Kaieteur News

Cops find guns, drugs ammo in South Ruimveldt operation

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Wednesday said ranks from its Criminal Investigation Headquarters’ Narcotics

branch found a suitcase with “highpoweredfirearmsandammunition”inanalleywayat SouthRuimveldtGeorgetown.

Further down the alley, they also found a black plastic containing 3.2 pounds of marijuana. Police said that the discovery was made on Tuesday during an intelligence-led operation between 18:00hrs and

The guns and ammunition found in the pink suitcase.

21:30 hrs. “Led by a Cadet Officer, the ranks conducted searches in an ‘alleyway’ located at Park Place, South Ruimveldt, which is bordered by a playfieldandthreehouses”policesaid.

Undersomezincsheetsinaclumpofbushes,they found a pink suitcase and when they opened it, they found one black AR rifle, one black and blue AR rifle, one Ruger 9mm pistol with a magazine, one Taurus 9mm pistol with a magazine, one BSA telescopic sight, three ATN Viper telescopic sight, one Bushnell range finder, 19 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 106 rounds of .380 ammunition, 156 rounds of 12 gauge cartridges, 925 rounds of .223 ammunition, 20roundsof.270WINammunition,33 rounds .68 ammunition, 76 rounds .45 ammunition and117rounds.44ammunition.

Police are presently conducting ballistics testing on the firearm found and investigators are pursuing personsforquestioning. Investigationisongoing.

The three pounds of cannabis found.

Worldinvestingmoreincleanenergy

…as countries wean off fossil fuels - IEA 2024 report

The world is now contributed to these developed economies are

cost of this Project will be investing twice as much in investments “Solar panel being left behind with borne by the Guyanese clean energy compared to costshavedecreasedby30% several facing acute

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo

fossil fuels, a new report over the last two years, and problems servicing high governmentwillhavetotake from the International prices for minerals and levelsofdebt. money from the public purse Energy Agency (IEA) has metals crucial for energy

Despite the massive or use public assets such as found. transitionshavealsodropped reductioninthecostforsolar

The IEA in its World sharply, especially the power generation, the ExxonMobilGuyanaandthe Energy Investment 2024 metals required for Government of Guyana is other contractors. Similarly, report, released in June, batteries,” the World Energy pushing ahead with its plan any loan from Exim Bank explained that global energy Investment 2024 report to construct a US$2B Gas- will have to be paid back investment is set to exceed stated. to-Energy project in the from public money,” the US$3 trillion for the first This year, clean energy absenceofafeasibilitystudy Lawyerreasoned. time in 2024, with US$2 investments are set to That project is expected to To

trillion going to clean energy approachUS$320billion,up provide the national grid explained that the people of

t e c h n o l o g i e s a n d by more 50% since 2020. with 300 megawatts (MW) Guyanaarethereforeentitled infrastructure. The gains primarily come ofelectricity to see that the proposed gas

According to the from higher investments in The administration has project is financially viable document, “Investment in renewable power, now beenchallengedinthepastto before the government seeks clean energy has accelerated representing half of all prove the gas project a more project.

to be constructed by to borrow money to proceed. since 2020, and spending on powersectorinvestments. feasible option compared to

In her April 25, 2024, contractor CH4-Lindsayca. She argued, “It is not renewable power, grids and According to the report, gas but has failed to do so. In letter to the President of the The plants, to be constructed sufficientforthegovernment storage is now higher than “Progress in India, Brazil, fact, the argument put forth US-EXIM Bank, Reta Jo at Wales, West Bank tomakepromises.Economic total spending on oil, gas, parts of Southeast Asia and by Vice President Bharrat Lewis, Janki indicated that Demerara are part of the development is not a matter andcoal.” Africa reflects new policy Jagdeo is that solar cannot the financial institution GTE project, which also o

ng The International Energy initiatives, well-managed provide a stable source of might wish to obtain this includes a pipeline being Economic development Agency said as the era of publictenders,andimproved electricity information before further built by E

nMobil requires robust economic cheapborrowingcomestoan grid inf

n

t h e Guyana Limited to transport analysis of the global energy end, certain kinds of Additionally, Africa’s clean international Lawyer, g o v e r n m e n t ’s l o a n the gas from offshore to the market The proposed investment are being held energy investments in 2024, Melinda Janki in a letter to application. site. projectwilllockGuyanainto back by higher financing at over US$40 billion, are the United States Export It was reported in April The US-EXIM Bank has gas at a time when the fossil costs, however, the impact nearlydoublethosein2020. Import (US-EXIM) Bank in 2023 that the GoG applied to not yet approved Guyana’s fuelindustryisindeclineand on project economics has Be that as it may, the IEA April this year flagged the US-EXIM Bank for a application for the loan and is likely to leave Guyana been partially offset by pointed out that more needs government’s failure to US$646M loan to fund a issaidtobeintheconcluding with stranded assets and an easing supply chain tobedoneinthisregardsince publish coherent and naturalgas-firedpowerplant phase of its independent adverse impact on Guyana’s pressuresandfallingprices. in most cases, this growth convincing financial and natural gas liquids plant analysis of the project. “The economy.”

The reduced cost of solar comes from a very low base analysis to support the power in recent years and many of the least- business case for the gas

Convicted prisoner found dead in cell at Lusignan

Lindon Lamaizon who was convicted of ‘causing death by dangerous driving’in 2021 was found dead in his cell Unit #3 at the Lusignan Prisons on Wednesday morning around06:00hrs.

According to a statement from the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) via their Facebook Page, “Duty officers were at the time making a routine check when they observed Lamazon was unresponsive to the roll call. The nurse on duty immediately examined him for blood pressure and pulse butwasunabletoobtainareading.”

Lindon Lamiazon

DoctorPerhramwassummonedandupon examination,hepronouncedtheinmatedead. Lamaizon was recently discharged from the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), where he was diagnosed with kidney failure. At his time of death, he was on medication to Latchman, where the charges were read to addresshisillness. him.

Currently, the Officer-in-Charge is Hepleadednotguiltytothechargewhich makingeffortstocontacthisfamily TheGPS alleges that on June 6, 2021 while on the extends its deepest condolences to the Soesdyke/Linden Highway, he drove deceased’s family and friends. The police motorcar HC 9662 in a manner dangerous to were informed and are currently conducting the public causing the death of 48-year-old theirinvestigation. Ault of Republic Drive, Beterverwagting, ItwasreportedbythispublicationinJune ECD. He had also denied the charge which 2021 that Lamaizon who was 51 years old at statedthatonthesameday,hefailedtorender the time, was the taxi-driver involved in an assistancetoAult. accident on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway A third vehicle had collided with Ault’s which claimed the life of MarkAult, a father minibus on the same night, leaving three of three. The man whose address at the time other persons injured. Kaieteur News had was given as Brusche Dam, Friendship reported that before tragedy struck, Ault had Village, East Coast Demerara (ECD), made just completed his routine newspaper his first court appearance in the Providence business in Linden and was on his way to his Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate, Judy RepublicDriveresidence.

Deceased,

KaieteurNews

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EDITORIAL

Taking control of your health

Itissaidthatthehealthofanationhassomebearing

onthewealthofanation.

Itisalsosaidthatahealthynationhaspeople,whofor the most part, are in good physical and mental health that makesthemcapableofproducingatahighlevel.However, itseemsthatGuyanahasbecomeanincreasinglyunhealthy nationduetolifestylechangesthathaveledtochronicnoncommunicablediseases(NCDs).

NCDs continue to take a heavy toll on the population andhaveincurredhugecostsonthehealthcaresystem.The situationhasreachedcrisislevelswithmorethan80percent oftheadultpopulationhavingbeendiagnosedwithatleast onehealthdisorder

Theissueofanunhealthypopulationhasattractedlittle discussioninthecountry

It is true that an unwell population leads to the loss of productionandpoorergovernmentservices.However,the healthproblemsfacingthenationcaneasilybechangedor improvednotonlybygovernmentintervention,butalsoby thecitizenstakingresponsibilityfortheirhealthdisorders. And some of these are obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

There seems to be a reluctance of many to take their medicalconditionseriously

In general, most Guyanese tend to view the curing of their illness to be the responsibility of doctors and nurses insteadoftheirown.Theoldsayingthatpreventionisbetter thatcureisasternreminderthattheauthoritieshavetodo more than just issue warnings about the seriousness of NDCsandtheirconsequencesonthenationandthehealth system.

In the interest of all, they have to take decisive action and restrict the importation of junk food into the country and instead promote the usage of more homegrown foods suchasvegetables,fruits,andfish.

Yams, cassava, plantains, eddoes, bananas, mangoes, coconuts,papaw,fishandotherlocalfruitsandvegetables arehealthydiets.

They could have a measurable impact on the health of thecitizensinthattheycouldhelpreduceobesity,diabetes andhypertension.Inaddition,notonlyisitpatrioticbutitis alsoanoblecauseforanationtoconsumewhatitproduces.

Oneofthebenefitsofcommunicationtechnologyisthe instantaccesstoinformationthathasallowedGuyanawith a health problem to look at how other countries are grappling with the same disease and to adopt the best practices that can improve the situation at home

An appreciation for local food to reduce obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure would make the nation much healthier Itcouldalsohelptopreservethenation'sidentity and culture, improve production, reduce imports and increaseforeignearnings.

Decisive action is needed by the authorities to prevent theunderminingofthepublichealthsysteminthecountry Junk food is food that is calorie-dense and nutrient poor Recently, the consumption of junk food in Guyana increased dramatically, with 35 percent of the population now consuming predominantly junk food diets daily from theinfluxofseveralrestaurantsintothecountry

This trend has occurred concurrently with the rising epidemicsofnumerouschronicdiseaseswhichincreasethe risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Thosewhoconsumefastfoodasaregularpartoftheir diets are consuming a far greater amount of fat, carbohydratesandprocessedsugarandlessfiberthanthose whodonoteatfastfoodregularly

Eatingjunkfoodisriskingourhealth.

Jagdeo must explain the dangerous tripling of the capping stack deployment time

DearEditor,

I am most elated by VP Jagdeo's hullabaloo surroundingthearrivalofthe capping stack in Guyana, since it finally brings attention to the constant raising of my dreaded concern about the Government's dangerous tripling of the stack's deployment time to 9 days fromthe3daysdecidedupon bytheCoalitionGovernment and Exxon, which was enshrined into the Payara permit. It also brings further exposure to Jagdeo's overbearingignoranceabout matters he has no right speaking about, and so, would no doubt serve the country well, if he keeps his mouth shut and stop misleadingthepeople.

The capping stack is a very heavy (up to 50 to 100 tons) piece of equipment designedtobeplacedontop of a well as a lid to stop an occurring blowout when the blowout preventer fails. Its creation came about during the disastrous BP Macondo well blowout which spilled over 5 million barrels of oil for87daysuntila'makeshift' capping stack was invented and applied; but has undergone significant advances in design over the past14yearssinceMacondo, forachievingearlyshutoffof such future blowouts Therefore, anyone without being an oil expert, would immediately realize that the topmost consideration must be,togetthecappingstackto the blowout well in the lowest amount of time

possible,foranydelaycould result in over 60,000 barrels of oil spilled into the ocean, eachday,asinthecaseofthe Macondo In his pitiable cluelessness, Jagdeo irresponsiblyanduncaringly calls my expressed concern “quibbling”.

Consequently, in 2020, Dr Mark Bynoe, then Head oftheGuyanaDepartmentof Energy and yours truly, engaged Exxon in discussions to ensure the minimum deployment time isattained.

Exxon first proposed time of 20 days was immediately rejected, to be followed by our doggedness until we arrived at a deployment time of 3 days with the understanding that thiscouldonlybeachievedif stationed in south Trinidad. Guyana was our preferred choice, but because of logistical reasons, could not comeclosetothe3-daytime. Nevertheless, we directed Exxon to develop a plan where stationing in Guyana would meet or beat that minimum 3-daytime period. Thebottom-lineisthatitwas all about the fastest deployment time, no matter from whence it came Though we were the ones to have first facilitated this equipment, and not Jagdeo, as he has been hot dogging, we found it professionally unnecessarytoadvertiseand createanyfussaboutit,since was part of our normal duty tothenation.

This 3-day time period was hence, immediately enshrinedintheEPAoriginal

Payara permit prepared under my watch and signed in September 2020, while I wasonleave.Inexplicably,it cametoforethatthisoriginal permitwassecretlymodified in June 2023 to triple the deploymenttimefrom3days to 9 days – a modification withapotentialconsequence of an additional hundreds of thousands oil being gushed intotheoceaninthatextra6dayperiod.

That notwithstanding, thatmodifiedpermitandthe others to follow, also callously removed the requirement for re-injection of the billions of barrels of hot,toxic,radioactiveandoil contaminated water, replacing with the dumping of this water into the ocean; and removed the prohibition ofgasflaring.

Atthesametime,theVP has been madly waving Exxon on to continue to recklesslyexceedthesafeoil productionrateasprescribed intheEnvironmentalImpact

Assessment; hence, enhancing the chances of an oil spill, while joined at the hip with Exxon to fight againstfullliabilitycoverage to cover and oil spill, and while tripling deployment time of the capping stack to prolong an oil spill. Is this what Jagdeo ignorantly and uncaringly calls tightened environmental regulations! Is there any more evidence thatneedsprovidingtoshow himtobenothingbutabluff and propagandist who only cares about his self-interest and not about the Guyanese people? I am willing to bet

anything that this man has never looked at a permit,so, he shoots from the hip and pulls stuff out of the air, and therefore must not be taken seriously

It is important to know thatacappingstackrequires meticulously dedicated attentionforitsmaintenance forreadinesswithoutnotice. However, it is troubling to note that despite all of the VP'smediahype,thestackis reported to be temporarily storedsomeplaceontheEast Bank of Demerara, with promises to be relocated to the Vreed-en-Hoop shore base when it is completed. How in heavens name could acriticalpieceofequipment ofthisnaturebebroughtinto thecountryand puton show with such fanfare without a soundplanforreadiness!!

Italsobegsthefollowing questions: (1) what is the capability of the temporary stationing to meet the needs for proper maintenance for readiness for purpose? (2) whenwoulditberelocatedto its permanent facility and what would be that facility's readinessforpurpose?

A n d ( 3 ) m o s t importantly, was the maximum 3-day safety deployment sacrificed to haveitbroughttoGuyanato be stationed in a facility ownedbyfriends,familiesor favourites? This question is not farfetched when considering that the oil production safety limit is also being sacrificed for greed.

Sincerely, Dr.VincentAdams

The recall letter was delivered to the Speaker of the House

DearEditor,

Thank you for sharing my missives with the generalpublic,abouttheAsha Kissoon squatting in parliament fiasco. Your public sharing has opened a veritable Pandora's Box which seems intertwined with many Machiavellian twists. This has acutely piqued the interest of our tax paying public as the finger-pointing- “dem seh, he seh”colloquialismishurtlingbackandforth.

On July 12, 2024, in a published letter, one of GECOM Commissioners, Mr Vincent Alexander, detailed the internal GECOM conflict and the undignified way that this Asha Kissoon's ignominy is playing out. Additionally, in the public space is a transmitted video, purportedly, of Mr Vincent Alexander adding opprobrium tothisruination.

Mr Vincent Alexander pellucidly elaborated on how the protocol is set and should be adhered to. Again, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, News Source published a story that on Monday, July

15,2024,theClerkoftheAssembly,Mr Sherlock Isaacs was contacted and Mr Isaacscontendedthatifsuchaletterwas sent to the Speaker of the National Assembly from the Representative of the TNM List, then that would be sufficient to recall Dr Kissoon from Parliament. Mr Isaac's is correct. BUT he is assuming that no such letter was sent to the Speaker of the House, Mr Manzoor Nadir or perhaps, he is unaware that the letter was indeed handedtoMr Nadir Editor,thisletterexistsinthepublic domain and was reported on in various mediaoutlets.

For unambiguity, the details are herein. On March 14,2024, the Asha Kissoon's recall letter was penned and signed by Dr Gerald Forde, TMN Leader of the list, and on March 15,2024, HAND DELIVERED to the Office of Speaker of the House, Mr Manzoor Nadir In the presence of the courier, Mr Manzoor Nadir acknowledgedreceiptandinstructedhis

Personal Secretary to sign for the receivedletter

Editor, suffice it to say, this interminable prolix is causing the Tax Payers Dollars, to again, be directly or indirectly,squanderedrecklesslybythe negligence of certain factions in GECOM AND the dithering temporization of the Speaker of the House,Mr ManzoorNadir Editor,asinGuyana'sParliamentary Administrative Construction, the President handpicks the Speaker of the House with the expectation that the Speaker of the House will be impartial in the execution of his job portfolio. Since this current chaotic entropy is infecting the public, I am humbly requestingtheinterventionofPresident Ali and anticipate remediation of this grievoussituation. Theespoused“One Guyana” initiative is under the microscope.Allarewatching. Thankyou.

Sincerely, JonathanSubrianEsq.

Let us show respect to each other

DearEditor,

Enoughofsad,sordidandsickening episodes. Recently, my husband and I (pensioners) sat on the seawall (obliquely opposite the band stand), chatting and enjoying the fresh air A minibus drove up and parked near whereweweresitting.

A man, woman and three young childrencameout.

The children ran around playing underthewatchfuleyesoftheadults(no d o u b t , t h e i r p a r e n t s )

Not long after they began playing soft (Indian)music.

My husband and I continued

chatting,thenthewomanapproachedus and said something like this: "we hope the music isn't disturbing you, because we see you are chatting, and we don't wantthat...becauseyouareelderlyfolks and we have to show respect to the elderly..."

Wow!! I was floored! The music, playingsoftly,wasinnowayabotherto us! It was indeed touching to see in 2

thoughtfulness of others!! She continued..." we have to show respect becausewewantotherstorespectus..." This was so unlike some, who at the

western end of the sea wall (near the Marriott hotel) see it fit, from time to time, to bombard the atmosphere with thunderous sounds emanating from the trunkoftheirvehiclesasiftheyowned the entire area, unmindful of the fact that they are assaulting the ears of persons who go there to relax, and do not care for their choice of music! May we as families, communities, a Nation, make every effort to treat each other with consideration and respect, regardless of face, race, religious or politicalaffiliation.

Regards

ClaudiaHeywood

Failure of agriculture

DearEditor,

Thefailureofagricultureisevident everywhere around the country Productivity has declined everywhere. Agriculture has been virtually destroyed over the last four years. People are not planting the way they once did. Much land is not planted, lyingfallow Mostofthepopulationare worseofftodaythanfouryearsago. Shortages abound with high prices forlocalproduce.Thereisashortageof riceandsugar Infact,sugarisimported and repackaged as Demerara sugar Guyana sugar is sold for less abroad than in Guyana; local consumers are

overcharged to help out GuySuCo which has been producing at worst levels,waybelowhalftheproductivity thanunderthecoalitionregime.Priceof rice has gone up like every other item; restaurants and consumers are complaining.

In addition to shortages of rice and sugar, there is a shortage of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are being imported and selling at lower prices than home grown Guyanese products. Chicken is also in shortage and being imported with poultry farmers complaining of huge losses from deaths of chicken. Restaurants

have been complaining about scarcity of chicken and high costs. Farmers complainthattheycan'taffordthehigh cost of chicken feed to raise chicken; imported eggs for hatchery are of inferior quality Mutton is also being imported.

Ideally, the temporary flow of oil wealth should have been used to strengthen the agriculture sector because historically it has been the backbone of the economy When oil is gone, the country will depend on agricultureforsurvivalasithasfortime immemorial.Onedoesnotknowwhere (Continuedonpage6)

What about the water and sewage systems?

DearEditor, Itisgreattohearnewsof the planned continued development of the road network and the extensive rehabilitation of the current roadinfrastructure.

Thewatersystemandthe sewage system are also in need of repair and improvement.

Doing so before repairing some of the roads will prevent increased spending, by not having to diguptherenovatedroadsin order to fix any damage to the underground water and sewagelines.

Georgetown is in urgent need of new water lines and sewage lines. Other areas have similar issues. Not too long ago, sewage and water mixedintheTimehriarea.

CRG recommends that theGovernmentdevelopand

implement a comprehensive plantorenovateandimprove the water and sewage systems before renovating the roads that would be impacted.

It is also an opportunity to expand these systems to theGreaterGeorgetownarea and remove the need for the useofseptictanks.

The expanded systems will also need sewage treatmentplants. This type of investment will help improve the standard of living of the Guyanesepeople.

Allowing for safe drinking water in every home and a cleaner environment where sewage is prevented from entering thesurroundingenvironment whenfloodingoccurs.

Best

regards,

Mr.JamilChanglee

President Ali, Let Sarah Johanna be the Last...We are Better than This!

DearEditor,

Plato, an ancient Greek Philosopher stated that 'One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.' My interpretation of what Plato meant by this statement, is not necessarily thatthepeopleofthemselves in politics were inferior but rather their ideas and policiesare.

Guyanese in 2024, have thebenefitofcomparison;of comparing the current and previousgovernmentsandto determine which ones had/has inferior ideas and policies.I read an article in the Stabroek News published on July, 12, 2024 andtitled'Squattingisillegal and comes with known consequences – McCoy'. In the article minister McCoy stated “The decision to unlawfully occupy land comes with known consequences, including insufficient or non-existent basic infrastructure such as potable water and sanitation facilities, and the stark reality of structures being demolishedbylandowners.”

I would like to indicate that what happened at Sarah Johanna, Mocha, Hill Foot, Linden, Parika and other areas with regard to the approach to removing squatters or residents, whether it be by the government or private citizens MUST not happen inthiscountryagain!

The purpose of the governmentistoensurethat the rights of its citizens are upheld and to protect its citizens So even if, assuming in the case of Sarah Johanna, the land is owned by a private citizen and the court granted an Order for them to be removed off of the land, no citizen has a right to create

such disorder in a community and disrupt people'slivesinthatway;no police force has a right to break the law to uphold the lawandtherewereanumber of breaches by the police in that process; a male policemen should not be touching and handling females in the way the male policewerehandlingwomen during that process; and no Court Order can violate the rights of a citizen under the age of 18 years who are considered to be a child under the laws of Guyana and who are supposed to be under the protection of the State.

The United Nations ConventionontheRightsof theChild-Part1,Article2:2 indicates'StatesPartiesshall take all appropriate measures to ensure that the child is protected against all forms of discrimination or punishment on the basis of the status, activities, expressed opinions, or beliefsofthechild'sparents, legal guardians, or family members Article 3:1 indicates, 'In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.'

Article3:2indicatesthat, 'States Parties undertake to ensure the child such protection and care as is necessaryforhisorherwellbeing, taking into account therightsanddutiesofhisor her parents, legal guardians, or other individuals legally responsible for him or her, and,tothisend,shalltakeall appropriate legislative and administrative measures' Therefore, as of now, since the government is not

protecting the rights of the childrenintheseinstances,I would like to suggest to the judicial system - the Courts, the Judges that when then Court Order is being made, request information on whether children will be affected by the order and howmanyandinwhatways, particularly in the case of settlements, and include in the order some form of protective care for the children.

The article in Stabroek News article further stated that 'He [Minister Mc Coy] made it clear that squatting was illegal and as such government cannot provide amenities noting that those who decide to squat on private or state lands must acknowledge the inherent limitationsandchallengesof suchactions.'

Minister McCoy is wrongonmanylevels,thisis notacaseofoneadultperson beingremovedfromStateor private lands, all of these cases can be considered human settlements. In all of these cases, there were several children and even babies involved and who were made homeless by these actions, the level of disruption to their lives was substantial.

InApril2011,theUnited Nations Human Rights Council adopted through Resolution 16/2, access to safe drinking water and sanitation a human right: a right to life and human dignity The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Goal 11, 'Sustainable Cities and Communities – Make cities and human settlements, inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable'. We would like to see the government's policy, strategy and plan for achieving Goal 11 of the SDGs, 'Sustainable Cities

Failure of agriculture

Frompage5 andhowtheoilmoneyhasbeenspentinthe Ministry of Agriculture. Is the Ministry serving as a conduit to pass on wealth to certainindividuals?

What has been going on with the pump stations where billions of dollars have been spent?

And how about the huge amount of money spent on kokers, sheet piling, and drainage and irrigation at NDIA? Poor infrastructure workledtodestructionofrice,sugarcaneand otherfoodcropsaswellasthedeathoftensof thousands of cattle and pigs and countless poultry Farmers lost huge amounts of money;theyskippedonericecropbecauseof uncertain weather patterns and lack of financial support from the government.

and Communities – Make c i t i e s a n d h u m a n settlements, inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable' This must include addressing the issue of squattinginGuyanainaway thatrespectsfortherightsof citizens, including children, and human dignity; and providing temporary water and sanitation facilities to citizens, even in squatting settlements, since water and sanitationisahumanright.

On another point, what weareseeingisaGuyanain transition.

In transition from the second poorest country in the Western hemisphere to one of the richest countries intheworld.

However, in this transition process, we are experiencing what can perhaps be termed as the 'economicsofplenty'andthe paradox of poverty in the midstofplenty

Let us examine the case of Mocha. The government wanted to build a road through the community and the actions taken by the government to demolish the homes and businesses of residents of Mocha was in violation of the rights of those residents and the

children who were affected. If the government was borrowing a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) or the World Bank or another regional, i n t e r n a t i o n a l o r multinational financial institution to construct the road through the Mocha community, a requirement forconsiderationoftheloan would have been for the government to do an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and perhaps, an Environmental Management Plan or some substantialassessment.

The purpose of these assessments is to determine the nature and level of impact on residents, businesses, livelihoods, environment, etc., and to makerecommendations.

What we now have in Guyanaisagovernmentand country that has a lot of its own money and therefore if the government decides to build a road through a community,asinthecaseof Mocha,thegovernmentisno longer constrained by the requirements from these international financial organisations. However, the

people of Guyana must now demandthattheGovernment establish a set of r e q u i r e m e n t s a n d obligations which would guide its actions and ensure that human dignity of citizens are respected and their rights are upheld when thegovernmentisusingtheir money to build roads, schools, bridges or other This money belongs to the Guyanese people, and they must demand that the government respect their rights,humanity,andhuman dignity in the process of usingtheirmoney

Finally,IsaytoPresident Ali,letSarahJohannabethe last...we are betterthan this! We are more civilized than this, we are more sophisticated than this

governmentisinviolationof

a n d development mechanisms, such as the Convention of the Rights of the Child. The Guyanese people can look forward to our government being rights-driven and our key focus will on humanity andhumandignity

Yoursfaithfully, Citizen Audreyanna Thomas

The Police Force has no deputy commissioner

Contractors made out like bandits without shame. There was hardly any transparency and accountability

Expensive sports vehicles, including Bentley, Rolls Royce, Benz, Prados were purchased. Someindividualsbecameownersofmultiple mansionsequippedwithluxuryinteriorsand equipment; the Pradoville II mansion (Goedverwagting) can hardly be compared withnewmansionsrisingupincludingoneat Bloomfield. What is the VP doing about limitlesscorruption?Hetalksagoodtalkbut therehasbeennoactiontoclampdownonthe corrupt.

Yourstruly, HemwatieChuraman

DearEditor, I feel compelled to write this letter for the edification of your readers The Corporate Communications Unit of the Guyana Police Force and several media outlets, both social and mainstream, have been incorrectly referring to severalseniorofficersinthe Guyana Police Force as “Deputy Commissioner” or “Deputy Commissioner (ag)”. The Guyana Police Force currently has no Deputy Commissioner, either substantive or acting.

T h e l a s t D e p u t y Commissioner, Dr Paul Williams, retired from the Force on May 1, 2024, having reached the mandatoryretirementageof fifty-five. No one has been appointedtothatranksince.

A s s i s t a n t Commissioners Calvin Brutus, and Ravindradat Budhram, who held the p o r t f o l i o s o f “Administration” and “Operations”, respectively, were carrying out the functions of those offices,

which are usually held by persons holding the rank of Deputy Commissioner There is a significant difference between a person carryingoutthefunctionsof aDeputyCommissionerand one who is acting in that rank.

Article 211 (1) of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana states “The CommissionerofPoliceand everyDeputyCommissioner of Police shall be appointed by the President acting after meaningful consultation with the Leader of the Opposition and the Chairperson of the Police Service Commission after the Chairperson has consulted with the other m e m b e r s o f t h e Commission”. It should be noted that the Constitution clearly states that the same procedure as outlined above applies to persons acting in thosetwooffices.

I must be noted that Clifton Hicken was a p p o i n t e d , u n d e r controversialcircumstances, to act as Commissioner of Police.As a result, he wears the badge of rank of CommissionerofPolice,and correctly so Brutus and Budhramhavebeenwearing the badge of Assistant Commissioner because they were never appointed to act as Deputy Commissioner It isimportantthatmembersof themediareportonissuesas accurately as possible. They should not propagate false and misleading information, even when that information emanates from “official sources”.

Sincerely PaulSloweCCH, Former Chairman of t h e P o l i c e S e r v i c e Commission

It therefore follows that unless the provisions of the relevant articles of the Constitution are followed there can be no Deputy Commissioner or acting Deputy Commissioner The AssistantCommissioners,or anyotherrankholdingthose offices are merely carrying out the functions of the offices.

BLUNT BLUNT

Investigate Jagdeo for allegations of bribery and corruption!

Back in 2022, allegations of corruption and bribery were leveled against a senior member of government - former Head of State, Bharrat Jagdeo.

It was a Vice News Documentary by two undercover reporters in Guyana who learnt through Jagdeo’s friend ‘Su’ that the Vice President is allegedly fingered in collecting bribestofacilitateChinesebusinessinGuyana.

Of more consequence however, Jagdeo’s friend was heard saying that he also collected huge bribes for the oil sector as well. To date, there has been no investigation conducted while the VP remains in office at the helm of our resources. With the country’s maiden bid round presently ongoing, these revelations, though mere accusations for now are troubling and couldspelldisasterforourfuture.

An independent investigation should be conductedtoeasethediscomfortexperiencedby patriotic Guyanese. A President that is concerned about transparency and accountability would never hesitate to order such a probe, especially if he is confident in the leadershipappointedbyhim.

Omai Pres. says Guyana one of few countries

eager for company to start gold production

Elaine Ellingham, gold project, which

remarked, “There’s very few ounces of gold grading at

President and Chief encompasses two gold jurisdictions in the world, 2 26 g/t in the inferred Executive Officer (CEO) of deposits: the shear-hosted where you know you have a category This represents a Omai Gold Mines, said that Wenot Deposit and the government that’s kinda notable increase compared the Guyana Government has adjacent intrusive-hosted rooting for you and wanting to the previous resource been pushing them along to GiltCreekDeposit. toseeyouadvance.” estimate conducted in getintogoldproduction. During the interview,

This publication had October2022,withindicated Ellingham made the Ellingham highlighted a reportedthattheresultsfrom ounces seeing a 4% uptick comments during an meeting with Guyana’s

interview back in March this President Irf

an Ali,

Economic Assessment experiencing a substantial year with Crux Investor and e m p h a s i s i n g t h e (PEA) for the Wenot Project 28%surge. streamed on their YouTube government’s enthusiastic revealed that the project is Back in 2020, Omai reChannel. Crux Investor is an support for mining

slated to yield over 142,000 entered Guyana’s mining analysis platform that initiatives. Ellingham stated, ouncesofgoldannuallyover industry The company had providesin-depthinsightson “He’s (President Ali) got a a 13-year mine life. At its s

Ellingham, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Omai Gold Mines.

k m i n i n g s t o c k s a n d lot on his plate and you can

completed thus far, has put investments They offer imagine the offshore oil anticipated to soar to them on track to become the expert analysis on various business in Guyana is just 184,000 ounces in a single nextlarge-scalegoldmineto commodities, development attracting so much foreign production so Omai in Resources and the Guyana year, with a total estimated open in Guyana. Notably, by stages, and global mining interest and foreign particular has kind of

production of 1,840,000 2026, Omai and three other projects, empowering investment.” special place in the hearts Commission (GGMC) are ouncesofpayablegold. Canadian mining companies investors to make informed However, Omai’s CEO and souls,” Ellingham equally keen to see Omai On February 8, 2024, the are expected to start gold decisions This year, the stated that Guyana’s head- stated. “They always wanna back in production soon. Company announced an p

oduction

n

heir C a n a d i a n c o m p a n y of-state still finds time to knowhowOmaiisdoingand Ellingham underscored updated Mineral Resources respectiveminingprojectsin announced significant stay updated on the how soon it can be in Guyana’s unique position Estimate (MRE) for the Guyana. milestones with its project, company’s progress. “But production so we need to among global jurisdictions, Omai Property The This was revealed by located in Region Seven you know they really value forgeforward,”sheadded. noting the government’s combinedestimatesfromthe Senior Minister within the (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) Omai mining, they remember She added that the proactive role in fostering Wenot and Gilt Creek Office of the President with holds a 100% interest in the w h e n O m a i w a s i n Ministry of Natural mining activities She depositsstandsat2.0million responsibility for Finance, ounces of gold grading at Dr Ashni Singh during his 2.15 g/t gold in the indicated 2024 budget estimates category and 2 3 million presentation.

Man granted bail for assaulting and stealing chain from woman

A25-year-oldmasononWednesdayappearedbeforethe Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to answer a charge of robberywithviolence.

Samuel Hyman, of Friendship, East Coast Demerara made his first court appearance before Principal Magistrate FaithMcGusty,whoreadthechargetohim.Thechargeread that on July 8, 2024 at Water Street, Georgetown, he robbed Diana Williams one silver chain with a diamond and gold pendant valued $120,000 and immediately after used personal violence to the said person. Hyman pleaded not guiltytothecharge.

According to police report, on the mentioned date, Williams was walking along Water Street with her silver chain around her neck. While in the vicinity of Stabroek Market, she felt someone choked her from behind and grabbed the chain. He then ran in the westerly direction, runningfurtherintothemarket.Williamsthenmadeareport to the Stabroek police outpost where an investigation was conducted. He was identified and arrested on July 13 where he was charged for the offence committed. Hyman was granted bail in the sum of $75,000 along with the mention conditions. He is scheduled to return on July 31, 2024 for disclosure.

Elaine

I WISH

I would love to live to these days – with someone that those who will inherit railway to Lethem. This will Guyana needs its present one hundred years. Beyond else. this cheap energy and use it be great for travel and hotels to be filled; it does not that my limbs and joints I would love to grow old in their homes and factories tourism.Iwouldlovetoseea needanynewmassivehotel.

would have become gracefully and hope that the will be willing to pay for it railway line also run along I would love to see all calcified, cataract surgery NIS does not close down and not have the GPL the Corentyne River so as to those specialty services that would be impossible as my before I receive my benefits. runningafterthem. open up more lands and then arebeingprovidedbyprivate sight declines and even if I I hope that no new sickness IhopethatIcantravelby veer over the river to link up hospitals and by some new moneythantheycanspend. could survive the operation, afflicts me since this would road all the way to BoaVista with Suriname. From there, hospital which is to be I would love for the mymemorywouldfade. mean my aut

ic andfromtherejointhetrans- you can travel by good roads constructedtobedonebythe owners of the Canje and

That would be the right disqualification from continental highway all the allthewaytoFrenchGuiana. public health system so that Kaieteur blocks to return time for me to go and meet benefitsfromtheNIS. way toArgentina. But I hope I would love to see more when my time comes for themtothecountrysothatall myMaker Butbeforethen,I Ihopetohavetheprivacy more than anything else to tourists come to Guyana and somemajorsurgery,mylittle ofmywishescancometrue. would love to spend the to bathe at least once every return to Guyana, where create jobs for our people savings do not have to go to

(The views expressed in remaining days of my life in three months in the rain each day, there is sunshine andfillthehotelrooms.ButI private individuals who are this article are those of the Guyanawherethesunshines without the police hauling andlovelypeople. would not like to see more going to make a great deal of

everyday and where even on me over for indecent I hope that the new white elephants constructed money if specialist health necessarily reflect the the highest mountain peaks, exposure despite me having generation of Guyanese atgreatexpensetothepeople care is put in the hands of opinions of this newspaper.) itisbearable. onmyunderpants. people never forget to cook ofGuyana. thosewhoalreadyhavemore I would love to live in a I would love to sit in the their cultural foods. What new capital, located evenings and enjoy the cool would Guyana be without its somewhere on the banks of nights under a lovely starry foods? What would Guyana theEssequiboRiver Iwould sky, reminisce on the day be without Banks Beer and love to wake up each gone by and the days long ElDoradorum? morning to the birds gone. I would love to see more chirping, and to see and I would love to do the of the interior of Guyana. I experience the dew on the things that I never had the wouldlovetoseeroadsopen grass. time to do in my younger up this interior to more

I would love nothing days. I would love to collect people so that they can better than to have a window stamps, to learn the art of appreciate what they have looking out to the rising barbering and how to finally andstopdreamingofabetter morning sun and when play the guitar That surely lifeoverseasbecausethebest evening sets to experience cannotbeaskingtoomuch. lifeishereinGuyana. that wonderful sunset that I would love to see I would love to see the canonlybefoundinGuyana. hydro-electricity come to people of Guyana stop I would love to be able to Guyana, but not Amaila. fighting around politics. I swim in the warm creeks Too many promises have would love to see politics until the day I die and to sit beenmade,toomanydreams bring people together rather all day under a tree, read a have been abandoned It than divide them. I would good book or find a faithful looks as if we will finally love to see everybody being companion who will not run havehydro-electricity,cheap happy off – as is the case so often current as they say I hope I would love to see a

Dem Boys Seh...

De Government is an Octopus

Onceuponatime,thepeoplewaitedfora thepeoplecouldneveragreeonwhatneeded hero to save them from the clutches of the to be done. “We need more money shouted almightyGovernment Octopus.This was no one. “No, we need better roads!” cried ordinary octopus, mind you. It had tentacles another Thedebatesgrewheated,butnoone so wide they stretched from the city to the ever took a stand. Trust in their politicians countryside, squeezing every last bit of was boundless, but faith in themselves was independencefromitscitizens. nowheretobefound.

The people looked around, expecting a Thisfatalismbecamethenewnorm.The saviourtoappear Theyglancedhopefullyat people convinced themselves that change Mr Been-There-Done-That, but he was too was impossible. The Government Octopus busy reminiscing about the good old days. was too strong, its tentacles too wide, its Mrs.Worn-Out-Shoes had walked too many sting too oppressive, and its measures too miles and could barely muster the energy to regressive. So, they stayed in their homes, stand. Mr All-in-the-Family was entangled grumblingandhopingforamiracle. in his own web of connections, and Mr But here’s the thing about waiting for Accent was too busy perfecting his eloquent miracles: sometimes, you have to create speechesthatwentnowhere. your own. The people forgot that the true

The Government Octopus, meanwhile, power lay not in their leaders but within tightened its grip, its sting paralyzing any themselves The Government Octopus attempt at resistance Measures too mightbestrong,butunited,thepeoplecould regressivetospellout,oppressingthepeople be stronger They just needed to stand up, intosubmission.Thelawsseemedtochange together, and realize that the change they overnight, always in favour of the few and soughtwaswithintheirgraspallalong. neverforthemany Dividedandsquabbling, Talk half. Leff half.

The man of many faces

The party man is a party standing are reeling, usually vast combination of such. If admit to my mistake: about confronting and animal. He is on the hunt, a not left in one piece. This is anyone knows anyone in the compassion, the milk of castingout. prowler and stalker, I can’t the face of the People’s upper echelons of the PPP humankindness,andpityare Ah ha, those whom the help but think of a serial Progressive Party It is suffering from such awful the best medicines. If this is gods wish to terrorize, they killer suspect. Operating beady-eyed. It is white convulsions, please call 1- w h a t G u y a n a h a s first get them to do the twist. from the shadows and knuckled. And thin-lipped: 800-DIALOP Thereusedto deterioratedto,thenitistime On this oil, this most and bluffer, and I was about secretive, aggressive as a snarling, spitting, shouting, be a place in Jolly Olde formytickettoBaluchistan. bountiful if n

l to share my thinking about barracuda and thorough as a and most often ‘cussin’ and England called Bethlehem, In the greatest of patrimonies, it has been a buffoon,thenthegodlyinme piranha Opponents are carrying on in the best perhaps that is the better mysteries, the party man is jiggle and a swivel and a cameback. targeted with missile-like personification of a raving, recommended step A also Guyana’s oilman. Say whole world of drivel. The In the local arena with precision, and repeated puffs ahem,beautifulmindgoneto goddamn bedlam it is, if not t h a t

a i n , p l e a s e party man who screams at domestic matters, the party of radioactive breath pot. daily, then whenever some Somebodyputthecitizensof earsplitting volume against man is a warrior In the incinerate and evaporate, Twisted and degraded, demented spirit takes full this country out of their political competitors and external arena with foreign with few, if any, left like someone caught in the control. Iusedtobeappalled misery, and say that no it is m

, oil movers and shakers, he standing. Those who are tormentsofsomemania,ora andevenpugnacious. NowI not so, it is a slip of the inclusive of the worst lyrics shakes in his boots, with lips tongue, a mistake of that the ‘baddest’ rapper trembling and the whites of unpardonable proportions homeycouldcomeupwithis his eyes showing. There is a But it is. The irony and thunderstruck, dumbstruck, suspicious pool of liquid by tragedy of the party man and struck by some strange his shoes, and something being the nation’s majestic stroke of lightning when it insists that it is neither water oilman. Ifthisisthebestthat comes the time to say nor sweat. The badman and Guyana can dig up and something about Guyana’s bullyinthelocalvillagenow deliver, then all the oil in the oil. Justalittlesomethingon runs for cover behind his world and with all the oil that is clean and clear, well-constructed barricades. highest prices and all the u ntar nis hed b y the He can’t stand the heat of benefits from that sacred underhanded and what is battle. He will not fight. product of this rich virginal undermining to Guyana’s When he should steel andnubilesoilisnotgoingto interests. Just any littler himself for a showdown at m a k e o n e d a m n e d s o m e t h i n g t h a t i s the OK Corral, there is difference. Can a poisoned contributory to the upward skulking around and tree bear healthy fruit? spiral of Guyanese hopes, jumping on the fastest horse E c o n o m i c s , n o t and not what decimates their to rush out of town. When ecclesiastics, good folks of dreams. every day in Guyana should Guyana. Politics at its most The contrast between the be a moment of courageous, gnarled, its most rotted, its party man and the oilman unflinching High Noon most demented, and not an cannot be more glaring: the confrontation with those all-inclusive demographics former is all thunder; the seeking to conquer this and who could get and does, latter is one blasted blunder country, all that the party and who shouldn’t and does after another. How many man and oilman has inside is not. The party man is loud failures is a man allowed, grovelingandquivering. He and raucous and brawling, a regardless of his elevation, is still classless and careless face contorted by hate and without consideration of his enough to show his face impatienceandarrogancefor field of activity? The man around here. This is the notbeingallowedtohavehis from Galilee, the carpenter’s many-faced man of Guyana, way and sow his fakeries, son, said seven times seven, only three iterations. There q u a c k e r i e s , a n d and then that slate must be shouldn’t be any surprise grotesqueries. It is not that tossed aside, and a harder about why Guyana is where familiar one about what line taken. Guyanese have itis,andhowitis. looks like a duck and walks lostcountoftheweaknesses, (The views expressed in like a duck. It is a duck that farces, and falls of their this article are those of the mutated into a fearsome nationaloilsaviour Ifheisa author and do not demon from which even the saviour,thenthegatesofhell necessarily reflect the gospel miracle worker are preferred by me. What a o p i n i o n s o f t h i s would have second thoughts character! What a babbler newspaper.)

Lone gunman robs Jettoo Lumber Yard Manager $5M

A lone gunman on Monday robbed when the gunman attacker Just as she was Jettoo Lumber Yard’s manager of a laptop about to rest the bag on the vehicle seat, the bagcontaining$5millionincash. suspect pulled out a gun from his pants The manager identified asAshley Jettoo, crotch and pressed the muzzle against her 28, was robbed around 17:15hrs in front of stomachandinstructedhertodropherlaptop the Lumber yard located at Deroy and bag. LombardStreets,Georgetown. She complied and the bandit grabbed the Investigatorssaidthatshehadjustclosed bagwithcashandranaway Policehavebeen up the business and was heading to her able to identify a suspect and are presently vehicle with the laptop bag on her shoulder huntinghimdown.

Restricting access to pesticides, firearms could prevent more than 120,000 suicide deaths in the Americas - new PAHO study

Arecent study published inThe Lancet Regional Health –Americas,revealsthatimplementingpoliciestorestrictaccess to highly hazardous pesticides and firearms could prevent more than 120,000 deaths by suicide in the region of the Americasovera10-yearperiod.

The research, conducted in collaboration with experts from the PanAmerican Health Organization (PAHO) and the Centre forAddiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Canada, suggests that if restrictions on access to firearms or pesticides wereappliedincountrieswheretheyaccountfor40%ormore of suicides, the mortality rate could be reduced by over 20% amongmalesand11%amongfemalesby2030.

Annually, nearly 100,000 lives are lost to suicide in the Americas, and unlike other WHO regions, the suicide mortality rate has increased in recent years. Means restriction is an effective evidence-based intervention in suicide prevention, and a key strategy recommended by the World HealthOrganization(WHO)underits“LIVELIFE”approach toreducesuicidemortality

“Suicide is preventable and each life lost is devastating,”

Anselm Hennis, Director of the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health at PAHO and coauthor of the study said. “This study shows that effective policies that limit access to two of the most common methods for suicide can have an impact on reducing mortality in the region,”headded.

Using data modeled from 2020 to 2030, the study estimatesimportantimpactinseveralcountries.Forinstance, (Continued on page 11)

Second phase of

Prison project completed

approximately $4 billion website in December 2021 environment within the

was completed in late 2022. that Nabi Construction Inc. premises.

t Kaieteur News had reported was awarded another In relation to other undertaken at a cost of over that under the APNU+AFC contract to undertake major projects, the boundary fence $700 million is now regime, a contract was given works at the facility andwatchtowerconstruction completed. to Kee-Chanona Limited of According to information is currently at 80 percent

This is according to Trinidad and Tobago in joint released from the NPTAB,

information provided by the venture with Guyanese firm, the project was awarded to commencement of the Guyana Prison Service Nabi Construction Inc., at a the contractor to the tune of

(GPS) on Wednesday which cost of $4 billion for the first $1,119,652,421. reconstruction, designed to stated that that facility is phase of the expansion Meanwhile, as it relates provide recreational space expected to be operational in project. to other projects ongoing at for both senior and junior amatterofweeks. That contract catered for the correctional facility, the officers, which will be done

According to the Prison the construction of a U- GPS reported yesterday that at a cost of over $57 million Service, Officer-in-Charge shaped two-storey building construction of phase two of and is already at a 30per cent of the location Carlton which was being erected to the fence is currently at 98 completion. Cameron reported that phase house cells, offices and a per cent completion, and this “ T h e s e p r o j e c t s twowhichisapivotalproject courtyard for the prisoners. isbeingdoneatacostofover encompassadiverserangeof aimed at enhancing the This block is also said to $66million. initiatives designed to correctional infrastructure is accommodate220inmates. This project, the Prison enhance the infrastructure, said to accommodate As it relates to block two Servicestatedisasignificant living conditions for staff approximately200inmates. of the project, the National step towards fortifying the and prisoners and overall It was reported in the Procurement and Tender security infrastructure of the functionality of the prison,” media that phase one of the Administration Board office prison, thereby ensuring a t h e P r i s o n S e r v i c e project, which was done for (NPTAB) revealed on its safe and c

highlighted.

Block Two (Phase II) of the Mazaruni Prison rehabilitation project. (Photo courtesy, GPS/Facebook)

Police pushing technology to help solve crimes

TheGuyanaPoliceForce ensure that we are more that can be utilised within

accuracy, better resource able to leverage historical (GPF) in its efforts to effective, we are more law enforcement are; facial vehicles(UAVs). allocations and improved crime data, we can also have maintain transparency and efficient and we are more recognition technology, Taking this into account, officer safety In light of complexalgorithmsdosome accountability with the r e s p o n s i v e , ” S m i t h licence plate recognition the benefits of these this, Smith explained, “We computations for us and public has implemented highlighted. (LPR), Mobile Data technological innovations can, because we are now identify things like high technological innovations He stated some of the terminals, Body-Worn would include an increase of involved in the use of crimeareas,itcanhelpusto and advanced techniques technological innovations Cameras (BWCs), Drones e

technology, we can now be (Continued on page 16) within law enforcement to improveefficiency,accuracy and safety in combating crime.

This was highlighted on Wednesday when the Police h Force hosted its 185 Anniversary Symposium at the Police Officers’ Mess

A

symposium was held under the theme, ‘Modernizing policing by balancing technology, community engagement and global best practices ’ During the symposium, a panel discussion was conducted with the topic, ‘Law enforcement innovations, technology, techniques, digital age policing, cyber security and countering c r i m e ’ T h e p a n e l discussions included, Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum, Officer commanding of the Signal Corps, Commander Roger Nurse, GTT’s Deputy General Manager with r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r Operations, Orson Smith, Senior Superintendent Jermaine Johnson and National ICT advisor Darryl Akeung.

In his open remarks during the discussion, Blanhum underscored the serious threat cybercrime and cyber security pose to society As such, he urged law enforcement officers to adapt to the technological era. He assured, “…We’ve established Zara Computer Centers in almost all (of) the regions, and we have our police ranks, who are being exposed to the various aspects of cybercrime and cyber security learning, so thattheycanbeproficient.”

Moreover, Smith who is a part of the Civilian arm which works along with the GPF, explained that technological innovations and advanced techniques have significantly impacted law enforcement in improving efficiency, accuracyandsafety

“…One of the things I want to say is that I’m sure we all agree that the integration of advance technologies and all these innovative techniques are definitely going to transform our law enforcement and we must leverage these technologies, we must leverage things like data analytics, crime prediction models and all the other advances that they have to

Sase Singh takes up post as Ambassador to Belgium

- presents credentials, initiates bilateral cooperation agenda

Newly appointed Ambassador of Guyana to Belgium, His Excellency Sasenarine Singh during his presentation ceremony.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation announced via a press statement that Sasenarine Singh, Guyana’s newly appointed Ambassador to Belgium, presented his Letter of Credence to His Excellency Hubert Roisin, Chief of Protocol of the Federal Public ServiceForeign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.

The ministry said that, “This marks a significant step towards Ambassador Singh becoming fully accredited as Ambassador and Head of Mission to the Kingdom of Belgium, with the final presentation to His Majesty King Philippe announced to be completed in September of this year.”

During the ceremony,Ambassador Singh underscored the warm and longstanding relationship between Guyana and Belgium, outlining key areas for bilateral cooperation includingthemitigationandadaptationactionplanaroundthe climate change challenge, the agenda to enhance trade relations, our common commitment to world peace and supportoftheInternationalCourtofJusticeprocessunderway as the lawful means to addressing all matters in connection withthepreservationoftheterritorialintegrityofnations.

He further emphasized Guyana’s status; having the world’s fasting growing economy hence presenting significant investment opportunities in several sectors of the economy including agriculture which can result in greater prosperityforbothnations.HereiteratedGuyana’sdedication to combating drug trafficking and stressed the importance of cooperationwithBelgiuminthiscriticalarea.

“In response, His Excellency Hubert Roisin warmly welcomed Ambassador Singh to Belgium and expressed enthusiasm for the proposed areas of cooperation, many of which are priorities for Belgium, including the climate mitigation action plan. He welcomed the opportunity for Belgium to have a strategic partner in South America, emphasizing the importance of bolstering trade and investment, particularly in agriculture. His Excellency Roisin also highlighted Belgium’s essential port infrastructure supportingtradeinpetrochemicals,oil,andgas,”theministry said.

Bothpartiesexpressedeagernesstocollaboratecloselyon addressing shared challenges and exploiting common opportunities, thereby forging a prosperous future for both countries.

In an invited comment by this publication to shed some lightonsomeoftheinvestmentareas,Belgiumwillbelooking atGuyanaadwellasanyprojectsthatwillsoonbeproposed?

AmbassadorSinghsaidthatthecountrywillbelookingat, “agriculture and healthcare research” to invest into Guyana and soon they will be proposing to have, “Discussion on organicfoodsprivatesectortoprivatesectorprojects.”

77 businesses registered during AG Chambers Mabaruma outreach

The Office of persons like the misspelling

D e e d s a n d of names and clerical errors

C o m m e r c i a l onperson’sbirthcertificates,

R e g i s t r y marriage certificates and in disputes ” “Because the Authority, on Monday some cases even on their I.D problems while they are during an outreach to cards were looked at,” many folds, the issues have Mabaruma, registered 77 Nandlallsaid.“Sowehadthe great similarities and businesses and provided the help of the Guyana Elections commonalities. So once you registration certificates Commission (GECOM), we give advice on a particular immediately to the had the help of the GRO, the issue, once that advice is proprietors. General Registrar’s Office followed, then it would

Thiswasdisclosedbythe R e p r e s e n t a t i v e a t impact positively on the Attorney General (AG) Anil Mabaruma; they were all resolution of hundreds of Nandlall on Tuesday during part of the outreach and they these legal disputes that are an episode of his show obviously offered their facing residents of ‘Issues in the News’ aired assistance in helping us to communities,” the AG live on Facebook The resolve all these issues,” he explained. outreach stemmed from added.

Nandlall said the requests made to President Furthermore, there will Government of Guyana is IrfaanAli on a previous visit be the establishment of a looking to bring all of the to the area where residents permanent Office of the townships up to standard, lamented the absence of Deeds and Commercial hence they will be executing certainservices. Registry in the locality of outreaches of similar nature Nandlall said that during Mabaruma. Nandlall toseewherethereisaservice thetripthey,registeredunder deemed the outreach a gap and to introduce the the Deeds and Commercial “spectacular success”. necessary one required. Registry 77 new businesses, Noting that they were able to “Even most importantly, a and, issued the certificate of address “dozens of land decision has been made to registration immediately issues.” conduct this initiative in all “We notarised dozens of He said Mabaruma is a our hinterland regions in the documents You know place riddled with land towns of these regions. So simple services like notarial issues because most of the we will do one in Region services are not available so landthereareStatelandsand Seven, we will do one in persons would have had persons are occupying based RegionEight,wewilldoone documents that required uponleases. Thishesaidhas at Region Nine and we will notarization for years and ledtoalargenumberoflegal do one at Region Ten. It is have been unable to have issues stemming from land our hope and expectation, to thosedocumentsnotarized.” occupation. ”I was able to establish a permanent office

The AG explained that a call the Head of Lands and o f t h e D e e d s a n d Notary Public was a part of Surveys Mr Monize to work Commercial Registry the team and therefore along with the staff of the Authority in all these dozens of documents were Lands and S urveys Regions,” he stated A notarized right there and Commission who is at similar outreach will be then The team also Mabaruma and then I was executed in Port Kaituma facilitated and completed able to give legal advice that next week Monday and the numerous transactions for, ought to guide the Lands and team will be offering the affidavits of identity, deed Surveys Commission in same services offered to poll “Issues affecting resolving hundreds of land Mabaruma.

LBI man on $75k bail for misuse of money

A father of three from La Bonne Intention, East CoastDemerarawasgrantedbailinthesumof$75,000 whenappearedbeforeMagistrateFaithMcGustyatthe Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on a charge of fraudulentmisappropriation.

ChargedandbeforethecourtisCliffordRamlagan. The charge alleges that on May 14, 2024, at New MarketandEastStreetsinGeorgetown,Ramlaganwas entrusted by Godfrey Jones with $190,000 Guyanese currency to purchase lights and perform bodywork on motor vehicle PMM 5671. However, he is accused of fraudulentlymisappropriatingthefundsforhisownuse orbenefit.Hepleadednotguiltytothecharge.

Accordingtothefactspresented,Ramlaganandthe victim, Godfrey Jones, were known to each other Ramlagan is a spray painter, and Jones, the owner of vehicle PMM 5671, had contacted him to have bodywork and painting done on the car They agreed that the total cost, including the purchase of new front lights, would be $280,000. Jones initiallypaid $90,000 forthefirststageofthework,whichwascompletedand returnedtohim.

On the day in question, Jones provided the remaining$190,000GCtotheman,alongwiththe (Continued on page 16)

Clifford Ramlagan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

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Supermarket Packers, porters and Bond clerk AM & PM needed @ Survival Shopping Complex, Sheriff St. Call: 6092995,survivalhumanresources2 @gmail.com

Experienced Accounts Clerk with Quickbooks knowledge apply @ Survival Shopping Complex, Sheriff St. Call: 6092995,survivalhumanresources2 @gmail.com

Supermarket PM Cashiers required @ Survival Shopping Complex, 173 Sheriff ST. Tel: 609-2995, Email: survivalhumanresources2@ gmail.com

Vacancy for Receptionist and Hotel Attendant at Hick's Ville Hotel. Email: info @vegeworld.net or Call: 2310951/ 231-0952.

Sand truck Driver needed, Sand pit to Eccles. $5,000 per trip. Call: 621-5282.

Lorry /Canter Driver in G/ Town or East Bank. Must have lorry license, $135,000 monthly. Call/ WhatsApp: 609-2220.

Live-out Nanny/ housekeeper, $27,000 per week Mon-Sat at Providence. Call/ WhatsApp: 609-2220.

Now hiring: Executive Secretary, Project Engineer & Accounts Clerk, To apply send application via Whatsapp: 638-5303/ 638-1111.

Cafe Sol located at North Road is hiring an assistant Cook 2 pm- 8pm. Contact: 6028067 / 634-8644.

Josel Educational institute seeks to employ a qualified science teacher. Email: joseleducation@yahoo.com or call: 226-7868 / 678-0652.

One clerk for TSI Eccles office.English & Mathematics,grade 2.Email application:techserigy@yahoo.com or call 615-9132.

Maid to clean for East Bank area call: 615-9132

Male cleaner for Eccles call:615-9132 or 645-8443

Painter call:615-9132

Female cleaner for office call: 645-8443

FOR RENT

4 bedrooms house at Lamaha Gardens, $2,800 USD. All amenities provided along with parking, long term only! Call: 679-2966.

1 Ground floor for rent 2640 sq in Farm E.B.D for any type business. Tele: 223-9677 call 8 am-4 pm

EDUCATION

FIRST AID/CPR/AED as well as home nursing courses at St. John Association starting shortly . Call 225-9082.

CAR RENTAL

Car for rent. For more information Call: 671-7931 / 6216613.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Double lot at 344 A&B Middle Street, North Cummingsburg, Georgetown. Call: 927-6035603/ 592-693-9494.

2 Howo cement mixer truck for sale, $20 M for both. Call: 652-0251/650-0402/2604018.

Masked bandits in fielder wagon rob Chinese supermarket at Linden

Three bandits - two of them masked and armed with a gun on Tuesday night robbed a Chinese supermarket located at Central Amelia's Ward, Mackenzie, Linden of $300,000 cash, $20,000 in GT&T and Digicel phone cards and the owner's iPhone 13. They escaped in a white Toyota Fielder Wagon.

The owner of the supermarket, Xpang Guan, 40, reportedly told investigators that the bandits entered the supermarket

around 20:35hrs while he was attending to customers at the cash register. He said two of them were dressed in dark clothing and had on masks. The third did not wear a mask and was dressed in a white t-shirt. He pulled out a gun while his masked accomplices pulled out knives and started demanding cash and valuables from the owner and the customers. Fearful for their lives, they allowed the bandits to take what they wanted.Investigations are ongoing.

Police pushing technology to help solve...

From page 13 allocate resources proactively.” He continued, “The whole idea of automating these routine task and data analysis will help our officers to focus on other critical aspects of their work.”

Nevertheless, some challenges that can be considered by utilizing technological innovation would include privacy concerns, bias and fair-

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ness, public trust and data security, training and adaptation. Smith further explained that with technology, persons are always concerned about the data being misused. He said, “…so obviously we have to balance the use of data analytics with protecting the privacy of the individual and that’s the reason why you would have seen several different pieces of legislations being passed to protect citizens right to privacy.”

In the realms of the facial recognition, Smith highlighted that due to this technology not being fined-tuned for the countries’ demographics, errors would occur in identifying the person. He reasoned that in the case of identifying a person, a human can recognize if there is no resemblance, however facial recognition can sometimes state otherwise. “So we have to deal with

those biases, so we have to be very careful that there is some biases and then you can end up unfairly targeting particular persons or even communities.” Moreover, Smith pointed out the importance for training and adaptation. He underscored, “All of these things that we do, we have to make sure that our officers are properly trained, there is no point having the best facial recognition technology, licence plate recognition technology and we cannot use that technology to trap where that suspect went, which vehicle he escaped with and who was his known associates, and of course, we have to be willing to adapt.” As such, ongoing training and adaptation are essential to fully harness the potential of these innovations for effective and equitable policing.

Restricting access to pesticides...

From page 12 in El Salvador, Guyana, Nicaragua, and Suriname, where ingestion of highly hazardous pesticides led to 40% or more of suicides in each country in 2019, proactive restriction measures could substantially reduce suicide rates by 2030. Similarly, in the United States, where firearms accounted for over 40% of suicide deaths in the same year, implementing targeted restrictions is predicted to lead to a marked decline in suicide rates over the next decade.

The study concludes that the effective implementation of measures for restricting access to pesticides and firearms could prevent the loss of over 123,000 lives to suicide throughout the region of the Americas.

The most notable reductions would be observed in the non-Latin Caribbean subregion, where the suicide mor-

tality rate could be reduced by up to 31% among males and 34% among females if a specific restriction on highly hazardous pesticides were to be applied in three key countries: Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, in 2020.

“Implementing restriction measures is most effective when the methods are prevalent and account for a significant proportion of suicide deaths,” Dr. Renato Oliveira e Souza, Chief of the PAHO Mental Health and Substance Use Unit, and coauthor of the study said. “However, it is also crucial to consider the socio-cultural context when implementing means restriction policies.”

The researchers behind the study are calling for multisectoral collaboration to implement these evidencebased interventions to meet the WHO target of reducing the suicide mortality rate by one-third by 2030.

man on $75k bail for misuse...

From page 15 vehicle. A few days later, the man contacted Jones, saying the car was ready. However, when the man dropped off the vehicle, it was observed to be in the same condition as when it was given to him. Jones reported the matter to the police and Ramlagan was arrested, though he denied receiving the full $190,000.The man’s attorney, Dominic Best, requested bail, citing his client’s lack of prior convictions and stating that it was a misunderstanding. The prosecutor did not object to the bail request, and Magistrate McGusty granted the man bail in the amount of $75,000. The next court appearance is scheduled for July 31, 2024.

VACANCY

VACANCY

PEN PAL

Indian male seeking female

Security cooperation discussed during Guyana, US strategic dialogue

As the Government of G u y a n a c o n t i n u e s strengthening its bilateral relationship with the United States of America, the First Strategic Dialogue on Tuesday began between the twocountries.

Thedialogue,whichwas

agreed upon by the administrations of Presidents Dr. Mohamed IrfaanAliandJoeBiden,was convenedtooutlinestrategic issuesandpoliciesaswellas other opportunities for collaboration.

The governments convened the bilateral meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation in Georgetown, Guyana. At the opening ceremony, Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud asserted that the dialoguecontinuesalongthe upw

ectory of p

r t n e r s h i p s a n d relationships that the two

sides have enjoyed for decades “This dialogue seeks to build on the friendship and the partnership that exists between our two countries under the bilateral, regional a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l cooperation frameworks,” heexplained.

The discussions centred on several global thematic areas, including energy security, food security, climate change, the USCaribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis (PACC) 2030, and security and defence cooperation “I'mquiteconfidentthatour deliberations can pave the wayforinnovativesolutions and strengthened ties b e t w e e n o u r t w o governments,” the Foreign Secretaryaffirmed.

Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director of Western HemisphereAffairs

Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud addressing the US-Guyana meeting

attheUnitedStatesNational Security Council (USNSC), Daniel Erikson, lauded Guyana's global efforts to support the development of the Caribbean region. “Your leadership in the Caribbean Community is well recognized and your current role in the United Nations Security Council is a testament to the growing

TAXBOSSCHARGED

Fraud, tax evasion, money laundering'...

(TRINIDAD EXPRESS) TWENTY charges of fraud, tax evasion and money laundering have been laid against acting Assistant Commissioner of the Board of InlandRevenue(BIR)FinbarBoland.

Last Friday, police went to the Inland Revenue Division (IRD), Government CampusinPortofSpain,wheretheyarrested Boland and took him to the Besson Street PoliceStationinconnectionwiththeoffences he allegedly committed between 2014 and 2018.

Heisfacingfivechargeseachofmaking false and misleading statements in his tax returnsbyfalselyclaimingandreceivingtax refunds he was not entitled to; not declaring considerable amounts of other sources of income apart from his salary at the BIR to avoid paying taxes on those amounts; cheatingthepublicrevenueoftaxpayableby non-declaration of the additional sources of income; and money laundering by way of depositing in his personal bank accounts refund cheques from the BIR obtained by falserepresentationsinhistaxreturns.

$.2mbail

Boland, 59, of Finland Street, Woodbrook, appeared before Master Margaret Sookraj-Goswami on Monday and wasgrantedbailinthesumof$.2million.The master had issued an arrest warrant for Boland on July 8, which had specified that uponhisarresthewasnottobegrantedbail.

Following the reading of the charges on Monday, Boland was not called upon to plead.Asaconditionofhisbail,heisrequired to report to St James police once per month until his next appearance in court on June 4, 2025, with a sufficiency hearing being scheduledforJune18nextyear

The charges were laid following investigations by Adesh Ramdeo, an investigator with the Criminal Tax InvestigationsUnitoftheIRD. Falseordeceptivestatements

DuringMonday'shearing,Boland,afield auditorV,wasrepresentedbyattorneysJohn Heath,SC,andRaviRajcoomar;whileEvans Welch, legal consultant and tax fraud

prosecutor,appearedonbehalfoftheIRD.

According to the five charges, for the years2014to2018,Bolandknowinglymade false or deceptive statements in individual income tax returns contrary to section 119(1)(a)oftheIncomeTaxActChap75:01.

The five charges are that he claimed entitlement to a personal income tax allowance for first-time home ownership in the sum of $18,000 and falsely claimed a refund of tax paid in the sum of $4,500 and whichwasreceivedbyhimbywayofcheque fromtheBIR.

Boland is also accused of knowingly makingfalseandmisleadingstatementsinhis income tax returns by declaring he had receivedzeroincomefromsourcesotherthan hisBIRsalaryfortheyearsinquestion,when he had in fact received significant additional income.

Theparticularsofthosechargeswerethat from 2014 to 2018, Boland received additional income in the sums of $349,605; $630,026.05; $393,697.32; $671,596.57 and $915,141.84,respectively

Further, he faces another five charges of cheatingpublicrevenuecontrarytocommon lawbyclaimingtax-deductibleallowanceshe wasnotentitledto,andfailingtodeclarethe additional income, thereby depriving the State of tax revenue on the sums of $91,901 50; $162,006 01; $104,674 33; $174,149.14and$236,053.75.

Chequesdeposited

The final five charges of money laundering were laid contrary to Section 45(1)(b)oftheProceedsofCrimeActChap. 11:27.

According to the particulars of those charges, he knowingly converted criminal property, namely BIR income tax refund cheques for each of the five years when he deposited the said cheques into his personal bank accounts held in various commercial banks, knowing that the said cheques were generated and issued as a result of false representationsmadebyhim.

Those five cheques carried a combined totalof$28,749.

safeguarding Guyana's sovereignwealththroughout Guyana's Natural Resource Fund.TheU.S.standsready tosupportyouinthateffort,”

i s administration's stance on maintaining Guyana's sovereignty and territorial integrity. “I do want to reiterateonceagain,andthis comes directly from PresidentBidenhimself,that the United States fully supports Guyana's territorial integrity,”Eriksonnoted.

stature and influence of Guyana,”heposited.

Eriksonalsorecordedthe USgovernment'ssupportfor Guyana's inclusive and sustainable policy directives. “We know your government is working to ensure an equitable and thoughtful path towards an inclusive and sustainable d e v e l o p m e n t

Also present at the dialogues were Assistant Secretary of the US Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols, Special Advisor to the US Vice President for the Western Hemisphere Scott Winton, other senior officials of the US White House, the US State Department,theUSNational Security Council, the US

Department of Energy, the US Department of Defence, and the US Department of Commerce.

Additionally, Guyana's delegation included the Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn,Ambassador of Guyana to the United States and the Organization of American States (OAS) Samuel Hinds, Chief of DefenceStaffoftheGuyana Defence Force (GDF) Brigadier Omar Khan, National Security Advisor Captain Gerry Gouveia, Director of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) James Singh, representatives of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), OfficeofthePresident(OP), Ministries of Natural Resources, Finance, and Commerce, and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), a

governmentofficials.(DPI)

RowleylamentshighcrimeT&T, useofhigh-poweredweapons

The use of illegal highpowered assault weapons was one of the concerns raised by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley at a meeting of the National Security Council convened after last weekend'sspateofmurders.

During the talks held with the country's heads of security on Monday evening, Dr Rowley also highlighted the need for “a m o r e p r o a c t i v e , intelligence-driven, targeted and robust approach which is focused on those who are known and suspected to be involved in serious criminality,” said a release on the meeting from the OfficeofthePrimeMinister

Also discussed was the deployment of resources in “a coordinated and collaborative manner of sustained joint operations, particularly in areas where t h e r e i s a k n o w n concentration of criminal activity.”

Monday's meeting was attended by Police

Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher, D e p u t y P o l i c e Commissioners Junior Benjamin, Natasha George,

SuzetteMartinandtheheads of the ten divisions of the T&TPoliceService(TTPS).

Also present was Chief of Defence Staff, Air Vice Marshall Darryl Daniel, Acting Commissioner of PrisonsCarlosCorraspeand Director of the Strategic Services Agency Brigadier General (Ret) Anthony Phillips-Spencer

DrRowleyreiteratedthe Government'ssupportofthe services, in particular the TTPS, in carrying out their duties and responsibilities, provided that “they are alwaysdonewithinthelegal parameters.”

The victims of the weekend bloodshed included three men who were gunned down outside PizzaBoysoutletinCunupia on Sunday afternoon and Rio Claro businesswoman Carissa Ramrattan who was shot dead shortly after dropping off her vehicle to be serviced at Toyota Trinidad, South Park, San Fernando,onSaturday

Commenting on the talks, a former senior police officer, who did not want to be identified, said the strategiesdiscussedcouldbe

effectiveonceexecutedinan orderly and data-driven manner

“It must be an organised initiative Just putting people out there and then looking at hot spot areas youmayhavehotspotareas where the incidents happen, but the people who are committing the offences don't live in the hot spot areas, they come from differentlocations.

The former officer, who has a deep understanding of police operations, said in addition to the regular patrols and search exercises promised by the TTPS executive, they must also dial in on the rivalries between gang members to e n s u r e a c l i n i c a l response.“Theexercisemust be intelligence-driven, must take into consideration where the people coming from and the other aspects that relate to gang violence. Theintelligencemustgeton top of what is happening so thattheycaninfactdomore preventative measures and one way of doing so is to have massive presence,” he said (TRINIDAD GUARDIAN)

As Gaza's doctors struggle to save lives, many lose their own in Israeli airstrikes

BEIRUT (AP) — Dr Hassan Hamdan was one of the few trained plastic surgeons in Gaza, a specialist in wound reconstruction. His skills were vitally needed as Israel's military onslaught filled hospitals with patients torn by blasts and shrapnel, so the 65-year-old came out ofretirementtohelp.

Earlier this month, an Israeli airstrike killed him alongwithhiswife,son,two daughters, a daughter-inlaw, a son-in-law, six grandchildren and one other person, as his family shelteredintheirhomeinan Israeli-declared“safezone.”

Israel's 9-month-old war with Hamas in Gaza has decimated the territory's medicalsystem.Israeliraids have wreaked physical destructiononhospitals,and healthfacilitieshavebeenhit and evacuated. But also, it has devastated Gaza's medical personnel More than500healthcareworkers have been killed since October, either during assaults on hospitals or in strikes on homes, according totheU.N.

Israel says it is targeting Hamas, which it claims has embedded itself in the medical system, using hospitals as military command centers and ambulancestocarryfighters. Gaza's health workers deny theaccusation.

Many of those killed in the campaign have been specialists like Hamdan. Dr Ahmed al-Maqadma, also a

reconstructivesurgeonanda formerfellowatU.K.Royal College, was found shot to deathalongsidehismother,a general practitioner, on a street outside Gaza City's Shifa hospital after a twoweek raid on the facility by IsraeliforcesinApril.

One of Gaza's most prominent fertility doctors, Omar Ferwana, was killed along with his family in a strike on his home in October Theterritory'sonly liver transplant doctor, HamamAlloh, was killed in a hit on his home in Gaza City Tank shelling on a northern Gaza hospital during a siege in November killed three doctors, including two doctors working with Doctors Without Borders, according tothegroup.Theyareamong atotalofsixstaffersfromthe internationalcharitykilledin thewar Israel has detained doctorsandmedicalstaff.At leasttwohavediedinIsraeli detention, allegedly of illtreatment:theheadofShifa's orthopedics department, Adnan al-Bursh, and the head of a women's hospital, Iyadal-Rantisi.Israelhasnot returned either man's body Hundreds of other medical workershavebeendisplaced orleftGazaaltogether

Along with the personal toll, their deaths rob Gaza's medicalsystemoftheirskills when they have become crucial. Since the Hamas attack against Israel on Oct. 7 — which left some 1,200 people dead and 250

kidnapped Israel's campaign has killed more than 38,000 people in Gaza and wounded more than 88,000, according to local healthofficials.Malnutrition and disease have become widespread as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians cramintosqualidtentcamps.

Dr Adam Hamawy, a former U.S. Army combat

plastic surgeon who volunteeredinGazainMay, saidHamdan'sdeath“leaves asignificantvoidthatwillbe hard to fill.” Like many in Gaza, he believes Israel is deliberately destroying the health system. Israel has besieged, raided and occupied at least eight hospitals, causing heavy destruction, and has hit medical convoys and ambulances.

TheIsraeliarmysaidina statement that Hamawy's a c c u s a t i o n w a s “outrageous ” Israel has accused Hamas of gathering and regrouping its forces in hospitals and has shown evidence of some Hamas presence in hospitals, includingweaponscaches,a singledead-endtunnelunder Shifa hospital and video of militants bringing several wounded hostages to hospitals.Buttheevidenceit has made public has not appearedtoshowsignificant commandcenters.

Under international humanitarian law, hospitals enjoy protected status, but they can lose that status if they are used for military purposes. Even then, any

military operations against themmustbeproportionalto the threat and weighed against harm to civilians. Twenty-three of Gaza's 36 hospitals are out of service, andtherestareonlypartially functioning,accordingtothe latestU.N.figures.Onlyfive fieldhospitalsoutofnineare operational. And more than 60% of Gaza's primary health facilities have shut down.

Hamdan's death leaves only one other specialist in reconstructive plastic surgery in Gaza Other doctorshavehadtolearnthe skills of repairing major wounds on the job amid relentless daily waves of maimed patients. Hamawy saw firsthand the need during his work in Gaza as part of an international medical team that came to help the territory's health workers.Duringthreeweeks at the European General Hospital in KhanYounis, he said he performed 120 surgeries, more than half of themonchildren,andallbut one of them for treatment and reconstruction of war wounds. Two colleagues at the hospital were killed in strikes on their homes while hewasthere,andhespoketo doctors who had been released from Israeli detention and described beingtortured,hesaid.

Hamawy said a general surgeon at the hospital steppedintofillthedemand for plastic surgeons, but he had no formal training. Five m e d i c a l s t u d e n t s

volunteered with him. They “aredoingtheirbesttofillin the gap,” Hamawy said. On July2,theEuropeanGeneral Hospital evacuated its staff andpatients,fearingitwould be attacked. That left AlAqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah and a field hospitalinRafahastheonly facilities able to offer reconstructive surgery, said Dr Ahmed al-Mokhallalati, Gaza's last reconstructive plasticsurgeryspecialist.

Al-Mokhallalati said he has been rushing between hospitals, at one point overseeingtreatmentfor400 patients in one and 500 in another At the Rafah field hospital, he was doing up to 10 surgeries a day “It is a very critical situation,” he said. Hamdan founded the burns and plastic surgery department in Khan Younis' Nasser Medical complex in 2002, after serving at the territory's first such unit, at Shifahospital.Heheadedthe department at Nasser until 2019,whenheretired.When the Israeli army invaded Hamdan'shomecityofKhan Younis in December, he returned as a volunteer at Nasser, Gaza's second largest hospital, said his son Osama Hamdan, an orthopedic surgeon His colleagues said he was cool under pressure. “The smile never left his face,” said Dr Mohamad Awad, a surgeon whoworkedwithhim.

Soon after, Israeli forces besieged and raided Nasser Hospital, forcing its evacuation Hamdan was

displaced, taking shelter in the home of one of his daughters in Deir al-Balah, further north. Troops occupiedNasserhospitalfor weeks, wreaking extensive damage After they withdrew, the facility was rehabilitated. In mid-June, Hamdan returned home and was discussing returning to workwithhospitalofficials.

OnJuly1,Israelordered another evacuation of Khan Younis. Hamdan and his family fled again, returning to his daughter's home in Deir al-Balah. Only hours after they arrived, an airstrike hit the building on July2–“adirecthitwithtwo rockets on my sister's apartment,”OsamaHamdan said. He said no one in the family was affiliated with militantgroups.

The Israeli military did not respond to requests for comment on the strike Osama was on duty in the emergency room at Nasser hospital when he received the call. His wife and two sons – 3 and 5 years old –were among those killed. “I wasonlyabletocollectsome body parts of my kids and theirmotherbecauseofhow huge the explosion was,” he said. One of his sisters died days later in the hospital from her wounds. Another sister remains in intensive care.

Osama is feeling partially responsible. “I had pressed him to leave Khan Younis,” he said in a text message, marked with two brokenheartsemojis.

Biden calls for ban on gun used to shoot Trump

(BBC NEWS) Joe Biden has renewedacallforCongresstoban assault rifles, including the model that was used in the failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump.Trump's ear was grazed by abulletafteragunmanshotathim from a nearby rooftop during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday “An AR-15 was used in theshootingofDonaldTrump.This was the assault weapon that killed somanyothers,includingchildren. It'stimetooutlawthem,”MrBiden toldtheaudienceataconventionin Las Vegas.His demand came as he returned to the campaign trail for the first time since the attack. For several days following the shooting, the Biden campaign had been on pause. Verbal attacks had

been halted, television ads pulled andamessageofunitywaspushed by many prominent Democrats. Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Biden continued in that vein, lamenting how “heated” politics has become. Buthewentontoroundlycriticise Trumpthroughoutthespeechatthe convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), a prominentcivilrightsgroup.

“Just because our politics are very divided doesn't mean we should stop telling the truth. Who you are, what you've done, what you will do - that's fair game,” he said. "Let me say it again because Trumpislyinglikehellaboutit,”he told the conference hall of primarilyblackvoters.

“Black unemployment hit a record low under the Biden-Harris administration," the president added. Statistics show that his governmentreachedtherecordlow unemployment rate for Black or African Americans in 2023, at 4.8%.Gun rights are an issue Mr Biden has frequently campaigned on.In1994,hewasinstrumentalin passing an assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004 He referenced that legislation during his speech, saying "I've done it before, I'll do it again". In 2022, during his first term as president, MrBidensignedintolawthemost significantgunsafetylegislationin more than two decades, which included enhanced background checks for gun buyers and other

protections.But he has repeatedly come up against strong opposition from Republicans to an assault weapons ban The president's returntothecampaigntrailcameas the Republican National Convention (RNC) closed out its seconddayonTuesday,withalineup of speakers - including former presidential nominee rivals Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis - roundly unitingbehindTrump. At a side event hosted by the gun rights group, US Concealed CarryAssociation,asenioradviser totheTrumpcampaignsaidDonald Trump would safeguard gun rights by appointing pro-gun judges if he iselectedinNovember "We'llseea continuation of supporting and defendingtheSecondAmendment,

and really where that comes into play is the judiciary," Chris LaCivita told attendees, according to Reuters news agency Donald Trump has already said that he would unravel all of Mr Biden's new gun rules if elected in November, a stance that shows no sign of changing even following Saturday's attempt on his life. Authorities are yet to land on the motive of gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was able to shootatTrumpafterclimbingonto theroofofabuilding130m(426ft) from where he was speaking. An independent review of the Secret Service's handling of the shooting is underway and Republican leaders in Congress have also announcedaninvestigation.

MP raises critical questions about construction of Qatari seafront hotel

Alliance For Change with the Responsibility for ( A F C ) M e m b e r o f Finance as to whether a Parliament (MP) David feasibility study was done Patterson has raised four prior to the vesting of the critical questions in relation lands and signing of any to the deal made by the concessionalagreements? Government and a Qatari If so, Patterson wants the firm for the construction a Minister to provide the seafront hotel and resort National Assembly with the along Carisfesta Avenue, copies of the feasibility Georgetown. study. Further with regard to

The questions are set to the hotel construction, the be posed to the Senior AFC MP is asking the Minister in the Office of the government to clarify if the P r e s i d e n t w i t h project incorporates other Responsibility for Finance prime land space along and the Public Service, Dr CarifestaAvenue. Ashni Singh at the next He noted that while sitting of the National

AFC MP, David Patterson

Assembly on August 2, Georgetown Seafront resort 2024. to the project on the grounds and Convention Centre is set

Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali among officials participating in the ground-breaking ceremony for the Georgetown Seafront Resort and Convention Centre, on February 18, 2024.

Last February, Assets ofallegedownership. to be built on sport grounds Group Inc., a Qatari firm M e m b e r s o f t h e formallyunderthecontrolof announced the construction Opposition-led city council GNS and the NIS, it is of the Georgetown Seafront have sought to block the critical to know whether the Inc. and/or its subsidiaries heasks. expanding transforming this Resort and Convention project and even threatened final sc

this with the Government of B

interest into reality,” he said. Centrewhichistobebuilton l

development project also

sportgroundsformallyunder governmenthasnevertheless includes incorporation of question set for the National groundbreaking ceremony,

the control of Guyana been adamant that it will additional public spaces, Assemblystates. describing the Georgetown company Assets Group Inc., National Service (GNS) and move forward with the namely the National Park A

ona

y,

e Resort as a symbol of the is set to be a state-of-the-art the National Insurance construction of the hotel on and Saint Stanislaus College opposition MP is raising g

hip facility, including 261 hotel Scheme(NIS). the basis that the GNS and SportsGround. concerns about the between Guyana and Qatar

Duringagroundbreaking NIS grounds are properties

Environmental Impact of the Hebelievesthereispotential apartments, premium villas, ceremony in February, under the control of the transparency, Patterson is Hotel Project “Can the for a continuous flow of a health club, and a worldPresident, Irfaan Ali Guyana Lands and Surveys also requesting a copy of the Honourable Minister advise investments into Guyana class convention centre described the project as a Commission (GLSC), an concessional agreement the if an Environmental Impact “Sincewehaveestablisheda Spanning 76,000 square boost to Guyana’s tourism agency controlled by central Qatari group secured with Assessment (EIA) was done strong focus on the Middle meters, the complex will andhospitalitysector government. the government be produced prior to the vesting of the East and other parts of the c o m p l e m e n t t h e

However, questions have Patterson is now raising in the National Assembly lands and signing of any world that were not construction of many since been raised about the critical question about the “Can the Honourable concessional agreements? If traditionally focused on internationally recognized ownership of the land that feasibility of the project as Minister provide the so, can the Minister provide investment in this region, we hotels in Guyana.According the multiple hotel projects well as the scope and impact National Assembly with the National Assembly with have seen tremendous toPresidentAli,itwasslated pegged to be constructed on the hotel construction. copies of any concessional t h e c o p i e s o f t h e interest, and Qatar is one of to add 1,300 world-class with the Georgetown Mayor The AFC MP is seeking a agreement/s signed between Environmental Impact those countries that has rooms to the local market by and City Council objecting response from the Minister the developer, Assets Group Assessment (EIA) report?” shown remarkable speed in theendof2024.

tutorhostingsummerlearningprogrammeinVictoria

United Stated-based Victoria Primary School are designed for children ages with

International Tutor, Tessa expected to conclude on fourto12yearsold.Children including teachers and Webb-Lewis alongside her August 9, 2024. The fromAnn’s Grove, Cove and volunteers. team commenced their sessions run Monday John, Victoria, Golden This summer learning second annual Summer through Thursday from 9:00 Grove, Haslington, Enmore programme marked the Learning Programme on hrsto13:00hrs. and Georgetown are part of fu

’ Monday at Victoria, East A programme which theprogramme. determination to develop CoastDemerara. started in 2023 with fifty Attheopeningceremony mathematical skills in The four-week initiative students has increased of the programme on Guyanese students from aims to enhance children’s significantly to one hundred Monday, there were officials theirearlyage. skills in mathematics, students who eagerly seized from the Ministry of A d d

h e reading, writing, arts and theopportunitytoparticipate EducationRegionalLiteracy participants, Lewis spoke craft in Guyana Classes in this educational Coordinator for Region

which started on July 15 at programme, specifically Four, Cindy Singh along children of Guyana are

International Tutor and Programme Director, Tessa Webb-Lewis

mathematics She shared communities. Speaking with that: “It is my goal to use my Kaieteur News, Lewis expertise to work with expressed her passion for students providing a one-to- learning and improving the one tutoring in mathematics children of Guyana. During and that has proven to be Covid-19 pandemic, Lewis successful.Itisthatcommon tutored Guyanese children trend of difficulty that runs preparingforNationalGrade learning mathematics I Six Assessment where she want to give back I want to appeared virtually “Schools seeeveryboyandgirlbeable neededhelpsoIvolunteered, todomathematics.” Ijumpedinsingle-handedly Meanwhile, Singh I worked with three schools, commended Lewis and her Victoria Primary, Swami team for assisting the Purnananda and Paradise, Ministry of Education in andsoabout15pluschildren promoting learning in Itutored,”Lewisrecounted.

Montra and Regal Stationery join supporting cast for Kares One Guyana T10 Blast

The Kares One Guyana

T10 Tapeball Blast, commencing on August 3rd, is gaining momentum with the addition of Montra Restaurant and Longue and R

sponsors.

Montraisn'tjustthrowing its financial weight behind the tournament; it's also fielding a team, the Montra Jaguars, to compete among the32participatingsquads.

RegalStationeryistaking

a different approach, sponsoring the individual a c c o

tournament'stopperformers.

Players will vie for the titles of Most Runs, Most Wickets, and Player of the Final Each winner will receive a Smart TV and a $75,000cashprize.

ThursdayJuly18,2024

ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19

Beselectivewhenitcomesto expressing your passion today,Aries. Remember that less is more. You don't have to use a tremendous number ofbellsandwhistlesinorder togetyourpointacross.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

In general, your spirit is upbeat, freedom loving, and adventurous, Taurus Today, however,youmightfindthatit's abitmoreintenseandpossibly somber, especially when it comestoromanticissues

GEMINI(May21–June20)

It's important for you not to overanalyzeeverylittledetail of your situation now, Gemini, especially when it comes to love and romance issues.

CANCER(June21–July22)

When it comes to love and romance, you may find yourselfinabitofapickle,Cancer There's a request for greater commitment now You may be unsureabouthowtorespond

LEO(July23–Aug.22)

Your romantic, sensitive nature comes alive today, Leo, and you may find yourself searching for the securityofacloselover

VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22)

Tensioninyourromanticlife is apt to well up today, Virgo. Morethanlikely,therearecertain responsibilitiesthatyoufeelyou have to attend to that take you away from your experience.

LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)

You could be feeling the pressure of time now, Libra. At this point in your life you maybemoreawarethanever of your limited time left on thisplanet.

SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov.21)

Situationsregardingloveand romance are likely to get muchheavierandmoreintense now,Scorpio Areyoureadyto makeadeepercommitmentto theoneyoulove?

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21)

The love and romance department should be going pretty well for you now, Sagittarius.Thisisthetimeto probe more deeply into your currentaffairwiththatperson whocatchesyoureye.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Your incredible passion and creativityaretakingcenterstage, Capricorn It'salsoquitepossible that there's a great restlessness withinyoueggingyouontotake thingstothenextlevel.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

You may be feeling a bit reserved today, Aquarius, especially when it comes to issues involving love and romance.

PISCES(Feb.19–Mar.20)

Reclaim control of things that might be holding you back now, Pisces. You may findthatthere'sanelementof restriction to the day that's keeping you from getting whereyouwanttobe.

Assuria Insurance is not holding back either, offering a motorbike and $85,000 to theMostValuablePlayer

The stakes are higher than ever, with a larger prize pool this year The winning team will take home a whopping G$1 5 million, with G$500,000 and G$250,000 going to the runner-up and losing semifinalists,respectively

The round of 16 follows the opening matches on August4th.

Matcheswillbeplayedat 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:00 PM on both days.

The excitement is building for the Kares One Guyana T10 Blast, and with the support of these key sponsors, the tournament promises to be a thrilling spectacle.

Kares Engineering, Banks DIH, Star Rentals, Ministry of Culture, Youth andSport,MontraRestaurant and Longue, SuperBet, Ministry of Housing and Water, Premier Insurance, ENet, Avinash Contracting andScrapMetalInc.,Trophy Stall, Demerara Mutual Insurance, ANSA McAL Distribution, RS53 Restobar & Lounge, Jacobs Jewellery & Pawn Shop, and First Change Builders Inc. are the othersponsorsonboardthus far

FL Sport's John Ramsingh is flanked by Anuradha Bahadur (right) of Regal Stationery and another representative.

Managing Director of Montra Restaurant & Longue, Kumar Sarran (left) and John Ramsingh of FL Sport

2024 CWI Men's Regional 2-Day U19 tournament…Guyana

vs. Barbados Day 1

Prescoddefianthalf-centurygives Barbados

hugeadvantagewithdayleft - Guyana (36-5) trail by Barbados

Guyana left-arm spinner

Golcharran Chulai snapped up 5 wickets on the opening day of action versus Barbados but an unbeaten fifty from Jatario Prescod gavehisteama165-runlead attheArnosValeGround,St Vincent.

Chulai followed up his matchhauloffivewicketsin the last game, with a first innings haul of 5-38 which was instrumental in keeping Barbados to in their first innings Fast-bowler Isai Thorne continued to churn outexcellentspells,returning

3-48ashispartnershipandin

i continued to menace the oppositionteams.

Joshua Dorne (21), skipper Nathan Sealy (38) and top-scorer Prescod who scoredasolid75off120balls (6x4 1x6), kept the Bajans

165 runs

batting alive as they posted 201-9.The left-arm spinner Chulai was the difference betweentheBajansslowstart while Prescod provided the idealfinishforhisteam,who looked at one point to be knockedoverforunder100.

Guyana were five down for 62 at stumps, after Ranieco Smith (3-12) and Kyron King (2-17) ttook wickets Wicket-keeper Shahid Viera (20*) and inform all-rounder Thaddeus Lovell (25*) will look to do repairstoday

InterimruleswillbetestedonGuyanaCup

Coming on the heels of Minister of Sports, Charles Ramson jr's recent announcement that draft legislation for the formation of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA) has been approved, he had advised it is expected to be laid in Parliament shortly with an expectancy of approvalofsamesoon.

Because of Minister's statements in an interview,JumboJetThoroughbredRacing Committee(JJTRC)willtestthe'waters'by introducing some of the interim rules on Guyana Cup day of racing Sunday 11th August, 2024 at Rising Sun Turf Club (RSTC) racetrack, Rising Sun Village, RisingSun.Theseinterimrulesaccordingto JJTRC's senior official will form part of a dress rehearsal to prepare horsemen for the type of rules they will have to follow when GHRA'sRulesofRacingbecomeslaw.

The official stated, "The world will be looking at us on Guyana Cup. We have to showcasethatwearepreparingourselvesto conform to what is internationally done.

What is being introduced on Guyana Cup day of racing by us - is for horsemen to understand what regulated racing will be. This is not being done to penalise, but to preparethemforregulatedracing."

He admitted, "It may seem like a bitter pill,butwehavetoswallowit,toconform, to what everyone has been crying out forlegislation.

We have to promote horse racing in Guyana along international guidelines. A number of racing jurisdictions in the Caribbean are interested in competing in Guyana, but cannot because we are not regulated."

The official stated, "We will be hosting two meetings at Rising Sun Turf Club, and Port Mourant Turf Club to sensitise and explain the rules that will be introduced to horsemen. Copies of these rules will be handed out to them at the meetings. The dateswillbeannouncedshortly Theinterim rules will be advertised, and printed in the racedayprogrammealso."

Left-arm spinner Golcharran Chulai starred on a tough day for Guyana with 5 wickets.

KFCEliteLeagueSeasonSix...

Guyana Defence Force FC triumph over Guyana

Police FC Slingerz FC cruise to 11-goal victory against Buxton United FC

Th e G u y a n a Defence Force

Football Club on Mondayeveningsecureda20 victory over their longstanding rivals, the Guyana Police Force Football Club, whileSlingerzFootballClub cruised to an 11-goal victory over Buxton United Football Club.

Football enthusiasts witnessedagrippingevening on July 15, as the top three

teams clashed in RoundTwo of the KFC Elite League Season Six at the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) National Training Centre in Providence, East Bank Demerara.

Guyana Defence Force FC,thedefendingchampions and current leaders of the points table, won with goals from Obumchi Benjamin in the 20th minute and Delroy Fraser in the 84th minute,

which were the sole goals of thematch.

TheGuyanaPoliceForce FC, currently in third place, faced difficulties in penetrating the army's defensivetactics.

Meanwhile, Slingerz FC had a goal-filled match against bottom-placed Buxton United FC, with Kemar Beckford shining by scoring five goals at key intervals: 33rd, 37th, 43rd, 64th,76th,and90thminutes.

GOAfacilitateselite trainingforGuyanese Olympians

By Rawle Toney

With just nine

days until the startofthe33rd Summer Olympics in Paris, the Guyana Olympic

Association (GOA) is providingelitetrainingforthe country'sathletescompetingat theprestigiousevent.

Sprinter Emanuel

Archibald, swimmer Aleka Persaud, and table tennis star Chelsea Edghill are currently traininginEurope,fine-tuning their skills to enhance their chances of reaching the podium.

Archibald,whowillracein the Men's 100m at Stade de France on August 3, is in Stuttgart, Germany, thanks to the support of the GOA, the Jamaican Administrative Athletic Association (JAAA), andhiscoach.

In a recent comment, the CAC Games gold medallist and Pan Am Games bronze medallist said, “Today was good for me, just getting in reps,” as he focuses on his questforOlympicglory

The Stuttgart training camp began on July 13 Afterward,Archibaldwilljoin theMulhousetrainingcampin FrancefromJuly24.

The Mulhouse highperformance training camp, arranged by Pan Am Sports, will run from July 14–21 for table tennis and swimming, and from July 22–29 for athletics The camp is designed to help athletes acclimatize to the French conditions.

Edghill, making her second Olympic appearance, will be the only Englishspeaking Caribbean athlete competing in table tennis, whichbeginsonJuly27atthe ParisExpoPortedeVersailles.

Persaud and her coach, Shawn Baksh, are already in France and will be joined by Raekwon Noel ahead of their competition, which also starts on July 27 at the Paris La DéfenseArena.

Both Noel and 400m athlete Aliyah Abrams are receivingprivatetrainingwith additional support from the GOA.

His teammate Marcus Tudor added three goals, scoring in the 6th, 45+2nd and 61st minutes, while CurtezKellmanfoundthenet in the 55th minute and Deon Alfredinthe85thminute.

The league includes ten of Guyana's premier clubs, such as Guyana Defence Force FC, Guyana Police

Force FC, Slingerz FC, Western Tigers FC, Santos FC, Den Amstel FC, Fruta Conquerors FC, Ann's Grove United FC, Monedderlust FC and BuxtonUnitedFC. It serves as the premier competition for senior men's players aiming to earn spots in the national team and opportunities with regional

andinternationalclubs. The clubs are vying for top prizes of G$2,000,000, G$1,200,000, G$800,000 andG$500,000,respectively. Fixtures for July 20th: Monedderlust FC will face offagainstWesternTigersFC at 6:30p m , followed by Slingerz FC taking on Ann's Grove FC at 9:00 p.m. at the NTC.

England go back to the future as post-Anderson era...

Frompage24

no easy route back into contention, thoughthathasoftenbeenthecaseon recent England tours Kraigg Brathwaite and Jason Holder will remember the circumstances of their fightbackonthe2017tour,whenthey succumbed to another crushing innings loss in the series opener at Edgbastononlytobouncebackwitha sensational run-chase at Headingley, whiletherehasbeenplentychatinthe intervening days about the miracle at BrisbanebackinJanuary.

But, with respect to an incisive bowling attack that refused to allow Englandtorunawaywiththegameat Lord's, it's all about the batting for West Indies this week. Worryingly, it was hard to point many fingers of blameinthatfirstTest.

Brathwaite, their linchpin, enduredafallowgame,whichdidnot help,butfromMikyleLouisondebut to the obvious talents of Alick Athanaze, the patches of composure thattheyshowcasedwerealltoooften undermined by lapses that screamed, more than anything else, of a lack of experienceatthislevel.

There's no easy fix, other than learning on the job and hoping that England offer an opportunity to get a toe-hold in the game - perhaps, as Joshua da Silva suggested, by overreachingthemselvesintheireagerness toexperimentfortheAshes.Butgiven how stung Ben Stokes was by the suggestion, before Lord's, that England'sfailuretowinaTestseriesin 18monthswouldbeafactorinamore win-at-all-costs attitude in this series, the totality of that Lord's display was ominous in the extreme. More of the samewouldappeartobethemessage.

Itwillhavebeenanastonishingshock for the ages if the teams arrive at Edgbaston next week with series allsquare.

In the spotlight: Gus Atkinson andKraiggBrathwaite

What's for the main course, Gus?

In a single Test appearance at Lord's, Gus Atkinson landed not only the fourth-best figures by a Testdebutant inhistory,butbetteredeachandevery one of James Anderson's 188 Testmatch analyses. If he thought his team'snewbowlingmentorwouldbea toughacttofollow,thenhe'ssomehow raised the stakes for himself as well. The good news for Atkinson and England is that his phlegmatic character seems to be matched by an equally uncomplicated approach. He keptitsimpleanddirectatLord's;alot of scrambled-seam deliveries on a probing full length, keeping the stumps in play at all times, except whenhefizzedinthesortofrib-tickler that dislodged Jason Holder on the secondevening.

As Lord's debuts go, it couldn't have been further removed from Anderson's first visit way back in 2003, when the magic that delivered him his five-for against Zimbabwe alsospokeofafragilitythatwouldbe exposed fairly ruthlessly by South Africa later that summer Even if his subsequentreturnsdon'tliveuptothis first billing, it's hard to see Atkinson veeringfarfromwhathedoesbest.

If West Indies are to gain any tractioninthisseries,theydesperately need their senior campaigners to step up. Kraigg Brathwaite did just that at Headingley in 2017, making 134 and 95 as Shai Hope's under-sung sidekick, and again on home soil two

years ago, when another painstaking hundredatBarbadossethissideupfor their series-sealer in Grenada. But for all his obdurate qualities, he has managed one half-century in 16 inningssincethemostrecentofhis12 Test hundreds, against Zimbabwe in February 2023 Maybe the loose natureofhisfirst-inningsdismissalat Lord's - hacking outside off at Atkinson'ssecondball-willbethejolt heneedstodoubledownonhiscrease occupation. Either way, he will need support to drag his side back into contention, and few know better than Holderwhatthatcanentail.Thoughhe did his bit with the ball at Lord's, he waspickedoffcheaplybyAtkinsonin each innings. Maybe some of that muscle-memory from his brutal double-century in Bridgetown 2019 canflexbacktothefore.Forhisteam's sake,itmightneedto.WestIndieshad concerns over Shamar Joseph, who appeared to suffer a hamstring niggle at Lord's, but it transpires it was just cramp, so he retains his place in an unchanged line-up His nominal replacement would have been the uncapped Jeremiah Louis - brother of Mikyle - who could have made it two StKittsplayersintheWestIndieslineupinasmanyTests,afternoneintheir first96years.

Pitch and conditions: Sunny (mostly)andgrassy?

Pleasant sunny conditions for the firsttwodaysoftheTestareexpected to give way to a slightly more drizzly weekend, although nothing apocalyptic seems to be on the horizon.With24hourstogo,thepitch appeared to still have a tinge of live grass on the surface, although there's timeyetforafinalshave.

Action in the contest between Slingerz and Buxton and the GFF NTC.

The battle is on between the GDF and the Guyana Police Force.

Massive turnout at the opening of 4th Karate World Cup ...Tournament kicks off today

Th e o f f i c i a l

opening of the

International

Karate Diagaku (IKD) 4th World Cup took place yesterday at the Dr Frank Woon-A-Tai Budokan, IKD HeadquartersinLilliendaal.

Thetournament,running from July 18-21 at the National Gymnasium in Guyana, will feature teams from Jamaica, St. Vincent andtheGrenadines,Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, China, the host nation Guyana, and severalothercountries.

During the opening ceremony, Dr Frank WoonA-Tai conducted the ribboncutting for the IKD H

and awarded the Medal

participating countries attended the meet-and-greet

affair, along with dignitaries suchasPrimeMinisterMark Phillips, Professor Paloma Mohamed Martin, the ViceChancellor of the University of Guyana, Dean and Senior LecturerofUGAlCreighton, amongothers.

Shuseki Shihan Frank Woon-A-Tai, 10th Dan, IKD Chief Instructor, remarked, "My main goal continues to be of service

t o y o u n g p e o p l e throughout the world by helping them find direction in life, helping to keep them off drugs, and to break the cycle of crime and violence through the discipline of karatetraining."

Karate has garnered interest from many youths, teaching perseverance, strength, and self-control

The 4th Karate World Cup will provide local karatekas with a platform to showcase their fighting techniques and

at National Gymnasium

Spiritual Cultivation. Karate is a broad-based sport that also emphasizes character perfection,theimportanceof effort, and respect for

courtesy

A few local Karatekas were present at yesterday opening, they will be looking to represent well at the 4th World Cup.

With the tournament set to kick off today, excitement is high among participants and spectators alike. Teams from Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Canada are anticipated to be strong contenders, boasting wellroundedsquads.

The tournament has also received support from the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Culture,Youth,andSport.

England go back to the future as post-Anderson era begins at Trent Bridge

Wood and Woakes to reprise Ashes-turning alliance as West Indies seek statement performance from senior players

ESPNcricinfo – Big picture: New guard? Not quite

It's the start of a new era up at Trent Bridge although, at a glance, it looks a lot like theoldera.There'sasolitary change to England's winning line-up from Lord's, albeit a significant one, as James Anderson takes his leave of the team after 188 appearances and 21 years.

But if you thought the future starts here and now, then the

recent past wants to have a wordwithyou.

Mark Wood and Chris Woakes,withtheirvenerable combined age of 69, were England's winning formula in the latter half of last summer's epic Ashes, particularly when they combinedinthecrucialthird TestatHeadingley;rawpace on the one hand, incisive swing and nibble on the other, not to mention their cool-headedmarshallingofa

fraught run-chase on the fourthafternoon.

Heretheyareoncemore, then, back as the continuity candidates in an England bowling attack that will be lacking both Anderson and Stuart Broad in a home Test for the first time since West Indies at Edgbaston in 2012. Ironically both players were subbedoutofthat2012game withaneyetothefuturetoo, as the selectors took the chance to assess the attack-

leading potential of Steven Finn, Tim Bresnan and Graham Onions, all three of whom went on to retire before either of the main protagonists.

Nosuchleapsoffaithare beingmadethistimearound. WhileMatthewPottsandthe uncapped Dillon Pennington wait patiently in the wings, England are falling back in thefirstinstanceononeofthe core tenets of the StokesMcCullum era: continuity of selection and faith in your chosen campaigners. Wood may have endured a tricky time across all three formats

this winter, including four wickets in three Tests in India, but England need no reminding of his visceral power when the conditions are in his favour; nor of Woakes' prowess on home soil, as last summer's Compton-Miller Medal amplyattests. Wood had not been an original inclusion in the squad, after his involvement in the T20 World Cup

However, his recall is arguably informed by Gus Atkinson's startling performanceatLord's.Debut figures of 12 for 106 were

hugely impressive in their own right, but the discipline in Atkinson's performance was an additional factor, as hechargedthroughthecrease to hammer out a relentless line and length, pushing 90mph in every spell while offering no let-up to a becalmed West Indian battingline-up.WithWoodat the other end, scattering a few pigeons with his extra mph,England'sstatedaimof prepping for the next Ashes tour could well get a kickstartinthecomingdays. For West Indies, there's (Continuedonpage23)

Kraigg Brathwaite at West Indies' training session ahead of the first Test against England. (Getty Images)

Chris Woakes and Mark Wood will lead England's attack after the retirement of James Anderson (centre). (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Point Fortin needle TTO Academy, Panther hold Jaguar to goalless draw on opening day GFF Youth Academy Cup...

Th e G u y a n a

F o o t b a l l

Federation (GFF)

organized the Youth

Academy Cup, a six-day event, which commenced Tuesday at the National

Training Centre turf

Featuring some of the top football talents in the Under16agegroup,thetournament includes teams from two academies in Trinidad and Tobago,addinganextralayer

of excitement to the competition.

Representing Guyana are twoofitspremieracademies, the Guyana Jaguar and the Guyana Panther From Trinidad and Tobago, the Point Fortin Academy and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Academy have joined the fray. Scheduled from July 16-21, this tournament aligns perfectly with the GFF's plans to nurture football from the grassroots level. Recently, the GFF concluded the Blue Water Shipping Girls U15

development programme, whichsawparticipationfrom over60girls'teams.

The much-anticipated Academy Cup kicked off with an exhilarating doubleheader Inthefirstmatch,the Guyana Jaguar faced off against the Guyana Panther

Scenes from the opening game between Guyana Panther and Guyana Jaguar in the GFF Youth Academy Cup.

The evenly matched teams demonstrated solid defence and impressive goalkeeping, resulting in a goalless draw

Bothteamsdisplayedtactical prowess from the start, making it challenging to scoreonthepristineturf,the matcheventuallyended0-0.

Members of the Guyana Chess Team sharing a photo-op before their departure to the Pan Am Youth games.

Junior Chess team off to Pan -American Youth Championships Y

Aneight-memberchessteamoftopjunior playersfromtheGuyanaChessFederationis set to participate in the PanAmericanYouth Championships XXXIV in Orlando Florida, USAfromJuly1520.-

The team is representing the Under-10 to Under-16ageOpenandGirlscategoriesinthe tournament.PlayerssuchasKyleCouchman Under16,Aditi Joshi Under14, Katalya Sam Under12 who earned a Bronze medal at the XIVCACYouthChessFestivallastyearhave already competed internationally and will have the experience to improve their performances.

YoungSachinPitamberUnder-14,whois ontheOlympiadteamlaterthisyear,isalsoa playerwhocangiveGuyanaitsfirstmedalat these games. He has had strong finishes in tournaments throughout the year with national Under14 and Under16 titles. He has secured major victories over Guyana top chessplayersandhasapassionandtalentfor thegame.KyleCouchmanwillbelookingto

TTO Academy held off Point Fortin Academy for the first 40 minutes of the play before falling 1-nil.

In the second encounter, the Trinidad and Tobago (TTO)Academy took on the resilient Point Fortin Academy The initial 30 minutessawnogoals,despite Point Fortin setting up severalpromisingplays,only to be thwarted by TTO's defence However, the

deadlock was broken in the 45th minute when Michael Joseph scored a stunning goal for Point Fortin, bringingthescoreto1-0just before halftime. The second half featured a few breakawaysandnear-misses, but TTO Academy couldn't equalize, resulting in a 1-0

victory for Point Fortin.The action continued yesterday with two more riveting matches: Point Fortin AcademyagainsttheGuyana Panthers, and the Guyana Jaguars clashing with TTO Academy Detailedcoverage of these matches will be providedinafutureedition.

improvehis6thplacefinishinhiscategoryin the CAC youth chess festival from last year, utilizingtheexperienceandconfidencehehas acquired.Alsorepresentinginthetournament areMalihaRajkumarU16girls,JermeyCole U12 open, Vir Narine U10 open and Saura RooplallU10girls.

Theyoungplayersarebeingaccompanied by their parents. Mr Anand Raghunauth, President of the GCF was upbeat about the team's participation and the exposure for young Guyanese players in the international chess circuit. “I think this is the strongest junior team by rating and skill to have participatedinaninternationalchampionship. Therearesomeplayerswhoarerankedinthe topfiveforwomenandmalesinthecountry”, he said. The United States Chess Federation has organized the event in partnership with the Confederation of Chess for theAmericas and the International Chess Federation (FIDE)andtheRosenShingleCreekplaying venue

Prime Minister Mark Phillips and Grand Master Frank Woon-A-Tai unveiling the live-sided photo of previous Grand Masters at yesterday opening ceremony

Aleka Persaud and Coach Shawn Baksh meeting with Panam Sport President, Neven Ilic at the Mulhouse training camp in France.

Chelsea Edghill

EmanuelArchibald

Prime Minister of the Cooperative of Guyana Mark Phillips (left) executing the Ribbon-Cutting exercise, marking the official opening to the IKD Headquarters with name barer Shuseki Shihan Frank Woon-A-Tai, 10th Dan sharing the moment.