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Kaieteur News
Wednesday September 02, 2020
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL - Tel: 624-6456 Editor: Sharmain Grainger Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
Fat Cats They make inviting targets, these fat cats unearthed in continuing discoveries in the news almost daily. There are several things that must be said about this, with all of them negative and reflective of the true state of political Guyana. At the heart of it all, stands the unchanging crux of the politics of this country. We acknowledge readily that political fat cats are a fact of life the world over. Obviously, the helping presences, unswerving personal allegiances, come what may, and the willingness to do dirty deeds often on behalf of leadership and party must all be respected and recompensed. So, when electoral triumph occurs, something is usually found for them to keep them happy, quiet, and on the inside of the fold. In the trenches of real-life political Guyana, and recent elections acrimonies and bitterness, there is much by way of surging hostility and the keenest interest to set matters right. Space must be made, and it does not matter how heavy handedly and how savagely. We have the record of recent, and before, to show for the animosities. Both major groups are implicated. At bottom, men and women from the losing side are targeted, flushed out, exposed, and dealt with, usually most unceremoniously. Nobody would admit to this, but a purge is the result. When things really get tense, phrases such as ‘ethnic cleaning’ and ‘political pogrom’ make the rounds and gain traction. For the fat cats of old are sent packing and their places taken by a gleeful bunch of newly arriving powerful political pets of the same feline variety. The salaries and the associated benefits, such as publicly paid for residences, coverage of unlimited internet and telephone expenses, duty free vehicle concessions, and a host of other perks are extended to the favored. When examined carefully, the total taxpayers spent for the engagement and upkeep of these newcomers are almost identical to those that they replace, and against whom much insulting and cursing were hurled. And when added up, there is scant difference with the total monies splurged on the newly favored sons and daughters and those that went before. This is the political roundtable that spins every elections cycle, and in which the only losers are the taxpayers held hostage to the financial maneuvers of those holding the reins of power, and who stalk the corridors of governance. It is still another instance of the more things change, the more they stay the same. Despite all the sanctimonious talk about clean governance and doing things differently for the benefit of the Guyanese people, we urge all citizens to look carefully and determine who are the real beneficiaries of sweet government’s generosity. As is the norm, the poor and the needy are forced to line up, wait their turn patiently, and be content with whatever pittance comes their way. Most of the time, nothing comes their way since the big boys are too busy taking care of their own. Because the hangers-on and the faithful must be kept purring in contentment, the milk must be kept coming. Unlike other places, men and women in Guyana, who did much heavy lifting during elections, must recognize, or it is the road. That is, those unhappy with what they get, if anything, are quick to jump and change the color of their political coat. It has happened before here, and forms part of the comedies in our political culture. So, what we have here is the reality of yesterday’s fat cats being put out to pasture, while the sleek new cats and kittens performing victory laps are pushed into the penthouse. It is a nice living for doing next to nothing. The main duties are to ensure staying on the good side of political masters, and responding to their beck and call, no matter how whimsical or radical. To stretch things a bit, sometimes no matter how criminal. Fat cats are about surviving and prospering. They know to play the game, to take care of themselves. After all the noise and movements, it is back to the old 360-degree circle that is of fat felines favored in and old cats once cool cast out. New day, same story.
COVID-19 Plan – Control Spread by Trace and Isolate DEAR EDITOR, We receive statistics everyday about how many new positive cases we have of the COVID-19 virus. As a nation, we are all alarmed and terrified of what will happen next. We are waiting for the hammer to fall on our collective heads. From all the comments by officials in various public interviews and comments, it appears that is exactly what will happen. Instead of implementing systems to take control of the spreaders or potential spreaders, by contact tracing and isolation, the powers that be wants to implement coercive and punitive measures against the people. In other words, their intention is to victimize the victims. Recently I took a drive to Bushy Park Beach at Parika. My family wanted to go for a drive to take a break from being home all week. When I arrived there, I was greeted by two police who advised me that the beach was closed as a result of COVID-19 regulations. My family was disappointed. However, there is no choice here; I promptly turned around and returned home. The beach is an open and windy space where people do gather in family groups usually masked and social distancing. However, I am not going to argue the merits of closing the beach except to say that choice is being removed. This assumes that the people are not
responsible. Now they will dictate how you must behave. This is not healthy for a democracy. The next thing I hear is that they will have the police monitor public access places such as small businesses and charge patrons for not wearing a mask and also owners/operators. Now the operator of a business has complied with all the protocols. He provides facilities for hand-washing or sanitizing and also checks your temperature before allowing entry. He makes sure you enter with a mask or he makes one available to you. Now, why would you charge the business owner? This is not right. You have no reason to charge him because there is nothing to indicate that he is capable of spreading the virus or being infected by the virus. You should also not be charging the citizen because he has rights and choice is one of those rights. Now let us take the case of a person who was in contact with a positive case. He can either be infected which you can determine by symptoms or has the potential of becoming infected because he was in contact with a COVID-19 positive case. It is these people who will be new spreaders or potential spreaders. And these people can be identified through contact tracing. Now these are the people
government and police should be focusing on. Not the innocent. We have no evidence that the government with all its power and resources is focusing on this. It would be helpful if on a daily basis the government issues statistics for the following: Number of COVID-19 positive cases. Number of person contact traced. Number with no symptoms who are being isolated Number with symptoms who are quarantined and under treatment Number of persons released from isolation after having developed no symptoms after seven to 10 days. Number of persons who recovered after treatment and number of persons transferred to ICU in hospital. Setting up opportunities for the police to charge the people and bring them before the courts will not stop the spread of the virus. Sometimes I wonder what happens when politicians get power. It’s as if they suddenly left the real world and now live in an alternate universe. They immediately forget what happens when police have any reason to interact with the people and can exercise the discretion to charge or not charge. How many outcomes can you have? The COVID-19 virus is
bringing out some serious defects in our thinking. All medical personal who are required to treat patients with the virus should be properly attired with PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). So if a person comes in with a heart attack and could also be COVID-19 positive, they should be provided with seamless service. Why would the possibility of being COVID-19 positive prevent a heart attack patient from receiving timely treatment? I am very concerned that the government has not recognized that it would be more efficient and effective to control the spread of the virus by taking control of all persons who have come into contact with COVID-19 positive cases. If you control the spreaders or the potential spreaders, you will get it under control. Until such time as the government take to get the spreaders under control, masks and social distancing will be helpful since no one will know who could be a spreader. But once you know who are the spreaders and you have them under control, the need for masks and social distancing becomes redundant. It will be interesting to see how the PSC, GMSA and the Chambers will respond after police start to charge innocent business owners. Respectfully, Sase Shewnarain
Attorneys Datadin, Jonas – Are they For or Against Renegotiation of the Oil Contract? DEAR EDITOR, Both distinguished lawyers appeared on the Charles Sugrim Globespan show on Monday night (August 31st), and fielded a question from Dr. Jerry Jailall: “Are you for Renegotiation of the Oil Contract?” Attorney Timothy Jonas’ gave a very nuanced answer. He said, “if you have a citation where I said I am against, send it to me”. From this you can infer that he is for renegotiation; but then he quickly added that governments should abide and fulfill contracts they signed. And, gave the usual reasons for abiding by contracts – not wanting to scare away foreign investors and protect your nation’s reputation, etc. Attorney Sanjeev Datadin gave a similarly nuanced
answer. Both distinguished lawyers – both performed heroic roles in the recent 5month long election impasse – did not answer the question in the context of the specific issues surrounding the Oil Contract. Global Witness report said Minister Trotman signed the contract despite being advised by two paid consultants to delay the signing so that he can negotiate for a better deal. G u y a n a ’s contract provides for a 2% royalty; all other similar PSA-type contracts provide for 6 15% royalty. (Suriname has a PSA-type and gets a 6.25% royalty, in addition to profit-sharing and the Oil Company paying corporate income tax). The 2016 Contract was negotiated in secret and
kept secret for more than a year. Lack of transparency together with the fact that Minister Trotman may have been compromised are good reasons that form the basis for asking ExxonMobil for a review of the contract. I have always urged the GoG to write a simple letter asking Exxon for a meeting of both parties to conduct a review. What is there to lose by simply asking? Asking the Oil Company for a review is not a demand for “renegotiation” (a politically loaded word), nor is it threatening confrontation or litigation. A week ago, I watched a media conference in which Alistair Routledge (Exxon’s Guyana president) said he is open to a “review” with the goal of making it fairer and equitable.
Dr. Jan Mangal said it best when he said “the relationship between an Oil Company and a host country is like a good marriage” – both parties need to be happy. It is unfortunate that the headlines coming out of that conference was that “Routledge threatens to take his investment elsewhere” he said what he said in response to a question that may have sounded like a threat of litigation. I think Mr. Routledge’s statements were positive – he is open to a review. I wish Attorneys Datadin and Jonas would have taken the opportunity to provide more specific answers, given the context of the compromised circumstances in which the contract was negotiated and signed. Mike Persaud
Wednesday September 02, 2020
Some thoughts on the warrantless search of Mr. Christopher Jones’ home DEAR EDITOR, The recent warrantless search or attempt to search the home of Mr. Christopher Jones for alleged stolen government property (barber chairs), has generated public interest. Indeed recently I read a letter in the Kaieteur News that sought to speak to this issue, by mainly referring to what obtains in the USA. The conditions in the USA under which a warrantless search by the police of a citizen’s home can be legally undertaken are clearly articulated in the book “Police & Society.” written by Roberg, Novak, Cordner and Smith. On this issue they offer two primary conditions under which a search is allowable by law. These are (a) the plain view doctrine, (b) the open field doctrine. The plain view doctrine centers on three premises: (1) The police must have prior justification for being at the scene, (2) The evidence must be in plain view, and police cannot take action to expose to public view concealed
parts of the premises or what it contains, (3) the items seized must be immediately apparent as evidence. The open field doctrine simply states that items situated in an open field are not protected by the Fourth Amendment guarantee against unreasonable search and seizures. Schmallerger, perhaps the most prolific writer on issues of criminal justice here in the USA, adds another condition under which warrantless search can be conducted by the police. He refers us to the doctrine of “exigent circumstances searches or emergency searches.” Schmallerger defines such a search as “a search conducted by the police without a warrant, which is justified on the basis of some immediate and overriding need, such as public safety, the likely escape of a dangerous suspect, or the removal or destruction of evidence.” The above represents the legal conditions existing in
ADAM MISSING FROM DE GARDEN Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh God tek Adam to de garden And tell ee to keep it clean and green. But since ee believe in trust but verify He planted plenty apples underneath. A camoudi by de name of Exaconda Find eight billion bushels of apples Plump and ripe for easy pickings. Adam noticed that everywhere he went Exaconda leaving waste and residue. Adam tell Exaconda dat he want to see A plan to eliminate and prevent de mess. Exaconda seh dat ee done agree to give Adam boss two apples out of every hundred
Plus half of every apple dat ee nah eat: Hell or high water, ee naah negotiate. Adam boss nah like feh see Exaconda vex Ee done mek plans feh share out applesauce. He ask Adam why ee giving Exaconda bassa-bassa Adam seh dat he is only following de law. Exaconda observe dis opportunity Suh ee wrap ee tail around an apple tree And mek ee self into a wide lasso. In one deft swoop, he snaggled both of dem. And none of dem dih even know. And when Exaconda done God sat down and cried, What else do I have to do? In dis garden, every thing spoil.
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the USA for carrying out a warrantless search. However, because the police have wide discretionary powers, the police actions are not always confined to the strict dictate of law. For example, one might have, on at least one occasion, violated a traffic law and was stopped by the police. On explaining why the violation occurred, the police allowed you to proceed on your business, after merely giving you a warning. Now, in the example above, the law says you should be charged, however you escape with a mere warning, because the police used the discretionary powers that comes with his/ her job. In the book “Criminal Justice Ethics” written by Cyndi Banks, which has become required reading by some universities in the USA, the writer says this “In performing their policing duties, police officers are able to exercise a high degree of discretion. This means that
they have broad freedom to make decisions about how to act in given situations.” If we apply the notion of police discretion to the warrantless search (or attempt to search) of Mr. Jones’ home, the question then becomes – would it not have been best for the police to use their discretionary powers in dealing with this situation? For example, if we subject the Jones situation to analysis based on use of Schmallerger’s take on the matter. The following questions, from a discretionary perspective, loom large: a) Was there a threat to public safety? b) Couldn’t concerns about Mr. Jones escaping have been dealt with, without carrying out a warrantless search? For example couldn’t his home be placed under surveillance? C) Since the police could easily keep his home under surveillance, how possible would it have been for him to (Continued on page 6)
How To Negotiate Well DEAREDITOR, ‘To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under Heaven.’ Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV In order to negotiate well, it helps to understand what’s happening on both sides of the table. People seldom buy a product for the reason you want to sell it. If you show more interest in making a profit than meeting their need, you’ll fail. So here are a few things to keep in mind when negotiating with someone: (1) The right attitude. Nobody likes being taken for granted, coerced, and pressured. (2) The cost involved for others. There’s a world of difference between negotiating with someone who has so much money that whatever the cost they can afford it, and someone who is sacrificing because they really need your product. If you want a long-term customer
rather than a short-term sale, practise the Golden Rule: ‘Whatever you want others to do for you, do for them.’ (See Matthew 7:12). (3) The proper timing. Solomon tells us there’s ‘a time to gain, and a time to lose.’ (Ecclesiastes 3:6 NKJV) Wh e t h e r y o u ’ r e asking for a raise or trying to sell a product to a customer, timing is allimportant. When someone is hungry, lonely, angry, tired, stressed or in a crisis, you risk losing out, whereas if you’d waited for the right time, chances are you’d have won. Does God really care about stuff like that? Yes. ‘The Lord watches to see if we are fair or if we cheat others.’ (Proverbs 16:11 CEV) As a follower of Christ, you want both sides to walk away feeling they were treated fairly. A. Johnson
Sovereign risk insurance DEAR EDITOR, It is time the likes of Christopher Ram and the rest explain in layman terms Expropriation and Regulatory (change of law) Risks associated with Exxon to the Guyanese people. Moreover, how Exxon got investors to finance the projects of drilling for oil in Guyana. The risk of exprop riation encompasses all discriminatory measures taken by a host government which deprive the investor of its investment without any adequate compensation; for the purpose of analysing the expropriation risk,
events of embargo, change of (legal) regime and denial of justice are included. Regulatory risk is the risk that a change in regulations or legislation will affect a security, company. Corporations are allowed to enter into contracts, sue and be sued, own assets, remit federal and state taxes, and borrow money from financial institutions, or industry. I assumed investors and banks were not stupid and took out sovereign risk insurance. Keith Bernard
Refuting allegations and statements Dear Editor, During the afternoon of 26th August, 2020, I was at CID Headquarters, Eve Leary interviewing and taking instructions from a client that I was retained to defend. Visiting clients in police custody has been an important aspect of my work as a criminal defence lawyer for many years. The detainee’s constitutional right to instruct his chosen legal advisor without delay, is a right that I have very vigilantly protected whenever necessary. I have, however, always understood that the police will require sufficient time to make a written record of my visit and to provide a suitable space to facilitate our private communications. Unfortunately, there are no dedicated areas in any of our police stations for lawyer and client communications. As I left the compound that afternoon I was accosted by a colleague, Darren Wade, who berated me in the presence of the press for joining with the police in the interrogation of his client, Mr. Clairmont Mingo. Similar sentiments were repeated in various Facebook postings by him. During my time at the CID Headquarters on that day, I did not speak with Mr. Mingo, I did not interact with him nor did I
witness his questioning by anyone. I am also completely unaware of any information that he may have provided to the police. Mr. Wade’s statements about me were untrue, defamatory and did incite others to vilify and threaten me. Because Mr. Wade is a young and enthusiastic lawyer, as I once was, I have no interest in pursuing the legal avenues available to me, but I am constrained to put myself on record as refuting his allegations and statements against me. While the ranks of politicians in Guyana are made up of many members of our mutual profession, it would serve my colleague well to remember that political theatre, such as was recently displayed by him, may very well harm his standing within the legal community and this noble profession. Glenn Hanoman
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Wednesday September 02, 2020
Adams did not consistently oppose Exxon flouting of rules DEAR EDITOR, Reference is made to several letters by Mike McCormack, Jerry Jailall, a group of six, and several others (KN) condemning the termination of Dr. Vincent Adams as Head of EPA. Dr. Adams is indeed competent in his line of work based on encomiums from the US. But he was a political appointee and entered into the political fray. Once you go on the political hustings, you are no longer a professional civil servant. So McCormack and the others are wrong on this score. When your party loses
an election, you leave honourably holding your head high, proudly to fight another day. You don’t grovel for a job from the victorious party. Also Adams developed a strong voice against Exxon after APNU officially lost the election on August 2. His political affiliation prevented him from holding Exxon accountable. He was silent about Exxon’s violations the preceding 20 months. Adams, like many others and myself, was or is a supporter of APNU+AFC. He campaigned on stage. But our party lost. There is nothing
My people were right DEAR EDITOR, My parents and people were right. Damn right, you got that straight! Meh ears hard and meh head harder. I doan learn. I doan grow up; the older ah get, the more stupid ah get. Yuh wud tink dat I gon larn. Dis wan, same wan. New one ole wan. Meh PNCeee fren dem must be chortling. Gud fuh yuh! We deh tel yuh! But like your own people did say (God bless them) ‘yuh aaaze (ears for the purists and linguists in the midst) hard. Yuh doan lissen. You stupid! You playin stupid. A friend told me a while back, ‘do not trust Granger.’ I did. I am wondering who Guyana is going to trust now. With trustees like these, we are in for ally and untold misery. And here I am, a resident, who could have been president, only to end up being a dissident. What a
waste! What a joke! What a joke I would have been. But I tell you this, Editor, I would have been an honest president. A clean one. An inclusive one. And before anybody get any ideas, I am not running for anything, lobbying for nothing. Am just being me: plain stupid. How stupid can any man get? I seem to remember: unity, transparency, accountability. Ha! Ha! Ha! Somebody must copy from my book. Ah get tired of me foolishness. I am more tired of the lying leaders and the lies deh tell. Dem duz prapah lie. Deh lie baad. Wah is dah song bout some lion and he foolishness? I ask the people at SN and KN to pray for me. I am aware that some doan beeleeve in gawd. Ow! Lawd! Sincerely, GHK Lall
Some thoughts on... From page 5 remove evidence? D) Could Mr. Jones possibly destroy the evidence - a barber chair, while forced to keep all of its component parts in his home, by the fact that his home was or could be under surveillance? Looked at from this perspective, is it not possible
that applying their discretionary powers would have de-escalated the situation and led to a more acceptable outcome for all? Wouldn’t the police have been seen in a better light by the public if such an approach was adopted? Yours truly, Claudius Prince
shameful about it. We move on to the opposition benches. We organize to rebuild and return five years later. That is the nature of partisan politics that characterizes Guyana. We must come together to rebuild our party and hold the PPP accountable. We must not be angry with the PPP for wanting its loyalists in such a key post. The APNU needs Adams on our side for a strong opposition to the PPP. Contrary to what McCormack wrote, it would have been very demoralizing retaining the service of Adams. It would have sent the wrong message to those who campaigned on the victorious side or who stood up for decency, integrity, and honesty. The critics should have been more circumspect in their obloquy. They see nothing wrong in retaining a very partisan political appointee who campaigned on the political platform. What message does it send to other civil servants? Go and campaign for a party! You will not lose your ‘wuk’. It is okay to enter the political fray and when you lose you remain in your post. And what is the message being sent to other party activists and others who campaigned against such political behaviour? No wuk for you. We got to keep the appointees of the
previous government. Firing or terminating or sending political appointees on leave ought to be demoralizing when they resist leaving their positions. That should be the intent of such an action. A clear message must be sent to other political appointees – leave office when your party loses. Ethically, it is wrong remaining in office. Adams should have offered his resignation on August 3 and let the new administration know he would like to assist in certain areas if it desires his services. Staying on was disgusting, displaying a lack of professionalism and integrity. Separately, didn’t Adams, who lived over 35 years in the US, the bastion of democracy, find it troubling to campaign for a political party that refused to resign after losing a no confidence vote? And does he not have any shame in wanting to remain in office after his party lost the election. The entire world condemned his party for attempting to defraud the electorate. Adams was a political appointee who campaigned for the incumbent APNU+AFC. When your party loses, you leave office. If you wish to be a nonpartisan appointee or a professional in the civil
service, you stay out of politics. Adams should have resigned from his post before entering the political hustings. If a professional or a civil servant wishes to campaign for a party, he resigns. If his party wins, he returns. Adams was silent during the five months ordeal to steal the election. Since he was active in the political campaign, he should have publicly come out and condemned the fraud like a professional would. His political colleague Dominic Gaskin condemned the fraud throughout as well as after the count and recount. Adams had several opportunities to condemn the fraud. Even now, he could have spoken out against the fraud. He chose to be silent. That was a clear message that he intended to remain political with APNU+AFC. What kind of message would it send to the nation by retaining a partisan political appointee? Would it not be demoralizing to the hundreds who campaigned against the coalition only to be told that activists like Adams would retain their posts in defeat? Can the new government trust or have confidence in him in such an important post? Didn’t APNU purge all PPP appointees and those perceived as sympathizers?
Mr. Jailall believes Adams provided strong leadership at EPA by insisting that Exxon pays the fine change for dumping contaminated water in the ocean and speaking against flaring. But Melinda Janki exposed the duality of the position of Adams who for two years has been silent on the 25 years permit granted to Exxon when the law allows for only a five years permit. If he were such a strong leader, why didn’t he object to the breaking of the law on the 25 years permit and call on his government, which he campaigned for re-election, to revisit the permit. Adams knew the law but allowed its violation while his party was in office and only began to speak tough against Exxon when his party officially lost office. Also, there was flaring and dumping of pollutants in the ocean during the tenure of his government and he was silent all the time. It is hypocrisy to act like a tough guy when all along you were a weasel because of politics. Dr. Vincent Adams did not behave like a professional. His behaviour after March 2, smacks of political opportunism. He ought to have resigned voluntarily rather than be pushed out. That is how one retains integrity. Yours truly, Nigel Philadelphia
Should Adams have resigned on issue of politicking? DEAR EDITOR, I am in agreement with Freddie (Sept. 1) and disagree with others on the forced departure of Dr. Vincent Adams as head of EPA. I do not know Dr. Adams and am not familiar with his work and therefore cannot comment on his academic qualification, experience, and competence for the job. Innuendos were made about his management of EPA. What troubles me is his violation of ‘political neutrality’ doctrine of civil servants and his silence on electoral fraud that Freddie, KN, myself and others fought against so courageously. His departure does not mean that Exxon would not be monitored. As many feel, the oil giant should be held accountable for pollution but not $2,250 as Adams proposed. Guyanese feel it should be more like US$22.5 million, the minimal penalty in America. I respected Adams views at EPA but was not aware that he was an executive member of the AFC and that he campaigned for the coalition thru March 2020. I did not know he was a political
appointee until it was brought to light over the last few days and now by Freddie. I always thought he was hired because of his expertise in energy. I read he was an energy specialist who worked in O&G as well but he was appointed to monitor the environment — a misplacement perhaps because of politics. If he wanted to serve Guyana in energy or the environment as a professional why did he take the plunge in politics? There was no need for Adams to enter into the political fray unless he had ambition for high office. Reports state he campaigned for the coalition and spoke on political platforms. Did he want to become Petroleum Minister and put his hat in the ring on that expectation given that APNU was confident it would win the March 2 elections? Nothing is wrong with that. But once you are in politics, when your party loses, you resign. That is a world recognized and followed principle. Anyone with an ounce of integrity would immediately resign when it is announced that his party loses an election.
Adams understands the principle that follows when a government loses a no confidence motion. He was silent when his party decided to squat in office. His party stayed in office for a full fifteen months before invoking the principle of deciding to hold elections. And it stayed on for a further five months while attempting to rig the outcome of the election. At no time did Adams critique his colleagues for violating democratic norms between December 21, 2018 to August 2 and now September 2 (21 months). He could have rehabilitated his image between March 3 and now by simply dissociating himself from and condemning electoral fraud. So if Granger had been sworn in from the fraud, say on March 6 or 13 as was announced would take place, Adams would have seen no problem continuing on in his position as EPA head or accepting a position as Petroleum Minister. Don’t’ Mike McCormack and others see something wrong with this kind of behaviour? Worse, they excuse it. Mike McCormack and the others who penned letters in
support of Adams retaining his position as EPA head are wrong. On account of politics, Adams do not belong in a civil service position unless he dissociates from party politics. It sends a wrong message to civil servants that there would be no consequences if they engage in politicking. When one runs for office or campaigns for their party, they immediately become political and they must resign their government appointed positions. Failing that they must be terminated. I am also concerned about Adam’s public posturing as pointed out by one writer (KN Sep 1). From August 2018 to August 11, 2020, when his party was in office, Adams was not critical of Exxon’s behaviour in polluting the environment. Now that his party lost office, he finds it convenient to go after Exxon. That is politically duplicitous. Adams should have stayed away from politics. A nonpoliticized figure should be hired to head EPA now that we know how politicized the position has become. Yours truly, Dr. Vishnu Bisram
Wednesday September 02, 2020
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Alleged Ponzi schemers slapped with 12 more charges A
More charges: Yuri GarciaDominguez and his wife, Ateeka Ishmael in court recently.
lleged Ponzi schemers, Yuri G a r c i a Dominguez and his wife, Ateeka Ishmael, were yesterday slapped with 12 additional fraud charges, bringing the total number against the couple to 41. The duo yesterday made an appearance before Senior Magistrate, Fabayo Azore, in the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court. They denied the allegations which stated that they obtained cash under false pretense. Magistrate Azore granted the defendants bail in the sum of $300,000, on each charge and the matter was adjourned to September 21, 2020. On Monday, GarciaDominguez and his wife, made a virtual appearance before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where they were made to answer to
10 fraud charges. They denied the charges which stated that between May and July 2020, with intent to commit a felony, they conspired with persons known and unknown to obtain a total sum of over $60M from 10 persons under false pretence. After reading the charges, Magistrate Daly granted the defendants bail in the sum of $1M each and adjourned the matter to October 5, 2020. The couple appeared before four different Magistrate’s over the past week. However, the duo was remanded to prison on six fraud charges by one of the Magistrates, when they made their first court appearance. Last Thursday, the defendants made their first court appearance at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Melissa Mittleholzer with their attorneys, Glenn Hanoman and
Dexter Todd. Garcia-Dominguez and Ishmael were slapped with 19 fraud charges appearing before two separate magistrates. Magistrate Mittleholzer read 13 fraud charges to the defendants, which allege that between May and July 2020, the couple obtained a total sum of $24.7M from 13 victims under false pretense. Magistrate Mittleholzer granted the defendants bail in the sum of $3.9M each and the matter was adjourned to September 18, 2020. However, the duo then made a virtual appearance before Magistrate Alisha George of the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court. Magistrate George read six fraud charges to the duo – those charges allege that they obtained over $1M from the victims under false pretense. Magistrate George remanded the defendants to prison and (Continued on page 24)
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Bandits captured in car chase minutes after Bourda robbery
Minutes after an armed robbery was committed yesterday at Bourda Market, police ranks were able to nab the bandits in a car chase along Regent Street. The robbery took place at around 14:30hrs at one of the stalls in Bourda market. According to police reports, a woman was about to make a purchase at the stall when an armed gunman ran up to her and demanded her handbag. The woman resisted and the gunman lashed her in her chest with the weapon and relieved her of the bag containing her cell phone and cash. The man then ran out of the market onto Regent Street.
Wednesday September 02, 2020 Patrol ranks, on Monday, seized a total of 112.75 pounds of suspected cannabis in a parked car at Montrose Seawall East Coast Demerara (ECD). The bust was made at around 20:10 hrs. According to police reports, the ranks were on their normal anti crime patrol when they noticed a Honda CRV sports utility vehicle (SUV) parked at the sea wall. As they approached, a man jumped out of the car and ran into the nearby mangrove area and escaped. The policemen proceeded to search the car and discovered two bags containing the cannabis neatly wrapped in packages.Police are currently on the lookout for the suspect.
The weapon used to commit the robbery Eyewitnesses noted he entered a waiting car and drove off. Police were summoned and right away a patrol unit located the car and gave chase. Ranks trapped the car as one of the men attempted to
dispose of the firearm. However, their attempts proved futile and police retrieved the gun and arrested the gunman and the driver of the getaway car. They were taken into custody and the stolen handbag was recovered.
Man abandons SUV on seawall; police seized over 100 pounds of marijuana
Education Ministry announces placement exams for September 23rd The Ministry of Education has announced that it has set a date for the Entrance/Placement examination to be done at the secondary level to facilitate those students who wish to move from one public school to another. The exams are set for September 23rd. “Re-migrant children and students that wish to move from a private institution into the public school system at the secondary level are also facilitated,� the ministry notice said Monday.(Please see the notice ):
Wednesday September 02, 2020
PAGE 9
Kaieteur News
Time to lockdown the hotspots Guyana’s COVID-19 coronavirus infection rate is way too high. Fifty (50) out of every one (1) million persons are infected. And while Guyana’s total caseload, as at Monday, of 1,306 is below that of Trinidad 1,773 and Jamaica 2,459, Guyana’s per capita rate is far higher than that of both countries. In fact, we have twice the number of cases per capita than Jamaica. Guyana’s death rate is much too high. Thirty nine (39) persons have died as at Sunday. This works out to 50 deaths per every one million persons. Barbados’s rate is 24 per every one million persons half that of Guyana. Trinidad is merely 18 per one million persons. Jamaica, despite having 2,459 infections, only has 21 deaths, half that of Guyana. Its death rate is only seven per every million persons. What this says is that Frank Stanislaus Anthony, the Minister of Health, has started looking closely at the type of treatment people are receiving at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The GPHC had been pioneering plasma treatment. The early indications were favourable. Since then there has been a massive increase in both infections and recoveries. More than 600 persons have recovered. This means that these persons could be approached for plasma to see if it can help save the lives of those severely sick. On August 23 last, the United States Food and Drugs Department (FDA) issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for convalescent plasma for the treatment of COVID-19 hospitalized patients. The decision it was said came after the FDA had undertaken an extensive review of the science and data
generated over several months. Guyana was ahead of the US in this regard and the recent doubling of deaths in one month came as a surprise given the initial favourable reports on the use of convalescent plasma. This is an area in which there needs to be calls for more persons to donate plasma so that it can be applied in cases where no other treatment is likely to work. The Minister of Health did say that he was seeking to get Remdesivir, a drug which has been found to aid recovery in patients. The FDA this week approved emergency authorization of the drug not just for emergency patients but for all patients. The drug is extremely expensive in the United States. But India is making it cheaper and it should be sourced without any further delay Earlier this year there were reports out of the United Kingdom that a cheap drug, dexamethasone, had been found to reduce deaths in severely-ill COVID-19 patients but had little effect on those with mild symptoms. Taiwan this week issued a preliminary approval for this drug. There are other treatments which are being used and which one would hope are being used in Guyana. It is really astonishing the rapid increases in deaths over the past months. As testing is increased, more persons are going to be tested positive and more persons are also going to die. Barbados has been a remarkable success story so far. It has only 174 cases and just seven deaths. And one of the main reasons for this is that, unlike Guyana, it rolled out mass testing very early.
Guyana as at Monday last had done 8,510 tests. Barbados with only 267,000 persons had done double that amount. On a per capita basis, Barbados has done also five times as more testing than Guyana. And that is why its total cases and deaths are low. Guyana cannot afford the half-baked measures which the Ministry of Health is implementing. Better has to be done. Guyana is surrounded by countries which are at hot spots. Suriname now has 4,034 cases and 71 deaths. And they have just over half of a million persons. The numbers in Brazil and Venezuela are too depressing to even mention. The situation in Region Nine and Region One shows the effect of what is happening in neighbouring state. This is why there is need for tightening up the movement of persons between Guyana and Suriname and Guyana and Brazil. Otherwise Region Six will get out of control and Region Nine will get worse. All movement in and out of this region should already have been banned. The virus has been spreading throughout the country since March. The low testing done before August meant that thousands are being infected, most of whom do not know. They are spreading the virus because more than half of them are asymptomatic. People have the virus and do not know. More testing has to be done but it makes no sense increasing testing if results cannot be available in 24 hours. Given the present waittime between testing and results, people are going to get sick and not be able to get
Dem boys seh ...
Nuff thing was passin’ by de new hospital Dem boys know how fuh find out how much money de former government spend pun de Infectious Diseases Hospital. Dem boys seh money bin spend deh faster dan flu does spread. Was contract galore bin sharing out. And people talk how nuff thing bin passing, including below the table. So dem boys hear. Dem boys bin hear how de former administration spend $1.6B pun de place. De former government decide fuh open de place even before dem fully equip it. Dem know dem bin coming out. And was dem last act fuh show dat it was dem project. De Rig-adier even
come out of hiding fuh de ceremony. But dem boys believe some people bin smiling all de way to de bank because of dat hospital. Dem boys believe some of dem set fuh life. Dem boys callin pun Irfaan fuh call in de contractors wah wuk pun de place. Dem need to be questioned as to what work dem did and how much dem get paid. Based pun dem answer, de government need to demand taxes. Is then yuh hear how some of dem gan sing as to what de really get paid and who dem had to give something under de table. Dem boys read how dem
European country giving dem small and medium income country aid fuh fight COVID-19. Dem gat we stretching out we hand like beggar and mek we feel obligated to them. Dem gan donate wan testing machines fuh we wah cost a few thousand dollars. But in return we gat fuh allow dem scavengers fuh come hay and dig out we wealth. Dem boys hear how Russia doing de same thing. Dem too giving we money with one hand and tekkin’ it back with de other hand. Talk half and leh we see whether de hospital was a Ponzi scheme.
treatment because their status would not be confirmed. Quite a few persons have died before their test results came back. The options for the government must be to have a lockdown for at least two weeks, except for essential services and to ensure that
the time between testing and the availability of results is reduced to one day. This virus started in China. And they have brought it under control. They did that by locking the hotspots down. We can do the same. (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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Wednesday September 02, 2020
Kaieteur News
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
TIGI, GHRA, Vincent Adams and morality in politics
Each time the human opens his/her mouth or picks up his/her pen, moral awareness must be the basis that determines the emanation. Moral values have almost been elusive to define. There has been no consensus on the subject among some of the greatest minds in philosophy. In the banality of everyday life, there are elementary and fundamental values that bring humans close together because there is a common understanding that these norms hold civilization together; for example, equality before the law. No human will admit that the best cancer specialist should not be charged for running a red light; no human will admit that it is right to refuse service to a shopper in a supermarket because of the
racial make-up of the person. No human will accept an advertisement for a postal delivery service with the note that the person must be tall, muscular and good-looking. These are the little moral values that have contributed to the prolongation of civilization. We are all guided by them except the bestial human. Against this backdrop, it is useful to examine the politics of morality and the morality of politics against the five-month ordeal of election rigging. I have incessantly argued in five months of columns that one’s attitude to the election impasse should be a criterion to judge our character, our morality and the nature of our politics. I recall during the election rigging, I took objections to the contents of letters on
Guyana’s politics in the newspapers by Dr. Alissa Trotz, Dr. Arif Bulkan and Dr. Omar Shahabudin McDoom, bemoaning the relentless, ethnic struggle for dominance by the PPP and PNC and its frightening implications. These political descriptions were sickening in the sense that they were published at a time when the very rule of law, the right to vote and the future of Guyana were all threatened by five months of rigged election and not one line was devoted to this dangerous precipice we were sitting on, the absence of which tells you about how these people see politics in this land. In the newspapers a few days ago, there appeared two separate letters, one from Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI) and the other from Guyana Human
Rights Association (GHRA) rejecting the government’s decision to require Dr. Vincent Adams, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, to take his leave. But where were the publications from TIGI and GHRA when the very social and legal foundations of this society were in danger within a timeframe that lasted five months? By their very names, TIGI and GHRA should have been in the forefront of the struggle to have our right to vote and for that ballot to be counted. There was one, only one convoluted letter on the election crisis in the newspaper by TIGI and it made no reference to the lengths GECOM was going in order to manipulate the election results. I am one citizen of this country who has no respect for this
organization. I find it to be an extremely opportunistic body, seeking publicity for narrow reasons. I also believe its leadership is made up of hypocritical people, one of whom told me in the presence of Donald Rodney that he only reads one newspaper in Guyana. See my two columns on the double standards and blatant hypocrisy of TIGI - Friday, November 22, 2019, “Transparency Institute’s hypocrisy on display at the Rodney vigil” and Wednesday, October 18, 2017, “My mind does not miss these things but….” I remember when under the vice-chancellorship of Dr. Ivelaw Griffith even the UG Council, which he reported to, could not have information on his salary and TIGI refused to pronounce on this egregious lack of transparency. When I called upon the head of TIGI to do the morally right thing, he found refuge in the explanation that since he works at UG, it could be seen as a conflict of interest if TIGI was to get involved. This was nothing but an asinine explanation for avoiding responsibility. Strangely, for an organization whose work is to safeguard human rights, the GHRA had absolutely noth-
ing to say when the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) produced six, different results for the 2020 general elections in Guyana. In one of those results, 150, 000 votes were discarded by the CEO and he offered no explanation. This was the kind of immoral and illegal depravities you would expect an organization concerned with human rights and the other with transparency issues to denounce. But suddenly TIGI and GHRA found an incident to ensure they get their publicity – one of the leaders of APNU+AFC, Vincent Adams, the same APNU+AFC that tried to rig the election. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Murder is suspected after the lifeless body of a pensioner was yesterday discovered in his home underneath the kitchen sink. An investigation was launched into the death of the pensioner, Sukhnanan Dugi called Henry, 90, of 6 Hope, Lowlands, Public Road, East Coast Demerara. According to a police report, the incident occurred between Monday August 31, 2020, about 16:00hrs and Tuesday September 1, 2020, about 11:00hrs. Dugi’s body was yesterday discovered by his niece around 11:00hrs. Kaieteur News understands that the woman would regularly visit the deceased to cook, wash and clean for him. The deceased niece told the police that she last saw her uncle alive on Monday around 16:00hrs. She further stated that yesterday morning she went to Cove and John Post Office to transact business on the deceased behalf. However, upon arrival at the pensioner’s home, the woman said she observed his slippers at the top of the step. When she entered the house, she was greeted with bloodstains on the floor of the living room and the kitchen.
Further checks were made and Dugi’s lifeless body was discovered lying under the kitchen sink with blood on his head and upper part of his body. An alarm was raised and the police was alerted. When the police visited the scene, a rank observed that Dugi had two open wounds at the back of his head, another wound to the right side of his face, swelling to the left side of the face and wounds on his right hand and wrist. The police also discovered a piece of wood which is suspected to be the murder weapon and a piece of cloth with bloodstain on the floor of the kitchen. The police report stated that the deceased lived alone in a two-storey wooden and concrete house. Ranks said that the interior of the house was not ransacked and there was no sign of forced entry. Dugi’s body was escorted to CC Nicholson Hospital at Nabaclis, East Coast Demerara, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. The body was then taken to the Lyken Funeral Home awaiting a post mortem examination.Investigation into the death of the pensioner is ongoing.
Frederick Kissoon
Lowlands pensioner’s battered body found under kitchen sink
Wednesday September 02, 2020
Kaieteur News
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Wednesday September 02, 2020
Kaieteur News
Health Minister seeking loan from Indian Bank to revamp sections of West Dem. Hospital G
uyana’s Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, recently indicated that he will be seeking collaboration and a loan from the Indian Export-Import (ExIm) Bank to rebuild major sections of the West Demerara Hospital. Dr. Anthony stated that between late 2020 to early 2021, the project will be coming on stream. The Indian Ex-Im Bank would have provided loans for several projects in Guyana including the East Bank /East
Coast Demerara Road Linkage Project. A line of credit by the bank was also approved by the Government of India which saw about US$17.5 million being provided for the improvement of Suddie Regional Hospital, the West Demerara Regional Hospital, and the Bartica District Hospital. The disclosure of the expansion came recently after the Minister toured the hospital’s maternity facility. He was accompanied by Regional Health Officer (RHO)
of Region Three, Dr. Erica Forte; Head of the Hospital’s Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) Department, Dr. Fareez Khan, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Representative, Bodhan Nipan and staffers of the hospital’s maternity unit. The Minister indicated that he would like to have the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) back in works as it would have been out of operations for a “very” long time. Dr. Anthony stated that the
area has been facing a serious issue of fungus and mold. He also added that the electricity supply has been unstable but it will be addressed. To reduce and eliminate infant mortality in Guyana, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) had commissioned the hospital’s NICU however, for a while it had not been functioning. In 2016, it was fully reopened and equipped with incubators, open care warmers, infant ventilators, CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway
Pressure) machines, IV (Intravenous) and syringe pumps, photo-therapy lamps (LED and Fluorescent), monitors, transport incubators, oxygen and humidity therapy devices, and aerosol medication devices- but even after this, it went out of o p e r a t i o n s . A ministry official stated that in 2016, the IDB had approved a loan of US$8M for a project set to reduce maternal, prenatal, and neonatal deaths in Guyana. It also sought to improve maternal and child health services in Regions Three, Four, and Nine. In staying committed to t h i s l o a n , o n S a t u r d a y, US$25,084 ($5M Guyana dollars) in equipment was handed over to the maternity unit- these included beds, pediatric cots, examination lamps, and trolleys. Another contribution
Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony of equipment is also expected to be delivered which will include cardiac monitors and other vital medical equipment.
Fruit vendor remanded for murder of Craig man
Killed: Kishan Persaud
A fruit vendor was yesterday remanded for chopping a car driver to death recently at First Street Craig, East Bank Demerara (EBD). The murder suspect, Kendrick Shepherd, 36, also known as ‘Uncle Cart’ of Second Street, Buzz-A-Bee Dam, Craig, appeared at the Diamond Magistrate Court before Magistrate Judy Latchman. He was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleges that on Saturday, August 29, 2020, he chopped and killed Kishan Persaud, 29, a seaman of 238 First Street, Buzz-Bee-Dam. He is expected to return to court on September 22, 2020. According to reports, Persaud was heading home and had just turned on to First Street when he saw Shepherd with his fruit cart blocking his path. He called out for Shepherd to move but was
ignored instead. Persaud grew impatient for the man to move and stepped out of his car to confront him. Some say that he attempted to move the man’s cart himself. As a result the two ended up in a heated argument during which Shepherd found a cutlass and chopped Persaud to his neck. The vendor reportedly escaped from the scene. The injured Persaud then reentered his car and immediately turned it around and drove himself to the Diamond Diagnostic Center where he subsequently died while receiving treatment. Media reports had said that the man’s wife disclosed that Persaud was chopped right not too far from his home. She said that she heard the noise and peeped outside only to see her husband in a confrontation with Shepherd.
Wednesday September 02, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Harmon tells press he submitted EU to give €400M for fair evidence of relinquishment access to COVID vaccines of dual citizenship - Clerk of National Assembly says no I submitted: Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon
Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs Joseph Harmon, sworn in as Leader of the Opposition yesterday, told the press that he has submitted evidence of the relinquishment of his dual citizenship to the National Assembly. These details are surprising, however, the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, yesterday told Kaieteur News that he is not in receipt of such documentation from Harmon. “This (yesterday) morning,” Harmon said to the media, “I wrote to the Clerk and submitted to him my original, sealed copy of my revocation certificate, along with a copy. I have written an undertaking to the Clerk, asking him to circulate to all the MPs, so that we all see and ensure that everyone is in the rightful place in the National Assembly... I know that there are two other persons who are affected, the government Chief Whip, Gail Teixiera and the Deputy Speaker of the Housemate, Lenox Shuman.” Notably, when this publication contacted
Isaacs yesterday, he debunked Harmon’s claims. He said that Teixeira is the only parliamentarian who has submitted proof of relinquishment. The talk of dual citizenship took the forefront after Isaacs on Monday circulated a letter asking all Members of Parliament “who held allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or State during the Eleventh Parliament, and have relinquished same, to provide proof of their relinquishment” to him. In the past, three other members of parliament under the A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), in addition to Harmon, were forced to renounce their seats in parliament after it was discovered that they held allegiance to foreign states. These individuals were Rupert Roopnaraine, former Minister of Public Service; Dominic Gaskin the former Business Minister and Carl Greenidge, the former Foreign Affairs Minister.
(TeleTrader News) - The European Commission announced on Monday that it will contribute €400 million in guarantees to support the COVAX programme for equitable access to affordable COVID-19 vaccines. The funds will go towards “purchasing future vaccines to the benefit of low and middle income countries,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (pictured). The EU stated that the detailed terms and conditions of its participation and contribution will be specified in the weeks to come. “Team Europe is ready to put its expertise and resources at work within COVAX to accelerate and scale-up development and manufacturing of a global supply of vaccines for citizens across the world, in poor and rich countries,” the Commission added.
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Wednesday September 02, 2020
Not business as usual Kaieteur News
Chris Jones is Opposition’s Chief Whip… -Harmon says after sworn in as Opposition Leader oseph Harmon, who
J
was yesterday unani mously elected as the Opposition Leader, promises to hold the feet of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) government to the fire, as one of the party’s main oppositional functions. During the Opening of the 12th Parliament of Guyana, held yesterday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) at Liliendaal, because of COVID-19 precautions, Harmon expressed feelings of “mixed emotions”.
”I am indeed humbled and honoured to have been sworn in as Leader of the Opposition but I am cognizant and convinced that being in Opposition is not our rightful place. We were ousted from government by fraudulent means.” Nevertheless, he believes that the A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition was legitimately elected to the Parliament. “I am honoured and privi-
leged to lead this young, diverse and dynamic team of Parliamentarians,” the new Opposition Leader said. He was a former Minister of State of the Coalition before he was forced to step down because he also held US citizenship. “This team is the most diverse team of Parliamentarians in the history of Guyana. We all are, but our young parliamentarians and our women parliamentarians in particular, are brimming with enthusiasm
Joseph Harmon taking his oath as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly
and eagerness to get the people’s work done. Much of this work will be done in the communities, meeting citizens eyeball to eyeball. This will ensure the issues we raise in the National Assembly will be those that are raised by the people themselves and that will benefit them.” He sought to remind the press that Parliament is the highest level of decisionmaking in the country, “and therefore as legislators we have to understand that impartiality is an important thing in what we do. I trust that I (Continued on page 19)
Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones.
Wednesday September 02, 2020
PAGE 19
Kaieteur News
Every household to benefit from COVID-19 measures -President Ali tells Berbicians
President Irfaan Ali during his Berbice visit yesterday.
Irfaan Ali, yesterday morning said the Government will, in the coming days, announce measures for both the household and Private Sector, which will help to alleviate some of the effects of the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Speaking during an outreach in Canje, East BerbiceCorentyne (Region Six), President Ali said the Government has not forgotten its commitments to the people. ”We know that COVID-19 has brought some hardships on the communities that were already stressed and pressed with hard economic fortunes because of the closure of sugar estates, the downturn of the economy and then these communities in themselves have other issues because other persons would have lost their jobs over the past month. We also know that there were limited interventions in bringing relief at the household and family levels,” the President said. President Ali said the Government had promised that these
issues would be addressed and as such, it remains resolute in this endeavour. ”In our manifesto, we had promised to address the issue of the sugar estates, employment and supporting and improving livelihoods and living conditions at the household level. I want to assure you that those commitments are as strong today as the day we … made them. We are going to ensure that we make the necessary investments. By the end of this week, I will announce measures at the household level that will help you and put back money in your pockets. These are not just for your community, but they will be measures that will be extended to every household and every family in this country,” the Head of State said. The President also said that by the end of the week, he will announce the interventions that will be put in place by the Ministry of Education to ensure that students remain engaged and receive tuition outside of the traditional classroom setting,
Not business as usual From page 14 will provide the quality of leadership that is necessary at this time for all of Guyana”. Harmon further stated: “I can assure you and all of Guyana that we will ensure that every day, starting from today, the PPP/C will know that it will not be business as usual. Critical support as it related to issues of sovereignty of our national and other matters are determined to be of public interest. We are committed to a robust and legislative agenda...” Debates will proceed on the APNU+AFC’s highly touted “Decade of Development”, with four main pillars focused on the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS), technology, education and petroleum. Meanwhile, the former Director of Sports under the
former administration, Christopher Jones, was sworn in as the opposition’s Chief Whip. Jones would have been the forefront of the Coalition’s campaign. There are two Chief Whips: one on the Government’s side and one on the Opposition’s side. In carrying out his/her duties, he/she is directly responsible to the Prime Minister and Leader of the House and/or Leader of the Opposition, respectively. He/she sits on the Government’s side with his/ her counterpart of the largest Opposition Party constitutes the usual channels through which consultations are held with other parties and members about business arrangements and other matters of concern of the House.
during this period. ”We have to ensure that they have access to the curriculum and the teaching material. The Minister of Education has been working on this for the past two weeks,” he said. Further, President Ali urged
the residents to play their part and follow the emergency measures, which have been put in place to curb the spread of the COVID-19 disease. Personal responsibility, he said, is as important as the Government fulfilling its responsibili-
ties. ”You must also do your part and ensure that your family and neighbours take the issues of this pandemic very seriously. You must wear your masks. We have to protect ourselves, our families and
our communities. Carry on your activities, keeping in mind that we are living in a COVID-19 environment. We have to take the precautions. It is the only way we can fight this pandemic,” President Ali said.
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Wednesday September 02, 2020
Kaieteur News
Four arrested as police bust Crabwood Creek fake $5,000 operation Police on Sunday, at about 21:30hrs, acting on information received, conducted a search at a home located at Grant, Crabwood Creek, Corriverton and found $320,000.00 in suspected counterfeit notes. Police said that they seized 64 of the $5,000 notes. In addition, the ranks carried out a search at a home located not far away, where one
white HP Desk jet printer and two laptop computers were found. It is suspected that the computers and printer were used to produce the counterfeit notes.The suspects along with the forged currency notes and devices were taken to Springlands Police Station where the suspects remain in custody assisting with the investigation.
A few of the seized counterfeit notes.
E’bo boat operators complain about turn system
Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, on Friday, held a meeting with boat operators at the Parika Stelling. Representatives from the Parika-Bartica, Parika-Wakenaam-Supenaam, and Parika Leguan routes were in attendance at the meeting. “Operators expressed concerns over a number of issues which Minister Edghill promised to address. Among some of the issues raised by the operators was the turn
system used by boat operators. Minister Edghill assured them that new protocols will be established regarding same.” According to the ministry, the Minister also higlighted that full support is required from the operators regarding the COVID-19 guidelines. Also in attendance at the meeting were the Director-General of MARAD, Claudette Rogers, and Regional Chairman of Region Three, Julius Faerber.
Wednesday September 02, 2020
Kaieteur News
PAGE 21
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Wednesday September 02, 2020
Kaieteur News
President visits East Canje with relief hampers
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President, hampers were distributed to the communities which were directly affected by the closure of the sugar estates under the coalition administration. Those villages included Gangaram, Betsy Ground, Good Bananan Land, Adelphi, Reliance and Canefield. President Ali, during the meet with the residents, recommitted to many promises made during the campaign trail, most notably to restore the jobs that were lost and make investments that will be “support the children, the pensioners, reduce expenditures on water and electricity” among many others. Thousands of sugar workers had lost their jobs when the Wales, Skeldon and the Rose Hall estates were closed by the previous administration. As a result, these workers who had families or who were working with the estates for years were directly affected. They have been complaining bitterly of the hardships. The sacked workers were given severance but their money has run out and reality has started to step in. They complained that children were forced to leave school, loans were not paid and many persons simply said that they could not afford three square meals a day. However, during the lead up to the elections, the Peoples Progressive Party/ Civic, not in government, had promised to re-open the sugar
estates and restore the jobs lost. President Ali, at one of the locations visited yesterday, said that many communities were also faced with additional problems from the sloth in the economy and the loss of jobs after RUSAL and Oldendorff shutting of operations in Berbice... hundreds of employees were put on the breadline. He said because of the hardships the people have been facing, his government is determined to bring relief in the communities, the household level and the families. “We said we would address the issue of sugar that we will address the issue of employment and we will address the issue of support and improve livelihood at the household level and I want to assure you that those commitments are as strong today as the day we would have made them. We want to make sure that we make the necessary investments to bring back the jobs that were lost in these communities, we are going to bring the investment to support the children, the pensioners, reduce the expenditure on water and electricity etc. We are committed to these things”, he stated. The President mentioned that his government is pursuing an agenda that will come alive within the next three years... “we are hoping to have our natural gas and (Continued on page 23)
Wednesday September 02, 2020
Kaieteur News
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Local Gov’t Minister pledges support to assist in - says will not allow the development of the capital city politics to hinder progress
M
inister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, has pledged his support to assist the Georgetown municipality in the efforts to rebuild the capital city. During a recent interview with Kaieteur Radio’s Room 592 hosts, Dr. Yog Mahadeo and Kaieteur News’ Senior Journalist/Editor, Leonard Gildarie, the Minister noted that the collaboration between the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development and the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) is essential towards improving the condition of the city. Dharamlall stressed too that the capital city’s development will not be halted by any political affiliations. “Georgetown has a lot of history and we will not allow the politics of any individual or any party to separate us from the development,” he said. According to the Local Government Minister, Georgetown’s deterioration stemmed from irregularities in management and financial stability.He disclosed that steps will be taken to address those concerns. At the interim, Dharamlall said the President, Dr.
Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has mandated a ministerial taskforce comprising the Ministries of Public Works and Agriculture, along with the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, to collaborate and draft a plan to refurbish Georgetown to a state that citizens of Guyana can be proud of. He noted the ministerial task force conducted a rapid assessment of what is needed in Georgetown. As they approach the final phase to allocate resources, the Local Government Minister disclosed that the Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine, has expressed his willingness to collaborate and improve the livelihood of the capital city. Minister Dharamlall, therefore, reiterated the PPP/ C’s commitment to ensuring the restoration of Georgetown. He also pledged support to have the City Hall – one of the nation’s pristine buildings refurbished. “We will ensure the citizens of Georgetown live a different life and benefit from the vision of the President, and I think most importantly, in all the municipalities, especially Georgetown, that decision of the city is made from the bottom up,” he said.
Guyana to account for 30% ... From page 18 day from the two projects when they produce at peak. This represents 30.5 percent of the company’s current output, recorded in its 2020 Q2 earnings call as 334,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. During its earnings call last month, Chief Executive Officer John Hess told analysts of Guyana’s position in its portfolio, not only of the quantity of oil but the low cost to produce it. “In terms of preserving the long-term value of our assets,” Hess said, “our top
priority is Guyana, an extraordinary world-class asset… The current estimate of gross discovered recoverable resources for the block stands at more than 8 billion barrels of oil equivalent, with multi-billion barrels of exploration potential remaining.” Hess said that having Guyana on the company’s portfolio will provide long term resource growth across multiple phases of low cost developments, expected to drive industry-leading cash flow growth over the course of the decade.
President visits East... From page 22 energy production, alternative energy hydro project back on stream so that your cost of your electricity will be at least half of what it is. These are the things that we are going to pursue. We are going to pursue investment in sugar, make sugar stronger. We have a special sub-committee to look at the bauxite issue so there are a lot of things that are going on.” Ali told the people that his government stands committed to bringing improvement to the lives of everyone and the community. He assured
that their aim is to work “progressively” everyday so that “economic life can be restored”. According to Ali, while there is now an emergency budget in the pipelines- they are faced with a few difficulties including “ the liabilities that the previous government left us with so a lot of room in the emergency budget was taken up with those liabilities but before the end of this week you will hear about this.” This, he said, has not allowed for much flexibility considering what they want to achieve.
The state of City Hall
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall
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Wednesday September 02, 2020
Kaieteur News
Guyana records 67 new COVID-19 cases
Macron to Lebanese leaders: reform swiftly or face consequences BEIRUT/PARIS - (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday gave Lebanese politicians until the end of October to start delivering on reforms or else financial aid would be withheld, and sanctions imposed further down the line if there is proven corruption.Macron also told a news conference in Beirut that political leaders had agreed to form a government of experts in the next two weeks to help chart a new course for the Middle East nation collapsing under the weight of an economic meltdown. “There is no blank cheque,” Macron said in his second visit in less than a month to press for action to tackle a financial crisis rooted in corruption and mismanagement, that is the biggest threat to Lebanon’s stability since its civil war.“If your political class fails, then we will not come to Lebanon’s aid,” he said.Macron said he could not exclude targeted sanctions if there is proven corruption, but that sanctions were not on the agenda for October. In central Beirut, riot police and armoured personnel carriers fired teargas to disperse
protesters outside parliament as they vented anger at the mismanagement and corruption that has dragged Lebanon into crisis. Some protesters hurled rocks.Riot police also deployed outside the venue where Macron met Lebanese political and religious leaders. One group held a banner reading: “Legitimacy comes from the people.”Macron, who toured Beirut’s port that was devastated in an Aug. 4 blast, adding to the national crisis, has said he wanted “credible commitments” and a follow-up mechanism from Lebanon’s leaders, including legislative polls in six to 12 months. Lebanese politicians, some former warlords who have overseen decades of industrial-scale corruption, face a daunting task with an economy in meltdown, a swathe of Beirut in tatters after the port blast and sectarian tensions rising.Pressure from Macron, who said he would visit again in December, has already pushed major parties to agree on a new prime minister, Mustapha Adib, who has called for the rapid formation of a government and promised to implement reforms swiftly to secure a deal with the International Monetary Fund.
Alleged Ponzi schemers slapped ...
There have been 69 new COVID-19 cases, according to the dashboard released by the Ministry of Health yesterday. This brings the total number of recorded cases to 1,373 nationally. Of all the cases, 17 were recorded in Region One; six in Region Three; 19 in Region Four; two in Region Five; 11 in Region Seven, and four in Region Nine. In addition to that, 11 persons are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), 67 are in institutional isolation, 512
are in home isolation and 98 persons in institutional quarantine. The total death toll remains at 41 while 742 persons have now recovered. The number of persons tested as of yesterday is 8,822. As for the regional distribution of cases, Region One has recorded 195 cases; Region Two- 14 cases; Region Three- 81 cases; Region Four-492 cases; Region Five- eight cases; Region Six- 16 cases; Region Seven- 228 cases; Region Eight- 23 cases; Region Nine241 cases, and Region Ten- 75 cases.
From page 17 the matter was adjourned to September 21, 2020. The Government recently announced a multi-sectoral investigation against GarciaDominguez and Ishmael, who are officials of Accelerated Capital Firm Inc. The investigation was launched after authorities said they received a number of complaints against the company. Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, recently disclosed that the company has little or no assets in Guyana. According to a letter from the AG to one of the defen-
dants’ lawyers, as a result of multiple complaints received and reports to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), a team of state agencies has been assembled to inquire into the operations of Accelerated. Reports revealed that over 17,000 Guyanese were in limbo, after investing over US$20M.A number of the persons reportedly sold their properties or gave their life savings to the company. Authorities said that they found little evidence of money leaving Guyana via the normal channels for overseas. Accelerated told investors that it was actively in-
volved in the foreign exchange trading and promised as much as 40 percent returns every few weeks. However, authorities, including the Guyana Securities Council, the Bank of Guyana and the Financial Intelligence Unit had warned about the operations. In fact, Accelerated had been operating for about two years but only applied for a broker’s licence a few weeks ago.There are details emerging that pastors and other religious leaders were actively involved in recruiting clients or new “investors” for Accelerated.
$11.2B budget approved for ... From page 15 government sides, I understand the importance of this position. I promise to be impartial fair and just while upholding the laws, rules and procedures in the execution of my responsibility as speaker of this noble house. The veracity of this noble institution must and will be uphold at all times during my tenure,” Nadir added. After that came the nomination of Deputy Speaker and that slot went to Leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) Lenox Shuman, who ousted Opposition MP Raphael Trotman in a vote. Shuman was nominated by Minister Teixeira while Trotman was nominated by his fellow MP, Cathy Hughes. With the 33-seating majority, the governing PPP/C side won the count and Shuman too voted for the motion bring the total to 34 against the Opposition’s 31. Both sides of the House included new and vibrant faces who all expressed their commitment on ensuring that they represent their factions with due diligence. After each MP took their
oath of office, it was down to business with the approval of the $11.2 billion budget for constitutional agencies for the remainder of fiscal year. Before that, the Opposition walked out. Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill, tabled the capital and current expenditure for each agency on behalf of the government. With ease, the budgets remained untouched and were approved without the Opposition side. On the list of agencies with their budgets approved for the period ending December 31 was the Parliament Office which got $1,799,248,000. The Office of the Auditor General received a $908,636,000 budget with the Public and Police Service Commission getting $150,636,000 and the Teaching Service Commission getting $117,075,000. The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) received a whopping $4,943,052,000 budget while the Supreme Court of Judicature received $2,443,164,000 and the Chamber of the Director of Public Prosecution receiving $226,822,000.
Additionally, the Office of the Ombudsman received a budget of $70,001,000 with the Public Service Appellate Tribunal receiving $40,911,000. The Ethnic Relations Commission received a $220,802,000 budget while Judicial Service Commission was given $10,020,000; Indigenous People’s Commission $24,392,000; the Human Rights Commission $25,958,000 and the Rights of the Child Commission with $46,095,000. Also being approved was the Women and Gender Equality Commission which had asked for $58,327,000 and the Public Procurement Commission with a budget of $206,460,000. The country has been surviving without a 2020 budget since 2019 after the last one was passed by the then APNU+AFC government. The protracted March 2nd General and Regional elections contributed heavily to this as parliament was dissolved in December of 2019. There was a five months of stalemate with the PPP/C only taking office last month.
Wednesday September 02, 2020
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Opposition MP’s walk out of national assembly over Shuman’s appointment as Deputy Speaker - Won position by majority vote against Trotman - Cathy Hughes calls it “an abomination” By Shikema Dey Guyana’s main Opposition, the A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition yesterday staged a parliamentary walkout of the National Assembly after newcomer parliamentarian, Lenox Shuman, was voted in as the Deputy Speaker of the House. Opposition MP, Cathy Hughes, had some choice words when addressing the press shortly after, deeming Shuman’s appointment “an abomination”. That move, she posited, exhibited the governing People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) unwillingness
to work in unison to uphold the longstanding conventions of Parliament. “We find it an abomination that Mr. Shuman who comes from a party who got specifically 2,657 votes…I’m sure you, the members of the media, have more Facebook friends than votes that he got,” Hughes added. Shuman won the slot of Deputy Speaker after the House majority voted in his favor. The nomination was put forward by Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Gail Teixeira, and seconded by Prime Minister Mark Phillips. The MP made it known that it was tradition for the
Boyer-Deygoo new Private Sector Chairman The Private Sector Commission on Monday held its 28th Annual General Meeting virtually via the Zoom platform. The business body disclosed that Nicholas BoyerDeygoo is its new chairman. “Capt. Gerald Gouveia informed the members of the General Council that due to the fact that he had taken up an advisory position with the President, he would be unable to put his name forward to continue as President of the Commission.” In his remarks at the Private Sector Commission’s 28th Annual General Meeting, the outgoing Chairman, highlighted that his main focus during his tenure as the Chairman of the Private Sector Commission surrounded encouraging and promoting active participation from all regional chambers in Guyana. He indicated that “this was achieved through various visits and engagements with the different Chambers.” He noted that on work done for the inclusion of women and youth involvement was a pivotal undertaking in the role of Chairman of the PSC, referencing in particular, the formation of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce. “Further, he highlighted the many outreach activities the Private Sector Commission became deeply involved in which ultimately secured active participation among those groups.” Capt. Gouveia said that the PSC’s participation in a number of strategic engagements was held, throughout 2019, with other civil society organizations, political parties, government agencies,
New Chairman of the PSC, Nicholas Boyer-Deygoo and the U.S, Canadian, British and EU diplomats, on issues of governance and national development. “Capt. Gouveia charged his successor to have engagements with the government for the implementation of future developmental plans for the Private Sector. The outgoing Chairman noted that the violent protests on the East Coast Demerara were to be condemned as totally unacceptable and should be firmly dealt with by the police.:Gouveia said that he would continue to remain a corporate member of the commission and look forward to supporting the new chairman and executive.As part of the business section of the Annual General Meeting, elections were held for the Executive members of the Private Sector Commission. “In this regard, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Nicholas Boyer-Deygoo as Chairman of the PSC, Mr. Victor Fernandes as ViceChairman, Ramesh Dookhoo as Secretary, Mr. Zulfikar Ally, Treasurer, and Mr. Manniram Prashad, Corporate Coordinator.”
slot of Deputy Speaker to be held by the Opposition but did not acknowledge that Shuman himself is part of the Opposition. Hughes added that Shuman had vowed to keep the new administration in check during their tenure, but still accepted a Ministerial Advisor position, constituting a clear conflict of interest. “Mr. Shuman could not even get a seat of his own…so how can he represent an Opposition that amassed 217,000 votes? It is unacceptable.”
In response to her pronouncements, Shuman said: “A lot of people seem to think that one cannot be a technical advisor and conduct themselves with integrity in the house.” Shuman noted that while he alone sits as the party representative in Parliament, all key decisions are made collectively. “There is no oneman show, I don’t go there and simply vote yes and no without informing them so I don’t see a conflict,” he said.
Deputy Speaker of the House, Lenox Shuman
Opposition MP: Cathy Hughes
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Wednesday September 02, 2020
Wednesday September 02, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Roglic sends warning to rivals with stage four victory, Alaphilippe stays in yellow
Team Jumbo-Visma rider Primoz Roglic of Slovenia wins the 4th stage ahead of UAE Team Emirates rider Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia. (Pool via REUTERS/Christophe Ena)
Wednesday September 02, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) - This should be a fortunate day for you, Aries. Everything you try to do should go fairly smoothly. Relations with others are warm, friendly, and congenial. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) A couple you've known for a long time could visit you at your home today, Taurus. Don't be surprised if they tell you how wonderful the place looks. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Today, you might spend a great deal of time in the car running errands in the neighborhood. You're likely to see people you know who have interesting news. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Money that you've been earning for a long time may finally come your way today, but don't be surprised if you have to do a lot of running around in order to get it. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) The special someone in your life may be having some trouble with colleagues. Don't just comfort him or herIt's unlikely that your sweetie wants sympathy. Solutions are needed. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Today you're likely to be working hard behind the scenes, perhaps preparing a project for others to make public or coaching people for some kind of virtual performance. You'll expend a lot of energy in the course of completing this chore.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Friends could entice you to join them for a short day trip, perhaps to the country. This is a great day to go on such an outing if it’s possible. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Emotions could be intense at work today as important projects approach their deadlines, Scorpio. You may put in more time than usual. Tempers might flare and coworkers clash, so stay calm and keep going. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Today you should feel especially sexy and relationships with romantic partners should go well. Your passions are intense, the lines of communication are open, and appreciation of one another is running high. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Money is probably on your mind now, Capricorn. A desire for increased financial security could force you to look for work or investments that would pay off big. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Don't expect to spend a lot of time at home today, Aquarius. You're more likely to be in the car and away from home. There may be errands and other obligations to fulfill. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Emotional turmoil on the job could stress you out way too much. Headaches or temporary hypertension could plague you if you aren't careful. Don't push too hard.
ORCIERES-MERLETTE, France (Reuters) - Slovenian Primoz Roglic showed no ill effects of his crash earlier this month as he prevailed in the first mountain-top finish of this year’s Tour de France on the fourth stage, a 160.5-km ride from Sisteron yesterday. His compatriot Tadej Pogacar was second and Frenchman Guillaume Martin was third in a sprint featuring all the pre-race favourites. France’s Julian Alaphilippe retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey when he took fifth place. Roglic, whose participation in the Tour was in doubt after a crash in the Criterium du Dauphine, eased to victory to claim a 10-second bonus and send an early warning to his rivals. “It was quite a hard day actually, but the guys did again a really good job,” said bookmakers’ favourite Roglic, whose Jumbo Visma team mate Wout van Aert set a devilish pace in the final climb, a 7.1-km ascent at an average gradient of 6.7%. Orcieres-Merlette has
Osaka keen to spread... From page 30 aware that tennis is watched all over the world, and maybe there is someone that doesn’t know Breonna Taylor’s story. “Maybe they’ll like Google it or something. I feel like the more people know the story, then the more interesting or interested they’ll become in it.” The 22-year-old Osaka has been at the forefront of protests from tennis players against racial injustice in the United States. She said she appreciated U.S. Open organisers putting up anti-racism artwork and ‘Black Lives Matter’ banners in the showcourts of Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the absence of spectators due to the COVID19 pandemic. “I just feel like we’re heading towards a great direction, and there’s a lot of players that are supporting it,” she added after her 6-2 57 6-2 win over compatriot Doi. “I think there are a lot of voices that are contributing towards a lot of things, so it’s definitely very nice to see.” While Osaka missed the crowd’s energy during tough moments on court she said the empty stands helped her concentrate as her mind can wander sometimes. “Like sometimes I will see a person with a cool outfit or something, they’re doing something, and I get distracted.”
held a famous place in the Tour’s history since Luis Ocana beat the great Eddy Merckx by more than eight minutes in the 1971 race before crashing out three days later. There was no such epic on Tuesday as the main contenders marked themselves in the final uphill section until the sprint, which saw Roglic move up to third in the general classification, seven seconds behind Alaphilippe. Asked if he was disappointed not to have taken the yellow jersey, Roglic said: “It’s the news that I have to accept, I don’t really care. Like I said, a nice day, we stayed safe and we won which is even better.” The access to the final climb was barred to motorised vehicles as organisers and authorities looked to avoid mass gatherings amid the COVID19 crisis, leaving very few spectators by the side of the road. Tiesj Benoot, one of six
breakaway riders, skidded into a road barrier, slid along and fell, breaking his seat post in two in the process, but the Belgian escaped unhurt. Today’s fifth stage is a 183-km effort from Gap to Privas. The top riders will have another chance to fight it out on Thursday when the sixth stage takes the peloton up to the Mont Aigoual, although they are likely to leave the real battle until the final week. “It was a good climb to see how the GC riders are so yeah I’m happy to arrive with them as it was really hard,” said defending champion Egan Bernal. “It’s not good to see another GC rider take some seconds. But I think we need to be patient and our best scenario is to arrive in the third week without losing too much time and then try to recover a bit of time in the long climbs, try to arrive as fresh as we can in the last week.”
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Paul, Thunder push Rockets to Amazon Warriors bowlers Game 7 rout barbados Tridents Chris Paul scored a teamhigh 28 points and carried the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 104-100 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday near Orlando, forcing a decisive seventh game in the teams’ Western Conference first-round playoff series. Game 7 is scheduled for today at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, with the winner advancing to oppose the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference semifinals. Paul tallied 15 points in the fourth quarter and drilled back-to-back 3-pointers that pulled the Thunder even at 98-98 with 2:57 remaining. His two free throws with 13.1 seconds left provided the winning margin for the Thunder. Paul added seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in 40 turnoverfree minutes. The Rockets, conversely, committed 22 turnovers, including seven from Russell Westbrook, whose errant pass following the Paul free throws sealed the defeat for the mistakeprone Rockets. James Harden paced the Rockets with 32 points and also had eight rebounds and seven assists but committed five turnovers. Robert Covington added 18 points, five steals and three blocks for Houston but was the defender on both Paul treys and committed the foul that placed Paul at the line late. There were 14 lead changes and 11 ties. The Thunder surged back into
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul (3) shoots against the Houston Rockets during the first quarter in game six of the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports) contention with a 16-3 run that bridged the final two periods, pushing to an 85-78 lead in the process. Danilo Gallinari chipped in 25 points for Oklahoma City and Luguentz Dort, who shot 0-for-9 from behind the arc in Game 5, hit two 3-pointers as part of the run that lifted the Thunder back in contention in the third. Westbrook scored 17 points while Eric Gordon missed 9 of 12 shots and had nine points for Houston.
The Rockets and Thunder combined for 10 turnovers and 5-for-22 3point shooting in what was a ragged first quarter, but Harden provided the Rockets a bit of stability in the second. He amassed 17 points, four rebounds and four assists prior to the intermission, and his length-of-the-court pass to Gordon resulted in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that provided Houston a 51-48 lead at the break. (Field Level Media)
Ravel Morrison, others, could join the Reggae Boyz in time for World Cup qualifiers - report SportsMax - Reggae Boyz team manager Roy Simpson believes midfielder Ravel Morrison is finally ready to don the black, green and gold kit of Jamaica after a few years of ambivalence. According to a report in the Gleaner, all that now seems to have changed as the Sheffield United player and several other English-based players are about to bolster the Reggae Boyz World Cup squad in time for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers set to begin in June 2021.
“I spoke to Ravel last Tuesday, and he was enquiring about international friendlies for the October window, and that is an indication that he is ready and interested and wants to play now,” said Simpson. “He has a pending issue he needs to sort out, and he has indicated that he is near completion. It’s an issue I am aware of, and he and his agent are doing the continuous work on it. So it’s only a matter of time.” As it relates to other players who he did not
identify, Simpson said: “I received an email last Thursday from our contact in the UK that all the players we have targeted got appointments at the High Commission for their respective documents. “Some are players we have been scouting for the past two years and have been in discussions with. They have done well in their concluded leagues, and we hope they carry that form over when all is sorted out with us.”
CPL - A catastrophic toporder display saw the Barbados Tr i d e n t s capitulate to 92 all out in the face of an impressive bowling and fielding performance from the Guyana Amazon Warriors, who eased home with 20 balls to spare to pick up their fourth win of the season and go clear in third place on the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020 table. The Tridents shuffled their batting order, Justin Greaves coming into the XI to open, but he lasted only one ball as he fell LBW trying to sweep Amazon Wa r r i o r s c a p t a i n C h r i s Green. Johnson Charles fell to a magnificent catch by Shimron Hetmyer who sprinted 25 yards and dived full length, sending the bowler Kevin Sinclair into another athletic celebration. Jason Holder had only himself to blame for being run out by T20 debutant Kissoondath Magram, meaning the openers and captain had all fallen for 0. Shai Hope was shifted down to five but fell for another low score, chipping a catch back to Sinclair. The Tridents, who had won the toss and chosen to bat, were 9/4 in the fourth over, and added just five more runs before the end of the Powerplay - the second lowest-scoring in Hero CPL history. Green bowled out with another maiden, Sinclair’s last over went for just three, and the Tridents were 17/4 after eight overs. More poor calling saw the fifth wicket fall, as Jonathan Carter set off, was sent back by Kyle Mayers and was caught short of his ground by yards. Mayers followed Carter back to the dugout two balls later top-edging a pull, keeper Nicholas Pooran taking a brilliant catch running towards the boundary, and at halfway the Tridents were a staggering 22/6. Ta h i r ’s s e c o n d o v e r was survived, but in the next over Naveen and the Amazon Warriors picked up two more. First Ashley Nurse pulled straight to Romario Shepherd at deep square leg, then Raymon Reifer looped the ball up to Pooran off his glove while playing forward, leaving the Tridents 27/8 after 12.
Mitchell Santner finally hit the Tridents’ first boundaries, swinging Tahir for a Hero Maximum then straight driving for four. Santner then lofted Magram for a Hero Maximum to take the Tridents past the lowest score in Hero CPL history 53 all out back in 2013 by the Trinidad franchise. Rashid Khan slapped two sixes off Keemo Paul, but Rashid fell trying to slice Naveen over the off-side, Sinclair taking a good catch at deep cover. Naveen finished with venue-record T20 figures, and the Tridents were 79/9 off 18. Hayden Walsh Jr slapped a four off Paul, and while Santner was run out off the last ball, they and Rashid had at least ensured the Tridents had batted the whole innings and got a recognisable T20 total the same total they failed to chase against the St Lucia Zouks at Queen’s Park Oval on Sunday. Holder had two slips in place for his first over, a maiden to Brandon King. Santner got some drift, almost swing, with his armball, but dropped short enough for King to crash a cut for four. Holder finally conceded his first run off his 11th ball via a Sinclair edge and Santner’s second went for just one. Holder attacked with Rashid in the Powerplay, and while the Afghan fired five wides, he beat Sinclair all ends up and knocked back his off-stump. Hetmyer was lucky to inside-edge for four past the stumps first ball, and to see a pull off Holder fall just short of Santner at midon, but King lofted the last ball of Holder’s over over long leg for a Hero Maximum to take the Amazon Warriors to 31/1 off the Powerplay. Hetmyer fell to Walsh to continue his run of low scores, beaten through the gate, and with Pooran in early off the back of his brilliant century against the Patriots, Holder attacked with his wristspinners in tandem. King was lucky to survive a wild swipe off Walsh, but the wrist-spin
attack was just about seen off and King cashed in by cutting Nurse for four. At h a l f w a y, t h e A m a z o n Warriors were 52/2. First ball after the break, King hammered a flat Hero Maximum off Holder and the over went for 10. Nurse was nudged around, but King had started to find his feet and whipped Rashid hard for four to take the Amazon Warriors to 72/2 off 13. King took his score to 40 and his strike rate over 100 with an inventive flick off the stumps over short fine leg for four, and Santner was milked for six to take the required runs under double figures. Walsh dropped a tough diving catch to deny Rashid a second wicket, but King was able to bring up his first 50 of the season with the score-levelling stroke. Pooran nudged the run that confirmed a win that hadn’t looked in doubt for the majority of the 36.4 overs bowled tonight, and ensured that Hero CPL 2020 lightning would not strike twice. The action continues today as the Warriors continue their three match run on the trot. Fixtures: Wed 02 September 2020 Match 23 Trinbago Knight Riders V St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad10:00am Wed 02 September 2020 Match 24 St Lucia Zouks V Guyana Amazon Warriors Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad 05:30pm Thurs 03 September 2020 Match 25 Jamaica Tallawahs V St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad 10:00am Thu 03 September 2020 Match 26 Barbados Tridents V Guyana Amazon Warriors Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad05:30 pm Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 93/2 (King 51*, Pooran 18*, Hetmyer 9; Walsh 1/9, Rashid 1/21) beat Barbados Tridents 92 all out (Santner 38*, Rashid 19, Walsh 10*; Naveen 4/14, Sinclair 2/13, Green 1/3) by 8 wickets.
Caribbean Premier League Points table TEAM M W L PT TKR 7 7 0 14 ZOUKS 7 5 2 10 GAW 8 4 4 8 JT 7 3 4 6 BT 8 2 6 4 STKNP 7 1 6 2
NRR 0.697 0.488 0.218 -0.122 -0.143 -1.014
Wednesday September 02, 2020
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Mighty Knight Riders stay unbeaten CPL - The Trinbago Knight Riders marked the return of Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020 to the Brian Lara Cricket Academy with a seventh straight win. Kieron Pollard and Colin Munro smashed 71 off the last five overs of the Trinbago Knight Riders’ innings, and the spinners bowled superbly against a Jamaica Tallawahs top-order that once again left Andre Russell with far too much to do. Sunil Narine returned with a bang, hitting two fours off Fidel Edwards and top-edging for six to take 17 off the first over, then he plundered Carlos Brathwaite for three fours in a row. Brathwaite recovered to take Narine’s wicket, but the all-rounder’s 29 off 11 had sent the Knight Riders flying out of the blocks. Colin Munro should have fallen for just 4, but Jermaine Blackwood dropped a simple catch. While Lendl Simmons smashed Edwards for a Hero Maximum over square leg, Mujeeb was miserly as ever and it was largely thanks to Narine that the Knight Riders managed 49/1 off the Powerplay. Munro found the fence twice off Tallawahs captain Rovman Powell, and while Sandeep Lamichhane proved unhittable, Powell’s second over released the pressure, going for 14 including multiple extras. Lamichhane showed his class, dismissing Simmons with a leg-break that drew a top-edged hack to
point. Munro inside-edged past the keeper to take the Knight Riders to 83/2 at halfway. Munro edged for four again off Powell, but was bamboozled by Lamichhane and was lucky to survive. Brathwaite bowled a tidy over, and while Seifert managed to reverse sweep Lamichhane for four, that was the only boundary the Nepali conceded all day. After 14 overs, the Knight Riders were 105/2. Seifert smote Edwards over his head for six then next ball slashed to Lamichhane at third man. But Munro got two reverse-sweeps away for four in a row off Mujeeb, and Powell was too predictable as Munro was able to adjust and swing a Hero Maximum then a four over midwicket to take himself to 50. An over studded with extras went for 18. Pollard levered a nearyorker for six then pulled for four off Mujeeb, and Edwards twice paid for missing his yorker, Pollard dispatching a full toss for a Hero Maximum and Munro smoking a halfvolley for four. Brathwaite got the daunting task of bowling the 20th, and Pollard heaped the pressure on with a Hero Maximum. Munro pulled for four, and while Brathwaite closed the innings with a caughtand-bowled, the damage was done. Chadwick Walton’s difficult Hero CPL 2020 continued as he slashed the first ball of the innings to
point, giving Akeal Hosein a dream start. While Blackwood started brightly, Pierre bowled him as he attempted to sweep, reducing the Tallawahs to 14/2 in the second over. The Knight Riders were on top, so much so Pollard put himself at short leg for Narine, who went for just two. Hosein returned and went for just six, and off the Powerplay the Tallawahs had stuttered to 35/2 with the in-form Glenn Phillips facing just nine balls. The nine runs that came off Narine’s second was largely due to poor fielding, but Phillips’s Hero Maximum off Fawad Ahmed was a fine hit. Phillips also cut DJ Bravo for four as two overs in a row went for double figures, but Pierre returned with a tight over, and at halfway the Tallawahs were 70/2 and needed 11.50 an over. Phillips hit another six off Fawad, but Nkrumah Bonner had slowed almost to a crawl before falling LBW in the same over. Powell made little impact before being bowled by a Fawad googly, and so when Andre Russell came to the crease the Tallawahs were 84/4 in the 13th and needed over 13 an over. DJ Bravo chose an offside heavy field to restrict Russell. But it was the wellset Phillips who fell, slicing high in the air to give Seifert a simple catch. When Narine produced a good caught-and-bowled to dismiss Asif Ali, Russell found himself with Brathwaite
Colin Munro gets one away through third man, Jamaica Tallawahs v Trinbago Knight Riders, Brian Lara Academy, Tarouba, CPL 2020, September 1, 2020 © Randy Brooks - CPL T20/Getty for recognised company and a required run rate above 15. Brathwaite clipped for four when Bravo strayed onto his pads, but was lucky not to find a fielder when he sliced a drive high in the air. Brathwaite guided a four and Russell clubbed a six off Narine’s last over, but the Tallawahs still needed 68 off the last 18 balls. Brathwaite and Russell targeted Jayden Seales, and though one of Russell’s fours
should have been caught by Simmons at cover, a 22 run over just about kept the Tallawahs in the game. But while Russell took DJ Bravo for four through the off-side and was dropped by Seales at backward point, he couldn’t manage another boundary and with 38 needed off the last over, the jig was up. Pollard brought himself on to close out the game, and all a frustrated Russell was
able to do was to limit the net run-rate damage with a few mighty blows. The Knight Riders machine rolls on. Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 184/4 (Munro 65, Pollard 33*, Narine 29; Brathwaite 2/36, Lamichhane 1/20) beat Jamaica Tallawahs 165/6 (Russell 50*, Phillips 41, Bonner 26, Brathwaite 21*; Fawad 2/12, Hosein 1/18, Narine 1/23, Pierre 1/25) by 19 runs.
West Indies Women in good spirits after arriving in England for T20 series SportsMax - The West Indies Women were tested for COVID-19 today shortly after arriving in the UK for their five-match campaign against England next month. The 18-member squad that left the Caribbean on a charter flight on Sunday, will play five T20 Internationals (T20I) against England Women from September 2130, at the Incora County Ground, Derby. The squad will live, train and play in a “bio-secure” environment during the four weeks of the tour, as part of the comprehensive medical and operations plans to ensure player and staff safety which will restrict movement in and out of the venues. According to Interim head coach Andre Coley, everything has gone according to plan, so far. “We were shuttled to the team hotel, the bio-secure environment, it was well laid out and thought out,” he
said. “We had a briefing about the protocols and so son. We had our first COVID tests and we are awaiting results from those. “We will start recovery from tomorrow. The players are in good spirits.” Full squad: Stafanie Taylor, Afy Fletcher, Hayley Matthews, Aaliyah Alleyne, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Natasha McLean, Shemaine Campbelle, Shabika Gajnabi, Chedean Nation, Britney Cooper, Sheneta Grimmond, Karishma Ramharack, Shamilia Connell, Chinelle Henry, Kaysia Schultz, Deandra Dottin, Lee Ann Kirby and Shakera Selman. The full schedule is as follows: Monday, September 21: 1st Vitality IT20, England v West Indies (Sky Sports) Wednesday, September 23: 2nd Vitality IT20, England v West Indies (Sky Sports) Saturday, September 26: 3rd Vitality IT20, England v
West Indies Women have arrived in England and are in good spirits for their tour. West Indies (Sky Sports, BBC)
Monday, September 28: 4th Vitality IT20, England v
West Indies (Sky Sports) Wednesday, September
30: 5th Vitality IT20, England v West Indies (Sky Sports)
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Wednesday September 02, 2020
Naomi Osaka through but Coco Gauff out in New York BBC Sport - Fourth seed Naomi Osaka overcame a scare to beat fellow Japanese player Misaki Doi in three sets and avoid a major shock in the US Open first round. Osaka, who won the first of her two Grand Slams at Flushing Meadows in 2018, wobbled in the second set before recovering for a 6-2 57 6-2 victory. Elsewhere, teenager Coco Gauff’s hopes of another Grand Slam run were ended by 31st seed Anastasija Sevastova. But top seed Karolina Pliskova and sixth seed Petra Kvitova advanced. Osaka, 22, withdrew from the Western and Southern Open final on Saturday with a left hamstring injury, saying afterwards she was “stressing” about her fitness going into the Grand Slam. During Monday’s lessthan-convincing win over 81st-ranked Doi, she did not wear any strapping or need medical treatment. “It was difficult [physically]. I knew there was a chance it would get really long. I will have to see what happens tomorrow and how I feel,” Osaka said. The former world number one struggled with her first serve in the early part of the match, landing only 38% as Doi took control in the second set and threatened to level the match. But Osaka switched gears with a decider looming, finding more power and precision with her serves and returns to fight back from 5-2 down to level at 5-5.
Naomi Osaka walked out on court wearing a face mask with the name of Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was shot dead by a policeman in March in the United States. (EPA) Osaka was unable to take any of her three break points for a 6-5 lead before the momentum swung back to Doi, who broke on her second set point through O s a k a ’s 2 0 t h u n f o r c e d error. H o w e v e r, Osaka increased her level again at decisive moments. She broke in the opening game of the decider, and again for a 5-2 lead, to come through in two hours and three minutes. Osaka walked out on court wearing a face mask with the name of Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was shot dead by a policeman in the United States in March. Asked about it in her oncourt interview, she said: “I have seven. It is quite sad seven masks isn’t enough for
the amount of names - and hopefully I’ll get to the final and you will see all of them.” She later added in a news conference: “For me, I just want to spread awareness. I’m aware that tennis is watched all over the world but that maybe there is someone who doesn’t know Breonna Taylor’s story. Maybe they’ll Google it after or something. “I feel the more people know this story the more interested they will become in it.” Osaka initially pulled out of her Western and Southern Open semi-final last week as a protest against racial injustice. Tournament organisers then suspended play in New York on Thursday, one of a number of sporting events in the US to do so in protest at
Coco Gauff reached the third round at the 2019 US Open. (Getty Images) the shooting of Jacob Blake a black man who was shot seven times in the back by police on 23 August in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Gauff undone by US Open specialist Sevastova World number 51 Gauff reached the third round at her home Grand Slam in 2019, soon after making Wimbledon’s last 16. But the 16-year-old American, who had backed up last year ’s promise by reaching the fourth round at January’s Australian Open, could not reproduce that form against a relentless Sevastova, 30. A second-set resurgence looked to put Gauff on track for victory against the
Latvian but she lost 6-3 5-7 64. Sevastova - a semi-finalist in 2018 and two-time quarterfinalist - overcame her frustration at narrowly losing the second set after the pair continually exchanged breaks. She surged ahead at 54 up in the third to break Gauff ’s serve and claim victory. Gauff was let down by a huge 13 double faults and went out when she netted a return to make her first opening-round exit from a Grand Slam tournament. Confident starts for top seeds Pliskova, who is aiming
to land her first Grand Slam title, made a confident start to her campaign in New York with a 6-4 6-0 win over U k r a i n e ’s Anhelina Kalinina. The 28-year-old Czech, who is top ranked in the absence of Ashleigh Barty and Simona Halep, faces France’s Caroline Garcia next. Former Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber, playing her first match since January’s Australian Open, beat Australian Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4 6-4. Czech sixth seed Kvitova overcame Romanian IrinaCamelia Begu 6-3 6-2, hitting 23 winners in an assured performance.
Muguruza shakes off rust to reach U.S. Open second round
Garbine Muguruza of Spain hits a backhand against Nao Hibino of Japan (not pictured) in the first round on day two of the 2020 U.S. Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. (Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports)
NEW YORK (Reuters) Spain’s Garbine Muguruza looked determined to overcome her U.S. Open jinx yesterday, overcoming a sluggish start to collect a snappy 6-4 6-4 first round w i n o v e r J a p a n ’s N a o Hibino. The U.S. Open has been a black hole for the former French Open and Wimbledon champion, who this year nearly added to her collection of grand slam trophies reaching the final in Australia. In stark contrast to her success at the other slams, Muguruza has struggled to make an impact on the New York hardcourts. She has made it past the second round just once in seven previous visits to Flushing Meadows. The U.S. Open is the
only grand slam where the 26-year-old has yet to at least reach the last eight. “I was anxious a little bit because I did not play in the last six months and did not have a chance to play before the U.S. Open to get ready for here,” said Muguruza. “I am happy with my performance I was expecting a tough match and it was. “I miss a little bit the competition.” Falling behind 4-1 in the opening set, the 10th seed Spaniard looked nothing like the player who had reached the quarter-finals or better in all five events she had entered before the COVID-19 shutdown. Having not played a competitive match since February, there was plenty of rust to shake off but
Muguruza did that in a h u r r y. S h e w o n s e v e n straight games from her 78th ranked opponent to take the opening set and a 2-0 lead in the second. Even when Muguruza had the match in control, there were concerning signs about her lack of fitness. A long exchange on match point left the Spaniard gasping for breath as she slumped into her seat. “I think she was playing very good at the beginning and I started a little bit slow for how well she was playing,” said Muguruza. “I started to feel better, my game came with the flow and rhythm of the match and I managed to play at the end pretty good.”
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CSK’s coronavirus-free players set to start training on September 4 ESPNcricinfo - Chennai Super Kings are set to start training for IPL 2020 from September 4. This date is subject to the squad clearing two additional Covid-19 tests, made mandatory by the IPL after 13 members of their contingent including two Indian players - tested positive last week. Those who had tested positive last week are put up in a separate hotel and are not going to be part of these fresh tests, but all other members of their camp tested negative in the first of the two additional tests, conducted on Monday. The second test is on September 3. Those 13 personnel who had tested positive will undergo two fresh tests only after their mandatory two-week quarantine.
Super Kings are the only team yet to start training after being forced to extend their quarantine period. They landed in Dubai on August 21 and were initially expected to start training by August 28. “We will start [training] by September 4. We have another test on September 3,” Kasi Viswanathan, the Super Kings CEO, told ESPNcricinfo. Viswanathan said since Super Kings were the only team to have positive test results since reaching the UAE, the IPL had “increased” the number of tests to five, which is two more than the number carried out by the other seven franchises. As per the IPL’s Covid-19 testing protocols, all participants in the tournament have to carry out three tests upon landing in the UAE: on
days one (landing), three and six. If all three tests come back negative, the teams can start training. Viswanathan also said that the two players who tested positive last week are expected to start training once they have cleared the mandatory testing process laid out by the IPL. He said that Super Kings would be ready to play the tournament opener on September 19, if required. Harbhajan to join in first week of September Harbhajan Singh, who missed the preparatory camp in Chennai last month due to personal reasons, is expected to arrive in Dubai in “first week of September”, Viswanathan said. He was scheduled to join Super Kings’ camp on Tuesday, but is understood to still be with his family in India.
Australia’s Zampa replaces Richardson in IPL side Bangalore
Shardul Thakur, N Jagadeesan, Kedar Jadhav, Piyush Chawla leave for the UAE. (PTI)
Djokovic embracing the pressure as he extends winning streak NEW YORK (Reuters) Novak Djokovic showed a bit more passion than might have been expected in his firstround win over Damir Dzumhur on Monday but the world number one brushed aside any question that he was feeling the pressure as overwhelming U.S. Open favourite. The Serbian lost his way a bit in the second set but rallied for a straightforward victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium that extended his extraordinary winning streak to 24 matches this year. The absence of fans because of the coronavirus pandemic perhaps exaggerated his testy exchange with the umpire, the angry roar he emitted after sealing the second set, and a bit of back-and-forth with his box. For Djokovic, though, it was just all part of his make-
up as a 17-times Grand Slam champion. “You care about winning a tennis match, obviously you’re a professional,” the top seed said on court after setting up a second-round meeting with Briton Kyle Edmund. “If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t be here. This is how I play, I play with a lot of intensity and try to bring a lot of energy to the court.” In the absence of the two other men vying for the title of the greatest male player of the modern era, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, Djokovic is an odds-on favourite with the bookmakers to win a fourth U.S. Open crown. That, combined with maintaining the prospect that he might go through the year unbeaten, could weigh on a player with less mental strength. “I know pressure is a privilege, pressure is part of
what we do,” Djokovic added in a news conference. “I try to embrace it. I know what I need to do and how to behave, how to make myself calm and composed and focused on what really needs to be done.” Djokovic admitting to resorting to cliché when he said he would be taking each match as it came at Flushing Meadows but eschewed the usual sporting trope about ignoring statistics when asked about the winning streak. “Do I want to keep the streak going? Of course, I do,” he said. “Am I thinking about it as a priority number one every single day? No. “It’s there, and of course it’s an additional motivation for me. It actually fuels me to play even stronger, play even better, I think bring the right intensity every match.”
Australia’s Adam Zampa reacts during a match against South Africa. (REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko) (Reuters) - Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have picked leg-spinner Adam Zampa to replace fellow Australian Kane Richardson for the 2020 Indian Premier League season, with the fast bowler heading home ahead of the birth of his first child. Zampa, who has previously played for the defunct Rising Pune Supergiant team in the popular Twenty20 tournament, will provide cover for India spinner
Yuzvendra Chahal. The tournament is set to begin in the United Arab Emirates on Sept. 19 in a biosecure bubble amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are disappointed to not have Kane’s skills with us this IPL, as he was certainly on top of his game,” RCB team director Mike Hesson said in a statement. “... Once we found out Kane and Nyki’s baby was due during the IPL, it’s an exciting time, and we were
fully supportive of Kane wanting to be at the birth of their first child. “When looking at our squad for UAE conditions we felt it was an opportunity to bring in another quality leg spinner in Zampa to provide cover for Chahal and also give us extra options if conditions suit spin as expected.” Richardson has been named in Australia’s squad for their limited-overs tour of England starting Sept. 4.
Novak Djokovic (SRB) serves the ball against Damir Dzumhur (BIH) on day one of the 2020 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. (Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports)
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Less pampered, less popular WNBA had much more to lose, they did it anyway SportsMax - The right choice is hardly ever an easy choice. With arguably so much more to lose than their male counterparts, the WNBA stood up and made that choice. Last week, the United States’ top basketball leagues decided to take the unprecedented step of sitting-out their games as a means of taking a stand against police brutality suffered by African Americans. The spotlight once again shone on the issue after another black man, Jacob Blake, was shot seven times in the back by a police officer in Kenosha. According to North American sports website, The Athletic, the NBA’s decision to strike took place in a locker room. “Bucks guard George Hill admitted in Wednesday’s meeting that he sparked the conversation in the team’s pregame locker room about sitting out, and teammates, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, supported Hill.” Though monumental and far-reaching in its impact, I would have preferred to see the NBA be more articulate about their plan to strike, instead of action taken on the spur of the moment. Who is to say it would not have been even more impactful with the input of more experienced organizers. Sports journalist, Lindsay Gibbs, who mostly writes about sexism in sports, expressed what translated as bemusement after discovering that the NBA did not have a council established to address social justice matters. Although individually, several players have frequently addressed the issue, in particular, LA Lakers superstar Lebron James who recently launched his More Than A Vote initiative. “I don’t know how I had missed that the NBA had not had a social justice council in place. WNBA set one up this summer and has been in regular contact with the
activists and organizers behind the #sayhername campaign all season and it’s been an invaluable connection,” Gibbs tweeted. The truth is, however, that, with a much larger platform, the reason that the NBA did not create a council is that they can afford not to do so. The WNBA can’t because they have more at stake. Generally, fans will be more forgiving of the NBA. The WNBA has, on the other hand, received fierce backlash in some quarters for merely existing. On a whole, they are less respected, u n a p p r e c i a t e d , underestimated and barely taken seriously. A recent article published by the Power Plays newsletter, entitled ‘The WNBA didn’t follow in the NBA’s footsteps. It blazed the trail,’ rightly pointed to the fact that “The WNBA players have a different calculus than their brothers in the NBA. The biggest WNBA contract right now is around $215,000. The league is much younger and has to fight significantly harder for relevancy and exposure. This offseason, the players negotiated a historic collective bargaining agreement, which is seen as a landmark deal for women’s sports.” Making the decision to sit-out was not easy because it took them a great deal to get where they are now, which pales in comparison to the men’s league. The WNBA risked losing much of the hard-earned gains it took years to achieve. Talk about a professional risk! But it was the right choice to make. The events leading up to that historic decision looked a lot different than the NBA’s. Knowing that their game would have airtime on ESPN2 that Wednesday night, Mystics head coach Mike Thibault asked the team what they wanted to do to make a statement. Initially, the answer was to play the game but only talk about Jacob Blake and police brutality and not basketball;
The WNBA stood up and made their choice. a media blackout. The Mystics wanted to make an impact with their court entrance as well. They designed t-shirts that spelled out ‘Jacob Blake’. Each shirt had seven graphic red dots on the back, symbolizing the seven bullets fired into the back of Blake by the police. As game time inched closer, players started second-guessing their decision to play. But, instead of sequestering in their locker room to get ready for warmups, they gathered with the Dream players on the court to discuss options. And though Thibault offered some advice: “If you’re willing to do things, understand that you accept whatever consequences come with that. And don’t make your decisions in a vacuum,” staff members mainly stayed out of the discussions. Because some players still wanted to play, possibly due to outside pressure, the Mystics reached a compromise. The games would go on but would cease every seven minutes (a reminder of the seven times Blake was shot). Things changed again, however, when the Mystics went to their locker room to change into their uniforms. The players were unconvinced that playing
Osaka keen to spread awareness about racial injustice NEW YORK (Reuters) Japan’s Naomi Osaka says she wants to spread awareness about racial injustice after the former U.S. Open champion walked onto court with a mask bearing the name of Breonna Taylor on
Monday. Osaka, who moved to the United States as a three-yearold, has seven separate masks with her at Flushing Meadows and hopes to wear a different one at each stage on her path to the final.
The mask she wore in her first-round match against Misaki Doi was dedicated to Taylor, a Black woman killed by police officers who burst into her apartment in March. “For me, I just want to spread awareness,” the fourth seed told reporters on a video conference. “I’m (Continued on page 25)
was the right thing to do. So, they didn’t. The decision set the tone for the night. All other teams
quickly followed suit. Unfortunately, the calculated efforts by The WNBA seems lost in the story
and is often presented as minor when mentioned in light of the NBA’s. But, what’s new?
Leipzig get approval for some fans in stadium at season opener
General view inside the stadium before the match, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). (REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/Pool) BERLIN (Reuters) - RB Leipzig have become the first Bundesliga club allowed to have some fans back in their stadium for their season opener next month after the city’s health authority yesterday gave the green light for up to 8,500 spectators to attend. The city said the club, who last month were knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-finals, could have fans back in their ground against Mainz 05 on Sept. 20 if novel coronavirus infection rates in the region remain at current levels. “After a detailed
examination the Leipzig health authority has approved the strict health plan of Bundesliga club RB Leipzig,” the city said in a statement. “This means for the first game of the season on Sept. 20 up to 8,500 spectators can be allowed in.” All fans will have to wear face masks and will be placed in small groups spread across the 42,000-capacity stadium. There will be no visiting spectators and all supporters must provide personal details and be local residents. “With this approval we want to dare to go a bit
towards normalcy,” Leipzig mayor Burkhart Jung said. “We are aware that the pandemic is far from beaten. But wherever possible — under strict conditions — people must be allowed to return to their daily routines.” Bundesliga clubs have been playing without fans since March. The league was interrupted between March and May due to the COVID19 pandemic and resumed without spectators. Germany recorded 1,218 new cases of the virus and four deaths on Tuesday with the total death toll at 9,302.
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MotoGP teams wary of KTM building B’ball coach Cameron discouraged by rising cases “super engine” for 2021 season - Says return to play this year unlikely By Calvin Chapman Decorated school and club basketball coach; Willon Cameron, during an exclusive interview with Kaieteur Sport, expressed his disappointment with the rising cases of the deadly Covid-19 virus locally. He noted that with the current situation it would be tough for basketball to return to play in Guyana unless the country can get a dramatic grip on the spread of the virus. At the start of the discourse he posited that, “First I want to thank God for life through this pandemic and I pray he comforts those that have lost loved ones.” Coach Cameron who is in charge of President’s College school’s basketball and Bounty Colts revealed that 2020 was built up to be highly anticipated since his school’s under-18 team looked set for a repeat in the National Schools’ Basketball Festival after retaining their core players from the 2019 triumph. The 2019 club basketball coach of the year mentioned that the pandemic put the brakes on the female basketball programme at PC as well. The 30-year-old instructor, who has been perfecting his craft for a
Coach Willon Cameron decade now, is also gutted that the contesting of the N a t i o n a l C l u b Championship (Road to Mecca) will also have a giant question mark. At the club level, Cameron shared that, “… with Colts we had begun our preparations for the National Club Championship in hopes of winning four consecutive titles”, while plans were in motion to restore Colts once dominant under-23 setup. Coach Cameron iterated that everyone needs to do their part in combating the spread of the virus and, “I have been encouraging my players to stay safe by following the guidelines set out by the Ministry of Health.” He also shared that maintaining a certain level of fitness is important and he has been encouraging his players to be fit as possible
and to work on their skills as much as they can for those that might have access to a private court, hoop or facility. The coach continued by saying that, “With the way cases are rising I don’t believe we’ll be able to play locally this year, however if cases can somehow subside by October, I’d love to have a tournament in December because it’ll be a full year without basketball.” Cameron, who has won a total of eight tourneys in his coaching career, concluded by paying tribute to the health care workers, “I’d like to commend the workers that have been doing their utmost to treat patients. And, I would recommend that the authorities take a more stringent approach with regards to the curfew and in monitoring day to day activities at public places.”
A
utosport Several MotoGP manufacturers are not happy that KTM will be permitted to develop its engines ahead of the 2021 season, with fears it is working on a “super engine”. KTM and Aprilia are permitted by the regulations to be exempt from the engine development freeze imposed on non-concession manufacturers Honda, Yamaha, Ducati and Suzuki. However, as part of costsaving measures in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, all manufacturers agreed to a freeze on engine development. KTM will be allowed to develop its engines for next year now it has lost its results-based concessions as a result of Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira’s wins at the Czech and Styrian Grands Prix. But this is a move that
has angered several rival manufacturers, as a source present at the manufacturers’ association meeting ahead of the Styrian GP where KTM was granted dispensation to develop its engines explained to Autosport. “We believe that KTM is preparing a super engine for 2021,” they said. “Unlike the rest, they are going to be able to open and touch up the engine without any limitation. “In fact, they can make it [a] whole [new one] if they want.” Autosport understands that the original MSMA proposal was to allow KTM to continue running with the two extra engines it currently does now - meaning it would have nine assuming 2021 is a normal 20-race calendar, while its rivals would only have seven - after it raised concerns about the durability of its current engine designs.
With no unanimous position reached by the six manufacturers, the executives of the Grand Prix Commission intervened by citing the new regulations regarding homologated parts - of which the engine and aerodynamic fairings are categorised. The rule states: “Any manufacturer that has concessions in 2020 and that starts 2021 without them, will be subject to the homologation regulations of its engine from the first event of 2021, where that specification (that of 2021) will have to be presented to the Technical Director.” This has built up a lot of resentment towards KTM, with some upset at the advantage KTM will be able to gain in being allowed to develop its engine while the rest will have to use their current versions for the entirety of 2021.
Naveen-ul-Haq finished with 4 for 14, Barbados Tridents v Guyana Amazon Warriors, CPL 2020, Trinidad, September 1, 2020 Š Randy Brooks - CPL T20 / Getty
Amazon Warriors bowlers rout Barbados Tridents
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Kevin Sinclair does a celebratory flip after taking a wicket for the Warriors. (CPL)
Kevin Sinclair was against impressive for the Warriors in their win over the Tridents yesterday. (CPL T20 Ltd 2020)
Colin Munro and Sunil Narine run between the wicket during their knock. (CPL)
Mighty Knight Riders stay unbeaten Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.