Three shot, two stabbed ExxonM bullish about seizing remaining opportunities in Stabroek Block before licence expires in 2027 Jimmy Carter dead at 100
Daniel Darrel
GuyanatopaybackUSEXIMBankUS$316.2M
On May 1, 2031, Guyana will commence repaying the United States Export Import (US EXIM) BankforaUS$527millionloanthe institution approved on December 26,2024.
Over the 15-year repayment period,Guyanawillpaythebanka whopping US$316.2M in interest. This means the country will be paying the Bank a total of US$843.2Moverallfortheamount it borrowed. The terms of the loan agreement were disclosed by Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo on Friday during his weekly press conference at Freedom House, Georgetown.
“Theinterestrateis4%soifyou calculate it over the period, but remember there are moratoriums and all of that so it’s a 4% interest and you can calculate what the repayment would be over a time period. It’s fixed at 4%…principal repayment is 30 semi-annual installments so its 15 years thereafter,”theVPdisclosed.
He said the country will be required to make two annual
payments on November 1 and May 1, commencing on May 1, 2031. Back in April 2023 it was revealed that Guyana applied to the Bank for a US$646M loan to support the NGL and powerplant.
T h e c o u n t r y ’s applicationwassubjecttoa rigorousreview,especially in the absence of a f e a s i b i l i t y a n d environmental study Jagdeo said the Bank conducteditsownanalysis before making its final determination.
The EXIM Bank loan will support the US$759 million cost of the natural gas-fired power plant and natural gasliquidsplantbeingconstructed byajointventure,CH4-Lindsayca. ItisimportanttonotethattheGasto-Energy (GTE) project also comprises of a 12-inch diameter pipeline being developed by the Stabroek Block operator, ExxonMobil Guyana Limited
Exxonpreviouslysaidthestructure isexpectedtocostUS$1B.Guyana is also expected to repay the contractor for the pipeline, althoughtherepaymenttermswith the contractor have not been made cleartothepublic.
Jagdeo had previously explained that the country would purchase the gas being transported
by Exxon to repay for the development. Notably, this cost does not mean that Guyana is payingforitsowngas,instead,this was the mechanism cited to repay thecontractorforitsinvestment.
On the other hand, auditors found that costs related to the pipeline were included in Exxon’s cost recovery statements, meaning
that the contractor was recouping its investment bytakingGuyana’soil. According the initial audit report prepared by VHE of Exxon’s 20182 0 2 0 e x p e n s e s , ExxonMobil claimed it spent some US$2.1M on the project during the periodunderreview.
“The Contractor included on the Cost Recovery Statement costs forgroundandairsurveys, mooring studies, and Contractor and Affiliate labour for the proposed gas-to-power pipeline and onshore NGL plant,” the auditors explained The government is yet to make agreements for the GTE project public, despite repeated calls from the Opposition and other stakeholders. In the absence of these key documents, the project detailsremainsketchywithnoclear outlineonthecostrecoveryaspect, amongothers,oftheinitiative.
Yellowtail Project to drive massive free cash flow growth for Hess Corporation - CFO
Hess Corporation’s Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, John Riley, has confirmed that Guyana’s offshore oil developments are now selffunding, with the upcoming Yellowtail project set to deliverasubstantialboostin freecashflowforHess.
Riley provided these insightsduringaninterview, h i g h l i g h t i n g t h e transformative financial impact of the company’s operations in the Stabroek Block, where Hess holds a 30%stake.
“Yes, Guyana is selffundingandlook,itwasselffunding now and then Obviously, when the Yellowtail coming on, you getawholebigjump,andwe really do get a big step change in cash flow every time when these FPSOs comeon,”Rileysaid.
The Yellowtail project, Guyana’s fourth offshore development and its largest to date, is slated to commence production in 2025. With a US$10 billion investment, the project will introduce a Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessel capable of producing 250,000barrelsofoilperday (bpd), surpassing earlier developments like Liza Phase 1, Liza Phase 2, and Payara. Discussing Yellowtail’s
impact, Riley explained, “Nowyou’rebringinga250 boat on, you know, these other ones obviously have beenkindofoptimizedupto 250, but you’re bringing a bigger boat on. You’ve got the three boats already paid for,youknow,behindyouon that So, yes, Yellowtail gives a nice, really nice, big inflection to our free cash flow.”
TheFPSOforYellowtail is expected to depart its constructionyardinthefirst quarter of 2025, with production ramping up midyear,accordingtoHessCEO
J o h n H e s s T h i s development is part of ExxonMobil-led plans to increase Stabroek Block production capacity to over
1.3millionbpdby2027.
When asked how the company plans to use the cash flow generated from Yellowtail, Riley noted, “So let’s just say, if we were staying independent, we’d go back to that where we were, you know, we would grow the dividend That would be the first thing that we’re going to do
Well,first,wemakesure we’re funding our return projects We grow the dividend, just as we have been doing and now, just recently did. And then we would take some up to 75% of that cash flow, and we’d returnittoshareholders.”
Riley explained that would be the move in the event of the US$53 billion merger with Chevron not goingthrough.
He clarified that this strategy would not move forward as Hess navigates itspendingmerger Instead, the company will retain cash during the transition period
The Yellowtail project will target the Tilapia and Redtailreservoirs,addingto Guyana’scurrentproduction of over 650,000 bpd. Along withUaruandWhiptail,itis expected to contribute significantly to the consortium’s goal of boostingproduction.
Alistair Routledge, the
President of ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) theoperatoroftheblockhad announced that the Yellowtail project – the largest deepwater project to date in Guyana – is on track forthe2025startup.
EMGL holds 45% interestandthethirdpartner CNOOCPetroleumGuyana Limited, holds 25%
interest The ExxonMobilled consortium has plans in place to grow production capacity to more than 1 3 million bpd by the end of 2027, when they anticipate having all six projects up andrunningoffshore
This will include the addition of the Yellowtail, Uaru and Whiptail projects. Recently, Exxon announced
that it has achieved the milestone of producing 500 million barrels of oil from the block since production beganinDecember2019.
Hess Corporation’s Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, John Riley
Beggars and boasters
In recent times, this newspaper has made its duty to publishthevariouscommentsbyoilofficialsabout how lucrative is the Stabroek Block basin and how importantitisfortheircompanies'success.
The same sentiments can be heard and read in other mediaoutletsoverseasandevenincountry
WhattheBritishandSirWalterRaleighmissedouton, theAmericans and Darren Woods wrap their arms around, arenevergoingtoletgo.Itisaboutimmenseamountsofoil under the seabed, and all the great treasures to be made on land, from feeding the beast below the sea and, in turn, drinkingofitsblood,andprosperingfromit.
Almost all of the respected foreign media houses have told the world of the Guyana oil story The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Barrons, and others in AmericaandEuropehaveallwrittenandspokenglitteringly oftherichnessofGuyana'sprospects,thebonanzaswaiting tobetappedhere.
Fellow Guyanese and other readers, absorb these extravagantwords,thesealmostperfectphrases,thatseekto conveywhatourGuyanaistoeverycorneroftheworld,to anyone who would listen. Guyana is “one of the most excitingstoriesintheglobaloilindustry”andGuyanaisthe “newest oil superpower.” Imagine that: Guyana is an “oil superpower”.Thosewordsofevaluationarenotfromsome run-of-the-mill, or partisan, or unknown, media entity or hack, but from a financial media entity with the global renownofBloomberg.
ButasGuyanarises,howisitthatsomeGuyanesefade? Guyana is an “oil superpower”, but a great many in the Guyanesepopulationfeellikesuperdupes,superduds.For sure,theoilisherebythebillionsofbarrels,butrank-andfileGuyanesearenottastingitssweetness,andarenowhere nearitsriches.
Guyanese feel far from being an oil superpower, for if theydon'tscrambletosurviveonadailybasis,liketheyhave always been forced to do by their leaders, they would be nothingbutsuperfailures.
Guyanaistheplacetobe,yetGuyanesecontinuetoflock theAmericanconsulateinanefforttogetawayfrom“oneof thefastestgrowingeconomiesintheworld”,ifnottheactual fastest.
Thereasonissimple:theyfinditextremelydifficultto feedtheirfamilies,tosaveadollar,tolivewithsomedegree of dignity in this land among the richest in the world. The greatstoryofGuyanaanditsoilhastobetheworststoryfor those many citizens at the bottom of the stairs in Guyana, thoseoutsidethePPP/CGovernmentscabalofscavengers, hustlers,gougers,andself-enrichers.Whenthereissuchan armyofopportunists,thesmallGuyanesemanandwoman areontheirown,forcedtofendforthemselvesforanyscraps thattheycanget.
But this is among the most exciting oil stories and nothinglessthanan“oilsuperpower.”
Our Public Servants must be feeling like super losers, thankstoPresidentAli'sannouncementofa10%acrossthe boardpayraiseforthem.WeagreethatGuyanaqualifiesas the “newest oil superpower” but for ExxonMobil and its partners.RecallhowJohnHess,apartnerintheExxonMobil consortium,hasrepeatedlyboastedtohisshareholders.
What are our national Co-Chief Executives, Ali and Jagdeo, boasting about in “oil superpower” Guyana to Guyanesehouseholders?
Their stuttering, stumbling language is different to the Guyanese people: “we don't have enough.” “Don't expect much.” “Don't depend on this oil too much.” We have one question:doesthisoilsuperpowerGuyanareallyhaveoil,or is it a cruel joke, given the wretched state of the Guyanese people? Somebody must be making fun of us, given harsh localrealities.
Grounds for renegotiation
DearEditor, There are factors which may require the urgent and necessaryinterventionofthe Government in the oil and gassectorsoastoensurethe safety and security of the region One such factor could be the impact of localized climate change. If it is shown to have an adverse impact on the occurrence and severity of the hurricanes and other negativeclimateeventssuch
Caribbean, then we as a nation must take the necessary and responsible steps towards altering our
actions in the oil and gas sector.
One of the keys to such an adjustment is the altering of article 32.3 of the petroleum agreement between our Nation and ESSO, CNOOC and Hess. Article 32 speaks to the stability of the agreement and 32 3 specifically discussingtheimportanceof no hindrance to the economic benefit to the supplier if there is a change in the laws of the country, which would impair the economic benefits currently beingreceived.
This speaks again to the implied importance of
adequateinsurancecoverage and the inflexibility of the contract. As a sovereign nation, thisclauseisquiterestrictive and should be reviewed by the courts to determine severability
Article 32 3 is far reaching and positions the supplier's economic benefit above the actions of the governmentandthecourts.It isCRG'scontentionthatthis clause may be invalid and unenforceable as it restricts the sovereignty of the Nation. To be a sovereign nation means to be able to self-govern and this should not and cannot be
relinquished to anyone by wayofacontract.Thebroad restrictions imposed by Article 32.3 brings into question this principle of law, which prevents a Country from giving its sovereignpowersawayviaa contract. Article 32.3 also raises the question as to whether it restricts the Government's ability to protectthepublicinterest. CRG requests that the current Administration and theCourtsofGuyanareview Article 32.3 of the 2016 petroleum agreement to determineitslegality Bestregards, JamilChanglee
Guyana, Guyanese & Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
DearEditor,
Former India PM Dr Manmohan Singh passed away Those Guyanese (like Ashook Ramsaran, myself and others from NY) who met Singh remember him fondly;thelateYesuPersaud credited Singh for India's economic transformation when he became Finance Minister (1991-96). Guyana benefited tremendously during his tenure as PM (2004-14)withdevelopment assistance, loans, and scholarships.
He interacted with President Jagdeo And although he never visited Guyana,Dr Singhknewalot about our country and indentureship. As PM, he hadGuyanaandotherIndian diasporic countries at heart doling out developmental aid.(HedidvisitTrinidadfor the Commonwealth Summit in2009wherewemetbriefly and spoke about diasporic issues President Bharrat Jagdeo and Singh held talks there).
As PM, Singh engaged President Jagdeo multiple times, boosting ties, and Singh found time to meet with a few of us inAmerica andinIndiaonstrengthening soft power (cultural relations). Also, Dr Singh, long before his entry into politics,workedwiththelate Berbician economist Dr Bishnodat (Vishnu) Persaud on economic policies (advisory papers) for developing countries Dr Clive Thomas was also among those who worked with Bishnodat Persaud r
e s p e c t e d S i n g h ' s scholarshipbutdidnotspeak of Singh in glowing terms. HenotedthatSinghwaslate inabandoningsocialistideas and embracing market
reforms in India that would transform the world's economy
IknewofSinghsincethe 1970s reading news articles about him when he was Eco AdvisortoandlaterChairof Planning for the Indian government. Also, his name came up in readings while I wasdoingdoctoralstudiesin Development Economics during the 1980s; he was considered a respected authorityonIndianeconomy withaPhDfromOxford.
He was an excellent writerandaprofoundthinker withhardlycomparisons.He had embraced socialist economics which failed to eradicatepoverty;hemadea radical switch to market economics late 1980s. In 1991, when he became Finance Minister, he convinced PM Rao to experiment with economic liberalism. State industries were denationalized The economy took off and has experienced record positive growtheversince.AllIndian governmentscontinuedwith economic liberalism until now with India having the highest growth among emerging economies over thelastfifteenyears.
I first met Singh in 1999 whenhewasrunningforthe South Delhi seat to parliament. I was recruited by BJP linked organizations to join the campaign against him.IwasnotagainstSingh, butIwasafoundingmember of the Overseas Friends of BJPinNYandsupportedthe campaign to reelect PM Vajpayee and LK Advani. MikePersaudwaswithmein Delhi that August 1999. He didn'tjointhecampaign,but he and I queried voters in several of the seven constituencies of Delhi how they would vote. We stayed in Karol Bagh, another
constituency We both concluded that BJP would sweep all the seats and I penned an article for the mediawithMike'sguidance.
I was sent daily to South Delhi to campaign street to street and building to building as well as in the parks.ImetSinghatacouple campaign stops and wished him well. He was a gentleman. He lacked charisma and charm but had a soft, gentle voice. My candidate was Dr Vijay Kumar Malhotra, then Prof ofHindiatDelhiUniversity I was sent to South Delhi because it was an upper middle class constituency with English speakers I campaigned among Punjabi or Sikhs, Singh's ethnic and religious kinship, many of whovotedformyguy There was a huge concentration of Sikhs in the seat. Singh was defeatedbyahugemarginby Dr Malhotra.Ireceivedalot ofplatitudesbyDr Malhotra and the campaign team for the victory The Molhotra family remembered me well and invited me for dinner at their home during a visit to Delhi in 2000. We spoke several times in subsequent years.
ImetSinghagainatPBD in2003andin2004whenhe wasOppositionLeaderinthe Rajya Sabha and in 2005 in Mumbai when he was PM and several times thereafter in NY and at PBDs Ramsaran interacted with Singh half a dozen times on diasporamatters.Welobbied Singh and his UPA government for increased scholarships for Indo Caribbeans. He graciously acquiesced He also provided funding for an indentured monument that Ramsaran and I had discussed and conceived for Kolkata. It was constructed
in 2011 with the effort and dedication of Ramsaran in memory of all the indentureds.
Singhdidn'tholdgrudges againstanyoneforhisdefeat. And he was never elected to parliament, opting instead for a safe entrance to the UpperHouse.
He was not made for politics, a profession that Indian people tend to link to corruption. Singh was an incorruptible honest politician,whodidnotsteala paise.Butheclosedhiseyes to countless scandals Corruption was worst under his tenure.When asked why he didn't crackdown on corruption, he responded that the compunction of coalition politics made it impossible to act. In other words, if he took action againstthecorrupt,hewould losehisjob.
When pressed by reporters on corruption involving the Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010 at which were several Guyanese, his response was he didn't steal any money or took bribes and that the reporters should pose their questions to the ministers involved in the scandal.The voters had enough of the Singhledgovernment.Singh and the UPAwere swept out of office in 2014 with the Congress in its worst showinginhistory
Inspiteofthatblotinhis record, Manmohan Singh was widely respected by friendsandfoesandbythose of us who read his works. Though political opponents, PM Modi has spoken glowingly of him. He was a man of honor whose generositybenefitedGuyana andthediaspora.
Yourssincerely, VishnuBisram
'Eating your cake and having it’
DearEditor,
This is as good a time as anytodiscussthelogicaland political consequences of eating cake particularly as it deals with the nature and content of ethnic discourse, complaints and possible action by a regulatory agency in the imminent electionyear
Dr TerrenceCampbellin a letter to the press claimed that Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo 'has a genetic predisposition to eating his cakeandhavingit.
As president, he was the 'Champion of the Earth' and today he is a 'Champion of FossilFuels'.
Asoppositionleader,he was the 'Champion of Renegotiation' and today he is 'Champion of Contract Sanctity'.Inresponse,during one of his press conferences Jagdeo is reported to have said,'Ithinkmorebroadlyhe is talking about IndoGuyanese' Dr Campbell complained to the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC)claimingthatheisnot a racist; that by 'genetic' he meant behaviour developed from long practise or association and suggesting that the vice president is eitherunabletothinkoutside ofracialtermsorintendedto provoke racial hostility and ill-will.
Perhaps it is the former, for the proverb 'you cannot simultaneously retain possession of a cake and eat it too' will forever be applicable to the entire human race; not only Indians.
And while it is logically true, if you are fond of cake the solution to the predicament is to get more
cake, i.e., make cake available whenever it is required, and I would say that,takenasagroup,Indian Guyanese are better at accumulating wealth i e , cake, than African Guyanese.
I do not believe that many, including the vice president, will quarrel with thisconclusion,butthiskind of 'positive' comes with the negative and opens the broader discourse about how, in the context of Guyana, one should do cultural analysis if every perceived negative ethnic comment is likely to lead to accusationsofracism.
Culture is a social construction defined as the norms, values and beliefs of apeople.
Such a wide remit must contain positive and negative traits, and it is the duty of individuals, particularly citizens of the same country, to identify, discourse and use the good anddiscardorfindsolutions to the bad Identifying n e g a t i v e e t h n i c contributionsorbehaviourin aculturedoesnotmakeonea racist.
What makes one a racist is one's intent: seeking to or using that finding to discriminate or cause animosity
Indeed, the genes of a peoplemaynotbeperceived asthedecidingfactorinhow negative or positive traits develop.
For instance, the first ethnologic scientific scholar in the world, Ṣāʿid al‐Andalusī, a Muslim who served as a judge in the SpanishcityofToledointhe 11th century, wrote a short
work setting out the contributions the various people of his world made to the development of science. Accordingtohim,'scientific achievement was a characteristic of the peoples of temperate latitudes: Indians, Persians, Chaldeans/Babylonians, Greeks,Romans,Egyptians, ArabsandHebrews.
The other people of the worldhadnotcontributedto the development of science.
Tothenorthofthetemperate zone'theraysofthesunwere too feeble, with the result that peoples living in high latitudes were blond and stupid.
To the South of the temperate band the sun was toostrong,sothatthepeople living in low latitudes were blackandfoolish.'
Those in between were just right, hence their gloriousroleinthehistoryof science Note, his discrimination was based largely on the physical environment and not on genes, religion, etc (Michael Cook (2003) A Brief History of the Human Race).
Isuggestedabovethatin our context the capacity to accumulate wealth is considered a positive trait, butthisnotauniversalbelief
and the following suggests thatitcandependuponyour viewofthehumancondition and its future, and is also a good example of the critical discourse that should be conducted on such cultural/ethnicalissues.
Jews are even better known for their capacity to accumulatewealthandwhen theybegantorequestgreater freedoms in 19th century Germany, Bruno Bauer, a German philosopher and theologian, wrote a critical thesis arguing that they are egoists for demanding political emancipation when,inhis'radical'view,no one in Germany was politicallyemancipated.
By its very nature, he argued,theChristianstateis incapable of emancipating the Jew and by their very nature the Jews cannot be emancipated. So long as the stateisChristianandtheJew is Jewish, the one is as incapable of granting emancipation as the other is ofreceivingit.
Karl Marx, a former student of Bauer, whose parents had relinquished Judaism, broke ranks with him, arguing that his focus waswrong.
‘Let us consider the real worldly Jews, not the SabbathJews,asBauerdoes,
but the every-day Jews. We willnotlookforthesecretof the Jew in his religion, but wewilllookforthesecretof religionintherealJew
Whatisthesecularbasis ofJudaism?Practicalneeds, egoism.
What is the secular cult of the Jew? Huckstering (capitalism). What is his secularGod?
Money Very well Emancipation from huckstering and from money, and therefore from practical, real Judaism would be the selfemancipation of our epoch.
This is no isolated fact.
The Jew has emancipated himself in Jewish fashion, notonlybytakingtohimself financial power, but by virtue of the fact that with and without his cooperation, money has become a world power, and the practical Jewish spirit
has become the practical spirit of Christian nations. The Jews have emancipated themselves in so far as Christians have become Jews' (On The Jewish Question,1844)!
Given this kind of fluid context, I hope that Campbell does not take Jagdeo's behaviour too personally The ethnic and political configuration of Guyana, means that 'race/ethnicity' has always been and in the foreseeable future will be a central featureinGuyanesepolitics. What Campbell called 'race baiting' the PPP has been sensibly calling politicking since the days of aapan jaat inthe1950s.
ThePPPwillcontinueto use every opportunity to solidify its ethnic support and undermine the ethnic supportoftheotherparties.
HappyNewYear
Fiery plane crash kills 179 in worst airline disaster in South Korea
MUAN COUNTY, South Korea, Dec 30 (Reuters)-Thedeadliestair accidenteverinSouthKorea killed179peopleonSunday, when an airliner bellylanded and skidded off the end of the runway, erupting in a fireball as it slammed into a wall at Muan InternationalAirport.
Jeju Air (089590 KS) flight7C2216,arrivingfrom the Thai capital Bangkok with 175 passengers and six crewonboard,wastryingto land shortly after 9 a.m. (0000GMT)attheairportin the south of the country, South Korea's transport ministrysaid.
Two crew members survived and were being treatedforinjuries.
The deadliest air accident on South Korean soil was also the worst involving a South Korean airline in nearly three decades, the transport ministrysaid.
The twin-engine Boeing 737-800 was seen in local media video skidding down the runway with no visible landinggearbeforecrashing into navigation equipment andawallinanexplosionof flamesanddebris.
"Onlythetailpartretains a little bit of shape, and the restoftheplanelooksalmost impossible to recognise," Muan fire chief Lee Junghyuntoldapressbriefing.
The two crew members, a man and a woman, were rescued from the tail section of the burning plane, Lee said They were being treated at hospitals with medium to severe injuries, said the head of the local public health centre.
Investigators are examining bird strikes and weather conditions as possible factors, Lee said. Yonhap news agency cited airport authorities as saying such a strike may have caused the landinggeartomalfunction.
The crash was the worst foranySouthKoreanairline since a 1997 Korean Air crash in Guam that killed more than 200 people, transportation ministry data showed. The previous worst onSouthKoreansoilwasan Air China crash that killed 129in2002.
Experts said the bird strikereportandthewaythe aircraft attempted to land raised more questions than answers.
"At this point there are a lot more questions than we have answers. Why was the plane going so fast? Why were the flaps not open? Why was the landing gear not down?," said Gregory Alegi,anaviationexpertand former teacher at Italy's air forceacademy Under global aviation rules, South Korea will lead a civil investigation into the crash and automatically involve the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) intheUnitedStates where the plane was designed and built The NTSB said later it was leading a team of U S investigators to help South Korea's aviation authority Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration werealsotakingpart.
'MYLASTWORDS'
Hours after the crash, family members gathered in the airport's arrival area,
Firefighters carry out extinguishing operations on an aircraft which drove off runaway at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, South Korea, December 29, 2024.
An excavator is used to lift burnt chairs from the wreckage of an aircraft that crashed after it went off the runway at Muan International Airport, in Muan, South Korea, December 29, 2024.
REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
some crying and hugging as Red Cross volunteers handedoutblankets.
Many victims appeared to be residents of nearby areas returning from vacation, officials said Family members screamed and wept as a medic announced the names of victims identified by their fingerprints.
One relative stood at a microphone to ask for more i n f o r m a t i o n f r o m authorities.
"My older brother died and I don't know what's goingon,"hesaid.
Mortuary vehicles lined up outside to take bodies away, and authorities said a temporary morgue had been established A transport ministry official said the control tower had issued a bird strike warning and shortly after the pilots declared mayday and then
attempted to land from the opposite direction the plane hadcomein.
A passenger texted a relative to say a bird was stuckinthewing,theNews1 agency reported The person's final message was, "Should I say my last words?"
Jeon Je-young, the 71year-old father of one womanonboard,playedand replayedavideoofthecrash. "When I saw the accident video, the plane seemed out ofcontrol,"saidJeon.
"Thepilotsprobablyhad no choice but to do it. My daughter, who is only in her mid-40s, ended up like this. This is unbelievable," he said "She was almost home."
The Boeing model involvedinthecrash,a737800, is one of the world's most flown airliners with a generally strong safety
record. It was developed wellbeforetheMAXvariant involved in a recent Boeing safetycrisis.
The aircraft was manufactured in 2009, the transport ministry said Boeing said in a emailed statement,"Weareincontact withJejuAirregardingflight 2216 and stand ready to supportthem.
We extend our deepest condolences to the families wholostlovedones,andour thoughts remain with the passengersandcrew."
The two CFM56-7B26 engines were manufactured byCFMInternational,ajoint venture between GE Aerospace (GE N) the transport ministry said. A CFM spokesperson said, "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Jeju Air flight 2216 We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones of thoseonboard.”
CHALLENGETO COUNTRY'SNEW INTERIMPRESIDENT
JejuAirCEOKimE-bae apologised for the accident, bowing deeply during a televisedbriefing.
He said the aircraft had no record of accidents and there were no early signs of malfunction.Theairlinewill cooperate with investigators and make supporting the bereaved its top priority, Kimsaid.
No abnormal conditions were reported when the aircraft left Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, said Kerati Kijmanawat, president of Airports of Thailand.
The passengers included two Thai nationals and the restarebelievedtobeSouth
Koreans, according to the transportationministry
Itwasthefirstfatalflight for Jeju Air, a low-cost airline founded in 2005 that ranks behind Korean Air Lines (003490 KS) and Asiana Airlines as the country'sthirdlargestcarrier bypassengernumbers.
The accident happened only three weeks after Jeju Air started regular flights from Muan to Bangkok and otherAsian cities on Dec. 8. MuanInternationalisoneof South Korea's smallest airports but it has become much busier in recent years.
A l l d o m e s t i c a n d international flights at the airport were cancelled after the accident, Yonhap reported.
South Korean acting President Choi Sang-mok, named interim leader of the country on Friday in an ongoing political crisis, arrived at the scene of the accident and said the government was putting all its resources into dealing withthecrash.
Two Thai women were ontheplane,aged22and45, T h a i g o
Jirayu Houngsub said. The Thai foreign ministry later confirmed both were among thosekilled.Theembassyin Seoulwascoordinatingwith the South Koreans and arranging for family members to travel from Thailand,theministrysaidin astatement.
Thai Prime Minister PaetongtarnShinawatrasent condolences to the families of the dead and injured in a post on X, saying she had instructed the foreign ministry to provide assistance.
ExxonM bullish about seizing remaining opportunities in
Stabroek Block before licence expires in 2027
ExxonMobil is confident it will capture all remaining opportunities in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana before its exploration license expiresinOctober2027 This isaccordingtoLiamMallon, President of ExxonMobil UpstreamCompany
There are over 30 significant discoveries made by Exxon in the Stabroek Block since 2015 Currently, oil is being produced from three developments: Liza Phase 1, Liza Phase 2 and Payara Next year, Exxon’s
largest deepwater project to date in Guyana will commenceoilproduction. Reflecting on the company’sprogresssincethe initial 2015 oil discovery, Mallon recently highlighted the remarkable pace of development
“It is absolutely extraordinary Youknow,my smile beam when I talk about this, but it is extraordinary to think about 2015 was the discovery and herewearetoday,producing 660,000barrelsaday,grossat
an incredible pace, on an incredible resource with credible people,” Mallon stated.
Thelicense,originallyset to expire in October 2026, was extended by one year to 2027 This extension allows ExxonMobilanditspartners, Hess Corporation and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana L
d developmentactivities.
The Stabroek Block Petroleum Agreement requires relinquishment of non-commercial areas at the end of the exploration period. Mallon assured that this obligation is manageable.
“We feel very confident thattheareathatissubjectto
relinquishment, which, as a reminder, excludes all the areas we’ve declared commercialandexcludesthe inaccessible, 30%, is relatively small and very manageable,”heexplained.
He underscored that ExxonMobil has been operating a six-rig drilling program in the Stabroek Block,withtwotothreerigs focused on exploration and appraisal.Thiseffortensures that all necessary data is gathered to optimize resource capture before relinquishment
“We’ve been running a six-rigprogram,roughly,for the last few years, at least a couple of which varies a bit two or three have been focused on ensuring we can
Liam Mallon, President of ExxonMobil Upstream Company
makethatdecisionwithallof the data available to us, and we’recomfortablewiththat decision,” he said With continued collaboration
w
government, Mallon said that ExxonMobil remains on track to meet its
advancing its ambitious projectsintheblock
production capacity has reached 660,000 barrels per day,andplansareinplaceto exceed 1.3 million barrels per day by 2027 with the additionofYellowtail,Uaru, andWhiptaildevelopments.
Threeshot,twostabbedasLindengangsclash
Five persons have been hospitalised following a shootingonSundaymorning attheheadofDakamaCircle Street,FiveCornerJunction, Mackenzie, Linden, Region Ten.
Three were shot while onewaschoppedinthehead and another stabbed. The shooting took place around 06:21 hrs, according to police. Eyewitnesses began sharing cell phone recorded videos of the shooting depicting the chaos. One video showed people running for cover as gunshots rang out. A victim wasseenlimpingawayfrom the scene apparently shot in hisleg.
Anothervideodepicteda police rank being assaulted as he attempted to quell the situation It was total madness Police later released a statement, reporting that the Chaos left
Stabbed in his eye, Brian Johnson
fivepersonswounded.
Among those injured are two men: Rondel Rodney, 27, of One Mile Wismar Linden and Brian Johnson, 25, Half Mile Wismar Linden, who were arrested earlier in December for the illegal possession of a gun andammunition.
Rodney was shot in the
Shot in his left leg and one of the suspects involved in the Linden shooting, Rondel Rodney
right leg and is one among four suspects who police be
shooting. He is presently under police guard at the LindenHospital.Meanwhile Johnson was reportedly stabbedinhisrighteye.
The others wounded wereidentifiedasa17-yearold boy of Poker Street,
Wismar, Linden who was shot in the left
Tyrone Newton, 21, of Half Mile WismarandGlastonBristol, 31, of Redwood Crescent, Mackenzie.
Bristol was chopped in his head and is also among the four suspects who allegedlystartedthebrawl. Continuedonpage15
Persons scatter as gunshots rang-out
hand,
Consent is not a veto
Bharrat Jagdeo, continues to muddle the d i s c o u r s e o n t h e
renegotiation of the
Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) between the Government of Guyana and the oil companies. His
o s c i l l a t i n g justifications—ranging from the sanctity of contracts to fears of losing momentum, and now the claim that oil companies must consent to renegotiation—betray a lack of coherence and a failure to address the growing demand forfairnessintheagreement.
Yet, contrary to Jagdeo's shifting rationales, renegotiation of the PSA remains both a contractual right and, given the glaring inequities in the current arrangement, a moral imperative.
The PSA's Stability Clause has often been brandished as an immovable obstacle to renegotiation
This interpretation, however, is both legally and logically flawed. The Stability Clause does not outright prohibit a m e n d m e n t s o r renegotiations Rather, it e n s u r e s t h a t a n y modifications to the agreement are undertaken in a consensual and nonarbitrary manner By its very design, the clause presumes the possibility of change—provided there is mutual agreement between the parties. This is a far cry from the narrative that the clause locks Guyana into perpetuitywithaninherently unequalcontract.
Jagdeo'sassertionthatthe
oil companies must consent to any renegotiation is technically accurate but misses the broader point. Consent, in this context, is not a veto but a necessary step in collaborative negotiations. It is entirely within the government's p
t compelling arguments, and apply pressure to achieve a more equitable arrangement. Stability clauses exist to safeguard against capricious governmental actions, not to perpetuateunjustcontracts.
The current PSA, signed in 2016 under the previous administration, has been widely criticized for its lopsided terms Guyana's share of the profits—a mere 2%royaltyand50%ofprofit oil—is significantly lower than the global industry average Additionally, the costrecoveryceilingof75% allows oil companies to recoup their investments at an accelerated pace, further delaying substantial revenue flowstoGuyana.
The agreement also includes provisions that excessively favour the oil companies, such as tax exemptions and unrestricted recovery of pre-contract costs These terms have collectively deprived Guyanaofbillionsofdollars in potential revenue. The inequities of the contract are notjustfinancial;theyextend to environmental liabilities and governance. There have been calls, for example for greater safeguards to hold companies accountable for
ecologicaldamage.
Given these concerns, renegotiation is not merely desirable but necessary It is untenableforaresource-rich developing nation like Guyana to accept terms that undermine its long-term economicandenvironmental interests.
Renegotiation of contracts is a common practice in the oil and gas industry, particularly when marketconditionsornational circumstances change Several countries have successfully renegotiated agreements to secure better terms for their citizens Stabilityclausesdidnotdeter these nations from advocating for fairness and equity
In Guyana's case, the massive discoveries of oil reserves since 2016 have fundamentally altered the playing field. The original PSAwasnegotiatedwhenthe resource potential was largely speculative. Today, with proven reserves exceeding 11 billion barrels, the context has changed dramatically Thisshiftalone provides ample justification forrevisitingthetermsofthe agreement.
Dispute settlement indeediscostlyasGuyanais discoveringinrelationtothe gas-to-energy project. But disputesettlementshouldnot be cited as a deterrent to demanding renegotiation
Dispute settlement mechanisms are triggered u n d e r s p e c i f i c circumstances, such as disagreements over the
DEM BOYS SEH
Violence is now a national pastime
Dem boys seh we living in a time when everybody ready fuh fight like gladiator Fromschoolyardspattostreet-sideskirmish, islikepeopletrainingfuhOlympicbrawl.De weapons does appear outta nowhere—stick, knife, pipe, cutlass, even bottle—and de crowd does cheer like dem watching championshipmatch.
Deotherday,demhadonebigsceneinde city.Was a big posh way De next thing yuh know, one man pull a wood plank from a stand and de other man find a cutlass like magic. But yuh know Guyanese—always prepared,evenifisfuhwar
But hear dis: all de junk dem illegal vendorspilingupalloverdeplacedoesmek weapon collection easy Pipe lying here, woodthere,bottleeverywhere.IslikeaDIY arsenal waiting fuh somebody temper to flare.Andwhenitflare,law-abidingcitizens doesgottorunfuhsafetybecauseislashand licksflyingallaround.
Dem boys seh de savagery gone to next level. Just de other day, one accident video surface. A man knock down another, and instead of calling de ambulance, somebody decidefuhturndemanheadintofootball.A flyingkickstraighttodetemple!Yuhwoulda
interpretation of terms or unilateral actions that alter the agreement to the detrimentofoneparty
A simple request to renegotiate, initiated in good faith, does not fall into these categories.
Renegotiation involves dialogue and voluntary engagement between the partiestorevisetermsthatare no longer equitable, especially when conditions or circumstances have significantly changed By conflating the act of requestingrenegotiationwith the possibility of initiating a dispute, Vice President
B h a r r a t J a g d e o fundamentallymisrepresents the purpose and scope of disputeresolutionprocesses.
Stability clauses and dispute resolution mechanisms are designed to ensure fairness and protect a g a i n s t a r b i t r a r y amendments, not to prohibit renegotiation The oil
companies,asrationalactors, would likely recognize the importance of maintaining a cooperativerelationshipwith the government and may engage in renegotiation to preserve their operational stability and public image.
By mischaracterizing renegotiation as a possible precursortodisputes,Jagdeo underminesthegovernment's leverage and risks discouraging necessary action to rectify the glaring inequities in the current agreement.
However, the argument for renegotiation also transcends legal and economic considerations; it is a matter of moral responsibility The wealth generated from Guyana's oil reserves belongs to its people. Yet the current PSA disproportionately benefits foreigncorporations,andthat alone should be cause for seeking better terms for Guyana.
Jagdeo needs to be edified that the oil companies' right of consent to amendments, as outlined in the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), does not equate to an absolute veto over renegotiation This consent merely ensures that anychangestotheagreement are mutually agreed upon, preventing unilateral modificationsbyeitherparty Renegotiation is not a unilateral imposition. Rather it is a right to revisit the contract to address its inherentinequitiesortoadapt tochangedcircumstances.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the a u t h o r a n d d o n o t necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)
believe is a kung fu movie. But hear wah: people head ain't coconut. One good kick, and yuh talking permanent damage—or worse.
Dequestionis,howwereachhere?Once upon a time, Guyanese did know how to quarrel and cuss and walk away Now, dem picking up weapon faster than how dem picking up salary at de end of de month. Is like de violence deh in de air we breathing, and everybody feel dem got something to prove.
Dem boys seh we need fuh calm down. Nobodyain'twinnothingbybussingnobody head.Andalldemviralvideosonlyshowing how savage we behaving. People forget that life fragile, and one wrong move could end everything. De same man yuh kick today mighta been de same man to lend yuh hand tomorrow
So,demboyscallingfuhaceasefire.Put down de pipe, leave de cutlass, and let de bottlestayinderumshop.Ifyuhvex,walkit off.Ifyuhcan'twalkitoff,trytalkingitout. Andiftalkingcan'twuk,well,tekanap. Remember, we not gladiators We Guyanese.Lehwestartbehavingso. Talkhalf.Leffhalf
ExxonMobilconductingmaintenanceactivitiesonLizaDestiny
ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL), the operatorofGuyana’soilrich Stabroek Block is currently conducting maintenance activitiesontheLizaDestiny Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.
This is according to an advertisement recently published in Kaieteur News
b y t h e M a r i t i m e Administration Department (MARAD).Itwasexplained that the maintenance work commenced on December 20,2024andisscheduledto be completed on December 31,2024.
MARAD stated that the exercise “will incorporate the use of the semi-rigid general work and support vesselC-Worker,whichwill display the international
signalforvesselsengagedin suchactivity.”
The area is situated approximately 91.5 nautical milesor169.5kilometersoff the Coast of Guyana and coversanareaof136square nautical miles or 466 9 squarekilometers.
Allmarinersarerequired to stay clear of this vessel and navigate with extreme cautionwheninthevicinity Exxon indicated that
production will not be affected as a result of the maintenanceactivities.
The Liza Destiny is Guyana’s first FPSO; it commenced oil production on December 19, 2024. It is currently producing an average 160,000 barrels per day (bpd) according to data on the Ministry of Natural Resourceswebsite.
The vessel was initially designed to safely produce up to 120,000 bpd. With the blessingsoftheGovernment of Guyana, Exxon has carried out debottlenecking activities to increase the dailycapacityofthevessel.
The company presently has two other projects producingoilintheStabroek Block, the Liza One and Payara. The three projects have increased Guyana’s daily capacity to over 660,000bpd.
It was recently reported that Exxon finalised the purchaseoftheLizaDestiny FPSO from SBM Offshore, aheadofthemaximumlease term, which would have expiredinDecember2029.
The purchase allows ExxonMobil Guyana to assumeownershipoftheunit while SBM Offshore will continue to operate and maintain the FPSO up to 2033.
The Liza Destiny FPSO
Father killed, son hospitalised in Rupununi Bee attack
An attack by Africanised bees on
Sunday morning along Huntoil Stretch, Central Rupununi, Region Nine, killed a father and left his 13-year-old son hospitalised.
The dead man has been identified as Daniel Darrell Snr, a 39-year-old truck driver of Tabatinga Central Lethem. Hospitalised at the LethemHospitalisDanielDarrellJr
A swarm of Africanised bees attacked them around 11:30hrs while they were returning home onamotorcycle.
Police said that they both fell to the ground after the bees attacked them. A photo of the motorcyclepaintedasceneasiftheyveeredoffthe road.
“…the son managed to run to safety (even though attacked), while the father was attacked andbittenbythebees,andbecamemotionlesson theground”policesaid.
Kaieteur News understands that an individual identifiedonlyas“Franklyn”placedhisownlifein dangertohelprescuetheman’sson.
“Aminibuswaspassingatthetimeandtheson was rescued and rushed to Lethem Regional Hospital, where he remains hospitalised in a serious condition”, police said. His father was pronounced dead at the scene by a medical team dispatchedtoarea.
A 42-year-old bee keeper was immediately summonedtosmokeoutthebeesinordertomake theHuntoilStretchsafeforotherpassersby Newsofthetragedyhasseenanoutpouringof tributesfromDarrell’sfriendsandfamily
Hissister-in-lawinaFacebookpostsaid,“You never know when it’s your last day, let’s show someloveandrespecttoeachothereveryday,”she said before adding “you’ve gone on trips you’ve rodeallthewaytocomeassistyourbikerbrothers andsisterswhenneeded.It’ssosadthefamilywas unabletofindyouontimetosaveyou.”
DEAD: Daniel Darrell
A good Samaritan rendering assistance to Darrell’s son.
Darrell’s motorcycle
ExxonsaysadfordevelopmentalworksatBanjowasmistakenlypublished
ExxonMobil
Guyana Limited (EMGL), the operator of Guyana’s resource rich Stabroek Block has clarified that an advertisement for developmental works at the Banjo-1 Well Site was mistakenlypublishedbythe Maritime Administration Department(MARAD).
Theoilmajorconfirmed that there was no such discovery made in Guyana; assuch,itexplainedthatthe notice was subsequently recalled and corrected after beingpublished.
On Sunday Kaieteur
News reported that
a c c o r d i n g t o t h e advertisement, Exxon was conducting developmental drilling at the site, located approximately89.5nautical miles or 165.75 kilometres offthecoastofGuyanawith an area of 0 29 square nauticalmilesoronesquare kilometre.
Notably, developmental drilling is conducted after exploration drilling. It is conductedtodevelopafield withprovenreserves.
In 2022, one of the Stabroek Block partners said in a public statement, “The Banjo-1 exploration well was drilled earlier in thethirdquarteranddidnot encounter commercial q u a n t i t i e s o f hydrocarbons.”
Before Exxon moves to production,theusualcourse ofactioninvolvesobtaining an environmental permit from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a licence to operate from the Government of Guyana- none of which have been granted, or at leastmadepublic.
So far, Exxon has received approval for six offshore developments Already, three projects are producing oil in the Stabroek Block, which is estimatedtoholdmorethan 11billionbarrelsofoil.
TheLizaOne,LizaTwo and Payara projects are producingadailyaverageof 660,000 barrels per day ExxonMobil is aiming to increase the country’s daily capacity to 1.7B barrels by 2030. The company has made more than 40 discoveries since its first successfulfindin2015.
Kaieteur News reported thatonDecember19,Exxon marked five years of oil productioninGuyana.
In just under five years, the oil giant reported that it reached 500 million barrels of oiloutputsincethestartup of production activities offshore.
A map of the Banjo-1 Well Site that was published by MARAD
Officials stand in front of one of the maternal health boats that was handed over
The Ministry of Health has acquired two specialisedmaternalhealthboatstoimprove healthcare services for remote communities inRegionsOneandEight.
Funded by the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation (GAVI) through UNICEF, the boats cost approximately $9 million and were constructed by local contractorsovertwoyears.
These modern vessels are equipped with maternal transport cots and solar-powered vaccine refrigerators, designed to significantly enhance maternal and neonatal healthcare and immunisation efforts. The
boats will provide essential healthcare services to communities including Kamwatta,Parakeese,Karaburi,SantaRosa, Waramuri Islands, Acquero, and Koko in Region One, as well as Waipa, Sandhill, Kaibarupai, Catchcow, Bishop Landing, Salawoo,andOrinduikinRegionEight.
At the handover ceremony held at the GuyanaDefenceForceCoastGuardWharfin Georgetown, Director General of the Ministry of Health, Dr Vishwa Mahadeo, highlightedthegovernment’songoingefforts to align hinterland healthcare services with thoseofthecoastland.(DPI)
Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill inspecting infrastructure project in Region Nine
ResidentsintheDeepSouthRupununiare settobenefitfromimprovedroadconnectivity
Thesumof$208millionhasbeenearmarkedto upgrade the main access road linking Sand CreektoRupunauinRegionNine.
DuringanoutreachinSandCreek,Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, made the announcement and highlighted the successful completionoftheasphalticroadinSandCreek, a project that was executed through the RegionalDemocraticCouncil(RDC)
“We[Government]likedhowitlooked, sowehavedecidedthatinallthebigvillages, we will aim to get people out of the dust, especiallywherehouseholdsandtrafficare concentrated,”saidtheminister
Minister Edghill also revealed plans for significantinvestmentsininternalroadsinfour nearby villages such as Shulinab, Nappi, Karaudarnau,andAwarewaunau Henotedthat approximately$800millionwillbeexpended inthesecommunities
“These contracts have already been signed, and this model will guide our
approach in 2025, 2026, and beyond,” Minister Edghill said The minister emphasised the government’s commitment to prioritisingtheupgradingofcommunityroads in order to reduce dust pollution and improve travelconditions.
“In Region Nine alone, through the Ministry of Public Works, we currently have more than $1 billion worth of roadworks, developing community roads andconnectingvillages,”hepointedout He noted that travel times have already seen dramatic reductions and he recalled the days whenthejourneyfromSandCreektoLethem took three hours “Now, you can move from Sand Creek to Lethem in an hour What usedtobeanever-endingjourneyisnowone you can complete with ease,” the public worksministersaid Theseupgradesarepartof the PPP/C government’s broader vision of improving road networks and quality of life while enhancing connectivity, and supporting economic development in the Deep South Rupununiarea (DPI)
$528MAndrewsPumpStationcommissionedinReg.Two
OnSaturday,Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha commissioned the Andrews Pump Station on the Essequibo Coast in Region Two.
The pump station was rehabilitated at a cost of approximately $528 million and is outfitted with two fixed 150 cusec pumps designed to drain 13,454 gallons per minute, the Ministry ofAgriculture said in a press release. It will benefit over 5,712 acres of farmland, predominantly rice fields, which have been thebackboneofthisregion’s agriculturaloutput.
The pump station was constructed by H Nauth & Sons Whileofferingremarks at the commissioning, Minister Mustapha said the activity represented an important milestone for the agricultural and economic development of the region He also said the investment symbolised the PPP/C Government’s commitment to the farmers and communities who rely heavilyonawell-functioning and efficient drainage and irrigation system for their livelihoods
“This commissioning represents another commitment that is being fulfilled by the PPP/C government. When we went to the electorate, we said if we were elected, we would deliver And over the last four years, we have been
Attorney
General andMinisterofLegal
deliveringtoyou,thepeople of this country This
rehabilitation and commissioning of the AndrewsPumpStationisan important milestone for agricultural activities and economic development in this region. With over 90% of the people in this region directly and indirectly involved in the agriculture sector, this project symbolisesourcommitment to ensuring you have the necessary infrastructure to boost production,” Minister Mustaphasaid. Furthermore, Minister Mustapha said while there
wereunavoidabledelaysdue toseveralfactors,theproject was completed, and that an additional four pump stations are scheduled to be commissionedinthecoming weeks.
“TheChairmanofNDIA spoke about some of the factors contributing to the delays with this project While the nay-sayers may want to speak on these delays,Ihavenewsforthem. We’ve also commissioned pump stations atAdventure, GreenwichPark,andCozier Another four pump stations willalsobecommissionedin the coming weeks
Approximately ten pump s t a t i o n s w i l l b e commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority in less than four years,”heexplained.
Minister Mustapha also saidthatinvestmentsarealso being made to rehabilitate
critical sluices and canals in theregion.“Wemetwiththe smallcontractors.Itoldthem that certain standards had to be met to maintain the canals They said they needed help to excavate the canals. We then budgeted over $119 million to help these contractors so that farmers could benefit from
irrigation,”headded.
Meanwhile,Chairmanof the NDIA, Lionel
Wordsworth said the drainagestructureformspart of a wider programme to improve drainage and irrigationinthecountry
“The project that we’re commissioning here represents a programme of otherinvestmentindrainage
w o r k t h a t w e ’ v e implemented over the last twoyears.We’vebuiltpump stations and sluices under this project We’re also building a control structure along the main canal; something that has been pending since the onset of irrigation services and the establishment of that main canal With the expansion of agricultureinthisarea,which iscloseto10,000acresinthe catchment serviced by this facility,wedidanevaluation which determined that additional drainage capacity wasneeded,”hesaid
The pump station will benefit communities from Marias Delight to Westbury aswellasLimaSands.Itwill also cater for parts of Devonshire Castle, Walton HallandParadise.
Oil spill legislation almost completed - Nandlall
Saturday announced that the final draft of the landmark oil spill legislation is almostcompleted.
The minister made the announcement during a year-end press conference. “The work is significantly completed. There is one part of the bill that I would like to relookat.AndIplantodoitbeforetheend oftheyear,”heaffirmed.
The legislation will outline the state’s responsibilities and those responsible for an oil spill, whether they are companies operating in the sector or a shipping company Thenewlegislationwillstrengthen the government’s capacity to ensure full liability coverage and guide its preparation, planning and response in the event of an oil spill.
TheAGexplainedthatthebillisamultistakeholder initiative which means that several parties have to be engaged at every juncture. “The oil spill bill involves the Ministry of Natural Resources, the EnvironmentalProtectionAgencies,[and] the Civil Defence Commission,” AG Nandlallexplained.
The first draft of the bill had received input from several other key state agencies,
including the Maritime
government has been adamant that while there are already several measures in place to address any potential oil spill, it is necessarytoimplementmorecomprehensive androbustlegislation..
The government is also amending the IntegrityCommissionActtoclampdownon persons who refuse to honestly declare their assets.AG Nandlall said that this process is also nearing completion, and will receive final input from the Minister of ParliamentaryAffairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira. At a recent engagement, Minister Teixeiraexplainedthattheamendmentswill establish formal guidelines for electronic declarations and implement advanced cybersecurity technology to safeguard uploadeddata.
Additionally, the government plans to strengthen certain elements of the reporting mechanismandisexploringstricterpenalties forthosewhofailtocomply
The Integrity Commission Act was enactedin1997todetercorruption,promote transparency and accountability in public life The Integrity Commission is an independent body deemed responsible for overseeingandenforcingtheAct. (DPI)
Frompage8
Police said that Bristol is suspected of beingoneofshooters. Hewasreferredtothe Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC)andisunderpoliceguardwhilethe 21-year-old Newton is nursing a gunshot wound on his right foot at the Linden Hospital.
Police are on the hunt for two more suspects said to be involved, Shaquille Lambertandanothermanidentifiedonlyas Jobby
Speaking with Kaieteur News, a police rank in Linden said that the shooting might have stemmed from a mis-understanding betweentwogroupsofpeople.Somemedia houses reported that it was a clash between rivalgangs.
Lindeners via their respective social mediaplatformsaredenyingtheexistenceof gangs in the Region Ten town but
investigators explained to Kaieteur News that over the years there has always been a rivalrybetweenindividualsfromtheWismar shoreandMackenzie,Linden.
“There is always something between them”,oneinvestigatorsaid.
Police at this time are still trying to find outwhatthatmis-understandingwas.Some eyewitnessesareclaimingthatitmighthave started at a Saturday night party While this maybetrue,investigatorscannotverifysuch reportsatthistime.
Therewerepartiesintheareaaccording topolice,butwheretheshootingtookplace where folks would come from “all over” to getbreakfast.
“Every time they get thing in Linden, peoplefromalloverdoesgotoFiveCorner to get food before moving on or going home”,investigatorsexplained. Investigationscontinue.
A section of the newly commissioned Andrews Pump Station
Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha turns one of the drainage pumps in the newly commissioned Andrews Pump Station in the presence of other officials
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Latin America needs lower deficits, stronger fiscal rules - IMF
Public debt in Latin America'smajoreconomiesis onpacetoaverage55percent ofgrossdomesticproductthis year,upsignificantlyfrom34 percent in 2013 (when the region's commodity boom ended) and reversing the improvements achieved in the earlierpartofthiscentury,the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a recent report titled 'Fiscal Policy management.Accordingtothereport theregionalfigurereflectsthe seven economies that accountforaboutthreequarters of economic output: Brazil, Chile,Colombia,Mexico,Paraguay,Peru,andUruguay That level is below the 93 percent global level shown in the October Fiscal Monitor, but it is still high by Latin America's historical standards and the region's capacity to borrow Financing costs average 3.8 percentofGDP,wellabovethe 1.7 percent in advanced economiesandthe2.5percent in other emerging markets. The region is vulnerable to domestic and global shocks, including from commodity prices. And while it has increased much-needed social
spending, fiscal policy is not helping to boost productivity and accelerate growth as much as it could.
The study which was included in the IMF's October 2024RegionalEconomicOutlook shows that the progress in reducing debt that Latin America made at the beginning of the century had essentiallyreversedintheyears preceding the pandemic. Duringthecommodityboom of 2004-13, debt fell from 50 percentto34percentofGDP, supported by strong economic growth, government budget surpluses, and appreciating domestic currencies. However, once the boom ended, primary surpluses turned into deficits, currencies weakened, and growth slowed.
Publicfinancesweakened despite the growing use of fiscal rules. Although countries went a long way in settingtargetsforspending,and budget balances, such targetswerefrequentlymodified andrelaxedovertime—ineffect postponing the necessaryadjustment.Forexample, one year ago, the IMF fore-
cast assumed an average structural primary deficit (meaning excluding interest payments) of 0.1 percent of potentialGDPfor2025.That has now widened to 0.8 percent even as economic growth projections in the region are little changed.
Lackluster growth prospects—reflecting low productivity and investment, andshiftingdemographics— and persistently high financing costs pose important challenges, given the high levels of debt. The study finds that high financing costslargelyreflectdomestic factors, including low government effectiveness, an unfavorable history of stress and defaults, and lower foreign exchange reserves. The combination of low growth and high interest rates means higher debt burdens in comingyearsforLatinAmerica.
During the pandemic, public debt jumped globally for good reason—emergency spending helped protect the most vulnerable and avoidanevenworsecollapse in economic activity While still higher than before the
LawrevisionexercisetobecompletedbyJune2025
The comprehensive law revision process is expected tobecompletedbyJune2025. Thisupdatewasprovided by the Attorney General and MinisterofLegalAffairs,Anil Nandlall. Addressing a press conference on Saturday, the minister said that the last law revision process was conductedin2012.
Duringthecurrentreview process, the laws spanning the period 2012 to 2022 are being updated to reflect the countrys many legislative changes. “Thedeadlinethat
IhavefromtheLawRevision Centre is June of next year So by July, hopefully we should be launching it, AG Nandlallsaid.
Law revision is an important element in ensuring that Guyanas laws remain consistentandefficient.Theprocess ensures that the laws keep pace with societal changes, technological advancements andemergingchallenges.AG Nandlallacknowledgedthere were some delays in the process, but emphasised the massive scope of work that
theprocessentails.”Wehave beenpassingalotoflawsand alotofworkinthe2012versionwasnotcompleted.We had to first…make corrections.Becauseofthatperiod from 1977 to 2012 to cover thatexpansewasaHerculean task.Naturallyerrorswere made, omissions were made,andwehadtofirstcorrect them,”heunderlined.
The attorney general reminded reporters that the company conducting the revision process -the Regional Revision Centre Inc. in
lockdowns,debthasdeclined since 2022 as economies recovered and crisis support waswithdrawn.
To stabilize debt, the seven largest countries in the region have announced ambitious fiscal consolidation plans,aimingtorevertanaveragedeficitof0.8percentof GDP in 2024 to a surplus of around 0.6 percent by 2029. However, these plans have suffered delays, and lack politicalsupport.Inmanycountries, they rely on raising additional revenue and spending cuts that have yet to be identified. Stabilisingdebtis animportantfirststep,butnot enough. Truly reducing debt over the next five years is necessary for countries to rebuild their capacity to address future shocks, as it happened during the pandemic.
DebtRise
Anguilla is the only facility of its kind in the Caribbean, and their workload is massive. “We have to wait on theirworkload.Thattheyre the only centre that offers this service in the entire region.So,youcould imagine theiragenda.Sothathasled toadelay,”hesaid.
The covers for these volumes have already been procured, and once completed, the revised laws will also be made available in soft copy or electronic format. The exercise is being conducted throughacollaborativeeffort of the Attorney Generals Chambers, the Ministry of Legal Affairs, and the Improved Access to Justice in theCaribbean(IMPACTJustice)Project.
Guyanas law reports are also slated to be completed byJune2025.Acountryslaw reports contain important cases that have been decided by the courts. These cases are recorded and kept in volumes to serve as precedent for similar cases that might ariseinthefuture. Compiling these cases in volumes ensuresaccessibilityandfacilitates ease and consistency in the judicial process.
AG Nandlall noted that Guyana has one of the oldest law reporting systems when compared to the rest of the Caribbean, with reports dating back to the 18th century “What we are completing now is from 2008 to 2022. Allthemajordecisions. That againisanothermassiveundertaking,”headded.(DPI)
As documented in the study,turmoilinglobalfinancialmarketscouldaffecteconomic growth, raise debt financing costs, and weaken exchange rates. If this happened,debtcouldincreaseby about 8.5 percentage points ofGDPby2029,comparedto currentprojections.Similarly, the study documents that a commodity price shock or a natural disaster could increase public debt by about 6 to 9 percentage points of GDP, respectively, over that horizon.
The deterioration of public finances and the increase in debt after the end of the commodity price boom in 2013 suggests that existing fiscal frameworks were not strong enough. Effective fiscal frameworks can guide policy choices and offer the resilience and flexibility to deal with unpredictable events. Some countries are strengthening them through the recent introduction of public debt targets, such as Paraguay,Chile,andColombia.However,intryingtoaddress the problem, some havebecomeoverlycomplex at the expense of transparency and accountability. There are several areas for improvement,includingproviding more resources to independent fiscal institutions and strengthening accountabilitymechanisms.Anditis critical to avoid reforms that imperilpublicfinances. With lackluster growth prospects, high financing costs, and an uncertain world, now is the moment to reduce deficits and enhance fiscal frameworks, both of which help with reducing borrowing costs. It is urgent for countriestorebuildthespaceused in the last five years. Fiscal disciplinewillalsohelptame inflation, as our October reportnotes,whichwouldease the pressure on monetary policy
Garden of Eden E.B.D, 2 Minutes from proposed Heroes Highway 3.8 Acres, 65M per acre. #621-1139 / 712-4020.
Israeli forces order new evacuation of besieged northern Gaza town
CAIRO, Dec 29 (Reuters)Israeliforcescarryingoutaweekslong offensive in northern Gaza ordered any residents remainingin Beit Hanoun to leave the town on Sunday, citing Palestinian militant rocket fire from the area, residents said.
The instruction to leave has caused a new wave of displacement, although it was not immediately clear how many people were affected, the residents said.
Israel says its almost threemonth-old campaign in northern Gaza is aimed at Hamas militants and preventing them from regrouping.
Its instructions to civilians to evacuate are meant to keep them outofharm'sway,themilitarysays.
Palestinian and United Nations officialssaynoplaceissafeinGaza and that evacuations worsen the humanitarian conditions of the population.
Much of the area around the northern towns of Beit Hanoun, Jabalia and Beit Lahiya has been cleared of people and razed, fuelling speculation Israel intends to keep the area as a closed buffer zoneafterthefightinginGazaends.
The Israeli military announced its new push into the Beit Hanoun area on Saturday It said the rocket fire into Israel continued throughout Sunday despite the intenseoperationthere.
The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said it had lost communication with people still trapped in the town, and it was unable to send teams into the area becauseoftheraid.
Palestinian health officials said Israeli military strikes across the
enclavekilledatleast23peopleon Sunday.Oneofthosestrikeskilled seven people and wounded others atAl-WAFAHospitalinGazaCity, the Palestinian civil emergency servicesaidinastatement.
Later on Sunday, an Israeli airstrike killed seven additional people in a house in Beit Hanoun, medics said There was no immediateIsraelicomment.
HOSPITALS
Health officials said an Israeli tank shell on Sunday had hit the upper floor of the Al-Ahly Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza City near
A drone’s view shows smoke above Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, as seen from near Kibbutz Nir Am in southern Israel, December 12, 2024. REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg/File
theX-raydivision.
The Israeli military said the strike targeted members of the Hamas"AerialDefenceUnit",who operated from the compound, sayingtheplacenolongerservedas ahospital.
It said the militants was using the compound to plan and execute attacks against Israeli troops in the immediatefuture.
On Friday, Israeli forces stormedtheKamalAdwanhospital in northern Gaza, detaining more than 240 Palestinians, including medics.
The military said the hospital hadbeenusedasacommandcentre for Hamas, adding on Sunday that 15 of those detained had participated in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and that its operation there had killed about 20 militants HamasdeniesIsrael'sclaimthatits fightersoperatefromhospitals,and calledforU.N.observerstobesent toGaza'smedicalfacilities.
TheraidonKamalAdwan,one of three medical facilities on the northern edge of Gaza, put the last majorhealthfacilityintheareaout of service, the World Health
Organization(WHO)saidinapost onX.
Israel's campaign against HamasinGazahaskilledmorethan 45,300 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-run enclave. Most of the population of 2 3 million people have been displaced and much of Gaza is in ruins.
The war was triggered by a HamasattackonsouthernIsraelon Oct.7,2023,inwhich1,200people were killed and 251 taken to Gaza as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Govt. pays debts owed to rice farmers from PetroCarbi deal
Twenty-two farmers, and three millers from Region Two on Saturday received approximately $437 million in outstanding paymentsfroma2015PetroCarbie ricedealwithVenezuela.
Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha while addressing farmersandmillersintheRegional Democratic Council (RDC) boardroom said the former APNU/AFCgovernmenthadfailed to work in the interest of the Guyanese farmers and millers to ensure they received the outstandingpaymentsaftertherice wasshippedtoVenezuela.
Minister Mustapha explained thatwhileinopposition,thePPP/C government met with farmers and millers on several occasions and committed to ensuring the monies owed were paid. “I remember vividly, when I became the MinisterofAgriculture,Imetwith several farmers on two different issues. One issue was payment for rice that was supplied to Panama andtheotherissuewasaboutpaddy
that was purchased to supply to VenezuelathroughthePetroCabrie agreement When we were in government prior to 2015, we signed both contracts. In 2015, we came out of government and the APNU/AFCwentintogovernment and both markets were lost…” Mustaphasaid.
Minister Mustapha also said that while the rice was supplied in both instances, no efforts were madebytheformeradministration to recoup the outstanding payments.
He also reminded farmers and millers that under theAPNU/AFC government, rice was categorised asa“privatebusiness”.
“They lost the market in Panama and although rice was supplied,theydidnotconcludethe dealtoensuretheoutstandingsums werepaid.$1.5billionwasowedto the farmers and millers of this country For the PetroCarbie deal, over$450millionwasowedtoour farmers While the nay-sayers might want to come and convince
Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha (2nd right) while handing over a cheque for outstanding sums owed from the PetroCarbi rice deal to a farmer from Region Two
youotherwise,Icanassureyouthat this government will ensure we take care of every citizen in this country,”heexplained.
Minister Mustapha also disclosed that, over the years, the government has invested over $5 billiontoimproveinfrastructureto support the agriculture sector in
market roads are currently under construction in the region. The government of Guyana signed a rice compensation agreement with Venezuela in 2009 wherein Guyanese rice exports were accepted in partial payment for
imports of Venezuelan oil. The scheme had provided stimulus to the Guyanese rice sector, which resulted in higher levels of investmentsinimprovedinputsand machinery, an expansion in the areas cultivated, higher levels of outputs and exports, and increased employment.(DPI)
Photo
Jimmy Carter, former US President and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, dead at 100
WASHINGTON,Dec29
(Reuters)-JimmyCarter,the earnest Georgia peanut farmerwhoasU.S.president struggled with a bad economy and the Iran hostage crisis but brokered peace between Israel and Egypt and later received the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work, died at his homein Plains, Georgia, onSunday,theCarterCenter said.Hewas100.
“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” said Chip Carter,theformerpresident's son. “My brothers, sister, andIsharedhimwiththerest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these sharedbeliefs.”
ADemocrat,heservedas presidentfromJanuary1977 to January 1981 after
defeating incumbent RepublicanPresidentGerald Ford in the 1976 U S election. Carter was swept fromofficefouryearslaterin an electoral landslide as votersembracedRepublican challenger Ronald Reagan, the former actor and Californiagovernor Carter lived longer after his term in office than any other U.S. president. Along the way, he earned a reputationasabetterformer president than he was a president-astatushereadily acknowledged.
His one-term presidency was marked by the highs of the 1978 Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt, bringing some stability to the Middle East. But it was dogged by an economy in recession, persistent unpopularity and the embarrassment of the Iran hostage crisis that consumedhisfinal444days in office. In recent years, Carter had experienced several health issues including melanoma that spreadtohisliverandbrain. Carter decided to receive hospice care in February 2023 instead of undergoing additional medical intervention His wife, Rosalynn Carter, died on Nov 19,2023,atage96.He
looked frail when he attended her memorial service and funeral in a wheelchair
Carter left office profoundly unpopular but worked energetically for decades on humanitarian causes. He was awarded the NobelPeacePrizein2002in recognition of his "untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."
Carterhadbeenacentrist as governor of Georgia with populist tendencies when he movedintotheWhiteHouse as the 39th U.S. president. He was a Washington outsider at a time when America was still reeling from the Watergate scandal that led Republican Richard Nixon to resign as president in 1974 and elevated Ford from vice president. "I'm Jimmy Carter and I'm running for president. I will never lie to you," Carter promised with an ear-to-ear smile.
Asked to assess his presidency, Carter said in a 1991 documentary: "The biggestfailurewehadwasa political failure. I never was able to convince the AmericanpeoplethatIwasa forcefulandstrongleader."
Despitehisdifficultiesin office, Carter had few rivals for accomplishments as a former president. He gained global acclaim as a tireless human rights advocate, a voiceforthedisenfranchised and a leader in the fight against hunger and poverty, winning the respect that eluded him in the White House.CarterwontheNobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts to promote human rights and resolve conflicts around the world, from Ethiopia and Eritrea to BosniaandHaiti.HisCarter Center in Atlanta sent international electionmonitoring delegations to pollsaroundtheworld.
A Southern Baptist Sunday school teacher since his teens, Carter brought a strong sense of morality to the presidency, speaking openly about his religious faith. He also sought to take some pomp out of an
presidency - walking, rather thanridinginalimousine,in his 1977 inauguration parade.TheMiddleEastwas the focus of Carter's foreign policy The 1979 EgyptIsrael peace treaty, based on the 1978 Camp David accords,endedastateofwar between the two neighbors. Carter brought Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to the Camp David presidential retreatinMarylandfortalks. Later,astheaccordsseemed to be unraveling, Carter saved the day by flying to Cairo and Jerusalem for
rescue the hostages, with eight U.S. soldiers killed in an aircraft accident in the Iraniandesert.
Carter's final ignominy was that Iran held the 52 hostages until minutes after Reagan took his oath of office on Jan. 20, 1981, to replaceCarter,thenreleased the planes carrying them to freedom.
In another crisis, Carter protested the former Soviet Union's 1979 invasion of Afghanistan by boycotting the 1980 Olympics in Moscow He also asked the U S Senate to defer consideration of a major nuclear arms accord with
personal shuttle diplomacy
The treaty provided for Israeli withdrawal from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and establishment of diplomatic relations. Begin and Sadat each won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1978. By the 1980 election, the overriding issues were double-digit inflation, interest rates that exceeded 20% and soaring gasprices,aswellastheIran hostage crisis that brought humiliation to America TheseissuesmarredCarter's presidency and undermined his chances of winning a secondterm.
HOSTAGECRISIS
On Nov 4, 1979, revolutionaries devoted to Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seizedtheAmericanspresent and demanded the return of the ousted shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was backed by the United States and was being treated in a U.S.hospital.TheAmerican publicinitiallyralliedbehind Carter Buthissupportfaded in April 1980 when a commando raid failed to
invisibleinordinaryways.It isacrisisofconfidence.Itis acrisisthatstrikesatthevery heart and soul and spirit of our national will The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the politicalfabricofAmerica."
As president, the straitl a c e d C a r t e r w a s embarrassedbythebehavior ofhishard-drinkingyounger brother, Billy Carter, who had boasted: "I got a red neck, white socks, and Blue Ribbonbeer."
'THEREYOU GOAGAIN'
of their debates. Ford said that "there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will b e u n d e r a F o r d administration," despite decades of just such domination.
Carter edged Ford in the election, even though Ford actuallywonmorestates-27 toCarter's23.
Moscow Unswayed, the Soviets remained in Afghanistan for a decade. Carter won narrow Senate approval in 1978 of a treaty totransferthePanamaCanal to the control of Panama despite critics who argued the waterway was vital to American security He also completed negotiations on fullU.S.tieswithChina.
Carter created two new U.S. Cabinet departmentseducation and energy.Amid high gas prices, he said America's "energy crisis" was"themoralequivalentof war" and urged the country to embrace conservation "Ours is the most wasteful nation on earth," he told Americansin1977.
In1979,Carterdelivered what became known as his "malaise" speech to the nation, although he never usedthatword.
"After listening to the AmericanpeopleIhavebeen reminded again that all the legislationintheworldcan't fix what's wrong with America," he said in his televisedaddress.
"The threat is nearly
Jimmy Carter withstood a c h a l l e n g e f r o m Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy for the 1 9 8 0 D e m o c r a t i c presidential nomination but was politically diminished heading into his general election battle against a vigorous Republican adversary. Reagan, the conservative who projected an image of strength, kept Carter off balance during their debates before the November 1980 election Reagan dismissively told Carter, "There you go again,"whentheRepublican challenger felt the president had misrepresented Reagan's views during one debate.Carter lost the 1980 electiontoReagan,whowon 44 of the 50 states and amassed an Electoral Collegelandslide.
JamesEarlCarterJr was born on Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, one of four children of a farmer and shopkeeper He graduated from the U S Naval Academy in 1946, served in the nuclear submarine program and left to manage the family peanut farming business He married his wife, Rosalynn, in 1946, a union he called "the most important thing in my life." They had three sons and a daughter Carter became a millionaire, a Georgia state legislator and Georgia's governorfrom1971to1975. Hemountedanunderdogbid for the 1976 Democratic presidentialnomination,and out-hustled his rivals for the right to face Ford in the general election With Walter Mondale as his vice presidential running mate, Carterwasgivenaboostbya major Ford gaffe during one
Not all of Carter's postpresidential work was appreciated Former President George W Bush and his father, former President George H W Bush, both Republicans, were said to have been displeased by Carter's freelance diplomacy in Iraq andelsewhere.
In2004,Cartercalledthe Iraqwarlaunchedin2003by theyounger Bush oneof the most "gross and damaging mistakes our nation ever made."HecalledGeorgeW Bush's administration "the worst in history" and said Vice President Dick Cheney was "a disaster for our country."
In 2019, Carter questioned Republican Donald Trump's legitimacy as president, saying "he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf." Trump responded by calling Carter "a terrible president."
Carter also made trips to communist North Korea. A 1994 visit defused a nuclear crisis, as President Kim Il Sung agreed to freeze his nuclearprograminexchange for resumed dialogue with theUnitedStates.Thatledto adealinwhichNorthKorea, in return for aid, promised not to restart its nuclear reactor or reprocess the plant'sspentfuel.ButCarter irked Democratic President BillClinton'sadministration byannouncingthedealwith NorthKorea'sleaderwithout first checking with Washington.In2010,Carter won the release of an Americansentencedtoeight yearshardlaborforillegally enteringNorthKorea.Carter wrote more than two dozen books, ranging from a presidential memoir to a children's book and poetry, as well as works about religious faith and diplomacy His book "Faith: A Journey for All," was publishedin2018.
Former US President, Jimmy Carter
Dharry reigns supreme with second-round KO against Ramirez
Gu y a n e s e bantamweight
Elton Dharry rocked the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Saturday
n
spectacular second round knockoutagainstColombian RandyRamirez.
Dharry struck in the closing moments of round two to defeat the previously undefeated opponent and tookastepclosertosecuring aworldtitleshot.
T
Elton Dharry improved his win column to 29 victories
headlined the Pro-Am card, hosted by Elton Dharry Promotions in collaboration withNexGenGlobalandthe Guyana Boxing Board of Control(GBBC). With this triumph, the Guyanese improved his recordto29wins,sixlosses andonedrawwhileRamirez
ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19
You will be able to find a greater connection to your inner soul today, Aries. You willalsofindthatyou'remore psychic than usual Trust yourintuition.
TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)
Youmayhavemanyironsin thefiretoday,Taurus.People and projects could demand yourattention,yetyoumayfeel so dreamy and unmotivated that it could be hard to make progressonanyofthem.
GEMINI(May21–June20)
Youmayhavemanyironsin thefiretoday,Taurus.People and projects could demand yourattention,yetyoumayfeel sodreamyandunmotivatedthat itcouldbehardtomakeprogress onanyofthem
CANCER(June21–July22)
You may need to let go and releaseyourcontrol,CancerYou knowwhatyouwant,sojusttrust yourintuition Ifyoucontinueto letyourbraindoallthework
LEO(July23–Aug.22)
This is an excellent day for you, Leo You will find that things automatically flow your way You will receive more attention than usual and be the centerofanyflatteringdiscussions.
You may feel a bit lazy and unmotivated today, Virgo. It couldbehardtodragyourself out of bed. In terms of love andromance,there'sapttobe sometension.
experiencedfighters. I
professional fight, Kevin Isaacs made a strong argument on debut in his featherweight bout against Julian Clarke All three judgesscoredthefour-round bout40-36infavorofIsaacs, foraunanimousvictory
A
, EmmanuelSancho,shocked
knockout in the third round against seasoned fighter, AnsonGreen.
concedehisfirstdefeatofhis professional career in 11 fights.
Earlier in the evening, theundercardfeaturedamix
LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)
Loveandromanceareapttobe going quite well for you now, Libra You should find that it's easier to be yourself in a partnership Let your romantic sideshinethrough
SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov.21)
You may feel a great deal of nervous energy today, Scorpio Tensioncouldcometo you from all angles Indecisiveness might be your biggestproblem
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21)
Issueshavingtodowithlove and romance are in your favor today, Sagittarius. You'remoreintouchwithyour emotions. You will find that your attitude toward love is moregroundedthanusual
CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19)
Youmaynotfeelinsyncwith the day's energy, Capricorn. Somethingaboutitmaynotsit right with you Your natural instincttowanttotakethelead may be overshadowed by an unwillingnesstoevengetup.
AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)
sues regarding love and romance should be going well for you now, Aquarius. You will find that your naturaltendencytoground.
PISCES
Youmaywanttoescapeintoyour dreams today, Pisces Trying to do something practical may be met with opposition, as the generalmoodofthedaycallsfor thingstobemoreethereal
Meanwhile, in his second professional match, Keevin Allicock outclassed Dexter Wray in their featherweight clash. After unrelenting pressure from Allicock, Wray's corner threwinthetoweltoprevent anyfurtherpunishment.
(Reuters) - The Los Angeles Lakers traded guard D'Angelo Russell, forward Maxwell Lewis and three second-round draft picks to theBrooklynNetsonSunday in exchange for forward Dorian Finney-Smith and guardShakeMilton. The Lakers will send their second-round picks in 2027, 2030 and 2031 to Brooklyn in the deal, ESPN reported. Itmarksthesecondtime that Russell, 28, has been dealt from the Lakers to the Nets. Los Angeles selected himNo.2overallinthe2015 NBADraft, and he spent two seasons there before being tradedonJune22,2017,with Timofey Mozgov to the Nets for Brook Lopez and draft pickKyleKuzma.
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Russellmadestopswith theGoldenStateWarriorsand Minnesota Timberwolves before the Lakers acquired himagainonFeb.9,2023,as partofathree-teamdeal. Russell's role in head coach J.J. Redick's rotation had diminished. In October, Russell averaged 30.6 minutes per game, dropping to25.5inNovemberand25.2 inDecember n 29 games (10 starts) this season, he's averaging 26.3minutes,12.4points,2.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists. All arebelowhiscareeraverages of30minutes,17.5points,3.4 reboundsand5.7assists.
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Lewis, 22, has seen limited action for the Lakers this season, with the small forward scoring 15 points in sevengames.
Finney-Smith, 31, is in hisninthNBAseason.Hehas started all 20 games he's appeared in, averaging 10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists over 29 minutes per game.Milton,28,isaveraging 7.4 points per game over 27 appearances(onestart).Heis a
ng 1 9 reboundsand2.4assists.
Keevin Allicock
Ruthless Liverpool thrash West Ham to go eight points clear Premier League:
(BBCSport)-Liverpool stretchedtheirleadatthetop of the Premier League to eightpointsastheythrashed an abject West Ham United attheLondonStadium.
It was another capital goal-fest for Arne Slot's irresistible side after the 6-3 winatTottenhamsevendays previously, the outcome never in doubt as a first-half
Hammerswellbeaten.
Liverpool had already missed several chances before Luis Diaz gave them the lead with a powerful finishonthehalf-hourmark.
Cody Gakpo was then the beneficiary of Mohamed Salah's brilliant footwork to add a second after 40 minutes,beforetheEgyptian inevitably got in on the act himself with a low drive on thestrokeofhalf-timeforhis 20thgoalofasuperbseason.
Julen Lopetegui's side
could not even manage damage limitation as Trent Alexander-Arnoldaddedthe fourthafter54minuteswhen his long-range effort took a deflection off Max Kilman's headpastAlphonseAreola.
OnlyMohammedKudus offered anything resembling hopeforthehosts,hittingthe woodworkineachhalfwhile LuisGuilhermedidthesame just before the end, but this was no consolation as they were utterly outclassed by this rampant Liverpool outfit.
The gap in quality was emphasised six minutes from time when Salah bamboozled several West Ham defenders with a brilliant run from inside his own half before setting up substitute Diogo Jota for a typicallyclinicalfinish.
Strand Larsen equaliser earnsWolvesapointatSpurs Jorgen Strand Larsen's
late equaliser continued Vitor Pereira's impressive start as Wolves boss after a chaotic Premier League
drawwithTottenham. Wolves took an early lead when the unmarked Hwang Hee-chan swept the
balllowintothecornerfrom the edge of the box after the Spurs defence had switched offatafree-kick.
Spurs equalised shortly afterwardsthankstoRodrigo Bentancur, who glanced a powerfulclose-rangeheader beyond Jose Sa from Pedro Porro'scorner
It did not stymie Spurs' attacking intent and a neat interchange between Dejan Kulusevski and Johnson inside a crowded area culminatedinthelatterfiring homealowshot.
Tottenham had chances to increase their lead in the secondhalfbutfailedtotake them.
Dominic Solanke was unabletogetontheendofa Timo Werner cross into the six-yard box while Kulusevski perhaps should have done better when he brokeclear
Wolves were content to hang in the contest and levelled with three minutes of normal time remaining when substitute Strand LarsenbeatFraserForsterat his near post with a rasping angledshot.
Spurs piled on the pressure during 12 minutes of added time but were unable to contrive a winner and finish December with just five points from a possible21.
Strand Larsen equaliser earnsWolvesapointatSpurs
Jorgen Strand Larsen's late equaliser continued Vitor Pereira's impressive start as Wolves boss after a chaotic Premier League drawwithTottenham.
Wolves took an early lead when the unmarked Hwang Hee-chan swept the balllowintothecornerfrom the edge of the box after the Spurs defence had switched offatafree-kick.
Spurs equalised shortly afterwardsthankstoRodrigo Bentancur, who glanced a powerfulclose-rangeheader beyond Jose Sa from Pedro Porro'scorner Tottenhamwereawarded a penalty when Andre brought down the fleetfooted Brennan Johnson onlyforSatoguesscorrectly anddenySonHeung-min It did not stymie Spurs' attacking intent and a neat interchange between Dejan Kulusevski and Johnson inside a crowded area culminatedinthelatterfiring homealowshot.
Tottenham had chances to increase their lead in the secondhalfbutfailedtotake them.
Dominic Solanke was unabletogetontheendofa Timo Werner cross into the six-yard box while Kulusevski perhaps should have done better when he brokeclear
Wolves were content to hang in the contest and levelled with three minutes of normal time remaining when substitute Strand LarsenbeatFraserForsterat his near post with a rasping angledshot.
Spurs piled on the pressure during 12 minutes of added time but were unable to contrive a winner and finish December with just five points from a possible21.
Liverpool players celebrate Mohamed Salah's goal in the Premier League clash at West Ham United (Getty Images)
Aleksei BugayevRussia in action against Portugal (Action Images)
(Reuters) - Aleksei Bugayev, a former memberofRussia'snationalsoccerteamwho playedatEuro2004,hasbeenkilledinthe34month-old war in Ukraine, Russian media quoted his father and agent as saying on Sunday
"Unfortunately, the news aboutAleksei's deathistrue.Ithappenedtoday,"TASSnews agency quoted the player's father Ivan BugayevastellingtheSport24newsoutlet.
RIA news agency quoted Bugayev's agent, Anton Smirnov, as saying intense fighting had made it impossible to retrieve Bugayev's body for burial.Bugayev, dead at
Former Russian national team member killed in Ukraine war
age 43, played two matches for the Russian national team in the 2004 European championship and also played for Moscow sidesTorpedoandLokomotivaswellasother provincialsides.
Heendedhiscareerin2010attheageof 29. InSeptemberBugayevwassentencedby a court in southern Russia to nine and a half yearsinprisonondrugtraffickingcharges.
He later declared his intention to sign up tofightintheUkrainewar Russian authorities actively recruit in prisonsfortheconflict.
Milan coach Fonseca stands defiant as pressure mounts
(Reuters) - Milan coach Paulo Fonseca dismissed growing speculation about his future on Sunday, stressing that he had not discussed his role with anyone and had no fear
Rumours about his possible departure dominatedItalianmediacoverageofMilan's 1-1drawathomeagainstASRomainSerieA. Histeamhavehadalukewarmseasonso far, eighth in the domestic table and 12th in theChampionsLeague.
"Did I have a tough meeting with Zlatan ?"Fonsecasaidofrumourshehadspokento the club's senior adviser and former player ZlatanIbrahimovic.
"No,Ihaven'tspokentoanyone.Ihaven't seen anyone from the club. I can't say anything more. I can't make up things that haven't happened," he told a press conference.
"Never in my life have I been afraid in football.AndI'llcontinuelikethis.Formeit's importanttoalwayshaveaclearconscience:I work, I'm honest with those who work with me I'mnotafraidofanything."
FonsecasaidheplannedtoleadMilanin the semi-finals of the Supercoppa Italiana after the New Year against Juventus in Riyadh.
"I can expect it, I have no signs to the contrary NowI'mgoinghome,I'llwatchthe game,andthenI'llthinkaboutworking."
Hesaidhehadnoregretsaboutthejobhe
Kagiso Rabada made 31 off 26 to take South Africa home. (Associated Press)
South Africa into World Test Championship final
(SportsMax) - Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen were the unlikely stars with the bat as SouthAfrica held out to beat Pakistan in the firstTestonSunday
South Africa clinched a nervy two-wicket victory overPakistaninthefirstTest in Centurion, booking their place in June's World Test Championship final at Lord's.
as South Africa made hard workofthechase.
Abbassentstumpsflying as Aiden Markram walked for 37, then produced three morewicketsinthespaceof three overs as South Africa collapsedfrom94-4to99-8.
Championship victors, after NewZealandwonthe201921 edition and Australia triumphedin2021-23.
They have already clinched their best finish in thecompetition,havingbeen third in the last edition, and will face either Australia or India in the showpiece match.
TheProteasrequired121 runs for victory but had already lost three wickets when they resumed on day four, after Marco Jansen's six-wickethaulhelpedthem bundle Pakistan out for 237 onSaturday Mohammad Abbas, returning to Pakistan's redballsetupforthefirsttimein over three years, replicated Jansen's feat by taking 6-54
However,theyfoundtwo unlikely heroes in Kagiso Rabada and Jansen, as the lower order held up to put them within touching distance of the World Test crown.
Rabada crashed an unbeaten31from26ballsin his 51-run partnership with Jansen (16*), who fittingly slammed the decisive four offAbbas'bowlingtocaphis dream performance across theTest.
South Africa will now have the chance to become the third ICC World Test
They had their lower order to thank as Abbas' career-best red-ball innings wenttowaste.
He had previously scalped five wickets on four occasions,withtwoofthose coming in the same match againstAustralia in October 2018.
ThesecondandfinalTest in the series will begin on January 3 at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town.
AC Milan coach Paulo Fonseca (Reuters)
had done so far at Milan since arriving in June,takingoverfromStefanoPioli.
At Sunday's game, Fonseca became the centreofattentionjustbeforethebreak,when his protests over Tijjani Reijnders going down inside the box led to his dismissal for dissent,aftertherefereewavedplayon.
At a weightlifting competition in Taipei for seniors aged 70 and above, 90-year-old ChengChenChinMeiconfidentlywavestoa cheering crowd before deadlifting 77 pounds.00:0402:01
"I was exaggerated in my protest at that moment,butIdon'twanttosayanything.Itis a very clear situation for me," Fonseca told theDAZNstreamingservice.
Rutherford among nominees for ICC Men's
ODI Cricketer of the Year
(SportsMax) - West Indian batsman Sherfane Rutherford'sbreakoutyearinOne-DayInternationalcricket hasculminatedwithhimbeingnamedamongthenominees fortheICCMen'sODICricketeroftheYearawardfor2024.
Noted more for his prowess in the shorter white-ball format, Sherfane Rutherford flourished in the ODI game in 2024,bringingoverhisbattingbelligerence.
Not succumbing to the pressures of playing away from home, Rutherford began his year in the format with three consecutivehalf-centuriesagainstSriLanka,albeitina2-1 seriesdefeat.
Rutherford's 204 runs not only came at a strike rate of 107.36,buttheleft-handerwasonlydismissedonce.
The26-year-oldstillmadeanimpressionevenwithjust oneopportunityagainstEnglandathomeinAntigua,making 54(36),thoughthebestwasyettocomeinDecember,where Rutherford was again in the runs in a home series against Bangladesh.
Rutherfordmadelightworkofachaseof295inStKitts, making113injust80balls,helpinghissidetakea1-0series lead.
Heclosedoutwithanunbeaten24*andaknockof30in theseries,ofwhichbothhelpedtheWestIndiestoa3-0series win.Overall this year, Rutherford scored 425 runs in seven innings at an average of 106.25 while striking at 120.05 in 2024.The other nominees for the award include Afghanistan'sAzmatullah Omarzai and the Sri Lankan duo WaninduHasarangaandKusalMendis.
ThewinnerwillbeannouncedinJanuary2025.
LumumbaappointedAdvisortoGBA
Another feather has been added to the large cap of sports enthusiast OdingaLumumbafollowinghisofficial appointment asAdvisor to the Guyana BoxingAssociation(GBA).
The decision was taken by the executive of the GBA following a thoroughassessmentprocesstoappoint 'The Godfather' to that portfolio Lumumba, who has accepted the appointment.willcommencehistenure nextyear
President of the GBA Steve NinvallesaidthatalthoughLumumbais an individual of many talents, he has made significant contributions in the fieldofSport.
“Boxing (amateur) is presently on the right track, but the appointment of Odinga Lumumba can and will only servetoinjectnewenergyandlifeintoa discipline that he is very much au fait with over the course of a sporting life that has spanned decades," Ninvalle stated
According to Ninvalle,
“Objectively speaking, Lumumba brings a wealth of knowledge not only inthedisciplineofboxingbutalsointhe overall sporting landscape, and this is evident with a simple analysis of his performance and contribution in other sports,includingfootball.Weanticipate
andexpectthathisinvolvementina veryimportantandsignificantrolewill only serve to build on the structures currentlybeingemployedbytheGBA."
Asaboxingpromoterandmanager LumumbahadguidedboththeAndrew Murray, and Anthony The Pearl Andrews to world title challenges. He was named the World Boxing Association (WBA) Latin America PromoteroftheYearin1995.
Ninvalle added that, Lumumba, a veteranpolitician,hastirelesslypushed
Akeal Hosein and Todd Murphy celebrate a wicket
for better facilities and had singlehandedly lifted football club Alpha United from obscurity to regionalprominence.
“I think that the entire Guyana is awareofhiscapabilitiesandatthelevel of the GBA, we are satisfied that his coming onboard is a step in the right direction. The sport of boxing will certainly be better with his involvement,” Ninvalle concluded Lumumbawillcommencehistenureon January1st,2025.
(SportsMax) - Akeal Hosein bowled a tidy four overspelltohelptheSydney Sixers continue their unbeatenstarttothisseason's Big Bash League with their fourth win in a row, a comfortable eight wicket victory over the Brisbane Heat at the Brisbane Cricket GroundonSunday Hosein took 1-26 from
Hosein economical asSydney Sixersdefeat BrisbaneHeat
his four overs with the new ball to help restrict the Heat to 138-9 from their 20 overs after Sixers captain Moises Henriques won the toss and chosetofield.
Nathan McSweeney, recently dropped from the Australia Test team, was the top scorer for the Heat with 34 while Jimmy Peirson and PaulWaltermade24and22, respectively
Left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis was the best bowler on the day for the Sixers with 4-32 while Hayden Kerr and Todd Murphy had 2-19 and 2-25, respectively
Josh Philippe then made an unbeaten 41-ball 66 to help the Sixers chase down theirtargetinjust16.1overs.
KurtisPattersonmade32 from 20 balls while skipper Henriques made 29* as the Sixers finished 142-2, securingtheirfourthwininas many games.Xavier Bartlett and Paul Walter took the wicketstofall.
The Sixers will next play Shai Hope's Hobart Hurricanes on New Year's Day
Sherfane Rutherford
(Photo: Randy Brooks)
Steve Ninvalle
Odinga Lumumba
K&S/One Guyana National Futsal Championships move closer to crowning inaugural champs
…Lady
Royal, Kanaimas headline Female leg
The excitement narrows down to the final four, after several weeks of pulsating Futsal action, the stage is set for an exhilarating semi finals showdown in the Inaugural Kashif and Shanghai National Futsal
Championships. This exciting 30-minute spectacle movesclosertotheclimactic backendstages.
Dubbed as the largest futsal event in the country's history, the tournament, whichinitiallybeganwith64 men's teams and a exciting lineup of female teams, has now narrowed down to the final four teams Men's divisions, while in the clash of the titans; female's leg of the championship heats up with more exciting preliminarymatches.
The Men battling for a staggering 2-Million-Dollar first-placeprizeissettostage its grand semi finals clashes amongfourofthebestfutsal teams'onpaper'inthenation. The remaining teams in the men's division includes the dominant Bent Street, also the active Back Circle, familiarchampsSpartaBoss, andthefierceRoadWarriors, have electrified fans with theirflair,determination,and potency throughout the tournament With a staggering $2 million cash prize on the line for the champions, the intensity promises to brim on New Year'sDayasthetournament decidesitsfinalists.
Unarguably,eachofthese squads boasts a unique playing style and a roster filled with standout performers,ensuringthatthe semi-finals and grand finale
be nothing short of spectacular
In the other exciting segment,theFemalelegisset to heat up on December 1, this competition is equally
fierce, with Lady Royals, Lady Kanaimas, Lioness, and Tucville Terrace showcasing the growing talent and passion for futsal among female athletes. This legissettocontestitssecond round of the preliminary matches with the two teams finishing with the highest point on aggregate will contest the final on
December 3. An impressive
$400,000 awaits the champion,thestakesarejust as high, and fans can expect thrilling matchups as these teams leave everything on thecourt.
Theactionissettounfold at the iconic Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) on Wednesday, January 1st, 2025. The event promises to usherintheNewYearwitha bang, offering fans a chance to witness part of Futsal history This National championship is more than just a championship; it's a celebration of national unity through sports. With top-tier talent,amixtureofnationals, former national, future prosects, Futsal superstars, a passionate crowd and substantialprizesontheline, who will rise to the occasion and etch their name in the annals of Kashif and ShanghaiFutsalhistory?
Find out on January 1st and3rdatCASH!
The championship is s u p p o r t e d b y t h e Government of Guyana through its One Guyana brand, alongside sponsors such as ANSA McAL
Distribution (Lucozade, Heineken, and Magnum
brands), Forrester's Concrete, Jai Signs and Designs, Hits and Jams TV, Maggie's Snackette, Star Party Rental, Tiger Rentals, Bakewell, SuperBet, Dinar's Trading Limited, Trophy Stall,andColoursBoutique.
Omari Glasgow (Sparta Boss) battling for possession against Stabroek Ballers 'A'.
Sherfane Rutherford (Photo: Randy Brooks)
Odinga Lumumba
KeevinAllicock