that the oilrich countries of the Middle East had huge sovereign wealth funds. These funds were accumulated because of the oil wealth in these countries. Guyana thought that perhaps it could have some of these funds invested here. However, invested in what? Guyana went to the Middle East without any concrete proposals, hoping to have some of these oil-rich countries empty a portion of their sovereign funds here. It
was always going to be a pipe dream. It was naïve on the part of Jagdeo to pursue such an adventurous course of action. He was clearly demonstrating a form of political adolescence in believing that somehow Guyana could tap investments from those oilrich countries' Sovereign Wealth Fund. Never before in the history of Guyana has a visiting Head of State made such widespread contacts within the Middle East, touting assistance and investments, and come back as empty-handed as Jagdeo did. Guyana got absolutely nothing substantial from Jagdeo's Middle Eastern diplomacy. There were, of course, the usual promises from countries about investing in Guyana. But nothing ever came of those promises. Nor did anything significant materialise out of a visit to the region of a top Kuwait official. The Kuwaitis came and signed a few agreements that would have protected their investors from double taxation and other things, but
there has been no flood of investors, 10 years onwards. A diplomatic mission was established in Kuwait. Guyana has benefited little from its presence there. The failure had nothing to do with the quality of the diplomats posted there but rather with the fact that Guyana does not feature p r o m i n e n t l y, e i t h e r politically or economically, on those countries' priorities. Middle Eastern countries have historically shunned Guyana, except during the socialist period when the Libyans poured resources into internationalising Gaddafi's Green Book. They established a presence here and had made some minor investments in agriculture. Middle Eastern countries have no interest in investing in Guyana. Middle Eastern countries do not need sources of investment. It is not as if those countries have a shortage of investment options. Middle Eastern countries will come here and promise all kinds of investments. But what some of them are really interested in is selling the country vaccines for which they have marketing rights.
Jagdeo has always lacked the diplomatic finesse needed to make significant political or economic breakthroughs with other countries. Nor was he ever able to muster the diplomatic skills to develop a follow through on plans to ensure that the original contacts and openings he made were exploited. He has no major foreign policy achievements to show, none whatsoever. He failed to adumbrate a Middle Eastern diplomatic initiative following his
visits. And it was clear that his idea of diplomacy is the u s u a l o n e - m a n s h o w. Unfortunately, the world of diplomacy no longer revolves around personalities but instead around processes and this was completely at odds with the approach adopted by Jagdeo. It was all part of the failure of the PPP/C administrations to appreciate what constitutes effective diplomacy. Guyana is now once again seeking close ties with Middle Eastern states. But
without the right diplomatic strategy and skills, that too will become another diplomatic disappointment. Where Jagdeo failed, Ali is going to flop. (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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Kenya's President wants 'steadfast leadership' by Commonwealth Secretariat By Sir Ronald Sanders
I
t is good to see that the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, has nominated his Cabinet Secretary for Defence, Monica Juma, for the post of Commonwealth Secretary General. The Kenyan nomination suggests that African nations still believe that the Commonwealth remains potentially relevant to its 54 member states and to the international community, despite the fact that it has lost the radical voice for which it
became known and respected in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. In those decades, with Sir Shridath 'Sonny' Ramphal as Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Commonwealth was a leader in combating racism, including the ugly apartheid regime in South Africa; initiating global engagement on Climate Change and its harmful impacts; documenting international economic inequities and setting out a programme for reform; and putting the multidimensional security
concerns of small states on the global agenda. Sir Shridath's successor, his former Deputy, Emeka Anyaoku, continued that leadership role. In the following years up to now, the Commonwealth and its main engine, the Commonwealth Secretariat, departed from the role as thought-leader and innovator of creative solutions for issues within the Commonwealth and in the wider world. This prompted the Director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS) at London
University, Philip Murphy, to write in his 2018 book, “The Empire's New Clothes: The Myth of the Commonwealth,” that the Commonwealth “doesn't do very much, but then it doesn't cost very much.” This was an extraordinary statement from the Director of ICwS, which was born in the same year as the modern Commonwealth in 1949. While it caused great alarm – and even anger – among Commonwealth devotees, it emboldened those who r e g a r d e d t h e Commonwealth, in its radical years, as a nuisance and an obstacle to maintaining the old order that suited them. The last two decades of paralysis by the official inter-governmental Commonwealth, captured in Murphy's throw away phrase that it “doesn't do very much,” also encouraged those who could see no particular benefit in the
Commonwealth and, therefore, no value in an Institute dedicated to Commonwealth studies, such as the ICwS. Consequently, in October 2020, London University announced that it was closing ICwS. M u c h t o t h e amazement of those who thought that the Commonwealth was sufficiently on life support that no one would object to ICwS' burial, more than 90 Commonwealth nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) registered vociferous objection. This persuaded the University's Vice Chancellor to establish a committee to inquire into Commonwealth Studies, under the Chairmanship of former British Foreign and Defence Secretary, Sir Malcolm Rifkind. I was invited to serve on the Committee and drafted the
Sir Ronald Sanders report that was finalised by its other distinguished members from government and academia. In our report, delivered on July 21, 2021, the Committee concluded that not only should ICwS continue to operate but it should be strengthened to serve a contemporary purpose as set out in the first declaration of the 2013 “Commonwealth Charter” which states: “Recognising that in an era of changing (continued on page 35)
Sunday September 05, 2021
Dear Reader, in light of the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, our publisher, with you in mind, has taken the decision to extend our weekly review of some of our major stories in their entirety. SUNDAY EXXON PLANS TO USE HIGHLYTOXIC CHEMICAL BANNED IN UK TO CONTAIN OIL SPILL OFFSHORE GUYANA – Industry Expert warns Should an oil spill occur offshore Guyana at one of ExxonMobil’s Projects, be it the Liza Phase One, Liza Phase Two, or Payara, the oil company is proposing to use a highly toxic chemical to contain the disaster. Pointing this out recently was Petroleum Engineer, Robert Bea, one of the world’s most respected experts on disasters. In an interview with The Guardian, which was published a few days ago, Bea said ExxonMobil’s plans to contain a potential oil spill in the Liza Phase One Project rely on methods that were heavily criticised when deployed in previous disasters. Expounding further, Bea said Exxon intends to use Corexit 9500, a chemical dispersant that was banned in the UK and faulted for severe human and environmental harms when used in previous oil spills such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the Macondo oil spill. Upon noting this, Kaieteur News via its own research found that the dispersant is also being recommended as part of ExxonMobil’s clean-up plan for a possible oil spill in the Liza Phase Two Project as well as the Payara Project. For those who may not be aware, dispersants are chemicals that are sprayed on a surface oil slick to break down the oil into smaller droplets that more readily mix with the water. Dispersants do not reduce the amount of oil entering the environment, but push the effects of the spill underwater. While dispersants make the oil spill less visible, dispersants and dispersed oil under the ocean surface are hazardous for marine life. Dispersants and dispersed oil have been shown to have significant negative impacts on marine life ranging from fish to corals to birds. It releases toxic breakdown products from oil that, alone or in combination with oil droplets and dispersant chemicals, can make dispersed oil more harmful to marine life than untreated oil. Both the short-term and long-term impacts of dispersants on marine life have not been adequately tested. As acknowledged by the EPA in the USA, the “long term effects [of dispersants] on aquatic life are unknown.” For fish, research shows that dispersants create a toxic environment by releasing harmful oil breakdown products into the water. Also, dispersed oil has been
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shown to be toxic to fish at all life stages, from eggs to larval fish to adults, according to numerous laboratory studies that have tested a variety of species. Significantly, dispersants and dispersed oil are particularly toxic to corals, leading scientists to call for a ban on dispersant use near coral reefs. Dispersants and dispersed oil harm the early stages of corals by increasing death rates, reducing settlement on reefs, and altering behaviour. A formulation of one of the dispersants being used in the BP spill response, Corexit 9527, has been shown to prevent fertilisation of mature eggs and hinder the development of young life stages of reef-building corals. According to the Minerals Management Service, dispersant components absorbed by sea turtles can affect their organs and interfere with digestion, excretion, and respiration. With respect to birds, studies have found that dispersed oil, including oil dispersed by Corexit 9527, damages the insulating properties of seabird feathers more than untreated oil, making the birds more susceptible to hypothermia and death. Furthermore, dispersants and dispersed oil have also been shown to have toxic effects on bird eggs that are similar or worse than from untreated oil. Birds exposed to dispersed oil that return to their nests risk the death of their eggs. As for humans, dispersants pose significant human health risks as well. One of the dispersants used at the BP spill, Corexit 9527A, contains the toxin 2-Butoxyethanol which “may cause injury to red blood cells (hemolysis), kidney or the liver” with “repeated or excessive exposure,” according to the manufacturer’s safety data sheet. Of significance is the fact that the Corexit 9527 was sprayed on the 11-million gallon oil slick created by the Exxon Valdez spill, and clean-up workers reportedly suffered health problems afterward, including blood in their urine as well as kidney and liver disorders, attributed to 2Butoxyethanol. Although approved by the EPA, formulations of Corexit 9500 and 9527 were banned from use in the United Kingdom in 1998 because laboratory tests found them harmful to marine life that inhabits rocky shores. BP’s use of the more toxic, less effective Corexit dispersants is under scrutiny since the company that manufactures these dispersants, Nalco Co., has ties to the oil industry. In the 1990s, Nalco formed a joint venture company with Exxon Chemical Company and has board members and executives that have previously worked for Exxon and BP. Nalco has sold millions of dollars of dispersants for the BP spill. Nalco has also refused to disclose all of the ingredients in the Corexit products. Sources h t t p s : / / www.biologicaldiversity.org/ programs/public_lands/energy/ dirty_energy_development/
oil_and_gas/gulf_oil_spill/ dispersants.html http://www.takepart.com/article/ 2015/04/06/cleanup-productsdeepwater-horizon-spill-were-toxic h t t p s : / / www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/ article/study-shows-toxic-effectsoil-dispersant-corexitr-9500-likelyoysters-following-2010 https://archive.nytimes.com/ www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/06/ 09/09greenwire-ingredients-ofcontroversial-dispersants-used42891.html MONDAY GUYANAWALKING SLIPPERY SLOPE WITH FAILURE TO DETERMINE FINALPRICE TAG FOR GAS PROJECT – Int’l Analyst
International Energy Analyst, Arthur Deakin To ensure taxpayers are not heavily burdened with repaying the development costs of the contentious gas-to-energy project, Arthur Deakin, an international analyst and Co-Director of Energy Practice at America’s Market Intelligence (AMI), is calling for the PPP/C Government to have a consensus on the final price tag of this project. This he asserted, will guard against cost overruns which have the potential to be in the billions of dollars. Deakin aired this concern about the costs of the gas-to-energy project during a recent appearance on Kaieteur Radio’s programme, Guyana’s Oil and You. There he said, “Guyana needs to have a common consensus on what the cost is going to be before you start building; this is very important.(When there are cost overruns), that ends up hurting the pockets of local taxpayers, it hurts the government’s pocket. So it is important to have clarity on that issue before building,” Deakin explained on Tuesday during his interview with Senior Kaieteur News Journalist, Kiana Wilburg. The Co-Director went on to indicate that AMI – the consultancy firm to which he is attached – has not looked at cost overruns for Guyana’s estimated USD$900M gasto-shore project. On that same token, he referred to cost overruns in Latin America, particularly in neighbouring Brazil and the
corruption which engulfed same. ”Let’s say that there was a base cost of USD$100M for a project; they would say that it costs $200M. Then they would split the other $100M between the people that were involved in the bribes and all of that,” Deakin pointed out. He continued, “It is very important to have very clear reports done and a clear consensus on what the cost is going to be. Of course, you gotta have some room for cost inflation, but that has got to be written in the contract and determined before you start building anything.” Deakin’s comments come on the heels of cautionary research done by an independent United States think tank, the Centre for Public Integrity (CPI). In the cases the body examined, CPI found that cost overruns on Natural gas projects “are the norm rather than the exception, often by 45% or more.” In one of its analytical papers on this subject, CPI noted that initial estimates of capital costs for large petroleum projects are almost never correct. It noted for example that there were massive cost overruns in the first phase of Sasol Limited’s Pande Temane project. Sasol Limited is an integrated energy and chemical company based in South Africa. The company was formed in 1950 and is now one of the biggest corporate carbon emitters in the world. As for the project in question, it involves a pipeline that was built from the gas fields of Pande and Temane in Inhambane, Mozambique. CPI during its research found that the estimated cost for the project was pegged at US$600M but the final price tag ended up being over US$1.2B. Over in Australia, CPI found that all Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects exceeded their initial cost estimates by at least 40%. The same trend was found in Papua New Guinea (PNG) too. In PNG, a Liquefied Natural Gas project had carried an estimate of US$8 billion to US$9 billion when the project was approved, but then it climbed to US$15 billion when construction began and upon completion, it ballooned to US$19 billion. In one of the cases it studied in Angola, CPI found that the cost overruns were even worse: initial estimates were pegged at approximately US$3 billion for one LNG project while the final costs were over US$10 billion. Taking the foregoing cases into account, the American think-tank urged countries, particularly new producers like Guyana to be wary of the costs for such projects as the evidence shows they often times inflated. In Guyana, the government says that the planned gas-to-energy project is expected to cost $900M. But there is no guarantee that this would be the final cost. The requisite geophysical and economic studies are still being done for the project. Be that as it may, Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, previously gave assurances that the project costs would not exceed US$1B.
Kaieteur News had previously reported that the gas-to-energy project is being designed to provide 250MW of power to the national grid, following its estimated operationalisation in late 2024. It is also estimated to create about 775 jobs. About 700 of these will be aggregate to the construction phase, while the remaining 75 are for the other aspects of the project life cycle. The proposed project would bring associated gas from two ExxonMobil Guyana-operated projects offshore being the Liza Phase One and Two operations via pipelines to onshore gas processing facilities. The pipeline would transport up to 50 million standard cubic feet per day of Natural gas to the facilities. The maximum flow of the pipeline is approximately 120 million standard cubic feet of gas per day. All of the gas will be transported to the Wales Development Site. It should be noted that ExxonMobil in collaboration with the government, is moving ahead with this project at a time when the world is moving away from fossil fuelbased projects. In May, for example, this newspaper had reported on the United Nations (UN) call for a shift in the policy of countries worldwide, to move away from supporting fossil fuel projects through financing such as subsidies, towards renewable energy and the promotion of the transfer of technology to developing countries. NO MORE EXCUSES!!! ALL COUNTRIES MUST STEP UP FIGHTAGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE – UN Advisor
UK Advisor, Selwin Hart Advisor to the Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General of the Climate Action Team at the United Nations, Selwin Hart, has issued a clarion call for all global governments to take bolder, ambitious actions to fight climate change and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. During an interview with United States news agency ABC Network earlier this month, Hart said the evidence that greenhouse gasses from fossil fuel burning and deforestation are contributing to global warming is “irrefutable”. Further to this, he pointed that these Continued on page 22
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From page 21 events have placed the lives of billions of people, animals and ecosystems at risk. “Now is not the time for delay. Now is not the time for excuses. That is why this year’s climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland represents a critical milestone for global efforts to address and defeat climate change. We need all leaders, all countries -rich, poor, big and smallto step up to the play… It is possible [to achieve net-zero]. We have the resources, we have the technologies to do it,” Hart expressed. Although he called on all countries to play their part, the Assistant UN Advisor was keen to emphasize that wealthier countries must support resilience building and adaptation in the smaller, lessdeveloped countries. Further to this, Hart pointed out that third world countries which are not the biggest contributors to emissions, often suffer from the brunt of climate change. “This must be a global effort. It must be a moment for global
solidarity. The U.S should reach out and support smaller, poorer nations that are already battling with many of these devastating impacts of climate change,” he said. One of the first steps the world can take, Hart stated, is by decarbonizing the energy sector. To do this, he said that countries need to triple energy generations from renewable energy sources over the next decade or so. He was quick to point out that this goal has been achieved as he referred data between 2010 and 2020, which show that power generation from renewable sources – wind and solar in particular, – tripled in this period. ”We need to do this again but at a much grander scale,” Hart said. If countries fail to lower emissions, the UN Advisor warned that the planet will become an “unlivable one” and reiterated that “billions of lives are at stake”. ”As the report (by the InterGovernmental Panel on Climate Change) clearly outlines, we cannot survive in a four- or three-degree world. We are seeing these unprecedented impacts across the world,” he stated and referred to the ongoing wildfires in Greece. When asked whether the United Nations anticipates that world leaders will take the necessary actions to curb the threat of climate change, Hart responded in the affirmative. He indicated that the UN is “cautiously optimistic” over positive change and added that over the past few months, many governments have committed to attaining net-zero by mid-century. “About 73% of total global greenhouse gas emissions are now covered by a net-zero commitment,” Hart said; “The entire Group of 77 nations committed net-zero by 2050.
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We have also seen large economies making this commitment, but we need all 0f the G20 countries. These countries account for 80% of global emissions. We need all of these countries to commit as a first step, but also, back up this long-term commitment with ambitious interim targets.” The UN advisor said whether the world wins or loses, the war against climate change rests on what happens in the next decade, as he added, that if the world does not limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the decade, then there is no hope of achieving the goal, the Paris Agreement. TUESDAY EXXON’S UNAUDITED LOCAL CONTENT BILL CLIMBS TO $19B ExxonMobil Guyana has announced that its local content spending has now moved to $19 billion for the first half of 2021, but has yet again failed to provide a
transparent and detailed breakdown of how the money it claims was spent. The company in a statement Monday noted vaguely that the hefty $19 billion was spent on more than 750 Guyanese vendors of goods and services ranging from foodstuff to engineering and that has generated, either directly or indirectly, an economic impact of $23.1 billion. Additionally, it said since 2015, a total of $96.4 billion has been spent directly with Guyanese suppliers. But with no evidence provided to show exactly how the money was spent, per the terms of the Stabroek Block Agreement with ExxonMobil and its partners, CNOOC and Hess Corporation, Guyana would have no choice but to pay the sum. And even as the subsidiary gears to hand this bill to Guyana, the government is yet to audit the company’s local content bills for 2020 and 2019 which amount to $31.9 billion and $24.3 billion respectively. As per the PSA, the state has a two-year deadline within which to audit these costs and if that time elapses, the costs have to be accepted as correct. It, therefore, means that Guyana has up to the end of 2021 to audit the local content bills for 2019 and up to 2022 to complete the audit for expenditure, which the company claims was made in 2020. But Guyana failed to audit, in a timely manner, the costs the company incurred for 2015 to 2018, said to be $20 billion, and hence those have to be considered as correct. ExxonMobil Guyana said too in its statement that as of June 2021, 2,865 Guyanese were supporting the company’s overall activities,
representing 53 percent of the total workforce. It said that its Guyanese workforce grew by 38 percent to 2,865 at the end of June 2021 from 2,070 in June 2020 – and includes 568 women. Local content is the value that an extraction project brings to the local, regional or national economy beyond the resource revenues and this definition is supported by the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI). But the anticorruption watchdog has oftentimes said that a challenge with local content is that it can open the door for corruption and elite capture of an industry. It pointed out too that corrupt public officials can position themselves to benefit from oil companies’ contracts, and private local companies can partner with oil companies to create a false impression about the contractor’s local content efforts. Because of this, Kaieteur News has long challenged ExxonMobil to provide transparent, detailed breakdowns of how the money it claims was spent but to no avail. ExxonMobil Guyana President, Alistair Routledge, in the statement, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to working collaboratively with the government to support the development of a framework that manages local content in a realistic and sustainable way. He said, “We are proud to have been able to deliver these local content figures which are a reflection of tangible progress.” Routledge added that, “further growth is expected and ExxonMobil will continue to work with Guyanese businesses to build local content together.” Wi t h t h r e e s a n c t i o n e d projects in Liza Phase 1, Phase 2 and Payara, and a fourth project, Yellowtail up for approval, the ExxonMobil Guyana President said that “timely approvals and processes” are vital to local content development. “It is important to identify and invest in successive projects that allow for the expansion of efficient operations to provide sustainable employment opportunities, local business growth, and broader economic development across Guyana,” he added. NO NEED TO RUSH PRODUCTION …GUYANA’S HIGH QUALITY CRUDE WILL NOT BECOME STRANDED ASSETS – Int’l Analyst The stranded asset phenomenon is one that plagues many countries across the globe. It occurs when assets have suffered from unanticipated or premature write-downs, devaluations, or conversion to liabilities. With the global energy transition intensifying since the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been calls by some for Guyana to rush its oil production while there is still a demand or market for it, otherwise, its oil assets could
Co-Director of Energy Practice, Arthur Deakin become stranded. Upon noting those comments, an international analyst has offered his perspective on the matter, stating that there is no need for Guyana to rush its oil production in the Stabroek Block since it has light sweet crude, low production costs, and high turnover for same. Making this position known was Co-Director of Energy Practice at a regional consultancy firm, America’s Market Intelligence (AMI), Arthur Deakin. During an interview on Kaieteur Radio’s, Guyana’s Oil and You Programme last Tuesday, Deakin highlighted that development of the country’s oil and gas sector in a sustainable way will also lend to it not being left with stranded oil assets. “Carbon capturing, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology, renewable energy to power the floating production storage and offloading vessel (FPSO), using its forest as a carbon sink — all of these things are going to be very beneficial for the overall emissions that Guyana produced from its oil and gas sector,” Deakin explained. He continued that it also helps that Guyana has light sweet crude that is easier refined. “It is very highly demanded because of the International Maritime Organization’s new regulations and also the fact that Guyana has very fast drilling rates, high recovery from its wells, low operation costs. Basically, it is a very attractive jurisdiction,” he pointed out. The Co-Director went on to refer to Guyana’s neighbour to the west, Venezuela, which is not the beneficiary of fortunes similar to Guyana’s. In fact, this Spanishspeaking country produces a heavier crude which costs more to drill out of the earth. Further to this, Venezuela for the past five years has been caught in an on-going socioeconomic and political crisis that began in Venezuela during the presidency of Hugo Chávez and has continued since. It has been marked by hyperinflation, escalating starvation, disease, crime, and mortality rates, resulting in massive emigration from the country. “There is no investor guarantee in Venezuela,” Deakin pointed out, “so as long as Guyana can develop its sustainable side to the oil and gas development and keep a
regulatory framework that is attractive to its investors and provides some guarantees, I don’t see it being stranded asset anytime soon, if ever, because oil is still going to be produced at least for our lifetime. So, there is plenty of time for Guyana’s oil to come out of the ground, to be honest.” Earlier this year, Deakin told Kaieteur News that Guyana’s highquality crude is what allowed the country to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. The International Analyst reminded that since Guyana’s crude is lower in sulfur content, it enjoys high global demand, particularly in China. ”Both Brazil and Guyana that have this type of oil, in addition to their low breakeven costs, lower than US$40 a barrel. Guyana I think is US$35 for Phase One of exploration and that price is expected to go down to US$25 in Phase Two of exploration… The panorama is positive,” Deakin had related. WEDNESDAY One year later… PRESIDENT ALI STILL TO SHOW FINDINGS OF EXXONMOBILAUDITS – INT’L WATCHDOG SAYS GOVTS. MUST SHOW HOW THESE EXERCISES BENEFIT CITIZENS
President Irfaan Ali Since assuming office on August 2, 2020, the Irfaan Ali led administration has yet to disclose to the citizenry the findings of two crucial audits that were conducted on ExxonMobil’s spending. The first audit was done on the US$460M the American oil giant claimed was expended prior to 2015 for exploration, while the second audit relates to over US$1B in expenses racked up from 2015 to 2017 for the development of the Liza Phase One operations. While the findings of the audit remain unavailable for public scrutiny, one international watchdog, the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) insists that it is critical for governments to show citizens the extent to which cost recovery audits are successful in helping to save the country millions of dollars. CPI noted in one of its analysis that this is a common practice when nations undertake cost recovery Continued on page 23
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From page 22 audits. The transparency group explained that cost recovery is a mechanism, which allows oil companies to recoup their costs directly from a portion of the petroleum produced. CPI was keen to note, that the process however creates strong incentives for oil companies to inflate expenses and
legal challenges to secure what rightfully belongs to the people. According to a separate analysis undertaken in 2003, CPI said Alaska was losing millions of dollars due to inflated and ineligible costs being included in the cost recovery process. In other cases, the nation was simply being robbed its fair share due to various schemes
in some cases, input costs that are ineligible or have nothing to do with the operations. CPI said this process has been the subject of controversy in many oil-rich countries hence, it is crucial that governments conduct rigorous audits to protect the nation’s revenues from being substantially reduced. Referencing examples in several counties, CPI was able to show just how much new producers like Guyana can save once these audits are done properly. Over in Timor-Leste, one of the most oil dependent economies in the world, CPI said petroleum revenues had accumulated at a rate of more than US$250 million per month during the 2007 to 2010 period. However, the money had flowed so fast that for many years, CPI said Timor-Leste devoted little effort to making sure that it received what it was actually owed. What also made matters worse, was the fact that the international accounting firm, Ernest and Young, acted as the independent auditors from 20072010 but contested few, if any of the petroleum company expense claims. Acting on advice, CPI said Timor-Leste subsequently initiated a series of audits covering the years 2005-2010. The first round was a success as it resulted in US$79M being recovered. A second round commenced in 2012, and this time, CPI said the Ministry of Finance there recovered US$400M. In India, CPI said more than twodozen oil companies had recovered over US$24.5 billion in inflated expenses in one year (2012). In the wake of this finding, CPI said the Indian government had commissioned a high-level panel to review existing contracts and explore various contract models. CPI said the panel back then concluded that the system of cost recovery “encourages the Contractor to inflate costs, to the detriment of Government’s share in profit petroleum.” Its main recommendation, therefore, was that India should adopt a “new contractual system and fiscal regime…” to overcome the difficulties in managing the costrecovery mechanism. That recommendation was later taken on board. Citing another example, CPI said the American state of Alaska provides yet another compelling example of how much countries stand to lose in the absence of audits that would sometimes require
employed by the oil companies. CPI said this led to prolonged and intensive legal action against oil companies that included ExxonMobil. Over a 17 year period (1977 and 1994), the Alaskan Department of Law reported that it had paid contract lawyers and accounting specialists from 30 different companies a total of more than US$217 million to follow-up legal claims against the oil companies. The department was keen to note that while the money may appear astronomical, it was certainly well spent since the litigation resulted in a recovery that totalled US$2.7 billion, almost 13 times what they spent on legal fees. By 2000, CPI was keen to note that further legal challenges produced an additional US$10.6 billion in revenue. CPI said it is important to note that the figures listed substantially underestimate the scale of abuse that was unearthed during audits and legal challenges. It said many other claims were launched against oil companies by the Alaskan Government but were settled out-of-court and are therefore not public. TIGI MEMBER BLASTS GOVT. FOR SECRECY ON POLLUTANTS IN LIZA OIL, GAS
TIGI Member, Alfred Bhulai Alfred Bhulai, a member of the Transparency Institute Guyana Incorporated (TIGI), recently criticized the Government over secrecy in relation to the composition of the oil and gas produced from the Liza field. In a letter published by Kaieteur News, Bhulai said TIGI made enquiries but was told by
ExxonMobil’s local subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), that it should ask the Government for the analysis of the oil and gas from the wells. “We asked,” Bhulai said, “but the oil and gas compositions have not been forthcoming… We don’t know how much sulphur or other pollutants are associated therewith.” Despite being called out on this matter, the Government has let an entire week to pass without explaining why it has not released the information requested by TIGI on the oil and gas compositions. Bhulai wrote the letter in response to an article from the Department of Public Information (DPI), which stated that the gas-toshore project would significantly lower emissions. It quoted two Senior Environmental Officers of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Tashanna Redmonds from the Technical Services division and Joel Gravesande who heads the Oil and Gas department. DPI also pointed to a study done by K&M Advisors for the David Granger administration, which estimates that the gas-to-shore project would lower Guyana’s emissions. However, if the public is not privy to information on the oil and gas compositions, it cannot independently verify the Government’s statements. This has been the modus operandi for the government on several oil related matters, whereby it claims to be transparent and prudent in its management but withholds vital tools necessary for public verification. The public is yet to see the local content reports, which ExxonMobil has been submitting, the Stabroek Block production reports, the audit report of ExxonMobil’s pre-contract costs, and the Payara report produced by the controversial consultant, Alison Redford. Earlier this month, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, claimed the Government has been transparent in its management of the oil industry. When pointed to these glaring contradictions to his claims, the President said, “I do not believe that we have been hiding anything as it relates to the oil and gas sector. Every piece of information that the government has, every discussion we have had, any change in any agreement, it has been shared with the public.” Ali also noted that his government is working on a website, which would house all the production, expenditure, and revenue collection details on the oil sector. He gave no timelines for when this would be completed or when the reports Kaieteur News enquired about would be released. THURSDAY GNBS ALREADY DOING REAL TIME MONITORING OF OIL PRODUCTION Over the last six years, financial
institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank as well as regional experts have urged Guyana to put in place, rigid technological systems that would allow for real time monitoring of the oil production taking place in the Stabroek Block. But to the surprise of many industry stakeholders, Head of Corporate Communications at the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), Mr. Lloyd David, disclosed on Tuesday that the agency is already doing real time monitoring of the ExxonMobil led
Head of Corporate Communications at GNBS, Mr. Lloyd David operations. He said this was due to the “Prov IT electronic software” that they have in place. During his first appearance on Kaieteur Radio’s Programme, Governance, Corruption, and Justice, David said the system cannot be compromised while adding that there are always inspectors onboard the Liza Destiny vessel to ensure the integrity of the oil measurements for each lift is preserved. While he could not say
how long the software has been in place or confirm if it belongs to ExxonMobil, he was keen to note that GNBS has an Oil and Gas Department, which was officially named this year. He said it has 10 well-trained inspectors including its head of department. David also shared that they operate on a rotational basis to ensure the quality and quantity of the lifts are copasetic. In this regard, he said an inspector is usually out at sea for 48 days. Expounding on the role of GNBS in the oil sector, the Head of Corporate Communications said, “GNBS has a very multifaceted role. We monitor the flow meters that dispense fuels from the FPSO (floating, production, storage and offloading vessel) and onto the ship that transports the fuel. Therefore, we observe the calibration of those meters and then as they dispense, we also observe the process to ensure it is working properly. Now in terms of quality, we are responsible for taking samples of crude and sending them in sealed containers to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) for testing.” As regards the training that was done by the inspectors, David intimated that two exercises were done in Trinidad and Tobago. They are: the Emergency Breathing System Training and the Tropical Underwater Helicopter Escape training. Both are to ensure the inspectors are equipped with the safety skills they need onboard an oil vessel. He said too that inspectors had done a five-day measurement training with overseas experts. David said it covered aspects related to flow process, verifying Continued on page 24
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From page 23 measurement points and the valve sealing process so as to ensure calibration is not compromised. A previous release by GNBS had also noted that Oil and Gas Inspectors had completed an advanced Petroleum Measurement Course offered by the University of Texas at Austin, Petroleum Extension (PETEX). David further noted that of the 10 inspectors, five have been trained to work on the Liza Unity FPSO, which is scheduled to arrive in a matter of weeks. While GNBS highly anticipates the government’s fibre optic cable project coming on stream so as to boost its technological capacities offshore, David was keen to note that inspectors will be on the vessels all year round to ensure the integrity of the process is protected. FIBRE OPTIC SUPPORT The fibre optic cable, which will allow Guyana to monitor Exxon’s operations offshore is expected to be laid by the third quarter of 2021, so that Guyana can monitor ExxonMobil’s producing Liza Phase One operations. ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), according to a project summary published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “proposes to construct the Project starting in Q4 2020) and ending in Q3 2021…” No cost is mentioned in the document. It is understood that the company’s intended high-speed fibre optic/wireless transport service will connect its onshore and offshore facilities. The summary states, “This connection will establish a foundation for high-speed / low latency connectivity of onshore and offshore facilities to Guyana foundation infrastructure, allowing implementation of digital technology to improve productivity (field access data and planning), support remote operations, and support reliability (process monitoring and inspection).” Furthermore, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has said it will make use of this facility to monitor Exxon’s offshore operations. The tax agency had said last year that it would have a CCTV system set up, following the installation of a fibre optic cable. This will allow the authority to see what is happening at the operation 24/7. The agency has had to rely heavily on vessels, which come to shore, for whatever reason, to report on what’s happening offshore, through various forms, utilising regulations in the Customs Act. GRA had also contemplated manned presence on the oil vessel(s) at all times, but it is unclear whether that was ever achieved. TWO FULLYVACCINATED PERSONS WITH CO-MORBIDITIES SUCCUMB TO COVID-19 Two fully vaccinated patients
95-year-old man from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) who both died while receiving care at a medical facility on August 31. Meanwhile, there are now 34 patients in the ICU at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, 107 are in institutional isolation and 1,809 are in home isolation. Thus far, 23,196 patients have recovered from the virus. FRIDAY
Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony have succumbed to health complications as a result of COVID19. However, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, confirmed Wednesday that the deceased persons had co-morbidities – diabetes and hypertension, in addition to other ailments which were all contributing factors. Both patients were elderly men ages 73 and 81 years old. The 73 year-old man passed away on August 12 and the 81-year-old man passed away on August 25. Both men were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, East Demerara. They died while requiring aid to breathe through the hospital’s ventilators. Minister Anthony noted that the patients were “extremely sick” and as a result, they died. He however insisted that this was not because of “the COVID-19 virus alone.” In the meantime, Minister Anthony expressed concern over the spike in new cases. “The numbers are climbing, we are seeing more people getting infected and it is also very worrying because if we don’t manage this carefully our hospitals can easily become overwhelmed… It is going to be challenging going forward as we get more and more hospitalisation. We have already spoken about other contingencies, and if it becomes necessary, close some of the services at some other hospitals and convert those hospitals solely for COVID hospital patients,” Dr. Anthony added. His comments came even as Guyana recorded 222 new infections over the past 24 hours, taking the overall number of confirmed cases to 25,770. The new cases were reported in Region One – one case, Region Two – 10 cases, Region Three -33 cases, Region Four -131 new cases, Region Five – nine cases, Region Six – three cases, Region Seven – 20 cases, Region Nine – two cases and Region 10 – 13 cases. In addition, the Ministry recorded two more COVID-19 deaths Wednesday, putting the country’s overall death toll at 624. According to the Ministry of Health, the latest fatalities are that of a 70-year-old woman from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) and a
WALES GAS-TO-ENERGY PROJECT… UNDER COALITION IT WAS US$400M BUT NOW ITS US$900M – Patterson As the PPP/C Government rushes ahead with plans to bring the controversial gas-to-energy project onboard by 2024, Opposition Member, David Patterson, has aired some reservations about the cost of the initiative to the nation. In his most recent Facebook post on the matter, Patterson said, “My records indicate that in 2017, Exxon proposed to construct a pipeline for between US$400M – US$500M inclusive of onshore processing and an LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas) plant.” He added, “Without any explanation, justification, or further studies, the cost for the exact same project by the exact same company has risen to US$900M.” Patterson expressed alarm that the project is already suffering from massive cost overruns even before a single piece of work or study is completed for same. However, Patterson is not the first to express such concerns on this front.
Sunday September 05, 2021
the exception, often by 45% or more.” In one of its analytical papers on this subject, CPI noted that initial estimates of capital costs for large petroleum projects are almost never correct. It said this has happened in Australia, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea and Angola. Taking the cases it examined into account, the American think-tank urged countries, particularly new producers like Guyana to be wary of the costs for such projects as the evidence shows they are often times inflated. In Guyana, the government says that the planned gas-to-energy project is expected to cost US$900M. But there is no guarantee that this would be the final cost. The requisite geophysical and economic studies are still being done for the project. Be that as it may, Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, previously gave assurances that the project costs would not exceed US$1B. Kaieteur News had previously reported that the gas-to-energy project is being designed to provide 250MW of power to the national grid, following its estimated operationalisation in late 2024. It is also estimated to create about 775 jobs. About 700 of these will be aggregate to the construction phase, while the remaining 75 are for the other aspects of the project’s life cycle. The proposed project would bring associated gas from two ExxonMobil Guyana-operated projects offshore being the Liza Phase One and Two operations via pipelines to onshore gas processing facilities. The pipeline would transport up to 50 million standard cubic feet per day of Natural gas to the facilities. The maximum flow of the pipeline is approximately 120 million standard cubic feet of gas per day. All of the gas will be transported to the Wales Development Site. It should be noted that ExxonMobil in collaboration with the government, is moving ahead with this project at a time when the world is moving away from fossil fuel-based projects. GRANGER ON LEAVE OF ABSENCE FROM PNCR
Opposition Member, David Patterson Just recently, International Energy Analyst and Co-Director of Americas Market Intelligence (AMI), Arthur Deakin, posited that the massive gap in costs under the two administrations is already a cause for concern while adding that there needs to be consensus on such a crucial matter before any work commences. Echoing similar sentiments was independent United States think tank, the Centre for Public Integrity (CPI). In the cases the global watchdog examined, it found that cost overruns on Natural gas projects “are the norm rather than
Leader of People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and Head of the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) list, David Granger, has taken a leave of absence. This was confirmed last evening by a spokesperson attached to the party as well as Executive member, Aubrey Norton, who is also vying for the leadership of the PNCR. The official confirmed that the former President‘s leave of absence came into effect as of September 1, 2021. Granger was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and has not fully recovered from the disease; Kaieteur News understands that Mr. Granger took leave to focus on his health. The party spokesperson also disclosed that Granger had written to PNCR Chairman, Volda Lawrence,
Leader of PNCR and Head of the APNU+AFC list, David Granger as well as General Secretary, Amna Ally, to inform them of his leave. Norton, who has been contesting the party leadership in recent months, has disclosed that in accordance to the party’s constitution, Chairman Lawrence will act on behalf of Granger in his absence. Granger’s absence calls into question his functions in two other capacities. The first is his role as leader of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) coalition. APNU, which originally included the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), the Justice For All Party (JFAP), National Front Alliance (NFA), and Guyana Action Party (GAP). The WPA and JFAP have left APNU since their loss at the March 2, 2020 Regional and General Elections. Neither the spokesperson nor Norton could say what implications Granger’s absence would have on the APNU leadership and who will fill that critical role. Granger’s second capacity is as the head of the APNU+AFC list, the main parliamentary opposition. As head of that list, Granger is the only person who can either appoint or remove APNU+AFC parliamentarians. So far, the party spokesperson has confirmed that Granger has given no timeline for his return. “He said it has to do with his health but he did not say when he will be back,” the spokesperson stated. The PNCR internal elections for the leadership, long overdue, are expected to be held later this year. SATURDAY EPAINCREASES FLARING PENALTY FOR EXXONMOBIL - ALREADY COLLECTED $400M FROM OIL GIANT Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr. Kemraj Parsram disclosed on Thursday that the flaring penalty for ExxonMobil has increased from US$30—per tonne of Carbon Dioxide equivalent released—to US$45. The official made this known during an interview on Kaieteur Radio’s programme, Guyana’s Oil and You. There, Parsram disclosed that the EPA has already received $400M penalties from ExxonMobil. He was Continued on page 25
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From page 24 keen to note that the fine was increased as of July since ExxonMobil is still flaring, though at significantly reduced levels. In fact, Parsram noted that ExxonMobil was flaring 15 million standard cubic feet of gas per day but this is now down to six million standard cubic feet of gas per day. The EPA Head said, “The EPA and by extension the government’s policy is zero routine flaring. Flaring is only permitted in circumstances where it is necessary to ensure safety and in cases if emergencies occur. We know there are issues with the compressor (for the Liza Destiny vessel) and we have been working with the operator (ExxonMobil).” Parsram was keen to note that ExxonMobil has, and continues to show, efforts in addressing and meeting compliance. Based on the information provided thus far to the EPA, Parsram said ExxonMobil is expected to reach pilot level flaring by yearend, which is one million standard cubic feet of gas per day or less. The EPA Head said he finds this to be a reasonable timeline while adding that there have been noticeable improvements and also the willingness of the operator to make every effort to comply. He added, “The important thing is not so much how much money or how many applications have been made but rather that there is real effort at achieving compliance and a clear plan to solving the issue.” It was in May when Kaieteur News reported that the EPA amended the Liza Phase One Environmental
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Head of the EPA, Mr. Kemraj Parsram Permit to have ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) pay US$30 for every tonne of Carbon Dioxide equivalent (CO2e) – a term for describing different greenhouse gases in a common unit – burnt after May 13, 2021.It is significant to note that ExxonMobil was projected to exceed flaring 14 billion standard cubic feet of gas by May 13, 2021 in its Liza Phase One Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). In light of this, the EPA said it had engaged EEPGL to amend the Liza Phase One Permit. Kaieteur News understands that EEPGL had agreed to the changes which include: revised terms and conditions relating to emissions reporting requirements, technical considerations for flaring, timelines for flaring events and an obligation
on the company to pay for the emission of Carbon Dioxide equivalent (CO2e) as a result of flaring in excess of these timelines. The modified Permit was signed subsequently between the two parties. Extensive research conducted by Kaieteur News shows that gas flaring contributes to climate change, which has serious implications for the human security and wellbeing globally. In fact, the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, outlined in one of its studies, that gas flaring is actually a major source of greenhouse gases, which accelerates global warming. It was noted that flaring releases Carbon Dioxide and Methane, the two major greenhouse gases. Of these two, Methane is actually more harmful than Carbon Dioxide. It is also more prevalent in flares that burn at lower efficiency. Of the greenhouse gases researched so far, Kaieteur News understands that the global warming potential of a kilogramme of Methane is estimated to be 21 times that of a kilogramme of Carbon Dioxide when the effects are considered. The University of Ibadan study also noted that flaring contributes to local and regional environmental problems, such as acid rain with attendant impact on agriculture, forests and other physical infrastructure. The acid rain results in environmental degradation, which includes soil and water contamination and roof erosion.
Furthermore, there have been over 250 identified toxins released from flaring including carcinogens such as benzopyrene, benzene, carbon disulphide (CS2), carbonyl sulphide (COS) and toluene; metals such as mercury, arsenic and 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. LOCALS GEAR TO SINK US$16M IN MASSIVE QUARRY BUSINESS Once the requisite approvals are provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Malali Quarry Inc., a local company led by Jairaj Ramnarine, Terrence Neilson and Vickash Ramasar, will be investing as much as US$16M or G$3.3B into its Tigerhill quarry project. According to documents lodged with the EPA, the project has a start-up capital of US$3.15M and would provide over US$8M in taxes for the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). It was further noted that the Tigerhill Quarry which spans 1,400 acres is approximately 135 kilometers south of Georgetown, 45 kilometers south of Linden, and a few meters from the Demerara River in the Malali Amerindian Reservation. Kaieteur News understands that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was already signed with the Malali Amerindian Village for the project, located in the Malali
Amerindian Village. Furthermore, the Project area is veneered entirely by tropical lowland forest with the canopy height ranging from approximately 10m to 22m. Aside from tracks and trails made by small scale artisanal loggers, the forest cover has essentially been preserved. Once operationalised, the quarry is expected to supply boulders, gabions, and crushed aggregates in the following fractions 7/8", 3/4", 5/ 8", 1/2", 1/4" minus, sifting, and quarry cleaning. Based on the volumetric calculations, a total of 6 million tons of gabbroic material is available for road construction, sea defenses and aggregates. Furthermore, it is estimated that not less than 200,000 tons of rock will be produced per year for the first established production phase. The annual production for the first few years during the consolidation of operations will be 200,000 tons of aggregate. After the recovery of a substantial portion of the capital investment, the second phase of investment and expansion will increase production. In addition to the foregoing, the quarry is expected to see a capital investment of not less than US$3,000,000 and will have an initial workforce of at least 30 (local) employees. The company was keen to note that the development of this complex’s quarrying facilities will be completed within eight to 10 months of the Permit being granted. Based on estimated reserves, the Tigerhill quarry project has 50-year mine life.
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THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
Adam Harris and I: Money and age in Guyana I
am going into 43 years of marriage and I have known Adam Harris long before I got married. We spent a very long time as two high profile employees of Kaieteur News. But our relation was characterised by deep Freudian underpinnings. It was an enigmatic relation with Adam. I knew in his Freudian mind he didn't like me but our time at Kaieteur News before his controversial divorce in April 2020 was good. Adam and I got along exceedingly well. I finally got to know how he felt about me when I was not among a long list of invitees to his 70th birthday party. When I was told who some of the guests were, I laughed because I knew I had a friendlier relation with him than some of them. I am by nature a confrontationist person. So I reminded him that I knew people who got his fancy invitation and not me. But still our time after that at the newspaper was marked by a total absence of vexation on both our parts. After the controversy at the newspaper in April last year, I never spoke with or saw Adam. On September 1, last Wednesday morning, I was in the garden with my wife when Adam called. “Freddie how you can say I
accused you of taking money from the PPP? Benschop called me this morning.” I replied, “Adam, you said that. I have the tape. You said a lot of things about me in that interview. Please ask Benschop for the tape.” He said, “I asked him, he said he doesn't have it.” “Well Adam, he is lying. I have the tape. Three persons sent it to me. You said a lot of things about me for almost 10 minutes,” I added. Then the conversation (which I recorded) took a different tone. Adam and I began to chat in a light manner. I accused him of receiving $50 million from the APNU government in March last year to support election rigging as editor of the Kaieteur News. “Never, n e v e r, n e v e r ! ” A d a m shouted. I was joking but I was baiting him to see how he would react. And that was how he reacted. So I asked him why then he thinks the PPP is paying me? He insisted, he never said that. He asked for the tape. I told him he must get it from Benschop. Adam
knows full well Benschop has the interview on tape. I did mention to Adam that at my age what will I do with all that money. I remember one of the world's richest men, Warren Buffet, asking what people are going do so with the billions they keep getting. In 2020 when the election rigging was taking place, I had reached advanced age. With those years, what am I going to do with all that money I am accused of getting from the PPP? When you reach a certain age, money has no use. When it is plentiful and you are in advanced years, you have to give it away. I live directly opposite former diplomat and economist, Cecil Rajana, who died at the JKF Airport from a heart attack last week. He was in his eighties. Rajana built the CARICOM Secretariat annex across the road from where I live and sold it for a few billion dollars. Then Rajana did something eerie. Opposite the annex is a squatter settlement. Rajana took over a parcel of squatting land and built a
home for himself. The squatter next to Rajana would meet me and tell me how Rajana was harassing him to move. Then one afternoon the squatter's house was on fire and was burnt down. Weeks after, Rajana built another house on the land. A friend, Raymond Persaud, an engineer at the Ogle airport told me that Rajana was selling the second house for $28 million. I couldn't see how that was possible when it was public land for which he would not have a transport. Many times, while
having breakfast and lunch and I would see Rajana coming out of his Frederick Kissoon yard, I would wonder why with his wealth and age he was on squatting land. was a staff member. When Now what happens to the two my contract was terminated, houses opposite where I live? that was stopped. I had to find What is the lesson to be learnt almost half a million dollars. here? Why in advanced age, Why did I not seek to take one wants to accumulate money back then? Why now millions and millions. What Adam? Why now? I don't need it now. are you going to do with it? (The views expressed in Why did I not accumulate money when I needed when I this article are those of the was young and was raising a a u t h o r a n d d o n o t family? UG was paying my necessarily reflect the daughter's tuition because I opinions of this newspaper.)
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Sunday September 05, 2021
Special constables being trained on human trafficking
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s the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security continues to organise training for key persons across the country who may come into contact with perpetrators and victims o f h u m a n t r a ff i c k i n g , members of the Special Constabulary were recently brought up to speed on the issue at a two-day training. The ministry's Counter Trafficking in Person (CTIP) unit hosted the training, which kicked off on Thursday morning. Subject minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, feels strongly about the issue and has often referred to it as a heinous crime against humanity. She has personally visited several of these training sessions to urge
participants to speak up when they see it happening. She has emphasised the need for perpetrators to be identified and prosecuted. Head of the Special Constabulary and Special Superintendent, Owen Trotz, said the training is timely and will come in handy for him and his officers. The constabulary has over 1,000 staff members throughout the country and covers most of the government ministries and agencies, even providing protection for judges, magistrates, and other officers. “We see most forms of TIP so this training is timely and I am excited that the officers would be better equipped to deal with all forms of abuse.
The C-TIP training with special constables being rolled out at the Regency Suites Hotel on Thursday
They would be able to give information to the police, take some initial action and even give information to the ministry and other agencies,” he expressed. Trotz called attention to the number of underage girls from Venezuela who are
working at wash bays and other businesses with little pay. He has also noticed that the people who come from Brazil, Dominica and other countries to practice prostitution here, are often treated badly. Also commenting on the training was participant Romeo Samuels who said he believes the training would have a great impact because it would provide for a better understanding of TIP. Meanwhile, a group of
Venezuelan re-migrants who came from Regions One, Two, Three, Four, and Seven was recently trained by the ministry. “Identifying the traffickers is the biggest problem, but if they're not stopped more will join them. The only way to end this is to put these people behind bars; if they feel they can get off, they won't stop. Let's go out there stronger together. Trafficking in Persons is a heinous crime against people,” Minister Persaud
had told the participants. According to her, it was important for the re-migrants to be trained because when they come to the country they must understand its policies, laws and procedures. “The community engagement is the best engagement. We're trying different avenues of how we engage people,” she said. The C-TIP unit has also concluded training with the Guyana Police Force and Guyana Defence Force, among other agencies.
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Coronavirus: Health workers are pushing beyond their limits; alarm bells are ringing By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt Medical Center
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ast night I was speaking with a colleague who was expressing concerns for fellow medical colleagues in the frontlines who are exhausted. Yesterday was one of the worst days we've had at the frontlines since this pandemic started. Patients were coming so sick that there were too many resuscitations (CPR); unfortunately, some didn't make it. My concern is that there will be more days like this and even worse, given the COVID-19 wave that we are currently experiencing. Health workers are obviously absorbing the brunt of this wave and like everyone else, we have limits. I am concerned that some of my colleagues are beginning to show signs of emotional trauma and burnout from the constant influx of sick patients and deaths they have had to deal with, especially in the recent weeks. What is currently happening in Guyana Given the trend worldwide, it seems that we are in the “Delta wave” of the pandemic, which has been the most aggressive one so
far. Our current seven-day case numbers and death rates are at its highest since the pandemic started. Majority of the deaths and hospitalisations are avoidable since it is patients that chose to take a chance without vaccines. Unfortunately, they are the main victims of the “Delta wave” and given our low vaccine uptake, I worry that there are sufficient numbers of unvaccinated for the Delta variant to infect and overwhelm us with deaths. The patients that suffer While we do see a few infected vaccinated patients, t h e n u m b e r s o f hospitalisations or deaths from this category are not cause for worry. However, the recent massive influx of deaths and severe infections from the unvaccinated is worrying as the Delta variant (assuming it is) is showing to be more efficient in taking these patients down than any other previous variants. While the numbers of these patients surge, the numbers of nonCOVID-19 cases have not dropped and it is becoming a challenge to cope with the “storm that is brewing.” Health workers are suffering Imagine the scenario of three patients presented to the
emergency dying. One is confirmed COVID-19, the other is a patient with a “breathing problem” and the last one's heart has stopped beating because of complications from diabetes. It takes a minimum of four health workers to resuscitate (perform CPR) on each patient and each resuscitation can last between 20 minutes to an hour. The confirmed COVID-19 patient dies, the diabetic patient is saved and placed on a ventilator (life support) and the “breathing problem” patient is alive for now but you find out the relatives were hiding information, and the patient is COVID-19 positive. You rush to make sure that all of your colleagues had sufficient protection when each of them would have spent extensive time trying to save this patient. While all of this is happening, the load of sick patients with other conditions waiting to be seen keeps increasing. Everyone is bombarding you for miracles, wants to be seen right away, or needs more information about their sick relative. You have not had a chance to eat or drink for more than nine hours and you are broken inside because of the suffering that you had to witness your patients go
through. You suck it up and continue on till your shift is over and stay on a bit after to ensure your patients are dispositioned. You leave tired and hungry, worrying that you are returning the next day to a similar situation or even worse. This is not a scenario, it is the reality of what ER staff are faced with daily. What I've described is not even half of what we endure daily to make sure our overwhelming load of patients get the care they so desperately need. What may happen in the coming weeks if we do not act responsibly While the scenario above, and it is currently what we are faced with, the situation will get far worse if we do not curb the spread of infections immediately. If that happens, it will not be fair to “bash” or blame the health workers
when they can't deliver the “miracle” that we all keep expecting as the situation worsens daily. Like the US and India and so many other countries, the situation may reach a point where we do not have oxygen for everyone that needs it. We may not be able to save every life that can be saved and suffering will be like never before. It is what happens when a pandemic overwhelms a system where callous behaviour continues to be the norm. We can avoid this by being responsible and practicing the preventative measures that mitigate our risks of becoming infected. H o w e v e r, w e h a v e a powerful weapon in the form of vaccines. They are doing what they were designed to do; drastically reduce deaths and
hospitalisations from COVID-19. This is the best armour you can put on at this stage of the pandemic. It will protect you and others and it will give the health workers the boost they need to save more lives.
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Senior Finance Minister outlines Guyana's plans for economic transformation to IsDB Group Meetings in Uzbekistan - Private sector to play pivotal role, Govt. placing renewed focus on LCDS to combat Climate Change During his presentation on Friday while participating in the 2021 Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group's Annual Meetings in Ta s h k e n t , U z b e k i s t a n , Senior Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, congratulated the Government and people of Uzbekistan for the excellent arrangements put in place for the meetings, especially since they are taking place during the challenging period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Senior Finance Minister also congratulated the current President of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser, who commenced duties last month. He also thanked his predecessor, Dr. Bandar Hajjar, for his commitment to the Bank and the IsDB's support for Guyana's development agenda during his tenure. “We were very pleased to hear the new President's inaugural address yesterday as he highlighted development priorities, such as social infrastructure and human capital development, stimulating domestic and high-valued foreign investments, digital transformation to secure
greater resilience, building out infrastructure, e n v i r o n m e n t a l considerations, international climate commitments, regional integration and cooperation, and building fiscal buffers. These are all priorities that are acutely relevant to Guyana,” Dr. Singh said. Alluding to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Finance Minister reminded that it is wreaking havoc across the globe, sparing no country or community while policymakers worldwide have had to grapple with the human tragedy and economic trauma that the pandemic brought with it. “In Guyana, as if the challenges of COVID-19 were not enough, we then had to contend with unprecedented flooding, as a result of extraordinary levels of rainfall since May this year, resulting in a national disaster being declared. These floods caused the displacement of households and farmers and extensive d a m a g e t o p r o p e r t y, including farms, crops, and livestock. These floods have also brought into sharp focus Guyana's continued vulnerability to climate
risks,” he added. The Senior Finance Minister then lauded the Bank's Strategic Preparedness and Response Program (SPRP), which provided a total of US$4.5 billion of support to help member countries contain, mitigate, and recover from COVID-19. He noted, however, that despite this, the battle with COVID-19 is far from over. Dr. Singh told participants that Government, under the Leadership of President Irfaan Ali, has requested the reprogramming of previously approved funds and programming of new resources to help Guyana strengthen its capacity to respond to any future extreme climatic events and to build more resilient infrastructure. Discussions are ongoing with the Bank on this, as Government aims to garner the required support while also ensuring that this support is delivered in the shortest possible time. “We are also engaged in discussions with the Bank on several transformative projects, aimed at reinforcing our resilience and harnessing our untapped economic potential, particularly in the non-oil sector. We have already initiated discussions on many projects in the transport infrastructure sector with the Bank, including farm-to-market roads, which will open new arable land. Here again,
Senior Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh
timely conclusion of these discussions will help accelerate realisation of the outcomes targeted by these critical interventions,” the Senior Finance Minister explained. Dr. Singh posited during his presentation that even as Guyana faces many immediate challenges the country still has bright and exciting opportunities ahead in its current momentous juncture of economic evolution. “As one of the world's newest oil producers, with the potential to become a significant supplier on the global scale, Guyana is poised for a dramatic structural shift in our economy. We intend to seize this moment to leapfrog the growing pains that new oil and gas producers suffer all too often, including by ensuring that we achieve and maintain a globally competitive non-oil economy from the very outset,” he emphasised. The Senior Finance Minister then underscored the pivotal role Guyana's
private sector will play in the realisation of the country's transformation, both at the domestic and international levels. “While government will maintain a supportive environment and will invest in supportive infrastructure, the bulk of the economic growth will be driven by private investment and Guyana abounds with opportunity today for the private sector. In this regard, the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC), and International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) all have important mandates. We look forward to these private sector-oriented entities within the IsDB Group playing a demonstrably bigger role in Guyana, and indeed in all other member countries, in the immediate future,” Minister Singh said. He also alluded to several policies put in place by government in the past, which are being once again brought to the fore in the country's fight against Climate Change such as the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). “Even as we become an oil and gas producer, Guyana prides itself as a global leader in the fight against climate change. The preservation of our pristine rainforest over generations has enabled us to make a disproportionate contribution to the global climate effort today. In 2008, we published what we believe was the first LCDS for a developing
country. On the basis of that strategy, we partnered in 2009 with Norway in the world's third largest international forest partnership to create the capabilities needed to integrate Guyana's forest climate services within international carbon and other markets,” the Senior Finance Minister further emphasised. On this note, he disclosed that the Government of Guyana is now working on a new and expanded LCDS which aims to ensure that Guyana's standing forests are adequately remunerated for the global climate services they provide, adding that the expanded LCDS will also encompass the blue economy for the first time so that Guyana can also harness full benefit of its vast marine resources in a sustainable manner. “Guyana stands ready to share with the IsDB family our experience with economic development along a low carbon trajectory, and to work with the Bank to build a stronger coalition around the critical environmental and climate issues of our time,” Dr. Singh concluded as he reaffirmed Guyana's commitment to working closely with the Bank and fellow members to advance economic development in all the countries. The IsDB Group's 2021 Annual Group Meetings (which also saw the presence of His Excellency, Sardor Umurzakov, Chairman of the IsDB's Board of Governors, along with other High Level officials from around the world) was expected to wrap up yesterday.
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>>> ENCOURAGING EVENTS, DISTURBING DEVELOPMENTS <<<
Pandit's murder, oil audits and Alfred Bhulai By GHK Lall
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hat came last week did not just disturb, but horrified. What followed after the murder of that pandit in Berbice confirms the darkness and dirtiness hanging over this society. It took 11 to batter one isolated man to death. That was bad enough, but the Guyana Police Force (GPF) was not there; not timely, when needed most urgently. But, as part of this not-so-new practice, there was a company of impressively dressed commanders visiting the family, with hat in hand, to mumble
belated insincerities about sorrow. The GPF started out a good practice, which in certain circumstances does the opposite of the good intentions in mind: I see them as professional mourners weeping loudly after the fact, but absent when the blows are descending, when help is n e e d e d i m m e d i a t e l y. There was not a lowly constable available (or vehicle), but there were those in brass epaulets and their brass faces. Too late, gents. And, then more of the insulting followed, with only six being charged. Who is aiding and covering up a horrendous crime with another? More must be charged; if not 11. I remember a murder long past, where two brothers killed a man, and the younger brother alone took the rap. The other murderer ended up in parliament. There are injustices already at work with this man's death, let there not be one more.
The disturbing continues with the disappointing, what is the usual, in this instance. It is a year later, and President Ali is still to share the audit reports on Exxon's spending in Guyana. This is the equivalent of a Chairman of a Board of Directors deciding that independent reviews and examinations of the crucial areas of a business must be kept a secret, because of what is feared is housed in the reports. A company cannot flourish like that; neither can a country. Exxon's interests or that of covering-up PPP leaders and a deceptive government cannot, and should never trump, the interests of the citizens of this country. Whatever it is that is so damaging in those two closely guarded audit reports must be released in its entireties into the public domain. The more President Ali, not one with even a passable reputation for transparency, struggles to lockdown the audit reports and lockout Guyanese
from knowing, the more he (and his government) come across as having a lot to hide. Audit reports on billions in Guyana dollars of supposed Exxon spending in this country cannot be treated like a national security secret. There is greater danger to the present welfare and possible later prosperity of citizens in withholding those reports. These billions accumulate, the payment obligations, or gouging from oil revenues, intensify. Citizens need to know, and should have months ago. The president has failed us, failed his oath of office, failed to be about what is honourable and the essences of openness. I have said it before and I must say it again: President Ali says one thing (transparency), but he lives with another (secrecy). If a neighbour or a peer did so to one of us, we would quickly brand him or her as the worst sort of deceiver and not to be trusted. I have been frank with putting
this before fellow citizens, now they must compare and decide for themselves. My position should be transparent: I do not trust the president; he is not looking out for Guyanese, and no amount of charity can obscure that, divert attention from his obvious weakness before the power of Exxon. Last, I am encouraged by the example of Alfred Bhulai, a m e m b e r o f Tr a n s p a r e n c y Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI). He asks questions about the composition of oil and gas produced, only for Guyanese to discover that that, too, is secret. As I hail him, where is TIGI itself? Now, it is only one year into the Ali Administration (a patented farce) and there is the norm: secrecy first, stonewalling next, serving up distortions to camouflage last. This is with oil and gas, and most areas of governance. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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Sunday September 05, 2021
g ts in s... re ture e t In rea C
White Witch
(Thysania Agrippina)
T
hysania Agrippina is a species of moth in the family Erebidae first described by Pieter Cramer in 1776. The most commonly accepted English name is the white witch. Other common names include the ghost moth, great grey witch and great owlet moth. Thysania Agrippina is of interest as a competitor for title of "largest insect." This may be true by the measure of wingspan—a Brazilian specimen with a wingspan of almost 30 cm (12 in) appears to h o l d t h e r e c o r d . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thys ania_agrippina - cite_note-size-1 The Atlas moth and Hercules moth, however, have greater wing areas. The white witch occurs from Uruguay to Mexico, and appears as a stray as far north as Texas in the U.S. Collection dates shows no discernible pattern with respect to location or season. One story of the
derivation of the common name: early naturalists collected specimens of birds and bats with shotguns. An enormous darting flyer high in the canopy was a tempting target. Firing a cloud of pellets at a white witch moth did not necessarily bring it down, however, because the body is small relative to the wing area. The moth would sail along, an unkillable witch. This moth is of historical interest as the subject of a well-known painting by the artist, Maria Sibylla Merian. Merian was an insightful naturalist who advanced the 18th-century understanding of insect life cycles; however, her depiction of the white witch life cycle is inconsistent with the known biology. Ecology, natural history Given the enormous geographic range of the adult, and observations that date back 300
years, it is striking that the immature life stages of this species have never been documented (notwithstanding the erroneous Merian painting). Long migratory flight is likely, given that the close relatives Thysania zenobia (the owl moth) and Ascalapha odorata (the black witch) are known for flights that reach far north of the
host plant distributions. Based on the larval host plants recorded for the owl moth and black witch, the larval host plants for the white witch are probably also woody members of Fa b a c e a e ( s u b f a m i l y C a e s a l p i n i o i d e a e ) , possibly Senna and/or Cassia. White Witch Watch is a project led by the lepidopterist David L.
Wagner at the University of Connecticut, seeking to identify the immature stages of the white witch. A key strategy: to obtain a gravid female and attempt rearing on likely hosts. The participants maintain a website, and an active citizen science project on iNaturalist. (Source: Wikipedia)
Sunday September 05, 2021
Kenya's President wants 'steadfast leadership' by Commonwealth Secretariat From page 20 economic circumstances and uncertainty, new trade and economic patterns, unprecedented threats to peace and security, and a surge in popular demands for democracy, human rights and broadened economic opportunities, the potential of and need for the Commonwealth – as a compelling force for good and as an effective network for co-operation and for promoting development – has never been greater.” The Committee's report has been accepted by the University and, hopefully, the strength and passion, displayed by the Commonwealth's NGOs, together with the cogent arguments in the report, will lead to implementation of its recommendations. But the issue of whether or not the Commonwealth matters and should be pulled back from a drift to irrelevance, demands more than the passion of NGOs. More especially, it urgently requires belief by governments that it has a role to play in addressing their concerns in their own countries and globally. At the heart of generating such belief among governments is the Secretariat and the Secretary General. In nominating Monica Juma, for the post of Commonwealth Secretary General, President Uhuru, reflected his own dissatisfaction with the C o m m o n w e a l t h Secretariat's recent performance by saying: “The success of our organisation lies in its ability to effectively address the needs of the member states, shape the collective agenda and implement its decisions for the realisation of our common aspirations. All these require steadfast leadership at the Secretariat to deliver a dynamic and i n f l u e n t i a l Commonwealth.” In 2011, I was a member and rapporteur of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) which submitted a report to Commonwealth Heads of Government, at their request, proposing u rg e n t r e f o r m o f t h e Commonwealth. In that report, which recommended, among other things, the creation of the “Commonwealth Charter,” the EPG remarked: “Reinvigoration and refocus
do not happen through complacency or inertia. It is complacency and inertia in vital aspects of the Commonwealth's values that currently pose the most serious threats to the continued relevance and v i t a l i t y o f t h e Commonwealth itself.” Unfortunately, in the almost 10 years since the EPG submitted its report, several of its main findings and priority recommendations remain unattended. Neither the Secretariat nor the inter-governmental leadership of the Commonwealth has clothed itself with the purpose of Ramphal and Anyouku, or with the vision of Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Eric Williams of Trinidad and Tobago who, in 1964, proposed and argued f i e r c e l y f o r a Commonwealth Secretariat that had meaning; that would generate ideas and propose new directions. That battle was not easily won. Britain and Australia particularly wanted a Secretariat with no authority and with no capacity that would “cut across” the authority of governments. Were the latter position followed by Arnold Smith, the first Secretary General, and by Ramphal and Anyouku, the battles for declutching Southern Rhodesia from white minority rule to create Zimbabwe, and for ending apartheid in South Africa and freeing Nelson Mandela, might have been deferred for many more oppressive years. There is no doubt of the Commonwealth's past worth and its future potential. Therefore, it is good that President Uhuru has proclaimed Kenya's interest in “steadfast leadership at the Secretariat to deliver a dynamic and influential Commonwealth” which he clearly recognises is sorely needed. (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda's Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own) Responses and previous c o m m e n t a r i e s : www.sirronaldsanders.com
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Sunday September 05, 2021
Lessons from a Lashpreneur!!! BY LATOYA ZEPHYR
Lash extensions full sets and refills Here at Lift and lashes, we are committed to ensuring you have the healthiest, most beautiful eyelash extensions available. In order to achieve this, your lash technician will make recommendations at each visit about the ongoing care and maintenance of your natural lashes and eyelash extensions. This includes identifying and suggesting when to have refills and when a full set is required. Here are some of the things we keep front-of-mind when making such recommendations: YOUR EYELASHES HAVE ANATURALCYCLE OF GROWTH Your natural eyelashes, much like your hair, have a growth cycle of their own. Generally, the cycle of growth, maturity and natural
shedding takes 2-3 months. Because each lash is at a different stage in this cycle at any given time, you’ll constantly be losing your natural lashes. Each time a lash falls out, it takes the extension with it. This is completely normal and maintaining a regular and timely routine of alternating between full sets and refills will ensure that your lashes always look their best. THE HEALTH OFYOUR NATURAL LASHES IS IMPORTANT In order for your eyelash extensions to look their finest, it is important to keep your natural lashes in the best health possible as they are the foundation on which your extensions are built. As your extensions grow out, the point at which your extension is bonded to your natural lashes weakens. In order to prevent bending and breaking, once the extensions grow out too far, we
recommend removing them and applying a new set to protect your natural eyelashes. THE CONDITIONAND FULLNESS OF YOUR EXTENSIONS NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED Refills are designed to fill in any obvious gaps left as extensions naturally fall. The point at which your real lashes join the eyelash extension weakens over time due to oil or other impurities. After about three weeks, the join starts to become unstable and will be ready to come off. For this reason, we prefer not to do a refill after the 3 week mark as its very likely a large number of your extensions will fall out within the next week. This is why we
recommend you attend a refill appointment within the first three weeks of having your new set applied to get the most out of your extensions and the best value for money. After 3 weeks, we suggest a new set to make sure your eyelash extensions last and always look their best. WE WANT TO AVOID HAVINGTOO MUCH ADHESIVE ON YOUR LASHES When we apply a new set of eyelash extensions, we do so on clean, adhesive and residue-free lashes. This is the ideal scenario for the extensions to bond effectively. When infills are applied, we are using adhesive on top of the adhesive that is already there. This means that the bond is not as strong and residue will be building up on the hair follicle which is not ideal for your eyelash health. To maintain a full, soft and lush look, we recommend only 1 set of refills (or in rare cases
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an absolute maximum of two) in between each full set. Think of it like this- if you applied hairspray to your hair too many times in between washes, your hair would be stiff and clumpy. No-one wants eyelashes that look like that! REFILLSARE FOR MAINTENANCE ONLY Refills are designed to be a maintenance procedure, not a substitute for regular replacement of a full set. The number of refills applied in a procedure is fixed and will add 50% of the lash quantity of a full set- this is why it costs less for this service. Refills are there to fill any gaps caused by the natural shedding of lashes in between full sets. As long as you follow the timing guidelines between a full set and a refill appointment, your lashes should be at anywhere between 70-100%+ in density compared to a full set after this appointment. For best results we recommend refills being applied within three weeks of the original full set. Outside of this three-week period, a full set will represent better value for money. REFILLSARE DONE WITH FOUR GOALS IN MIND: 1. Clean & tidy up eyelash extensions still on your eyes 2. Remove the lashes that are ready to fall out due to the natural growth cycle 3. Remove any weak bonding lashes 4. Fix any obvious cavities between lashes & lash extensions Ladies ask us almost every day, “why are my lashes falling off quickly this time?’ or, “I feel my lashes are not as thick as I’d like them…”. IF THIS IS YOU, CONSIDER THESE THREE THINGS: Is it my natural lash growth cycle? It’s possible that this has ended and your lashes are falling out to make way for new ones, taking your extensions with them. This is not something that can be controlled by you or us- this is simply how the human body works. How long have I had these extensions? If it’s been three or more weeks since the extensions were applied, the adhesive will have weakened so this is completely normal. Have you kept to the recommended refill/ full set cycle? We recommend you have refills applied within three weeks of your full set and only one refill between sets for best results.
E-Networks secures exclusive TV broadcast rights for 2021 CPL T20 in Guyana Thanks to a deal with International Media Content Ltd (IMC), the owner and broadcaster of SportsMax, ENetworks Inc. – Guyana’s leading TV service provider –was pleased to announce yesterday that it has secured the exclusive rights for live TV coverage in Guyana of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 2021 tournament from August 26 to September 15, 2021. For the third consecutive year, E-Networks said it is proud to keep Guyanese cricket fans in “The Biggest Party in Sport” by delivering the matches on its E2 channel, available countrywide on all its TV platforms: DreamTV Satellite, DreamTV Wireless, and DreamTV Fiber. The company said persons can also use the DreamTV Mobile app on their mobile phones to watch the matches on-the-go from anywhere. It said too that ENetworks customers can catch the action live in crystal-clear, high-definition quality, for as low as $3,600 monthly. Persons can visit www.enetworks.gy or any of the company’s social media pages for more information. In the agreement with SportsMax parent IMC, which is the regional broadcast rights owner for
the CPL T20, E-Networks will broadcast all 33 matches from this year’s tournament. Each match day in the preliminary round will have doubleheaders – first match at 10 AM and second match at 7 PM, except for triple headers for the last two match days at 10 AM, 2:30 PM and 7 PM respectively. First started in 2013, the Hero Caribbean
Premier League (CPL) saw an increase of 67 per cent in television, streaming and digital viewership in 2020, reaching 523.5 million viewers and passing half a billion for the first time in the tournament’s history. The 2021 tournament is the league’s ninth season, with all the matches taking place in St. Kitts and Nevis.
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Do We Really Need 10,000 Myths About COVID-19 Steps A Day To Stay Fit? Vaccines Busted
Everyone of us knows how important regular walks can be for good health. It may seem like a relatively simple exercise but it has tonnes of health benefits and it is also one of the easiest ways to keep our minds healthy and fresh. Having said that, have you ever thought about how many steps a day you should take or if it really matters and does the number affect your wellbeing? Let us take a quick look at the advantages of a daily session of brisk walkingHEALTH BENEFITS OF WALKING · It improves your respiratory functions and lung health. · It can effectively reduce the risk of heart diseases. · It helps in managing conditions like diabetes and hypertension. · It strengthens your bones and improves body balance. · It can ease joint pains and stiffness. · It can help people suffering from dementia and other mental illnesses. · It boosts your immune system. · It promotes stronger muscles and reduces excess fat. THINGS TO REMEMBER WHILE WALKING · You can wear a pedometer while walking to keep track of the number of steps taken and set targets. · Make sure you set a comfortable intensity for walking. · You should always start slow, take breaks if necessary and cool down after walks. · Remember to wear the right footwear and comfortable clothing while going for walks. It can have a great impact overall. · Make your walks interesting, it is always nice to have company and something you should look forward to every day. · Always choose walks that suit your health. · Make it a point to drink to stay hydrated during walks. THE GOAL OF 10,000 STEPS While you may hear it often and be instructed by your fitness tracking devices to take 10,000 steps a day, note that it doesn’t necessarily have to be the best option. You can decide your own pace and take time to up your current steps. The good news is walking around 7,000 to 8,000 steps daily is equally good, rather better. While setting goals can motivate you to do better, you must note that it is not necessary to meet a certain target. Walking helps you stay fit, you may include it as a part of an exercise and it does not mean that if you don’t walk 10,000 steps a day, it is useless. Similarly, it does not mean walking 10,000 steps a day ensures additional health benefits.
Studies and research shows that sitting for long durations is not good for one’s health. Movement of any kind, such as exercise, walking, running or any physical activity has positive results. Not only health benefits but these can also help you focus and think better. THE RELATION BETWEEN WALKING AND CALORIE BURN If you are thinking about how many calories are burned in 10,000 steps, you should first understand that each individual tends to function differently. While some may burn around 300-400 calories in 10,000 steps, some may burn way less. The factors that matter in this case are your body weight, height, fitness level, pace and the area you are walking in. Walking is often linked with weight loss and only when you consume fewer calories or burn more calories than consumed, can you achieve weight loss goals successfully. When you adopt a healthy lifestyle and you are determined to stay active, you can manage your weight healthily. Walking 10,000 steps a day was nothing but a marketing strategy and is not proven to be the healthiest goal. EASY WAYS TO EXCEED YOUR DAILY STEPS 1. Taking your dog for a walk is a great idea to increase a few steps daily. It is a commitment and also allows you to have a good time. 2. Try to take the stairs whenever possible. This way you can increase your steps without actually going on a walk if you have time constraints. 3. Walking around the house is equally beneficial. It gives you a good break and keeps you focused. 4. Do not always look for shortcuts. You can sometimes purposely take a long route, a detour and run a few errands. 5. A post-meal walk is the best bet. It helps in better digestion and can help you with your daily steps without feeling like extra effort. CONCLUSION “Walking can help improve the quality of one’s life, increasing energy levels, improving sleep quality, helping with mood, as well as slowing mental decline,” Wong said. It is advised to have a purpose for walking, it could be weight management, health concerns, mental wellbeing or even just the need for a break. This helps make the walks more meaningful and helps you see results. 10,000 steps is an achievable and great goal but remember that it is not a must to stay healthy. Set your goals based on your individual health profile and increase them gradually to enjoy the benefits of good health. (https:// pharmeasy.in/blog/do-we-really-need-10000steps-a-day-to-stay-fit/)
The pandemic caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 halted the normalcy of everyday life in this world. Scientists around the globe conducted vaccine testing using various methods to look for a reliable way to counter this deadly virus and prevent its spread. After many successful vaccine trials, the largest vaccine drive in the history of mankind came into effect. Every nation on the globe started administering COVID19 vaccines to its citizens in order to provide protection from this life-threatening disease. But, the vaccination drive in many countries including India faced resistance in the form of vaccine hesitancy. An increasing number of myths surrounding the vaccine are
deadly viruses for decades. Vaccines like Covishield, Covaxin, Pfizer, Moderna, Sputnik V, ZyCoV-D have all been tested rigorously and only introduced into the market after passing regulatory tests in each country. It is commendable that the vaccines came out on such short notice, as it was the need of the hour. · Myth 3 – If someone recovered from COVID-19 they do not need to be vaccinated. Recovering from COVID19 means that the virus was countered with a certain level of immunity in the body. However, it does not mean that the person is protected from new strains of virus which are being discovered. Besides, it is not known how long the antibodies produced
stronger. This technology cannot alter or interfere with DNA at all. mRNA in the vaccine is responsible for creating a protein that helps the immune system create an antibody in response to the COVID-19 virus. · Myth 6 – There is no need to wear a mask or social distance after getting vaccinated. Wearing masks and maintaining social distance is crucial to stop the spread of the virus. Even if you are at a lower risk of getting a serious illness due to COVID because you are vaccinated, you can become a carrier of the virus and spread it to other people. Besides, the vaccine does not guarantee 100% immunity, it just maximises the chances of you staying protected from the virus.
circulated and unfortunately, believed by many. Myths about COVID Vaccines – Busted with Sound Reasoning! · Myth 1 – COVID vaccines have serious long term side effects. It is a myth that getting vaccinated will have long term and serious side effects on the body. Yes, many people do experience side effects like fever, body aches or headaches. However, these side effects are only felt for a day or two. These short term side effects occur when your immune system gets activated by the vaccine and develops antibodies to the virus. · Myth 2 – The vaccines are unsafe since they were developed without proper testing and in a rush. The development of the vaccines was done by researchers who used methods that were already under development because scientists had been researching vaccines against
during your COVID infection will last. Getting a vaccine will maximise the level of protection and provide immunity from stronger strains of the virus too. · Myth 4 – The vaccine causes infertility among men and women. There is no scientific data that can back this ridiculous myth. The vaccine does not interact with a person’s reproductive system and it has no possibility of damaging the reproductive system too. · Myth 5 – COVID vaccines alter your DNA. This myth is circulated since vaccines use mRNA technology to help the immunity of the body grow
Vaccine controversies have led to the belief in the myths mentioned above. The myths about COVID vaccines lead people to a step backwards in the effort to fight this pandemic. The myths have been busted in order to promote an environment of awareness surrounding the vaccine. If you still have any doubts about vaccination, you should discuss your fears with your doctor, clear your doubts and get the jab. Get vaccinated if you still haven’t and join the world in the fight against COVID-19. (https://pharmeasy.in/blog/6myths-about-covid-19vaccines-busted/)
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Pfizer vaccination drive begins in Region Two
A student being registered by a doctor attached to the Ministry of Health before being administered the vaccine.
T
he Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination drive began Friday in Region Two at the Anna Regina Secondary School. First Lady Arya Ali, along with the Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, visited the school to observe the process and to commend parents for making the bold decision to have their children vaccinated against COVID-19. According to a Ministry of Education press release, the vaccination drive Friday was at the Aurora Primary and Secondary Schools, and on tomorrow, Monday September 6, 2021, it will continue at the Johanna Cecelia Secondary and the Charity Secondary School. On Tuesday, September 7, vaccination will take place at the 8th of May Secondary School and at the Kabakaburi Primary School the following day. Adolescents must be accompanied by their parent or guardian to be vaccinated, according to the Ministry's release which also noted that parents must possess a form of identification and children must present a document with proof of age such as a birth certificate. “We continue to encourage all Guyanese eligible to be vaccinated so that we can defeat COVID-19 together,” added the press release. Meanwhile, the Ministry in another release reiterated that the re-opening of secondary schools for face to face teaching will be based on the national vaccination programme for adolescents across Guyana. Based on the advice offered by the Ministry of Health, it was noted that it is better to allow students to be vaccinated and be fully inoculated before returning to the school's physical environment. For adolescents to be deemed fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, they must receive two doses 21-28 days apart with an additional seven to 14 days after the second dose to be fully protected. This would mean that the different secondary schools will return to face to face instruction on different dates. An example of this would be students of Queen's College, St. Rose's High School and the Bishops' High School who were vaccinated on September 1, 2021. The students there were given September 28th as the date their second dose will be administered. Therefore, these schools will be reopened within seven to 14 days after the second dose is administered. Each secondary school will be informed of their respective reopening dates, the Ministry's release detailed. As it relates to the other levels, the plans that were previously
announced stand without variation, it added. The new school term starts tomorrow, 6th of September 2021, and where schools are not reopening for face to face instruction, the Ministry noted that they will be engaged online or otherwise. Parents, therefore, are encouraged to visit the Ministry of Education's website to see the reopening plan for the respective schools. According to the Ministry's release too “we encourage as many parents as possible to consent for their children aged 12 to 17 to receive the vaccine which will serve to protect them from the effects of COVID-19. We also encourage our parents and teachers who have not yet been vaccinated to get vaccinated so that we can all protect each other.”
Minister of Education Priya Manickchand with a student after she received her vaccine Friday.
First Lady Arya Ali comforting a student by holding her hand as she was about to be vaccinated.
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Sunday September 05, 2021
==CONSUMER CONCERNS==
Revolution in the traditional image of snakes By Pat Dial It is believed that snakes and man evolved about the same time and this could have accounted for the mutual competition and distrust with which they regard each other. In many ancient cultures and civilizations, however, snakes were regarded with awe and endowed with mystic qualities. Among the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, snakes were regarded with respect and replicas of snakes were worn in the headdress of the
Pharaohs and among the Greeks they were associated with the deities, and in dayto-day life were used with symbolic meanings; for instance, a snake intertwining a rod, associated with the deity Mercury, was used by doctors and other healers as their symbol and today, the same symbol has continued in use by the Medical Profession. In Indian Civilization, from very ancient times, snakes were endowed with mystic qualities and paintings and
statues of them are still used in Hindu temples, an example of which could be seen at the temple at Camp and Quamina Streets, Georgetown. In the Aztec and other pre-Columbian cultures, snakes played a prominent role. In the West, however, with the dominance of the Abrahamic religions, the story of Adam and Eve and their temptation by the evil snake was fully accepted and believed and snakes became the ancestral enemy of man to
be killed whenever encountered. However, even in this story, there is a hidden mystic element, which credits the snake with bringing knowledge into the world and being responsible for humanity with all its imperfections, but nevertheless, being responsible for us all! In today's world, dominated by the culture of Science, the story of the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve and the evil snake has been rejected or at best, placed in the realm of myth. The widespread acceptance of the Theory of Evolution and the comparatively new science of Ecology now perceive snakes as sharing a common life with man and all other living beings including trees. All living creatures form an interdependent chain of being ultimately helping to make human life richer. Snakes play an important
part in the world's Ecosystems where they are both a prey and a predator. As a prey, smaller snakes are eaten by hawks, eagles, weasels, foxes and other animals and as a predator, they eat insects of every sort and rodents, which make human life unpleasant; ground rats, for example, damage growing crops such as sugar cane and even invade homes. When snakes eat rodents who have eaten various fruits, they disperse the seeds, giving new places for plants to grow. Snakes therefore help to control pest populations and are of value to humans. With their colourful skins and their regular and unique designs, they bring variety and beauty to nature. Their skins are so attractive that they are used to produce expensive handmade pieces of clothing such as shoes and ladies handbags for the
wealthy. The venom of certain snakes are being used to produce medications and further fruitful research is developing in this field. There are less than 4,000 species of snakes in the world and they are found in every climate and terrain except the Arctic Regions. Of these, only 600 are regarded as venomous and of those only 200 dangerously so. This fact may be surprising since most people tend to believe that all snakes are venomous and this account in part for the fear with which snakes are generally regarded. Snakes, though not an endangered species, are declining in numbers owing to deforestation and climate change. The almost atavistic fear and hatred, which humans felt for snakes, are disappearing and with the spread of knowledge of (Continued on page 55
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Sunday September 05, 2021
The Court Journal By Renay Sambach Domestic Violence (DV) is quite prevalent in society. These types of cases are very sensitive and when such matters are before the court, media personnel are not allowed to report on them. However, when a DV matter is deadly, it can be reported on. For example, in this edition of The Court Journal, I will look at some of the court matters where men were charged for murdering their significant other. Last year, Orrin King, was charged for allegedly chopping his ex-wife to death. According to reports, on March 27, 2021, Natoya Speede, 37, a resident of Lot 34 Sixth Avenue, Bartica, was murdered in front of her children at Five Miles, Bartica-Potaro Road. The incident occurred at around 19:30hrs. at the Bartica Airstrip. The police had reported that King took Speede and their two children to the airstrip under the pretext that they were going for a photo shoot. However, while there, he allegedly attacked Speede and inflicted several wounds about her body with an axe. It was reported by the police that the couple had been experiencing domestic issues for a few months. After reportedly committing the act, King fled the scene and attempted to take his own life. However, after hours of searching, relatives and the police were able to locate King about half a mile away from where the incident occurred – his body bore multiple wounds, which he reportedly told investigators, were self-inflicted. The man was taken to the Bartica Hospital where he was admitted under police guard and was subsequently discharged and charged. Moreover, it was reported that Speede was a victim of domestic violence. This caused the woman to end her years-long marriage with King several months before she was brutally killed. She had later moved to live with her sister but King kept in contact with her. King was charged and placed before Magistrate, Crystal Lambert, in the Bartica Magistrate's Court. He was not required to plead to the indictable charge of murder and he was remanded to prison. Late last year, a 32-year-
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Men who were charged for killing their wives
Murdered: Larissa Singh, 11, and her mother, Tara Krishnaran, 34
Remanded, Yoel Rodríguez Barrientos old cane harvester was remanded for allegedly stabbing his wife, Amrita Rahim, to death at their Rosignol, West Bank Berbice home. The accused, Taijam Rahim, had made his first court appearance at the Blairmont Magistrate's Court before Magistrate, Peter Hugh. Rahim also called 'Sunny,' of Lot 7 Marcy Dam, Rosignol, was not required to plea to the indictable charge, which was read to him. It was alleged that the cane harvester fatally stabbed 28year-old Amrita. The murder accused and Amrita had been married for several years during which their union yielded three children. According to reports, the crime was witnessed by one of the couple's children who told investigators that his parents were out at a birthday party, which was held in the said yard where they were consuming alcohol. After the parents returned home, the child said he heard them arguing. Thereafter, Rahim went to the kitchen, returned with a knife, and stabbed Amrita to the chest while she was lying on the bed. Rahim then went to the Blairmont Police Station where he found the gate locked and went back home and asked his brother to call the police. He was later arrested by police at his home and reportedly provided investigators with vital information for the court proceedings. One month after Amrita was allegedly killed by her husband, a Cuban National reportedly murdered his
Murdered, Amrita Rahim Guyanese girlfriend and her 11-year-old daughter. Yo e l R o d r í g u e z Barrientos, 27, a salesman of Princes Street, Lodge and Santiago, Cuba, had reportedly confessed to the double murder. He was slapped with two counts of murder at the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts. He appeared before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, and was not required to plea to the indictable charge. It was alleged that on December 25, 2020, he h e i n o u s l y k i l l e d Ta r a Krishnaran, 34, and her daughter Larissa Singh, 11, at their Princes Street, Lodge, Georgetown home. The way in which Barrientos allegedly killed Krishnaran and her daughter, caused much anger, among not only Guyanese, but also the Cuban community living
Murdered, Nicola Wilson
in Guyana. His fellow nationals had labelled him a psychopath and demanded that he face the full brunt of the law for his actions. According to reports, Barrientos confessed to hammering Krishnaran to death and slitting her daughter's throat on Christmas night. He reportedly told police that he got into a physical fight with Krishnaran that night. He claimed that she attacked him first, which led to him bludgeoning her to death with a hammer. Looking on in horror was her daughter. Barrientos further alleged that he attacked her too because he feared that she would testify against him. Blood was also found on Singh's vagina suggesting that she was probably raped on the night of her murder. Police, however, had said the
autopsy conducted could not determine whether she was raped or not. However, after committing the act, Barrientos reportedly locked his sleeping father-in-law, Yomona Krishnaran, 67, in the house and escaped. Fast action by police led to him being captured on December 27, 2020, in Linden, Region 10. It is believed that he was heading to Lethem, Region Nine, on his way to Brazil. Then on May 2, 2021, at D'Urban Street, Georgetown, a woman was stabbed to death, reportedly by her boyfriend. Nichola Wilson, 44, was killed when her boyfriend, Lawrence Brummel, turned up at her Lot 57 D'Urban Street, Lodge home and reportedly accused her of infidelity. It was reported that neighbours reported that a quarrel broke out and Brummel attacked the
woman. Wilson's 14-year-old son, who was sitting outside of the home at the time, was alerted by his mother's screams and reportedly saw the man over his mom with a knife. He sought to physically intervene to prevent the attack but Lawrence attacked him too and he ran to get help, at which point the man, said to be in his mid-40s, continued his attack on Wilson, stabbing her to the face and about the body. By the time the teen could bring neighbours to assist, Lawrence ran, entered his car and drove off. Brummel was later discovered in an unconscious state at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). According to police sources, he had turned up at the hospital sometime after allegedly killing Wilson and told the staff that he had ingested a poisonous substance. However, the man never got to face the murder charge due to the fact that he succumbed while receiving treatment. Similarly, on August 12, 2017, residents of Cumberland Village, East Canje, Berbice, were awakened to the shocking news of the murder of their fellow villager and popular businesswoman, Rhonda Blair. The 42-year-old retired teacher and mother of two, was stabbed to death by her 47-year-old husband, Rudolph Blair called 'Rudy,' who, after committing the act, ran to the back of a neighbour's yard and shot himself. He was said to have also ingested a poisonous substance after fatally stabbing his wife.
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1. Limit Alcohol Drinking too much alcohol reduces your liver's ability to carry out its normal functions, such as detoxifying. 2. Focus on Sleep Adequate sleep allows your brain to reorganize, recharge, and eliminate toxins that accumulate throughout the day. 3. Drink More Water In addition to its many roles in your body, water allows your body's detoxification system to remove waste products from your blood. 4. Reduce Your Intake of Sugar and Processed Foods Excess junk food consumption is linked to chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes. These conditions can cause harm to organs important to detoxifying, such as your liver and kidneys. 5. Eat Antioxidant-Rich Foods Consuming a diet rich in antioxidants helps your body reduce damage caused by free radicals and may lower your risk of diseases that can impact detoxification. 6. Eat Foods High in Prebiotics Eating a diet rich in prebiotics keeps your digestive system healthy, which is important for proper detoxification and immune health. 7. Decrease Your Salt Intake Consuming too much salt can increase water retention. You can eliminate excess water — and waste — by increasing your intake of water and potassium-rich foods. 8. Get Active Regular physical activity lowers inflammation and allows your body's detoxification system to work properly. 9. Other Helpful Detox Tips Although no current evidence supports the use of detox diets for removing toxins from your body, certain dietary changes and lifestyle practices may help reduce toxin load and support your body's detoxification system. Eat sulfur-containing foods. Foods high in sulfur, such as onions, broccoli, and garlic, enhance excretion of heavy metals like cadmium . Try out chlorella. Chlorella is a type of algae that has many nutritional benefits and may enhance the elimination of toxins like heavy metals, according to animal studies . Flavor dishes with cilantro. Cilantro enhances excretion of certain toxins, such as heavy metals like lead, and chemicals, including phthalates and insecticides . Support glutathione. Eating sulfur-rich foods like eggs, broccoli, and garlic helps enhance the function of glutathione, a major antioxidant produced by your body that is heavily involved in detoxification. Switch to natural cleaning products. Choosing natural cleaning products like vinegar and baking soda over commercial cleaning agents can reduce your exposure to potentially toxic chemicals. Choose natural body care. Using natural deodorants, makeups, moisturizers, shampoos, and other personal care products can also reduce your exposure to chemicals. While promising, many of these effects have only been shown in animal studies. Therefore, studies in humans are needed to confirm these findings. SUMMARY Some lifestyle and dietary modifications may enhance your body's natural detoxification system. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-detox-your-body
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GRPA and PAHO/WHO host advocacy training for youth The Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), with support from the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), hosted an advocacy training in Georgetown for youth to address the need for improved sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service provision for vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic in Guyana. According to a release, on Friday, September 3 and Saturday, September 4, 20 young persons from Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, and Seven were trained at the Mirage Banquet Hall, Alberttown, Georgetown. In addition, on September 1112, 10 young persons from Regions Eight, Nine and 10 will be trained in Linden. The training forms part of the WHO CSO COVID-19 p r o j e c t t h a t G R PA i s implementing with lifesaving SRH services and care packages being provided to women, youth, adolescent mothers, and other vulnerable groups. GRPA also presented its final report of a qualitative assessment on access to SRH services by vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic in Guyana. The purpose of the research was to assess the experiences of youth, women, and other vulnerable groups when a c c e s s i n g H I V, contraceptives, and other SRH services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Guyana.
The findings and recommendations from the survey will be used to lobby the Ministry of Health for improved SRH services in Guyana. The final report will be presented by GRPA and a group of trained youth to the Ministry of Health. It is hoped that the trained youth, who represent communities from the 10 administrative regions of Guyana, will assist in promoting SRH information and services, including HIV/STI testing and screening, and contraceptives. Through PAHO/WHO's COVID-19 response initiative titled 'Strengthening Civil Society Engagement in the COVID19 Response', GRPA has also donated 100 care packages to the Ministry of Health Adolescent Health Unit which will be provided to adolescent mothers at community health centres across Guyana. The packages include personal protective equipment, feminine hygiene products, and baby supplies. Under the initiative, GRPA is delivering more than 300 free life-saving services, including HIV testing, STI screening, contraceptive implants and Intra Uterine Devices (IUDs) to youth and women during the COVID-19 pandemic, to improve their health, rights, and well-being. The COVID-19 response initiative by PAHO/WHO builds on the existing collaboration between civil society organisations (CSOs), non-governmental
A section of the training session on sexual and reproductive health and rights
organisations (NGOs), UN agencies and other partners in providing direct funding to CSOs and community groups to implement COVID-19 related prevention and control measures, and to establish platforms for regular CSOs' engagement at the national, regional, and global levels. For more than 45 years, GRPA has been the leading defender and provider of sexual and reproductive health services and information in Guyana.
A section of the training session on advocacy with young people from Regions One - Seven
GRPA Executive Director, Arlene Chaturia (right), hands over the care packages to Ministry of Health - Adolescent Health Coordinator, Cilandell Glen (left)
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>>> Young Entrepreneur on the Move
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<<<
' r a B l i a N ‘Chloe's s n ig s e d s u o r u o m la g e s for tho
By Allyiah Allicock
G
with Kaieteur News. To this day too, she said, he continues to provide support and encouragement. When asked what are some of her long-term goals for her cosmetology business, the young woman stated that she hopes to own a salon where she will have the opportunity to provide nail and other cosmetology services for
uyana's cosmetology industry in recent years has grown relatively popular and this is evident by the many emerging business ventures of this nature in our society today. This industry, which has drawn the interest of many young people, has not only paved a way for more entrepreneurial opportunities but it has helped to Young entrepreneurs change the lives of many. can play an essential One individual, role in helping to develop who was able to develop her skills a strong economy. and pursue a career in the cosmetology field, is Alisa Allicock-Elliott, owner and sole clients. Thus far, her support base has proprietor of 'Chloe's Nail Bar.' Elliott, who was born and raised been good as many persons have in Rupertee Village which is been utilising her services. Her nail located in the Rupununi, Region bar which was launched in August N i n e , b u t n o w r e s i d e s i n 2020, just five months after the Georgetown, said that ever since onset of the pandemic here. Indeed, she was a little girl, she had always this global event has caused its fair had an interest in doing nails, share of challenges on emerging businesses. makeup and hair styling. For Allicock-Elliott, the impact It was her strong passion for cosmetology and the desire to be an of the global pandemic made it independent woman that really inspired her to be a part of the business arena. But none of this would have been possible, she said, if it was not for her father who played an integral role in her life to help. It was he, she said, who helped her pursue her dreams. “My dad encouraged me to become independent and provided the money I needed to get training and supplies,” she shared during her interview
“
difficult to attract clients. During that time lost, she pointed out that she was able to focus on “practicing my nail work, getting supplies, and helping friends with their nails.” This she said, helped to refine her talent in preparation for her clients. This talented young woman is of the opinion that entrepreneurs such as herself have an impactful role in society since they have been able to bring about and provide new services to their respectful communities, which in turn benefit others and encourage them to follow suit. She is of the firm belief that “young entrepreneurs can play an essential role in helping to develop a strong economy.” In making sure this unfolds in our society, the young woman highlighted that the Government could provide more services such as counselling, basic education and financial advice to young people who have an interest in launching their own business venture. Such
”
Owner of 'Chloe's Nail Bar,' Alisha Allicock-Elliott investments she concluded, would not only be good but it would “easily pay for itself through increased employment and a growing tax base.” Looking to
have your nails designed and styled for that special occasion or event, you can contact our featured young entrepreneur on (592) 609-9407 or via her Facebook page at Chloe's Nail Bar.
Some work she completed during the past months
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Guyana loses 4 more persons to Coronavirus
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n Saturday, the Ministry of Health (MoH) announced that four females have died as a result of COVID-19 during the period September 2 and 3, taking the death toll for the first three days of the month to fifteen and the overall total from March 2020 to September 3, to 640 deaths. The four women who passed away are an 85-yearold from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), a 51-year-old from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), a 79year-old from Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and a 62year-old from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne). A total of 1,274 tests for the virus were carried out
during the past twenty-four hours with 183 confirmed cases. The newly infected cases were recorded in Regions One, Five, Seven and Ten (5 cases each), Region Two (12 cases), Region Three (16 cases), Region Four (124 cases) and Region Six (10 cases). This takes the total number of confirmed cases to 26,295. The Ministry in its update further stated that there are now 35 patients housed in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, 118 persons are in institutional isolation and a total of 1,988 are in home isolation. Also reported is that approximately 23,514 persons have recovered from the virus.
Death Announcement C. Kesavaraj BDS FICD from Trichy, TamilNadu, India passed away Sept 3rd, 2021 at 2:00 am He was the husband of: Janaki Kesavaraj Father of: Dr. Savitha Reddy and Dr. Narendran Reddy He was the Son of Dr. Chitrambalam
Friend of: Glenn Lall (K/News Guyana)
The funeral of C. Kesavaraj will take place on Monday September 06, 2021 at 4:30 pm in Trichy
Sunday September 05, 2021
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Agreement signed for removal of shipwrecks in Demerara River mouth R
iver traffic on the Demerara River will soon flow more freely after a $787.6 million contract was signed between the Ministry of Public Works and Koole Contractors for the removal of three shipwrecks in the river. The contract was signed in the Ministry's Boardroom on Friday by Director General of the Maritime Administration Department, Stephen Thomas, and a representative from Koole Contractors. Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill, MP, who joined the signing virtually, said the wrecks have proven hazardous. He explained that due to the location of the wrecks, the channel has become narrow.
“The removal of these wrecks and the dredging that is anticipated to take place; we expect that we will be able to have two-way traffic.” Minister Edghill noted that this would complement the establishment of the new Demerara Harbour Bridge. “This project of the removal of wrecks is also coming in tandem with us building a high span four lane new Demerara Bridge. Which will mean that once the tide allows, you can have unhindered access into Port Georgetown 24 hours every day.” Traversing the Demerara River will now be safer and faster for ship and boat operators as they will no longer have to maneuver around the wreckages. The
project is expected to be completed in nine months with three months allotted to each wreck. The wrecks identified to be removed are the Dar B, Allana III and Miss Elissa. In brief remarks, Koole Contractors' representative, Janneke Kuijper, assured that the works will be completed within the contractually agreed time. The Netherlands based Koole Contractors won the contract after a public procurement process. The removal of the three wrecks is part of a larger project the Government is undertaking to ensure the waterways are safe. There are approximately 120 wrecks in Guyana's waterways with 16 along the Demerara River. (DPI)
Biden warns corporations like Apple, Disney and ExxonMobil that are trying to squash his tax hikes: 'I'm going to take them on' Even after an 'August Jobs Report' that missed the mark, President Joe Biden, was confident his economic agenda was working. In addition, he said it would continue to work, and improve the economy, if his tax hike on corporations went into effect to ensure everyone is paying their fair share. "It's time for working families, the folks who built this country, to have their taxes cut," Biden said in remarks after the jobs report was released. "And those corporate interests doing everything they can to find allies in Congress to keep that from happening … I'm going to take them on." When Biden first unveiled his infrastructure plan, he proposed funding it with a corporate-tax hike to 28%, up from 21%. He said at the time he was "sick and tired of ordinary people being fleeced." While he's since expressed willingness to come down from 28%, he has remained adamant that a
President Joe Biden
corporate-tax hike, and raising individual income taxes on the wealthy, are vital to lifting the middle class. The Washington Post reported this week that companies like Apple, Disney, and Exxon Mobil were unleashing a massive lobbying effort to squash parts of the Democrats' $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, which includes corporatetax hikes. The effort is being organised mainly by the Chamber of Commerce, The
Post added. Biden said during his remarks that "not a single Republican" supported his plan to hike taxes on corporations. Some more moderate Democrats don't support his plan, either. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, and Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia said they would prefer a smaller hike than what Biden proposed. (BUSINESS INSIDER)
Director General of the Maritime Administration Department, Stephen Thomas (sitting left), signs the contract as Koole Contractors' representative, Janneke Kuijper (sitting second right), the Maritime Director of Legal Services (standing) and Ministry of Public Works - Permanent Secretary, Vladim Persaud (sitting right) looks on. (Photo Courtesy: DPI)
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Sunday September 05, 2021
Opposition Leader calls again for COVID-19 inquiry N E W S D A Y Opposition - Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has reiterated her call for a commission of inquiry into the covid19 pandemic, 24 hours after the Prime Minister said certain sectors of the economy could be reopened to fully vaccinated people within one month's time. While repeating her call for a covid19 inquiry in a statement on Saturday, Persad-Bissessar made no comment on any of Dr Rowley's statements at a news conference in Tobago on Friday. Rowley said the green light would be given for cinemas, gyms, casinos, inhouse dining in restaurants to be reopened in four weeks time to fully vaccinated customers and employees.
He said the latest covid19 vaccination statistics showed 408,000 people (29.1 per cent of the population) have been fully vaccinated to date while 516,000 people (36.8 per cent of the population) have been partially vaccinated. Of the covid19 vaccines currently being administered to the population, only the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single dose vaccine regime. AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and Pfizer are two dose vaccine regimes. Rowley also said from Monday, places of worship would be allowed to reopen at 25 per cent capacity and services not exceeding one hour.However, in her a statement Persad-Bissessar said, "I continue to call for a commission of inquiry into the Government's handling
Kamla Persad-Bissessar
of covid19." She also reiterated her call for the resignation of Health M i n i s t e r Te r r e n c e Deyalsingh, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Roshan Parasram and other public
health officials. "August has been one of the deadliest months in our national battle with the covid19 pandemic. A total of 214 persons sadly lost their lives this past month." She
said, "In the past four months alone over 1000 persons have now lost their lives to the virus, bringing the total to over 1,300 since the pandemic began." Persad-Bissessar reiterated the UNC's allegation that Deyalsingh, Parasram, Dr Avery Hinds and Dr Maryam AbdoolRichards "are out of their depth and inspire no confidence to continue to 'manage this crisis'”. PersadBissessar also claimed Parasram, Hinds and Abdool-Richards were performing as a propaganda team and not as health professionals. Persad-Bissessar claimed last February that Parasram dismissed the threat of covid19 to TT when he was questioned about it by UNC MP Dr Lackram Bodoe
during a joint select committee meeting. She claimed the testimony that Parasram gave at that meeting "all turned out to be erroneous." She also attacked certain media commentators for continuously blaming the UNC's position on covid19 while trying to deflect attention away from Government's failures to deal with the pandemic. "Under the PNM, covid19 is not being managed, it is being stagemanaged at what inevitably turns out to be full-fledged PNM platform performance, complete with gratuitous attacks on the Opposition." Persad-Bissessar said this is being done "to the detriment of the health and well-being of the people of TT."
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Educator creates programme to help benefit parents during the pandemic R
uchanna Lowenfield, 26, is a trained teacher attached to the New Diamond/Grove Primary School. Lowenfield was born and raised in the community of Albouystown in Georgetown. “Growing up in Albouystown wasn't easy at all,” she says. She goes on to say that, the youths of the area were always labelled as “being ghetto children” and people never expected anything good of them. Most of the youths in the community were left unattended due to parents working and because of that, many of the male youths ended up in gangs and the females became teenage mothers and in most cases, single parents. Lowenfield says her parents were different. They never wanted their six children to fall into any of those categories. They never wanted their children to be a product of Albouystown. Due to that, they ensured that they moved all of their children out of that environment and ensured that each child got an education. In 2006, when Lowenfield's mom finished building their home in Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, they moved there. Growing up, her passion was always to become a nurse. Sadly, when she applied for the position, she was not accepted. As time went by Lowenfield was unable to find a job. One day Lowenfield and her mom went to an event where they saw Lowenfield's primary school teacher. She said her mother used that opportunity to speak with her teacher and mentioned that she was job hunting, and from there, her journey started in the teaching profession.
Ms. Ruchanna Lowenfield, creator of the 'Educate Me Summer Camp'
When talking about her journey, she remembered what her aunt who passed away had told her that she sees her as a Head Teacher when she grows up. She told this paper, “I guess my aunt knew what she was saying all along, because now I'm a teacher at the New Diamond/Grove Primary School and on September 29 I will be celebrating seven years of teaching.” Ms. Lowenfield goes on to say that now she not only enjoys teaching but also enjoys reading, cooking, travelling, meeting and spending time and interacting with friends and family members also. She says that the (Continued on page 55)
Scenes from ongoing classes at the Educate Me Summer Camp
Parents who graduated from the camp.
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GNBS IN FOCUS Cassava bread - promoting indigenous food with the use of standards
C
assava has long been associated with Guyana's Indigenous people, as it remains a staple food in Amerindian communities where the crop is predominantly grown. One of the most common dishes is Cassava Bread made from bitter cassava; it is made using recipes and methods passed down for generations, which is in keeping with the theme for this year's Amerindian Heritage Month: “Maintaining our traditional integrity, celebrating our cultural identity.” Cassava Bread is called Eki, Beiju, Baad, Alehpah and Kali in the various indigenous languages and is now being sold in markets and supermarkets across the country. H o w e v e r, w i t h t h e implementation of a
CARICOM Standard, this local product can be sold in other countries in the Region. The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) adopted the CARICOM Regional Standard –“Specification for Cassava bread” (CRS 19) –in 2010. The Standard specifies the requirements for Cassava Bread and its related products to ensure adequate and hygienic production, and acceptable product quality and safety for human consumption. Specific requirements of the standard include that cassava bread must be crisp and uniformed in texture and appearance, free from any odour, fungus or molds, traces of insects or rodent infestation, or any rancid flavours. As the commodity is made from bitter cassava, the standard also specifies
that it must be free from any bitter or unpleasant taste. The Standard also covers packaging and hygiene during production and sampling. Hygienic conditions include requirements for the premises and equipment to be maintained, cleaned and sanitised to ensure contamination is minimised. Persons preparing the product are also required to meet all national health requirements to handle food products. As it relates to packaging, the standard notes that packages should be new, shall not impart any toxic substance, undesirable odour or flavour to the product as this can alter the desired taste or cause illness. In addition, the standard requires that packaging protects the product from
Educator creates programme... From page 13 idea for the 'Educate Me Summer Camp' came to her in June 2020 but it only became fully developed in March 2021. She said she created this programme because she saw how her neighbours and close relatives were struggling with helping their children with their school work, and thus designed the programme to help parents have an idea or some sort of knowledge in helping their children and being involved in their education, especially by learning more about the school's curriculum and how it works. She also noted that parents benefit by becoming more confident about the value of school involvement, and also develop a greater appreciation for the
important role they play in their children's education. Many parents have been struggling since the beginning of the pandemic and still are, with their children's schoolwork; and many are not familiar with the work or concepts that are being taught. During the months of the July/August vacation, the young teacher hosted a two week-programme. There, she said, parents were taught the basics of both Language Arts and Mathematics and at the end of the programme; there was a closing exercise where each parent received a certificate of completion. There was also a oneweek summer camp held for parents from August 16, 2021 to August 20, 2021 at New Diamond/Grove Primary School free of
charge, where ten parents of primary school children showed up. The ten parents of the children were very grateful and appreciative of this initiative and opportunity. All COVID-19 protocols were followed and were in full effect. Ms. Lowenfield says she intends to make this an annual programme and hope to motivate other schools and teachers to be a part of this initiative. The Educate Me Summer Camp intends to include the early childhood and secondary parents in the near future. By 2022, she also hopes to have the Ministry of Education, Guyana Teachers' Union, teachers and parents from R e g i o n s O n e t o Te n participate in this programme.
Revolution in the traditional image of... From page 53 snakes and the Ecological realisation that the survival of the snake has an ultimate linkage with human wellbeing, a revolution is occurring in the attitude of man to snake.
The celebration of World Snake Day on July 16 each year is a manifestation of this changing attitude. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
breaking. Packages must also be properly labelled in accordance with the latest edition of the CARICOM labelling for Pre-packaged Foods and or the Codex General Standard for Labelling of Pre-packaged Foods. Labelling must include a batch or lot number in clear or in code, together with an expiry date in the form of “Best before” or “Use by” which indicates the last date by which the manufacturer can be sure that the product will be acceptable. Additionally, labels should have full nutritional information, and storage instructions, which help to avoid premature spoilage. Entrepreneurs who are in the business of making cassava bread and other interested persons are encouraged to purchase a copy of the standard at an affordable cost from the
GNBS. The standard will help you to improve Cassava Bread made for sale locally or in countries within the CARICOM Region. The Bureau also offers consultancy and training to a s s i s t w i t h t h e implementation of the requirements of the standard,
which will lead to improved product quality, overall customer satisfaction and increased sales. For further information on this subject, contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0064 or 2190065 or WhatsApp us on 6924627.
Health Minister reminds Guyanese of long-term... From page 8 after infection with COVID19. Similarly, a study by Oxford University showed that two to three months after the onset of COVID19, 64 percent of patients suffered persistent breathlessness and 55 percent suffered from significant fatigue. MRI scans also showed abnormalities in the lungs, kidneys, heart and liver. Meanwhile, to date,
316,973 persons or 61.8 percent of Guyana's adult population have received their first dose of a COVID19 vaccine. A total of 165,401 persons or 32.2 percent of the country's adult population have received both doses of the vaccine. In addition, some 4,362 adolescents have received their first jab of the Pfizer vaccine, since Government rolled out its programme last week.
PAGE 56
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Sunday September 05, 2021
Kaieteur News
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Beef giant Brazil halts China exports after confirming two mad cow disease cases SAO PAULO - (Reuters) - Brazil, the world’s largest beef exporter, has suspended beef exports to its No. 1 customer China after confirming two cases of “atypical” mad cow disease in two separate domestic meat plants, the agriculture ministry said yesterday. The suspension, which is part of an animal health pact agreed between China and Brazil and is designed to allow Beijing time to take stock of the problem, begins immediately, the ministry said in a statement. China will decide when to begin importing again, it added. The suspension is a major blow for Brazilian farmers: China and Hong Kong buy more than half of Brazil’s beef exports. The cases were identified in meat plants in the states of Mato Grosso and Minas Gerais, the ministry said. It said they were the fourth and fifth cases of “atypical” mad cow disease that have been detected in Brazil in 23 years.
UEFA set to oppose FIFA over... From page 57 impact this reform may have on the whole organisation of football there is widespread astonishment that FIFA appears to be launching a PR campaign to push its proposal whilst any such proposals haven’t been presented to confederations, national associations, leagues, clubs, players, coaches, clubs and all the football community,” Ceferin wrote in the letter on Friday, a copy of which has been seen by Reuters. “As one concrete example amongst so many, it is imperative to highlight the concerns shared across the footballing world regarding the impact a biennial FIFA World Cup would have on the international match calendar and, prominently in this context, on women’s football,” he said. Wenger’s plan is for a World Cup to be followed the next year by continental championships, such as the Euros and Copa America, which would mean no summer clear for the women’s World Cup and their continental tournaments. “UEFA and its national associations... have serious
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It said “atypical” mad cow disease develops spontaneously and is not related to eating contaminated foods. Brazil has never had a case of “classic” mad cow disease, it said. The two cases were confirmed on Friday after samples were sent to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) lab in Alberta, Canada, the ministry said. The OIE had subsequently been informed of the two cases, in compliance with international norms, the ministry said. The ministry said there was no risk to animal or human health. Brazil’s government will hope the suspension is lifted quickly. The country’s powerful agribusiness sector is one of the main drivers of its long-lagging economy. China is Brazil’s top trade partner, and buys vast quantities of its commodities.
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reservations and grave concerns surrounding reports of FIFA’s plans,” Ceferin added. The clubs and leagues in Europe are almost certain to be opposed to their players spending additional time in national team competitions. In May, FIFA’s congress voted to carry out a feasibility study on holding the World Cup and the women’s World Cup every two years. That proposal initially came from the Saudi Arabian Football Federation but FIFA president Gianni Infantino called it an “eloquent and detailed proposal” with 166 national federations voting in favour and 22 voting against. Infantino questioned whether the current system of regular qualifiers throughout a year ahead of a continental championships and World
Cups was the best model. “Do we really think this is the right way for football when we are hearing that fans say they want more meaningful games, less meaningless games, all of these points have to be considered,” he said. “We will discuss it, we will analyse it but we will, in all discussions, put the sporting element as a priority not the commercial element.” Any change to the World Cup would require a vote from FIFA’s congress made up of all 211 national football federations. FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The next men’s World Cup is due to be held in November, 2022 in Qatar with the following edition in the United States, Mexico and Canada in 2026.
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Sunday September 05, 2021
Kaieteur News
Sloane Stephens’ U.S. Open run ends, but former champ appears back on track USA Today - NEW YORK — Sloane Stephens had a rough start to her season this year. Entering the Australian Open, her ranking had dropped to No. 40, and dropped even further after she was eliminated in the first round there by Yulia Putintseva, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. It was a crushing blow, following what had been a brutal month for her, personally. In January, Stephens announced on Twitter that she had lost three family members in the span of a few weeks, after her grandmother and aunt died after battles with COVID-19, and her grandfather died a week later, for reasons she did not disclose. She attended their funerals via teleconference, from Australia, while quarantining in a hotel room for 14 days. When she returned from Australia, she did a complete reset, physically and mentally. She lost weight, started working with a new coach and changed her mindset. Previously preoccupied on her results – her ranking, which was dwindling steadily – she decided to focus instead on herself.
“I made sure that I was happy,” she said, in a postmatch press conference after her first-round win at the U.S. Open. “I took care of myself, my body, my mind, just really tried to gather myself again and not really worry too much about results and what was happening around me. “I didn’t see results right away. I still haven’t, let’s just be real. I’m 60 in the world, it’s not like I’ve seen some dramatic, amazing thing happen. But I think, when you are happy with yourself, it gives you opportunity to have that success and have those accomplishments.” Anyone who watched her first three matches of this U.S. Open would likely agree that for Stephens, something is working. At moments, she looked like the Sloane Stephens who unexpectedly won the 2017 U.S. Open: confident, aggressive, dominant. In the first round, when tasked with facing her close friend, No. 42 Madison Keys, she delivered a gutsy win, seizing a tense third-set tiebreaker that initially seemed to be within Keys’ grasp. Stephens won it on her third
match point: 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7). She followed that win with a swift dismantling of No. 22 Coco Gauff, taking the match, 6-4, 6-2, in just 66 minutes. Gauff said after the match that Stephens’ forehand – for which she is renowned – was the best she’d ever seen it. She looked as good as anyone in the tournament, and carried that same confidence with her into her Friday afternoon match against No. 16 Angelique Kerber, but it proved to not be enough. Kerber had a higher ranking entering the match (Stephens is currently listed at No. 66) but Stephens had the advantage in their headto-head record (5-1). In a battle of two former U.S. Open champs, Stephens took the first set, 7-5, but Kerber took the last two, 6-2, 6-3. Ultimately, it was consistency that gave Kerber the edge in the final set, as Stephens made a few costly mistakes, losing the last two points of her match on a backhand and a forehand unforced error. “It was really a tough match,” Kerber said. “I mean, playing against Sloane it’s always a tough battle. I lost the last few matches against
Afghanistan likely to host Australia and... From page 61 management. After the T20 World Cup, we are going to Australia to play a one-off Test match. Talks with Cricket Australia are in the pipeline. After the World Cup, the team will be heading there.” If it goes ahead as planned, the tri-series is likely to run alongside IPL 2021, which is scheduled from September 19 to October 15 in the UAE. As a result, a number of big names from all three sides could be missing from the triseries. Earlier, Afghanistan’s three-match ODI series against Pakistan, which was supposed to begin on September 3, was postponed indefinitely. Talks between the two boards concluded that logistical challenges were making it tough for the Afghanistan contingent to travel to Sri Lanka, while the ongoing political situation in Afghanistan was also considered. The PCB also tweeted that both boards will try to reschedule the series for 2022. M e a n w h i l e , Afghanistan’s Under-19 team’s scheduled tour of Bangladesh, due to start later this month in Sylhet, is also set to go ahead.
her, so I was ready to have really tough fight. “After the first set where she played really well, especially in important moments, I was just trying to stay in the match, being ready for every single ball.” Now, Stephens will turn to the future matches. An earlier version of herself might have dwelled on such a loss to Kerber, but in 2021, she seems to have more faith in a return to form. “It may not happen now,” she said after her first-round match. “It may happen in the middle or end of next year. I don’t know. But at this rate, I know I’m not a bad tennis player. At some point, it will click.”
Sloane Stephens reacts during her U.S. Open match vs. Angelique Kerber.
Sunday September 05, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You’re feeling the heat and it has nothing to do with weather! You should find that your energy levels are peaking and that you need to get out there and do something physical.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) It’s vital that you remain active today — otherwise, you may find that your energy levels plummet quickly. Just a wee bit of socializing is all you need to keep your game face on, though.
TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) You know the difference between right and wrong — but on a day like today, you may feel like you’re the only one who does. Try to gently persuade others to do what’s right while leading by example.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You need to deal with an ego problem — but the thing is, it may be yours. Try not to inflict your own issues on anyone else, and remember that what you feel now may not feel true tomorrow.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You can get to the bottom of almost anything through light-hearted argument today. Others may not understand that you’re just trying things out, so see if you can stave off any serious conflict.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Your devotion to friends is a real asset, and today you can improve their lives and your own at the same time. Things are sure to get better in the near future, too, but keep focused outward.
CANCER (June 21–July 22) It’s time to really shake things up — in one way or another. You may find that your energy is better spent on some dramatic gesture or wild impulse purchase than on mundane tasks at home or work.
CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Things are not quite going your way today, so see if you can pull back and hope for a better situation tomorrow. It’s certain that things are going to be different very soon.
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Your creative powers are the center of your world today. That could mean art, brainstorming or just fantastic conversations, so let loose and indulge your inner spirit. It’s a blast!
AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) It’s hard to get very much done today — but not because of anything going on within you. It’s one of those days when your energy is better spent on putting out little fires than focusing on longrange plans.
VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Try not to brag too much today — though you’re busting out with pride over something or someone that’s resonating deep within you. Let that go and let others talk up your achievements.
PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You need to do whatever you can to keep your mind focused today — even if that means shutting the door and even being rude to family or colleagues. It’s just for today, so don’t worry too much about it.