Kaieteur News

Dead: Kiran Bacchus

Dead:Yognand Chaitram

KarranInderjeet

Police Sergeant Dion Bascom

Jagdeo defends 4% interest on US EXIM Bank loan for Gas-to-Energy project

…says rate is “very competitive”

Vice President Bharrat JagdeoonThursdaysaidthe interest rate on the US$527 million loan, Guyana secured from the United States Export Import (US EXIM) Bank, is “very competitive”.

The EXIM Bank loan will support the US$759 million cost of the natural gas-fired power plant and natural gas liquids (NGL) plant being constructed by a joint venture, CH4Lindsayca.

Over the 15-year repayment period, Guyana willpaythebankawhopping US$316 2M in interest alone, in keeping with the 4%annualrateaspreviously revealed by the VP This means the country will be paying the Bank a total of

US$843.2M overall for the amountitborrowed.

During his weekly press conference at Freedom House, Jagdeo defended the interest rate as he compared the terms of the loan to a previous loan agreement signed under the previous administration.Hereasoned, “Let me just say to you, 4% interestisaverycompetitive interest rate. If you look at the 10 years treasury bill in theU.S,itshigherthan4%.If youlookatwhenAPNUhad concluded the 4.7% loan for GuySuCo through Republic Bank, they were paying 4 7% with a sovereign guarantee.” Jagdeo argued thattheglobalinterestrateat the time was the lowest, at about1.6%ontreasurybills.

Furthermore, he said,

“When we took office, interestrateswere40%inthe earlyperiod,justimagine,at 4 % i f t h i s i s burdensome…imagine how much we would have had to payifthatwasthecase.”

Additionally, the VP explained that based on the terms of the loan agreement with the US EXIM Bank, Guyana will not be required tomakeanypaymentsinthe firstfiveyears,butwillonly c o m m e n c e p a y i n g installmentsin2031.

“So you make no paymentsontheloanforthe firstfiveyears.I'msuremost Guyanese companies would loveto havea loanlikethat, that they have to make no payment on the loan for the firstfiveyears…youwantto use people's money, you

don't want to pay any interest?Suddenly,it'sabout oh, we have to pay more interestnowonthisproject,” Jagdeoargued.

Guyana 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 NGLand power plant.

Vice President, BharratJagdeo

Itisimportanttonotethat the Gas-to-Energy (GTE) project also comprises of a 12-inch diameter pipeline being developed by the Stabroek Block operator, ExxonMobil Guyana Limited. Exxon previously saidthestructureisexpected to cost US$1B. Guyana is also expected to repay the contractor for the pipeline overa20-yearperiod.

Project Head, Winston Brassington in February 2023 explained that Guyana will be required to pay back ExxonMobil some US$55

million each year for 20 years to repay the company for its investment in the pipeline.

“That US$55 million is the amortized cost of US$1 billion for 20 years at a discountrate,”hesaid.

Pres. Ali gives no timeline for substantive appointment of Chancellor and Chief Justice

President Irfaan Ali has given no timeline or reason for thedelayin appointinga substantive Chancellor and ChiefJustice.

Justices Yonette Cummings - Edwards and Roxane George have been acting in position as Chancellor of the Judiciary and Chief Justice respectivelysince2017.

Speaking at his end-ofyear press conference on Tuesday, President Ali told reporters that the appointment of permanent office holders to the two top judicialpostsiscontinuously and carefully being looked at. He nevertheless, refused to give a specific reason behind his administration's decision not to confirm the currentofficeholders.

“There's a process to be followed and, as the President,Iwouldfollowthe process, taking into consideration all the circumstances that exist to ensure that we have a ChancellorandChiefJustice that would continue to take thejudiciaryintoaplacethat allofuswillbeproudof,all of the region will be proud of,”hesaid.

The President also denied that the delay in appointing the substantive

office holders has anything to do with the number of judgments emanating from the local courts that have been overturned by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

“I'm not going to comment…onthestatement thatalotofpoliticalcasesare being over turned by the CCJ. That has no impact… that is why you have the judicial course and that is howthecourtsoperate.That iswhyyouhavepersonswho can go to superior courts...It has no impact on our decision-making ” Ali said.

The President's comments are in keeping withthepositiontakenbythe Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, AnilNandlall,SCwhowhen asked about the issue declinedtocomment.

Inresponsetoaquestion posed at his year-end press conference, Nandlall, noted that “That's a presidential decision, and the President willmakethatdecisionatthe appropriate time. You can askthePresident.”

“I have advised the President that he should choose his candidates carefully Thedecisionishis, provided that it finds agreement with the Leader

of the Opposition,” the Attorney General told reporters.

Last week, the Alliance for Change (AFC) in a statementtothemedia,once againhighlighting“agaping holeinourgoodgovernance anddemocracytapestry,and that is the continuing absence of substantive appointments of a Chancellor and Chief Justice,andtheneedtomend it.”

Noting that, “This imperfectionhastobetaken care of” theAFC said that it appears that the ruling Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) “prefers to make appointments everywhere elsethaninthejudiciary.”

“One wonders whether this refusal has anything to do with the fact that the two acting heads of the judicial branches, are women and of one ethnic group. We hope thatthisisnotthecase.Oris it that the PPP wants rank loyalists to be partisan minions,whowillrepeatand carry out whatever political instructions are given,” the statement from the party said.

Further, the AFC said that it is time that Justices Cummings-Edwards and RoxaneGeorgebeappointed as Chancellor and Chief Justicerespectively

“This should be the first order of business before imminent appointments to

the Court of Appeal are made,” the party said while remindingthatLeaderofthe Opposition Aubrey Norton haspubliclyrepeatedhis'no o b j e c t i o n ' t o t h e appointments.

“So constitutionally, there is nothing preventing

Constitutionally and legally, the government has no excuse whatsoever for not proceeding with the appointments,” the AFC said.The party said too that the government seems to be enjoyingphotoopportunities given the publicity given to the opening of new and refurbished courts “but just belowthesurfaceofthepaint and varnish, is a judiciary thatisstrugglingtomaintain its confidence and efficacy, as the third and independent branchandofgovernment.”

“This is most evident in the stubborn refusal to appoint the extant acting Chancellor and Chief Justice,”theAFCsaid.

Justice Desiree Bernard wasthelastconfirmedChief Justice from 1996 t0 2001 andChancellorfrom2001to 2005.

Chancellor (ag) of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings-Edwards

Chief Justice (ag), Roxane George

KaieteurNews

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Publisher:GLENNLALL-TEL:624-6456

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EDITORIAL

More now, more must come

Theclamorofvoicesgrowsstronger Thepressuresare gaining traction, with strengthening stride More frequentlynow,thereisonewordthatisbeginningtolighta fire under Guyanese: renegotiation. The2016ExxonMobil oil contract, a document of unprecedented obscenity, must be renegotiated SothateveryGuyanesegetsmore Itisn’tthatthis ExxonMobildeformitycalledacontractbetweenpartnersshouldbe renegotiated Or,theusualnonsenseofifandwhencircumstances make it possible Or that the ExxonMobil contract may be renegotiated,toseewhatGuyanacangetforitspeople Thebottom lineisthatthismonstrouscorporateconcoctionbrazenlylabeledasa faircontractmust(must)berenegotiated Itmustberenegotiated nowformorebenefitsforallGuyanesenow

Guyanesehavewaitedtoolong,beentoopatientforoverfive years Thismuststopnow ThevisionsofaprosperousGuyana withonlyprosperouscitizensfromtheirmassiveoilwealthmust be brighter The voices mustbe louder, the stances tougher, the energiesharder TheOilandGasNetwork,alargelyoverseas-based group of Guyanese have been calling for renegotiation of the ExxonMobilcontract Itmusthappennow,andnotafterthepending generalelections FormerMinisterofFinance,WinstonJordan,who defendedthecontractbefore,wasmostlysilent,hasnowbrokewith the past He has joined the chorus calling for renegotiation SomeintheoppositionAllianceforChangehavemadeclear their position on the ExxonMobil contract that wraps like a noosearoundthenecksofGuyana:renegotiatethiscontract,get betterforGuyanese Weatthispaperhavebeentherefromthe start, never let-up, to renegotiate this infernal contract, renegotiateoutofexistence Ithasbeenallowedtoexistfortoo long This ExxonMobil contract has sucked the life out of Guyanese hopes It must go down and do so now This ExxonMobilcontractis defecationontheheadofeverycitizen whose birthright is of this soil, what’s below its seas This revolting,insultingExxonMobilcontractmustbeflusheddown thetoilet,dumpedtolivewhereitbelongs:inthesewagesystem Renegotiation of the ExxonMobil contract is the only way forward Itisrenegotiationandnootherway Guyanesemust buildtowardthatintensepitch,beyondthatmomentum

ThePPPCGovernmentasledbyPresidentAliandVice PresidentJagdeoareseeminglysomuchunderthethumbof ExxonMobilthattheonlywordthattheyparrotisNO! NO, to renegotiation of the oil contract that they once cursed. NO! to what they once promised Guyanese to change through ‘reviewing and renegotiating’ what is the equivalent of a potentially lethal virus on country and peoples. Whichleaderscanbesouncaringoftheircitizens, disdainful to their own promises? The president and vice president do not conduct themselves like national leaders whenGuyana’srichpatrimonyisinvolved. It’ssickeningto watchthem,howtheyapparentlyforcetheirheadsbetween their knees in efforts to avoid pressing ExxonMobil to renegotiate this disgusting oil contract. Their fear of challenging ExxonMobil for what is right for Guyana is palpable. Theirfeeblenessstandsasasymbolofshamefor all Guyanese. It is clear that President Ali and Vice President Jagdeo dread the word renegotiation, will not renegotiate,sobeholdentheyaretoExxonMobil.

TheleaderofthePNCROpposition,AubreyNorton,isa kindred soul withAli and Jagdeo where renegotiation of the contract is concerned He has struck the word renegotiation fromhisleadershipvocabulary Heiscomfortablebanishing renegotiationfromhisconversation,thendissembleaboutwhen hegetsintooffice,withanotherhedgebuilton‘engaging’theoil companiesformore AFCLeader,NigelHughes,hashiddenhis hand in his pocket, with no definitive public renegotiation posture ItissadthataGuyaneseofpowerandvigorcouldbeso cautious about renegotiation, while sheltering behind oil and gas committees that may mean nothing The circumstances surrounding Guyana’s oil patrimony call for, demand, renegotiationoftheExxonMobilslavecontract Fournational leadersspeakingwithonevoice:insomeshapeofreform,itis notorenegotiation ThesemenoffernothingtoGuyana,should notbearoundthisoil

Hiding his incompetence under the cloak of deception

DEAREDITOR, Roadswillbebuilt. New buildings will be erected. Fancy lights will adorn avenuesandotherrecreation sites. Publicplaceswilllook different as they change appearance. None of it will make Guyana a better place if it is led by the PPP. The reasonsareobvious.

AlthoughthePPPfalsely boasts that 98.3% of Guyana’s population has access to potable water, after nearly five years in office and billions of dollars spent, filthy water still comes through our taps whenitflows.

Newlyconstructedroads are decaying rapidly Governmentservicesremain erratic and unreliable Robberies by petty thieves and big shot crooks in high officeremainamenacetothe society The abusive and irresponsibleuseoftheroads make them perpetually unsafe Irregular and unreliable medical services continue to threaten our lives. We are tormented by these truths daily under an incompetent and corrupt government. Yet, President

Ali and other prominent leaders of the PPP try to deceive us about life in Guyana. They want us to believethatthehardshipswe face are a figment of our imagination. For him and other leaders of the PPP, deception is the art of good governance.

Themostrecentexample of the use of deception to mislead Guyanese can be found in the following remarksofhis:“Isaidbefore with GPL, that we inherited in2020,ascenariowhereno investments were made on the transmission and distribution line ” These remarks were made to some specially hand-picked reporters who were ‘interviewing’ Mr Ali, notwithstandingthefactthat evidence to the contrary exists.

Editor, here is the evidence of Mr Ali’s deception that serves this country no good but reveals that he and his Party are not worthy of leading Guyana. A Power Utility Upgrade Programme or PUUP was signed between Guyana and the Inter-American

Article

DevelopmentBank(IADB). This programme was also co-sponsored by the European Union (EU). It was signed by the PPP but implemented by the Coalition government. The purpose of the programme includedamongotherthings “reducing electricity loss andimprovingthereliability of the transmission and distribution systems”. Editor, more than USD37 million coming from the IADB and EU was invested in this programme. Yet, President Ali said that the Coalition did not invest in the transmission and distributionsystemsofGPL.

To further prove his deception, I wish to recall a News Room article dated September 8, 2016, which reportedthatGYD1.6billion was approved by Cabinet to cater for capital works, whichinclude“…upgrading the distribution systems and other facilities to improve electricity distribution ” That was equivalent to USD8millionoftheUSD37 million gotten from the IADB AND EU As additional evidence of Ali’s

deception, I refer to a Guyana Times article dated November 25, 2017, which pointed out that GPL had started “the rollout of a multibillion-dollar upgrade totheelectricitydistribution network for villages on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).” The spending on that activity is also referred toasaninvestment.

To disguise his incompetence and failure in theelectricitysector,Mr Ali refused to tell the specially hand-picked reporters listening to him that an additional USD20 million was borrowed by the Coalition government from the Islamic Development Bankin2018.

This story appeared in KaieteurNewsofSeptember 9, 2018, and it pointed out that the money was for the purpose of investing in the continued upgrade of the t r a n s m i s s i o n a n d distribution lines of GPL. The foregoing information points out that in three consecutive years money was either used or acquired toinvestinupgradingand (Continuedonpage06)

32.3 circumvents our Sovereign Powers

DEAREDITOR

, There was a recent letter in the press questioning the impact that Guyana could have on localized climate change.

It is important to remember that in Guyana, Exxon is targeting a very aggressiveproductionrateof 1.7millionbarrelsperdayby 2030(reference:oilnow).

This target when achieved will place Guyana ahead of the current level of several OPEC countries including Libya, Venezuela and Oman. The target also surpassesthecurrentlevelof theUK.Ourlocationandthe current delicate situation in the region increase the risk exposure that will result from this aggressive target that has been set by Exxon. This excludes other Oil companies coming online, whichwilladdtotheriskof increased exposure to the negative effects of localised climatechange. However, it should be notedthatArticle32.3ofthe production agreement

should be reviewed for its legality independent of whether one believes in the risk of localized climate change. The key issue with thearticlehastodowiththe circumventing of sovereign powers and the limiting of theGovernment’sabilityand the Judiciary’s ability to protect the public interest. Therefore, it is of utmost importancethattheHouseof Parliament discuss article 32.3 and have it brought before the courts for consideration.

Article 32.3 states, “If at anytimeafterthesigningof this Agreement there is a change in the laws of Guyanawhetherthroughthe amendment of existing laws (including the hydrocarbons law,thecustomscodeortax code) or the enactment of newlawsorachangehaving the force of law in the i n t e r p r e t a t i o n , implementation or applicationthereof(whether the change is specific to the Agreement, the Contractor or of general application)

and such change has a materially adverse effect on the economic benefits, including those resulting from the fiscal regime providedbythisAgreement, accruing to the Contractor hereunderduringthetermof this Agreement, the Government shall promptly take any and all affirmative actions to restore the lost or impaired economic benefits to Contractor, so that Contractorreceivesthesame economic benefit under the Agreement that it would have received prior to the change in law or its interpretation, application, orimplementation. Theforegoingobligation shall include the obligation to resolve promptly by whatever means may be necessary any conflict or anomaly between this Agreement and any such new or amended legislation, including by way of exemption, legislation, decree and/or other authoritative acts”

(Reference: 2016 Petroleum

Agreement between ESSO, CNOOC and HESS) Eventheinterpretationofthe law is circumvented by this article The Article in question has attempted to prevent any change to the stability of the agreement from that which existed at thetimeofsigning,butithas done so in a way that would allow it to remain in breach ofthelawifsuchabreachis determined.Worse, is that if thecontractordoesnotagree with the decisions of the GovernmentortheCourtsof Guyana then the contractor mayproceedtoarbitrationas outlined in the ensuing article.Thisprocessreduces theauthorityoftheJudiciary and the Government in the management of the Nation’s affairs.

A s p r e v i o u s l y mentioned, CRG calls upon the House of Parliament to discuss this matter and have it brought before our Nation’s courts for consideration.

Bestregards, Mr.JamilChanglee

Shedding some light on the ever-present underpinnings of racist messaging

DEAREDITOR

Afloat daily on the surface of the country’s political arena, putrid racist views spew forth from distorted consciences that brazenly manufacture and regurgitate frivolous claims to discredit the government, President Ali, or Vice President Jadeo (see for example Lincoln Lewis

12/31/24) Intent on instillingdoubtsintheminds of citizens, the racist verbiage - often designed to foster indifference and distrust – regularly focuses onheighteninganxietiesand divisiveness among the ethnically distinctive population sectors A content analysis of remarks madebyTerrenceCampbell aboutVicePresidentJagdeo would help in shedding some light on the everpresent underpinnings of racistmessaging.

Campbellassertsthatthe “VP has a genetic predisposition to eating his cake and having it.” This phrase,lacedwiththevenom of racism also inheres an insurmountable degree of

e v a s i v e n e s s , o r

obliviousness Let’s examine the “hows/whys” starting with the phrase “geneticpredisposition.”

To state that the Vice President “has a genetic predisposition [to eating his cake and having it],” is to claim that he has inherited certainbiologicaltraitsfrom his parents which predisposes him to want things “both ways ” Customarily, an intelligent person of colour – whether Afro,Indo,Mixed,orNative Guyanese - would refrain from making such ludicrous racist claims, much less brazenly asserts that someone is “genetically predisposed” to hereditary behavioral patterns. Why, mayoneask?

Ever since William Bateson coined the term

“genetic” (1905) in reference to the study of genesinplantsandanimals, Anglos (Whites) began to utilize the conceptual explanation of genetics to dehumanize, discredit, subjugate, oppress and exploit people of colourwhich includes Africans, I n d i a n s , C h i n e s e Portuguese, Mixed, Native etc. This they did because the genetic explanation provided them a convenient ploytoshiftfromaCultural

toaBiologicaldelineationof White superiority and domination over non-white humans. Prior to the use of genetics, Anglos, in efforts to maintain dominance over non-whites, classified such groups of people as primitive, uncivilized, savages, barbaric, heathens, chattel,throwbacksetc.,asif to authenticate that they are “Subhumans”. Given these facts,whythendidTerrence Campbell claim that, “The V P h as a g en etic predisposition?” Could it be becausehebelievesthatheis excluded from the racist schema of “genetic predisposition”?

Now,let’sfocusanalysis on the second half of Campbell’s statement, [the VP] “eating his cake and having it ” Literally, the phrase means “one can’t have two incompatible things at the same time,” or “one cannot have it both ways,” or, further still, “one cannot hold two mutually exclusive views as valid at the same time.” How can someone then be accused of being “genetically predisposed, to eating his cake and having it,” if it is not meant to discredit the person,oraccusehim/herof being dishonest or distrusting- i e , having thingsbothways?Itcouldbe that Terrence Campbell’s statement is subconsciously a n i n d i c a t i o n o f “psychological projection” which Encyclopedia Britannica defines as “the mental process by which people attribute to others whatisintheirownminds?”

T h i s c o n c e p t o f

“psychological projection” thenpromptsonetoaskasto who truly is “genetically predisposed”todishonestyhaving things both waysthe accuser [Campbell] or the accused [VP Jagdeo]? Youbethejudge.

Mindful of the above, G u y a n e s e o f a l l races/ethnicities should not finditdifficulttoapprehend

Carter’s History with Diaspora, Jagan, and Guyana

DEAREDITOR

, The deceased American P r e s i d e n t i s b e s t remembered for two issues relating to Guyanese

(diaspora) and other minoritiesinAmericaandto Guyana: Democracy and respect for human rights wereamongtheplanksofthe Carter Doctrine from which Guyana would benefit post his Presidency And he started a political trend in America for racial inclusivity;Blacksandother minoritieswereprominently i n c l u d e d i n h i s administration and treated with relative respect, a first for USA, and Guyanese i m m i g r a n t s w e

e beneficia

es Every administration thereafter included minorities. Today, theAmericanadministration reflects the ethnic compositionofthecountry

nd

Terence Campbell’s statement about Vice President Jagdeo as uninformedanddisgraceful. For Campbell to claim that “The VP has a genetic predisposition,” is to deny Anglos’ utilization of the samelabellingtodegradeall people of color of which Campbell IS A PART. Assuming one agrees that Jagdeo is genetically predisposed to his Indian ancestry, why exclude him from having such traits as Devout Religiosity, Math

Scientifically minded, since suchareregularlyassociated with individuals of Indian heritage? Farfetched?Think again. Many scientists from yesteryear and today have, and are combing through, and scrutinizing the Upanishads, Gita and Puranas–SrutisandSmritis - for explanations to cosmic energy, consciousness and the creation, preservation, and destruction of the u n i v e r s e i t s e l f .

Acknowledging Jagdeo’s genetic Indian ancestral grounding, does this then predisposes him to being eruditeandinspired?

(Continuedonpage06)

Much tribute has been written on Jimmy Carter’s role in restoring democracy in Guyana. Little space was given to the history of his contactwiththediasporaand involvement in Guyanese affairs When he was President, Guyana hardly figured in Carter’s foreign policy Burnham’s people at theUNwereveryclosewith AmbassadorAndrewYoung. TheAmerican policy was to

containtheSovietUnionand Young had cordial relations with Guyanese diplomats withacalmingeffectonany planned radical policies of Georgetown. Carter, like his predecessors, through Young’s advice, preferred BurnhamoverJagan,andas such every American administration closed its eyes to human rights abuses in Guyana during the period of the dictatorship American Presidents from JohnsontoBushSr.werenot pleased with Burnham, but for them he was a lesser threat than Jagan to the interestsofUSA.Onlywhen communism collapsed in 1990 that Washington no longer viewed Jagan as a threat to western interests. BythenJaganhadmellowed and was willing to engage capitalists Pressure was brought by Washington on Desmond Hoyte to restore democratic governance and holdfreeandfairelectionsin Guyana paving the way for the return of Jagan to office after being out to pasture by Britain and USA for 28 years.LobbyingbytheIndo Club in the diaspora helped to usher in democracy in Guyana.

Carter served as

PresidentfromJanuary1977 to January 1981 Many

Guyanese were allowed to come to USA during this period as students and with residency This writer came to USA to pursue tertiary education in 1977 A universitystudentgroupwas launched in 1977 at CCNY l e d b y B a y t o r a m Ramharack, Vassan Ramracha, myself and othersthatlobbiedtheCarter WhiteHouseandsubsequent administrations to put pressure on the Guyana dictatorship to respect human rights and restore democratic rule. A PPP support group was already active in the mid 1970s, but becauseofitsleftistideology it did not display much interest in lobbying Washington to help restore democracyinthehomeland. Several members of the leftistgroupsawAmericaas beingresponsiblefortherise ofthe Burnhamdictatorship and of exploiting Guyana following the toppling of Jagan in December 1964. And thus appealing to Washington was not a priority for the group although it did approach ‘progressive’ members of Congresstohelpitsleftwing cause The Indo Club consistently appealed to Washingtontoapply (Continuedonpage06)

Shedding some light on the ever-present...

Frompage05

Terrence Campbell may find this baffling, if not irritable by such an assertion, while the Vice President will acknowledge such genetic attribution of brilliancetobedisquieting.

As the new year progresses, and elections daydrawsnearer,opposition leaders,withtheirorchestras of bellicose acolytes, will continue to belt out racist’s lyrics as they compete to perform on the open platform of public opinion.

Some band members – like LincolnLewiswhorendered tunes of aggressive resistance (12/31/24) will

likelycontinuetospewsuch threats.

W

y

quotedMartinLutherKing, L e w

d t o acknowledge that King believed in, and, practiced “Passive (Nonviolent) Resistance ” Hence, what Guyanese truly need resist i

y propagandizing racist chatter of indifference, divisiveness and distrust suchasthatofLewis

Ingeneral,thepeoplesof Guyana need to resist oppositions’ rancorous renditions of strife and instability–indicatorsofthe desperate search to stymie

the PPP/C inroads into a united Guyanese society Opposition leaders view such emerging unity as a hindrance to their ascension o

Henceforth, Guyanese needstobepreparedthatthe power-starved destabilizers of a democratic, developing and societally harmonious Guyana, will revise and refashion renditions of their politicallyricswiththehope that many would dance to t h e i r w o r n - o u t propagandistic tunes of racismandaggression.

Regards

NarayanPersaud,PhD ProfessorEmeritus

Hiding his incompetence under the cloak...

Frompage04

improvingthetransmissionanddistribution linesofGPL.

Editor, Mr. Ali peddles his deception about GPL to cover up the mismanagement ofthatcompanybyhisadministration.

Even two leased power ships failed to undo the damage done to the sector by PPP mismanagement.

In this regard, the failed promise of “no blackoutduringtheholidays”refers.

The electricity problems that Guyana is

facing today are a direct result of the failure of his administration to manage the electricitysectorproperly.

The sad consequence of his deception is that errors and substandard works are trivialized.

As a result, poor service will continue into the future if the PPP remains in office

Sincerely,

MervynWilliams, FormerMemberofParliament

Spectre and Tepui Contracts on pump stations

DEAREDITOR, The Minister of Agriculture threatened Spectre and Tepui on the construction of pump stationsonPouderoyn,West Bank,andBelleVue,Region 5. Is the Minister serious? Weren’t there previous warnings? Don’t these companies have close incestuous ties to Freedom House and the Vice President?

Can actions really be takenagainstthem?

The media reported that both companies lacked experience in construction of pump stations or any kind of construction before getting thecontracts.

ItisreportedthatTepui is owned by one Mikhail Rodrigues, also known as “Critic”.

He also received other contracts that are facing constructiondifficulties.

Itisreportedthattheson of a former Minister owns

Spectre. Can the Minister confirm who owns Spectre? The Minister was forced to resign over repeated sex allegations.

It is also reported that Spectre has received multiple contracts and has faced difficulties in completingthem.

Why aren’t contracts being given to companies with experience and competence?

Yourstruly, P.Mann

Carter’s History with Diaspora, Jagan...

Frompage05 pressure on the Guyanese dictatorship to restore democratic governance

After the collapse of communism, taking a cue fromJagan,theleftistgroup began lobbying Washington to pressure Hoyte to hold freeandfairelections.

GuyanesegroupsinUSA had little influence in Washington as they were small and lacked lobbying resources to win over the WhiteHouseorCongresson matters pertaining to Guyana. The leftists were out of touch with reality; they were never t pragmatic in a capitalist democracy

Our university group, Indo Club founded in 1977, sought the assistance of (Asian)Indianorganisations thatalreadyhadafootholdin Washington to raise matters pertaining to human rights abusesinGuyana.

Our group worked closely with Asian Indian organizationsandtheIndian media (India Abroad and NewsIndia)toexposerights abusesinGuyana.TheAsian Indians were very sympathetic and supportive of our cause attending our programs at college and rallies in NYC and allowing us to march in their India Day parade every year from 1981 to bring global attentiononGuyana.

OurguywasYashpalSoi who was key to raising Guyanese matters with the House and Congress. Our group and Essequibian Ramesh Kalicharran convinced him to assist Jagan in the struggle for FFE.HewasChiefEngineer in NYC and did fundraiser for Carter’s re-election as wellasforseveralMembers ofCongress;afewGuyanese were attendees at fundraisers This writer often attended events as a reporter and supporter Yadhpaulhadclosecontacts

and a voice in Washington that Guyanese groups lacked, and he put us in contactwiththem.

He also had a weekly radio program and hosted Jagan multiple times to discuss Guyana issues. He also raised funds for Jagan and introduced him to Members of Congress. Soi was a founding member of FIAand became a founding member of GOPIO after its convention in 1989 where Jagan was invited as a special guest through the interventionofRaviDevand myself.There, with the help of convener Dr Thomas Abraham at our urging, JaganwasintroducedtoRon Brownwhowaschairofthe Democratic Party Brown was earlier a key aide to Senator Ted Kennedy. Through our lobbying, Kennedy issued a statement calling for free and fair elections in Guyana. Other Members of Congress followedsuit.

Around this time, we also appealed to Arthur Schlesingertomeetwithand assist Jagan in the struggle for FFE; Schlesinger played aroleintopplingJaganfrom office.

Schlesinger was my Professor for three doctoral courses and we talked a lot about Guyana. I appealed to himtomeetJagan;theymet at Nation Magazine headquarters, and he apologisedtoJagan.Healso wroteapiececallingforFFE inGuyana.

Yashpaul,theIndoClub, GOPIOandHassanRahman appealed to Carter Center to assist with restoration of democracy in Guyana Carter and his wife Roslyn knewYashpalSoi.

A letter was sent by our group appealing to the Center to meet with Jagan whohimselfhadalsowritten to the Center at our (Dev, Ramharack, and myself)

urging when we met at the global Indian convention in 1989.AJagan meeting with Carter and his team took place in 1990 with the f o r m e r P r e s i d e n t committing to assist if he is welcomed in Guyana by the government.

M e a n w h i l e , a n understanding was reached between Moscow and Washington to bury the ideological hatchet Democracy was beginning to mushroom globally following the collapse of communism.

At the lobbying of Members of Congress through our efforts, President Bush issued a statementcallingforfreeand fair elections in Guyana, tying aid to it. Carter was urged to visit Guyana, funded by Washington, to meet with Hoyte and convince him to hold FFE. The US Embassy organized a meeting between Carter and Hoyte with the latter refusing to budge on demandsforFFE.Awarning was issued by Washington. As he was heading for the airportandpresumablywith negative news to report to Pres Bush on restoring democracy in Guyana, Hoyte called Carter acquiescing to the conditionsforFFE. Had Hoyte not agreed to holding FFE, sanctions would have kicked in as threatened by Bush. Carter wouldleadthedelegationto monitor the 1992 elections. Attempttoderailtheelection failed.ThreattoCarter’slife was not enough to prevent a declaration of Jagan as the v i c t o r C a r t e r institutionalized democracy inGuyana.Andthediaspora, Guyanese as well as from India,playedacriticalrolein Carter’s involvement in Guyaneseaffairs.

YoursSincerely VishnuBisram

Govt. aiming to bring all funds for decommissioning into joint account with ExxonM

Vice President Bharrat JagdeoonThursdaysaidthat the decommissioning fund forfutureoilprojectswillbe managed by both Guyana andExxonMobil,evenashe said the long-term goal of the government is to get the funds previously deducted intothesameaccount.

This was disclosed on Thursdayathisweeklypress conference while he was responding to a question posedbytheKaieteurNews. Thereporteraskedthechief policymakerinGuyana'soil and gas sector “How will y o u e n s u r e t h a t decommissioning cost don't fall on Guyana and why hasn't a detailed plan been published to address this mostseriousissue?”

Jagdeo said while the decommissioning costs can be speculated, he does not want to do that, however he disclosed that in the previous agreement by the APNU administration the m o n i e s f o r deco0mmissioning were being kept by the investors. “So they have been deducting money and keeping it in that account thattheysaidtheyhave,”he said.

He added, “We know whatthesumsaretheyandI think that was given some time in the past. I can't remember what it is now But what did we do? The same way, we changed the PSA and effectively renegotiated the other contracts outside the StabroekBlock,wepasseda new Act, and the act now

VicePresident, Bharrat Jagdeo

says, if you have the decommissioning cost, you havetokeepitinanaccount held jointly between the government and the oil and gascompanies.”

Jagdeo explained that the last permit government issued, ExxonMobil is now required to deposit the decommissioningcostofthe project once it begins, into the account. He said he is hopefulthatallofthemonies the company had been h o l d i n g f o r decommissioning for the current producing projects will be able be added to the account.

“But from the previous project, we're hoping, over time now, that the law is there,thatthenexttalkwe'll have to have with Exxon… over time, that will happen. But we have, corrected something that APNU screwedupagain.”

Back in November last yearthisnewspaperreported

Natural Resources Minister, VickramBharratconfirming that ExxonMobil will now berequiredtofollowaseries of robust decommissioning rules as outlined in the nation's Petroleum Activities Law While the new rules only came into effect in August 2024, the minister said they shall apply to all of Exxon's projects in the Stabroek Block, including those passed prior to the enactmentofthelegislation. In the oil and gas industry, decommissioning refers to the process of safely dismantling and disposing of offshore and onshore oil and gas facilities once they reach the end of their productivelife.

This involves cleaning up the site, removing equipment, plugging wells to prevent leaks, and restoringtheenvironmentas closely as possible to its originalstate.

This process is also crucial for minimising harmful environmental impacts, ensuring safety, and complying with regulatory requirements Decommissioning is also a costly exercise, sometimes demanding billions of US dollars hence countries are often advised to mandate that oil companies set aside money in a fund for this purpose.

This fund ensures that the country is not left to carrytheburdenofhandling those costs which ought to be covered by the oil companies.

Goldproductionincreased in2024–Pres.Ali

President Irfaan Ali on Tuesday during his end-of-year press conference revealed that gold production has increased in 2024 whencomparedtothepreviousyear

“As of, a few hours before I came to the press conference, they told me gold has exceeded last year's production… I don't have the final numbers on that,” he said without divulging any further detail in relationtotheincrease.

Withinthefirstthreemonthsof2024,the Bank of Guyana (BoG) reported that the country's gold declaration decreased. The BoG 2024 Half Year Report explained that totalgolddeclarationsdeclinedby10.3%to 188,160 troy ounces, reflecting lower declarations by small and medium scale miners.

The report said that, “The sole foreign company'sdeclarationgrewby35.3percent to 68,557 troy ounces, due to continued

undergroundminingoperations.”

Meanwhile,CentralBanksaidsmalland medium scale miners' declarations declined by 24.8 percent to 119,603 troy ounces, resulting from dry weather which affected miners in the first quarter of the year while heavy rainfall stymied operations in the second quarter of the year. It was also explainedthatshortageoflabourhasbeena challenge within the industry as miners sought better opportunities within the petroleumsubsector

However, despite these challenges, the subsector is expected to grow slightly by 2 1% for the year Moreover, this publication had reported that in Guyana's gold industry, there has been a noticeable decline in declarations over the past few years. KaieteurNewshadreportedthatfrom 2019 to 2023, gold declarations dropped by approximately 209,000 troy ounces, accordingtotheBOGannualreports.

GUYSUCO’s problems are political not managerial

The sugar industry

has been for

c e n t u r i e s Guyana’s agricultural backbone. Yet, its struggles have persisted for decades.

The cause? Political meddling, not managerial shortcomings.

GUYSUCO’s managers have always included some ofthecountry’sbest.Ifthere are any persons who understand the sugar industry,theyaretobefound within GUYSUCO. Many were even recruited by overseas sugar firms. The talent is undeniable. The problemlieselsewhere.

Politicalinterferencehas b e e n t h e b a n e o f GUYSUCO’s existence

Under the APNU+AFC, meddling reached alarming levels. The sugar reform process was hijacked Thousands of workers were sent home Estates were shuttered The industry’s scalewasreduced,crippling its efficiency These decisionsdidnotcomefrom themanagement.Theywere political But the PPPC

governments are not blameless.Theyhadamajor part in GUYSUCO’s demise. The Skeldon Sugar Factoryisaglaringexample

of this complicity Conceived as a flagship project,itbecameafinancial black hole. Resources that could have sustained the industryweredrained.

The PPPC’s interference

d i d n ’t e n d t h e r e

Experienced managers were sidelined Inexperienced leadership was implanted.

The result? Increased woes for an already struggling corporation.

Today, the politicization continues. Political leaders o p e n l y t h r e a t e n management changes. This undermines the role of GUYSUCO’sBoard.Itisthe Board that should hold management accountable The political directorate should hold the Board

accountable Instead, political leaders scapegoat

m a n a g e m e n t

Announcements of imminent changes spotlight themeddling.

The APNU+AFC’s right-sizingplanwasflawed. Capping production to 150,000 tonnes per annum

was ill-conceived

Economies of scale were

ignored Political interference persisted ‘Outsiders’ took over one staffcompound.Assetswere eitherplunderedorlefttorot. Theindustrystruggledunder crushing debt.Amajor loan was taken from a private bank. This further saddled the corporation with debt. Buttheimplicitmessagewas notlost.“Youmustrowyour ownboat.Wearenotbailing you out in the future.” The plan was doomed from the start. The cost to the local economy by downsizing, under the guise of rightsizing,wasnotfactoredinto theeconomicsofreform.

The PPPC’s approach hasn’t been better Reopening closed estates without examining whether a large enough workforce could be reengaged was

illogical. Many of the workers who left the industryorwerefiredarenot returning They have abandoned cutting cane Floods, droughts, and a fire atAlbionhaveworsenedthe situation.Productionin2024 was affected by these developments.

The PPPC’s strategy is aimless The results are predictable.EvenMrKnowit-Alliswashinghishandsof theproblemsofGUYSUCO.

GUYSUCOisvitaltothe rural economy Both APNU+AFC and PPPC governmentsunderstandand acknowledge this. Yet, their actions belie their words. ThevisionforGUYSUCOis myopic It’s confined to sugar The corporation’s potentialisignored.

GUYSUCO can be more.Itcandiversify Itcan evolve.Itcantransform.But political meddling blocks progress. The corporation’s potentialremainsuntapped. ImagineGUYSUCOasa national agricultural corporation. It could import fertilizers.

It could support rice and cash crop farmers. It could dominate the agricultural inputs market But this requiresvision.Visionthat’s lacking. But to go in this directionistogoagainstthe bourgeois class that dominates the market for agricultural imports. Some politically-connected persons are also part of this market.

Imagine GUYSUCO as an industrial corporation. It couldservicetheoilandgas

DEM BOYS SEH

Dreamsdocometrue

Happy NewYear, readers! Dem Boys want fuh thank all yuh who been reading this lil column over the past year Without yuh laughs and support, this column woulda feel like a church service wid no congregation. Dem Boys wish yuh all de best fuh 2025. May this be de year when yuhdreamscometrue—well,mostahdem!

Dem Boys seh, life funny so. Some dreams does take time fuh happen. Some dreams need a lil more hard work. And some dreams? Well, dem better stay as dreams! But remember, is a new year, so keep dreaming and keep laughing. Dem Boys hope yuh 2025 full of surprises—de goodkind,ofcourse!

Talking bout dreams, Dem Boys hear dis joke and just had fuh share it. A man—plentyahy’allknowdeman—went

sector. It could supply machineryandequipment.It couldbecomeakeyplayerin industrial development. It could be involved in machining and fabrication and could, in so doing, find higher-paying jobs for trained young people. But this requires bold decisions. Decisions that aren’t politicallymotivated.

ImagineGUYSUCOasa housingcorporation.Instead of selling lands at belowmarket prices, GUYSUCO can compete with private housing developers. It can make big money from housingdevelopment.

G U Y S U C O h a s cultivation that is abandoned Those lands could be leased to private farmers to make money for thecorporation.

GUYSUCO is still responsiblefordrainageand irrigation in many areas. It couldbegiventheexclusive management of coastal drainage and irrigation. It could lead coastal

development. It should be paid for these services Instead, the government pours billions into the National Drainage and IrrigationAuthority(NDIA). Money that can be given to GUYSUCO to do the same work GUYSUCO’s potentialissidelined.

GUYSUCOcanbemade into a commercial titan, like Booker’s was Instead, foreigncompaniesdominate machinery imports GUYSUCO’s trading potentialisoverlooked.

Politicalvisionisabsent. Political meddling has turned GUYSUCO into a pawn Management is scapegoated. Solutions are superficial. The root causes remainunaddressed.

It’s time to change course It’s time to depoliticize GUYSUCO

The Board must be empowered No manager must be allowed to speak to theChairmanoftheBoardin themanneronemanagerwas recordedasdoinginthepast.

NO CEO must be appointed p o l i t i c a l l y S u c h appointments must come from the Board. Managers must be allowed to manage. Political leaders must step back. Accountability must beredefined.

GUYSUCO’s problems arepolitical,notmanagerial. Its survival depends on political reform, not just managerial adjustments GUYSUCOneedsvisionary leadershipatthelevelofthe Board. Leadership that sees beyond sugar Leadership t h a t e m b r a c e s diversification The rural economy depends on GUYSUCO The nation depends on its success Politicalmeddlingmustend. The corporation’s potential must be unleashed not curtailed.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)

to sleepon OldYear’s Night. In he dream, de Vice President come to him and seh, “When you wake up, yuh gon have plenty money.”

Demanwakeupexcitedlikehewinde lottery,butwhenhecheckhepocket,itstill emptylikeadrum.Hevexbutdecidefuhgo backtosleep.

This time, de President show up in he dream and seh, “Don’t worry, when you wakeup,abrand-newcargonbewaitingin yuhdriveway.”Demanwakeupandpeep throughhewindow Notevenabicyclewas there.Nowhereallyfrustrated.

Determined,hegobacktosleepagain. Dis time, he dream he was in de toilet urinating.Whenhewakeup,loandbehold, he discovered that some dreams do come true. Talkhalf.Leffhalf

Exxon Awards

It's time for the first Exxon Annual Awards. These prestigious, much sought after, awards are a musthaveforthecompany's top strivers, overachievers, and uber performers. In the limited confines of a thumbnail, these superstars

s t a n d a s s u p e r b representations of Exxon's most trusted, most reliable assets: its priceless human components, as found anywhere in the world,

including at its own Spring, Texas High Command complex. Whereelsewould they be nestled sparklingly, but in the dazzling jewels in Exxon'scrown-Guyana?

Themostcovetedaward, thebestthattheAmericanoil juggernaut has to offer is MostPrizedWorker,Partner, Performer of the Year To Guyana's Bharrat Jagdeo belongsthatgoldcup,along withahugandakissonboth cheeks. Bharrat Jagdeo as

the winner was such a foregone conclusion that Exxon bigwigs didn't even consider another candidate, lookatanotherenvelope. It is a most deserving award; nobody, but nobody, none anywhere on this planet [or any other] has labored so intensely on Exxon's behalf. Congratulations,Dr Jagdeo; all those strenuous efforts, those astonishing feats of verbalgymnastics,havepaid off. WhoamItobegrudgea

man recognized for the lusciousfruitsofhistoil? At the risk of mixing metaphors, this award is the icingonthecake. Hundreds o f t h o u s a n d s o f impoverished Guyanese could have a lavish New Year just dreaming of the richnessofthatcakeitself.

Excellency, Dr MohamedIrfaanAlicopsthe award for Most Cherished, SacredBattlerforExxon. It was President Ali's valiant defense of the company's contract,asenshrinedinthat one word representing so much. Sanctity ForExxon and Ali, sanctity is untouchable motherhood, fatherhood, brotherhood, sisterhood, in the mighty neighborhood of Exxon Guyana. Ahood is the first bastion of hoodlums, bums, and scums, and that is the best place for that contract and any sanctity attached to it This repugnant construction is damned when Guyanese are hungry, live-inpoverty

The third most glittering award (guess who?), for Most Creative, Most Energetic, Most Tireless companymanforExxon,the winnerbyabriskcanter,the champion of champions, is Attorney General, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, MP, JP, ET Toenlightenmyfellow Guyanese, the latter is not extraterrestrial, but Exxon's Tribune. Have these three industrious Guyanese sons excelled above and beyond the call of country and company! Who else could have won these highest honors that Exxon could bestow? Ambassador Sam Hindscomesfaintlytomind, departs just as fleetingly But there is no other, my fellow Guyanese, but these

three Guyanese who I am pleased to call my brothers. How wish that some of their a c r o b a t i c s a n histrionics would rub off on me. Just a speck or two, so I can have the experience of giving my all for Exxon, self-promotion, and nation in that order, and in the fundamentalist way thattheydid. Asaqualifier, Drs Ali, Jagdeo, and Nandlall make me proud to bewhoIam,andhowIam. I willbenoother

Then, there is the next tierofaccoladesandmedals andribbons,andwhoknows whatelse,intheExxonlong lineup and big bag of being goodto,anddoinggoodfor, its most dearly beloved Guyanese. There is the award for Most Inspiring Contributor, Most Resilient Operator, Most Thankless Laborer, which is now proudly owned by the joint winners,OppositionLeaders Aubrey Norton and Nigel Hughes. Neverbeforeinthe history of this Magnificent Oil Province, Guyana, has therebeensuchadynamofor a duo, never have so much been given, with so little coming back to the Guyanese people. Never before has Exxon owed so much as to these two for holding the line, for straddling mines in a no man'sland.

Silent guerilla fighters, invisible operators, they have been for the cause of Exxon and that other word thatisequatedwithkings. It begins with a c and it is not cotton. Asecret peek at the judges' scorecard reveals that the competition was extremely close for this hallowedtrophy Thus,only joint winners would do

justice to the proceedings and any long-term cachet to be attached to the trophies andchampions. Asanaside, the three-member panel of Exxon judges included Mr Darren Woods and Mr Alistair Routledge. May anyonewhointerpretsthatto mean that the award (and other company) books are cooked from beginning to e

interestingtimes.

There is one last award left in Exxon Christmas Santasack. ItisfortheMost Immovable Force, the Most Imp

standing by the side of Exxon, Western energy

prosperity

There could have been onlyonewinner Ladiesand gentlemen,thereisGuyana's Environmental Protection Agency(EPA). Nojobistoo dirty, no racket takes it too low,andnoalleyistoodark, for Guyana's EPA. It is dedication to duty at its finest. Since nobody, local orforeign,isgoingtoaward meanything,Ithoughtitbest to give one to myself. The Wisest Fool in the Southern Hemisphere.

For those who refuse to get with Exxon's program, prostitute self for its visions (and, yes, that other incentive,too),thenthat'sall thatiscoming. HappyNew Year,everyone.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)

BLUNT BLUNT

These fare for media conferences

Yesterday, Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo was at it again complaining about low coverage in the media of the various press conferences hosted by government ministers.

Most of these events and we call them events were of propaganda value and provided no real answers to the varied issues in society today. As we have said before the PPPC Government and its leaders and ministers never fail to exploit to the fullest for the maximum effect. President Ali is not in the league of Vice President Jagdeo as yet, but he has shown that he is in love with the sledgehammer and bludgeon.

Both national leaders are always quick to point out the need to attract more foreign investors, but this is the crude leadership standard that they greet them with, reassuring them that the difficult are under control. The irony of President Ali and Vice President Jagdeo is that their press conferences (engagement, encounters, whatever) are characterized by well broadcasted bluster and bravado when dealing with locals. However, when the two leaders should be at their strongest and frankest, i.e., with foreign investors and partners, there is operating in secrecy, surrendering on their knees, and speaking in respectful tones. They very quickly and efficiently find manners and mind their manners when foreigners are in the room.

The media is not engaged then, but blocked out. When the media dare to ask pertinent questions on vital issues, both Ali and Jagdeo retreat behind walls of silence, or bash independent media professionals with verbal broadsides. Both Ali and Jagdeo prefer the soft questions, the sweet subjects that are not among the most concerning issues in the minds of Guyanese. Guyanese taxpayers' millions are misused to make friendly media men and women into spectacles of themselves. Key information is twisted or withheld on crucial issues, like oil.

Gold miner stabbed to death by co-worker

Agold miner was on Wednesday, fatally stabbed by his co-worker during an altercation at Kumung Kumung Backdam, Puruni River, Region7(Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

McPhoy, also known as 'Bat,' has reportedlyconfessedtothecrimebut claimsitwasanactofself-defence.

According to a police statement, McPhoy and Kenny's employer, businessman Rhyburn Elcock, provided details of the incident. ElcocktoldpolicethatKennyarrived at his shop drunk and became

The deceased, Reinsford Kenny, was reportedly intoxicated when he became involved in a dispute with AlphaOsafhaMcPhoy,a28-year-old gold miner from Georgetown, who has been arrested in connection with thestabbing.

disorderly and he removed him from thepremises.

Elcock later learned that a confrontation had occurred outside, during which McPhoy allegedly stabbedKenny

Another co-worker Jermain Sampson, attempted to break up a knife altercation between Kenny and the suspect, and sustained stab woundshimself.

Sampson later discovered Kenny lyingmotionlesswithachestwound. Police said, “the suspect, Alpha McPhoy,admittedtostabbingKenny duringanaltercation,claimingitwas inself-defenceafterKennyallegedly attackedhimwithaknife.”

The murder weapon has been recovered, and McPhoy remains in custody. Investigations into the incidentareongoing.

$402Mtissueculturefacilitytoreducefoodimportbill - Agri Minister

Mi

Agriculture,

Z u l f i k a r

Mustapha on Monday said that the construction of the $402.5milliontissueculture facility is a step towards enhancing the country's agricultural capabilities and reducing its food import dependency

The agriculture minister revealed this during the Ministry's end-of-year press conference held at his ministry's main office located on Brickdam, Georgetown.

Notably,theconstruction of the facility is ongoing at

the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) andwillbelocatedalongthe East Coast of Demerara (ECD).

This project, is a collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and India's Energy Resource Institute.

Mustapha explained that the facility's development started on March 2, 2024, with a total cost breakdown of $179 million for the building and $223 million forthenecessaryequipment. Thefacilityisexpectedtobe operational by the first quarter of 2025, making it a

majormilestoneinGuyana's agriculturaldevelopment.

Currently, Guyana's tissue culture production is limited, with only about 15,000 plantlets being produced across its 11 nurseries.

However, the Minister explained, "when this is completed it will have the capacitytoproducemillions of plantlets."

"Now we are just producingjustbelow15,000 plantlets becausewehave nurseriesacrossthecountry, almost 11 nurseries but it don't have the capacity to produce like these…so this

would be here a game changerforusbecauseitwill produce a number of crops that we want," the minister stated.

Thefacilitywillfocuson growing a variety of crops, including pineapples, plantains, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, coconuts, and blackberries, which are commonlyimported.

Itwillalsoallowforthe

large-scale cultivation of crops like cassava, citrus, roses, ginger, turmeric, s t r a w b e r r i e s , a n d raspberries, which are key imports that are in high demandlocally

"So, this will help us to reduceourfoodimportbill,"

The agriculture minister asserted while disclosing that the tissue culture processwillensurethatplant

materialsproducedinthelab are free from pests and diseases.

Minister Mustapha reiterated that the lab's output will not only help meet local demand but also support the country's growingexportmarketwhile positioning Guyana as a leader in agricultural production within the Caribbean.

Guyana records 33% decline in domestic violence homicides

DPI–Therehasbeena33 per cent decrease in the number of homicides due to domestic Violence in 2024, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security announced.

The government invested $150 million to address sexual offences and genderbased violence at the start of 2024 which enabled the Minister of Human Services and Social Security to launch anumberofmeasures.

The ministry supported approximately 1,500 individualsthroughitsSexual Offences and Domestic Violence Unit As well, initiatives such as the Hope and Justice Centre, provided counselling, legal aid and other essential services to victimsofabuse.

On Tuesday, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud, credited the 914 hotline for helping to reduce incidences of domestic violence.

Duringheryear-endpress conference at the ministry's Georgetown office, Dr Persaud disclosed that the hotline received over 14,000 calls which included 293 that were related to domestic violence.

This service allowed the ministry to intervene in cases of violence when necessary and to effectively monitor incidents.

Dr.Persaudexpressedher satisfaction with the ministry's progress while acknowledging the need for continuedimprovements. She also highlighted the introduction of the Family Violence Act 2024, which addressed a wide range of civil and criminal issues relatedtofamilyviolence.

Passed in the National Assembly in August of last year, the Act protects every memberofafamilyfromany type of violence, including sexualandverbalabuse.

First phase of e-record system to begin at GPHC early this year

Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, announced that the implementation of phase one of the muchanticipatedElectronicMedical Record (EMR) system will begin at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC)earlythisyear

The EMR system is a key c o m p o n e n t o f t h e government's broader digital health agenda designed to replace the paper-based data system with digitised medical records.Dr Anthonyprovided theupdateonTuesdayduringa year-end press conference at hisministry'sBrickdamoffice inGeorgetown.

The project is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) with16companiessubmitting bids to design, supply, and install the electronic system.

Dr Anthony noted that while someprogresshasbeenmade, “Ittookusquiteawhiletoget through all the hurdles. That contractisnowbeingawarded; A United Kingdom company

wonthebidandthatbidisfor US$3.3 million. We would start with phase one at Georgetown Public Hospital and its satellite clinics. Once thatissuccessfullycompleted, wewouldthenbeabletorollit outtotheotherhospitals,”the ministersaid.

The integrated electronic system will have a patient's medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatments, and test results. This will enable healthcare professionals to make informed decisions regarding patient care, facilitate better patient referrals or transfers and improve the efficiency and accuracy of documentation. Additionally, the new esystem will reduce patients' waiting time while improving theoverallexperienceathealth facilities countrywide The EMR system is just one of several measures being implemented by the ministry to establish an efficient healthcare system in the country (DPI)

Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr. Vindhya Persaud at the media conference

Hope and Justice Centre, Vergenoegen

Mohameds drop lawsuit after Sgt. Bascom apologises over murder accusations

Prominent businessman, Azruddin Mohamed has dropped the $200M lawsuit againstPoliceSergeantDion Bascom.

Bascom was sued by Mohamed for implicating himinthemurderofRicardo Fagundes called 'Paper Shorts'.Fagundes,42,agold miner and biker of Kitty, Georgetown was gunned down outside a popular Night Club on Main Street, GeorgetowninMarch2021.

At the time of his death, Fagundes and his close friend, Roger Khan, were togethersharingafewdrinks with other acquaintances at the night spot in the capital city Hehadsteppedoutofthe establishment to move a pick-up closer to the establishment's entrance but as he was heading to the vehicle, two men emerged

from a white tinted Toyota fielder wagon and riddled him with bullets using high powered weapons and escaped in the waiting car afterwards.

On Thursday, the businessman revealed that hewithdrewthecaseagainst Bascom.

Mohamed told this newspaperthathedecidedto withdrawthematterafterthe policeman apologized for theimplication. He said: “We just drop because it's a waste of time going after that. We didn't haveanythingtogainfromit andBascomreachedoutand apologized, so I forgave him…I'msorryforhimheis out of a job and is in a real bad situation.”According to the lawsui

led by Mohamed'sattorney,Naresh Poonai, Mohamed was seekingmorethan$100Min

damages for defamation as well as exemplary, punitive and/or aggravated damages in excess of $100M.He was alsoaskingtheHighCourtto restrain the cop from uttering, repeating, posting, printing, sharing and otherwise disseminating the defamatory content, as well

compelling him to forthwith permanently remove the Facebookposts.

Accordingtothelawsuit, the lawyer described Mohamed as a wellrespected businessman widely popular and well-

known for his philanthropic efforts as he supports multiple charities, not-forprofit organisations, events, and Guyanese who are in need of financial assistance relating to social, economic ormedicalhardship.

Assuch,Poonaiclaimed that, the cop's utterances are

untrue, false, disingenuous, malicious, irrational, unfair, unsubstantiated, unfounded andbaseless.

He said that statements were made with the sole intent of tarnishing and l

reputation and causing great

psychological trauma, emotional distress, and publichumiliation.

Bascom had posted videos on Facebook on August 11, 12, 13 and 19 –shortly after he was arrested by the Customs A

(CANU) in relation to cocaine found in a house on Norton Street, Georgetown andlaterreleased–accusing the businessman and senior police officers of a massive cover-upintheinvestigation into the execution of Fagundes.

Govt. to retender for Amaila Falls project

Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday announced thatthegovernmentwillonceagain tenderforacontractortoundertake the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project(AFHP).

This publication understands that this is the third time since assuming office in 2020 that the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)Administration is seeking acontractorfortheproject.

TheVPwasaskedforanupdate on the project on Thursday during his weekly press conference. He said, “So we will have to retender the project, right now the last bids we got came in a long time, we didn'tfocusonitbutwewillhaveto retenderthatproject.”

Confirmingthattheprojectwill roll over in his party's 2025 manifesto, the VP stated that his government has committed to havinganenergymixforthefuture thatissustainable.

“Whatwehavecommittedto,is an energy mix, that is sustainable and hydropower is part of that energymixsoithastobepartofour ongoing plan So, it is a combinationofgas,wind,solarand hydro that is the energy mix of the future.

Clearly, we are moving to the gas which you saw will cut our emission profile, we are doing somesolarweareexaminingwind but for smaller communities and hydro will be a part of it, so it will have to roll over as part of our commitment to a cleaner energy mix for the future as part of our energy transition so the answer is yes,”heexplained.

KaieteurNewshadreportedlast year that the government would revivetheAmailaFallsprojectafter

talks fell through with the contractor, a year earlier The government later issued a Revised Requests for Proposals (RFP) under a Build-Own-OperateTransfer (BOOT) model for the AmailaFallsproject.

Four local and international firms submitted proposals to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) officeforthe165megawatts(MW) Amaila Falls project that was scheduled to begin in 2027 However, the project is currently stalled.

In September, Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo said, “…So,

we'll probably have to either engage the best of those [the four contractorsthatwereprequalified], or ultimately probably go out back toanotherprocess…”

TheAmailaFallsHydroproject was introduced by a previous PPP/C Administration in 2011. However, the project was shelved onmanyoccasions.

The project faced obstacles in its realization when the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) Opposition parties, stopped the project back in 2014. In its 2020 election manifesto, the PPP-administration noted that the

projectwillberevived.

In 2021, negotiations hit a stalemate after Cabinet granted a no-objection for the Prime Minister's Office to engage the China Railway Group Limited for construction.

Discussions faltered as the company sought to alter the project's model due to financing challenges for the BOOT model, requesting a shift to an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) model. The governmentwasreluctanttoswitch to the EPC option, resulting in the talks with the Chinese contractor comingtoanend.

In the revised RFP, the governmentsaidgenerationforthe Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc., will be largely derived in the future from two large projects including theAmaila and the Gasto-Energy (GTE) project that will comeonstreamby2027and2025, respectively

The power generated at the Amaila project will integrate and expandthenationalgridtoinclude Linden The Amaila-LindenGeorgetown transmission voltage will be 230 KV and connect to the national GPL Control Center at Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Prominentbusinessman, Azruddin Mohamed

An artist's impression of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project.

PoliceSergeant, Dion Bascom

Berbice man drowns at Lake during New Year's Day outing

WhatbeganasajoyfulNew Year's Day outing ended in tragedy when 37-year-old KarranInderjeet,awelderfrom #3Village,WestCoastBerbice, drowned at 11 Top Mashabo LakeontheEssequiboCoast.

Inderjeet, a father of one, was enjoying a picnic with his family when the fatal incident occurred around 17:20 hrs on Wednesday His body was discovered the following day, floating face down in the lake around11:30hrs.

Accordingtopolicereports, Inderjeet, his wife Latchmi Dayal (known as Reshma), their 6-year-old son Mickel, and other family members had arrived at the lake around 14:30hrs. to spend the day “Theywereplayingmusicfrom their vehicle and consuming alcohol. The area had other individualspresent,”thepolice said.

Around 17:00hrs, Inderjeet and his son went swimming in the outer part of the landing

areawhiletherestofthefamily were bathing closer to shore. Suddenly, a strong current pulledbothofthemdeeperinto thewater “Karranattemptedto push his son towards the shoreline, but the current was toostrong,”policeexplained.

As the situation escalated, an alarm was raised. Julius Barrow, a 49-year-old driver from Supenaam, immediately jumped into the lake to rescue the young boy Mickel was pulled to safety, but by then,

Inderjeet's head was seen going under the wa “[Barrow] believed Karran was trying to swim to safety,” police said. Sadly, Karran was not seen again that evening.

Despite the efforts of several individuals who dived into the lake in search of him, andtheuseofhooksandlinesto attempttoretrievehisbody,the efforts proved futile. Police (Continuedonpage22)

Body of Karran Inderjeet found at 11 Top Mashabo Lake, Essequibo Coast.

Dead: Karran Inderjeet

Omai looking to attract more investors to bridge gap with industry peers

…appoints David Stewart as Vice President Corporate Development & Investor Relations

Canadian mining company, Omai

Gold Mines

Corp on Thursday announced the appointment of David Stewart, P.Eng, as Vice President Corporate Development & Investor Relations.

Omai holds a 100% interest in the gold project, which encompasses two gold deposits: the shearhosted Wenot Deposit and theadjacentintrusive-hosted GiltCreekDeposit.

Last year the company unveiled an enhanced Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for its gold project located in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) Guyana and has plans to update its 2 millionouncesgoldestimate thisyear

According to Omai's statement, Stewart is a mining engineer with 15 years of mining sector experience including mine development and planning,

sell-side equity research, corporate development and investorrelations.

HewasmostrecentlyVP Corporate Development and S h a r e h o l d e r Communications at Ascot Resources through the permitting,construction,and initial production ramp-up stages.Previously,hewasan equity research analyst at both Desjardins Securities

and GMP Securities, covering a wide array of precious metals producers, developers, and exploration companies.

Stewart said, “I recently visitedtheOmaiproject,and wasimpressedwithboththe growth potential of the projectandwithGuyanaasa supportive and major emerging gold mining jurisdiction. Omai Gold has g r o w n t o b e c o m e increasingly relevant to institutional investors, and I am eager to attract new stakeholderstoparticipatein

the near-term value creation forOmaiGold.”

Notably, Omai's President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Elaine Ellingham, commented,“Weareexcited to have David join our team as our Omai project in Guyana gains broader recognition of its full economicpotential.

We have achieved transformational milestones over the past year that are juststartingtoberecognized bythemarket.”

Ellinghamoutlined,“We will continue to focus on expanding the overall gold resourcesattheprojectlevel, to advance towards an updated Mineral Resource Estimate and updated Preliminary Economic Assessment planned for 2025.

It is, however, equally important that we enhance ourcapitalmarketsprofileto attractnewinvestorsinorder

L-R: Elaine Ellingham, President & CEO, David Stewart, Vice President Corporate Development & Investor Relations, Jason Brewster, Vice President, Operations

to close the sizeable valuation gap that currently exists between Omai Gold anditspeergroup.”

Currently, there are several other Canadian mining companies involved inGuyana'sminingindustry, particularly gold mining Reunion Gold now G Mining Ventures, newly-

formed Canadian mining company, Greenheart Gold

Corporation and G2 Goldfields Inc. are in the e x p l o r a t i o n a n d developmentphase,theyare expected to start gold production by the end of 2026or2027.

Moreover, it was also disclosed that Omai has

granted Stewart incentive stock options to purchase 1.25millioncommonshares of the company at an exercisepriceof$0.25/share pursuant to the company's stockoptionplan. Vesting complies with the TSX Venture rules that apply to investor relations serviceproviders.

Illegal gun and ammo found at Riverview after suspect evades police

The firearm and ammunition found by Police Thursday morning

During an attempt toarrestamanat R i v e r v i e w , Ruimveldt, Georgetown, early Thursday morning, police found an illegal firearmandammunitionthat weredroppedbythesuspect aspolicechasedhim

A c c o r d i n g t o a statement, police said that t h e y h a d r e c e i v e d information around 2:30 hrs and proceeded to the Ruimveldt Riverview area, where they spotted a male suspect dressed in a black jerseyandblacklongpants

Upon seeing the police, thesuspectranaway.

" A s t h e r a n k s approached him, he began runningwestintoRuimveldt

R

chasedhim,duringwhichhe dropped a black plastic bag, which the ranks retrieved," policereported

Uponinspectingthebag, officers found a black and silver handgun without a serial number, along with threesuspected9mmrounds ofammunition

Despiteeffortstolocatethe suspect, he was not found. Severalindividualsinthearea werequestioned,butnouseful informationwasobtained.

T h e f i r e a r m a n d ammunition were marked, sealed, and lodged at the Ruimveldt Police Station They will be submitted to the Ballistics Section for processing.

Investigations into the matterareongoing.

Motorcycle bandits crash into Hilux to rob driver

A businessman was robbedonNewYear'sDayby two bandits on a motorcycle in the vicinity of Graham's Hall Primary School along the Railway Embankment, EastCoastDemerara(ECD).

The bandits had reportedly crashed into the businessman's Toyota Hilux pick-up around 17:20 hrs. while he was heading north along the road.According to him, the bandits crashed into the front of his vehicle from theoppositedirection.

Believing that it was just an accident, he stopped the vehicle and attempted to render assistance but was beatenandrobbed.

MankilledbrotherduringNewYear'sDaydispute

A 41-year-old mason, Kiran Bacchus, was killed early Wednesday during a dispute with his younger brother,DeepakBacchus,at Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice,(WCB).

Kiran Bacchus lived at Lot 36 Section 'A' Cotton Tree, WCB. The incident took place on January 1, 2025,around1:30hrs.atthe home of Sookranie Bacchus, their mother, at Lot 35 Section 'A' Cotton Tree.DeepakBacchus,aged 27, Mason, and his wife Tenaalsolivesatthehome.

Police investigations revealed that Kiran, who lived next door with his wife, Seeta Churchand, reportedly went to confront Deepak after learning that hiswifehadbeenprevented from entering the yard by Deepak.

According to police reports, Kiran had been drinking alcohol when he found out about the altercation involving his

wife. “Kiran was drinking alcohol when he found out that Deepak had prevented his (Kiran's) wife, Seeta Churchand, from entering theyardwheretheirmother lived,” the police revealed. In a fit of anger, Kiran rushedtohismother'shome, “forcefully” entered the yard, and confronted Deepak This led to a physical altercation, with both men falling to the ground.

Dead: Kiran Bacchus

“…An argument ensued with the victim and the suspects,”theGuyanaPolice Force (GPF) said before adding that the bandits then cuffedthebusinessmaninhis head and about the body as theyrobbedhim.

The bandits snatched the man's three gold chains valued$1.5million,twogold rings valued $500,000, one gold band valued at $500,000,onegreySamsung GalaxyA02 cellphone and $249,000incash.

The bandits then picked uptheirmotorcycleandrode away

Investigations are ongoing.

“Kiran struck his head, causing him to bleed from hisnoseandappeardazed,” police said Kiran was transported to the New AmsterdamPublicHospital but succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment.

Kiran's wife told police that her husband had suffered a head injury in Trinidad back in 2015, where he was attacked by two men and chopped,

which required surgery Deepak was arrested following the incident and under caution told police that he was home with his mother and wife when he saw Kiran and his sister-inlaw attempting to push down their front gate W h e n t h e f a m i l y approached the couple, Kiran allegedly pushed Deepak,butstruggledtodo soandfellhimself Deepak further alleged that,whileKiranwasonthe ground, he cuffed Kiran twice and then noticed blood coming from Kiran's nose “He attempted to clean the blood, and with assistance from his mother andadriver,theytookKiran to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, where he later passed away,” Deepak told police Deepak Bacchus is currently detained at the Blairmont Police Station, and investigations into the incidentareongoing.

WANTED

Male sales-rep 18-28 years old, Knowledge about vehicle models would be an asset. Call : 619-1237.

Live-in domestic 30-45 years old $30,000 weekly, 6 days a week. Must know to cook Indian dishes. #610-3974.

K and M Janitoral services wanted cleaners. contact : 664-8328 /696-4567.

General domestic to work 3 days per week- Campbellville G/TOWN.Tel: 621-5140.

FOR SALE

150 Acre coconut estate Lower Pomeroon Transport. 657-9237.

For Sale 6 used American made Dental chairs excellent condition contact Mr Vino on 661-3030 or 626-8918

One Nissan Double cab pickup, fully off road setup ; -5 Million Negotiable. Call: 626-8919 / 661-3030.

SERVICES

Elevate your brand with our professional Graphic design services. Call: 619-0007, 629-5526.

Visa Application:U.S.A, Canada & UK:Graphics design, advertisements, wedding arch rentals.Tel:6267040.

VEHICLES FOR SALE

1 Honda CRV, includes TV, music system, alarm, reverse camera, spoiler, crash, low mileage PTT Series (first owner). Call: 649-0956.

One Unregistered Nissan XTrail 2016 model, Mode Premiere. Call : 649-0956.

ENTERTAINMENT

Family fun Aracari Resort! crystal clear pool, safe kids & adult sections, music & food. W.B.D. Call : 2642946-9

ACCOMMODATIONS

Aracari Hotel renovated rooms ,A/C, TV, Restaurant, bar, pool, gym Stay 7 nights, 1 Free! Call: 264-2946.

PAL

Seeking a female pen pal friend, ages 40 years and older. Call: 636-2829. FOR RENT

Long reach excavator Drainage cleaning slush removal Pipe laying canal Cleaning. 657-9237.

$18M grant for Linden Town Council - Min Parag

The Linden Mayor and Town Council has secured approval for an $18 million grant and is ready to be uplifted, despite significant delays in submitting its work plan to the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.

This was clarified by Minister Sonia Parag on Thursday during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI). “The town clerk [of Linden] was informed that an $18 million grant would be given to the municipality. That $18 million cheque is to be uplifted and it is already being processed through the Ministry of Finance,” she said.

Linden’s Town Clerk, Lennox Gasper told DPI that he was informed of the grant’s readiness approximately a month ago and committed to uplifting the cheque in the

VACANCY

Vacancy for an experienced domestic maid. Call: 6386816.

Job opening- Truck drivers, project manager, Civil engineer. To apply, please send your application via Whatsapp 638-5303 / 6082114.

Female cleaner call 615-9132 or 645-8443

Maid to clean for East Bank area. Call: 615-9132

One (1) electrician for Eccles Call 615-9132 or 645-8443.

One night watchman call: 6122125

Vacancy exist for one experienced cook. Please call : 6990942.

Vacancy exists for one nanny aged 40 or older. Please call : 699-0942.

Mason, Tiles mason , Carpenter, Engineer, construction foremen, Paver operator experience with 6-7 years. Mumbai Construction. 648-8001.

Bess choice is hiring water truck driver & Porter located in Diary- West Demerara. Call: 686-9296.

General Domestic , cook , iron, clean house ECT. Apply Keyfood Mc Doom village next to the post office $6000 daily, 3day work

1 Bull dozer Operator to work in the interior, Interested persons contact : 701-4000.

LAND FOR SALE

Garden of Eden E.B.D, 2 Minutes from proposed Heroes Highway 3.8 Acres, 65M per acre. #621-1139 / 712-4020.

new week. Minister Parag stated that the ministry asked the municipality to revise a portion of its work plan since it did not substantially benefit the people of Region 10. “They wanted a minibus and a truck. We asked them to put a work plan in place that would be more beneficial to the community. The ministry decided that we will give them the grant, notwithstanding the delay,” she stressed.

Minister Parag also pointed out that the ministry has been significantly supporting the region, through the procurement of a mini-excavator and the employment of several Community Infrastructure Improvement Project (CIIP) workers. “We ensured that Region 10 was given a mini-excavator. We also placed 15 CIIP workers in Linden to assist the municipality with the enhancement of the town, which they didn’t previously have,” the local government minister explained.

Additionally, Minister Parag highlighted that the remaining amount of subvention for the Georgetown Mayor and City Council is also ready, and is expected to

be uplifted on Friday. During the ministry’s end-of-year press conference on Thursday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Minister Parag clarified that all 70 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) received their subventions, while several municipalities have already uplifted all or part of their grant or subventions for 2024.

This amounts to more than $1 billion being budgeted to support these local democratic institutions.

“The subvention allocations have increased by 117 per cent since 2020. The subventions in 2020 were $460 million and in 2024 it was $1 billion.

This money was used to support the maintenance of drainage networks, bridges, rehabilitation of community buildings, minor road repairs, and the installation of streetlights among other things,” the local government minister recounted.

Minister Parag posited that there has been no bias or discrimination towards any entity during the disbursement of these funds to the various elected bodies. This is exemplified by the disbursements made to the Georgetown Mayor and City

Oil prices settle up on China optimism as investors return from holiday

NEW YORK, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Oil prices settled up by more than $1 a barrel on Thursday as investors returned for the first trading day of 2025 with an optimistic eye on China’s economy and fuel demand after a pledge by President Xi Jinping to promote growth.

Swelling gasoline and distillate inventories in the U.S. pressured prices and capped gains.

Brent crude futures settled at $75.93 a barrel, up $1.29, or 1.7%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude settled at $73.13 a barrel, up $1.41 or 2%.

Xi said in his New Year’s address on Tuesday that China would implement more proactive policies to promote growth in 2025.

China’s factory activity grew more slowly than expected in December, a Caixin/ S&P Global survey showed on Thursday, amid concerns about tariffs proposed by U.S. President-elect Donald

Trump. Some analysts view weaker Chinese data as positive for oil prices because Beijing could be encouraged to accelerate stimulus.

An official survey released on Tuesday showed China’s manufacturing activity barely grew in December. Services and construction fared better, with the data suggesting policy stimulus is trickling into some sectors.

U.S.

oil stocks data from the Energy Information Administration released on Thursday, a day later than normal due to the New Year holiday, showed gasoline and distillate inventories jumped last week.

That’s according to a Reuters poll out Tuesday with economists and analysts citing weak demand from China and rising global supplies. U.S. gasoline stocks (USOILG=ECI) rose by 7.7 million barrels in the week to 231.4 million barrels.

Distillate stockpiles

(USOILD=ECI), which include diesel and heating oil, increased by 6.4 million barrels in the week to 122.9 million barrels.

“The negative portion of the release was in the large product stock builds,” said Jim Ritterbusch of Ritterbusch and Associates in Florida, which he said were attributable to an unexpected drop in demand.

Crude stockpiles fell less than expected, decreasing by 1.2 million barrels to 415.6 million barrels last week compared with analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a 2.8-million-barrel draw.

Traders kicking off the new year also are probably weighing higher geopolitical risks and Trump’s efforts to run the U.S. economy hot against the expected drag from proposed tariffs, said IG market analyst Tony Sycamore.

“Tomorrow’s U.S. ISM manufacturing release will be key to crude oil’s next move,”

Sycamore said. Sycamore said WTI’s weekly chart is winding itself into a tighter range, suggesting that a big move is coming.

“Rather than trying to predict in which way the break will occur, we would be inclined to wait for the break and then go with it,” he added.

Oil prices are likely to be constrained near $70 a barrel in 2025, down for a third year after a 3% decline in 2024, with weak Chinese demand and rising global supplies offsetting OPEC+ efforts to shore up the market, a Reuters poll showed.

In Europe, Russia halted gas pipeline exports through Ukraine on New Year’s Day after the transit agreement expired on Dec. 31. The European Union has arranged alternative supply ahead of the widely expected stoppage while Hungary will keep receiving Russian gas via the TurkStream pipeline under the Black Sea. Council and other local democratic organs controlled by the APNU+AFC. (DPI)

Berbice man drowns at Lake during New Year’s Day outing...

From page 16 arrived on the scene at 17:40 hrs. and Barrow pointed out the spot where he last saw Inderjeet.

The following morning, Thursday, police confirmed that Inderjeet’s body had been found.

The sudden death of

Inderjeet has left his family, friends, and community in shock. Expressions of grief have poured in on social media, where friends shared their sadness over the tragic loss. One friend Junior Myers wrote, “This hit very hard. Only on Old Year’s Day we talked, only to learn this morn-

ing that you’re no more. Wazim and Imran can’t stop the tears from flowing. Hurt me real bad too.

You’re a true friend and you will be missed, bud.”

Another friend, Wari Don, commented, “This can’t be true. spoke to my brother yes-

terday… Dawg, only yesterday we talked about some things.

You told me you had just gone to the river to pray.”

The Aunt of the deceased Shalini Ramjit also expressed her grief, saying, “Can’t believe you’re gone so easy, my dear nephew.”

PEN

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Sonia Parag

$136M estimated to construct concrete bridge at Black Bush Polder

The National Drainage and I r r i g a t i o n Authority(NDIA)anagency under the Ministry of Agriculture is preparing to

spend approximately $136 million to construct a reinforcedconcretebridgeat Black Bush Polder, Mibicuri,RegionSix. Theprojectwasrevealed

Belowarethecompaniesandtheirbids:

MinistryofLocalGovernmentandRegional DevelopmentSupplyandDeliveryof NewCompactorGarbageTrucksLots1-2.

MinistryofTourism,Industry&Commerce

ExpansionofGuyanaTourismAuthorityBuildingon theWesternSideNationalExhibitionCentreSophia.

SupplyandDeliveryofPVCDrainage TubesforSkeldonEstate.

at the recent opening of tenders at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office. There it was disclosed that nine

contractors have bid for the contract. This publication understands that similar to the bridge works, the Ministry of Public Works in October last year had

MinistryofHealth Design,ReviewandSupervision ServiceforCapitalProjects,Lots1-8.

GuyanaSugarCorporation(GuySuCo) RepairsinRook&WallsofBlairmont FactoryEastandWestProcessHouse.

awarded over $1 billion in contractstoupgraderoadsin the agriculture community

It was reported that some 108 thoroughfares will be transformedfrommuddams to concrete structures in the BlackBushPolderarea. These works are to improveaccessforresidents andthemovementofheavydutyagriculturalequipment.

SupplyandDeliveryofSingleCab PickupforSkeldonandHeadOffice.

SupplyandDeliveryof4WD/AWD FireTruckforUitvlugtEstate.

NationalDrainage&IrrigationAuthority ConstructionofReinforcedConcrete BridgeatBlackBushPolder,Mibicuri.

South Korea plane crash: police raid Muan airport and Jeju Air office

The Guardian- Police in

South Korea have

r a i d e d M u a n international airport, the scene of Sunday’splanecrash,inwhich179 peopledied,aswellastheofficeof the airline that operated the flight, mediareportssaid.

Jeju Air flight 2216 was carrying181peoplefromThailand to South Korea when it issued a mayday call and belly-landed on therunaway,beforecrashingintoa barrier and bursting into flames. Two flight attendants survived the crash,theworstaviationdisasteron thecountry’ssoil.

The aftermath of the crash now appears to include police involvement, with me

reporting that officers had also raidedathirdlocation,theoffice of a regional aviation office, on s

negligenceresultingindeath

“In relation to the plane accident that occurred on December 29, a search and seizure operation is being conducted from 9am on January 2 at three locations,” including Muan airport, the JejuAir office inSeoul,plusaregionalaviation office, police said in a statement

“Thepoliceplantoswiftlyand rigorouslydeterminethecauseand responsibility for this accident in accordance with the law and principles.”

Investigators planned to seize documentsandmaterialsrelatedto the operation and maintenance of theaircraftaswellastheoperation ofairportfacilities,apoliceofficial toldReuters.

An official said police had bannedtheJejuAirchiefexecutive, K

unidentified official from leaving the country, calling them key witnesses who potentially face charges of causing deaths by negligence,whichispunishableby uptofiveyearsinprisonorafineof upto20millionwon(£10,950).

Pressure is building on authoritiestoestablishthecauseof the crash, which occurred after the Boeing 737-800’s landing gear apparently failed to deploy as it came in to land at Muan, in the country’s south-west, on Sunday morning.

Inspectors have retrieved both black boxes from the charred remains of the aircraft and are working to decode data from the cockpitvoicerecorder

Theplane’sflightdatarecorder, however,istobetransferredtothe USforanalysisafterlocalofficials

Pressure builds on authorities to establish cause of crash which killed 179 people

said they were unable to extract data from the device, which had beendamagedinthecrash.

The government ordered an emergency safety inspection of South Korea’s entire aviation operations, while separate checks, focusing on the landing gear, are beingcarriedoutonall101Boeing 737-800s used by six of the country’sairlines.

The interim president, Choi Sang-mok, said “immediate action” must be taken if the inspections uncovered any irregularitieswiththeaircraft

“As there is great public concern about the same aircraft model involved in the accident, the transport ministry and relevant agencies must conduct a thorough inspection of operation maintenance, education and training,”ChoisaidonThursday

If any issues are found during the inspection, please take immediatecorrectiveaction.”

The investigation has yet to determine why the landing gear appearedtofail,withabirdstrike and mechanical failure among thepossiblecauses It is also focusing on a concrete barrier near the end of therunway,thelocationofwhich hasdrawncriticismfromaviation experts

The passengers are thought to have died when the plane smashed into the barrier at high speed,burstintoflamesandbroke apart

Relativesofthevictims,who include five children aged under 10 and nine members of the same family, were allowed to visit the site on Wednesday for thefirsttimesincethecrash

More than 70 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza

- Head of the enclave’s police, his deputy and a journalist among those who lost their lives

People carry a person injured in anIsraelistrike,at al-Ahli Arab Hospital, also known as the Baptist hospital, in Gaza City on Thursday [Omar Al-

Qattaa/AFP]

Published On 2 Jan 20252Jan2025

Gaza’s Government

Media Office said on Thursday that Israeli militaryforcescarriedout34 air strikes over the previous 24hours,resultinginadeath tollof71,includingthehead of the enclave’s police force andhisdeputy Israeli attacks were reported across the embattledenclave,including

d humanitarian zone of alMawasiandnorthernGaza’s Jabaliarefugeecamp,which hasbeenbombedrepeatedly in recent days. Palestinians have also been killed and wounded in attacks on Gaza City’s Remal and Shujayea neighbourhoods, and the town of az-Zawayda, in the

centralGazaStrip.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), says Israel’s deadly strike on southern Gaza’s displacement camp al-Mawasi is yet another signaltoendthewar “Asthe year begins, we got reports of yet another attack on al-

Mawasi with dozens of people killed, another reminder that there is no humanitarian zone let alone a safe zone [in Gaza],” he said. “Every day without a ceasefire will bring more tragedy ” Asked about Thursday’s reported death toll, a spokesperson for the Israeliarmysaidthemilitary

followedinternationallawin wagingthewaronGazaand ittakes“feasibleprecautions to mitigate civilian harm”. Among those killed on T h u r s d a y w e r e photojournalist Hassan alQishaoui At least 217 journalists and media workers have been killed in GazasinceOctober7,2023.

Man in exploded Cybertruck was elite soldier and shot himself before blast

(BBC NEWS) The man

who rented a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas was an activeduty US special forces soldierandshothimselfdead before the blast, officials havesaid.

Las Vegas police have identified Matthew Alan Livelsberger, 37, as the man who rented the vehicle and drove it from Colorado to Las Vegas. Officials said theyarefairlycertainhewas found dead in the vehicle after the explosion but are waiting to confirm that through DNA evidence and said they could not yet be “100%”.

The body in the vehicle

was burnt beyond recognition and was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said onThursday Seven people were injured whenthevehicle-filledwith fuel canisters and firework mortars - exploded on New Year’sDay Officialssaidall injurieswereminor

The Cybertruck arrived in the city on Wednesday morning,lessthantwohours beforethedetonation,police havesaid.Parkedinfrontof the hotel near a glass entrance, the vehicle started tosmoke,thenexploded.Las Vegas authorities said the Cybertruck helped contain the explosion, sending it verticalratherthanoutward.

The nearby glass doors and windowsofthehoteldidnot

shatterintheblast. Authorities said they have yet to determine any motive behind the incident.

“I’mcomfortablecallingita suicide with a bombing that occurredimmediatelyafter,” Sheriff McMahill said during Thursday’s press conference. The sheriff said investigators recovered a military ID, a passport, two semi-automatic pistols, fireworks,aniPhone,asmart

watch and several credit cards in Mr Livelsberger’s name from the charred vehicle.

Mr McMahill said they found two tattoos on the driver’s remains matching ones Livelsberger had. The Colorado Springs native rented the Cybertruck on 28 December in Denver Police were able to track his movements using a number of photographs on the drive

from Denver, Colorado to Las Vegas, Nevada. He was theonlyoneseendrivingthe vehicle. Mr McMahill said there are several parallelsbut no definitive linkbetween the suspects in the incident in Las Vegas and a truck attack in New Orleans thatleft14dead,whichboth took place on New Year’s Day

Both suspects served at Fort Bragg in North

Carolina, though there is no record they served in same unitorwerethereatthesame time. They also both served in Afghanistan in 2009, but there is no evidence they were in the same region or unit. Both also used rental company Turo for the vehicles involved in the incidents, Mr McMahill said “We don’t believe there’s any further threat fromthissubjectoranybody associatedtohimhereinLas Vegas,”hesaid. Mr Livelsberger had decades of experience with the US military, having servedinboththeArmyand National Guard. He was a decorated Special Forces IntelligenceSergeant. He was serving in Germany but on approved leave at the time of the incident. Mr Livelsberger’s father told the BBC’s news partnerCBSthathissonwas in Colorado to see his wife and eight-month-old daughter He said he last spoketohissonatChristmas and that everything seemed normal.

Las Vegas police have identified Matthew Alan Livelsberger, 37, as the man who rented the vehicle and drove it from Colorado to Las Vegas

People carry a person injured in an Israeli strike, at al-Ahli Arab Hospital, also known as the Baptist hospital, in Gaza City on Thursday [Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP]

Palestinians and rescuers search through the rubble in the aftermath of an Israeli strike that hit an administrative building in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. [Bashar Taleb/AFP]

Businessman arrested for fatally shooting cane harvester

A 6 5 - y e a r - o l d

businessmanfromBerbiceis in police custody after allegedly shooting and killing a 29-year-old cane harvester at a bar in Lesbeholden, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, Berbice, onNewYear'sDay.

The deceased, identified asYognand Chaitram of Lot 19, Alness Village, Corentyne, was shot around 10:00 hrs. at a bar operated by businessman Moonie Ramnarine of Lot CZ 14, Lesbeholden, Black Bush Polder Ramnarine, a licensed firearm holder of a .32 pistol (serial number FOC5287), reportedly confessedtotheshooting.

According to police reports,thealtercationbegan when an argument occurred among several patrons at Ramnarine's beer garden

Thebusinessmantoldpolice that the dispute escalated when Chaitram and others started breaking bottles and threateningeachother

“The businessman said heattemptedtoclosehisgate when Chaitram and another man threw him to the ground, injuring his elbow,” policestated.

Whileonthegroundand allegedly being threatened

withbottles,Ramnarinesaid he discharged two rounds from his firearm, striking Chaitram, who collapsed outside the bar. Ramnarine then secured his business, reported the incident to the police, and surrendered his firearmandlicense.

Uponpolicearrival,they recovered two .32 caliber shells—one inside the shop and one outside near the gate. Chaitram was taken to theMibicuriPublicHospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His body, found clad in a green jersey and brown 3/4 trousers, was examinedbyauthorities.

Ramnarineiscurrentlyin police custody and is assisting with the ongoing investigation His firearm andlicensehavebeenlodged withthepolice.

Meanwhile, Chaitram's family has disputed

Ramnarine's version of events Chaitram's sister, Manisha Chaitram, told the NewsDeskthatshereceived acallaboutherbrotherbeing shot.

“After I get the call say my big brother get shoot at theblackbrush,somecome. WhenIwentdehnow,mylil brothernowcoming,soIask hewhatreallyhappen.Mylil

brother tell me say that how mi big brother get shoot,” sherecalled.

Manisha explained that Yognandandanothersibling Devendra Chaitram were on their way to work but had stopped by the bar to exchangemoney.

“He say they went go work and when they bin go wok, my lil buddy say they wenttotheshoptochangeup them money, and my lil buddysaidthathowtheshop man come out after couple man went in the shop when my lil buddy come out now, heseeshopmanfiregunshot intheshop,”shesaid.

Manisha said that based on what she was told, Devendra told Yognand to leave the bar after the businessman ordered everyonetovacate.

“Mylilbuddytellmibig buddy let then go after the man say come out he shop, couple else man deh in shop and drink. After he fire the shot,mibigbuddybinatalk with some people, he (businessman) come now and hold the boy now and shoot the boy and when he shoottheboy,mybigbuddy nah tell him he get shoot, when they walk out pon the roadnowthenmybigbuddy

getunconsciousandhefall,” shetoldNewsDesk.

She also recounted how her younger brother reacted when Ramnarine allegedly attemptedtoshoothimnext.

“My lil buddy nah know wah fuh do because all over he deh running and bring thingfuhcarrymybigbuddy tothehospital.Afterheshoot mi big buddy now, he guh fuh shoot mi lil buddy now, mililbuddyhallaandsayno

don't shoot me, you done shoot my big buddy already nah shoot me so when mi lil buddy say that, mi lil buddy runway,”Manishasaid.

Chaitram's family expressed their grief following his death. His sister, Ravina Chetram, posted a tribute on Facebook, saying, “This is unbelievablenewsvery,very painful boy my brother my friend why now I find it so difficult to say RIP brother You once told me that every dayinlifemustbecelebrated because it's a step closer to your resting. Go well king, will always remember you.

Boy.”

Chaitram was described by his wife of 10 years, Roshini Malchand, as a devoted family man who always took care of her and their three children, aged seven, three, and four.

Speaking to Kaieteur News, Malchand recalled the final conversation she had with herhusbandbeforehisdeath.

“Mi dey home and I

called Boye (Chaitram), I ring the phone and he answer, I say Boye where yuhdeh,hesayhedehBlack Bush Polder fuh change this moneyandIcomejustnow,I say arite nah drink, today is Wednesdayandyoupickney waiting for you and he said bye babe I love you and he cutoff,”sherecalled.

Roshini explained that she immediately left to join him in Black Bush, but receivedacallalongtheway informing her that he had beenshot.

“IcatchcarfuhgoBlack Bush and when I go somebody call me saying somebody shoot, he and he dehliedown,whenIgoItry call pon him he aint answer, heskinsoakfromheadtotoe I aint see no blood,” she recalled,hervoicetrembling withemotion.

The devastated woman said that, “he does work everydaytryingforoneland and he gone, he leff me and he ain't come back, I don't knowwhattotellmykids”

Dead: Yognand Chaitram

Ferrari F1 boss sends team warning after

Lewis Hamilton officially joins

Independent - Fred VasseurhasurgedhisFerrari teamtokeeptheirfeetonthe ground despite the “excitement” of Lewis Hamilton officially joining theItalianoutfit.

After 12 years with Mercedes, seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton officiallyjoinedtheScuderia on 1 January ahead of the 2025season.

Hamilton will partner Charles Leclerc – with Carlos Sainz moving to Williams – as the Briton looks to claim a recordbreaking eighth world championshipthisyear. Yet speaking just after the 2024 season concluded,

Vasseur insisted his mechanicsmustbe“focused on the job” as they look to produce a car capable of

winningtheworldtitle.

“Everybody all over the world is excited [about Hamilton joining] and for sure, the mechanics are also excited,” Vasseur told Sky SportsNews.

“It’s always exciting to have someone who is a seven-time world champion intothecar ButIthinkafter the day one, we’ll have to turn this page and to be

focusedonthejob.”

Vasseur was also asked about whether he thinks Hamilton will be emotional driving a Ferrari car for the first time, with a TPC [Testing of Previous Cars] day likely for January in Fiorano.

“Yeah, it’s true that it’s quite emotional, because I think he has this moment in his mind for probably 20 years,”Vasseuradded.

“It means that it will be emotional, but it has to be emotional for one lap! And then,tobefocused.

Friday January 03, 2025

ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19)

Some unexpected but very welcomevisitorscouldarrive today, Aries They might bring some people you don't knowbutshouldconnectwith rightaway Expectinteresting n e w s , f a s c i n a t i n g information,.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

Taurus, who's that intriguing new person in your neighborhood? What is it about this new neighbor that makesitimpossibleforyouto stop wondering about them? Quitobsessing.

GEMINI(May21–June20)

An unexpected letter could arrive today, Gemini, with a check enclosed, perhaps a gift, bonus, or offer to make more money.This might be a welcomebreak.

CANCER(June21–July22)

If you're in the arts or sciences, Cancer, sudden inspirationcouldcauseyouto startorcontinueaprojectthat meansalottoyou.

LEO(July23–Aug.22)

Meditation, dreams, or visions could bring amazing insights your way, Leo. You mightfindthemtoobizarreto believe, at least at first, but follow-up research could reveal that what you've come upwithisquitecredible.

VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22)

You're an adventurous soul, Virgo.Areyouthinkingabout a little mischief today? Are yougoingtoproposethatyou and a friend or perhaps your partner skip town for a day andforgetaboutwork,

LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)

A n u n e x p e c t e d communication may come today from someone connected with your career, Libra.Thisisgoodnews,butit maybesooffthewallthatyou couldwalkaroundinadazefor awhiletryingtomakesenseof itall.

SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov 21)

Anunexpectedchancetoflyto a faraway place, perhaps at someoneelse'sexpense,could cometoyoutoday,Scorpio.A group might be involved, perhaps one connected with education.

SAGIT(Nov 22–Dec.21)

Some bizarre and rather silly dreams might come to you tonight,Sagittarius.Theymay bethesortthatissocrazythat youactuallywakeuplaughing. Don't dismiss them. Silly or not,thesedreamsaretryingto tellyousomething.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19)

Ifyou'resingle,youcouldfeel a very powerful attraction to someone unusual and perhaps alittlewacky Ifyou'realready inarelationship.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)Have you been looking for anewjob,Aquarius?Ifso,you might hear of an opportunity from an unexpected source, perhapsatasocialgathering,if possible.

PISCES(Feb.19–Mar.20)

If you're single, Pisces, love may come to you completely out of the blue today The person could be standing behind you in line at the store or sitting nearby you in the park.

“Every single team is differentforsure,butweare all chasing the same goal with the same approach What is a bit different is the passion or the emotion around the team, but I think Lewis is well prepared to managethis.

“I think it’s much easier to arrive somewhere when thepassionisatthetopthan theopposite.I’mnotworried atall.”

Hamilton endured his worst-ever season by championship position in 2024, finishing seventh, but did break his two-year win duck at the British Grand Prix. He also won in Spa, Belgium.

The39-year-oldposteda photoofhimselfkartingasa child on his Instagram on N e w Ye a r ’s D a y, accompaniedbyaredracing carasthecaptioninanodto histransfertoFerrari.

Hamilton is set to be present at the 2025 season launch in London on 18 February,aswellasFerrari’s own livery unveiling a day lateron19February

Saudi Al Qadsiah sign Brazilian teenager Gabriel Carvalho

Internacional’s Gabriel Carvalho Teixeira in action with Red Bull Bragantino’s Red Bull Bragantino. (REUTERS/Diego Vara/File Photo)

(Reuters) - Saudi Pro League’s Al Qadsiah announced on Thursday the signing of 17-year-old

Brazilian attacking midfielderGabrielCarvalho fromInternacional.

Carvalho, the latest transfer into a lucrative league featuring the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, is set to join his new team in the summer

“Gabriel Carvalho signedforAlQadsiah

He will join inAugust during the summer transfer window,” the third-placed club said on the X social media platform

He will continue playing at Internacional

Frompage35

the game was headed for extra time, Junior pulled another goal out of the bag withtwominutestothefinal whistle to lead his side into thefinal.

Tonight’s final will be a captivating showdown between two red-hot teams that going all out to pocket the 2-million dollars

until then, added Al Qadsiah, which earned their Pro League spot by winning the second-tier titlelastseason

The two parties concluded negotiations on Dec 30 and Carvalho will join the Saudi club once he turns 18 in compliance with world governing body FIFAs rules, the Brazilian Serie A club said on their website

Last season, Carvalho collected one goal and threeassistsin26gameshe playedfortheBrazilianclub he first joined at the age of nine.

N e i t h e r c l u b mentioned any financial detailsofthetransfer.

winnings.Theloserwillalso smile as they’ll collect one million. Third place winner receives $500,000 with $200,000forfourth.

The MVP, highest goal scorer and best goalkeeper will all ride away with a Honda motorcycle sponsored by the Guyana Energy Conference and SupplyChain.

Sunshine Girl Beckford draws inspiration from 2024 outing, targets more success for South Africa series and beyond

SportsMax - As the Sunshine Girls prepare for their highly anticipated three-match series against South Africa, goal attack Shanice Beckford stands at the forefront, ready to lead her team into another challengingyear

Fresh off a stellar 2024 season, where her grit, determination, and poise shone brightly, particularly in Jamaica’s 2-1 Horizon Netball Series victory over England, Beckford is intent on maintaining her form for this year, which she hopes will bring even greater achievements.

Reminiscing on her own performances, which not only earned widespread praisebutwereinstrumental in ensuring the now thirdrankedSunshineGirlsended theyearonahigh,Beckford saysshefeelsbothproudand inspired.

“I can honestly say that 2024 was one of my best yearsyet,bothonandoffthe court.Ifacedchallengesand celebrated victories that helpedmegrow I improved my skills, achieved great results,andknockeddowna few goals off my vision board.Soyeah,Ihavealotto celebrate,butthere’salways room to grow, and that’s

Shanice Beckford

what excites me about the year ahead,” Beckford told SportsMax.Tv

Beckford pointed to her move toAustralia to play in the Suncorp Super Netball League with the West Coast Fever—whereshethrivedin a new environment and becoming a homeowner as

two significant milestones sheachievedlastyear

Despite her successes, Beckford, known for her sharp shooting and quick movement, admits that the year wasn’t without its hurdles, particularly on court. It is with that in mind why she is focused on

improving her endurance andcourtvision,assheaims tobeamoreversatileplayer totakeonevengreaterroles forbothclubandcountry

“There were moments when I dropped the ball and fell below the Fever’s standards or when my body feltworndown.ButIlearned

toextendkindnesstomyself and embrace grace during those tough times because that’s where growth happens,”shesaid.

“So, I’ve been working on my fitness and decisionmaking under pressure because I want to be the player my teammates can rely on in any situation

Whetherit’sacrucialgoalor setting up a play, I’m committed to being the best version of myself,” the softspokeplayerdeclared.

The29-year-old’sability to overcome setbacks is a testament to her mental strength and dedication to the sport, which is why she welcomes high-stakes internationalencounterslike the upcoming South Africa series.

“The competition is gettingtougher,butthatonly motivatesusmore.Weknow we have the talent, but it’s aboutputtingintheworkand stayingfocused.Everygame is a chance to prove ourselves,”Beckfordnoted.

Wi t h t h e g a m e s scheduled for January 18, 22, and 25 at the National Indoor Sporting Centre, Beckfordislaser-focusedon her goals as the series will assist in her preparation for another gruelling Suncorp Super Netball League campaign.

“I’ve been focusing on improving my supershots, putting in extra time on shootingandgymwork,and fine-tuning those weak areas. Like I said, I want to enhance my skills and explorenewwaystoplaythe game By trying different techniques and practicing regularly,Ihopetoboostmy performance and help my team in any way possible,” sheexplained.

“Basically,2025isabout stepping up for myself, for myteam,andforJamaica,so let’s just say I am ready to shine even brighter,” Beckfordended.

This, as ranking points will be up for grabs, as the Sunshine Girls (189 ranking points)areaimingtoregister another series win to possibly maintain or improvetheirpositiononthe table. The Jamaicans are a merethreerankingpointsoff second-placedNewZealand (192 ranking points), while the fifth-ranked South Africans (160 ranking points)willalsobehopingto gather some momentum ahead of their Quad Series against fourth-ranked England (188 ranking points)inFebruary

Windies seamer Seales eyes continued success across all formats in 2025

SportsMax - Fresh off representing the regional side in all three formats for the first time, West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales is eager to build on his 2024 performances and establish himself as a mainstay in the team.

Reflecting on his 2024 outing,Seales,23,expressed pride in his achievements, particularlyhisreturntoTest cricketafteralengthylayoff duetoakneeinjury

He believes his strong comeback proved that he was more than just a promising talent who burst ontothescenein2021.

TheTrinidadandTobago stalwart showcased his skill

on every assignment, particularly in the longest format, where he tallied 35 wickets in seven Tests at an average of 20 35 His standout performance came

against South Africa in Guyana,whereheclaimeda career-bestsixfor61.

In ODIs, Seales had seven wickets in seven matches, including a matchwinning four for 22 against BangladeshinDecember

He also made his T20I debut against the same opposition but went wicketlessinthatseries.

“I was really pleased with my performances this year because it was the first time I was playing Test cricket since the knee injury,”Sealessaid.

“To perform the way I did made me feel that I got betterandstronger

I was also able to show thatmyperformancesarenot just a fluke or a one-hit wonder I was doing it consistently and helping the teaminanywaypossible,so I was pleased with that,” he

West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales is eagerto build on his 2024 performances.

planning to maintain his fitness and workload to sustain this role, as he emphasized the importance ofpreparation.

“It is just more about managing my workload and getting my body stronger and fitter to do it The possibility is there, so it is justtowrapmymindaround it and get my body in a position to handle the workload,”Sealesdeclared.

In fact, Seales noted that December had often been a time when injuries sidelined him in the past and, as such, celebrated ending the year injury-free as a significant milestone.

“I am happy with how my body held up this year becauseIhadathingforthe past couple of years that as soon as December hits, I wouldgetinjured. I’m thankful I had no

major injuries this year, and it’sjusttokeepbuildingonit and improving my fitness everyyear,”heshared.

That said, Seales has his sights set on both short- and long-term objectives for the comingyear

His first assignment in 2025 will be a two-match TestseriesinPakistan.

Thesoft-spokenplayeris expected to lead the seam attack alongside his more experienced counterpart Kemar Roach, as Alzarri Joseph and rising sensation Shamar Joseph were not includedinthesquad.

“The medium-term goal isobviouslytostayinallthe teams and keep putting in goodperformances.

Long-term, it is to keep gettingbetter,keepmybody fit, and keep helping the team in any way I can,” Sealesended.

ArcheryGuyanaNational2-DayIndoorSenior BarebowOpen,shootsoffJanuary11

Wunderway, ArcherGuyana(AG)willbe gearing up to host their National Indoor Senior Barebow Open tournament, which shoots off from January11

The two-day event, which ends on January 12, will welcome the new year with action set for the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue; with action on both days, shooting off from 8:30h17:00h.

A layout of the format for the competition will see two categories, Male and Female, c

Botafago are the n e w U p p e r

D e m e r a r a

Football Association (UDFA) Christmas futsal

champions as they outclassed Milerock, 11-6, inagrippingfinalwhichwas played New Year’s night at the Community Hard Court inRetrieve,Linden.

Led by the brilliance of striker Jamal Haynes who was on target thrice in the decider, Botafago after another brutal performance scoring display, emerged victorious as they dismantled the challenge of thedefendingchampions.

Milerock showed grit and determination as they hauledthemselvesfroma15deficit,totiethingsup6all when the regular referee blew the whistle for the end ofregulationplay.

However, Botafago who were they best offensive team throughout this tournament, would put a brake on the scoring for Milerock, outscoring them, 5-1, eventually, to run away winners,11-6,tocapturethe $1Mfirstprizeandtrophy

Along with Haynes’s hat-trick, solid support were received as braces were registered by skipper Donovan Francis, Jamal Bentick,ShemarCaesarand AmanikiBuntin.

H a y n e s f o r h i s performance was named the

respectively in just a Barebowdivision.

A breakdown of the format for the competition seesArchers playing with a distance of 18M and 60 arrowsperrankinground.

The Target faces will be a Vertical Triple Face (Senior) while scoring will be done under the final set system, using the IANSEO scoring method which mandatespaperonly M e a n w h i l e , Competition rules will be playedunderWorldArchery Rules while pre-registration fees are currently GYD $5,000,forArcherswhoare registered by the January 9 designateddate.

Best Goalkeeper Omally Castello collects goalkeeper’s gloves and $30,000 from Kelon Neblett.

Most Valuable Player (MVP)ofthefinal. Omally Castello, who was brilliant between the uprights for Botafago, was a w a

Milerock’s Colwyn Drakes, who slammed in four goals inthatlosingcause,emerged

with the Most Goals as he netted 11 during the tournament.

The other scorers for Milerock in the final were Rajan Ramdehol with a braceandtheotherbyRawle Gittens.

For third place Capital FC humbled Winners

Connection16-8. Botafago waltzed away with the champions’ trophy and the $1M cash incentive for this annual Upper

D

Association tournament which had significant sponsorship coming from beverage giants Banks DIH,

Jai Sighs and Auto Spares and the Ministry of Culture, YouthandSport.

The presentation of the $1M and other top awards weredoneafterthefinal.

Banks DIH Linden Branch Manager Shawn Grant presented Botafago’s captain Donovan Francis

with the $1M cash prize to Donovan as teammates gathered around along with UDFAPresidentWainwright Bethune and Banks DIH executiveMortimerStewart.

Dominique Blair, the Deputy Mayor of Linden wasonhandtohandoverthe MVPTrophyand$50,000to Jamal Haynes, while Benny King Welding and Fabricating representative Kelon Neblett was there to present

goalkeeper Omally Castello the$30,000cashprizeanda pair of goalkeeper’s gloves after he was named Best Goalkeeperofthefinal.

For being the top scorer i

, Milerock’s Colwyn Drakes received$50,000whichwas donated by SteBros Construction.

TheUDFAthankedother businesses who came on board for this Christmas futsal champ

p including Bella Harry’s Lumber Yard and General Store, Jermaine and Son Supermarkets, S. Jagmohan

Entertainment, Orin’s Supreme Construction and D. Sookram and Daughters General Construction, Benny King Welding and

Enterprise, Clive Chapman Associates and Semple and SonsGeneralStore.

Botafago’s Jamal Haynes at left collects MVP Trophy from Deputy Mayor of Linden Dominique Blair

Archery Guyana will be hosting their first indoor tournament of 2025 from January 11 1

BCB player transfer window opens for 2025

The Berbice Cricket Board

( B C B ) h a s opened their player transfer windowforthenewyearand upcoming season of cricket acrosstheAncientCounty

Ahead of the new year and season of cricket across Berbice, the BCB has officially opened their player transfer window Players seeking to leave a clubtojoinanotherclub,can takefullopportunitytodoso over the next few weeks, according to a statement fromtheBCB.

Transfer requirements feature a letter/application

which should be sent to the BCB in writing by the player/s, stating their reasons which should be accompanied by a Release andAcceptanceletter

Applicants who fail to reach the requirements will not have their applications acc

documents set to be delivered one week before thetransferwindowcloses.

BCB also urged all c

respective list of registered p

2025, immediately after the closure of the transfer window,February28

Taskin Ahmed grabs 7 for 19 for Durbar Rajshahi, a new BPL record

ESPNcricinfo - Taskin Ahmed became only the third bowler in history to take a seven-wicket haul in men’s T20s, claiming 7 for 19 in Durbar Rajshahi’s BangladeshPremierLeague (BPL) match against Dhaka Capitals. It is also the best bowlingfiguresintheBPL’s history, beating Mohammad Amir’s 6 for 17 for Khulna Tigersin2020.

Taskin continues to be consistentinallformatsafter he finished 2024 with 63 international wickets at 19.23, Bangladesh’s biggest haulintheyear

He emulated Colin Ackermann, who was the first bowler to take seven wickets in a T20 - in a VitalityBlastgamein2019and Malaysia’s Syazrul Idrus, who took seven for Malaysia against China in 2023.

After Dhaka decided to bat at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Taskin removed both openers LittonDasandTanzidHasan inhisfirsttwoovers.

He bowled a ripper to Litton,whofendedtheshort balltowardsfirstslip,before Tanzid was caught behind chasingawideone.

“You need luck to get five. I am really happy [to takeseven].It’sabigdealfor me. I am from Bangladesh so I will remember holding thisBPLrecord.”

TaskinAhmed

Dhaka recovered in the middle overs before Taskin returned with the wicket of ShahadatHossaininthe17th over Beaten by a slower ball, Shahadat holed out to

Taskin Ahmed returned 7 for 19, a BPL record. (Durbar Rajshahi)

Hope falters, but Hurricanes storm to third straight win with 50-run beating of Hosein’s Sixers

SportsMax-WestIndies star Shai Hope failed with the bat, but his Hobart Hurricanes continued their winning streak as they secured a dominant 50-run victory overAkeal Hosein’s Sydney Sixers in their Big Bash League clash at Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Wednesday

Asked to bat first, the Hurricanes posted a competitive161-6fromtheir 20 overs, despite Hope managing only four runs.

Shai Hope failed with the bat, but his Hobart Hurricanes continued their winning streak.

Ryan Burl who took a sharp catchatlong-on.

Taskin had Chaturanga de Silva later in the same over, before a triple-wicket finalover Alauddin Babu was the firsttogointhe20th,skying one to mid-off, before Taskin yorked Mukidul Islam.

He missed out on the hat-trick but got Shubham Ranjane next ball to finish with4-0-19-7.

Theglutofwicketsinthe lastfouroversslowedDhaka down significantly, leaving Rajshahi with a moderate 175tochase.

They reached the target in the 19th over, with seven wicketsinhand.

Taskin said it was a proud moment for him, becoming the bowler with the best figures in the BPL.

“I have always thought abouttakingalotofwickets. Ifyoudon’tvisualiseit,you can’t make it happen Obviously you need luck to takewickets.

I am happy that I could execute my plans... It is a

great feeling that I could deliver whenever my captain brought me into the attack.”

“It is always special to take a five-wicket haul in everyformat,”headded.

“I have taken three or fourwicketsplentyoftimes. You need luck to get five. I amreallyhappy

It’s a big deal for me. I am from Bangladesh so I will remember holding this BPLrecord.”

Taskin said that he was happy with the type of pitchesonofferattheShere Bangla National Stadium, with the surfaces mostly sporting.

“I think there is little marginforerror

We can’t get away with anylosedeliveries.

Pitches are great for batters, who face a bit of challenge only against the newball.Ithinksuchpitches will help us in the Champions Trophy [in February] where we will play on mostly good batting tracks in Pakistan and UAE.”

Nikhil Chaudhary anchored the innings with an impressive 42 off 31 balls, smashing four boundaries andtwosixes.

He was ably supported by stand-in captain Ben M c D e r m o t t , w h o contributedabrisk34off25 deliveries, and Mitchell Owen, whose explosive 17ball 33 included four boundariesandtwosixes.

The Sixers’ bowling attack was led by Jackson Bird, who claimed remarkable figures of 4-16, asHoseinwentwicketlessin hisspell.

Chasing 162 for victory, theSixersstruggledfromthe outset as the Hurricanes’ bowlers wreaked havoc

Chris Jordan led the charge with 3-22 from 3.3 overs, whileWaqarSalamkheiland Billy Stanlake chipped in with two wickets apiece, both conceding just 22 runs intheirspells.

The Sixers’ captain, Moises Henriques, topscored with 22, and Jordan Silk added 20, but no batter managed to establish a substantial partnership Hosein, batting lower down

the order, contributed only 10 as the Sixers were bundled out for 111 in 19.3 overs, suffering their first defeatoftheseason. Despite the loss, the Sixers remain atop the standings with eight points from five games, while the Hurricanes, now on a roll with three consecutive wins, sit in fourth place with six pointsfromfourmatches

The BCB has opened their player transfer window for 2025.

Richards aiming to join Van Niekerk, Kerley and Norman in sub-10,

SportsMax - Trinidad & Tobago’sJereemRichardsis one of the most versatile athletes in the sport of track and field. The three-time CommonwealthGamesgold medallist wants to further prove that versatility by becoming only the fourth man to join the exclusive

clubofathletestorunsub-10 in the 100m, sub-20 in the 200m and sub-44 in the 400m.The current members of that club are South Africa’sWaydeVanNiekerk and Americans Michael NormanandFredKerley

“The group that went sub-10,sub-20,sub-44isthe

sub-20, sub-44 club in

smallest elite group in sprints,” the reigning World Indoor 400m champion said in a recent interview with TrinidadExpress.

“I would love to be part of it,” added Richards who turns31inJanuary

He has already checked off two of those boxes,

recording six sub-20 200m performances with his personal best 19.80 coming in the 2022 Commonwealth GamesfinalinBirmingham.

Hecheckedoffthe400m boxatthe2024Olympicsin Paris, France, where he finishedfourthinthefinalin a national record time of

2025

43.78 seconds, his first time underthe44seconds.

The last part of that puzzle is a sub-10 100m clocking, with Richards’s personal best of 10 19 comingatthePureAthletics

Elite Invitational in Clermont, Florida on April 20thofthisyear

“I’m definitely thinking about going sub-10,” Richardssaid.“IthinkIhave the ability to, once training goeswellandI’mahundred percenthealthy I have to lay the foundation in training, day after day, week after week, monthaftermonth.IfCoach allowsmetorun100mraces,

I have the ability to do sub10,” he added. While he harborshopestogounderten secondsinthe100min2025, his focus will be geared towards the longer sprints, hoping to build on his historic performance in the Parisfinal.

“Joining the group of quarter-milers who have dived under the 44-seconds barrier was a great feeling. I definitely think I could go faster given a different lane, so I’m optimistic and just trying to be better each and every day I’m not going to think about times too much. I’mjusttryingtobeasgood asIcouldbe,”Richardssaid.

Aryna Sabalenka advances in Brisbane

Reuters - No. 1 seed

Aryna Sabalenka overcame a spirited challenge from 15th-seeded Yulia Putintseva to record a 7-6 (2),6-4wininaRoundof16 match on Thursday at the Brisbane International in Australia.

Sabalenka, of Belarus, ralliedfromdown5-3inthe firstsetandfinishedwithsix acestodispatchtheRussianborn Kazakhstani in 1 hour and49minutes.

While Sabalenka advanced, third-seeded Daria Kasatkina of Russia and 10th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus were not as fortunate Polina Kudermetova of Russia posted a 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 win over Kasatkina and Czech Marie Bouzkova secured a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Azarenka Eighth-seeded Russian Mirra Andreeva dispatched Czech Linda Noskova,theNo.12seed,63,6-0in63minutes.

Also on Thursday, Ons

JabeurofTunisiacollecteda 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 win over Elina Avanesyan of Armenia and Anhelina Kalinina of the Ukrainecruisedtoa6-1,6-4 winoverYuanYueofChina. Ashlyn Kreuger seized a 75, 6-0 victory over Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands and Australian Kimberly Birrellnotcheda7-6(2),6-2 win over Anastasia Potapova of Russia. ASB Classic

Top-seeded Madison Keys cruised into the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Jaqueline Cristian of Romania in Auckland, NewZealand. Keysfiredthreeacesand took advantage of five double faults to dispatch Cristian in 67 minutes and set up a match versus fifthseeded Clara Tauson of Denmark.

Fellow Americans Hailey Baptiste, Alycia P a r k s a n d R o b i n Montgomery also were victoriousonThursday

Jereem Richards

Tonight: Sparta Boss goes up against Bent Street ‘A’

for K&S National Futsal title

TheinauguralKashifand Shanghai/One Guyana

N a t i o n a l F u t s a l Championship, which kicked off at the National Gymnasium with 64 male teams in contention for the topprizeof2milliondollars, isnowdowntoitsfinalstage, where we set aside the winners from the losers There could only be one champion tonight After weeks of pulsating action, it all boils down to the final two, tonight is the night when the champion will be crowned following two riveting semifinals on New Year’s Night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH).

Bent Street ‘A’ has now earnedthetitle,‘giantslayer’ following their epic 8-6 cutting down of the muchfeared Road Warriors in the final semi which was concluded after 01:00hrs on Thursdaymorning.

Their opponent in the championshipmatch,Sparta Boss, the undisputed kings offutsalinGuyanasurvived anepicbattleagainstanother top futsal unit, Back Circle ‘A’toemergewinnersbythe slimmest of margins, 3-2. Sparta’s Captain Jermine Junordidthejobforhisside; scoringallthreegoalsofthe contest.

Witnessed by a capacity crowd at the newly refurbished CASH, the female finalists were also decided following the second leg of the home and away format amongst the

Lady Royals and Kanaimas to clash for Female championship

fourteams.

Lady Kanaimas, who trouncedTheLioness11-0in thefirstencounter,bangedin another 7 unanswered goals to win on aggregate, 18-0 setting up a date with Lady Royals which defeated a young Tucville Terrace lineup,5-0inthesecondleg to advance 12-0 on aggregate.

For Kanaimas, Glendy Lewis led with a helmettrick (3rd, 3rd, 14th, 17th) with a brace from Sandra Johnson(15th,16th)andthe other from Glengy Lewis in the 9th minute Overall, Glengy has 8 goals following closely behind is Johnson with 7 goals, the two are the front runners for

the MVP prize, a Honda motorcycle compliments of the Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain.

LadyRoyalsontheother hand,wereledtotheirwinon accountofgoalsfromTiandi Smith 92nd), Amanda McKenzie (4th), Horiacia Adams (14th), Shontell Greene (19th) and Fiona Gibbs’own goal in the 24th minute. This final is a potential mouthwatering showdown which fans are alreadylookingforwardto.

The first-place prize is $200,000 with second, third and fourth attracting $100,000, $60,000 and $40,000.

Meanwhile,thematchof

Bent Street for sure did their homework and came outfiringtoe-to-toewiththe Warriors.Thefactthatthe20 minutes per half stop time method employed, meant that only the fittest would have survived, and Bent Street proved the fittest and more determined of the two gladiators.

Two goals each from Daniel Wilson (2nd, 20th), Jamanine Beckles (36th, 40th), and Daniel Ross (29th, 40th) carved out the biggest win of Bent Street ‘A’ playing career thus far Colin Nelson (22nd) and CaptainAdrianAaron(28th) added their name to this historictriumph.

For Road Warriors

the night was between the Bent Street Ballers and the mighty Road Warriors. It commenced with the Warriors having the edge based on the brand of play they brought to the championship, free flowing andstrategic.

Captain Matheus DeSouza led with three goals (10th, 32nd, 36th) and one each from Dionathas Pereira (3rd),HildemirFilho(32nd) and Wendrecky DeSouza (37th)accountedfortheirsix goals.

Exhaustion towards the end of the match was the story for Warriors’ captain Matheus which saw Bent

Streetcapitalisingonafterhe left the court for treatment withthescorelockedat6-6. Hisabsenceopenedthedoor for back-to-back goals from Ross and Beckles which sealed the fate of the Warriors and booked Bent Street’s ticket to the championshipmatch.

Sparta Boss, after taking the lead in the 9th minute through their Captain and chiefstrategist,Junor,found themselvestrailingbyagoal at the halfway stage, thanks to goals from Back Circle ‘A’sDarrenBenjamin(15th) and the competition’s leading goal scorer Bevney Marks(18th).

A huge loss for Back Circle came when Marks, with 23 goals received his second yellow card which meant he had to leave the game at a crucial point. Despite, his side continued to fight but could not hold backtheforwardthrustofthe star-studdedSpartaunit.

Junorleveledthescorein the 23rd minute for Sparta andjustwhenitseemedlike (Continuedonpage30)

Lady Kanaimas’scorers from right, Glengy Lewis, Sandra Johnson, and Glendy Lewis.

Lady Royals scorers from left, Amanda McKenzie, Horicia Adams, Shantel Greene, Ashanti Aaron, and Thandi Smith.

Tonight: Sparta Boss goes up against

The captains of Sparta Boss (Jermaine Junor (left) and Bent Street ‘A’,AdrianAaron square-off before the big shindig tonight.