Kaieteur News

Health Minister elected st as 1 Vice President of World Health Assembly

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony at the 77th WHA Session in Geneva, Switzerland

Minister of Health Dr session of the World Health Frank Anthony has been Assembly, which began on elected as the First Vice 27 May and will conclude on President of the 77th World June1. Health Assembly (WHA) in Minister of Health and Geneva,Switzerland. Wellness, Hon. Dr Edwin

The Minister of Health is Dikoloti of Botswana, the th currently attending the 77 current President of the 77th World Health Assembly, officially declared Dr Frank Anthony as the First Vice President of the 77th World HealthAssembly

The session includes the participation of health ministers and other esteemed representatives from various countriesworldwide.

The WHA session is themed, “All for Health, HealthforAll.”

Govt. backs Chevron over ExxonMobil for Hess shares

...PRES.ALI SAYS EXXON’S DOMINANCE COULD RAISE COMPETITION CONCERNS

(Financial Times) -

HBK Capital Management,

President Irfaan Ali has said DE Shaw and Pentwater he would welcome Chevron Capital Management joining the ExxonMobil-led have said they will abstain. consortium that operates the The funds have a combined country’s US$150bn-plus holdingofabout6percentof offshore oil project ahead of Hessstock. a crunch vote by Hess

The company’s biggest shareholders on Chevron’s shareholders — Vanguard, controversialtakeoverbid. BlackRock and State Street

In October, Chevron — declined to say how they offered US$53bn to buy would vote. “The vote will Hess, in part to gain a be close,” said Frederic foothold in Guyana’s Boucher, risk arbitrage Stabroek Block, one of the analyst at Susquehanna m o s t l u c r a t i v e o i l Financial Group “If it’s discoveries in recent close but not quite above the decades. 50 percent threshold

Hess owns 30 per cent of

Perhaps Hess will adjourn theproject.IrfaanAlitoldthe the May 28 vote and Financial Times his dominant stake in the stake in the Guyana venture introduce a [compensation government was keen to project. would be “one of the payment] or something attract the world’s largest oil

H e n o t e d t h a t options’‘ if its pre-emption similar to get over the finish companies,suchasChevron, consolidation in other claimsareestablished. line.” Ali has been criticised to develop its resources and sectors that led to one T h e G u y a n e s e in Guyana for failing to suggested any move by business controlling more president’s comments come renegotiate the Stabroek Exxontoincreaseitsstakein than half of the market “can ahead of a pivotal vote by p r o d u c t i o n - s h a r i n g the project could raise cause concern”, saying: “We Hess shareholders on agreement signed by the competition concerns. The are of the view that the Tuesday on whether to previous government with Chevron-Hess deal erupted partnershipworkswell.” accepttheChevronoffer Exxon, Hess and China’s intoaclashbetweentheUS’s Ali said the proposal to The vote is expected to Cnooc. Oil contract experts two biggest oil companies bring in a major new partner betightasagrowingnumber havedubbeditan“unusually after Exxon filed an into the consortium was a of investors express sweetdeal”. arbitration claim arguing it matter for the existing concernsoverthedeal. Ali said the contract was had a right of first refusal to partners, but added that he Institutional Shareholder “skewedinfavourofExxon” purchase Hess’s interest in thought it would be good to Services, a leading proxy but the government had the Guyana project — a have the “largest operators adviser, has told investors to decided not to seek move that could boost its from the US operating in abstain, calling for a pause renegotiation because own shareholding beyond its Guyana” Exxon has on the merger until more “sanctity of contract” was current 45 per cent stake. “I indicateditdoesnotintendto details on the arbitration important. wouldn’t use the word make a counterbid for Hess. process emerge Glass Becomingembroiledina nervous,” Ali said when However, chief executive Lewis, another prominent legal battle with a “huge asked whether he was Darren Woods has said proxy adviser, has called for company” such as Exxon anxious about the possibility acquiring the smaller avoteinfavour would be damaging for the of Exxon gaining a more company’s full 30 per cent Three shareholders — entireoilsector,headded.

President Irfaan Ali

US$2B oil spill guarantee exposes ExxonM’s

‘promise’ to compensate for all damages

…AS AGREEMENT SUPERSEDES ALL ORAL STATEMENTS, PREVIOUS WRITINGS

ExxonMobil Guyana Limited

ExxonMobil Guyana President, Alistair Routledge

certainty it is acknowledged by the Guyana assets which were valued (EMGL) often touts its capacity to Beneficiary and the Guarantor that at around US$19B. “We have an take care of an oil spill in the event this Guarantee and Indemnity absolute obligation as the operator such a disaster occurs in the 26,800 Agreement is not intended to and and the investor in the Stabroek square kilometers Stabroek Block. does not amend any term or Block to prevent incidents from Thecompany,wheneverfacedwith provision of the Petroleum happening, do everything we can questions about the cost of an oil Agreement.” andtomitigatethoseandifwehave spill, previously assured that it will President of EMGL, Alistair to, then we bear the cost of cleanup notwalkawayfromthecountrybut Routledge during a May 19, 2023 and any liabilities that go with will handle associated cleanup and press conference explained that that…butourabsolutecommitment compensation. Guyana was safe from liabilities is to first prevent these from

The assurances provided associated with a spill The happening,”Routledgeexplained. however have been cast aside with company had called the media At a number of its scoping the US$2B oil spill Guarantee and shortlyaftertheHighCourtordered meetings for new oil projects, the Indemnity Agreement superseding an unlimited parent company companyalsofacedquestionsfrom all oral statements and prior guarantee to protect this country the public on the safety of its writings. In fact, the agreement, from the financial burdens of a operations and the economic entered into by the Executive spill.At that time, he pointed to the impactofsuchanevent.

Director of the Environmental company’s insurance policy, a Exxon’s response has always Protection Agency (EPA), Kemraj US$600M coverage per event, and been that the company will not Parsram,explicitlyoutlinesUS$2B According to the document, parties with respect to the subject the US$2B guarantee which was walk away from Guyana but would as the maximum amount to be “This Guarantee and Indemnity matter and supersedes all oral being discussed. It was reported handle the associated damage provided by the Stabroek Block Agreement constitutes the entire statements and prior writings with thattheofficialalsowentontonote caused, as well as compensate for partnerscollectively agreementandunderstandingofthe respect thereto; provided that for thatthecompanywouldthentapits losses.

6monthslater...

appeal to quash Exxon’s gas pipeline

Court yet to set date for hearing of

TheCourtofAppealisyettoset Court in their Fixed Date noted that Exxon was forced to matters namely the purported a date for the hearing of an appeal Application, filed on March 27, changethepipelinealignment. expenditure while failing to take filed by Elizabeth Hughes and 2023, to reverse the Permit, since Pipeline PermitAppeal judicial notice of relevant matters Vanda Radzik on the High Court the EPA failed to comply with the In their Notice of Appeal, the

decision not to quash the legalrequirements. citizens through their lawyers, expenditure claims made by Environmental Permit granted to In an invited comment, Hughes Melinda Janki and Abiola Wong- (Exxon) as revealed in the public ExxonMobil Guyana Limited toldthisnewspaperyesterdaythatit Inniss,areseekingareversaland/or pronouncements of members of (EMGL) for the 12- inch pipeline was very disappointing that a date setting aside of the decision of the government.” thatwillbeusedtotransportnatural is yet to be set by the Court for High Court not to grant the

They argue that the learned gas for the Gas-to-Energy (GTE) hearingthematter.

judge failed to have due regard to projectsinceNovember15,2023. She said, “We are in the queue administrative orders and other the utility of the declaration in the On October 5, 2023 Justice behind the unlimited parent reliefs sought by the appellants; context of the application of Priya Sewnarine-Beharry in a 24- guaranteecasenotyetslottedintoa costs and such further order and/or Guyana’s Environmental Laws and page ruling, determined that the timeframe.Atthisrate,itispossible reliefdeemedjustbytheCourt. the importance of a declaration to Environmental Protection Agency that it will become moot points as The EPA, EMGL and the clarify and confirm the legal duties (EPA) acted ‘contrary to the law’ ExxonMobil is scheduled to hook Attorney General of Guyana, Anil oftherespondentauthority and ‘improper’, by granting a up to the FPSOs (Floating, Nandlall,S.Carerespondentsinthe Justice Sewnarine-Beharry in Permit to EMGL – formerly Esso Production, Storage and matter. Radzik and Hughes in their her October 5, 2023 decision stated Exploration and Production Offloading vessels) finished appeal told the Court that the that, “Cognisance must be paid to GuyanaLimited. pipelineinthethirdquarterorearly decision of the learned Judge not to the fact that significant fiscal Even though she flagged the fourthquarter(ofthisyear).” grant the Certiorari or declarations expenditure has been injected into improper decision made by the Hughes explained that while or award costs was “plainly wrong, the Gas to Energy pipeline. A EPA, the High Court Judge Exxon’s Project Manager, irrational and otherwise contrary to

contrarytolawandimproper.” determined that the reliefs sought FriedrichKrispinhasinformedthat law.” disproportionately disadvantage The citizens said that the by the Applicants would not be the Court case did not affect the They further noted, “No court Esso Guyana and the State by learned Judge, having regard to the granted. The Judge stated that progress of the project, he failed to of law acting judicially and halting significant project Judicial Review Act Cap 3.06, in judicial review is not concerned indicate that the design of the directing itself as to the law could development already underway particular section 8, would have with vindication in the public pipeline was adjusted which is havecometotheconclusionsunder Moreover, it may also have an acted fairly and justly in sphereandwasneverintendedtobe expected to cost Guyana an appeal since (among other things) unintended consequence of accordance with the principles of a sword for satisfaction but rather a additional amount. She told this thedecisionisinconsistentwithher impacting innocent third parties to justice had she granted an order of shield against excesses of public publication that another citizen Honour’s finding and conclusionat the project development, all while Certiorari. functionaries. who filed separate proceedings for paragraph 64 of her judgement that proving to be a brutum fulmen in Radzik and Hughes in their Applicants Vanda Radzik and land compensation is still before “the decision by the EPA to grant the way of substantive relief for the appeal also notes that, “the learned Elizabeth Hughes had asked the the Court. To this end, Hughes the permit to Esso Guyana was Applicants.” Judge took into account irrelevant

PrintedandPublishedbyNationalMedia& PublishingCompanyLtd. 24SaffonStreet, Charlestown,Georgetown,Guyana.

Publisher:GLENNLALL-TEL:624-6456

Editor:NIGELWILLIAMS

Tel:225-8465,225-8491. Fax:225-8473,226-8210

EDITORIAL

Addressingdepression

Depressionisaseriousmedicalconditionwithvarious forms of accompanying symptoms. The condition may manifestitselfasfeelingsofsadnessandmelancholy,loss ofinterestinlife,shatteredself-image,indecisiveness,lack offocus,shortspanofattention,restlessness,randomaches and pains, irregular sleeping patterns, and suicidal tendencies.

Anyone with any of the preceding symptoms, or a combinationthereof,persistingoveratleasttwoweeks,has areasontoworryandshouldbemedicallyevaluated.

AccordingtotheWorldHealthOrganisation(WHO)an estimated 3.8% of the population experience depression, including 5% of adults (4% among men and 6% among women), and 5.7% of adults older than 60 years. Approximately 280 million people in the world have depression (1). Depression is about 50% more common among women than among men. Worldwide, more than 10% of pregnant women and women who have just given birthexperiencedepression(2).Morethan700000people dieduetosuicideeveryyear Suicideisthefourthleading causeofdeathin15–29-year-olds.

Although there are known, effective treatments for mental disorders, more than 75% of people in low- and middle-incomecountriesreceivenotreatment(3).Barriers to effective care include a lack of investment in mental healthcare,lackoftrainedhealth-careprovidersandsocial stigma associated with mental disorders. It can happen to any person, irrespective of age, race, gender, or creed. There is no specific cause for depression. This makes the prevention much more difficult as there really aren’t any pointers.

Several factors can be responsible including, but not necessarily limited to, environment, genetics, life events, medical conditions, and some thought-processes that can have an adverse effect on a person’s reaction to certain happenings. While there is compelling evidence that depression runs in the family and that genes have a huge roletoplayinit,itisnotnecessarythatapredisposedperson may actually fall prey to this condition. Some individuals with a form of the disorder, have had parents who have sufferedsometypeofdepressionforseveralyearsaswell. Whatisinterestingisthatitisstillindeterminatewhetherit is the genes or a life event that has been the contributory factorinthiscaseasthepersonconcernedisinprocessofa divorceproceeding.

Itisimportanttounderstand‘depression’andthenreact and respond to the affected party accordingly Many of us mistake a depressed state of mind of an individual to be a caseoflethargy,characterflaw,lessthanpositiveattitude, or a lack of diligence, and react with scolding and destructive criticism.This leads us nowhere but to a dark, narrowalleyofdespair

Broadly speaking, depression is classified as a ‘mood disorder.’Thesevereformofdepressionisknownas‘major depression,’ the longer-lasting, chronic form is called ‘dysthymia.’Whenthetwoconditionscoexist,itisreferred to as ‘double depression’. ‘Adjustment disorder’ can be definedasadepressivereactiontoaspecificlifeeventsuch asapersonallossinlife.‘Bipolardisorder’isanothertype ofmooddisorderthathasastronggeneticbasis.Itinvolves alternating periods of extreme depression and those of mania,qualifyingonetobeamanic-depressive.

Withdepressionhittingsomanypersons,onewonders ifmodernityisadouble-edgedsword,cuttingbothforand against.Whiletherehasbeennodefinitiveindicationinthis regard, it is not too hard to surmise it to be the case. Everyonereactstoadversityinadifferentway Sometakeit in stride; others are consumed by it. Is the female gender more predisposed to feelings of depression? This is an interesting question and it has been observed now for a couple of decades that globally more women than men become depressed. It is possible that because of the tremendous responsibility placed on women for raising

India’s mammoth elections, Guyana and Guyanese

DEAREDITOR, India,theworld’slargest democracy,closesoutvoting foritsNationalAssemblyor Lok Sabha for 543 seats on June1initsseventhandfinal phase.Thefirstphasewason April 15. Indian Guyanese andotherIndoCaribbeansin the diaspora as well as IndiansinGuyana,Trinidad, Suriname,Aruba,StMartin, and other Caribbean territories have been keenly following the campaign and are anxious about the expectedoutcome.Most,not just Hindus but adherents of other faiths also, want Modi and the BJP to win another term.

Modi has deepened relations with the Caribbean and Latin states and with USAand UK.As Indologist andIndiawatcher,thiswriter received countless calls and text requests for an assessment of the expected outcome of the Indian elections The BJP is

projected to win although lower than expected turnout could impact the outcome. Severalseatsareexpectedto be close especially in northern constituencies and cangoeitherwayfortheBJP or the opposition. But the oppositionhasnotpresented itselfasastrongalternative. Because of the sheer voters size, the election has been held in seven phases witheachonadifferentdate in different parts of the country for a different number of seats; voters had orhaveonlydayintheirarea orconstituencytocastballot. Thereare968millionvoters on the roll. The election decides which party or coalition(alliance)willform the government. A party or alliance needs to win a minimum272seatstoforma government Unlike Guyana, a person can run as anindependentandaperson canalsoseekofficefromtwo seats. De facto Opposition

Leader Rahul Gandhi contestedfromtwoseatsand is expected to win both. A MP can only hold one seat andRahulwillhavetoresign one(probablyinSouth)ifhe winstwo.UnlikeinGuyana, people vote for each individual candidate (representingtheparty).And oneoftheoptionsisnoneof the above or NOTA. Voting is electronic unlike paper ballots in Guyana, and all voting machines have been safely guarded under the watchfuleyesoftheelection commission security personnel as well as representatives of political parties.

The machines in the different polling booths will beopenedonJune4toreveal the automatic count in each for each candidate and totaled in each constituency to decide the winner The candidate with the highest number of votes or plurality winstheseat.Itisafirstpast

the post system as opposed toinGuyanawhichhasaPR system. Previous elections revealed high numbers of noneoftheaboveorNOTA.

This writer was in India multiple times last year and againlastFebruarywhenthe the elections commission fixed dates for the seven phases of voting and returnedtoIndiainApriland May speaking with (random polling) voters in several statesinordertogetavoting trendtoassesstheoutcome.

Based on informal polling and outcome of previous elections, the incumbentBJPisverystrong in the Northern states or the Hindi speaking belt from where most Indo Caribbean people trace roots. The BJP isalsostrongintheSouthern states of Maharashtra (Mumbai is the capital) where Bollywood is located and in Karnataka state (with Bengaluru,theI-Techhub, (Continuedonpage05)

Time to elect new credible leadership for the PNCR

DEAREDITOR

,

The Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) party is defined by how he manages the party, coordinated with the local and regional

leaders and MP’s to represent our political constituency

Some folks have opined thatmycampaigntoholdthe incumbent PNCR party leader is personal. Yes, it personal from the perspective that the party leader who was a longstanding mentor and confidantwhoIemulatedto represent our ideals and principles to bring public accountabilitytothecorrupt government A firebrand political scientist who gave hiswordtoholdtheinstalled governmentaccountableand influence progressive politicsforallGuyanese.

Two years after joining

others to finance and network support for his campaign for the party leadership our party is in disarray Party supporters are disillusioned, disappointed and frustrated by the passive voice/ strategy of the now incumbent leader to holding the government accountable andrebuildingourparty.We have seen the party decline in its ability to motivate and inspire others to join the movement to hold the governmentaccountableand responsibleforthesuffering of our citizens. Ever since the PNCR party leader acceded to office Congress Place has become hostile to the wider membership with financial members reportedlybarred.Therehas been no financial accountability for the party financial resources, the central executive team has

families in the face of all the pressures of the modern world–includingextremepovertyasinGuyana–women face more of the “triggers” of depression. However, intriguingly, suicide is more prevalent among men in Guyana Obviously there needs to be further investigation. In Guyana, we tend to dismiss depression asjust“feelinglow”,butfromtheforegoingwecanseeit ismuchmorethanthat.Itishightimethatitbeplacedon thenationalhealthagenda.

f a i l e d t o p r o v i d e comprehensive oversight and accountability for the party with no accountability or responsibility for the multiple violations of the party constitution Some very egregious acts like the now notorious blank cheques scandal, which saw the resignation of the party treasurer. No auditor was ever appointed as mandated bythepartyconstitution.

Three party general councils were held over a period of two years, central executive committee meetings sporadically convened without informed executive authority to made decisions on the party, members of parliament engagementsandtheoverall c o m p r e h e n s i v e considerationofstrategiesto improve the party’s performance and position in our country Where are we nowandwherearewegoing comrades?

The party membership CPU was removed from the officebeapaidstafferofthe Leader of the Opposition Officewiththecomplicityof the incumbent leader and other actors in Congress

P l a c e w i t h o u t

accountability

The PNCR leader promisedthepartymembers and supporters that there would be an independent audit of the membership CPU like many other dishonest public statements to our constituency Immediat

witnessing a new wave of p

y s u p p o r t e

s ’ engagement in North America and Guyana a date was hastily announced for the constitutionally due Biennial Congress with no consideration for financial considerations to hold or convene the congress Notwithstanding the deceptive public statements that there would be an independent audit of the membershipCPU. Party Suppo

comradeswhatarewedoing tothepartyofLindenForbes Sampson Burnham if the incumbentleaderisnotheld accountable for his dishonesty, incompetence and deception to our party who gave him the opportunity to demonstrate his integrity, leadership and commitmenttoourparty?

(Continuedonpage05)

We must stop the road carnage and injuries now

DEAREDITOR

I pen this letter with a great degree of sadness Guyana is on a promising developmental trajectory, seen through substantial economic growth and i n f r a s t r u c t u r a l advancements To truly secure our nation’s future, we must preserve our most valuable asset: our human capital. Unfortunately, road accidents have become a scourge, threatening to consistently diminish our already small population with gifted and talented persons capable of adding value to our social and economicadvancement.

Road accidents in Guyana have reached alarming levels, with countless lives lost or irreparably altered each year

These incidents devastatefamilies,drainour healthcare resources, and i m p e d e e c o n o m i c productivity If you look carefully, you will observe thattherehasbeenalitanyof contributory factors to this dilemma. These entail the following:

1 Distracted Driving:

This includes texting, talkingonthephone,eating, or using in-car technologies while driving These distractions divert the driver’s attention from the road.

2 Speeding: Driving above the speed limit has been a significant cause of accidents. Speeding reduces thedriver’sabilitytoreactto sudden changes in the road andincreasestheseverityof accidents.

3. Driving Under the Influence: Alcohol and drugs impair a driver’s judgment,reactiontime,and motor skills, leading to an increased risk of deadly accidents.

4. Reckless Driving: Aggressive behaviours such astailgating,changinglanes abruptly, and disregarding traffic signals amount to stupidity

5 Ignoring Traffic Signals and Signs: Running red lights, failing to yield, andignoringstopsignshave ledtomanysocialcollisions.

6. Weather Conditions: While weather is not the driver’s fault, failing to adjust driving behaviour to account for rain has also

been instrumental in the causationoffatalaccidents.

7 Following Too

Closely: Tailgating reduces adriver’sreactiontimeifthe vehicle in front stops suddenly The last time I checked,thelawstatedthata carmustbe20feetfromthe oneinfront.

One may argue that addressing these causes requires a combination of driver education, law enforcement, and public awareness campaigns, which I firmly believe However,therecomesatime when children become a d u l t s a n d m u s t consequentlyberesponsible for their behaviours by demonstrating a certain degree of discipline. Discipline among drivers is a fundamental element in preventingroadaccidents.

It involves strict adherence to traffic laws, such as obeying speed limits, traffic signals, and lane markings, which helps maintain orderly and predictable traffic flow Disciplined drivers avoid distractions, such as using mobile phones while driving, and ensure they are

Enforcement is the key

DEAREDITOR

The headline, ‘Minibus drivers can be charged for not having a conductor-GPF’ (GTMay27),isinstructive. Butwhatofthe busowners,don’ttheyhavearesponsibility toensuretheoperationoftheirbusescomply withthelaw?

For too long buses plying routes operate without conductors as a money saving mechanism. Thepoliceknowsbusesoperate

without conductors but nothing is done to enforcethelaw Sothebreachgoesmerrily on.

Ofcourselicenses,attireandhygieneare anothermatter

Like everything enforcement is the key Thatisknown.Butwhocares?Certainlynot thebusownerordriver

Sincerely

ShamshunMohamed

sober and well-rested, thus enhancing their focus and reactiontimes.Theypractice defensive driving by anticipating potential hazards and maintaining safe distances from other vehicles.

practices like seat belt adherence, and respectful behaviour towards other roadusersfurthercontribute to accident prevention Ultimately, disciplined driving cultivates a safer

significantly reducing the likelihood of collisions and

attributes requires adults withadevelopedbrain.

Guyana’s path to sustainable development hinges on the health and safetyofitspeople.

We must stop the road carnage and injuries now, thereby safeguarding our human capital and ensuring that every citizen has the opportunity to contribute to andbenefitfromournation’s growth.

Sincerely,

Dr MarcelHutson

Time to elect

Frompage04

Aubrey Norton presents a clear and present existential threat to the People’s National Congress Reform party’s existence or survival now

The band of six in Congress Place does not have the people skills, managementcredentialsand competence to build the party’s organisational strength to represent our national security or political interests now I implore everyone to take careful considerationofthefactthat the party membership CPU may be compromised by Aubrey Norton and his paid s

Wi

independentauditandreport the Biennial Congress electionswillnotbecredible andpresentsadarkfuturefor ourdemocracy

Compounded with the fact, as an afterthought, the General Secretary Dawn

W

the incumbent party leader has issued a communication soliciting financial support from the very people who were marginalised, sidelinedanddisenfranchised,to

Conference to be managed bytheunilaterallyappointed congress committee headed by the party leader What world does the incumbent leaderliveinGuyana?

N o f i n

n c i a l accountabilityformorethan two years! No treasurer, a quitepossiblycompromised membership CPU without an independent audit or oversight now. Please join the call to hold the PNCR partyleaderaccountableand e

represent our constituents now

Yourstruly, EglandGomes

FAO launches new action plan to mainstream biodiversity across agricultural sectors

F r o m b e e s t o earthworms,fromcoralreefs to rain forests - biodiversity helps to ensure our food diversityandmustbekeyto transforming our food production systems, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nationsunderlinedtoday As it marked International Day for Biological Diversity, FAO launched its updated a c t i o n p

Mainstreaming Biodiversity Across Agricultural Sectors and prepared to embark on several new biodiversityrelatedinitiatives.

“Biodiversity is the potentialoffooddiversityin the future,” FAO DirectorGeneral QU Dongyu said in a video message for UN celebrations of the day Qu said biodiversity: “is what we farm, catch, harvest and cultivate.Itiswhatsupports our food networks from pollinators to microorganisms in our soils. It is whatprosperslivelihoodsof farmers,forestmanagersand dwellers, fishers, livestock keepers and pastoralists acrosstheworld.”

The theme of this year’s International Day for Biodiversity is “Be Part of the Plan” - a rallying call to thepublicanddiverseactors t o s u p p o r t t h e implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, endorsedinDecember2022, and also known as The BiodiversityPlan.FAOisan integral part of this plan, as agrifood systems are a powerfulchannelforreadily available and scalable solutions to conserving, restoring and sustainably usingbiodiversity

M a i n s t r e a m i n g biodiversity By advocating for sustainable agricultural practices that safeguard biodiversity and enhance ecosystemresilience,FAOis helping to reduce a key driver of biodiversity loss and protecting vulnerable

rural communities By p

h governments, civil society and the private sector, FAO is helping mainstream biodiversity across the food and agricultural sectors, across policies and programmes.

In concrete terms, this can mean anything from working to restore coastal mangroveforestswhichhost a rich variety of fish species to supporting farming systems which help to preserve biodiversity for foodandagricultureinaway that improves people’s nutrition and benefits the environment.

ActionPlanlaunched FAO this week launched its 2024–27 Action Plan for the Implementation of the FA O S t r a t e g y o n Mainstreaming Biodiversity AcrossAgriculturalSectors. The plan supersedes an earlier 2021-2023 document It has been further streamlined better to serve the strategy’s aims to reduce the negative impacts of agricultural practices on biodiversity, to promote sustainable agricultural practices and to conserve, enhance, preserve and restore biodiversity as a whole.

Theactionplansetsouta wide range of deliverables including support for

monitoringoftheKunmingM o n t r e a l G l o b a l Biodiversity Framework (BiodiversityPlan).

The new FAO Action Plan fully aligns with the Biodiversity Plan and includesFAO’sBiodiversity Knowledge Hub, providing a‘one-stopshop’tofacilitate access to knowledge on biodiversity for food and agriculture.Itcompilesover 350 tools, guidelines and other resou

es on biodiversity developed by

FAO that can be searched and filtered, including by targets of the Biodiversity Plan.

Meanwhile, earlier this

p

concepts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Palau, and Samoa became the first FAO-led submissions to be approved under the Global Environment Facility’s Global B

FrameworkFund.

The new fund was launchedinAugust2023and mobilizes investment for countries – especially Small

Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries – to achieve the targets of the Biodiversity Plan. Once fully designed and implemented, the three projectswilldirectover$7.8 million and leverage US$14 2 million in cofinancing to achieve targets oftheBiodiversityPlan.

All three projects will support Indigenous Peoples to conserve and use sustainably biodiversity and strengthen their stewardship of natural resources

According for FAO’s State

of Food Security and Nutrition i the World, the world hasupto783million people suffering from chronic hunger; a quarter of ourchildrenundertheageof fivearestunted;athirdofthe global population is malnourished; and obesity affectsoneineightpeopleon the planet Conserving, using sustainably and restoring biodiversity, while mitigating the uncertainties associated with climate change has never been so important for food security andnutrition.

India’s mammoth elections, Guyana

Frompage4

the capital). The BJP is relatively weak in the South and in several non-Hindi speaking states where regional parties dominate. The BJP has some voter support in South and other non Hindi speaking areas in north but not enough to win significantnumbersofseats. However, its regional allies will win seats.The BJPwill increase its vote share in southfrom2019.

The main opposition is the Congress party that governed India for most of t h e p e r i o d f r o m independence in 1947 till 2014withshortbreaksinthe late 1970s and 1990s and from 1998 till 2004 when a BJPledalliancegoverned.It hasbeeninoppositionsince 2014 when it was twice trounced by the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is widely expectedtowinathirdterm whenvotingendsonJune1.

The Congress put in a very weak performance in 2014 and 2019 and is not projected to do well in the current election The Congress and its UPA partnersweretiedtomassive

corruptionandthepoliticsof religious appeasement and werevotedoutbyalandslide in2014.However,Congress feels it will form the next government in mid June with its alliance partners called INDIA bloc No opinion poll showed INDIA winningamajority Allpolls showed BJP and its NDA alliance partners winning a majority Even critics say BJPwillwin.TheBJPonits ownisprojectedtowinmore seats than it won in 2019 (303).TheBJPclaimsitwill win350plusseatsonitsown andtheNDAover400.

The confidence of Congress and INDIAlies in the fact that voters turnout has been down by some eight percent. One cannot explain why the turnout is lower than 2019 when the PM’spopularityisnowatits peak. Modi has been the most the most popular politician in recent decades with approval ratings exceeding 70% Is there Modi fatigue? Foreign governments and NGOs havebeenpouringinmoney, funding the opposition to defeat the nationalist Modi; the communists are also

gettingoutsidefundstohelp defeat Modi; foreign money couldimpacttheturnoutand outcome.

Assessing the meaning of a low turnout is also fraught with difficulties. It could be the result of s

temperatures almost 120 degrees. Compare that with

Caribbean in the 80s or low 9

The party was a mere sevenseatsfromobtaininga majority which it would have won from the sixth phase (when voters cast ballots for 58 seats) last Saturday Severalseatswere expected to be very close goingeitherway Inthefinalphase,voters will decide 57 seats including Modi’s in the prestigious Varanasi (holy city) constituency; Modi is expected to easily win reelectionforathirdtimebya landslide. Based on trends, BJP should get some 330 seatsandtheNDA370;350 and400respectivelyarenot ruled out because BJP has run a very effective well oiled campaign machine The BJP also assisted its allies with campaign management and resources to help them win in some fiftyseats.

The nation, Indian Guyanese, Indo Caribbeans and the world anxiously awaittheresults.

impacting on turnout is funding. The opposition is tightwithfundinginspiteof foreign funds and has had difficulty to get its base out tothepollingstationsunlike the BJP and NDA partners whoareflushedwithfunds. What is the estimated outcome as queried by Indo Guyanese and Indo Caribbeans?Almost all preelection polls say NDAwill win.Modiwillreturn.Some pollssayBJPislikelytogeta majority on its own while others say it will come up short but NDA will get a majority(over272).Nopoll put the INDIA bloc ahead. Based on this writer’s analysis after interviews with voters from several states from the first five phases and pre-first phase, BJP was projected to get at least265seatsoutof428that alreadyvoted.

YoursSincerely, VishnuBisram(PhD)

BLUNT BLUNT

The weekly press nonsense

We have said it before that the weekly talk shop being masqueraded as press conference by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo is an abuse of the media andamisuseofstateresources.

Last week in his introduction at the press conference, Jagdeo conceded that he had difficulty in preparing for it because of the paucity of comments and criticisms in the public domain, including from the Opposition. In other words, he wasadmittingthatitisthecriticsofthegovernment thatprovidestheoxygenforhispressconferences.

Without the critics, he has no or limited material for his weekly diatribes. If the Opposition stays silent then he would have nothing to say other than to go after independent critics in the newspaper, including the Kaieteur News and the Stabroek News.

At the weekly ‘press nonsense’if reporters from the Kaieteur News and Stabroek News do not ask questions,heislefttocontendwiththepumpstation contractor. Even the Guyana Times- Jagdeo’s own newspaperdoesnotattendthepressconference.The forumhasbeenshunnedbyseasonedjournalistsand has now become the fiefdom of the ‘Guyanese Critic’andthatannoyingGuyanaChroniclereporter who has been weaponised to go after Leader of the Opposition,AubreyNorton.

Guyana now positioned as key global energy player - Pres Ali.

Guyana at present years, to the point that as the andcountry

President Ali told those in at a stage in its development communities present, that p r o d u c e s nation observed its 58th AccordingtotheHeadof attendance, “we are asacountrywhere“therecan “here in Region 10, we will

u p w a r d s o f Independence Anniversary State, Guyana at present is (already)doingthis.” be no conversation in the create the architecture and

645,000 barrels at the Mackenzie Ground in positioned like no other time

With this in mind, he future on energy without infrastructure so that you too of oil daily from the prolific Linden Region 10 over the in its independent history, in reiterated “…we are already Guyana being a part of that can be a part or this Stabroek Block, with its weekend, Head of State that there is now the realistic the centre piece when it conversation.” conversation; make no already proven 11 billion PresidentAli,wasofthefirm “opportunity that the comes to forests and forestry Additionally, he was mistake this region that we barrels of oil equivalent conviction, “there can now, generations before of us manageme

adamant, “…there can be no are in tonight is going to be (boe) from three Floating be no conversation globally dreamt of; Guyana has change and climate services, conversation on climate the centre p

Production Storage and onenergywithoutGuyanaat before it the greatest biodiversity services, energy change, forest bio diversity development.” Offloading (FPSO) vessels thetable.” potential but more, more and energy services, food, and environment, without According to President and three more sanctioned Delivering the keynote than that potential we now food production and food Guyana being a part of Ali, the mining town of Field Development Plans address to thousands of have the wherewithal to services.” conversation,therecanbeno Linden, “is going to be the underway primarily Lindeners this convert the potential into Ac

o the conversation on regional critical link we are making Production levels in the the first time the activity reality, and to place Guyana President, “we have been food security and creating towards the Guiana Shield country is now ranked third beingheldintheregion—the at the centre piece of global able, your country our foodsustainableplansinthis connecting to northern among the non-OPEC (Oil Head of State, was adamant, development”

motherland is now at the region without Guyana Brazil,” and connecting into Producing and Exporting Guyana is now not a country Reaffirming, “your centre of these important being the centre piece of the the interior, Bartica, etc Countries), and pegged to justaboutpotentialbut(also) country is creating for all of developments, regionally conversation.” Today, he said, “we live in a reachupwardsofonemillion with the wherewithal to us, every single Guyanese, andglobally.” He told those from Guyana that is much barrels daily in about two achieveitsdesiresasanation an opportunity of a lifetime” Guyana, he said, is now Linden, and the surrounding different from our first independence,aGuyanathat is shaping her own way globally, a Guyana that is creating her own brand, a Guyana that is creating new opportunities a Guyana that is reenergising itself as we worktowardsasingulargoal of bringing all of us together under the umbrella of one Guyana and bringing prosperity to every single family.”

Thegovernmenthasaflawedcommunicationstrategy

In his introduction to his most recent press conference, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo conceded that he had difficulty in preparing for it because of thepaucityofcommentsand criticisms in the public domain, including from the Opposition.

In other words, he was admittingthatitisthecritics of the government that provides the oxygen for his press conferences. Without the critics, he has no or limited material for his weekly diatribes If the Opposition stays silent then hewouldhavenothingtosay other than to go after independent critics in the newspaper, including the Kaieteur News and the StabroekNews.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo’s admission introduces a disturbing revelationaboutthefunction and purpose of these press briefings.Hisadmissionthat the scarcity of public criticisms and opposition

f e e d b a c k m a d e i t challenging to prepare for his address underscores a troubling misuse of press conferences. These forums, ostensibly intended to disseminateinformationand provide updates are instead being weaponized as platforms for responding to c r i t i c i s m s o f t h e government.Aparty’s press conference should not be usedforsuchpurposes.

What we have taking

place is essentially a party press conference being used for countering criticisms of the government. It begs the question as to why the government is not holding weekly press conferences if it feels the need to react to criticisms.Whyholdaparty press conference to delve intogovernmentmatters?

When are we going to return to the days of the weekly Cabinet press briefings/ When will a Cabinet Secretary be appointed to interface with themedia?

Pressconferencesoffera directlineofcommunication betweenthegovernmentand the public, enabling the dissemination of crucial information, clarifications on policy decisions, and responses to pressing issues affec

deviation from these principles.Ratherthanbeing a conduit for transparent governance, these press conferences have morphed into a reactive spectacle, hingingonthecriticismsand queries posed by opposition parties and independent media.

The essence of Jagdeo’s acknowledgment that withoutcriticism,hefindsit hard to have substantial content reveals an alarming dependency on

dependency indicates that these weekly press engagements are less about providing substantive informationtothepublicand more about engaging in verbal skirmishes. Such an approach undermines the very purpose of these conferences.IfJagdeowants to respond to criticisms of the government, he should dosoinhiscapacityasVice President of the government andnotasGeneralSecretary

o f t h e P P P

ess conferences should be rich with data, reflective of strategic planning, and indicative of a forwardthinking administration Instead, Jagdeo’s approach reduces them to a series of reactionary monologues, where the primary focus is on countering critics rather than enlightening the populace.

This strategy not only diminishes the informative value of press conferences but also casts a shadow on the government’s intent. If the administration requires external criticisms to construct the content of its press briefings, it suggests a lack of intrinsic agenda and vision. Governance should bedrivenbyaproactiveand well-articulated plan, not merely by the necessity to respond to detractors. The reliance on criticism as a basis for press content indicates a deeper issue of governance—one where the

DEM BOYS SEH

The new tax on parents’ pockets

We got to talk about these school projects, man. Dem teachers seem to think we parents got a money tree growing in we backyard. Every month, it’s like another projectcominghomewithmechild,andit ain’tcheap,youknow!

Dem teachers acting like we living in Buckingham Palace or something, demandingwebuyallkindafancysupplies for these projects. Last month, it was a diagram of the solar system. This month, they want a model volcano that actually erupts!

DemBoysswear,demprojectsgetting more expensive than a trip to de fancy restaurant downtown. We gotta buy foam boards,glitter,glue,paint–younameit,we buyingit!Anddon’tevengetmestartedon thetripstothecraftstore.

And let’s not forget the pressure these projectsputonwechildren.Theysupposed to be learning, not turning into mini engineers overnight. We already stressing aboutgradesandexams,andnowwegotta worry about building a replica of the

concerned with image management and rebuttal than with genuine nationb

execution.

Moreover, this approach has dire implications for independent journalism. By focusing primarily on countering criticisms from media outlets like Kaieteur News and Stabroek News, theadministrationsignalsan adversarial stance toward independent media This antagonism discourages journalistic scrutiny, a crucial component of any healthy democracy Instead of fostering an environment where media can question and critique freely, the government’s stance creates a chilling effect, potentially s

reportage.

UmanaYanaoutofpopsiclesticks?

Butyouknowwhatreallyburnsmeup?

It’stheinequalityofitall.Noteveryparent can afford to splash out on these extravagant projects Some families strugglingjusttoputfoodonthetable,and nowtheygottaforkoutcashforartsupplies too? It’s like a slap in the face to the less fortunateamongus.

Isayenoughisenough!Weneedtoput acapontheseprojectsbeforetheybankrupt demparents.Let’sbringbackthegoodold days when homework meant reading a bookordoingsomemathproblems.Keepit simple, keep it affordable, and let our childrenfocusonlearning,notbankrupting theirparents!

So, to all dem teachers out there, ease up on the project assignments, nah? We parentsalreadybrokefromputtinglunchin dempickneylunckkitanddemmillionand onetextbookswahyuhdoesgattobuy De cashgrantdonespend. Wecan’taffordto befinancingyourartsandcraftsobsession too! Talkhalf.Leffhalf

mechanism is hinged on countering criticisms rather than presenting coherent, well-thought-out policies and initiatives, it signals a deficit in substantial governance Effective leadership should be able to articulate and implement policiesindependentlyofthe o

’s

, showcasing a clear vision and strategic direction for thecountry

In essence, Jagdeo’s admission inadvertently e

d communication strategy Press conferences should be about transparency and proactive governance, not a

defensiveness The Vice P

dent’s a

ach reduces the sanctity of these engagements, transforming themintomereplatformsfor political theater rather than instruments of democratic

dialogue. The need of the hourisarecalibrationofthe g o v e r n m e n t ’ s communication strategy. Press conferences should return to their core purpose: informing and engaging the public on key issues, policies, and initiatives They should reflect the government’saccountability and willingness to communicate transparently with its citizens This requiresashiftfrompolitical sparring.

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

Leaders must live a love affair with Guyana

White gloves are replaced with Holy Grail that has not yet been pleasethenewAmericanplantation were looked upon as sex objects boxing gloves I challenge found. The journey has not even owners with names likeWoods and (bombshell, red-hot, desirable) President Ali, Vice President embarked upon to find it. Pointing Routledge. When leaders consent The ladies have moved on and up. Jagdeo, Opposition Leader Norton. with reciprocal condemnation to self-enslavement, what prospect Guyana is the replacement sex Yes, I challenge, cancel the certainly has its visceral energy for the people? How could such object, and the johns (better make niceties, with respect due Buthasledtowhatsofar? Anation people ever have any regard for the thatsuitors)fromallovertheworld Guyanese people. Angry people. embedded, what should be fully divided even deeper, animosities local population? I recommend drool about getting a piece of this Deadly serious people. People understood. and antagonisms drenching an this to all three Guyanese leaders: new pinup girl. It should not willingtodie. Dieontheirfeetand Allthreeoftheseleadersshould already oversoaked political and abandon what had been embraced require a four-year stint at Oxford for a cause (their own and their have a love affair with Guyana and racial environment, and the arrival before. Start with a fresh piece of or the Massachusetts Institute of children) than to die slowly with a theGuyanesepeople. Notjusttheir ofthegame-changer,oil,toaddfuel paperandacleanhead. Clean,asin Technology, or the one in India, to bloated colonoscopy hanging own, but all of them The totheflames? Thisisthestuffover unfettered by what serves personal identify who are the top local around the groin and dragging engagements with the past must be which internal wars erupt and great interests. If only Guyanese can get pimps. The first love of leaders down. nullified, the fears and suspicions ruptures result. By some unique leaders that cherish public service ought to be the people. Not PPP How about that for a graphic of the future managed maturely magical potion, Messrs. Ali and asanideal,asmoreofasacredduty, ones alone. Not PNC worthies picture? ThisishowExxonhasAli Just as in a new, intimate, Jagdeo pretend that they have the as focused on giving everythingfor only Not the indigenous and and Jagdeo and Norton have relationship. solution to bring this country the people, as opposed to using mixed people and sprinklings of Guyanese living. Go ahead, shoot All the preconceived ideas and together They jest. It is the latest wiles to get more from them. EuropeansandCaucasiansforwhat me. Iamready Asknotwhatyour conclusions about who has more in a continuing series of errors in Guyanese lose perennially This is they can contribute to the political country can do for you; ask what knowledge,whohaswhatittakesto judgment. Costly misjudgments. what has weakened and sabotaged equation. Mr.Ali, Mr. Jagdeo, and you can do for your country. No lead a nation and a people forward Repetitive misjudgments. what could be beneficial to this Mr. Norton must love the people wondertheyblewhalfthetopofhis mustbescrapped. Oritisnotgoing Unpardonablemisjudgments. nation. more than they love themselves. headoff. towork. The self-serving of Ali and On each occasion that the Yeah, I know that it is tough going As a reminder to all Guyanese, Dismissal. For all their Jagdeohasbeenglaring. Bothhave president or the vice president with tougher luck every step of the thatwasdoneinTexas. Exxonisin knowing, the first piece of wisdom cast aside shame and brought opens his mouth, the first word that way. They must love the broadest, Texas. Exxon is in Guyana, and a that they should embrace is that disgrace upon themselves. This is pops out is foreign. The second is widest, deepest, national destiny few of us interfere with its smooth they know nothing. Nothing that how they love the Guyanese Exxon. I am at word number ten, that could be than they love, let’s sailing. The company has its they have done so far has benefited people. By loving the people of and I am still waiting to hear either see, money They must show that Guyanese Lee Oswald Harvey(s) theGuyanesepeople. Theirinsider Exxon first and totally By kissing Guyana or Guyanese whispered. theyarereadytothinkinanewway andJackRuby(s). Theyareeasyto people, for sure; other Guyanese, all the dark places in Exxon’s Darren Woods and Alistair I would help them challenge the identify well,that’sacrime. boardroom and Exxon’s executive RoutledgementionGuyanamorein present order, as evidence of their (The views expressed in this What could be the best suites. their great, gushing, oil loveforcountryandpeople. article are those of the author and combination of politics and duty to By lowering themselves to the productions. Talk about the place To love like that is to fight. I do not necessarily reflect the the people? That knowledge, that lowest levels imaginable, then and the people are automatically wouldliketoseethedaythatExxon opinions and beliefs of this practice, has still proven to be the breaking new ground, and all to attached. For a long time, women fight and win against the massed newspaper and its affiliates.)

Hess’ shareholders to vote today on US$53B takeover by Chevron

The US$53 Billion deal for the acquisition of Hess Corporation by Chevron

Corporation faces a shareholdervotetoday.

JohnHess,thebossofthe oil company has rallied his shareholders to support the deal – Bloomberg recently

reported The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is telling investors he got the best deal possible, and that Chevron could walk away if

thatgovernstheExxon,Hess rates and perhaps the lowest themergerdoesnotgetvoted and CNOOC consortium royalty rates known to the through at a May 28 governing the Stabroek industry, at a meager two shareholdermeeting. Block. Moreover, with the percent.

Whilesomeshareholders arbitration pending, Hess Production from the have already announced that shareholders would not S t a b r o e k B l o c k they will abstain from receive any dividends from developments sits above voting, others have gone the Chevron until the arbitration 600,000 barrels per day

case ends, which Exxon’s (bdp) – with Exxon having inadequate disclosure by the CEO has said could be next the Liza 1, Liza 2 and the companyonthedeal. year–Bloombergreported. Payara projects online. The

The fight over Guyana’s o

takeoverofHessbyChevron block, ExxonMobil Guyana firstrefusaloverHess’stake. (the30%stake)initsdispute Stabroek Block resources embarked on an aggressive

was announced in October Limited (EMGL) and the Exxon holds a 45% interest with Chevron. He clarified finds its genesis in the drilling campaign in the 2023. Since then there have third partner CNOOC in that block, and CNOOC that Exxon was not trying to lopsided oil deal signed by Stabroek Block targeting

Petroleum Guyana Limited with25%interest. buyoverHessCorporation. the APNU+AFC Coalition three other developments: developments in relation to

ed to Darren Woods, the CEO For their part, Hess and administration back in 2016. Yellowtail, Uaru and Hess’ most valuable asset in arbitration, filing their case of Exxon has said that his Chevron have said they This deal extends favourable Whiptail projects. It should Guyana–theStabroekBlock at the International Chamber company is trying to secure disagree with Exxon’s terms to the oil companies, be noted that Yellowtail, – Hess Guyana holds a 30% of Commerce in Paris, preemption rights over Hess interpretation of the Joint providing unlimited tax Uaru and Whiptail have interestintheoilblock. arguing that it has a right of Corporation’s Guyana assets OperatingAgreement (JOA) waivers, uncapped interest alreadybeenapproved. The operator of the

Pres. Ali’s ‘Caribbean Vision’ to set tone for regional investment confab

Guyana will from loca

onal and isn’tmerelyanoption;it’san makers, global investors and StrategiesintheCaribbean. Group and Kristina Eisele July 10 convene international investors imperative.” industry leaders face to face Additionally, there will f

this year’s three- engage in poignant dialogue According to Naut, “we with regional innovators, also be a panel discussion on InvestmentBank.

day Caribbean and deal-making across four are committed to fostering manufacturers, service ‘Revolutionising Investment Caribbean Export is the Investment Forum (CIF) key tracks - Sustainable

providers and exhibitors all FinanceintheCaribbeanFor leading regional trade and withHeadofState,President A

protecting our environment, keen to secure ESG-

, investment promotion Irfaan Ali, setting the tone Ec

and ensuring inclusive compliant partnerships ” featuring Nigel Baptiste, agency in the African, under the theme ‘Breaking Digitalisation of Business, growth for generations to Organisers noted too that Group President and CEO of CaribbeanandPacific(ACP) Barriers, Building Bridges: a n d S

b

e come The Caribbean is among the other keenly R

group with a focus on President Irfaan Ali’s Vision Development. brimming with potential anticipated activities as part Holdings, the only regional accelerating the economic f o r a

f o r m e d Leo Naut – Deputy where sustainability isn’t

transformation of the Caribbean.’ E

, merely a choice; it’s the path investment focused session Platinum sponsor for Caribbean, working with the Venued at the Arthur Ca

toaprosperousandequitable and a ministerial roundtable CIF2024 Others on the private sector to increase Chung Conference Centre announcingtheactivitytobe future.” on Fostering Sustainable

exports,attractforeigndirect (ACCC), this, the third hosted in Guyana, expressed A

McInerney, Managing investment and create installment of the Caribbean that, “at the heart of the organisers, the Guyana’s Innovative Investment Director for Cross Boundary meaningfuljobs. E

Caribbean Investment President’s presentation of

n Forum 2024 lies a profound his vision is expected to “set Export) seminal event is recognition: embedding the tone for a conference expected to see hundreds of sustainability in investments expected to bring decision-

Police investigating death of elderly Bartica man

On May 25, 2024, around 12:10 hours, a 16-year-oldofByderabo,whowasonhisway home, informed the police that he saw Khan laying in front of his home motionless with bloodoozingfromhisnostrils.

The police responded to the report and upon arrival, the ranks found Khan motionless and bare footed clad in a brown Police in Regional Division Seven are shirt and pants. The ranks examined Khan’s investigating the death of 74-year-old Hannif body and found blood oozing from his Khan, a handyman of Byderabo Road, nostrils.Hisbodyborenomarksofviolence. Bartica. Khan’s body was taken to the Bartica The police reported that Khan lived alone RegionalHospital,wherehewaspronounced on Byderabo Road, he was diagnosed with dead on arrival. His body will be transported lung infection and hypertension and was a to Georgetown for a post-mortem regularpatientattheBarticaRegionHospital. examination.

Guyana’s forest certification system gets global approval

The Certificate of Endorsement issued to the GNFCS from the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

Th e G u y a n a the formal development hasreported. National Forest process. The GNFCS aims to be

Certification Guyana’s timber and cost-effective for operators System (GNFCS) has timber products certified in the large, medium, small, received recognition from under the GNFCS will now and community forest the Programme for the carry PEFC International sectors, with group Endorsement of Forest labels and trademarks, certification allowing for Certification (PEFC), providing assurance to sharedcostsandresources. reaffirming Guyana’s buyers that the certified The endorsement of the commitment to global forest operator’s practices GNFCS not only recognizes standards of sustainable meet global environmental, the credibility of Guyana’s forestmanagement. social, and economic systems but also provides All forest management standards. assurance that Guyanese and chain of custody The endorsement of the timber is legally sourced and certificates issued by the GNFCS by PEFC also sustainablymanaged. GNFCS are now considered confirms compliance with The GNFCS aligns with equivalent to those from the national and international other national initiatives, PEFC International legal forest requirements, including the European certification system The including worker rights and Union’s Forest Law GNFCS, guided by three theprohibitionofchildlabor Enforcement, Governance, s t a n d a r d s – F o r e s t The Guyana National and Trade Voluntary MaNagement (Guyana Forest Certification System Partnership Agreement and Standard for Sustainable aligns with the European the Sustainable Forestry Forest Management), Chain Union Timber Regulation, priority under the Low of Custody, and Group the US Lacey Act, and the Carbon Development Certification – was Australian Illegal Logging Strategy(LCDS)2030. developedbytheMinistryof Prohibition Bill, ensuring The Ministry of Natural NaturalResourcesin2020. environmental, social, Resourc

p

essed An independent multi- economic a

gratitude to all forestry stakeholder working group,

stakeholders,thelocalPEFC chaired by the Guyana throughout the forest supply working group, and the GFC Forestry Commission chain, the Department of team for achieving this (GFC), was responsible for Public Information (DPI) milestone.(DPI)

Former Finance Minister calls on Govt.

to address plight of NIS pensioners

Former Finance Minister increase came alongside stating, “Money has a time preventing NIS from paying

Winston Jordan has raises for public servants, value... The basket of goods increased old age pensions transferring the necessary criticisedthegovernmentfor teachers, members of the bought with $52,000 dollars and suggested providing resources to NIS”. “This is its failure to address the d

relieffinancing. being done, already, in the plight of National Insurance constitutional office holders, substantiallymorein2024.” ”If NIS is being specific case of GUYSUCO, Scheme(NIS)pensioners. and government pensioners He lam

that prevented from paying which benefitted from over Jordaninascathingletter from2021onwards. pensioners are now forced to increased old age pensions $50billionintransfersunder published in the May 23, In his letter Jordan accept the new minimum abovetheminimum,thenthe the Coalition Government.

2024 edition of the Kaieteur recounted being approached pension without adjustments Government must act Theentitycontinuestobethe News highlighted the lack of by an NIS pensioner seeking to maintain their previous decisively to remove the recipient of billions of compen

tion on why standardofliving. impediments and/or provide dollarsintransfers,annually, pensioners over the past pensions have remained Senior Minister in the relief financing. I believe u

three years resulting in a stagnantsince2020. Office of the President with thattheNISisstillamember Government,” he said while staggering accumulated loss “Since I was not in a ResponsibilityforFinance of the Cooperative Finance noting that the APNU+AFC of$92,496perpensioner position to give him a announced a 7 percent Administration (COFA). I Coalition Government Jordan emphasized the satisfactory answer, I have salary increase for all public believe the COFA Act has

Scheme to recover $5 6 disparityintreatment,noting decided to highlight this servants and government old not been repealed. This Act resources from the Natural billion it lost in CLICO in that while other sectors saw matter through this letter, in age pensions in 2021, 8 has provisions for the Resource Fund (NRF) to the 2009,”Jordansaid. increases, NIS pensioners the hope that it generates percent increase in 2022, 6.5 Government to meet any NIS, so that the Scheme can “NIS ceases to function were left behind. He pointed immediate action by the percent increase in 2023 and shortfall, in any financial meet its obligations to its as an effective social safety out that the NIS old age concerned Minister(s),” the another6.5increasein2024 year, of any of the financial contributors,pensioners,and valve when beneficiaries are pension increased from former Finance Minister In response to this institutions falling under the otherbeneficiaries. deniedtheirrightfulpension, $32,100 to $35,000 in 2020, said. disparity, Jordan demanded Act,” he said. Further, the “It will be recalled that

but it wasn’t until 2024 that He stressed the adverse decisive action from the formerFinanceMinistersaid the Scheme was similarly contributing to the Scheme,” the government raised it effects of this negligence on government. He called for that even if theAct no longer bailed out, in 2016, when a the former public officer further to $43,075 This pensioners’ quality of life, the removal of impediments exists “nothing stops the deal was signed for the said.

GSMPcondemnsIsraeli’sgenocideinGaza

- CALLS FOR URGENT INTERNATIONAL INTERVENTION

The Guyana Solidarity

what she termed “hideous “The world cannot turn a community must rise to the Movement with Palestine massacres.” blind eye to the suffering in occasion, must live up to its (GSMP) has issued a stern

“The support of the U.S. Gaza. We must act now, or moralandlegalobligations,” condemnation of the recent is not just financial—it’s the bloodshed will continue. she urged, her plea echoing actions by the Israeli political. It provides a shield ThechildrenofGazadeserve the desperation of countless occupation army in Rafah, of impunity for Israel’s to grow up in peace, not Pa

southernGaza. actions. This support must under the constant threat of enduringrelentlessstrife.

Speaking to this end if we are to see any violence,” she implored, her The call to action from newspaper on Monday, semblance of peace and voicebreaking. the GSMP is a call for GSMP Chairperson, Ms. justice,”sheinsisted. Shewarnedthatfailureto humanity to intervene, to Hana Dmitriyev described Ms. Dmitriyev urged the address these crimes could stand up against atrocities, the deliberate targeting of global community to take lead to further escalation of and to strive for a future tents housing displaced prompt and decisive action theconflict. where justice prevails over persons as a “massacre that to end the aggressive actions “Every day that passes violence, where the innocent exceedsallboundaries.” against Palestinians in the withoutactionisanotherday are protected, and where the Ms. Dmitriyev’s voice Gaza Strip and the West that more lives are shattered. cries of the oppressed are trembledwithemotionasshe Bank,includingJerusalem. T h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l finallyheard. (Wayne

recounted the harrowing reportsfromRafah.

“Families, already uprooted and traumatised, sought refuge in makeshift tents To target these innocent people, to bomb their fragile shelters—it’s a levelofcrueltythatishardto fathom,” she said as her eyes filledwithtears.

Guyana Solidarity Movement with Palestine (GSMP) Chairperson, Ms. Hana Dmitriyev

The gravity of the blatant disregard for these persons were killed, a situation is palpable and she rulings, a mockery of significant portion of whom called for immediate justice.” arewomenandchildren.The international intervention to In recent weeks, the infrastructure in Gaza is on halt what she referred to as humanitarian crisis in Gaza the brink of collapse, with ongoing crimes against the has reached unprecedented power outages affecting Palestinianpeople. levels According to the nearly80%oftheregionand She emphasised that the UnitedNationsOfficeforthe clean water becoming Israeli forces’ actions are in C o o r d i n a t i o n o f increasinglyscarce. d i r e c t d e f i a n c e o f Humanitarian Affairs Ms Dmitriyev was international laws and (OCHA), over 200,000 particularly scathing in her resolutions. Palestinians have been criticismoftheUnitedStates

“The International Court displaced due to ongoing of America (U.S.A.) for its of Justice (ICJ) had clearly military operations financial and political ordered Israel to cease its Hospitals and medical support of the Israeli military activities in Rafah facilities are overwhelmed, occupation. She accused the and to provide protection for with the Ministry of Health U S administration of the Palestinian residents,” in Gaza reporting over 5,000 enabling these actions, she noted adding, “Instead, injured and at least 1,200 describing this support as a what we are witnessing is a dead and as of Monday 66 significant factor behind

Former Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan

Lyttle)

Decomposing body of man found at No.70

Village, Berbice

The decomposing body of a 40-year- rum and noted that Singh was still lying on oldmanwasonSundaymorningfoundata thebed. HedidnotdisturbSinghbutwent house at N0 70 Village, Corentyne out into his yard and imbibed by himself Berbice,RegionSix. beforeheadingtoawakearound16:00hrs.

Police identified him as Doodnauth

Miner arrested for cannabis found in bus engine compartment

The following morning, the friend said he

The man reportedly said he returned Singh, a labourer of No. 68 Village, home around 20:00 hrs and retired to bed. Corentyne.

Investigators believe that Singh died found Singh lying motionless in the same sometime after 07: 00hrs on Saturday. His position he left him and a foul scent was remains were found around 07:00 hrs the emanatingfromtheroom.Themansaidhe followingday. observed what appeared to be blood on the

Initial investigations revealed that floor.

Singh started living with a friend at N0. 70

The man said he immediately alerted Villagetwoweeksago. Thefriendrecalled the neighbourhood and the Police. thatonSaturdaymorning,Singhwaslying Investigators examined the remains for on his bed and they chatted briefly with marksofviolencebutnonewasseen. each other before he, (the friend), left for

Whileinvestigatorsawaitanautopsyto hiswork. determine the cause of Singh’s death, they

Singh’s good friend reportedly believethatnofoulplaywasinvolved. returned around 14:00hrs with a bottle of Investigationsarecontinuing.

The cannabis that was found during the stop and search exercise.

A26-year-old miner is now in custody after he claimed ownership of two parcels of cannabis

found hidden in the engine compartment of a bus hewastravellingin.

According to the police, ranks in Regional Division Eight during a recent exercise at Mango Landing Police Outpost, stopped a route 72 minibus with registration number BAF 4473 driven by Roger Smith called “Chowmein” at the check point.

The vehicle, which was enroute to Mahdia from Georgetown, was carrying four passengers. A search was carriedoutonthepassengersandtheirbelongings,butnothing illegal was found. However, while searching the engine compartment of the bus, two plastic wrapped parcels were discovered. The parcels were checked and it contained a quantityofleaves,seeds,andstemssuspectedtobecannabis.

Thedriverandpassengerswerequestioned,andoneofthe passengers,claimedownershipofthenarcoticsfound.Hewas told of the offense committed, cautioned, and arrested. The minerwasthentakentotheMahdiaPoliceStation,alongwith the driver and the suspected cannabis. The cannabis was weighedandamountedtoover2kilograms.

Theminerremainsincustody Investigationsareongoing.

Man found dead at Montrose, ECD

Police are investigating the death of man whose body was found around 12:40 hrs on Monday on Fourth Street, Montrose,EastCoastDemerara(ECD).

Investigators identified him as Zaheer Karim Bacchus andsaidthatananonymouscallerinformedthemthatabody wasspottedatthesaidlocation.

The sleuths conducted a physical check on the remains andnomarksofviolencewereevident.

Investigationsareongoing.

Dead: Doodnauth Singh

Draft Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill published

…GOVT. INVITES PROPOSALS, RECOMMENDATIONS

The Government of Prosecutions, Magistrates, submissions via email to: same extent as oral evidence The publication in any Guyana (GoG) through the members of the Guyana agchambersmola@gmail co or a deposition made by the d o c u m e n t , o r t h e Ministry of LegalAffairs, on Police Force, the legal mwithin21days. person for the purposes of a broadcastingortransmission Monday published a draft of profession, child-care The five insertions of trialorotherwise. in any way of any the S

Offences officers, individuals with new sections to the (2) Subject to subsection information that could (Amendment) Bill 2024 pending court matters, both PrincipalAct (3), the written statement or identify a person accused of seeking recommendations asvictimsandoffenders. Insertion of Section 41A deposition in subsection (1) committinganoffenceunder and proposals from civil The Consultant was also - PowerofDirectorofPublic signed, or purported to be this Act is prohibited. (2) society. required to review similar Prosecutions to remit cause signed, by the examining Subsection (1) does not

The draft bill contains legislation across the to be dealt with summarily: magistrate who presided apply where the accused three amendments, five new C a r i b b e a n a n d t h e If, after the receipt of any over the

mmittal person is charged with the sections, an insertion of a Commonwealth and to documents mentioned in this proceedings, and any offence. new part as well as the borrow provisions which Part, the Director of Public d

Insertion of Section insertion of a third, fourth, may either be absent or Prosecutions is of the relevant thereto, as the case 72A - Factorstoconsiderfor fifth and six schedules to the deficient in Guyana’s opinion that the accused maybe,shallunlessthecourt admissibility of recent SexualOffencesAct2010. statutoryframework. person should not have been determines otherwise, be complaints: In determining

A consultant was Now that the consultant committed for trial but that admissible at the trial as the admissibility under retained to review and has completed the task and the matter should have been evidence of any fact without Section 72 of this Act, the conduct a legal gap analysis submitted the draft dealt with summarily, the further proof that it was in Court shall consider the (2) Where a person who ofthesexualoffencesregime amendments to the 2010 D i r e c t o r o f P u b l i c fact signed by the examining following factors – (a) the is an officer of a state or in Guyana, as part of the legislation, the government Prosecutions may, if he magistrate purporting to complaint must consist of a nonstate institution working I n t e r - A m e r i c a n i s s e e k i n g thinks fit, at any time after havesignedit. statement made by the with mentally or physically Development Bank (IDB)- r e c o m m

n d a t i o n s / that receipt, remit the cause (3) Subsection (2) complain

n

hat, if disabled persons has an funded Support for the proposals. to the magistrate with applies where at the trial of believed, would tend to apprehension of an offence Criminal Justice System A copy of the Sexual directions to deal with it the accused; the court is negate any adverse under this Act being (SCJS) Project being Offences (Amendment) Bill accordingly, and with any satisfied that any person inference regarding the committed against a executed by the Attorney 2024 can be accessed at the other directions he thinks whose written statement in victim’s credibility; (b) the mentally or physically General’s Chambers and Ministry of Legal Affairs’ proper subsection (1) has been complaint must have been disabled person, that officer MinistryofLegalAffairs. w e b s i t e a t : Insertion of Section 43A admitted in evidence or made spontaneously, shallreporttheoffensetothe

In the execution of this https://mola gov gy//bills/T -Witnessstatementsandtrial whose deposition has been without being prompted by police. task, the consultant was HE%20SEXUAL%20OFF oftheaccused:(1)Atthetrial taken in committal leading or intimidating (3) Every person who required to engage key ENCES%20(AMENDME ofanaccusedperson,subject proceedings– questions; and (c) the fails to comply with stakeholders and individuals NT)%20BILL%202024.171 to committal proceedings (a)isdead; complaint must have been subsection (1) or (2) in consultations and 6843811.pdf under this Act and the First (b) is unfit, by reason of made within a reasonable commits an offence and is interviews. These include: P e r s o n s w i t h Schedule, a written his bodily or mental time frame after the alleged l i a b l e o n s u m m a r y Judges of the Supreme recommendations on the statement by any person is condition,toattendtrial; incident conviction to a fine of two Court, the Director of Public draft bill can make admissibleasevidencetothe (c) is outside of Guyana Insertion of Section hundred and fifty thousand and it is not reasonably 86A – Duty to report dollars. practicable to secure his offencesagainstchildrenand (4) The duty to report in attendance; vulnerable adults: (1) Where subsections (1) may be (d) cannot be found after a person who is an officer of waived, on a case by case all reasonable steps have a state or nonstate institution basis, where – (a) the child beentakentofindhim; workingwithchildrenhasan concerned is in a sexual (e) is kept away from the apprehension of an offence relationship with a person trial by the threat of bodily under this Act being who is near in age to them; harmordeath. committed against a child, and (b) that relationship Insertion of Section 62A that officer shall report the lacksfeaturesofexploitation - Anonymity of accused: (1) offensetothepolice. orcoercion.

Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn (right) and team during a visit at the Hangar located south of the London Army Base, Timehri. (Photo courtesy, Ministry of Home Affairs)

CJIAto get new Fire Service Outpost

TheMinistryofHomeAffairsonMonday of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn announced that the Guyana Fire Service accompaniedbytheChiefFireOfficer(CFO) (GFS)wouldsoonestablishanewOutpostat Gregory Wickham and other officials visited the Cheddi Jagan International Airport andinspectedthehangaranditsaccessroutes (CJIA). The ministry made the declaration onMonday. via its Facebook page noting that this new “This strategic move aims to enhance the development follows an expansion done to Fire Service’s ability to respond swiftly and theCJIArunway efficientlytoanyemergenciesattheairport,” According to the ministry, in a concerted theministrysaid. effort to optimize response times following Further, the ministry added that the new therecentexpansionoftherunwayatCheddi outpost is part of the government’s Jagan International Airport, the Fire Service commitment to safety and emergency is set to establish a new outpost at a Hangar preparedness while ensuring that there are locatedsouthoftheLondonArmyBase. robust fire and rescue services to adequately Kaieteur News understands that Minister supporttheexpandedairportinfrastructure.

The Regional Democratic Council building or would be built this year, and (RDC) of Region Seven is preparing to these schools would be in all the regions spend approximately $215 million to build except for Region Two. No new nursery new nursery schools in Karrau, Itaballi, schoolswerelistedforthatregion. BataviaandKakovillages. During that press conference, the

Thisisaccordingtoatenderissuedbythe minister said that having achieved universal RDC seeking contractors to execute the primary education in the country, the projects. intention is to achieve universal nursery and

According to the document, the secondaryeducation. construction of the nursery school slated for “What does universal mean, it means all Karrau is estimated to cost $43 million, the over So all over Guyana we want nursery school at Itaballi is estimated at $47 million, aged children to be able to access nursery the nursery school at Batavia is estimated to schools and nursery education in Guyana is cost $45 million, and the school at Kako is notcompulsoryasyetbutwehaveregistered estimatedtocost$80million.

The RDC is also seeking contractors to Commonwealth Caribbean at more than 85 construct a primary school at Wayalayeng, percent of our nursery age cohort attending Upper Mazaruni for $55 million, to nurseryschool,”shesaid rehabilitate and extend Two Miles Primary The minister added that where there is a School Annex for $40 million, and to gap it would be where there are not enough rehabilitate and extend the Kamarang schools and that is mostly in the hinterland nurseryschoolfor$27million. regions.

At a recent press conference at the Kaieteur News understands that to fund National Centre for Educational Resource projectsfor Region Seven through the RDC, Development (NCERD), Minister of approximately $2.6 billion was approved Education Priya Manickchand had listed and allocated in national budget for that over 30 nursery schools that are currently purpose.

Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC

WANTED VACANCY

Caricom Insurance is now hiring Sales Agents/Representatives. Attractive Commission and Training provided. Call (592) 610-6650.

Wanted! Workers for packaging pasta and chowmein.

$4100-$5000 per day. Workers paid weekly. Call: 6117839.

One male Driver to do personal and business chores, ages 25-50 years residing on W.C.D or W.B.D. Call: 6240239.

One male able- bodied Staff. For more information Call: 231-2029, 616-5954.

One female able-bodied Staff. For more information Call: 225-2313, 658-8559.

One female Cleaner for washing and cleaning, half day 3 times per week. Call: 6413826.

Full/part time person with experience in sewing of school uniform in Georgetown. Call/ WhatsApp: 689-4912/ 6243797.

Land to purchase in Parfaite Harmonie, Provindence or anywhere on the West and East Coast. Call: 702-7100.

To buy scrap radiator, aluminum, copper, brass, etc. Call: 670-8788.

Wanted two office Staff, must have English and Mathematics. Call: 664-4896.

SERVICES

Visa Application and consultation, advertisements publishing, graphics design, local & USA passport application forms & i130 application. Call: 626-7040.

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

We repair & install fridge, freezer, washer & dryer, AC units, stove, etc. Whatsapp/ Call Omar: 683-8734/ 6549711.

Repairs at affordable prices fridge,air conditioner,washing machines, dryers, tv, microwaves & freezer. Call: 6105846/ 661-8158.

Live-in housekeeper needed to cook, clean and do laundry in Virginia, USA. Free room & boarding offered. Call: 845-325-8241.

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

Maid to cook & clean for East Bank area. For more information Call: 615-9132.

Male Cleaner needed for Eccles. For more information Call: 645-8443/ 615-9132.

Auto Electrician and Mechanics needed. Send your CV To: omaransarimi@gmail.com or Call: 618-7066.

Vacancies for Cooks, Salesgirls, Cashiers & Porter boys. Contact GK Variety store, Robb & King street, 653-0475.

Vacancies exist for Security guard and Carpenter at Happy Acres, ECD. Call/WhatsApp Saoud Osman: 643-9861 / 6116151.

W/union CSR'S, Cashiers, Sales representative, Porters, Bond & Accounts Clerk. Call:609-2995,Email: survivalhumanresources2@ gmail.com.

One experienced Accounts clerk for administrative functions business may require applicants may send their resume via Email: bakshwork @gmail.com

Domestic Worker for Kitty area, Farm worker for Hauraruni and Driver/ Expeditor. Call: 231-0363

Do you like working with the elderly? Then come on board with us. Call: 233-5160 / 6561875.

Full time Domestic/ Maid needed, knowledge of Indian cooking. Call: 618-1853.

Lathe Operator, Welder & Handyman needed at Good Hope, ECD. Call: 645-9333/ 220-6078.

‘Heinous massacre’: Israel’s attack on Rafah tent camp widely condemned

(AL JAZEERA) Several countries and global organisations have condemned the Israeli air attack on tents housing displaced people in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah that killed at least 40 Palestinians, including many children.

The Palestinian presidency on Monday accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilians, joining a chorus of worldwide condemnation following the attack.

“The perpetration of this heinous massacre by the Israeli occupation forces is a challenge to all international legitimacy resolutions,” the Palestinian presidency said in a statement, accusing Israeli forces of “deliberately targeting” the tents of displaced people.

In a statement on X, the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said the images from Rafah are yet another testament that Gaza is “hell on earth”. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri called the attack a “massacre”, holding the United States responsible for aiding Israel with weapons and money. Israel’s top military prosecutor described the attack as “very grave” and said an investigation will be conducted. “The details of the incident are still under an investigation, which we are committed to conducting to the fullest extent,” MajorGeneral Yifat Tomer

VEHICLES FOR SALE

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

FOR RENT

Place to rent at Vreed-enhoop junction for Lessons, Church, Office, Storage Bond, other. Call: 603-6400.

Supreme Car rental and transportation services, for bookings call: 615-5597.

Yerushalmi told a news conference, adding that the Israeli army “regrets any harm to non-combatants during the war”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a “tragic mistake” had been made.

“Despite our utmost efforts not to harm innocent civilians, last night, there was a tragic mistake,” Netanyahu said in an address to Israel’s parliament.

“We are investigating the incident and will obtain a conclusion because this is our policy.”

Palestinian witnesses and Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency Sanad said the camp sheltering civilians in Rafah’s Tal as-Sultan area was deliberately targeted.

The Wafa news agency, citing the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), said the dead included women and children, with many “burned alive” inside their tents. One of the residents who arrived at the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah said the “tents were melting and the people’s bodies are also melting” after the attack.

‘Deliberate bombardment’

· Qatar condemned the Rafah attack as a grave violation of international laws that will aggravate the humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip.

It said the attack could hinder mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Qatar, alongside the US and Egypt, has been engaged in months of talks aimed at securing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

·Egypt condemned the “deliberate bombardment”. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Israel to “implement the measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning an immediate cessation of military operations” in Rafah.

·Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would do “everything possible” to hold “barbaric” Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to account over the deadly strikes. “We will do everything possible to hold these barbarians and murderers accountable who have nothing to do with humanity,” he said.

·Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said the bombing of Rafah was “one more day with innocent Palestinian civilians being killed”.

He said the gravity of the attack “is even larger” because it comes after the ICJ order directing Israel to halt

its operation in Rafah and the rest of Gaza.

· Ireland’s Foreign Minister Micheal Martin described the attack as “barbaric”. “One cannot bomb an area like that without shocking consequences in terms of innocent children and civilians. We would urge Israel to stop, to stop now, in terms of the military operation in Rafah.”

· Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said the attacks are a “material breach of the decision of the highest court of the world”.

He added: “We’ve had a compulsory order from the International Court of Justice ordering Israel to stop its attack in Rafah. It is compulsory. It’s binding.”

· Video Duration 06 minutes 56 seconds 06:56

· The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Israel must abide by the ICJ ruling to stop its offensive in Rafah as EU foreign ministers met their Arab counterparts in Brussels hours after Israel’s deadly attack on Rafah.

· Before the EU ministers’ meeting on Monday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said, “International humanitarian law applies for all, also for Israel’s conduct of the war.”

· Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the United Kingdom’s Labour Party, labelled Israel’s bombing of the Rafah camp a “monstrous failure of humanity”. In a post on X, he said, “Palestinian children should wake up feeling excited to go to school and play with their friends. Instead, for those murdered in Rafah, their last moments on this earth were filled with unimaginable fear as bombs rained down on their tents.”

Children dismembered, burnt alive

· Humza Yousaf, the former first minister of Scotland, posted on X: “Days after the ICJ orders Israel to halt its military offensive in Rafah, the Israeli Government bombs displaced people living in tents. Innocent men, women & children dismembered and burnt alive. Bear witness to the images and ask yourself, are you on the right side of history?”

· Video Duration 02 minutes 36 seconds 02:36

· In one of the strongest criticisms Italy has made so far, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the Israeli attacks were no longer justifiable. “There is an increasingly difficult situation, in which the Palestinian people are being squeezed without regard for the rights of innocent men, women and children who have nothing to do with Hamas and this can no longer be justified,” he said. “We are watching the situation with despair.”

· Jagmeet Singh, a Canadian legislator and leader of the New Democratic Party, posted on X: “The world is failing the people of Gaza. Canada is failing the people of Gaza.”

· US House Representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat, urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “immediately halt” the assault on Rafah. “The horrific loss of innocent lives today with the bombing of a refugee camp underscores the moral urgency of stopping the Rafah campaign,” he said.

· Aida Touma-Sliman, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and member of the Israeli Knesset, denounced the Netanyahu government for its “madness and vindictiveness”. Writing on X, ToumaSliman said, “This bloody government refuses to obey all orders of the tribunal, and is taking the madness and vindictiveness to a new criminal level.”

· justice, suspension of agreements, trade, partnership and investments, as well as participation in int’l forums.”

Monstrous atrocity

· Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN special rapporteur on the right to housing, called for action against Israel in the wake of its latest attack.

Writing on X, he said, “Attacking women and children while they cower in their shelters in Rafah is a monstrous atrocity. We need concerted global action to stop Israel’s actions now.”

· Chris Gunness, former spokesperson for UNRWA, said the three judges at the pre-trial chamber at the International Criminal Court (ICC) “are as horrified as the rest of the world” about the Israeli attack on Rafah. “There is no exception to the Genocide Convention. There are no excuses.

This is the crime of crimes,” he said.

·In a statement on X, charity Doctors Without Borders (known by its French initials MSF) said it was “horrified” by the attack, which “shows once again that nowhere is safe.” It added: “We continue to call for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza.”

·ActionAid humanitarian group says it was “outraged and heartbroken” by the “inhumane, barbaric” attack on the Rafah camp.

“The images coming from our partners of burned bodies are a scar on the face of humanity and the global community, which so far has failed to protect the people of Gaza,” it says, adding that one of its colleagues narrowly escaped, having left the shelter just a day before the attack.

1 Toyota Allion, Pioneer DVD, CD & USB deck, reverse camera, alarm, low milage. Call: 649-0956.

VEHICLES FOR SALE

Over 40 murdered in Israeli air strike on plastic tents

(BBCNEWS)Atleast45 people have been killed, including women and children, in an Israeli air strike on a camp for displaced Palestinians in the southernGazacityofRafah, the Hamas-run health ministrysays.

Videosfromthescenein the Tal al-Sultan area on Sundaynightshowedalarge explosion and intense fires burning. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had killed two “senior Hamas terrorists” and that it was “investigating the circumstances of the deaths ofciviliansinthearea”.

Hoursearlier,Hamashad fired eight rockets from RafahtowardsTelAviv-the first long-range attacks on the central Israeli city since January. Some 800,000 peoplehavefledRafahsince the start of an Israeli ground operation there three weeks ago, but hundreds of thousands are still believed to be sheltering there. In a separate development on Monday, Egypt’s military said it was investigating a shooting near the border with Gaza, just south of Rafah,inwhichamemberof the Egyptian security forces waskilled.

The IDF, whose forces have seized control of the Gazan side of the Rafah border crossing, said it was discussing a shooting incident with Egyptian authorities. The Palestinian Red Crescent said Sunday’s

air strike targeted tents for displaced people near a UN facility in Tal al-Sultan, about2km(1.2miles)northwest of the centre of Rafah.

Graphic footage showed a number of structures ablaze next to a banner saying “Kuwaiti Peace Camp ‘1’”, as well as first responders and bystanders carrying several bodies. “We were sitting at the door of the house safely Suddenly we heard the sound of a missile,” witness Fadi Dukhan told Reuters news agency

“We ran and found the streetcoveredinsmoke,”he said, adding that he and otherssawagirlandayoung man who had been killed by the blast. Abed Mohammed al-Attar said his brother and

THE IDF SAID IT TARGETED SENIOR HAMAS FIGURES BUT WOULD REVIEW CIVILIAN CASUALTIES

sister-in-law were killed, leaving their children as orphans.“The[Israeli]army is a liar.Thereis no security inGaza.Thereisnosecurity, not for a child, an elderly man,orawoman,”hesaid.

The IDF said in a statement on Monday afternoon that Israel’s Military Advocate General, Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmiwho is charged with making sure the military acts in accordance with the lawhadorderedaninvestigation into the incident. Israeli Air Force (IAF) aircraft had “conducted an intelligencebased strike in the area of Rafah against significant terror targets in the area of Rafah” on Sunday, it said. The IDF identified them as Yassin Rabia, the chief of

staff of the armed group’s fightersintheoccupiedWest Bank, and Khaled Nagar, another senior official in the West Bank wing, who it accused of directing and carrying out deadly attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians. “Before the strike, anumberofstepsweretaken toreducetheriskofharming uninvolved civilians during the strike, including c o n d u c t i n g a e r i a l surveillance,thedeployment of precise munitions by the IAF, and additional intelligence information,” thestatementadded.

“Based on these measures, it was assessed that there would be no expectedharmtouninvolved civilians... The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved

civiliansduringcombat.”

Israeli government spokesman Avi Hyman told the BBC: “It appears from initial reports that somehow a fire broke out, and that sadly took the lives of others ” The Hamas-run health ministry said on Monday afternoon that at least45people,including23 women,childrenandelderly, had been killed in the strike onthecamp.Aseniorofficial in Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defenceagency,Mohammad al-Mughayyir, meanwhile told AFP that the agency’s rescue workers had seen “charred bodies and dismemberedlimbs”,aswell as “cases of amputations, wounded children, women and the elderly”. “We are horrified by this deadly

event, which shows once again that nowhere is safe. We continue to call for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza,” MSF added.

A spokeswoman for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees,Unrwa-thelargest humanitarianorganisationin Gaza - said it had been very difficult to communicate withitsteamsontheground in Rafah. “But what we do know is that there was a serious incident that took placequiteclosetooneofthe largest Unrwa buildings in the north-west of Rafah We’re talking about dozens of people who have been killed and many others injured,”JulietteToumatold theBBC.

“NoplaceissafeinGaza. No-oneissafe,includingaid workers.”

The head of the Hamasrun government media office, Ismail al-Thawabta, saidthecampwasawayfrom recent military action and that the IDF had “called on citizens and displaced persons to go to these safe zones”. However, the IDF said: “The strike did not occur in the humanitarian area in al-Mawasi, to which the IDF has encouraged civilians to evacuate ” French President Emmanuel Macron said he was “outraged” by what had h a p p e n e d “ T h e s e operations must stop,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter

Papua New Guinea fears thousands buried after landslide

(BBC NEWS)Adeadly landslide which villagers in Papua New Guinea say struck like “an exploding bomb” may have buried more than 2,000 people alive, a government agency fears.

Thefigure-providedby the acting director of the country’s National Disaster Centre-isfarhigherthanthe 670 the United Nations (UN) suggested over the weekend.

“Nobodyescaped.Wedon’t know who died because records are buried,” a schoolteacher from a neighbouring village, Jacob Sowai, told news agency AFP Standing in the wreckage of the disasterwhichextendsforclosetoa kilometre-EvitKambusaid shefelthelpless.

“I have 18 of my family members buried under the debris and soil that I am standing on, and a lot more family members in the village I cannot count,” she told the Reuters news agency Lasen Iso told local newspaper The National it had struck “like an

Exact casualty figures for the disaster, which tore through the village in the early hours of Friday, have been difficult to establish. Desperateattemptstorescue survivors or remove bodies from the rubble have so far been hindered by rubble 10m (32ft) deep in some places,blockedaccessanda lackofadequateequipment. Butontheground,hopes are fading for the mountain residents swept up in the disaster in Enga province.

exploding bomb in a split second”, while Eddie Peter said she watched it rush towardsherhome“likeasea wave”.

“My husband turned back as our four children were sleeping. I fled and they were all trapped and killed,” she told the newspaper

About 3,800 people had been living in the area prior to the disaster The letter by the National Disaster Centre’s Lusete Laso Mana said the damage was “extensive”, and that it had “causedmajorimpactonthe economic lifeline of the country” On Monday Britain’s King Charles III, who is also head of state of PapuaNewGuinea,senthis a n d t h e Q u e e n ’s condolences.

He added that he had “great admiration for the extraordinary resilience” of the country’s people, which he had witnessed himself at firsthand. “Ihavefaiththat yourcommunitieswillcome together to support the survivors and the recovery in these heartbreaking circumstances, ” his statement on X read. Prime Minister James Marape has expressed his condolences and ordered the country’s defence force and emergency agencies to the area, about 600km northwest of the capital Port Moresby But locals in the affected Kaokalam village saytheyarestillwaitingfor officials to step in with largerrescueoperations.

A community leader who visited the site told the

BBC locals felt they had been left to fend for themselves They were using shovels and their bare hands to try and dig people out. “It’s been almost three tofourdaysnowbut[many] bodiesarenotlocatedyet.

It is still covered by the landslide and people are finding it really hard to dig them out - they are calling for the government for support and help,” Ignas Nembo told the BBC’s Newshourprogramme.

However, a police official from the province told the BBC he had seen soldiers arrive at the scene and they were attempting to remove boulders to try and freethosetrapped.

ActingProvincialPolice Commander Martin Kelei described these efforts as

precarious - as removing car-sizedbouldersandother large barriers risked further rockslips.

“Digging is very hard at the moment because we’re worried about further landslides and deaths - so local people are only diggingfromwheretheycan seeitissafe.Wearetryingto identify wherever we can see that people are buried,” he said. He had visited the site several times since Friday’s collapse and claimedsurvivorscouldstill be heard calling for help undertherubble.

Local media reported one couple being pulled alivefromunderrocks.

They had survived as their home only caught the edge of the landslide’s onslaught.

Anthony Drayton victorious in Ready Mix Concrete 2024 National Open Chess Qualifiers

FIDE Master Anthony Drayton has proved once again that he is a force to reckon with over the chessboard FM Drayton emerged as the winner of the 2024 National Open Chess Qualifiers, which was sponsored by Ready Mix Concrete Draytonrackedup6 pointsoutof7,placinghimin the top position of the 40 playerswhoparticipatedinthe competitionheldoverthelast

threeweekends.

Placing second was Justino Da Silva also on 6 points,butduetothetie-break systems in place, he came in secondtoDraytonRobertoNeto secured third place with 55 points despite missing the first round CM Ronuel Greenidge, Keron Sandiford, Sachin Pitamber,andLorisNathoo,all finished on 5 points, placing fourth,fifth,sixthandseventh, respectively KyleCouchman and Ethan Lee ended with 4 5 points, earning them eighth and ninth-place positions.

Tuesday May 28, 2024

ARIES(Mar 21–Apr 19)

A challenging day is in store foryou,Aries.Ifyou'repartof a group or team or simply among friends, you may feel somewhatillatease.Couldit be that you instill jealousy in others? There's only one way tofindout.

TAURUS(Apr 20–May20)

Sometimes dreams seem like just that - dreams. Travel, a project, or a new home could be a few of the things you've beentryingto accomplishfor sometimenow

GEMINI(May21–June20)

You'll go one of two ways today, Gemini. Either you'll turn inward and meditate in a corner or you'll find a good friend and confide your dissatisfaction.

CANCER(June21–July22)

Today is going to be an excellent day for meeting interesting people, Cancer And there will be nothing superficial about these encounters. On the contrary, the people you are going to meet will touch you profoundly

LEO(July23–Aug.22)

You can expect today to be kind of intense, Leo. Even if you've made a conscious decision not to let anything get you down, you may still harbor some negative emotions from the last few days.

VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22)

The little fighter that you are makesitverydifficultforyou to join us in the great communal river that we're all tryingtonavigate,Virgo.You prefertotravelsolo.

LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)

Be disciplined about all areas ofyourbody,Libra.Takeextra care to eat healthful, balanced meals. Make sure you get enough sleep And even thoughyougripeabouthaving no time, get out there and exercise.

SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov.21)

If you've been feeling deep anger,todayisn'tthedaytolet it out but rather the day to consider its source. Any large gatheringsoffamilyorfriends shouldbeavoidedatallcosts.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21)

If by chance you still harbor some resentment toward someone, Sagittarius, it will probably come out today.You might be uncompromising or evenvengeful.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19)

You don't suffer fools gladly, and superficial fools even less so. You have a mind to teach those around you a lesson. You'reuncompromisingtoday, and you can't understand why others don't have your same highstandards.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)Hereisadayofchallenges, Aquarius You're a pro at questioning yourself, as you'll prove today when you take a h a r d

o u r accomplishments What have youcreatedofapersonalnature inthelasttenyears.

PISCES(Feb.19–Mar.20)

Ifyougivetheimpressionthat you're in a reserved and introspective mood (even if you aren't), you'll succeed in avoiding confrontation Today there is no such thing as a simpleexchangewithsomeone

Keevin Allicock’s Olympic journey continues today

- Emmanuel Pompey eliminated from World Olympic Qualifier tournament

Olympics will continue todaywhenhefacesBatuhan Ciftci of Turkey in today’s 57kg round-of-16 action at theWorldOlympicQualifier tournamentinThailand.

Allicock is the last Guyanese remaining in the tournament,whichoffersthe final opportunity for boxers to qualify for the Olympic Games in France this

The tournament was not without heroic displays coming from some junior players who foughttodislodgetheirseasoned counterparts Drayton drew his match with double-titled Under-4/Under-16 champion Sachin Pitamber in a tense Rook and pawn endgame PitamberalsodrewwithLoris Nathoo Justino Da Silva, second place qualifier lost his game to Under-14 girls’ Champion Aditi Joshi Joshi also drew with seventh place qualifier Loris Nathoo Reigning Junior Champion Keron Sandiford also salvaged a draw with the much experienced Candidate Master (CM) Ronuel Greenidge. These top nine winners have qualified to challenge CM Taffin Khan, the reigning Open Chess Champion, in the 2024 National Open Chess Championship startingonJune1st2024.

Other notable performers were Gilbert Williams, Shiv Nandalall,andJadenTaylor,who alsogained45pointsAditiJoshi, RicardoNarine,MatthewSingh, Ciel Clement, Rashad Hussain, and Aquilani Swaminadha ended on 4 points The tournament was played at the School of the Nations and supervised by FIDE Arbiters John Lee, AnandRaghunauthandIrshad Mohamad This qualifying tournament will provide much-needed Grand Prix points to the top players who are vying for a chance to qualify for the Guyana team forthe45thChessOlympiadin Hungary later this year. The upcoming Championship and Grand Prix 4 will also add pointstotheplayersdepending ontheirperformances

The Guyana Chess Federation wishes to thank Ready Mix Concrete for sponsoring the tournament andtheSchooloftheNations forprovidingthevenue.

third-round stoppage win over Guatemala’s Jose Felipeintheround-of-32.

His opponent today, Ciftci, is also vying for a return to the Olympics, having started with a unanimous decision win over Afghanistan’s MohamadMehdiSahak.

For KeevinAllicock, the qualifierspresentachanceto redeem his Tokyo Olympics appearance.

Williamson were eliminated earlier, and yesterday, Emmanuel Pompey lost his 92kg bout against Georgia’s Georgii Kushitashvili A Tokyo Olympian, Allicock began his campaign with a

Allicock was the first boxer since John Douglas (1996) to qualify for the Olympicsbutfaceddefeatin the first round of his men’s featherweight event against Alexy de la Cruz of the Dominican Republic (RawleToney)

Anthony Drayton

Osaka,AlcarazinwinningFrenchOpenstartsasMurraybidsadieu

AFP - Naomi Osaka swept to her first victory at the French Open in three yearsonSunday,settingupa potential showdown with Iga Swiatek, as Carlos Alcaraz maintained his recordofneverlosinginthe firstroundofaGrandSlam.

H o w e v e r, A n d y Murray’s French Open career was ruthlessly ended in straight sets by fellow three-timemajorwinnerand 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka.

The 39-year-old Swiss hailed his beaten rival as a “great champion” as the former world number one bid adieu to the tournament ahead of his expected retirement later in the summer Osaka,afour-timemajor winner who has yet to get pastthethirdroundinParis, needed three sets to defeat Italy’s 48th-ranked Lucia Bronzetti on the showpiece

CourtPhilippeChatrier,6-1, 4-6,7-5.

The26-year-oldfired31 winners, including six aces, and 45 unforced errors in a matchwhereshegaveupa40 lead in the decider before findingherself5-4down.

However, she rallied strongly to register her first win at a Grand Slam since the2022AustralianOpen.

“Itfeelsreallynicetobe back and I’m just really gratefultobehereinfrontof everybody,”saidOsaka.

The Japanese star, a former world number one now at 134 in the rankings, has endured a bittersweet relationship with the French capital.

In 2021, she was fined for opting out of mandatory media commitments before withdrawing from the tournament in order to protecthermentalhealth.

A year later, she fell in thefirstroundbeforeleaving

Rafael Nadal loses in the French Open’s first round to Alexander Zverev

PARIS (AP) — Rafael Nadallostinthefirstround of the French Open to Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 yesterday in what mightturnouttobethe14time Roland Garros champion’slastmatchathis favoritetournament.

Nadal has indicated 2024 likelywouldbehislastseason before retirement, but he said Saturday that he is not 100% surehewon’tplayagainatthe French Open And he reiteratedthatafteryesterday’s defeat, only his fourth in 116 careermatchesattheplace.

When it ended, in anticlimacticfashion,with22time Grand Slam champion Nadalsimplyunabletoplayat hisusuallevelafter11/2years ofhipandabdominalinjuries, hethankedtheraucousCourt PhilippeChatriercrowdforthe “incredible the amount of energy” it provided throughout the 3 hours, 5 minutesofplay

“It’sdifficultformetotalk Idon’tknow(if)it’sgoingtobe thelasttimeIamhere Iamnot 100% sure,” said Nadal, whose 1 1/2-year-old son, RafaelJr,satonhismother’s lapinthestands “Ifit’sthelast time,Ienjoyedit” It is the first time in his long and illustrious career that Nadal has been beaten intwoconsecutivematches on clay courts and the first timehehasdroppedamatch

Power-packed: Naomi Osaka plays a forehand to Lucia Bronzetti. (ALAIN JOCARD)

thesportinSeptember2022 for16monthstogivebirthto herdaughter Top seed and defending champion Swiatek, chasing a fourth French Open, will

faceOsakaafterthePolegot past qualifier Leolia Jeanjeanyesterday World number three and reigning Wimbledon championAlcarazeasedtoa

6-1, 6-2, 6-1 win over America’s J.J. Wolf, the 107th-ranked player who entered the main draw as a ‘lucky loser’ from qualifying.

Alcaraz, 21, who made the semi-finals in 2023 where he was

defeated by Novak Djokovic, took his firstroundrecordatthemajorsto 13-0.

Alcaraz showed no sign of suffering from the right arm injury which sidelined him from the Rome Open as he coasted to victory on the backof27winnersandnine breaksofserve.

- ‘Don’t need many matches’ -

“I don’t need too many matches to be at m y b e s t , ” s a i d

Alcaraz

Defending champion Novak Djokovic begins his bid for a fourth

French Open titleand25th majoronTuesday.

“Low expectations and high hopes,” said the Serb on Sunday after arriving in Paris without a titleintheseasonforthefirst timesince2018.

Murray, the runner-up at Roland Garros in 2016 and still the only British man to make the final since 1937, lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 to Wawrinka.

Wawrinka becomes only the third man over the age of 39 to win a match at the French Open since1980.

“My first words are for a great champion,” Wawrinka said of Murray after their 23rd career meeting.

Murray, 37, said he’s proud of his French Open career even if “when you compare it to what Rafa or Novak achieved, it obviouslyisminuscule”.

5th ExxonMobil Boys and Girls U14 Football Championship...

earlierthanthefourthround attheFrenchOpen.

The match was played with the retractable roof shut,andtheloudchantsof “Ra-fa!” from most in the capacity crowd of about 15,000echoed.

Nadal turns 38 on June 3 and he has been dealing with hip and abdominal injuries since January 2023, limiting himto15matchesandan8-7 record since the start of last year His infrequent play dropped his ranking to No. 275 and he was unseeded fortheFrenchOpenforthe firsttime.

That is why he ended up facing the No 4-seeded Zverev, the runner-up at the 2020 US Open, a gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympicsandtheonlymanto reach the semifinals in Paris eachofthepastthreeyears

Nadal’s other losses at RolandGarroscameagainst Robin Soderling in 2010 and against Novak Djokovicin2015and2021.

“To be honest, I don’t know what to say First of all: Thank you, Rafa, from all of the tennis world,” Zverev said. “It’s such a great honor I’ve watched Rafaplayallmychildhood, and I was lucky enough to play Rafa when I became a professional. Todayisnot my moment It’s Rafa’s moment.”

Bartica, Three Mile, Santa Rosa, Marian among winners on opening day

Th e h i g h l y anticipated 2024 ExxonMobil Boy’s and Girl’s Under-14 Football Championship kicked off yesterday at the Ministry of Education ground with an exhilarating start The opening day witnessedatotalof76goals across the tournament’s matches.

In its fifth edition, the tournament featured 27 matches, comprising 16 Boy’s and 11 Girl’s games.

Vernica Chatta made headlines with the first sixgoalhaulofthetournament, while Gregory Romascindo also stood out by netting a brace. Several other notable performances marked the beginning of this exciting footballtournament.

Defending champions Bartica Secondary (Boys) wasted no time asserting their dominance, securing a commanding 5-0 victory over L’Adventure. Jayden Christian (4’), Ray Spencer (15’), and Lenny Skeete (30’) each contributed a goal, leading Bartica to a decisive3-0triumph.

m

Three Mile Secondary

impressive 5-0 win against VYC Academy Malique Ambrose, Eric Stephen,

West Minster Secondary goal scorers Gregory Romascindo (left) and Germaine Garrett.

Lebron Mendonca, Adrian Stoby, and Sergio Deagrella each found the net once, showcasing their team’s prowess.

OtherresultsintheBoy’s division included St John’s College defeating Christ ChurchSecondary2-0,West Demerara Seco

y overpowering Bygeval

S

y 4-2, New Amsterdam High edging President’s College 1-0, and East Ruimveldt Secondary

e Secondary 3-1 Dolphin Secondary and South Ruimveldt also secured

wins, with Westminster and West Ruimveldt picking up convincingvictoriesaswell. In the Girl’s division, Breanna De Nobrega and Ashley Walton led Marian Academy Girls to a 2-0 win over Charity Secondary, each scoring a goal. Three Mile Girl’s team mirrored their male counterparts with a 3-0 victory over East Ruimveldt Girls Arianna Stoby opened the scoring in the12thminute,followedby ZalinaJonessealingthewin with a goal in the 28th minute.AbramZuilachieved a 2-0 win against New

CentralHigh,thankstogoals from Maxine Rodrigues and ChristinePaul.BarticaGirls later defeated Bush Lot Secondary 4-0, with Norismar Williams and Keysi Austin each netting a brace. Tucville Secondary showcased their strength by d e f e a t i n g N e w Campbellville Secondary 40.

Santa Rosa Boys and Girls teams both secured dominant victories later in theday Theboystriumphed over New Campbellville Secondary with a 5-0 scoreline, featuring goals from Shane James (twice), Shavid Marks, Glennie Harris, and Rovaldo Abraham. Vernica Chatta delivered a spectacular performance for the girls, scoringsixtimes(3’,4’,10’, 15’, 20’, and 25’), while Anelisa Robinson added a braceintheir8-0routofNew Amsterdam.

The tournament coordinated by the Petra Organisation and sponsored by ExxonMobil, with support from entities like StenaDrilling,MVPSports, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), Ministry of Education, and the Ministry ofCulture,YouthandSports, will continue on Saturday, June1st,atthesamevenue.

Hafeez Ali recognised for role in sports development

Former commissioner of police Mr Seelall

Persaud has lauded Mr Hafeez Ali of Rockaway GroupofCompaniesforhis

role in the sports

development across Guyana.

Mr Persaud, at the simple ceremony held recently at Rockaway Roti

Shop in New York, presented Mr Ali with a plaque and expressed gratitudetohim.

He reminded that Mr Ali has done yeoman services to the sport of cricket and charitable work inseveralcommunities.

Mr Persaud stated that Mr Ali’s contribution has aided tremendously in the development of many youngsportsmen.

Mr Ali has over the yearsrenderedassistanceto young cricketers and sports clubs in Guyana. He is the owner of Rockaway Softball team and also sponsors cricket in New York.

“CROFTY’S

ByColinCroft

Game No. 1: Thursday

23May2024Whilethisfirst gameresultedinagoodwin for the West Indies to start the International T-20 cricket season and very much needed preparations forICCWT-202024,that1st gameeffortoverall,byWIv South Africa, was just average at best, especially theWIbattinginnings.

One batsman, Brandon King, West Indies stand-in Captain, got 79 and his confidence already seems extremely high. He also looked to be in superb form andseemedquitefittoo.

Only three WI batsmen overall,whenWIbattedfirst – Brandon King 79, Kyle Mayers 34 and Rolston Chase 32 – got to double figures. Thattypeofstunted output is just not good enough. At 11 overs, WI were 115 – 2, yet even with 19 extras added, WI did not approach200;only175-8in their 20 overs. Similar batting effortssimply will not win this ICC WT-20 2024. Do not consider the more illustrious WI players who were unavailable

CRICKET CALL”

Teams must always play the game at hand, with the players available, not the imaginations or fantasies. Someoftheplayersonshow v SA were also playing for theirrespectiveforminICC WT202024. Withthatstart, WIshouldhavemadeatleast 225 in their 20 overs, especiallybattingfirst. WI bowling effort was much better than its batting effort, augmented by good rotation of his bowlers by Captain Brandon King, while his field placements were almost always correct.

Brandon King looked relaxed, organized and confident as WI Team Captain. Itwasaverygood calltoelectBrandonKingas WICaptainforthisseries.

Debutant T-20-I WI fast bowler, Shamar Joseph, lookedasifheneededmuch more preparation work. Therewasnohighknee-lift; no real pace generated, but he might have been tentative, though, given that serious foot injury he had suffered months ago in Australia.

Medium pacers, righthanded Matthew Forde and

Outstanding achievements in Martial Arts recognized at NAFMA Legacy Awards

TheGuyanaMixed Martial Arts K a r a t e Association was recognised LegacyAwards held in New Jersey, Atlantic City recently

In a release the association noted, “We are thrilled to extend our heartfelt congratulation to two remarkable individuals who have made significant contributionstotheworldof martial arts Their dedication, skill, and unwavering commitment have earned them welldeserved recognition at the NAFMA.

M a s t e r L l o y d Ramnarine, an esteemed practitioner with an impressive 8th-degree black belt, has been honored with the 3rd-Year Returning Hall of Fame LegacyAward. His consistent excellence, leadership, and tireless efforts have left an indelible mark on the martial arts community

Master Lloyd Ramnarine and Senior Instructor Sensei

We warmly welcome Senior Instructor Sensei Zaffar Ramnarine, who has been recognized with the prestigious Black Belt LegacyAward.

Sensei Zaffar ’s dedication to teaching and fostering a spirit of discipline and respect exemplifies the highest idealsofmartialarts.”

“Theseawardsserveasa testament to their passion, perseverance, and positive influence on fellow practition

s celebratetheirachievements and continue to promote the values of martial arts within our community,” the release noted.

West Indies v South Africa: 3T-20-I’s –SabinaPark, Jamaica – 23, 25 & 26 May 2024

left-handed Obed Mc Coy, got five wickets between them for just 42 runs, while ever reliable left-arm spinnerGudakeshMotiehad 3–24fromhisfourovers,as South Africa were shot out for147in19.5overs,tolose by28runs.

It was a good win for WestIndiestostarttheT-20I season. Now on to ICC WT-20 2024.Game No. 2:

Saturday 26 May 2024 The West Indies this time won the toss and still elected to bat first. On a more sedate Sabina Park pitch, they looked more organized in getting207–7fromtheir20 overs, a vast improvement on their first game’s first inningtotal(175–8).At11.2 overs,WIwere100–3.

Captain Brandon King, 36 from 22 balls, with two 4’s and three 6’s, again showedhisconfidence,form and worth, but his opening partner, Johnson Charles, who had made only one in that 1st T-20-I v South

Africa, again failed; dismissedforonlyseventhis time. Charles must have beenworriedabouthisform and production so far, as

would perhaps have been both his Captain Brandon King and Head Coach DarrenSammy

At least ever consistent Kyle Mayers again had a goodstart;32from16balls, including two fours and three6’s;butdidnotcarryon as he should have done. Royston Chase, whom I have always considered the best all-rounder presently in the WI white ball teams, came good with a polished 67 n. o., from 38 deliveries, including seven 4’s and two 6’s,sixes.

Wicket-keeper Andre Fletcher, with a breezy 29 from18deliveries,andlusty hitting from Romario Shepherd; 26 from just 13 deliveries; both batsmen hitting one 4 and two 6’s, ensured that WI, with a similarstarttothefirstT-20IvSA,gotpastthat200runs mark. South Africa made a muchbettereffortinthis2nd game too, falling just short, toloseby16runs,endingup at191–7intheir20overs;a much closer game for both teams to savor Left-arm spinner, Gudakesh Motie, again probing well, got 3 –

22fromfourexcellentovers, while Shamar Joseph again looked shades under his Australianflair,hisonlyone over cost 21 runs. Joseph’s pace, function and production need to return quickly for his selection to be justified. With ICCWT20 2024 about to start, he is now more of a passenger thanadriver

Again Captain Brandon King manipulated his bowlers well; one spinner and the other faster bowlers doingtherequiredjob;toput theWestIndiestwo-upinthe three-gamesseries.

GameNo.3: Sunday27 May2024

Having already lost the series, but winning the toss, South Africa elected to bat first for the first time in this series. That did help their returns much; only 163 – 7 from their 20 overs; on a Sabina Park pitch that showed some wear and tear oftheweek’sabrasions.

Captain Brandon King again used his bowlers with exceptional intelligence, rotating them brilliantly, with the required tight field

placings. ThatSAgotto163 – 7 at all was due mainly to theirCaptain,Rassievander Dussen, who managed a polished 51, with one 4 and five 6’s. This time Shamar Joseph showed more consistency, direction and purpose,evenifhispacewas stilllacking;finishingwith2 – 26 from four good overs. ObedMcCoy,soconsistent, was more expensive this time, with 3 – 39 from his four overs, while left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie wasafrugalasever,histhree overs costing only 21 runs, andwithtwowicketstoo.

Batting second for the firsttimethisseries,WIhad its most productive opening partnership, as Brandon Kingblasted44fromonly28 balls, including two 4’s and four 6’s, while Johnson Charles carved the SA bowling everywhere, for 69 explosive runs from just 26 balls, with nine 4’s and five 6’s. At last, Johnson Charles had come good; that 1st wicket partnership being worth 92 in only the 7th over; asWI made very light workofSA’stotalof163–7.

Zaffar Ramnarine were honoured at the Hall of Fame Legacy Awards.

Mr. Seelall Persaud (L) presented the plaque to Mr. Hafeez Ali.

World-renowned action movie star Silvio Simac to visit Guyana for Workshops, Seminars, and Public Appearances

The esteemed Action Movie Star, Martial Arts

C h a m p i o n , a n d Bodybuilding Champion, SilvioSimac,willbevisiting Guyana from June 24-30, 2024 Mr Simac has graciously accepted an invitation to conduct workshops, seminars, and make public appearances, offering the Guyanese people a unique opportunity to engage with one of the industry’s most talented and versatilefigures.

In a press conference heldonFridayatthePegasus Hotel and Suites where Mr Simacwillbestayingduring his visit, Mr Massiah was joined live by Silvio from Londonandwasenthusiastic about his upcoming visit, “I am looking forward to seeingyouallverysoonand will do my best to promote Guyanainmytravels.”

Considered by many to be the best since Van Damme, Silvio Simac has

built an illustrious career in the entertainment industry, starring alongside iconic actors such as Jet Li, Jason Statham, Scott Adkins, and Keanu R

H

s impressive filmography and martial arts prowess have earned him a revered spot among the elite action stars

of our time. Mr Simac’s expertiseextendsbeyondthe screen. As a Martial Arts Champion, he holds black belts in multiple disciplines

and has won numerous internationaltitles.

His accomplishments in B o d y b u i l d i n g a n d Weightlifting are equally remarkable, showcasing his dedication and discipline in achieving peak physical performance.

Additionally, Mr Simac is a highly respected Motivational Speaker, knownforhisinspiringtalks that empower individuals to reachtheirfullpotential.

According to Mr Massiah, “During his visit Mr Simac will be conducting specialized training sessions for various Sports Federations in Guyana His profound knowledge in acting, bodybuilding, weightlifting, and powerlifting will be invaluable to athletes and enthusiastsalike.

Silvio Simac’s visit also holds significant potential foraspiringGuyaneseactors andfilmmakers.

With his vast experience andconnectionsintheglobal movie industry, he can provide invaluable insights and opportunities for those looking to break into the field.

The schedule of public appearances and sessions will be announced shortly, and we encourage everyone to take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity to learnfromoneofthebestin thebusiness.

Massiah expressed his gratitude to the Pegasus Hotel & Suites, Bernard da Silva &Associates, Modern Grafix and Nexgen Global Promotions who are amongst the early sponsors forthisevent.

“Furthermore, he will offer specialized training sessions for the Guyanese Police andArmy, enhancing their physical and tactical capabilities through his extensive martial arts expertise.”

DarenSammylaudsWestIndies’dominant3-0serieswinoverSouthAfrica

SportsMax - West Indies white-ball coach

Daren Sammy hailed his team’s performance after they passed their South Africa test with flying colours, culminating in a dominant eight-wicket victory at Sabina Park on Sunday This win sealed a clean sweep of the threematch T20 International series,settingapositivetone for their final preparations aheadoftheICCT20World Cup,whichbeginsonJune1. The West Indies secured their series victory with a comprehensiveperformance on Sunday, chasing down SouthAfrica’s target of 164 with6.1overstospare.

Thiswinfollowedearlier victories on Thursday, May 23, by 28 runs and on Saturday, May 25, by 16 runs

The series was characterized by consistent team efforts, despite the absence of key players such asRovmanPowell,Nicholas Pooran, Shai Hope, Andre Russell,andAlzarriJoseph.

Intheseriesfinale,South Africa posted 163-8 from their 20 overs, with captain Rassie van der Dussen topscoring with 51 off 36 balls. Debutant Wiann Mulder contributed a solid 36. The West Indies’bowling attack

was led by Player of the SeriesGudakeshMotie,who took 2-21, supported by Shamar Joseph’s 2-26 and ObedMcCoy’s3-39. The West Indies’ chase was spearheaded by an explosive opening partnershipof92runsinjust 6.4 overs between Johnson Charles and interim captain BrandonKing.Charles,who was named Player of the Match for his blistering 69

off26balls,battedatastrike rate of 265, while King added44from28balls.Kyle Mayers (36 not out) and Alick Athanaze (6 not out) comfortably saw the hosts overthefinishline.

Coach Darren Sammy, who led the West Indies to T20 World Cup victories in 2012 and 2016, praised his team’s all-around performance “With the players that we had, we

executedquitewell,”hetold Sportsmax TV “We were put under pressure in the Power Play in the second game but the way the guys responded and won convincingly; we got tested inthethreedepartments–in thefield,withthebat,andthe ball – and the way the guys responded was just really good,soIwouldgivethema nine(outof10).”

performanceafterstruggling in the first two matches. “It was great. We have been working hard during the camp and in the series Worked hard on our skills leadinguptotheWorldCup, just enforcing the basics. Triedinthefirsttwogames, didn’t work out but came today(Sunday).It’sallabout building confidence,” he said.

Brandon King also shared his delight at leading the teamtoacommandingseries win.

“(I was) happy with my own performance,” he remarked.

“Would’velikedtocarry my bat through to the end though. We understand each other’sgames,playingafew yearstogether (Thiswas)an important3-0win.”

Max Massiah and Bernard de Freitas.

West Indies recorded a 3-0 series win over South Africa.

West Indies white-ball coach Daren Sammy

Elite League Season Six..

Guyana Police Force FC and Santos FC dominate round two kickoff KFC

Round Two of the K F C E l i t e League Season

Six got off to a sensational start with impressive victories from the Guyana Police Force FC and Santos FC on Saturday night at the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) National Training Centre in Providence, East BankDemerara.

Police fought tenaciously to hold off Western Tigers 4-2.

The March 25 opener saw a goalless first half between Santos FC, currently fifth in the standings, and Fruta Conquerors FC, who sit in seventhplace.

overcame Western Tigers FC with a 4-2 final score Fans were eagerly

However, after the interval, a transformed Santos took the pitch, with Stephon Reynolds breaking the deadlock in the 52nd minute and A n d r e w S i m m o n s sealing the victory with a goal in the 85th minute In the second match, Guyana Police Force FC

a n t i c i p a t i n g t h i s matchup between the Georgetown sides, who occupy third and fourth places on the points table

G u y a n a P o l i c e Force’s Jemar Harrigan opened the scoring in the 1 9 t h m i n u t e , b u t R a n d o l p h Wa g n e r equalised for Western

Tigers just three minutes later

Andrew Murray then

added another for

Western Tigers in stoppage time, giving thema2-1leadathalftime.

But the second half belonged to Guyana Police Force with Neron Barrow netting twice in the 65th and 76th minutes

Nicholas McArthur sealed the victory with a

stunning goal in the 90+2

minute, securing a comebackforhisteam

The final round continues on May 30 with Buxton United FC facing Monedderlust FC at 6:30pm, followed by Dem Amstel taking on Ann’s Grove at 9 pm Bothmatcheswillbeheldat theNTC.

M o n e d d e r l u s t , currently ninth in the standings, aims to

i m p r o v e t h e i r performance

Leading the table is Guyana Defence Force FC, closely followed by Slingerz FC, with only a slight goal differenceseparatingthetwo teams.

The ten Elite League teams will compete over the next three months for p r i z e r e w a r d s o f $2,000,000, $1,200,000, $800,000, and $500,000, respectively

Fans win tickets at ICC T20 World Cup World

Fans and winners alike pose for a photo with Minister of Sports Charles Ramson Jr

Anumber of cricket fans walked away with tickets after yesterday’s ‘Catch The Ball to Win tickets’ ICC Men’s T20 World Cup promotionheldattheLusignanCommunity CentreGround.

Roughly 40 persons copped tickets for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup tournament hosted by Guyana and USA,whichbowlsoffinafewdays.

The event also landed in the Ancient County of Berbice at the Rose Hall Community Centre Ground

Meanwhile, Guyana will host the 5 group matches from June 2nd8th and second semi-final on June 27

The event is a collaboration between the Guyana Tourism Authority the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport

Action in the contest between Santos and Fruta Conquerors was intense.

Action in the contest between Santos and Fruta Conquerors was intense.

Rafael Nadal loses in the French Open’s first round to Alexander Zverev

Keevin Allicock’s Olympic journey

during

VYC’s defender challenges a cross from

Germany’sAlexander Zverev, left, kisses Spain’s Rafael Nadal after winning the game during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, May 27, 2024. (APPhoto/Thibault Camus)

KeevinAllicock (right) rocks Guatemala’s Jose Felipe during the World Olympic Qualifier tournament in Thailand.

Three Mile

their opening match.

Some of the action in the Girl’s Division of the ExxonMobil Football championship.