AIETEUR 4% additional funds Monday Edition NEWS will get more value for CJIA than US$150M already spent - Juan Edghill Approval for Payara…
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September 28, 2020 - Vol. 13 No.40
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PPP/C Govt. doing its utmost to keep Guyana a ‘banana republic’ ‘ A country which has no self-respect and accepts crumbs for its
Crown Jewels’ - Dr. Jan Mangal
Guyana to get Youth population additional funding mostly affected for COVID-19 from by 42% increase the Global Fund in road deaths
President Ali says conditions of frontline workers being “exploited” Bandits abandon Govt. awards contract motorcycle for permanent works after shooting at Mahaicony sea businessman in neck defense - Old breaches sealed
That $10.5M rented tent Since we spent S10.5M rental for a single tent we should do something special with it. For something that is more expensive than the finest silk, we should wrap the people responsible for such an outrage and abomination in it, attach the cords that pin this tent to the ground, and parade them all over town. There was a time when, for less than this multimillion dollar piece of tarpaulin, the men who committed such a crime would be marched out at dawn, paraded before a crowd of cheering and jeering spectators, given a cigarette, offered a blindfold, and given a deserved sendoff But we live in a gentler and kinder civilization now. The problem is that we, the Guyanese taxpayers, are the one who have to bear the costs and endure the sacrifices because of the scoundrels that promise us much during the elections campaign, but who turn around and plunder everything in sight. Their actions, like this $10.5M boondoggle, test our patience. We believe that this tent should be converted into a pavilion to imprison the Guyanese pharaohs, who squander our resources. There is a serious need for this land to be rid of these persons who betray the trust of the people.
More oversight needed for oil companies’ suppliers due to high incidence of corruption I G R
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Who really owns the Kaieteur and Canje Oil Blocks, do the leaders of this land care to tell the nation?
Monday September 28, 2020
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Kaieteur News
More oversight needed for oil companies’ suppliers due to high incidence of corruption – NRGI Corruption is endemic in the petroleum sector, not just among license/rights holders but among their partnering sub-contractors and suppliers. That’s why the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) is encouraging more oversight for these companies in its 2020 report titled ‘Beneath the Surface: The Case for Oversight of Extractive Industry Suppliers’. “Large oil, gas and mining projects are usually associated with a few big names such as Shell, Exxon, Rio Tinto, Gazprom and Codelco.” NRGI stated. “These are rights holders— companies that receive licenses from host governments to extract resources. Typically, however, lower-profile companies do
much of the work to take natural resources out of the ground. These are suppliers—companies that provide the goods and services that make extraction happen. They range in size from multi-billion-dollar international conglomerates like Halliburton, Schlumberger and Caterpillar, to specialized or local firms that may only have a handful of employees.” It stated that between 2008 and 2017, oil, gas and mining companies spent an average of just under a trillion dollars a year. Set to remain one of the major financial flows from extractive industry projects, NRGI pointed to corruption risks in the operations of suppliers, including bribery, favoritism and state capture. An analysis done by NRGI found that suppliers
played significant roles extractive industry corruption scandals and foreign bribery cases in at least 29 countries across five continents. NRGI said that suppliers would sometimes bribe or offer illicit financial rewards to gain an advantage; use an intermediary or supplier to pay the bribe, among other illicit methods. The non-governmental organisation listed some key examples of corruption cases, involving suppliers. Some of these suppliers are even in receipt of contracts for works to be done in Guyana. They are ExxonMobil subcontractors like Saipem, Halliburton and SBM Offshore. ExxonMobil has been using Saipem as its prime contractor for the installation of subsea facilities for its
Halliburton (AFP Photo/MIRA OBERMAN) developments in the Stabroek Block. The Italian company was hauled before the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) where it settled with a fine of USD$24.5M an allegation that its employees paid
APPROVAL FOR PAYARA...
PPP/C Govt. doing its utmost to keep Guyana a “banana republic” Upon noting the fact that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C) is just mere days away from signing off on ExxonMobil’s third well project in the Stabroek Block, called Payara, international Petroleum Consultant, Dr. Jan Mangal posits that one can clearly conclude that the current regime is executing actions that will leave Guyana as a “banana republic.” During an exclusive interview, Dr. Mangal articulated, “I have already said so much on this topic, am just thoroughly disappointed to see Guyanese politicians continue to sell out the nation, and perpetuate our 50 plus years as a failed state, when instead we always should have been the beacon for the Caribbean.” Further to this, the former Presidential Advisor noted that most Guyanese politicians seem either selfinterested, completely mediocre, or a dangerous combination of both while adding that Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and his party seems to be “doing their utmost to keep Guyana a banana republic, a country which has no self-respect and accepts crumbs for its crown jewels. But Guyanese voters are ultimately to blame for perpetuating this sad state for decades, and they will be the ones to continue to suffer.” Also sharing similar sentiments was international lawyer, Melinda Janki. In a brief note, she told this newspaper that it is critical for all to bear in mind that the people of this country were
united in insisting that the 2020 elections results which were in PPP/C’s favour, be respected. “Yet, in just a few weeks, the government shows that it is excessively subservient to foreign interests,” the lawyer said. She categorically stated that this does not augur well for Guyana, adding that the PPP/C should not lose sight of the fact that it is the citizenry that voted for them
time, there was no confirmation on whether the deal was wrapped up or not. Minister Bharrat said that the current agreement has several safeguards in place, two of which include stiff fines for the burning of gas and failure to treat reservoir water before disposing of it into the ocean. Asked for a ballpark figure of the fines, Minister Bharrat said that this is still being finalized. He was keen to note, however, that the findings of the Payara Field Development review would be released next week. That exercise was initially
approval pertained to ExxonMobil’s desire to retain the loopholes it got in the Liza One and Two permits which allow for flaring. The other matter of concern pertains to the dumping of produced water into the ocean. When oil companies drill the seafloor to extract oil, it is not only oil that comes up with it; water is part of the mixture too. As a result of it not being needed, it is separated and disposed of. The critical issue is how that disposal is being done. International best practices dictate that this produced water should be re-injected
‘A country which has no self-respect and accepts crumbs for its Crown Jewels’ - Dr. Jan Mangal
to serve its interest and that of the nation. PAYARA PROJECT On Friday last, Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, had told Kaieteur News that the government and ExxonMobil are very close to signing off on the Payara Field Development Plan. In fact, he told this newspaper yesterday that the parties involved were working to get it done before the end of the week, pending Cabinet approval. Up to press
started by UK firm, Bayphase Oil and Gas Consultants and continued by former Premier of Alberta, Canada, Alison Redford. The PPP government had said that Redford was hired thanks to a grant from the Canadian High Commission. Her team consisted of the former Deputy Minister of Energy in Newfoundland, Canada; senior international reservoir engineers; and Mr. Jay Park, Q.C, Managing Partner of Park Energy Law based in Canada and the United Kingdom. When the review got underway in August, Kaieteur News would have reported that one of the critical issues that stymied swift
into the earth’s surface. Research conducted by Kaieteur News notes that in some cases, the produced water is discharged into oceans and other offshore water channels. Because no two geographic regions are alike, studies are done to assess the environmental risks of the produced water’s toxicity on marine life before granting approval for the disposal of it into the ocean. In Guyana’s case, not a single study was done for the Liza Phase One or Two Projects, yet Guyana went full steam ahead with approving the permits for those projects, which allow for the disposal of produced water into the ocean.
approximately €198M to an intermediary that would assist it in obtaining contracts from the national oil company of Algeria, totaling well over USD$10B. The fine was handled by ENI, which had a large controlling interest in Saipem at the time. The intermediary is alleged to have, in turn, channelled money to Algerian officials. Saipem, nor the parent company, confirmed or denied the allegation. Earlier this year, an Italian appeal court overturned a previous corruption conviction laid before Saipem for the same matter. As for SBM, ExxonMobil’s prime shipbuilder, there is a history of bribery of officials to gain advantages. US court statements state that the SBM made “commission” payments to sales agents between 1996 and 2012, in order to deliberately and systematically bribe officials
in Brazil, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Iraq and elsewhere. SBM executives bribed officials with over US$180M. These bribes resulted in approximately US$2.8B in profits. Subsequent lawsuit actions led by the Public Prosecutor of its home country, the Netherlands; the US Department of Justice; and the Brazilian Federal Prosecutor resulted in millions of dollars in fines being paid. Halliburton in 2017 was forced to pay US$29M to the SEC to settle a bribery probe. By paying the fine, the company got off without admitting or denying wrongdoing. In this case, the SEC alleged that Halliburton pay millions to an Angola staterun company to secure a lucrative oil deal. It made the second time in eight years that Halliburton got into trouble with the SEC and was fined for corrupt practices.
COVID-19 relief cash grant distribution begins in Region One and Nine Following the passing of the 2020 National Budget, it has been announced by President Irfaan Ali that cash grants are now being disbursed to residents of Regions One (Barima-Waini) and Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo). The President told another section of the media that a team of officials have been dispatched to the areas and distribution was set to commence over the weekend. He also stated that it may take the team a total of six days to distribute the vouchers and when that is completed distributions to other regions will follow. The $25,000 grant is a part of the government’s COVID19 relief program and serves to ease some of the burdens the pandemic has placed on citizens of the country. In announcing the grant as a part of the Emergency Budget, Ali had previously stated that the grant will be given per household. Also present at the reading of the Emergency Budget was Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo who said, “These vouchers will be in sequential order. Hopefully we have vouchers by each administrative region so that they cannot be duplicated, and then they (the team) would have to account for each voucher. Members of each household would have to countersign the form and the voucher. Hopefully that will be the accountable way.” Further, Jagdeo said that there will be cases where more than one voucher is needed because there is more than one household at a person’s residence. He assured that Continued on page 7
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Kaieteur News
Monday September 28, 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
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Dying Young and Fast
At the end of December of 2014, one of our front page pictures was a photograph of a father in deep mourning, kneeling over the lifeless body of his young son, victim of a reckless driver. That child was one of 119 people killed in fatal accidents for that year, a year that included the double tragedy of a young woman who died in a car crash and her father who took his own life out of grief. We are only in September of this year and we have reached the total with the death of a 21-year-old Essequibo man last night taking this year’s total fatalities to 119, matching 2014’s total. According to the Guyana Police Department statistics, fatalities this year are 42 percent over last year’s for the matching period. Moreover, the overwhelming number of those fatalities are young persons with August being a particularly deadly month, one accident seeing the loss of three young lives. This is not an easy fix. Speaking at a road safety stakeholder’s consultation in 2015, PAHO/WHO representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow informed the group that globally: “…the 15 -29 age group is the first in terms of death, which leads to 1 million deaths yearly, costing over billions of dollars. Within the Americas, between the ages 5-14 it is the first in terms of all death, between 15- 44 it is the second cause of deaths, which constitutes 80% of deaths of males. In the Americas, there are about 140 thousand deaths due to road traffic accidents yearly with over 5 million injuries.” To be clear, while this year’s road fatalities are an almost 50 percent increase over last year’s, we have had far deadlier years with 2007 seeing around 200 deaths. That said, we never seem to be able to push below the magic number of 100 and year after year our youngest continue to bear the brunt of the carnage. The reality is that most road accidents are preventable, with the factors behind them ranging from a culture of speeding to substandard infrastructure to poor enforcement of basic road safety rules. For example, an overwhelming number of accidents are caused by vehicles or containers that are illegally parked/placed along roadways. Potholes or otherwise poor public transportation infrastructure are another cause of preventable accidents. Drunk driving is another factor in fatal accidents but arguably only to the degree that it continues to be a problem due to flaws in the enforcement of drunk driving laws and perhaps the laws themselves – for example, repeated infringement for drunk driving in other jurisdictions come with a penalty system that lead to suspension of licenses and eventually permanent revocation. If we compare COVID-19 deaths to road fatalities for this year, the latter is double the former yet we do not seem to have the commensurate response with road safety that we have with COVID-19, from the lockdown measures to the massive public education campaigns. Year after year, our young people are dying not by disease or war or hunger but by primarily preventable road accidents. Perhaps we need to treat this with the same urgency with which we are treating the pandemic.
We have been placed under the sword of Damocles by successive regimes DEAR EDITOR, I wonder how many Guyanese read the front page comment in KN, Saturday 26th Sept - “ The Ali administration has sold out.” This article is a factual masterpiece that by all means should leave a bitter taste in the mouths of all Guyanese on both sides of the divide. Whilst the APNU+AFC Leaders riled up a racial storm over the gruesome murders of two black youths, forcing the larger half of the populace to go on the defensive everyone’s attention was diverted from the big picture, the picture that concerns the future of us all - the resource offshore - the PAYARA oilfield FDP that Exxon was actively pursuing the Government to sign. Whilst we were busy rubbing our shoulders
together as a symbol of unifying the country and the Government showing intent on its promises to reopen the closed sugar estates, the Government was secretly preparing to pull the money rug from under our feet by signing away “PAYARA”. This was the last and biggest bargaining chip (45 wells producing 220,000 BPD) to correct the giveaway by APNU+AFC of the Lisa One and Two fields. After the lopsided contract was signed for Lisa one, Trotman had said that we needed a strong partner in light of the Venezuelan aggression, hence the sweetheart deal to Exxon and that better contracts would be sought in the future. Lo and behold! Lisa two was signed under the same arrangement.
This time it’s not APNU+AFC but the people’s truly PPP/C, after saying two weeks ago, that it would not be pressured into signing Exxon’s “PAYARA” FDP that is selling out. The caption, “ The Ali administration has sold out”, could not have been more fitting. Natural resource Minister, Vickram Bharrat, said the agreement would be made public a week after signing. Does that matter? This country is crying out for constitutional reform for true representation of the people! Money matters aside, let’s think of the environment. Expert Melinda Janki said that PAYARA’s, 45 wells, two miles underwater, highly pressurized is the most dangerous oil project on the planet. A blow out could see a spill
reaching Venezuela and the entire Caribbean, wiping out our fisheries resources and forcing us to pay compensation more than the value of our share of the resource offshore. The petty fines set by the EPA for Exxon to pay for flaring and produced water is all a hoax to divert from the big picture - an accidental oil spill. Our Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) agreement signed with Exxon is languishing for a change to make Exxon liable to pay compensation for an accidental oil spill. Until this happens, we can safely say that we have been placed under the sword of Damocles by successive regimes. Yours respectfully, Rudolph Singh
Our thoughts, words and actions reflect the from diesel fuel starting present a solution to correct condition of our mind water from the storage tank to the our racial problem and in this DEAR EDITOR, I know the answer to our country’s racial problem and this simple solution that I will present will only serve as a reminder to what we already know but choose to ignore. I spent my early years growing up at Perth Village, Mahaicony where I was involved in rice, coconut and smaller crops, but regardless of the crop I was compelled to embrace a protective policy or programme starting at germination of the seed to harvesting the crop. This programme provided resistance against threats to plant life that could deprive me of reaping a good harvest. Now I am involved in en-
gineering for over 45 years and have presented a successful protective maintenance programme to my customers. I don’t want to use this platform for marketing purpose but seek your kind permission to provide a very simple example that protects engine and equipment against costly downtime and delivers maximum production resulting in increased revenue. The food for diesel engine is diesel fuel and dirty diesel which is equivalent to unhealthy food is a serious problem in Guyana resulting in poor engine performance and costly repairs and a protective programme to remove dirt and
time it enters the fuel pump to be converted into energy is necessary for good engine performance. We are the highest form of creation endowed with amazing knowledge and the ability to think, reason, discover, experiment, manufacture, harness water, wind, sun and steam to convert into energy and the list gets longer daily. With this amazing knowledge we successfully design and implement protective programme for plant, engine and mechanical life and ignore our greatest asset which is human life. This letter is not intended to condemn anyone but to expose our neglect and
respect I will like to invite you to follow the news and you will discover that our priority is oil and gas and digging deep into the lives of others to discover their faults and take pleasure and great delight in exposing and condemning them. Without missing a breath or heart beat we play “follow the leader” game and buy into slaughtering one another with our viper instinct that leads to further division and destruction. We are a blessed country with great resources and wonderful people and as humans we have the ability to love, but sadly we have chosen (Continued on page 5)
WE NEED TO ATONE FOR ‘PEACE SAKE’ DEAR EDITOR, All religions have some semblances of similarities and Judaism is no exception. In the Jewish community, Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year when followers of Judaism are closest to God and to the essence of their souls. Yom Kippur means “Day of Atonement,” as the verse states, “For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before God.” The occasion is observed
on the 10th day of Tishrei (in 2020, from several minutes before sunset on Sunday, September 27, until after nightfall on Monday, September 28), coming on the heels of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year, which is on the first and second days of Tishrei). For nearly 26 hours, Jews “afflict their souls”: they abstain from food and drink, do not wash or apply lotions or creams, do not wear leather footwear, and abstain from marital relations. Instead, they
spend the day in synagogue, praying for forgiveness. Forty days before Yom Kippur, on the first of Elul, people would build an atmosphere of reverence, repentance and awe leading up to Yom Kippur. For the week before Yom Kippur (known as the 10 Days Of Repentance), special additions are made to prayers, and people are particularly careful with their mitzvah observance. Like Shabbat, no work is to be done on Yom Kippur, from the time the sun sets on
the ninth of Tishrei until the stars come out in the evening of the next day. The day is spent in the synagogue, where five prayer services are held. Beyond the specific actions, Yom Kippur is dedicated to introspection, prayer and asking God for forgiveness. After night has fallen, the closing Neilah service ends with the resounding cries of the Shema prayer: “Hear O Israel: God is our Lord, God is (Continued on page 6)
Monday September 28, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Response To “Dem Boys Seh” On CXC Controversy DEAR EDITOR, For activism related purposes I have always used the Kaieteur News as a channel for my independent thoughts. Being known as one of Guyana’s independent newspapers, I have always pushed to publish my views on that platform, among others. Needless to say, I did not expect to have to pen this missive. But here we are. My attention was brought to what are now two “Dem Boys Seh” columns in your paper. I refer to “Accept and Bless!” ( September 25th, 2020) and “QC and Bishops believe dem is de best thing after sliced bread”. After perusing through these columns, only two words came to mind: “Venomous” and “Carcinogenic”. However, it is my belief that the writers of those articles are dreadfully misguided and I am here to guide them!
The third paragraph of “Accept and Bless!” is as follows: “ De trouble start when dem from dem big school in the city refuse to accept dat dem can get low grade. Dem start fuh row and dem even get Aunty Priya pon dem side and fuh call de CXC fuh ask fuh review.” Now, this literary tomfoolery only seeks to spread a dangerous narrative. You see, I believe that the writers of this column are unaware of the phrase “gauging your performance”. If you know that you have entered an examination with a very good SBA score. If over 90% of the multiple choice paper comprises of repeat questions. I ask the writers of that lurid piece if they cannot at least accurately predict a range in which an awarded result would lie. Further, the issue is more than that. Many students have complained of
receiving an “Ungraded” or “Absent”. A colleague of mine received two “Absents” for two exams which she wrote, and possesses the receipts to prove so. This narrative being weaved by “Dem Boys Seh” is a dangerous one and seeks to only confuse and misinform the public. The ulterior motive of that column was to portray the issue as “elitists who were sour about not getting what they were accustomed to”. The headline of their next column “QC and Bishops believe dem is de best thing after sliced bread” is only further testament that this is the vile narrative they intend on spewing. I say nonsense! Moreover, let us take a look at the September 26th column, third paragraph specifically. It says, “So dem boys feel that is only because some of dem students from dem ‘big’ school
Our thoughts or ds and actions ... thoughts,, w wor ords actions...
From page 4 racial prejudice knowing that it will lead into further destruction. I cannot comprehend why the highest form of God’s creation design and implement preventative protective programmes for plant and engine life but refuse to embrace known solutions to rid our country from this racial monster? In fact, it seems as if we choose to resist the solution although we know that we are destroying our nation. Fellow Guyanese, I pray that we will wake up and accept that we have all contributed to racial division and I am going to be blunt knowing that I will offend many but I am compelled to expose our animalistic behaviour and condition of our heart. Our leaders knowingly feed us junk which is quickly placed on Facebook for mass circulation and sadly we take the bait, receive filth with joy, compliment the messenger and Indo and Afro Guyanese share the message within their group to continue to attack one another and then the
messenger hypocritically and shamelessly steps in and condemns our behaviour. Now that we have done the post mortem and know that we have a heart problem and unless and until we accept the truth, repent and confess our sins and reject our behaviour, we will reap the fruits from the seeds that we have sown as we continue the journey into further self-destruction I want to present a preventative solution that is guaranteed to work and this can be summed up in the heavenly word that is called “love” No one destroys what he loves but rather cherishes and protects it. The bible tells us that if we have everything that this world offers and lack love, we are nothing and let it be known that when God created us we were created as humans with the greatest worth and value. The wise king Solomon says, “This is what I have observed, God has made mankind upright but man has gone in search of many schemes.
Our thoughts, words and actions reflect the condition of our mind. Please stop the blame game. We are all guilty of contributing to this racial epidemic. Jesus said, “you hypocrite, why are you looking to see a speck in your brother’s eye when you have a beam in your own? Let each one of us commit to refraining from repeating the past, reject those who try to influence us and in the name of God’s love commit to change and let it start with me. I am requesting our Government to please pause on prioritizing wealth and put their attention on us “our country’s greatest asset” and seriously search for a few brave Guyanese with excellent resume not influenced by the lust for fame or money, no trace of prejudice or history of affiliation to political party but love Guyana and are passionate about working feverishly towards correcting our racial prejudice and we will happily commit to work with and support this group. Harold Beharry
disappointed with dem grades dat all this noise mekkin. Dem boys nah hear too much noise from dem ‘small’ school. QC and Bishops believe dem is de best thing after sliced bread.” How did this diarrhea masquerading as journalism make it past the rubbish bin? How did such a blantant lie find itself in the press? Editor, I implore you to travel to Port Kaituma. Go talk to the CSEC students and please drag the “Dem Boys” jesters with you. It is essential to note that the cries of these students who have been victims of flagrant discrepancies by CXC. Sixty
two, and I repeat, sixty two candidates from Port Kaituma Secondary School received ungraded results in Mathematics and English. To add salt to the wound, twenty-one candidates received ungraded results in the Principles of Business Examination. Such results arise from non-submissions of SBA’s. However, the teachers have solid proof that these students’ SBA’s were submitted! They have the necessary snapshots to back up their claims! Editor, I challenge the “Dem Boys” hooligans to tell these
frustrated teachers and students that they are lying. Oh wait, they’ll cover behind the cheap moniker used to purport such asininities. Furthermore, let us look at the last line of the September 26th column. It reads “Talk half and ask yuh self ‘why only QC and Bishops complaining?”. I chuckle, but tug my hair confusingly as to how this inaccurate spewing made it to the press. A simple research will show that discrepancy related concerns have arisen in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica, (Continued on page 6)
Guyanese I meet in New York and others in Guyana and other parts of the diaspora and other acquaintances praise the diversity of my writings (in Economics, Political Science, International Relations, History, Sociology, International Law, natural sciences, religion, educational administration, and polling) and queried about my field of specialization in college. They say they look forward to what I write. (I look forward for Freddie Kissoon’s columns and a few others and like others I praise his courage of taking on topics that no one else dares to. He exposes hypocrisy and duplicitous nature of some in our society). Readers are curious to know how I am so knowledgeable to comment on a wide variety of issues from so
when college allows a major and a minor in a subject each. What is my field (subject of) specialization, they curiously ask. The simple answer is I completed accredited degrees (except in religion although I studied various religions) in all of them in a college classroom setting and thus have developed some level of competence in various subjects or disciplines allowing me the knowledge to write on varied issues. I suggest the same for students at UG. Everyone should have a well rounded education. Where I did my undergraduate degree, City College of New York, requires, mandates, a well-rounded education in various disciplines. Thus, although I majored in Bio-Chemistry (that also required Biology, Physics,
sciences and the arts was required and because of my interest in those other disciplines I pursued degrees in all of them all the way to the doctoral level. Hence my knowledge and background in various disciplines or subjects. That, however, does not make me an expert in all those subjects. There are several Guyanese I (Continued on page 6)
In support of a well rounded Mathematics and a concentration in Chemistry) for my Education at UG DEAR EDITOR, many academic subjects BS, a foundation in the social
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Kaieteur News
Monday September 28, 2020
An analysis must be done of the billions squandered by the Coalition DEAR EDITOR, How do we rationalize the unconscionable attacks being meted out to our dismissed sugar workers from the APNU+AFC and its supporters? Those who are engaged in these attacks must do an analysis of the billions squandered by the Coalition. Let’s look at this in perspective. We have seen that the same Coalition who wanted GUYSUCO to be the ‘sugar bowl’ of the Caribbean has systematically and clinically began a decimation of the industry since 2016, resulting in the dismissal of more than 7,000 workers with a more devastating domino effect. These are some of the same workers who assisted to put the Coalition in power in 2015, having promised them that no estates will be closed, they will receive 20% increase in wages and salaries, and the Coalition held a Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Center in August 2015 where the former Prime Min-
ister Moses Nagamootoo made a vow that, “Government will not abandon sugar in troubled times...the focus is to make sugar work. We have too many workers who stand to lose with the collapse of the industry. This government will not allow sugar to sink’. But by now everyone knows that that was just one of his trademark vacuous spin. In the same vein, the former Agriculture Minister, Mr. Noel Holder, had submitted that the COI will provide a course for the industry for the period spanning 2016 to 2030 which will ‘improve the structure of the industry, including the environment for innovation and sustainability’. Can the Coalition and its supporters recall this? It is now a sad reminder that the findings of the multimillion dollars Coalition sponsored COI was unceremoniously dumped and a meaningless White Paper provided for the closure of the estates. This caused the sugar work-
ers to finally come to realization that the Coalition was only for themselves and in the 2016 Local Government Elections it was clear that many of those who voted for that Coalition were moving away. The PPP/C won 123,564 votes while the APNU+AFC gained just 98,670 votes, a defeat by 24,894 votes. This margin got bigger in 2018. The PPP/C won 122,307 whilst the APNU garnered just 68,060 and its dying partner could only muster 8,719 votes. The margin of defeat for the Coalition was then whopping 45,528 votes! It was a clear signal that the populace had lost confidence in not only the AFC but the APNU as well. It must be reminded that the Coalition had controversially won the 2015 Elections by just 5,360 votes. In 2020 the PPP/C returned to power with an overwhelming majority of 15,416 votes. The Coalition was quickly losing support. It then dawned on the Coalition that those who voted for the PPP/C must be
From page 4 one,” followed by partaking in a festive feast of afterfast meal, making the evening after Yom Kippur a yom tov (festival) in its own right. Indeed, although Yom Kippur is the most solemn day of the year, it is suffused with an undercurrent of joy; it is the joy of being immersed in the spirituality of the day and expresses confidence that God will accept repentance, forgive sins, and seal the verdict for a year of life, health and happiness. There is a custom that after Yom Kippur, immediately Jews begin (planning) construction of the sukkah, which they will use for the joyous holiday of Sukkot, which follows in just five days. Devotees of all faiths can practically and sincerely associate with the significance of this festival and apply its relevance appropriately. All of us as Guyanese, need to atone for our guilty consciousness, especially in the wake of our political biasness, ethnic weaknesses and racial intonation. Our questionable and assumed innocence is not beyond some degree of reproach. Boy oh boy, if ever there was or is the need for us to ever feel sorry , remorse and apologetic, the time is ripe and right, now is the moment for us to repent and, yes, kneel on our knees and beg for forgiveness. This year in particular, Guyanese have misbehaved and caused fellow Guyanese to suffer a lot, physically,
cover our mistakes, but, each action is recorded and, “what goes around, comes around.” Many in the world are subscribing to the momentous passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg during the holy season as memorable and meaningful, perhaps hidden is some mysterious missive. The greeting for Yom Kippur is, “G’mar chatima tova,” meaning, “May you be sealed in the Book of Life.” The world is locked in the ambience of peace as institutionalized by the United Nations General Assembly in the observance of “International Day of Peace.” More than 300 people were nominated as candidates for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, which the Nobel Committee makes clear should not be mistaken for an honor, in it of itself. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has reportedly joined President Trump as a dark horse candidate for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, which will be announced next month. A collective of Russian public figures including writer Sergey Komkov were reportedly behind Putin’s nomination. It’s unclear what the former KGB agent who annexed a neighbouring country, is credibly accused of tampering in U.S. elections and has seen his adversaries poisoned, (his rival Alexey Navalny), was nominated for doing. Early this month, more than 80 Nobel Laureate endorsed former vice president Joe Biden, Trump’s opponent in the 2020 election, for the presidency. Last year’s winner was Prime minister of Ethiopia, Mr. Abiy Ahmed Ali. In the heat of the “Black
Lives Matter” movement and all the attention this issue has captivated the US and the rest of the world, Gandhi’s message of peace and non-violence is so much more relevant and pertinent as answers to mankind. Gandhi’s birthday will be celebrated on October 2nd. Meanwhile, if we are to believe and accept the British data firm, YouGov’s annual poll released last Tuesday, former President Barack Obama and former first lady, Michelle Obama, now hold the top spots for the most admired man and woman in the world. As Gandhi advised, “If we want to reach real peace in this world, we should start educating children.” Let us set the record straight by building on that very foundation in Guyana. We need to atone for ‘peace sake’. Respectfully, Jai Lall
WE NEED TO ATONE FOR ‘PEACE SAKE’
mentally, financially, socially and psychologically. We can try to hide, deny and
punished and as a result just after the 2016 Local Government Elections, Wales became the first victim. This was followed by Rose Hall Estate which was scheduled to be closed in December 2017 but pushed back to 2018 and then quickly followed Skeldon Estate. One does not need a crystal ball to figure out why the Coalition lost the 2018 LGE by a whopping 45,529 votes. This was not just sugar, the devastating tsunami of corruption and incompetence was engulfing all the sectors. This massive corruption and incompetence were starkly highlighted during the
just concluded 2020 Budget debate. The amount of taxpayers’ dollars stolen or ill spent amounted to billions of dollars yet the Coalition can only see that $3billion allocated to the reopening of the closed estates are monies which have been thrust into a ‘dark hole’. It is disappointing that one group of workers will go against another group of dismissed workers who have been starving for more than three years, not counting the multitudes who depended on these estates. One of the Nurses echoed the APNU+AFC’s stance on sugar by stating that, ‘Why open back a failing industry-
sugar? You’re spending billions on sugar when the health care workers are not being addressed. Come on! What is sugar doing for the public when health care workers are putting their lives at risk?’ This is how callous and heartless one group of persons can be to another group who has been suffering for so long. Imagine these public servants have been receiving wage increases whilst the sugar workers who are employed have not been the recipient of such benevolence from the Coalition. President Ali justifiably asked the (Continued on page 18)
From page 5 admire as real specialists and experts in their fields – scholars like Drs Ramesh Gampat, Tarron Khemraj, Ivelaw Griffith, Baytoram Ramharack, Randy Persaud, Khalil Gibran, Bertrand Ramsarran, Somdath Mohbir, Swami Aksharnand, among others, all of who are specialists in their selected field and who can and should be approached to make contributions to our nation. I also feel that UG should encourage students to take courses beyond their majors to gain greater knowledge in other disciplines than their majors. One should not only be trained in the field in which they plan to build a career but to gain knowledge in other disciplines as those of us who were trained in America did. More knowledge does not hurt. To get an undergraduate degree at the City University system or at any college worldwide requires some serious classroom studies (a major that results in a specialization in a subject that provides one with some level of competence in the field and a skill set). But the CUNY system and true of any American college provides a student with a well-rounded academic
background although one has to specialize in a subject. I understand UG and or other non-American colleges (not sure about colleges in Eastern Europe and Asia although in India there is mandated general education in addition to specialization) follow a similar system. The nonAmerican system seems to have a more limited cluster of subjects unlike the CUNY system that permitted students wide latitude to take for example English language or Theater courses even if one were majoring in Bio-Chemistry like me. I strongly believe that students should have a wellrounded education and championed that position when I sat on college committees. When I was a student in City College of NY, I ran for student government (Spring 1978) and won representation and was re-elected several times in the undergraduate students council representing the natural sciences and social sciences (as President) at the grad level. Representatives of the student government sat on college wide (CCNY) as well as university wide (CUNY) committees on wide ranging policy-making including on curriculum. (CUNY has some two dozens campuses with each having its own degree granting authority but only the Graduate Center grants PhD). Every college and university wide and subject department (in every campus) mandated (during my years of studies) student government and elected faculty representation in every committee. I sat on several such committees at CCNY and gave my input on requirements for a degree including the broad educational background students should receive for their foundation and skill set. Even the NY public education system over the last two decades (at the secondary and junior secondary level), as per state law, required parent, student, and
faculty representation in the management of the schools). As a member of the faculty and as the elected union representative, for a dozen years I was elected and re-elected as chair of the educational leadership committee that ran my public institute of employment. The committee approved curriculum in the schools and must give assent to major changes in instruction governance and hiring of management staff. The American system requires a well rounded, balanced education and a foundation in various subjects and disciplines. I took advantage of the diversity of requirement when I pursued my undergraduate degree to take courses in various disciplines. Thus, I was able to develop some background in various subjects (sciences, social studies, international law, education, humanities, arts, etc.) in addition to specializing in Bio-Chemistry. My case is probably very unique in that I went on to earn degrees in Bio-Chemistry, various social science subjects, and educational administration and also acquired a foundation in international and American constitutional law. This provide me the skill set and background to write on various subject matters. American colleges are transitioning to a requirement that all students take World Civilization and humanities courses in addition to foreign languages; whereas in the past general studies were Euro-centric, they are now global studies oriented. Students at UG should be encouraged, if not required, to take a greater variety of courses other than those related to their field of specialization. Curriculum and syllabus must be broadened. This would enable students to gain a wider understanding of people and society that would perhaps lead to a lessening of conflict. Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram
In support of a well rounded ...
Response To “Dem Boys Seh” ... From page 5 St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago in addition to Guyana. As of Saturday, September 26th, 2020 students in Barbados have moved to the streets to protest these fraudulent results near CXC Headquarters. I can pull up pictures of such protests from a simple search on Facebook. Couldn’t competent journalists do so as well? Editor, I urge you to caution the “Dem Boys” crew from writing such dangerous and fallacious writings in the future. I am sure that you remember vividly that it was a “Dem Boys Seh” column
that caused Kaieteur and Adam Harris to pay $13M in damages due to a libel suit brought by Mr. Winston Brassington. Finally, as it relates to the fraudulent results. “Dem Boys Seh” has added its voice to the numerous cretins who are laughing at our cause with the aiming of demotivating and demoralizing us. However, I will end by saying this: The clowns will laugh with their circus, the hyenas will go back to their hole. But we will fight this battle to the very end. And we will win victoriously. Yours faithfully, Nikhil Sankar
Monday September 28, 2020
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Kaieteur News
GUYANA TO GET ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR COVID-19 FROM THE GLOBAL FUND
The Government of Guyana is expected to benefit from the sum of US$357,894 in additional financial assistance, as part of the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM). These funds will go toward further boosting the Ministry of Health’s ongoing COVID-19 emergency response, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony said in a statement “As Minister of Health, and on behalf of our Government, I am grateful to The Global Fund for their continued willingness to further contribute to improving the health sector in our beloved Guyana,” Dr. Anthony added. The Health Minister noted it was Division Head of Grant Management at the Global Fund Mark EldonEdington who in his letter pointed out that the COVID19 pandemic is rapidly spreading across the globe and threatens to, among other things, overwhelm community and health systems, and cause significant morbidity and mortality. As such, the additional funding of US$357,894 or approximately $73M is pegged to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic and support health and community systems in Guyana. “Given the urgency of these interventions and activities, the funds will be incorporated into the grants no later than November 12, 2020,” Minister Anthony said, noting that the outbreak and spread of the disease presents an unprecedented challenge, not only for countries around the world, but also for Guyana and all the countries along our borders. “The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to remain a global challenge for many more
crowds,” he explained. Since there is increased testing, the Health Minister said that the Government has better knowledge of where
Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony months and experts predict that until a vaccine becomes available, it will continue to be a major public health emergency across the world. None of us must underestimate the serious impact of COVID-19 on the health, the social and the economic wellbeing of our country and people,” Dr. Anthony asserted. It is in this context, he reiterated the need for every citizen to become part of the fight against the disease. According to Dr. Anthony, the Government has since taken aggressive steps to remove the limitations and strengthen the response. “We have also been ensuring an aggressive laboratory testing programme; expanding contact-tracing; providing exposed persons with testing and counseling; and providing an effective hospital treatment and care programme for all critically-ill patients. At the same time, our Government is empowering people to utilise measures to keep safe, such as urging mask-wearing in public, encouraging social distancing at all times, and discouraging public and private gatherings of
COVID-19 relief cash grant distribution... From page 3 evidence of such will be requested and he also noted that a unit will be presenting all expenditure to the Auditor General (AG). According to the Vice President that will ensure no corruption and money is accounted for. Regions One and Nine have recorded some of the highest COVID-19 numbers per region since the onset of the COVID19 pandemic in March. According to Ministry of Health (MOH) information, Region One currently has 408 confirmed cases, and it also saw some of the fastest growing COVID-19 numbers in a short space of time. Region Nine currently has 354 confirmed cases, making it the region with the second highest number of confirmed cases, region one being first with 1,267 confirmed cases. Due to the high numbers, their respective regional authorities were pushed to enforce stringent lockdown measures that have hindered the livelihoods of many. Region One’s lockdown was ordered by their Regional Chairman, Brentnol Ashley while most of Region Nine’s lockdown was ordered by the South Rupununi District Council (SRDC).
the virus is lurking, hence giving them the ability to treat people earlier. “If we all work together, we can stop COVID-19. The
Government is confident that, as we expand our emergency response through our own resources combined with external support, such as this
additional financial assistance from The Global Fund, we will see a significant reduction of the impact of COVID-19,” Dr. Anthony said.
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Monday September 28, 2020
Kaieteur News
Esau and Jacob community Mahaicony gets potable water for the first time
In keeping with its mandate to deliver potable water to unserved communities, the Guyana Water Incorporated has delivered an additional fifteen households within Esau and Jacob district in Mahaicony, Region Five access to potable water for the first time. The decision to connect the households followed complaints from several residents in the area about no access to potable water to Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues. Minister Rodrigues had asked for an assessment to be done before a decision was taken to connect the residents, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) said in a statement. The statement outlined that once a source to supply these households with potable water was found, works in the
area commenced immediately. “The project started about a week ago with a connection from the Strath Campbelle Pump Station at Branch Road Mahaicony. Some seventy-one lengths of pipes are being installed with a total of 15, individual service connections. The installation and connection to the main distribution network are expected to be completed within another week. The project is being executed to the tune of some $2.6 M and the works are being done by the staff of Guyana Water Inc., with assistance from Pure Harvest Inc.,” the statement said. Additionally, the CH&PA noted that within the coming months, a number of communities in the ten administrative regions will be served with potable water as the government continues to place emphasis on
reaching unserved areas. A number of major water distribution projects have been budgeted for in the recently passed 2020 national budget. “Guyana Water Inc. has received an allocation of GYD $2.8 B. Provisions have been
made for sanitation interventions, drilling of new wells, water supply improvement projects on the Coastland and Hinterland as well as water treatment plants for a number of communities,” the statement added.
Some of the pipes that were recently laid in Esau and Jacob community in Mahaicony.
Govt. to implement policies to strengthen Tourism – President Ali The new People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/ C) administration is working towards the implementation of policies to strengthen and grow the workforce in the Tourism sector. President Irfaan Ali in a statement to commemorate World Tourism Day 2020, pointed out that the policies will be made in mind to cater to the influx of visitors expected as a result of the focused marketing as well as the emergence of the oil and gas sector. Below is full statement by President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali on the occasion of World Tourism Day 2020: Fellow Guyanese, it is with great pleasure that I bring to you greetings in recognition of World Tourism Day 2020, which is being celebrated under the theme “Tourism and Rural Development”. Today, we join the rest of the world to recognise the unique role that tourism plays in providing opportunities outside of big cities, while at the same time, preserving cultural and natural heritage around the world. This year’s theme is all the more relevant to Guyana as we have traditionally placed
President Irfaan Ali high regard on the celebration of our unique natural and cultural heritage and the preservation of our environment. This year, the world over has grappled with the effects of COVID-19, which has caused significant disruptions in the global economy. By the end of the first quarter of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had brought international travel to an abrupt halt and significantly impacted the tourism industry. For many developed and developing countries, like
Guyana, the tourism sector is a major source of employment, government revenue and foreign exchange earnings. The tourism sector continues to be one of the hardest-hit by the outbreak of COVID-19. By April 2020, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) reported that the sector lost an estimated 46 percent of its total revenue over a six-month period in contrast to the revenue earned for the same period in 2019. In terms of employment, an estimated 30 percent of those employed in our tourism sector have lost their jobs, and an additional 36 percent had been furloughed or placed on unpaid leave. Notwithstanding, we are a resilient people, and my Government is committed to supporting all stakeholders through a very critical recovery process. The Guyana Tourism Authority continues with their marketing efforts to promote nature, adventure and ecotourism both locally and internationally and with the support of the Private Sector, we have no doubt that this will allow the sector to Continued on page 16
Monday September 28, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Why did these women have to die? There is a trend in the reporting of the COVID-19 statistics. This is illustrated by what happened on Saturday. The COVID-19 dashboard reported a mere 16 new cases on Saturday. Most persons would have breathed a sigh of relief upon reading this. They would, no doubt, have been hoping that this decline in reported cases over the previous day signalled a slowdown in the spread of the virus. A few hours later, the dreaded news came. Two more deaths. Yesterday morning, more dreaded news: two more deaths. Yesterday, the numbers surged again. There were 47 new cases. Forty one of these was in Region Four and six in Region Six. Region Six is now about to explode. And the authorities have no plans to check this imminent explosion in cases. The most frightening aspect, however, is the deaths which are taking place. Within a space of 24 hours, four persons died. The two who died yesterday were not elderly persons. They were both women, one aged 45 and other aged 55. Why did these women have to die? How does one excuse the inaction of the government in imposing tighter social restrictions – the only measures which have been proven to help reduce total cases and deaths? The reopening of the economy has led to an increase in cases and deaths. The reopening began even before the previous administration declared its six-phase reopening plan. People had been home for too long; businesses were
closed for too extended a period and were in financial distress; workers were finding it hard to put food on the table. Things were at a breaking-point and thus people decided that they had to reopen and return to work, regardless of the regulations which had been put in place by the previous government. By the end of June, people had begun to ignore the regulations. Regent Street in Georgetown was as busy as on Christmas Eve. The numbers do not lie. The spike in cases began around June 21st when there were only 184 cases. By the end of July, the number of cases had more than doubled. Since then it has taken off. By the end of this month, the total number of cases would have been seven times what it was at the end of July and the number of deaths would have doubled twice in two months. The Ministry of Health does not have the skills which are needed to design a response to this pandemic. The Ministry says that it is undertaking contact-tracing. The Ministry of Health should not expect the public to believe that it has the capability to undertake contact tracing for more than 1,100 active cases, the majority of which are in Region Four. It may be able to do so in the other regions, including Region Six which is now set to become a COVID-19 hotspot. When the number of active cases is small, as in most Regions, it is easy to undertake contact tracing if there are sufficient staff and resources to do so. But for Region Four, contact tracing is going to be a
problem, once the number of active cases is as high as they are at present. South Korea has done an amazing job at controlling its outbreak. That country is transparent in its reporting. It does not provide the names of the infected or dead but provide enough information as to the area from where these persons originate so that people living in that area can take precautions. South Korea’s contact tracing is among the best in the world and this has allowed it to keep its numbers low. This same approach is needed in Guyana. To simply state that Region Four had 41 new cases, without saying where in the Region each of the cases emanated, is not going to help the public. If people know that there are cases in their areas, they are going to be more careful. Right now there are two sets of responses to the pandemic. Some people are scared. But they feel that there is nothing they can do. They feel that the government is not protecting them and therefore they have given in to fatalism. They are prepared to accept whatever fate has in store for them. If they die, they die. If they live, they live. The second set of reactions is distrust. There are large numbers of persons who believe that the government is lying to them. Some people believe that deaths attributable to other cases are being blamed on COVID-19. The consequence of these two reactions is that too many people do not care. They are simply walking around freely unbothered by
Dem boys seh ...
Dem students ask fuh Mingo and dem get BINGO Dem politicans is just like de Mafia: same business, different family. Is five years fuh one set and five years fuh de other set. Dat is also how we end up with de problem wit de oil blocks. Dem boys know who own de blocks. But dem boys nah talk yet. Is fuh you fuh find out. Dem CXC students bin asking fuh Mingo fuh mark dem paper. Now dat dem get de BINGO, dem vex. Dem nurses nah bin know how important deh was over de past five years. As somebody seh, it tek de PPP/ C government fuh mek dem realize dat all de time dem need higher risk allowance. It look like if dem bin sleeping fuh de last five years. Dem boys vex when dem
read how wan young man died in Berbice because he could not be taken to the GPHC fuh treatment. Dem boys nah believe that explanation wah dem give about de COVID-19 ICU being filled to capacity. Dem boys wan know wah happen to de Infectious Diseases Hospital. Dem boys confuse when dem hear how de young man wah dead had underlying conditions. Dem boys wondering what underlying condition such a young man can have. Dem boys wan feel this underlying condition becoming an excuse fuh every preventable COVID-19 death. Dem boys wan know why with all de talk about people being treated in Regional Hospitals, how it is dat some of dem hospital nah gat ven-
tilators, etc. Dem boys bin read about wan scientist wah did invent a device which would allow more than one person fuh use a ventilator at de same time. But leh we hope Frank nah gat fuh send fuh this device. It might tek just as long as dem cartridges wah he planning fuh source fuh mek dem gene machine wuk to test fuh de virus. But dem boys nah want nobody gat to reach de stage when dem gat to go pun ventilator. Dem doctor does gat to push a long , fat tube down yuh throat and yuh gat to be sedated and lie down pun yuh belly fuh days. And de chances of recovery still poor. Talk half and wait fuh hear wah gan be de next excuse fuh de next COVID-19 death.
the virus and without any masks. Some foolish ones are even peddling the line that there is no COVID-19 in Guyana. God help Guyana! If the
virus does not get us, ignorance will! (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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Kaieteur News
Monday September 28, 2020
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
Matt’s Record Bar: A piece of Guyana dies One of the most soulful journeys you can make while driving is to go long distances to your destination with your wife (or husband) next to you and the music of Yanni playing in your CD drive. It is a soulful trip that is mentally soothing. Friday afternoon, I was going to do my routine thing - take my dog at the back of Giftland Mall for her daily walk. I put a Yanni CD in my discman (yes, I still use the discman - Timol Huggins who has a small printery in La Penitence just brought four for me in a barrel shipped to him) but it wouldn’t play. I tried five more Yanni CDs but they were spoilt. Next morning, I went to Matt’s Record Bar to buy six Yanni albums since it had a sale – 6 CDs for a$1000. Matt Baptiste greeted me and I asked her to get up the Yanni items for me. Something didn’t look right. The place
appeared to be in confusion. Then I got the bad news. She told me Matt’s Record Bar will be closing in a fortnight. She said my treat is 12 CDs for the same $1000. A piece of Guyana will die when Matt’s Record Bar closes. It has been one of the longest running retail enterprises in the entire territory of Guyana. Matt’s Record Bar has plenty memories for me. I remember during my primary school days in the sixties, me and my friends would go down to Sandbach Parker Store after school to listen to music from the record section, then, after closing time we would head for the cinema – either Metropole, Astor or Globe. The popular genres at that time were ska; rocksteady; Trinidadian calypso; soul; rhythm and blues, and soft rock. The outstanding names were Otis Redding, the Drifters, Chuck Jackson, Ben-
E. King, Dionne Warwick, the Carpenters, Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck along with the music of Bert Bacharach. The Merrymen from Barbados was a slight rival to Sparrow but Sparow was always in a class of his own. By that time Elvis Priestly was fading overrun by the Beatles and the music of the hippe generation. In Guyana, Johnny Braff and the Trade Winds competed with what other CARICOM lands had to offer. The person in the record department at Sandbach Parker was this dapperly dressed woman with conspicuous make-up - Matt Baptiste. She stood out among the employees at Sandback Parker. When Prime Minister, Forbes Burnham nationalized Sandback Parker, the manager of the record department opened her own store in 1972 at the junction of Robb Street and Avenue of the Republic. I have one of the largest CD collections and an enormous amount came from that store facilitating me. Matt’s son, Aubrey, was always extremely helpful. He never refused a request. I remember telling him I liked
the Italian baritone, Patrizio Buanne. He got up all of his English language albums including the one in which he covered two great hits from one of my favourite singers growing up in Wortmanville – Engelbert Humperdinck. I really like the music of Buanne but when I listened to the two Humperdinck hits – “Il Mundo” and “A Man Without Love” – then the old maestro’s versions still sound more beautiful than Buanne’s. One day I went to Aubrey and told him I want every album ever published by “Love Unlimited,” the orchestra conducted by Barry White. I think it may be impossible for any human to name the song on the top of their list. You wouldn’t know where to start. But I have
made that choice. I think my favourite song of all time is Barry White’s phenomenal instrumental hit, “Love’s Theme,” by the Love Unlimited Orchestra’s (there is a vocal version by the Barry White Singers and also by the brilliant, Julio Iglesias). I just don’t know why that is on the top of my list but I know I emotionally connect with that song more than any other in my life. Matt Baptiste is in advanced age and will be leaving for a quiet little district in Florida to be with her loved ones. Here is a woman that has brought all the genres in music to Guyanese and never sought public recognition for it. One wonders if there is anyone in Guyana over 35 years that never patronized Matt’s Record Bar.
Frederick Kissoon Good luck and goodbye, Matt Baptiste! I leave you with some words from one of the hits of the great Barry White: “Let the music play, I just wanna dance the night away Here, right here, right here is where I’m gonna stay.” (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Youth population mostly affected by 42% increase in road deaths The increase in road fatalities this year has mostly affected our youth population. For the period January 1, 2020, to September 25, 2020, Guyana recorded a 42% increase in deaths from 37% increase in road fatalities when compared to 2019, with 103 fatal accidents, which resulted in the death of 112 persons. This is according to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Traffic Department statistics report. The GPF traffic statistics show that road fatalities are more prevalent with motorcyclists between ages 17-24, and the highest age range of persons involved in fatal accidents are between 25-42 years old. Road traffic accidents and deaths are major concern to the GPF, and the increase in the number of young persons being killed in road accidents not only affects individuals but also the communities and the country at large. Kaieteur News understand that most of these fatalities occurred mainly on Saturdays and Sundays between 18:00hrs and 00:00hrs, and are caused by speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol. Among the youth fatalities this year is Quamie Dalton, 24, a minibus conductor of Ice House Road, Timehri, died in a fatal crash on August 10 while he and his friends were heading home in a car from a birthday party in Supply, East Bank Demerara. Police said that the car was travelling at a fast rate when the driver struck a median, lost control and veered off the road crashing into a light pole before toppling several times. A week before that, on
Quamie Dalton, 25.
Jessica Leitch, 21.
Kwesi Lewis, 21.
Reon Moria, 25.
August 3, three young persons, including a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) rank, were killed while two others were injured in an accident which saw two cars slamming into a parked estate lorry on the Whim, Corentyne, Berbice public road. The victims were identified as 21year-old Jessica Leitch of Rose Hall Town, Berbice; 21year-old GDF rank, Kwesi Antonio Lewis of Springlands, Upper Corentyne, Berbice and 25-year-old Reon Moriah of
Circle Street, Corriverton, Berbice. The GPF is calling on drivers and motorists to desist from speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol on the roadways and to adhere to all road safety rules and guidelines, to help reduce the high number of road fatalities. The report also noted that the death of young people depletes Guyana’s human capital resources, and that will affect the country’s economic growth.
Monday September 28, 2020
Kaieteur News
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Monday September 28, 2020
Kaieteur News
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On Saturday the Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha together with his technical team from several agriculture development agencies visited the areas of Plegt Anker, Edinburgh and Lochaber (West Canje) where several issues including drainage and irrigation, deplorable roads and farming issues were raised. Minister Mustapha at Plegt Anker stated, among the solutions explored, that the plan is to revamp the entire policy of the New Guyana Marketing Cooperation (NGMC). He said that the NGMC must be there to facilitate farmers, help farmers and find markets. He added that “Farmers can supply certain products or produce to Banks DIH, DDL etc... they may want things like passion fruit, guava, pine but our farmers don’t have the capacity and because of that sometimes these things are coming from overseas so we have to work with our farmers and that is why I have Dr. Omnauth here from NAREI and NAREI now will have to play an important role to help farmers to produce, get proper methods because you know sometimes we use primitive methods of doing things. We have to now move from there and do scientific things that will give us benefit. We can’t only look at the short term where you will have some callalu planting and at the end of it you reap couple dollars and you finish. We have to plant things that will take us in the future. That is why the whole agri. sector we will try to change the policies”. Minister Mustapha noted that over the past five years the agriculture sector has seen a rapid decline and was placed on the back burner while emphasis was placed on the new
oil and gas sector. However, he believes that when “those things” have been exhausted, agriculture will remain and it is that regard that agriculture should be developed. He said that the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) will be working with farmers to deal with their issues on the ground. “Gone are the days,” the Minister said, “where we have officers coming in and give side handed attitude and just talk to the farmers...they will have to come and work with you all to help you to develop your sector.” Some $18.4 B was budgeted for the agriculture sector from the 2020 emergency budget. Minister Mustapha mentioned that that $15.5 M was budgeted for NAREI with one of the many things to be done was the making of shade houses which will be sold at a cost price to farmers instead of the farmers having to buy at the store for a higher price. “We will put the money in a revolving fund so that this thing can be a continuous process. We will send people to advice farmers how to go into these kinds of production. GLDA will be facilitating farmers who are rearing livestock, officers will come and discuss with you and give you ideas. I know rice has not been planting much up here but we want to also encourage farmers to go into that type of production. Also that you can improve these areas here, East Canje also”, he said. Plegt Anker resident and farmer Daniel Ward suggested to have water drained from Continued on page 18
Govt. to implement policies to strengthen...
Crane Porter Secondary School Education Required, From page 8 Please Call 644-2564. rebound with strengthened resolve and greater results. Mature Domestic help Strong My Government Knowledge of Creole Food, recognises the important role Live-in help Tel#684-7526/ that we will play in this 656-9313. process, as such, in keeping with our manifesto promise, 1 Part Time Domestic Needed. we have introduced a series Only in Grove/ Diamond Area. of measures in the Emergency Tel#656-7329 Budget, which were crafted to Crane Porter Secondary bolster the sector’s recovery School Education Required, process; this includes the reversal of VAT on hinterland Please Call 644-2564. travel and special incentives for new hotels and businesses. Wanted experience These are by no means an Baker,Pastry Maker & exhaustive list of measures; Handyman.Apply 112 3rd & we will also implement A l b e r t policies to strengthen and Street,Albertown.Tel:#226- grow the workforce in the 9000 or 225-6255 Tourism sector to cater to the influx of visitors expected as a result of the focused TO LET marketing as well as the New Constructed 2 Bedroom emergence of the oil and gas Apt and House In a Safe sector. This will also help to And Healty Environment create more opportunities, which will lead to the Call# 698-6496 / 622-6512
economic empowerment of men, women and youth in rural communities. Over the last two years, Guyana recorded its highest visitor arrivals, during which time the destination also won six (6) International Awards (four of which were tied to sustainable tourism); we therefore resolve to build on that by supporting from a policy level, the continued promotion of our community–led and owned experiences.
Despite the disruption caused by COVID-19, it is important for the sector to regroup. We, therefore, have an opportunity to transform our approach to the continued development of the sector to ensure a balance between people, nature, and the climate. We are confident that over the next few years, our country will witness a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient development of the Tourism Sector.
Four percent additional... From page 13 that it would not spend a cent more on the project, but that proved not to be true, as a change order seen by this newspaper indicates that the administration made at least one additional disbursement of GYD$6.8M for the “extra time delay and costs for the prolongation of the project” by 807 days. The order also indicates that it was a payment, not for the first, but the third claim made by the contractor. As the country waits on the completion of the project which fell way below expectations, taxpayers will have to repay a loan of US$138M to China.
Monday September 28, 2020
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Kaieteur News
President Ali says conditions of frontline workers being “exploited” When asked to comment on the recent protests conducted by frontline workers for improved wages, risk allowances and better protective gear, President Irfaan Ali told the press that he believes that the circumstances of those frontline workers are being exploited. Ali’s comment follows hundreds of nurses and other frontline workers from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) and the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) staged protests for better salaries, working conditions and even risk allowances, last week. Carrying placards and chanting ‘No increase and allowance; no work period’, and ‘We demand risk allowances’, these frontline workers believe that their requests are “more than reasonable” particularly considering that the COVID19 virus has so far infected more than 2,500 Guyanese and has taken the lives of 78. “Issues that the nurses and doctors raised were under active consideration,” Ali told the press on Saturday, during a visit to the site of the new Demerara Bridge. He went on to say, however, that “What I have seen in this strike are a few factors, and I have a strong monitoring team looking at the type of narrative being built on social media” while adding that there are “actors”
President Irfaan Ali who are exploiting the circumstances of those health workers. The President was keen to highlight the $150M that has been budgeted for frontline workers, as he has emphasized that the government is committed to improving the lives of all workers. Recently, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud announced that her ministry will be expanding its Childcare Assistance Programme to provide free childcare to frontline workers. When questions about the particular requests made by health workers, Ali indicated that he saw requests which were beyond the scope of what the government could provide at present, particularly duty-free concessions for nurses. The President went on to assert that the $5B budgeted by the government for sugar workers should not be used
to draw a parallel by health workers as justification or a rationale for their demands. With this he said, “You can physically see the socioeconomic impact following the closure of those estates on those communities. I can’t apologize for bringing back those jobs… Where was the solidarity when more than 7,000 sugar workers were sent home? What was the situation then?” Nonetheless, Ali gave his assurance that the government is committed to creating better lives for each and every Guyanese. Meanwhile The Ministry of Health has issued a warning to healthcare workers against engaging in unauthorized protest action over risk allowance and other benefits. According to a letter signed by the Permanent Secretary, Collette Adams that has made its way into the public, the Ministry has taken note of the unauthorised industrial actions by nurses and other medical personnel who have engaged in such activity. The Ministry has therefore issued a warning that they will be dealt with according to the Public Service rules and regulations. Adams noted that while several categories of healthcare workers, including nurses and Government Medical Officers, are entitled to risk allowance once they work in the infectious wards/ units, the Ministry understands the need for
additional remuneration for all categories of health workers who have been fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry issued a memo to all Regional Health Officers (RHO) to submit to their relevant accounting and personnel units a list of all members of staff who are currently considered “At risk”.
In addition to the Ministry’s missive, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) sent out a statement expressing concern that the Guyana Public Service Union, (GPSU) instigated and coordinated protest action involving nurses and other health care workers of the Corporation on September 25, 2020 without
exhausting proper industrial relations practices and procedures in accordance with the Public Utilities Undertaking and Public Health Service Act Chapter 54:01. The administration noted that while all staff members provided noteworthy service to the public during the Continued on page 18
Two more COVID-19 related deaths; more than a 1,000 in isolation The Ministry of Health (MOH) has recorded another two deaths of persons who were infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), taking the total number of deaths from the pandemic to 78. According to the MOH, the latest fatalities are two Region Four women, a 45-year-old and a 55 -year-old, the latter of whom died while receiving care at a medical facility. While the two new deaths were not reflected on the updated COVID-19 Dashboard released yesterday, the MOH noted that Guyana has recorded 47 new COVID-19 cases bringing the overall known cases to 2,772. According to the MOH, 12 persons in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit while 890 persons are in home isolation and 230 are in institutional isolation which makes the total number of isolated persons 1,120. There are also 75 persons in institutional quarantine while the number of persons who have recovered from the disease is 1,564. Further, according to a regional breakdown of the new cases provided by the MOH, Region
Four now has 32 additional cases, Region Six has six more cases, Region Seven has two, Region Nine has two Region One has one new case, and Region Three has four new cases, more cases. As it relates to the deaths, the MOH outlined that officials of the ministry have contacted all relatives and persons to facilitate contact tracing and rapid assistance to everyone who may have been exposed to the now-dead persons. At the interim, the Ministry appealed to the general public to respect the confidentiality of the deceased and their families and to allow them to mourn their tragic loss in peace. “All Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 emergency measures (no. 9) which are in effect until September 30, 2020. This order emphasises the need for correct and consistent use of a face masks when leaving their homes; the importance of maintaining the six feet physical distance from others and the need for good hand-hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19,” the statement outlined.
Eighty-five-year old survives with fractured hip in car accident
Approaching La Grange along the West Bank Demerara Public Road. (Photo Courtesy of the Guyana Chronicle) An eighty-five-year old woman, on Saturday last sustained a fractured hip and left arm after she survived a car accident along the La Grange, West Bank Demerara (WBD) Public Road. Currently hospitalized and recovering from her injuries is Latchmini Bisnauth of Independence Street, La Grange. According to police reports the serious accident took place at around 15:55Hrs. Investigators were told that Bisnauth was attempting to cross the public road when she was struck down by a speeding motorcar. It was further detailed that the 38-year-old driver was heading in the southern direction on the eastern side of the road.
The man claimed that while Bisnauth was trying to cross over from the western side of the road, she ran into the path of the car. He continued that he applied brakes but could not avoid colliding with the woman. Bisnauth according to reports was thrown a short distance away and fell on the paved surface of the road. The woman was then picked up immediately by the said driver and rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where she was admitted and treated for the injuries she sustained. Doctors have since reported to police that Bisnauth is in a serious but stable condition. The driver was subsequently arrested and taken into police custody.
September 27, dashboard by the Ministry of Health
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Young Henrietta Village, Essequibo man dies in fatal accident A 21-year-old resident of Henrietta Village, Essequibo Coast, is the country’s latest road fatality, bringing this year’s total to 119 road deaths, a 42 percent increase compared to the same period from last year. According to reports, Khalid McNichol was driving along the Lima Public Road at around 17:30 hours last evening when he crashed into a parked canter. The father of one, known to friends as El Chapo, reportedly died on the spot. The vehicle was so damaged that his body had to remain inside until firefighters arrived with specialized equipment to remove him.
Deceased, Khalid ‘El Chapo’ McNichol. (El Chapo)
D&I, deplorable roads, diminishing... From page 16 the Canje Creek into the farmlands in their area during dry weather “so we can get fresh water to the farmers”. He stated that while it was raised in the past he is unsure what happened, “this water can go right back to Kortbradt but I didn’t hear anything of it until I hear they send machines to clear that canal and then hearing afterwards that it wasn’t properly done. I am asking if you can use your office to come and get the engineers to look at the
situation, there are canals that can be linked to that reservoir and that would ease a lot of the pressure on farmers especially during the dry weather. The problem is good quality water for the plants”. The minister assured that an engineer will be sent to the area by Tuesday and asked that residents form themselves in groups and work with the engineer. “Engineers are to come here regularly,” the Minister said, “because people are
complaining that we are neglecting the farmers. This area has a history of poor infrastructure. We have to try to develop it and give the farmers the kind of infrastructure so that they can produce”. He further pledged that he will engage with the Local Government Minister Nigel Dharamlall to have CDIP workers sent in the area to clean the roads shoulders etc. since residents complained about the overgrown vegetation.
President Ali says conditions of frontline ... From page 17 pandemic, health care workers from the GPHC have resorted to measures that can only aggravate the current situation and place addition challenges on our fragile public health system. According to the statement, the hospital management noted that
Monday September 28, 2020
Kaieteur News
protecting staffers as this pandemic evolves remains a top priority. The workers were warned to refrain from accepting inappropriate advice and abandoning their duties to support further illegal protest action until every avenue provided for in the relevant legislation is exhausted.
“Until such time,” the statement said, “further protest action(s) remain illegal and may attract punitive action. At the interim, we recommend that proper industrial relations practices and procedures be observed, by all, in accordance with the Public Utilities Undertaking and Public Health Services Act and request that all health care practitioners continue to do their jobs in a professional manner; and await the provisions contained within the 2020 National Budget.”
Trump paid no income taxes in 10 of last 15 years - New York Times WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump paid extremely little in income taxes in recent years as heavy losses from his business enterprises offset hundreds of millions of dollars in income, the New York Times reported on Sunday, citing tax-return data. The Times reported that Trump, who is seeking re-election in November, paid just $750 (588.47 pounds) in federal income taxes in both 2016 and 2017, and paid no income taxes in 10 of the last 15 years, despite receiving $427.4 million through 2018 from his reality television program and other endorsement and licensing deals. Trump was able to minimize his tax bill by reporting heavy losses across his business empire. The Times reported Trump claimed $47.4 million in losses in 2018, de-
President Donald Trump spite claiming income of at least $434.9 million in a financial disclosure that year. Trump denied the report on Sunday, calling it “total fake news” at a White House news conference. In a statement to the Times, Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, said Trump had paid millions of dollars in personal taxes over the last de-
cade, without weighing in on the specific income tax finding. Trump has consistently refused to release his taxes, departing from standard practice for presidential candidates, saying they are under audit. The Times said it had obtained tax-return data covering over two decades for Trump and companies within his business organization. It did not have information about his personal returns from 2018 or 2019. The Times also reported that Trump is currently embroiled in a decade-long Internal Revenue Service audit over a $72.9 million tax refund he claimed after declaring large losses. If the IRS rules against him in that audit, he could have to pay over $100 million, according to the newspaper.
Tens of thousands rally against Belarus president in ‘people’s inauguration’ MINSK - (Reuters) Masked police dragged people into vans and fired stun grenades and tear gas to disperse crowds as tens of thousands marched for a seventh straight weekend to demand veteran Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko quit.Protesters chanted “impostor” and “Sveta is our president” as they marched through Minsk and other cities decked out in red-andwhite opposition colours. At least 200 people were detained, the interior ministry said.Some dubbed the protest a “people’s inauguration” of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko’s main opponent who fled into exile after the Aug. 9 election that Lukashenko’s opponents say was blatantly rigged to hand
Lukashenko a sixth term. Lukashenko denies electoral fraud and was inaugurated on Wednesday in a ceremony held without any prior announcement, sparking more protests and condemnation from the European Union, the United States and Britain.French President Emmanuel Macron said in comments in the French press Lukashenko must step aside. “We are witnessing a power crisis in Belarus with an authoritarian administration that is not able to accept the logic of democracy,” Macron told le Journal du Dimanche in comments published yesterday.“It is clear that Lukashenko must go.” Lukashenko retorted that, under Macron’s logic, the French leader should have
resigned two years ago when the “yellow vest” protest for economic justice began and that mass demonstrations had become commonplace in France.He offered to help negotiate a peaceful transfer of power between Macron and those protesting against the French authorities. “As an experienced politician - to an immature one - I want to advise Mr. Macron to look around less, and instead finally deal with the internal affairs of France,” Lukashenko was quoted by the official Belta news agency as saying.Russia said the EU’s decision not to recognise Lukashenko as the legitimate president contradicted international law and amounted to indirect meddling in the country.
An analysis must be done of the billions squandered... From page 6 question: ‘Where was the solidarity when more than 7,000 sugar workers were sent home? What was the situation then? Where was the solidarity when 1,000 bauxite workers lost their jobs…There was no socioeconomic analysis of the impact of the closure of the estimates; we are missing that. We don’t want to answer that question anymore.’ I wish to submit to these ‘re-awakened’ politically influenced nurses that the APNU+AFC has squandered more than $1.5 trillion over their term in office with nothing tangible to show. This includes billions just blatantly stolen from the Treasury. I will just list a few: the nearly $400
million spent to rent a bond to store condoms; the ‘spending’ of $1.6 billion to commission the Ocean View ‘shell’; the nearly $1 billion in expired drugs; the astronomical prices paid for drugs; the CT machine stored at a cost of $174 million; the Larry London multimillion dollar swindle; the D’Urban Park swindle; the CJIA swindle; the Demerara Bridge feasibility swindle; and the list goes on and on. In every sphere of government there was thievery and corruption, and these could have allowed the closed estates to remain open and pay everyone wages and salaries increase including these striking nurses. This Government is a peoples’ government which is
chartering a course to benefit every Guyanese and some must realize that whilst their pots remained filled many pots went empty and any caring government must address the have nots as a priority measure. Those whose pots have been filled must exercise some patience so that their brothers and sisters who are starving can be given some bread as well. The 2020 Budget itself will see the return of more than $20 billion into Guyanese pockets and this will benefit every Guyanese. How can any reasonable minded person castigate the Government for reaching out to bring bread on the table for a group of people who have been deliberately allowed to suffer
immensely under the previous government? What wrong has these sugar workers committed? It is the Coalition who have wronged these people and amends must be made. As the Minister of Agriculture had reiterated, sugar is more than the balance sheet and the sooner this is understood the better thinking some people will become. It is time that we must be our brother’s keeper and stop regurgitating the unconscionable political rhetoric spewed by the APNU+AFC. To cause division among our people should not be the agenda of a caring opposition party. Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf
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Monday September 28, 2020
Monday September 28, 2020
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Barcelona MotoGP: Quartararo wins as Rossi, Dovizioso crash Motosport - The Petronas Yamaha rider dominated the opening two races of 2020 but failed to reach the podium in the subsequent five. Franco Morbidelli held onto his pole position off the line ahead of the fast-starting Pramac Ducati of Jack Miller. As the field bunched up through the first two turns, Danilo Petrucci had a moment accelerating from Turn 2 which forced Johann Zarco to check up to avoid the factory Ducati ahead. But Zarco tucked the front end of his Avintia GP19 and slid into the side of Dovizioso on the sister works Ducati, taking both out of the spot.
At the front, Valentino Rossi found his way through on Miller at Turn 5 and set about chasing down his protege Morbidelli in the lead. Miller got out of shape on the way into Turn 10 and almost wiped out Rossi, with Quartararo capitalising to move through into third. Morbidelli’s lead over Rossi stood at half a second in the early stages, with the Yamaha trio able to drop Miller pretty quickly. Quartararo moved ahead of Rossi into the first corner at the start of the sixth lap, and three tours later would take the lead away from his Petronas teammate at the same place.
Morbidelli ran Quartararo close, but his hopes of victory faded when he almost crashed twice on the way into Turn 1 on lap 14 and dropped behind Rossi into third. Rossi’s gap to Quartararo stood at six tenths, but hopes of a 200th MotoGP podium on his 350th premier class start were dashed when he slide off at Turn 2. Morbidelli was promoted to second again, but his rear faded dramatically in the latter stages, with both Suzukis finding their way through to push him off the podium. Jon Mir recovered from a steady start to get into second ahead of Morbidelli after passing the Petronas rider at
Monday September 28, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) A lot of creative work may need to be finished by today, Aries. If you're professionally involved with writing, a deadline may loom. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) What's happening in your community today that attracts crowds, Taurus? A parade? A festival of some kind? Some friends may want you to go with them, but you hesitate for many different reasons. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You may be too free with your money right now, Gemini. You're usually careful with it, but the spirit of generosity and abundance is definitely upon you. CANCER (June 21–July 22) You usually love to talk, Cancer, but right now you've probably reached your limit. You've attended a number of virtual gatherings and talked to a lot of people over the past week or so,.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) A small gathering of some kind could attract you and your family tonight, Libra. Perhaps you will arrange to meet some friends there, if possible. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Too many phone calls may be on the agenda today, Scorpio. You might also have a few last-minute errands to run in your neighborhood. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You may have lost your usual control of the purse strings and spent too much money lately, Sagittarius. Don't worry about it. It's all been for a good cause. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Generally, you're a very sociable person, Capricorn, and today you won’t want to slow down. Invitations to parties, from intimate coffee klatches to big neighborhood bashes, continue to come in, but you weigh the pros and cons of attending carefully now.
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Have you been indulging in too many goodies, Leo? You might feel under the weather because of all this abundance. You probably should take it easy.
AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You and other members of your household might suddenly decide to do one more thorough house cleaning, Aquarius.
VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22) It has been said that you can never have too many friends, Virgo, but today you might wonder if perhaps you do. Your phone could be ringing off the hook.
PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Too many people may be making demands on your time right now, Pisces. Some may have genuine concerns and need your assistance, but others have definite agendas that they really should deal with on their own.
Turn 1 on the penultimate lap. The Suzuki rider was able to carve into Quartararo’s lead – which stood at over three seconds at one stage – and was just under a second back at the chequered flag. Rins came through from 13th on the grid to demote Morbidelli at Turn 10 on the same lap, and followed Mir home for his first podium of the season and the first double rostrum for Suzuki since Misano 2007. Morbidelli held onto fourth by only 0.545 seconds ahead of the Pramac duo of Miller and Francesco Bagnaia, with Takaaki Nakagami close behind in seventh on the LCR Honda.
Fabio Quartararo of France won the Barcelona MotoGP. Petrucci was eighth on his works team Ducati, while Maverick Vinales salvaged a
lowly ninth on his Yamaha after a miserable afternoon. Vinales got a poor launch from fifth on the grid and found himself outside of the points in 16th at the end of the first lap. Struggling to overtake on the M1, he benefitted greatly from crashes ahead. The Yamaha rider bested LCR’s Cal Crutchlow in 10th in the closing stages, with the points rounded out by KTM’s Brad Binder, Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro, the Honda of Alex Marquez, Iker Lecuona (Tech 3) and Avintia’s Tito Rabat. Pol Espargaro on the KTM crashed out of the top six battle on lap 13 and was later joined on the sidelines by Tech 3’s Miguel Oliveira. Quartararo’s third win of 2020 moves him eight points clear in the championship now, with Mir moving up to second with his fourth podium of the year. Vinales’ nightmare means he drops 18 points back, with Dovizioso 24 adrift in fourth. Now 50 points down, Rossi’s hopes have taken a serious hammer blow.
French Open... From page 24 the American serving backto-back double faults on set points and needing six set points before finally taking the opener when Konta sent a forehand service return into the net. She then went an early break down in the second set before breaking Konta’s usually strong serve four times in a row as the Briton was let down by 41 unforced errors, including several on the dropshot that had been so effective last year. Konta briefly threatened to stage a fightback when she broke Gauff for 5-3 but then succumbed in the following game when she netted a backhand on the American’s second match point.
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Bottas wins as penalties put Hamilton record bid on hold (Reuters) - Valtteri Bottas won the Russian Grand Prix for Mercedes yesterday after team mate and Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton picked up time penalties for infringements before the race had even started. Hamilton, who had started on pole position in Sochi hoping for a 91st victory to equal Ferrari great Michael Schumacher’s all-time record, finished third behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. He accused stewards of trying to stop him winning and said the “ridiculous” sanctions were excessive but to be expected: “They’re trying to stop me, aren’t they?” the Briton told Sky Sports television. The Briton’s lead over Bottas shrunk to a still healthy 44 points after 10 of 17 races, with the Finn collecting a bonus point for fast-
est lap. “Never give up. It’s a good day,” said Bottas, who addressed his critics in more basic terms over the team radio as he took the chequered flag. “It’s nice to get a win, it’s been a while and I need to try and keep the momentum...there’s still quite a few races to go, so you never know. I’ll keep pushing, I won’t give up and we’ll see how it ends up.” The win — by 7.729 seconds — was the Finn’s second of the season, and first since the Austrian opener in July. ‘RIDICULOUS’PENALTIES Bottas said he had been lucky but he might have won anyway, with Hamilton starting on the higher-wearing softs after a fraught Saturday qualifying while the Finn was on the mediums — the better
fourth for Racing Point with Australian Daniel Ricciardo fifth for Renault and Charles Leclerc sixth for Ferrari. Frenchman Esteban Ocon took seventh for Renault with Russian driver Daniil Kvyat eighth and pleasing the first real crowd of the season after the first eight races were held behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. AlphaTauri team mate Pierre Gasly, a surprise winn er at Monza, was ninth
long-term strategy. Hamilton’s hopes were in any case dashed when stewards issued two five-second penalties for making prac-
tice starts outside the designated area as he headed to the grid.
Tennis Star Boris Becker Could Face 7 Years in Jail Over Bankruptcy Charges
People - Tennis star Boris Becker is facing the toughest match of his life. On Thursday, the threetime Wimbledon champion appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court in London to deny claims that he concealed a string of valuable holdings from UK insolvency officials handling his 2017 bankruptcy. If found guilty on all 19 charges heard in the courtroom, the six-time Grand Slam winner faces the possibility of seven years in jail. “He has been charged with eight counts of concealment of property, five of failure to disclose property, four of material omissions in relation to bank accounts, and two of removal of property,” a spokesperson for the UK Insolvency Service confirmed to PEOPLE. The charges against Becker — who appeared in court wearing a black “Stronger Together” face mask — relate to his alleged ownership of an apartment in the upscale Chelsea neighborhood of London, plus two additional properties in Germany, reports The Guardian. German news outlet Bild reports the court also heard that Becker — who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2003 — allegedly hid bank accounts with JP Morgan in Belgium, Julius Baer in Guernsey and Volksbank Kraichgau in Germany from UK officials, at a time when he was legally bound to disclose his full financial details as part of the bankruptcy deal.
and Red Bull’s Alexander Alb on took the final point
Valtteri Bottas and teammate Lewis Hamilton battle during the race. (Bryn Lennon - Getty Images) “I’m pretty sure noone’s got two five second
penalties for something so ridiculous before,” said the Briton, who had won six of the nine races before Sochi and had been authorised by the team to practise a start. “I didn’t put anyone in danger. I’ve done this at a million tracks over the years and never been questioned on it. Hamilton also collected
two penalty points on his licence, leaving him just two away from a one-race ban triggered if a driver gets 12 in a 12-month period. In a dull race after two exciting rounds in Italy, with lonely races for the top three, Mercedes continued their record of winning every Russian Grand Prix since the first held on the streets around the 2014 Winter Olympics venue. Mexican Sergio Perez was
in 10th.The safety car was deployed for four laps after the start when McLaren’s Carlos Sainz went off and misjudged his return to the track, hitting the wall hard. Leclerc also tagged Lance Stroll’s Racing Point, with the Canadian spinning out. Hamilton served his two penalties at the same time, returning in 11th place but moving up to third after others pitted. “This is just ridiculous, man,” he said over the radio.
Windies booked for New Zealand tour
Tennis Star Boris Becker appears at Westminster Magistrates Court in London. (Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock) Becker is also accused of hiding close to $1 million in debt, plus 75,000 shares in the Artificial Intelligence company Breaking Data Corp, The Guardian added. “When people enter into bankruptcy, they have to declare all their assets so that there’s a true picture of what they own, what they don’t, and what can be paid back to their creditors,” a UK legal expert tells PEOPLE. “The charges are around claims that Boris didn’t provide a full picture of assets and property. Essentially, Boris was bankrupt and it’s all to do with concealing property from the official receiver.” Becker will next appear in court on Oct. 22 at a pre-trial
hearing before a judge at Southwark Crown Court in London. On Friday, Becker tweeted his desire to fight the charges until the end. “Innocent until proven guilty! I deny the accusations against me and will defend myself with all legal means!” he wrote. “I believe in the British legal system and its representatives! My team will prove my innocence in due course!!!” Becker was released on conditional bail at the close of Thursday’s hearing and he’s placed his passport in the care of his attorney, Bild reports. He is now living in a luxury apartment in Battersea, London.
West Indies are expected to embark on a tour of New Zealand in the coming months after touring England. SportsMax - The West Indies are expected to embark on a tour of New Zealand in the coming months after the country’s government gave the approval for quarantine arrangements to the cricket board. The West Indies became one of the first teams to resume international cricket, in wake of the coronavirus pandemic, when they toured England in August. The entirety of the tour was conducted within a biosecure environment. New Zealand officials had said last month that they were examining the series with the hope of staging a similar version. Pakistan is also expected to be invited to tour the country. New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said the tours would help the sport through the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s a huge boost for us, it’s our financial lifeline,” he told reporters on Friday. “International cricket funds the whole game of cricket in New Zealand, so it’s very, very important for us.”White said the teams would fly to Auckland then catch a charter to Christchurch, where they would stay in quarantine while training at NZC’s high-performance centre in Lincoln University. White said all players would follow health and testing protocols set down by the government. “It’s not going to come cheap; we will be footing the bill but we are happy to do that and fully understand it’s a user-pays model.” New Zealand has been one of the world’s most successful nations at containing the new coronavirus and the country’s borders remain closed to almost all visitors.
Monday September 28, 2020
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Rahul Tewatia and Sanju Samson pull off record chase in stunning Rajasthan Royals win ESPNcricinfo - As it unfolded, it felt like a match that defied logic in every way possible. But by the time the Rajasthan Royals were done mowing down a target of 224 - an IPL record - the scorecard reflected one bit of cold, hard T20 logic: the team that hits more sixes wins. Kings XI Punjab hit 11 sixes - seven coming off the bat of Mayank Agarwal, who made a scintillating 106 off 50 balls - and the Royals hit 18. Sanju Samson hit seven of those sixes while scoring a second successive half-century for the first time in his IPL career. His 42-ball 85 was more reward for the intense training he did during cricket’s Covid-19 hiatus, which enabled him to take his natural ball-striking ability and turn it into an instrument of almost scientific precision. Samson put on 81 for the second wicket with Steven Smith in just 40 balls, putting the Royals well in touch with their asking rate. They then promoted Rahul Tewatia - their only lefthander - to No. 4, and the move was beginning to look like one of the most ill-judged tactical interventions in IPL history when he struggled to
hit the ball off the square and crawled to 8 off 19 balls. But the six-hitting ability that he possesses came into view just when the Royals seemed out of it. Tewatia smacked Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in a match-turning, match-defining 18th over, and an improbable 51 off 18 balls turned into a far more straightforward 21 off 12. A partnership of two tempos Sent in to bat - Smith, the Royals captain, expected dew to play an influential role through the second innings, and it did - Kings XI got off to a flier, their openers rushing to 60 in the powerplay. From there, Agarwal and KL Rahul extended their partnership to 183 - the third highest for the first wicket and the eighth highest overall in the IPL. The two batsmen approached their innings differently. At one end, Agarwal went for his shots at every opportunity, and also looked to create opportunities to play his shots. He moved around his crease - to manufacture room to hit Ankit Rajpoot over midoff, for instance, or to manufacture length to shovel the quickish legspin of Tewatia over midwicket - and in gen-
Sanju Samson rolls out a reverse sweep © BCCI
eral went through with his shots with a degree of abandon; some of the sixes he hit weren’t off the cleanest connections, but a batsman can gamble on a small ground like Sharjah. Even so, Agarwal’s sparkling form allowed him to achieve a control percentage of 80 - which is pretty high for an innings achieving a
I’m done, for 2020, says beaten Venus PARIS (Reuters) - American veteran Venus Williams said she will not play again this year after losing 6-4 6-4 in the first round of the French Open to Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova yesterday. The 40-year-old, playing in her 87th Grand Slam, fought hard but ultimately could find no way past her younger opponent as she suffered a third straight first-round loss at Roland Garros. Having also lost in the opening round in Rome, it has been a lean time for the seventimes Grand Slam champion. “I’m going home from here. I’m done. If there is somewhere to play, I won’t be there,” Williams told reporters. With her ranking down at 76th — the lowest it has been since 2012 — the inevitable questions are being asked as to how long she will continue her career. The way she fought against Schmiedlova for more than two hours on a blustery and damp claycourt, however, did not look like a player ready to hang up her racket. She saved two match points after fighting back from 4-1 down in the second set but fell short.“Even on my really good shots she had a lot of amazing replies that just kind of came out of nowhere. Give her credit to playing an amazing match,” Williams, runner-up at Roland Garros in 2002, said. Asked if she would be back next year, she said she “definitely” would be although she said a 2020 hit by the COVID-19 pandemic had been a tough one. “It’s been a very long year of quarantine,” the American said. “Now I’ll get to rest. So I’m looking forward to that.”
Venus Williams of the U.S. during her second round match against Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka. (Pool via REUTERS/Riccardo Antimiani/File Photo) Schmiedlova, who ended a run of 12 successive first-round defeats at Grand Slams, said she hoped Williams would be back competing in 2021.“I still hope that this won’t be the end for her, I respect her a lot. She’s had an incredible career and is still playing really good,” she said.“But there are so many good young players now in women’s tennis and you can lose to the one ranked 300 or 100 and it’s getting more difficult. “She already has made an amazing career and I hope that it won’t be her last match.”
strike rate of 212.00. At the other end, Rahul faced 54 balls - four more than Agarwal - and pulled off a control percentage of 85, but only struck at 127.77. Aside from a hattrick of fours against Jofra Archer in the fourth over, he seemed to almost consciously play second fiddle to
Agarwal, giving him the strike whenever possible. It’s a common tactic in partnerships like this, and Rahul has the game to up his tempo dramatically later on his unbeaten 132 against Royal Challengers Bangalore followed the same template. Maxwell, Pooran apply
the finish On this day, however, both Rahul and Agarwal seemed to tire as their partnership progressed, and from 172 for no loss at the 15-over mark, Kings XI scored 22 off the next 18 balls - a period in which they lost both openers. Only 21 balls remained in the innings when Glenn Maxwell walked in, and only 12 when Nicholas Pooran came to the crease. It can be difficult to come in at that sort of time and find the boundary immediately, but both managed it to varying degrees of success. Rajpoot and Tom Curran managed to tie Maxwell down to an extent, but he created a couple of boundaries with his movement around the crease. Pooran, however, got a few balls in his slot and dispatched all of them ruthlessly - he hit three sixes and a four in just eight balls, three of those boundaries coming in an 18-run final over from Jofra Archer. Scores: Rajasthan Royals 226 for 6 (Samson 85, Tewatia 53, Smith 50, Shami 3-53) beat Kings XI Punjab 223 for 2 (Agarwal 106, Rahul 69) by four wickets.
French Open 2020: Johanna Konta beaten by Coco Gauff in first round
Johanna Konta, who was undone by 41 unforced errors, is ranked 13th in the world. (Reuters) BBC Sport - British number one Johanna Konta’s hopes of another deep run at the French Open were ended by American teenager Coco Gauff in the first round. Konta, 30, lost 6-3 6-3 to the talented 16year-old, who put in an assured performance in her first Roland Garros main draw appearance. A semi-finalist here in 2019, Konta was error-prone against a youngster who has been touted by many pundits as a future Grand Slam champion. Gauff faces Martina Trevisan next. Konta’s was the third British singles de-
feat of the opening day in Paris after losses for Andy Murray and Dan Evans. Gauff bounces back from US Open exit Gauff has been one of the most promising players on tour following her runs to Wimbledon and the Australian Open fourth rounds in the past 15 months. She put behind her a disappointing firstround exit from this month’s US Open to put in a confident display against Konta, who never found her stride under the floodlights on a near empty Court Suzanne Lenglen. There were some nerves at times - with (Continued on page 19)
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Lakers beat Nuggets behind LeBron’s triple-double, advance to finals LeBron James had 38 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to their first NBA finals in a decade with a 117107 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday near Orlando. Anthony Davis scored 27 points for the Lakers, who advanced to their first NBA finals since 2010, when they beat the Boston Celtics in seven games. They will face either the Celtics or Miami Heat. “It means a lot,” Davis said after the game. “It’s a step closer to our goal. Obviously, you have to win the (conference) finals in order to go to the (NBA) finals. Being with this team from day one, the journey and adversity we’ve been through has been nothing but amazing. ... But we’ve got four more left.” Nikola Jokic had 20 points and seven rebounds for Denver. Jerami Grant also scored 20 points, while Jamal Murray, who sustained a right knee contusion in the first half, finished with 19 points and eight
assists. Paul Millsap added 13 points. “So proud. What more could you ask from a group?” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “What more commitment, sacrifice, just everything in the last 82 days that our team has gone through. The history that we’ve made. The adversity that we faced and never ran from it, embraced it, owned it at times. From a pride perspective, I couldn’t be more proud.” A three-point play by Jokic cut the Lakers’ lead to 103-99 with 4:35 remaining. However, James scored nine consecutive points to seal the deal for Los Angeles. “My teammates said bring us home and it was my responsibility to try to make the right plays and do the right things on the floor to help us win ballgames,” James said during the postgame trophy presentation. The third-seeded Nuggets rallied from 3-1 deficits in back-to-back series against the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers but the task was too much against the Lakers,
the top seed in the West. “I really felt like we had a chance to win.” Murray said afterward. In the third, the Lakers increased their 10-point halftime edge to as much as 16. After Dwight Howard was issued a flagrant foul after a collision with Millsap with 4:29 remaining in the quarter, the Nuggets cut the gap to 80-73 after a 3-pointer by Michael Porter Jr. 16 seconds later. A 9-2 Nuggets surge pulled them within 82-80 with about a minute left in the quarter. Two free throws by Murray knotted the score at 84 before Davis’ 3-pointer put the Lakers up 87-84 heading into the fourth quarter. Grant scored 14 points in the third. Jokic picked up his third foul at 9:32 of the second quarter with the Nuggets trailing 35-34. James sparked a 14-4 run with eight points, all of them on buckets inside, for a 49-38 Lakers advantage midway through the quarter. Denver sliced the margin to seven before Los Angeles took a 61-51 lead at the break. (Field Level Media)
ECCC VP (ag) Gainda calls for amicable solution to cricket on the East Coast prior to DCB elections Vice President (ag) of the East Coast Cricket Committee Lalta Gainda said elections must be held on the East Coast of Demerara before any election is being staged at the Demerara Cricket Board level. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport yesterday, Gainda said the while he is aware that the GCB nor any of its affiliates challenged the recent motion filed by the Honourable Attorney General Anil Nandalall to withdraw the consent order assented to by his predecessor, it may be prudent to suggest that the current cricket Administrators of the GCB are hopeful for a decent and amicable resolution of these issues. Gainda informed that the East Coast Cricket Board of Control was renamed the East Coast Cricket Committee following a court case and a judge allowed the usage of the new name hence all active clubs in the area are playing cricket under this organisation. Gainda noted that organising cricket in the area has been challenging due to the numerous court battles fought against another body. “It is an undeniable fact that cricket on the East Coast for the past six years has been
Lalta Gainda sponsored and managed by myself and a few dedicated individuals from Enmore, Lusignan, LBI, Ogle, Fairfield, Enterprise, Strathaven and a few other established clubs which are all affiliates of the ECCC.” “Many can attest to the fact that after numerous court battles fought against a group on the East Coast, the ECCC was able to ensure that the youths of East Coast Demerara participated in tournaments of the DCB and GCB which paved the way for them to represent their country.” Gainda feels that for cricket for move forward on the East Coast, elections must
be held in a fair and transparent manner. “What we find from time to time is that phantom clubs are being formed to help garner votes for individuals, but this practice must stop.” “I would like to ask the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Hon. Charles Ramson jr., what is the purpose of the Ombudsman, if not to verify the clubs and supervise the elections on the East Coast. Are we to expect an election of the DCB without one on the East Coast? This charade on the East Coast must stop.” Gainda added that there must be no DCB election until the amicable resolution of East Coast Cricket, aided by the overview of the state appointed Ombudsman, as prescribed by the Cricket Administration Act. “There should be no attempts to bypass this process and the marginalization of founding clubs such as: Enmore Community Center, Ogle Community Center, LBI Community Center, Industry Cricket Club, Mahaica Community Center among others,” he posited. Gainda warns that any action contrary to the aforementioned may cause more damage to the game.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) greets teammates after making a basket against the Denver Nuggets during game five of the Western Conference finals of the 2020 NBA playoffs. (Kim Klement-USA Today Sport)
Modest Alyssa Healy doffs hat to the bowlers after surpassing MS Dhoni’s record ESPNcricinfo - Alyssa Healy was caught unaware when TV commentator Mel Jones started asking her about MS Dhoni towards the end of New Zealand’s innings in the second T20I. Her alert catch to remove Lauren Down was her 92nd T20I wicketkeeping dismissal, making her the most prolific keeper in the format. Fittingly, too, she had equalled Dhoni’s tally with another brilliant piece of glovework to stump Amy Satterthwaite; the decision, which took nearly five minutes to make, can be debated but as with the leg-side stumping to remove Sophie Devine the day before it was a wonderful piece of wicketkeeping. Not one to dwell over individual statistics, Healy said it was a “very nice accolade” but shifted the praise towards her bowlers. She even conceded she did not believe she had a great day with the gloves with a stumping chance going down against Katie Perkins and a few byes slipping through. “I had no idea about it, I wondered why Mel Jones was asking me about MS Dhoni, I thought it was a very strange discussion we were about to have,” she said. “It’s obviously a very nice individual accolade but it reflects better on our bowling attack than myself. “It just shows the strength of our bowling attack we’ve had throughout
my career that they are giving these opportunities. Makes me think about all the ones I’ve missed but at the same it is nice, but it’s more credit to the bowlers. “There’s a lot of stuff you do as a wicketkeeper, so for me I’m always really content when I come off the field and I’ve had a good day behind the stumps. Didn’t feel like I had a great day today so it’s sort of a weird feeling. I love wicketkeeping, have done it my whole life - much as I wanted to be a bowler I love my keeping - so if I come off the ground and I’ve done my job for the bowlers and team, more often than not I’m pretty happy.” The stumping to remove Satterthwaite was also her 50th in T20Is and she has more than catches which is a testament to her alertness up to the stumps where she will spend most of an innings. While the borderline decisions have gone Australia’s way in the first two matches of this series, all Healy can do is be ready for a batter’s error and force a decision from the umpires. “Being a wicketkeeper you’ve sometimes got to create opportunities for your side,” she said. “It’s not something I pride myself on or anything like, it’s just how I can swing the momentum back in our favour, whether that’s driving our fielding standards or taking a half chance that could change the game.” On the Satterthwaite dis-
missal specifically, Healy said: “From my point of view I could see a lot of the line so that’s probably why I seemed a bit more confident than not. I thought it was out, but I haven’t seen a replay and it taking so long it must have been incredibly tight. It’s not every day you get the benefit of the doubt going to the fielding side so I’ve got two in a row now, so hopefully it continues.” “It was a big play, we wanted the wicket, but either way being so tight one side would have been unhappy. If it had been not out, I think people would have been happy with that as well.” Healy, who would have been a worthy Player of the Match, then contributed a blistering 33 off 17 balls which virtually sealed the match inside Australia’s Powerplay and secured them a tenth T20 prize in a row dating back to 2018 which has included two World Cups along the way. “There’s probably a little bit of rust floating around with my bat in hand but in saying that when we are chasing down totals like it’s my job to take it to the opposition, see if I can get that run rate down as low as possible for our middle order to get the job done,” Healy said. “Pleasing it came off today and puts me in good stead for the one-day format.” The final T20I takes place on Wednesday before the three-match ODI series begins on October 3.
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Charlo twins both make world title wins in Connecticut AFP - Charlo twins Jermell and Jermall put on a show Saturday with impressive world title wins in the boxing ring at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Jermell Charlo knocked out Jeison Rosario with a brutal blow to the body in the eighth round of their super welterweight unification bout.In his first fight since he won the WBC belt with a knockout of Tony Harrison in December, Charlo added Rosario’s WBA and IBF belts to his collection. Charlo stopped Rosario 21 seconds into the eighth round with a left jab that sent the Dominican sprawling onto his back. Rosario lay shuddering on the canvas, finally trying to rise but unable to beat the count from referee Harvey Dock. Charlo, who improved to 34-1 with 18 knockouts, had knocked Rosario down twice — in the first and sixth rounds — on the way to victory.Charlo was credited with a knockdown in round one, when in a wild push forward he backed Rosario up, the Dominican’s foot appearing to slip as Charlo landed a hook to his head. Rosario, who fell to 20-2 with one drawn and 14 wins inside the distance, got Charlo’s attention
Jermall Charlo made a third defence of his WBC middleweight crown with victory over Ukraine’s Sergey Derevyanchenko.
with his punching power. He backed Charlo into the ropes with a left hook early in the fifth and Dock warned Charlo in the middle of the round for pushing Rosario down by his head. The fifth ended with a tough exchange, Rosario landing a hard jab before Charlo backed him up
with a right. Rosario came out on the attack in the sixth, but was warned by Dock in the middle of the round for low blows.Charlo tagged him with a hard left hook that dropped him to one knee shortly before the round ended. He answered the count moments before the bell rang and
he still looked wobbly on the way to his corner. “I definitely proved that I’m more than just a puncher, but I’m also a puncher,” said Charlo, who left the ring at the spectator-less arena with all three belts draped around him calling out “Team Charlo!” Earlier in the evening, Jermall Charlo battered Sergiy Derevyanchenko on the way to a unanimous decision victory to retain his WBC middleweight crown.The 30-year-old American champion overcame stubborn resistance from the Ukrainian challenger to extend his unbeaten record to 31 fights. But he was pushed all the way by Derevyanchenko, who fell to 133 with the defeat. Derevyanchenko, bleeding from cuts around both eyes, launched a furious late onslaught in the 12th round as he chased a knockout.But Charlo, leading comfortably on points, had too much savvy to let victory slip and closed out a third defence of his WBC belt. - ‘I passed the test’ The three judges scored Charlo a convincing winner, handing the champion victory by margins of
116-112, 117-111 and 118-110. “I executed the game plan. It was the biggest test of my career and I passed test,” he said. “I knew he was going to be tough, and I knew he was going to come to fight. “I wanted to knock him out and make a statement. But getting through it and getting the decision was a statement in itself.” It was another disappointing defeat for the stocky Derevyanchenko, who had lost two previous world title fights including a disputed decision against Gennadiy Golovkin in October last year. In other early card action, John Riel Casimero of the Philippines made a successful first defence of his WBO bantamweight crown on Saturday, knocking out Ghana’s Duke Micah in the third round. Undefeated super bantamweight Luis Nery of Mexico earned a 12-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten compatriot Aaron Alameda to claim the vacant WBC super bantamweight title. Nery saw his 11-fight knockout streak end, but improved to 31-0 with 24 knockouts while Alameda fell to 25-1 with 13 wins inside the distance.
Rahul Tewatia and Sanju Samson pull off record chase in stunning Rajasthan Royals win Rahul Tewatia slams one down the ground. (BCCI)
Mayank Agarwal’s drives were punchy © BCCI
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Bottas wins as penalties put Hamilton record bid on hold Valtteri Bottas won the Russian Grand Prix for Mercedes.
ECCC VP (ag) Gainda calls for amicable solution to cricket on the East Coast prior to DCB elections
Modest Alyssa Healy doffs hat to the bowlers after surpassing MS Dhoni’s record Alyssa Healy went past MS Dhoni record in dismissials behind the wicket. (ESPNcricinfo)
Windies booked for New Zealand tour
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