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Jagdeo still ‘iffy’ on Exxon’s 7th oil project Aug 09, 2024 News Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo Kaieteur News – Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo again on Thursday appeared to be in the ‘if’ stage on matters concerning ExxonMobil’s 7th project Hammerhead. There have been concerns on the project raised to Jagdeo and recently he told this publication that there is an assumption that there will be a seventh project. On Thursday this publication asked Jagdeo to shed some light on “What improvements can Guyanese expect from the 7th oil project should it be approved?” Trying to decide which word to begin with Jagdeo said: “When and if…if and or when and if we approve the project then you will be told about what the benefits will be. We have not looked at anything…there is currently no application in for the seventh project as yet, so when the application comes in that’s when we will start considering this matter.” This has been the tune of Jagdeo ever since Exxon had begun public consultations on the project and concerns were brought to him. At a previous news conference in response to a question, Jagdeo had said: “So first of all, there is an assumption that there will be a seventh project. So we will get the application soon and at that time, the government will determine through two permits, one the licence and then the environmental permit, how it will deal with all of these issues.” He had boasted that the administration has made the permits for previous projects public unlike the previous administration and they will be dealing with any issues as they arise. Jagdeo added, “Exxon still has to demonstrate that they will submit all the documents needed for us to assess whether the requirements are met. On the seventh project, we are yet to determine whether we want that on the cost bank now ahead of any clarity of how we are moving with the monetization of the Gas Project. So those issues will be determined next week.” The Hammerhead discovery was announced in Aug 2018. Hammerhead is ExxonMobil’s ninth oil discovery in the Stabroek Block. The Hammerhead- 1 well was drilled in a new reservoir, encountering approximately 197 feet (60 meters) of high-quality, oil-bearing sandstone reservoir. The well was safely drilled to 13,862 feet (4,225 meters) depth in 3,773 feet (1,150 meters) of water. ExxonMobil is gearing up to drill as many as 30 wells at the seventh project. ExxonMobil is hoping to commence production in 2029 and could boost the nation’s oil output to more than 1.4 million barrels of oil per day (mbbl/d).  The Hammerhead project is projected to yield a daily output of 120,000–180,000 barrels (bbl) of crude oil, less than the 250,000bbl produced by the country’s largest vessels. Exxon has disclosed that the planned vessel for the project will have a storage capacity ranging from 1.4mbbl to 2mbbl of oil. The floating production unit is expected to be a very large crude carrier conversion facility 15 km south-west of Liza Destiny, Exxon’s inaugural platform in Guyana. Related Similar Articles

Three men arrested with meat from stolen bulls Aug 09, 2024 News Kaieteur News – Three men were arrested on Wednesday in Corentyne Berbice with the carcasses of two stolen bulls in the trunk a Toyota Raum. The cows were the property of Ganisey Parsram, a 63-year-old pensioner from #64 Village and are said to be valued at $240,000. According to the police, the men were arrested “as part of an investigation into the alleged Larceny of Cattle. The three men arrested are labourers: Noel Gray, Shermond Thompson and Oudwin Binda. All of Corentyne, Berbice. Son of the victim, Chavand Parsram relayed to the investigators that his father is the registered owner of the brand #OG98 for almost 20 years now and it was used on all of his cattle including the two stolen bulls. Investigators were told by the young man that on August 1, 2024 around 16:00hrs, he secured the two animals in a pen that was made of ‘mesh’ at the No. 64 pasture and left to venture to his residence. The stolen cattle. He returned the following day to check on them, only to be greeted with an empty enclosure. At around 20:00hrs on Wednesday, he received a phone call and was given the tip that “someone was stealing cattle and loading them in a car at No. 64 Village.” He immediately called Springlands Police Station and reported the matter. The vehicle that transported the animals. Ranks responded and went to the area mentioned where they intercepted a Raum vehicle with registration number PPP 2810, which was being driven by Noel Gray and occupied by Shermond Thompson and Oudwin Binda. Ranks enquired if they were transporting stolen cattle and requested to conduct a search of the vehicle, where ‘four quarters’ of meat were discovered. The carcasses had Parsram’s brand and were suspected to be the missing bulls. The three suspects were questioned as to where they were taking the meat at that time of the night without the necessary documents. The men found in possession of the carcass had no transit, no veterinary pass or notice of intention to slaughter at the time they were stopped and searched. The suspects told the police that two men Jerry and Brooks (only name given) gave them the animals to transport to Cromarty Village, Corentyne. They were then told of the offence committed, arrested, cautioned, and escorted to the Springlands Police Station, along with the carcass, and placed into custody pending investigation. Police are currently looking to contact ‘Jerry’ and ‘Brooks’, as investigations continue. Related Similar Articles

If speed reading was an Olympic sport… Aug 09, 2024 Dem Boys Seh, Features / Columnists, News Kaieteur News – Dem boys seh in dis country, we got speed readers like yuh wouldn’t believe. Dem boys does read so fast, dem done finish de whole document even before de author done write it! Is like magic, but de real magic is how fast things does get approve. Take dem field development plans fuh de oil blocks. Dem thick like phone book. Full ah technical jargon and fine print wah mek yuh head spin. But guess wah? Dem does get approve in de blink of an eye. De ink ain’t even dry pun de paper and dem man already got de stamp ready. Dem boys seh de people wah approving these things must be superhuman. How else yuh explain de speed? Dem boys does wonder if dem even tek de time fuh read all dem pages. Or if dem just flipping through and nodding. De plan coulda seh “drill fuh oil in de middle ah Main Street” and dem wouldn’t even notice! Yuh know, when dem boys was in school, teacher always seh, “Read yuh books carefully, tek yuh time and study.” But apparently, that rule ain’t apply when it come to approving oil deals. It look like de new rule is “De faster, de better!” Maybe de people wah approving these plans does tek special classes in speed reading. Or maybe dem just got a knack fuh skimming through de important parts, like de signature page. Dem boys seh if yuh blink, yuh might miss how quick things does happen in this country. De oil money ain’t even start flow good yet, but dem development plans does get approve at lightning speed. All yuh could do is sit back and admire de efficiency. If only de rest ah de government could work so fast, Guyana woulda been de richest country in de world by now! Talk half. Leff half. Related Similar Articles

Warrican’s late strikes keep WI in contest after fifties from Bavuma and de Zorzi Aug 09, 2024 Sports Tristan Stubbs and Tony de Zorzi gave South Africa a solid start on day 2. (AFP/Getty Images) ESPNcricinfo – Tony de Zorzi, South Africa’s opening batter who was dismissed for 78 before lunch, sat on the change-room balcony with a copy of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Ironic, because what played out in front of him was nothing like the novel’s dystopian reality. Instead, it was as his coach Shukri Conrad predicted: same, old Test cricket. “Traditional” was the word South Africa’s red-ball coach used to describe what he expected would be attritional cricket in Trinidad, and that is what the teams produced. All but one South African batter, Aiden Markram, got starts. Two, de Zorzi and captain Temba Bavuma, made half-centuries, and there were four 50-plus partnerships, but there were no hundreds. Only one frontline West Indies bowler, left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, conceded at more than 3.5 runs per over and the seamers shared five wickets between them. They were disciplined most of the time and threatening for some of it, but did not consistently trouble the batters. All these things could have a lot to do with the kind of surface this Test is being played on: docile, fairly dry, and lacking in life in the form of bounce or pace. It was the kind of surface that requires patience, not flair, and rewards those who are willing to grind. Kemar Roach celebrates snagging Tristan Stubbs. (AFP/Getty Images) That was evident from the first exchanges when West Indies’ senior seamers Kemar Roach and Jason Holder relied on good lengths to keep South Africa quiet and were punished as soon as they strayed. In the third over of the day, Holder dropped it a fraction short and de Zorzi scored the first boundary when he dabbed it behind point. In the next over, Roach was a touch too full and Tristan Stubbs drove his first and last balls through the covers with confidence. South Africa’s second-wicket pair were beaten on occasion but were mostly fairly comfortable early on. De Zorzi reached his second Test fifty off 78 balls, with a single off Holder. Importantly for de Zorzi, it is also his first success in his first attempt at opening in Tests. Stubbs did not quite have the same results at No. 3 and failed to use his feet when Roach angled a length ball in from wide of the crease. With the slip cordon up, Stubbs edged behind and Holder dived across from second slip to take the catch low down. Jomel Warrican had Keshav Maharaj caught and bowled. (AFP/Getty Images) Roach was pumped and greeted a leaden-footed Bavuma with a delivery that almost kissed the bat before beating the outside edge. He kept Bavuma in the crease throughout that over but the South African captain was happy to bide his time. Bavuma took ten balls to get his first runs but when he did, he got them with confidence. He stepped down the pitch and hit Motie over his head for two runs to bring up 3000 runs in Test cricket. While Bavuma’s approach remained watchful – understandable given this was his first Test innings since March 2023 – any aggression came from de Zorzi. He was proactive in turning an intended drive off Jayden Seales into a slice over point and reverse-swept Motie to get to 70. With a top score of 85, also scored against West Indies, de Zorzi would have been eyeing a first century but he undid himself with a second reverse sweep off Jomel Warrican and gloved it to Kavem Hodge at slip, 12 minutes before lunch. After the break, Bavuma again dropped anchor and allowed his partner, David Bedingham, to take the fight to West Indies. Following on from his five centuries in eight matches in the County Championship, Bedingham showed his class when he double-stepped down the track to club Warrican over long-on and then waited for a Seales delivery to late-cut it for four. That urgency rubbed off on Bavuma, who scored his first boundary in 48 balls when he advanced down to hit Warrican for four. But he quickly went back into his shell when a pull off Seales was almost caught by Hodge at square leg. Instead, it was Bedingham who fell to the pull. He couldn’t keep Seales down and sent him to deep square leg, where Keacy Carty, on debut, took the catch diving forward to give Seales his first Test wicket at his home ground. Ryan Rickelton started convincingly with a sublime cover drive and then watched as Bavuma reached his 21st Test fifty off 123 balls. Rickelton lived dangerously and hit a full toss from Warrican straight back to him but the left-arm spinner could not hold on to the chance. Luckily for West Indies, the drop It did not prove too costly. Rickelton added 11 runs to his score and then succumbed to the second new ball: lbw to Roach. Jayden Seales had Temba Bavuma lbw with a full toss. (AFP/Getty Images) Bavuma was on 80 at that stage and still had one recognised batter, Kyle Verreynne, to accompany him in pursuit of a century. Verreynne faced the first 20 balls of their partnership, including a beamer from Seales that hit him on the left glove, but did not seem to do any damage. Bavuma then survived a West Indies review for lbw off Holder, which was too high on umpire’s call. But two-and-a-half overs later, Seales bowled a full toss and Bavuma’s concentration broke. He missed the flick, was hit at shin height and given out. Verreynne convinced him to review but only in hope. He had to leave, without a first Test century away from home, a second against West Indies and a third in his career. South Africa were 271 for 6 and West Indies had the opportunity to run through their lower order. West Indies conceded only 20 runs in 12 overs to frustrate naturally aggressive Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder, but the pair held firm and as West Indies tired, they cashed in. But just as they started to pull away from West Indies, Warrican struck twice in two balls. Verreynne offered him a simple redemptive return catch that he held onto and then Keshav Maharaj chipped one back to him that required a dive to take with both hands but Warrican did that too and suddenly South Africa were in danger of a sub-350 score. Mulder and Kagiso Rabada took them to the brink of that and they will be eyeing slightly more than that on the third day. Scores: South Africa 342 for 8 (Bavuma 86, de Zorzi 78, Warrican 3-66) vs West Indies. Related Similar Articles

Close to 100 horses entered for Guyana Cup 2024 Aug 09, 2024 Sports Easy Time will be out to defend his title at the 16th running of the Guyana Cup. Kaieteur Sports – The 16th running of the Guyana Cup, which is organized by the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee, is set to ignite Rising Sun Turf Club on Sunday August 11, with 10 highly anticipated races. Approximately 100 horses secured entry for this prestigious event where over G$40 million in cash and prizes will be up for the taking. Last year, the Guyana Cup had 77 horses entered, and as expected, more horses were imported for this year’s Guyana Cup which resulted in an increase of entries. The opening race of the day will be the L-Non-Earners which is expected to start at 11:50AM. Race two will be the L Class event, at 12:25h, followed by the K Class at 13:00h. Race 4 is the J Class race at 1:35h and Race 5 is the H Class event at 14:15h. Race six will be the F Class race which is expected to run off at 14:50h. Close to 100 horses secured entry for this year’s Guyana Cup. The two-year-old race is set for 15:25h followed by the Open Sprint at 16:00h. The penultimate race of the day will be the Derby at 16:35 hours while the feature event will be the final race of the day, which is expected to commence at 17:30h. With this year’s Guyana Cup purse being the most significant in the Caribbean, horses from various countries will be out to battle for supremacy. Jockeys from Guyana and abroad are also in the country, preparing for Sunday’s race. Horses entered and respective gate positions for Guyana Cup feature event are; Stat, Bossalina, Loyal Company, Beckham James, John Bull, Olympic Kremlin, Nova Sol, Stolen Money, Stormy Victory, Oy Vey, RitornaVincetori and Easy Time. The final entries from Slingerz Racing Stables arrived on Wednesday in Guyana from Brazil to confirm the high-profile line-up for the Guyana Cup feature. Rising Sun Turf Club will be transformed into an electrifying atmosphere for the entire family. Kids will be treated to a fun park, and fans will be thrilled to have great vibes when the DJ competition takes center stage after the race. Related Similar Articles

Narine reclaims National Junior’s Chess Championship Aug 09, 2024 Sports Kaieteur Sports – Nineteen-year-old Ricardo Narine has reclaimed his National Junior Chess Championship title after competing in the nine-round, Round Robin competition against the top ten junior qualifiers last week. 2024 National Junior Chess Championship, Ricardo Narine. The MOO MILK-sponsored tournament wrapped up on August 1st after intense competition from talented young chess players. Narine gained 8.5 points with eight victories and one draw. He was followed closely by fourteen-year-old Kyle Couchman, who earned 8 points with seven wins and two draws. Sachin Pitamber came third with 6 points, Matthew Singh came fourth with 5.5, and Alexander Zhang fifth with 5 points. Narine, who won the championship title in 2022, won his games against Alexander Zhang and Kishan Puran in the first two rounds, giving him the lead, which he maintained throughout the tournament, only missing a perfect score against his game with Kyle Couchman, which ended in a draw. Narine commented that he gained a solid start in the competition after winning his earlier games. However, the final two rounds presented the most difficult challenges as he faced the top two seeds. As such, he was not entirely sure of securing the title until the final move in the final game. When asked about his future in chess, he replied that as a chess teacher, he finds it rewarding to spread chess and see young players develop their skills and learn the game. Narine says he intends to defend his title next year and challenge and grow with the senior players. Guyana Chess Federation President Anand Raghunauth expressed his enthusiasm for the exceptional talent displayed by the junior competitors. He attributed the players’ success to the federation’s commitment to providing consistent training and competition opportunities. Raghunauth highlighted the remarkable achievement of two juniors ranking among the nation’s active top ten players, as well as the progress of three female qualifiers who secured top-ten positions in the Junior Nationals. This, he emphasized, underscores the GCF’s dedication to fostering a level playing field for both male and female chess players. The tournament was supervised by FIDE Arbiter John Lee and assistant Jessica Callender at the David Rose Special School. Round one had a scheduled start on July 26th, 2024. The games were live streamed on DGT live chess cloud and lichess.com, enabling viewers to watch the games from the comfort of their homes. The GCF wishes to thank its sponsor De Sinco Ltd, and its MOO MILK brand for supporting the junior chess competitions. Awards and prizes will be presented to the winners at the annual prize-giving ceremony hosted by the GCF later in the year. The GCF also wishes to thank the David Rose Special School for providing the venue for the tournament. Related Similar Articles

Corruption and inflation: imagination or real conditions  Aug 09, 2024 Features / Columnists, The GHK Lall Column Kaieteur News – Dare to peak about corruption and cost-of-living in this country and government gets bent out of shape, loses its thin coating of cool. Products of overblown imagination, according to the PPP Government, even rancid political partisanship of no-good intent.  I still insist that corruption and cost-of-living are real conditions in this country, and both are at crippling proportions. GHK Lall There are many Guyanese, who think similarly.  What is it with the two national calamities, contagious viruses, I may add?  Who has it right, the government and leaders and supporters running a hostile, often slashing, defence?  Or could it be that conscientious and outspoken citizens are on the right side of bitter truths in both instances?  Then there are those who speak not to the partisan, nor what could be remotely construed as objectionable (unwelcomed) protest, but of the piercing state of their own existence. How do they feature, what is the significance of the nonpolitical articulations of their experiences?  These are experiences that convey their own inarguable, undeniable, situations relative to corruption and inflation.  I touch upon inflation today. The first thing to note is that I use cost-of-living and inflation somewhat interchangeably.  I think that there is room for taking such a liberty.  For what is cost-of-living if not about prices: when citizens start paying attention to cost-of-living, speaking about it means there is a concern.  When the people feeling cost-of-living squeezes speak more often about such, and more urgently, it means there is a serious problem.  Price increases, price pains, prices pressures, which together lead to price paralysis.  And what is a loose, unscientific definition of inflation if not about prices and how they relentlessly march upward within a known area for a length of time.  As with some marches, the earth gets trampled, scorched, laid waste.  It could be by policy, or the consequences of practice.  First, the PPP Government said that cost-of-living is not a crisis; its leaders did in the earlier days.  Then, an anthem had this repetitive sound and at increasing volumes: look at how much has been done. My position is that there was some merit in both postures.  But due to the continuing and deepening nature of the first (the price condition is not a crisis), that argument weakened, and lost some traction. Its strength diminished considerably; I assert, and as will be supported shortly.  Second, what the government did, is doing, has been the equivalent of surrendering ground to inflation’s aggressive and assaultive presence.  Personally, I believe that the PPP Government has done too little, subsidies and other invisibles/tangibles properly considered.  Incidentally, I am speaking almost exclusively about food.  Not clothing, not medicine, not housing, and not anything else in the slew of other mandatory components of life.  Food only.  There is a third government posture that is so unworldly, that it is out of this world.  That is, food inflation stands at 3.8%.  If that is only partially accurate, then I would be Nat King Cole crooning, with a countrywide chorus of joyful Guyanese humming and applauding.  Instead of asking, like the Merry men, “tell me weh yuh get dah money from, there is this preference placed before the PPP Government: tell abee weh ayuh geh dah numbah (3.8%) frum…  Yeah, it has been that kind of political song and dance locally. Simplicity itself emphasizes that the government’s inflation vision and policy are based on the idea that putting less money into the hands of the people chains and restricts the feared inflation monster (frees up funds for infrastructure; [it is more fun filled]).  The more citizens spend (if they have cash in hand), the less they get for food items.  With prices bleeding Guyanese, something went wrong during that political surgery. Food prices continue to gush, with many Guyanese haemorrhaging.  Citizens are ravaged and savaged. They are not PNC Guyanese crying about how bad the PPP Government is. Nor are they repugnant (and despised) critics pointing gleefully at food prices and screaming that the country and its people are in terrible shape because of prices rising and rising and pummeling the people. The ones doing the talking about cost of living (crushing food prices) are ordinary Guyanese honestly telling theirstories of daily, weekly, agony lived with continuously, as part of their widening reality.  Mothers, fathers, pensioners, unemployed workers, industrious workers, two job workers, villagers, city dwellers, are all sharing their market and food and table shortfalls.  If anyone wants a poll of the pulse on food prices, I recommend SN’s weekly cost-of-living revelations, now at Book 87.  It has been an anthology of gothic price horrors.  This is the harsh reality of not a few but many in Guyana.  Guyana the richest, but also Guyana the [food] poorest.  The government says that it has tamed the inflation beast.  But food prices are where they are, and official food inflation levels are in the opposite direction.  Somebody has it wrong.  I will take the side of the people. It is not a matter of imagination, or partisan political manipulation, but a real harrowing domestic condition.  Ordinary Guyanese are themselves saying so. My remedy is simple: manage the millions better: less for contractors, more for citizens.  Less with cash that corrupts officials and politicos.  Less with envelopes, more through a package of incentives via the available tech systems (tax, banks, computer trails).  Take the hands out of the handout processes.  Takeout the political masterminds and supporting cast also.  Coming up, that other curse and cancer called corruption. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) Related Similar Articles