GUYANA – American oil supermajor, ExxonMobil has constantly recognised Guyana for fostering an environment to propel the rapid pace of oil and gas projects. The company, is presently eyeing an eight development although its seventh project, Hammerhead may be in limbo.

Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat during an engagement with the media had indicated that Longtail is anticipated to be the oil giant’s next local project. Bharrat told reporters: “Already they are moving ahead with Hammerhead and we have heard talks that Longtail will come after that.” The Longtail project, according to Bharrat will yield more gas, a key resource to this country’s energy security.

Presently, the Government of Guyana is pursuing a Gas-to-Energy project that is expected to generate 300 megawatts of cleaner and cheaper electricity. The initiative will be supplied with gas from the Liza One and Liza Two projects in the Stabroek Block, however, with the reserves at the two projects dwindling and the project yet to start up, it is likely that other projects will be connected to the pipeline to supply gas to the Wales Development site on the West Bank of Demerara where the power plant is being constructed.

In June 2018, ExxonMobil announced the Longtail discovery, its eight successful find in the Stabroek Block. The company revealed that Longtail- 1 well was drilled in a new reservoir, encountering approximately 256 feet (78 meters) of high-quality, oil-bearing sandstone reservoir. The well was safely drilled to 18,057 feet (5,504 meters) depth in 6,365 feet (1,940 meters) of water.

Subsequently, Exxon announced the discovery of Longtail-3 in June 2021. Drilling at Longtail-3 encountered 230 feet (70 meters) of net pay, including newly identified, high quality hydrocarbon bearing reservoirs below the original Longtail-1 discovery intervals. The well was drilled in more than 6,100 feet (1860 meters) of water.

It should be noted that while Exxon has made an application to the Government of Guyana for its seventh project, Hammerhead, the Chief Policymaker for the sector, Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo had made it clear that there is no guarantee approval would be granted. (Kaieteur News)

Photo: President, ExxonMobil Guyana Limited, Alistair Routledge. (Kaieteur News) …[+]

DELHI  –  Air pollution in India’s capital Delhi has soared to extremely severe levels, choking residents and engulfing the city in thick smog. Monitors recorded pollution levels of 1,500 on the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 15:00 IST (09:30 BST), according to tech company IQAir – 15 times the level the Word Health Organization (WHO) considers satisfactory for breathing.

The toxic air has disrupted flight services, and had already prompted authorities to shut schools and ban construction work in the city. It comes just weeks after Lahore, in neighbouring Pakistan, also recorded pollution levels above 1,000. And experts warn that the situation could get worse in Delhi in the coming days, saying more severe measures may be needed to combat the city’s pollution problem.

According to the WHO, air with AQI values above 300 are considered to be hazardous for health. India’s pollution control authority has classified the air in Delhi as “severe plus”, after the city passed 450 according to its measurements on Monday morning. As well as shutting schools and banning construction work, the city has also banned the entry of non-essential trucks into Delhi and has asked all offices to ask 50% of their staff to work from home.

Last week, the government banned all activities that involve the use of coal and firewood, as well as diesel generator use for non-emergency services. Every year, Delhi, India’s northern states and parts of Pakistan battle hazardous air during the winter months of October to January due to plummeting temperatures, smoke, dust, low wind speed, vehicular emissions and crop stubble burning.

And every year, the government imposes pollution control measures during these months. Yet, Delhi’s pollution problem hasn’t gone away. On Monday, Delhi’s Chief Minister Atishi said that all of northern India was experiencing a “medical emergency” due to stubble burning continuing unchecked across the country, particularly in the neighbouring states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

She accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of not taking steps to curb the practice despite the problem intensifying over the past five years. The BJP, in turn, has blamed Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party for not being able to put a check to pollution in the city. Meanwhile, Delhi’s residents continue to gasp for air. (BBC)

Photo: Delhi is enveloped in a thick blanket of smog on most mornings. (Reuters) …[+]

GAZA  –  Pope Francis has said that allegations of a genocide in Gaza should be “carefully investigated” marking some of his strongest criticism yet of Israel’s war in the territory.

“According to some experts… what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide,” Vatican News, the Holy See’s official news outlet, cited the pontiff as writing in a forthcoming book. “It should be carefully investigated to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies.”

Speaking of refugees, the pope said: “I am thinking above all of those who leave Gaza in the midst of the famine that has struck their Palestinian brothers and sisters given the difficulty of getting food and aid into their territory,” according to Vatican News.

With few exceptions, most Gazans have been prevented from leaving the territory since the war began, but almost the entire population of more than 2 million has been internally displaced.

The excerpts are from the book “Hope never disappoints: Pilgrims towards a better world,” which is due to be released on November 19.

Responding to the report in Vatican News, Yaron Sideman, Israeli ambassador to the Holy See, said “there was a genocidal massacre on 7 October 2023 of Israeli citizens,” referring to the Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw another 250 taken hostage.

“Since then, Israel has exercised its right of self-defense against attempts from seven different fronts to kill its citizens,” Sideman wrote on X. “Any attempt to call it by any other name is singling out the Jewish state.”

The 87-year-old pontiff is the latest among a growing number of international figures and organizations to refer to Israel’s military operation in Gaza as a potential genocide.

Israel is facing a case brought by South Africa at the United Nations’ International Court of Justice (ICJ) in which Pretoria accuses the Jewish state of genocide, saying Israeli leadership is “intent on destroying the Palestinians in Gaza.”

Israel earlier this year rejected what it called the “grossly distorted” accusation of genocide leveled against it by South Africa, arguing at the ICJ that its war is being fought in self-defense against Hamas, and that it was targeting the militant group rather than Palestinians as a whole. (CNN)

Photo: Pope Francis delivers his speech during a mass on the occasion of the World Day of the Poor in St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican on Sunday. (AP) …[+]

PARAMARIBO – Reports suggest that some pharmacies are wrongfully charging additional costs for medicines that are covered by the State Health Insurance Fund (SZF). There are clear agreements between the nation’s pharmacies and the SZF but some pharmacies do not stick to the agreements. Health Minister Amar Ramadhin recently informed parliament that there is a list of 271 medicines that are free of charge and that no extra costs must be covered. This list will be published this week to enable people with state health insurance to check if they are wrongfully being charged extra. The Health minister explained that the list would be published to protect the nation against certain schemes. He pointed out that the SZF and the Health Ministry recently found out that a person who has state health insurance had to pay SRD 2,000 for a medicine that only costs SRD 800 per month. “This is an indication that something is going on and that the SZF and the Ministry did not know anything about it,” said Minister Ramadhin.