Kaieteur News

Guyana earned $130B in income taxes at

mid-year,

but allowed ExxonM and partners to walkaway with $306B last year

The Guyana Revenue billion, largely driven by a GuyanaExplorationLtd.and Resource Fund (NRF), Authority (GRA) collected broader base of collection China National Offshore Oil Guyana REDD+ Investment almost $130 billion in from oil and gas related Corporation (CNOOC) Fund (GRIF), and Carbon income taxes by mid-2024, firms. Petroleum Guyana Limited CreditSales(CCS). the Bank of Guyana (BOG) However, despite this didnothavetopaytoGRAin The increase was due to reported. g r o w t h , i t r e m a i n s incometaxesfor2023. greater tax collection which

The Central Bank said noteworthy that the overall BOG revealed that total rose by 18 8% to $216 that GRA’s overall income income tax GRA collected current revenues increased billion, on account of taxrevenuecollectionwithin withinsixmonthsislessthan by 18.7% to some $227.2

the first six-months of 2024 what ExxonM0bil Guyana billion. This figure excludes activities Corporate tax increased by 21.8% to 129.7 Limited (EMGL), Hess inflows like the Natural payments from private firms

Godfrey Statia, Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA)

President of ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL), Alistair Routledge

their investment costs; the remaining25%isconsidered profit,whichissplitbetween Guyana and the Stabroek Block consortium, giving rose by 21 1% to $48 8 each 12.5%. However, the billion, while public consortium pays a 2% corporation taxes saw a royalty from its share to modest increase of 8.1%, Guyana. From its 14.5% reaching $2 billion. Also, Guyanathenhastopaytaxes personal income taxes and fortheoilcompanies. withholding taxes expanded Notably, the provision of by 14 6% and 31 9%, the Stabroek Block contract respectively, amounting to which gives Exxon and its $39 5 billion and $39 4 affiliates a tax-free ride in billion. Additionally, the Guyana has attracted collection of VAT and excise criticisms locally and taxes grew by 13.9% to internationally. Despite this, $55.8billion.

t h e I r f a a n A l i - l e d K a i e t e u r N e w s administration is adamant previously reported that for that the deal will not be 2023, the Government of renegotiated due to the Guyana(GoG)hadtopaythe implications of the sanctity combinedsumofabout$306 ofcontract. billion in income taxes for

The contract states in ExxonMobil and its Article 15 1 that the Stabroek Block partners, Contractor (ExxonMobil H e s s a n d C N O O C , Guyana Limited) as well as according to the companies’ its affiliates shall not be auditedfinancialstatements. subjectedtotax,value-added

Exxon is the operator of tax, excise tax, duty, fee, the Stabroek Block, with charge, or impost in respect 45% interest, Hess holds of income derived from 30% interest and CNOOC petroleum operations, holds 25% interest. Last property held or transactions year, the three companies except as specified under the earned $1.3 trillion in profits agreement. – entirely tax-free in

It goes on to state in Guyana, in accordance with Article 15.4 that the sum the 2016 Production Sharing equivalent to the taxes owed Agreement(PSA). by the company will be paid

While Exxon, Hess, and by the Minister responsible CNOOC are not required to for Petroleum to the pay income taxes, the 2016 Commissioner General of oil contract provides for the theGRA. taxes to be paid to the GRA

Itshouldbenotedthatthe by the Government out of its contract also allows for the share In 2023, Guyana issuing of a receipt to earned $336 billion from oil ExxonMobil, indicating that salesandroyalties. it has met the local tax

According to the PSA, requirements to avoid the the Stabroek Block partners burden of double taxation in are allowed to recover 75% theUnitedStates. oftheoilproducedtorecover

Govt.movingtoreviewExxon’s7thproject

- despite VP Jagdeo saying no guarantee it would be approved

T h e G u y a n a a u t h o r i z e t h e A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 T h e Government have taken implementationofFDPs. Hammerhead-1 well was steps to review and evaluate Some areas of focus for drilled in a new reservoir,

ExxonMobil Guyana the project include a detailed encountering approximately Limited Field Development a s s e s s m e n t o f t h e 197 feet (60 meters) of highPlan for its seventh project

Hammerhead concept quality, oil-bearing despite Vice President selection process and FDP, sandstone reservoir The Bharrat Jagdeo back in July management, oversight, well was safely drilled to said there was no guarantee monitoring, and reporting of 13,862 feet (4,225 meters) thatitwouldbeapproved. the FDP, evaluation of the depth in 3,773 feet (1,150 The Government of Environmental and Social meters) of water The project Guyana(GOG)issettousea Impact Assessment (ESIA) will target between 120-180 portion of a US$20 million related to the proposed thousand barrels per day loan from the World Bank to Hammerhead FDP, and (kbd). Exxon is aiming to payforconsultingservicesto training and institutional commence production review the FDP for the capacitybuilding. activities by 2029, following seventh project in the The estimated duration therequisiteapprovals. S t a b r o e k B l o c k of this consultancy

Notably, the daily (Hammerhead) Eligible assignment is 20 weeks, production capacity being consultingfirmscanrespond commencing in November targeted is significantly to the Ministry of Natural 2024. The consulting firm lower compared to the last Resources, Expression of will be expected to be three projects sanctioned, Interest (EOI) which was physicallypresentinGuyana which each target over 200 published on Monday for an agreed period during kbd Hammerhead-1 is Interested consultants must thistime. located approximately 13 have relevant experience in EOIs must be submitted miles (21 kilometers) similar assignments, byOctober22,2024,andcan southwest of the Liza-1 well particularly in deepwater be delivered in person, by and follows previous development projects and mail, fax, or email to the discoveries on the Stabroek addressing climate change ministry For inquiries, Block at Liza, Liza Deep, impacts in the oil and gas interestedpartiescancontact Payara, Snoek, Turbot, sector The firm should also Mr J. McKenzie, Permanent Ranger,PacoraandLongtail.

b e i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y Secretary The contact Back in April, Exxon recognized and possess the number is (592)-231-2510, receivedgreen-lightfromthe

expertise to provide a n d t h e e m a i l i s EPA as well as blessings professionalopinionsrelated jmckenzie@nre.gov.gy from the Government of to field development A few months ago, Guyana (GoG) to develop a planning. EMGL, the operator of sixth deep water project, Thisprojectformspartof Guyana’s resource-rich Whiptail. the Guyana Petroleum Stabroek Block made its Jagdeo said no Resources Governance and a p p l i c a t i o n t o t h e guarantee 7th project Management Project Environmental Protection will be approved (GPRGMP) The selected Agency (EPA) seeking Meanwhile, back in July firm will provide advisory approval for a seventh atoneofhisnewsconference services, technical support, project, Hammerhead Jagdeo had said there was no and training to enhance the H a m m e r h e a d w a s guarantee that ExxonMobil government’s capacity to announced as Exxon’s ninth willbeallowedtogoahead review, oversee and commercial discovery in (Continued on page 19)

KaieteurNews

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Publisher:GLENNLALL-TEL:624-6456

Editor:NIGELWILLIAMS

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

EDITORIAL

Happy for Suriname

“I am happy for Suriname, very happy for them that theyhaveworkedveryhardtogetthisdeal,”saidGuyana’s BharatJagdeowhenaskedabouttheoilcontractsignedby neighbourstotheEast. Weatthispaperwouldhavebeen happy also if Guyana’s oil chief had manifested the same hardworktogetabetterdealfromExxonMobilfortherich Stabroekoilbasin.

Notonlythegovernmenthasnot“workedveryhard”(to reuse his words), or shown much boldness to get more for Guyana, the leading opposition parties are also so scared of upsettingExxonMobilthattheword‘renegotiate’causesfits Guyanesepoliticiansaspiretopower,fighttoothandnailfor power,andwhentheygetpower,theybecomeimpotent

Guyana’s oil chief embarrasses himself whenever he speaks HedidnotthinkthatSurinamewasboastingaboutits betteroildeal Thiswasnotwithstandingthecomparisonmade totheonethatGuyanasignedundertheAPNU+AFCcoalition, andwhichJagdeo’sPPPCGovernmenthaskeptinthesame statethatrobsGuyanesewitheverybarrelofoilproduced The 6.25% royalty figure and 36% tax rate that Suriname “worked very hard” for may not qualify as a boast for Guyana’s chief oil policymaker, but it was certainly a putdownofthiscountry

WhyevenmentionGuyana,makethecomparison,then? It is Jagdeo at his clever best, because he sees a possible challenge to his so-called “better contract management” mantra,whichisabouttalkingplentyanddoinglittleofmerit forabetteroildealfromExxonMobil Instead,hemakesabig production out of the new Production Sharing agreement (PSA)whichhasitspositives,buttellinglydoesnotapplytothe Stabroek Block over which ExxonMobil enjoys an unchallenged monopoly Guyanese know little of what ExxonMobil is doing out there, and as for the billions in expensesspentbythecompanythatisatightlyguardedsecret, withthePPP/CGovernmentapartytotheconcealment.

In his normal manner, Guyana’s oilman preferred to distractcitizensbytalkinguptheLocalContentLawandthe Wales Gas-to-Energy project. The former finds Guyanese businessesscramblingtokeeppacewiththerapidapprovalof new oil projects, and not quite ready to maximize their participationintheballooningoilandgassector. Hence,some oftheactivitiesandprofitsthatshouldcometoGuyanese,goto foreign entities that have the skills, track record, and other specifications to capitalize on this country’s oil patrimony Also,whiletheLocalContentLawdoesopenthedoortojobs, therealityisthattheyaremainlylowerlevel,andoftenmenial jobsthatGuyanesefill.

Guyanadoesn’thavethecapacityforitscitizenstotakethe fullestadvantageofstandingLocalContentLaw,butJagdeo andhisgovernmentstillrushtheapprovalofnewoilprojects, asiftheirpantsareonfire OrthepeopleatExxonMobilare holding a gun to their heads Relative to the gas-to-energy project, the current cost stands at US$2B, and no Guyanese outsideofthePPPCGovernment’sandJagdeo’strustedinner circle know any details about the feasibility of this project Despitebeingaskedonnumerousoccasions,andindifferent ways,themanwhoissellingthisprojecttoGuyana,Vice PresidentJagdeo,hasbeenaboutsealedlipsand,onanyof hismanybaddays,torrentsofabuse.

TheSurinamesehavecomeoutintotheopenandleveled withtheirpeople Hereisthedealthathasbeensigned,hereis what to expect under different scenarios Responsible governmentsandleadersmakethattheirconsistentstandard AskJagdeotobeforthcominganditiseitherviciousnessorhis usual sidestepping or stonewalling He has become very comfortablekissinguptoExxonMobilbydoingnothingthat tamperswiththe2016oildeal InJagdeo’smind,itisabout survival,andGuyanesecanstarveforallthatsuchmattersto him HeishappyforSuriname,andheishappiestdoinghis best to keep ExxonMobil happy The question that GuyanesemustdecideforthemselvesiswhetherJagdeois aleaderoradodger,afighterforGuyanaorasilentpartner ofExxonMobil.

Those who really know the Commissioner could provide better perspective of his value

DEAREDITOR,

I have read Mr GHK Lall’s articles in various media and perused them with great interest, based on his often-insightful opinions. I’ve enjoyed these missives, because for the most part his analyses and conclusions have been objective. However, I do believe that his most recent opinion piece (Monday, October 7), appearing on an online news outlet, warrants acriticalresponse.

C a p t i o n e d ‘Commissioner Hickentime for congratulations or condolences’, the content of thearticleimpliesthatwhen Mr Hicken is appointed to betheCommissioner,hewill bescrutinizedmorethanany of his predecessors The question anyone should ask iswhy First and foremost, it is apropos for me to point out

that innumerable shocking incidents occurred under his predecessors; many e m b a r r a s s i n g a n d scandalousissues,butIhave never seen any opinion expressed by GHK Lall that anyofthem“couldgodown in the history of the Guyana PoliceForceas…lesserthan the most disappointing Top Cop that this country ever had”.

When Mr Hicken was spitefully overlooked by the previous administrationincluding officers junior to him being promoted ahead ofhim-therewasnowriting onhisbehalf.Whenpersons placed above him were abject failures, why weren’t there any condolences then for law-abiding citizens of thisRepublic?

Mr Lall is not the only writer who has zeroed in on thecurrentTopCop.Yes,all eyesseemtobetrainedinhis

direction The relentless examination is disquieting. It is a crude, transparent attempt at death by a thousandcuts.

Editor, during Mr Hicken’stenure,hehasbeen operating in an environment where evolution is taking place in society generally –w h e r e y o u t h s a r e perpetrating crimes on the law-abiding, and even against each other; where technologyandsocialmedia are quite often misused and abused.Consideringthefact that Mr Hicken has been acting as the Commissioner, one must admit that he has competently navigated t h r o u g h a l l t h e s e circumstances. He has done a relatively good job. His leadershiphasbeenvibrant. Commissioners must be judgedbythepublic,butthe public also have a responsibility to lawfully

and respectfully conduct themselves, understanding that the policemen and women who protect and serve us, are all Guyanese like us, and the same communities that they are trying to fix are the same communities these policemen and women derive from. And so, the least the public can do is work with the Police Force so that its frequently publicizedgoalscanbemet. Mr Hickenhasalwaysbeen community-oriented and youth-focused in his pursuits.

Objectivity allows for clearthoughtinwriting.Mr Lallandothersarereminded that the messages Mr Hicken has been conveying to his officers and other subordinates have never been unorthodox. He has, to thebestofmyknowledge, (Continuedonpage06)

GuyaneseAmerican Hindus Observe Pitri Paksh 2024

DEAREDITOR

Hindus worldwide

observed Pitri Paksh that ended last week. Pitri Paksh is a 15- or 16-day period in the Hindu calendar in the Fall(monthofAshwininthe Hindu calendar) when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors or kin, petitioning the lord to be kind to the departed souls. It is also a periodtopayrespectstoand celebrate the contributions of the departed ancestors or foreparents.

Special pitri (ancestral) puja are performed daily (in themorningatsunup)oron any day or days of the person’s doing. The festival has been transplanted in North America and UK by Hindus from the Caribbean. Indo-Caribbean (Guyanese, Trinidadians, Surinamese, others) American Hindus andothersinthediaspora(in the Caribbean and globally) performedPitriPakshpujaat home during this period. Guyanese Hindus at home alsoperformedpitripuja.

Theweatherwaswarmin New York, and people were observed making offerings earlymorningintheiryards. Some did indoors. In the southern states, Hindus

performed pitri puja in their yards Mandirs also conducted pitri katha in which the pandits read from the special Garuda Puranas (thatdiscussesdeath)during the evening. There is over a hundred Indo-Caribbean mandirs in USA Some Guyanese invited Pandit to the home to perform special pitripuja.

PitriPakshafellthisyear on September 17 and ended onOctober2.Theendofpitri paksha is followed by amavas and then Navratri commences (November 3 this year – nine nights of puja) after which is Diwali. During the ritual, Hindus worshippayingreverenceto their ancestors with great devotion The rituals are performed with sincere intentions and deep emotions focusing on the pitrisorfore-parents.

Pitri Paksh puja (one morning or as many as the person chooses) involved special mantras and offerings including of flowers, fruits, and other food.

It could also include clothing. The puja is also knownasShraadorshraddha puja or ancestor puja

Hinduismisperhapstheonly faith that pays tribute to the ancestors (anyone in the family or kuul who passed awayincludingbrothersand sisters and children). These special rituals are made to honour and remember departed ancestors for what they did to assist in the successoftheirdescendants.

Shraad puja is a ritual performed to honour and remember one’s ancestors anddepartedlovedones.The ritual is usually performed annuallyduringtheperiodof Pitri Paksh (usually in late SeptemberorOctober).

One takes a bath early morninganddressedinclean clothing Pitri worship involved offering water mixedinblacktillorsesame seeds (and rice or other ingredients) to the Lord of Death (Jamraj) in the name of one’s ancestor for God to be merciful on their souls. Shraad offering can be a simple morning ritual of “offering water” to the departed souls of one’s lineage and kin or it could also be an elaborate puja with a Pandit. The tradition of offering water and or conducting puja has been in India for thousands of years as enunciated in the holy scripture. It was brought to the Caribbean by the pioneering indentured laborers (Hindus). From the Caribbean, the practice has been transplanted to North America, UK, and elsewhere When one performs funeral, similar tradition is practised. The water is poured in a special way by hand through the right finger and tilted to the right (tarpan) with a special mantra on a stalk of kush grass (if available). It is preceded and followed by a shortprayer

The names of the ancestors are mentioned or statedgenerallyifnamesare notknownduringthetarpan. After the end of their offerings (for whatever number of mornings they conducted puja), it is a traditiontoprepareavariety of vegetable dishes or seven curries) and invite people to the home to partake in a meal. It is called sattvik (without onion, garlic, and salt) food. Clothing could also be offered to the less fortunate and or to the pandit.Itisalsoatraditionto offerasiddha(ahamperwith (Continuedonpage06)

Open Letter to Minister of Foreign Affairs on State flag concession to ship carrying military supplies to Israel

DEAR MR HUGH

HILTONTODD, Our organization Boycott, Divest Sanction

Guyana, BDS writes regarding the vessel Kathrin IMO 9570620, which is carrying military supplies with final destination Israel

based on credible information from Human Rights organisations and Trade Unions among others that carry out actions in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Kathrin is currently seekinganewflag.Wewarn that granting a flag to Kathrin implies serious violations of international obligationsonthepartofthe grantingState.Weinsistthat, if Kathrin’s shipping companyrequeststheflagof our State, it will be denied.

On August 24, 2024, the MinistryofHomeAffairsof the Republic of Namibia refusedtograntaberthtothe MV Kathrin, after discovering that the Kathrin vessel had a cargo of RDX explosives with an import license given to Israel Military Industries (IMI) Ltd. issued by the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry The Namibian

authorities acted in accordance wi

the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention) and the preventive measures issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on January26,2024,inthecase between South Africa and Israel. Also, the vessel Kathrin did not manage to dock in Angola and Montenegro revoked its permissiontoentertheport.

The MV Kathrin was flying the Portuguese flag issued by the MARInternational Maritime Register of Madeira. After months of pressure from the BDS movement, the MV Kathrin, a ship carrying 8

containers of deadly explosives for Israel’s genocideagainst2.3million Palestinians in Gaza, has requestedtheremovalofthe Portuguese flag following investigations into the ship and its cargo by the Portuguesegovernment.

It is important to note that all states have an

o b l i g a t i o n u n d e r international law based on jus cogens norms and specific conventions to prevent genocide and other crimes against humanity

such as apartheid On January 26, 2024, the ICJ issuedadecisionconfirming the plausibility of Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and ordered six provisional measures. None of these were complied with by Israel.

AstheICJmadeclearin its ruling: “ all States parties to the Genocide Convention have a common interest in ensuring the prevention, suppression and punishment of genocide by undertaking to comply with the obligations contained in the Convention This commoninterestimpliesthat the obligations in question are owed by any State party to all other States parties to therelevantconvention;they are obligations erga omnes partes,inthesensethateach Statepartyhasaninterestin fulfilling them in a given case”para.33.

In this regard, it is important to note that: a) RDX is a key component in Israel’s aerial bombs and missilesthathavemassacred at least 41,000 people in Gaza according to local authoritiesb)Israel’sleading military company, Elbit Systems, of which IMI Ltd. is a subsidiary is a major consumer of RDX and industryexpertswarnedthat shortages of the necessary RDXingredientintheglobal market would limit Israel’s mass production of military munitions.

Precisely in light of the obligations arising from the ICJ provisional ruling and the genocide convention, based on Article 94 of the

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which establishes a crisp set of rightsanddutiesfortheflag state, namely: duty to inspect, detain and regulate shipsflyingitsflagtoensure compliance with national and international rules, to ensure that its ships comply with in

e

national conventions and duty to exercise effective control over its ships to prevent ships from engaging in unlawful acts. Given the internationalobligationsthat your State assumed with the

aforementionedconventions andinternationaljuscogens.

Recalling the United Nations General Assembly ResolutionA/ES-10/L.31 of 13 September which calls upon all States to “take measures to end [...] the supply or transfer of arms, ammunition and related equipment to Israel, the occupying Power, in all cases where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that they may be used in the Occupied PalestinianTerritory”.

We request that Guyana notprovidelegalsupportfor the transport of weapons used for the genocide of the Palestinian people and that you deny the use of Guyana asaFlagofConveniencefor the vessel Kathrin,anyother vessel and ensure that as a memberstateofCaricomyou take all necessary actions to ensureFlagsofConvenience notbemadeavailablebyany otherCaricomcountries.

Yourstruly, BDSGuyana

Build it correctly the first time

DEAREDITOR, The Office of the Presidentrecentlypostedon Facebook the status of the road being built in White WaterVillage.

I t w a s s t a t e d , “Construction of the 1 km concreteroadinWhiteWater Village, Region One, is progressingsmoothly

The project is part of President Dr Irfaan Ali’s commitment made during a visit to the community” This is a great undertaking bytheOfficeofthePresident and shows the current a d m i n i s t r a t i o n ’ s commitment to helping every village across the country Unfortunately, the concrete road is not being constructedproperlyasseen inthephotosposted.

The road is being built with steel wire mesh, and a rebar grid is not being used as required in road construction.

Asaresult,thelifeofthe road and its ability to

withstand any significant load are questionable. What has been constructed appears to be a concrete bicycle and foot path. If a “concrete road” is the objective and the associated budgetreflectsthis,thenthe project should be inspected bytherelevantauthoritiesto ensure that the people are getting what is being paid for

This is not the first time that inadequate construction is being demonstrated in the infrastructural projects beingundertaken.

Itisimportantthatthese projects have clear milestones where inspectors ensurethattherequirements arebeingmetbeforesigning off on beginning the next stageoftheproject.

The “concrete road” of White Water Village is a clear example as to why we are seeing the many problems arising in the infrastructure projects acrossthecountry

The Ministry with responsibility for these projectsmustensurethatthe citizens of our nation are gettingwhatisbeingpaidfor in terms of materials and workmanship.

This is as important, if notmoreso,thanthetiming of the projects. Given the environmental conditions in Guyana, allowing for the required time for the curing process is also essential to ensuring that the new or repaired infrastructure has the structural integrity required The current administration must raise their expectations and quality standards while also preventing the corruption thatplaguestheconstruction industry

Having the projects financially audited, especially the major ones, will help ensure that the Guyanesepeoplegetwhatis beingpaidfor

Bestregards, Mr JamilChanglee

Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza as grisly anniversary passes

‘Devastating’scenesreportedinnorthernandcentralGazaasIsraeliarmycontinuesitsbombardmentoftheenclave.

Aljazeera - Dozens of Palestinianshavebeenkilled inIsraelistrikesonnorthern and central Gaza as the besieged territory marks the grisly anniversary of the startofIsrael’swar

At least 56 Palestinians were killed during strikes overnight on Monday and into Tuesday, the Health Ministry in Gaza said, although the number of deaths reported by sources vary.Thecasualties brought the overall death toll since the war was launched followingHamas’sattackon IsraelonOctober7lastyear to 41,965 The ministry added that 97,590 others havebeeninjured.

At least 30 people, including six children and twowomen,werekillednear the central city of Deir elBalah overnight, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital reported,

after houses in the Bureij refugeecampwerestruck. Medical sources told Al Jazeera that Israel’s military had killed 43 Palestinians

across the enclave on Tuesday The figure includedsevenpeoplekilled during an attack on the Jabalia refugee camp in

northern Gaza. The Israeli army has placed Jabalia under siege for the last severaldays,intandemwith (Continuedonpage09)

DEAREDITOR, Summary points should be provided for revision for CSEC subjects on app/website.

I’m asking for the students who cannot afford lessons/textbooks at such schools i e Charlestown Secondary, Tutorial, Richard Ishmael, etc

Since some of our students cannot afford lessons, we teachers

were hoping if summary sheets of the some of the subjects can be provided on the internet as an app o r o n a w e b s i t e Basically, I am asking for summary sheets to be provided for the CXC syllabus for certain subjects since textbooks are expensive to acquire It would be quite beneficialforthem.

Yo u r s s i n c e r e l y

ConcernedFormerTeacher

Those who really know...

Frompage04

promoted the path of best p r a c t i c e s f o r t h e organisation He has repeatedly pledged to make theGuyanaPoliceForcethe best in the Caribbean, and has demonstrated this ambitious desire in his presentations when representing the Force at engagementsoverseas.

In my humble opinion, hesellsGuyanainthewayit ought to be sold. In fact, we have read that most of the Caribbean is trying to adopt the principles, policies and methodologies used in the Guyana Police Force in an effort to reduce their crime rates.

Havingsaidallthis,Iam particularly disgusted that the business people in Guyanaarenothighlighting the fact that they are operatinginmuchimproved circumstances in terms of crime threats.The silence is deafening The Private Sector, in particular, thrives in a country with the low

crimenumbersthatwehave. Normalcy has prevailed for some time. When foreign investorscomehere,thereis nolongertheinherentfearof violent crimes being committedagainstthem.Yet not a peep from those who arebenefiting.

The Private Sector is enjoying all the sweet, but curiously steering clear of being identified as being supportive of Mr Hicken and the advancements that have been made in relation to overall safety during his tenure so far It is quite franklyabetrayaloftrust.

Ifthereishonestyintheir midst, and within the hearts andmindsofalllaw-abiding citizens who would have interacted personally with Mr Hicken,Iamcertainthat theircontributionsinfavour of him, via whatever media is available to them, could and would provide better perspective for his detractorstopontificate.

Yoursfaithfully, SherwinCrandon

American Hindus...

Frompage04 grains, vegetables, money) to a pandit. The family may offer foods or grains to animals.

Shraadisalsoperformed after funeral. Shraad is also performed on the ninth or tenth day after disposal of themortalremainsofaloved oneandagainonthe12thor 13th day Some call it the “deadwork”.Therightterm is shraad. Some performed one year anniversary after death of a relative. Some performed monthly or semiannually puja. And many Hindus don’t make offeringsduringshraad.This writer made offerings for three mornings to my d

grandparents and my sisters and aunts and uncles and others.

Itmustbeexplainedthat during Pitri Paksh, people pay respects to Jamraj, the GodofDeath.Peoplearenot praying or making offerings tothedeceasedortheirsoul. Rather they pray to Jamraj andmakeofferingstohimon behalf of the deceased to treat their soul with compassion and mercy During Pitri Paksha, it is considered inauspicious for Hindus to pursue new undertakings. There are no major new constructions, weddings and puja. Only pitri puja is performed duringthisperiod.

Stores on Liberty Avenue, Little Guyana, was teeming with shoppers for items for pitri puja which is followed by the fasting periodofNavratri.

Yourstruly, VishnuBisram

Children cry for Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza [Ramadan Abed/Reuters]

AFC Executive meets U.S. State

Dept. officials in Washington DC

…discusses need for new registration process ahead of 2025 elections

LeaderoftheAllianceForChange(AFC) meeting was held at the Department of State C.A.NigelHughesandhisdelegationofAFC officeinWashingtonDC.

Executives on Monday met with Barbara A. At the meeting, the AFC Leader Feinstein, Deputy Assistant Secretary, highlighted several issues relating to Bureau of Western HemisphereAffairs, U.S. Guyana’s development and the rule of law Department of State and Katherine Beamer, High on the agenda was the need for a new Director, Office of Caribbean Affairs. The registration process ahead of Guyana’s next

Regional and General Elections and the to sanction some Guyanese, and the productionofanewlistofelectors. likelihood of further similar actions were

This is in keeping with recommendations raisedbytheAFCLeader from several of the Observer Missions of the TheAFC team expressed gratitude to the 2020Polls. USgovernmentfortheirsupportofGuyana’s

The AFC team expressed concerns position on the border controversy with regarding the lack of feasibility studies Venezuela. regarding large infrastructure projects Hughes was accompanied by Chairman currently underway in Guyana and contract of the Party David Patterson MP, Executive biddingprocesses. members Professor Shamir Ally, Catherine

The two sides discussed increased HughesMP,advisorLauraGeorgeandCollin cooperation between Guyana and the USA Haynes. especially on the areas of institutional TheAFCteamisintheUSAforanumber strengthening in the energy sector, capacity of meetings and public engagements. The building in the public sector and state Party held successful “Listening & institutions, increased trade, fiscal Grounding” sessions with the Guyanese management and accountability and natural Diaspora in New York and Washington DC resourcemanagement. and will be meeting with the Guyanese

The recent actions of the US government DiasporainFloridalaterthisweek.

The AFC delegation with Barbara A. Feinstein, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Department of State and Katherine Beamer, Director, Office of Caribbean Affairs. (AFC photo)

Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza...

Frompage06

steppingupitsattacksonnorthernGazatoa level not seen in months, according to our teamontheground.

The Israeli army reported that it had killedatleast20armedPalestinianfightersin northern Gaza. It also reported continuing fighting in central and southern Gaza. The information could not be independently verified.Systematic

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, called the scenes at Al-Aqsa Hospital “devastating”. “Bodies were lined up on the ground with family members expressing a great deal of grief and agony,” he said. “Palestinians continuedtoliveintheBureijcamp–despite Israelorderingthemtofleebecauseitwould be an ‘active military zone’ – as they had nowhere else to go.” Video obtained by Al

Jazeera’steamonthegroundinGazashowsa groupofdisplacedpeopleinJabalia,coming underheavygunfirebyIsraelisoldiers.

Thevideoshowsthegroup,whichwasin theprocessofevacuatingJabaliatowardsthe westernpartofGazaCity,runninginterror

The video also shows many wounded. Onemanwasbleedingfromtheabdomenas people tried to help him walk. Another, a littlegirl,isshownbleedingfromtheneckas sheisbandagedinthebackofanambulance.

Although Israel has put a significant focusonattackingHezbollahinLebanon,its militaryismaintainingitseffortstofulfilthe demands of its political masters to wipe out Hamas–ataskthatmostanalystssuggestis unrealistic.

Al Jazeera’s Abu Azzoum reported that theIsraeliarmyis“systematicallyworkingto emptynorthernGaza”.

Guyanese first, thank you Barry and Timmy

There is always the hope that anew Way to go Barry, Timmy Dr Barry J had his dander up there is all this company, where the Guyanese would help Guyana turn and,ofcourse,Sammy and was literally rolling thunder: richandfamousareupinarmsover the corner The challenge is that The vendors-small and the rules must be uniformly the inroads that the Chinese are refuse to stay still. How do these some corners are longer than relatively powerless, somewhat implemented. None of this shabby making and running Guyanese out megastores get approved in areas others, and slippery, and steep as moneyless-in Agricola are crying. business about different strokes for of business. Test it out, people: once believed to be off-limits for well. Take this one involving the The Chinese Invasion has spilled local folks.When the world needed travel a few miles and there is a such structures? The point is not Chinese, and both brothers Barry intotheirneighbourhood. Theirsis a savior, God gave it Jesus. When supermarket, or a hardware about renting from pro-Chinese Jay and Timmy Tucker are on the not the only one Suddenly, Guyanese need a rescuer, powerhouse (with breathtaking landlords, but about erecting mini same page. The playing field must ordinary Guyanese have an idea somebody gave them Jagdeo. But Home Depot bulkiness), or another skyscraperswithinafurlong. be level. The standards must be what it is to be Taiwanese. The Barry Jagdeo is not Jagdeo for exotic restaurant dotting the How does that happen when applied uniformly. Guyanese must overpoweringmightoftheChinese nothing. landscape. Often, they are a small ordinary Guyanese homeowners not be made to suffer. If the latter isnotsomethingtotakelightly. For He walked with his posse: one handfulwithintheconfinesofacity experienceseveredifficultygetting sounds like LFS Burnham in his it crushes all who stand in its path. man is all that he needed. Enter block,anditisthesamestoryinthe any movement to put up a dog pen prime,itis. Perhaps that is why President Ali former local commerce president, farvillagestoo. on their premises, or a small It is good to read that two was wise enough to take the safe Mr. Timmy Tucker. It is inspiring To give credit where it is due, extension to their building? former presidents are of the same way out and hail the Chinese for that he has abandoned the low Dr. Barry J waxed profusely about Hardware stores, and all-purpose mind where the interests of their massive contributions to ground of lowlife (Guyanese how care must be taken so that haberdasheries have their utilities. Guyanese are concerned. The Guyana’s development. There fighting against that national jingoistic does not colour local But liquor? What could be next: belated wish is that that other would be limited agreement on that revulsion, the 2016 Exxon thinking. There is much that must rotiandcurry,blackpudding,taxis, former president posted to score but only when the contract) to the high ground of besaidinsupportofsuchaposture. barbershops, butcheries, and all at Washington, DC could have been contributions of the capitalist- saying a strong word for the high N o b u s i n e s s s h o u l d b e gargantuansquarefootage? ofasimilarbenevolentdisposition. oriented Chinese from Hong Kong priority that should be given to discriminated against based on Like the two big men (both The thought surfaces rather are considered. The Communist Guyanese business endeavours nationality Orthethicknessoftheir former presidents) said, this matter temptingly:wasUncleSammysent Chinese are about dominance and Thatismorethanlocalcontent;itis bankroll. must be dealt with right, i.e., the to Washington to protect Guyana’s total control, which the hapless local leadership of a trailblazing Or, if the allowance is kindly properform. Welcomeistheword. interests, or was he dispatched to small folks in Agricola got their kind. Foralongwhile,itwasrather permitted, squeezed out because of These are the conditions, limits. protect Guyanese from his tender, first taste. In Latin, agricola means lonely when the marauding, political leanings, history In Now abide with them. Thanks, loving care? Three former farmer,buthowcantheyfarmwhen expanding, overwhelming Chinese Guyana, that means more than the Excellencies. presidents and all are for what is theChineseconglomerates,usually (and Americans and others) went colour of the political or tribal flag (The views expressed in this good for Guyanese. It is a little too Red Chinese government financed on their commercial rampages followed. There is another kind of article are those of the author and much to absorb within a matter of a and managed, encroach on their across the length and breadth of colour Withallthatsaid,thereare, do not necessarily reflect the few short days but hope kindles spaceandintheirface? Guyana. Nowsomewhatstrangely, however, some questions that opinions of this newspaper.)

BLUNT BLUNT BLUNT BLUNT

Sam Hinds rejoicing over scraps

“Instead of Sam Hinds fighting for what belongs to Guyana, he is telling us to feel good about getting less than half of what we were supposed to receive, like it’s some kind of favour. How can anyone take such a stance, knowing the immense value of our resources?”

“If our leaders understood what we truly deserve, they would be fighting tooth and nail for every single dollar But instead, we have leaders like Sam Hinds, who are comfortable with the scraps, while ExxonMobil laughing all thewaytothebank.” - GlennLall

Guyana’s first ever agriculture database system launched

Improving its data and record keeping of the agriculture sector through the use of technology, the MinistryofAgricultureonMonday launched the country’s first ever Agriculture Information System (AIS).

The project which was launched at the Arthur Chung Conference Center was designed and created through a US$15 million loan from the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) under the Sustainable Agricultural Development Programme(SADP).

The system which was developed by IntellectStorm is set to serve as centralised hub for the Agriculture Ministry in allowing the agency to collect, analyse and share agriculture data from across

we gather to launch a tool that will identifiers, contact information, Guyanainrealtime. enhance governance processes, georeferencing of the farm and

Speakingofthedevelopmentof enabling our officers especially our production details. There is an this system, Director of Planning at extension officers to operate more extension module that will record the Ministry, Mrs. Natasha Beerjit- competently in this digital farm visits, production information Deonarine said that in pursuit of environment,”shesaid. andwillincludeafarmprofile. delivering best services, the

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha speaking at the launch of the AIS on Monday

Manager of the

The director informed that Further, it has a survey module ministry has embraced innovation whenfullyoperational,theAISwill andthiswillenablethecreationand and technology to modernise their give a clear and accurate picture of processing of customised surveys systems and management the country’s agriculture sector which has been a module the practices. To this end they had e m p o w e r p o l i c

, agriculture sector has faced Expounding on what the AIS ministry used to collect farm data implemented several initiatives to managementandextensionofficers challenges due to the fragmented entails, she explained that it has previously “For now, theAIS will improve service quality and to make informed evidence–based dataandoutdatedsystem,however, farm register module that will primarily serve internal purposes, building better data systems. She decisionsinthesector with the launch of the AIS we are createa comprehensivedatabase of integratingtheworkloadofthe noted that these systems will “For far too long, Guyana’s overcomingtheseobstacles.Today, f

(Continued on page 14)

A section of the gathering at the AIS launch (DPI photo)

General

Country Department of the Caribbean at the IDB, Anton Edmunds (DPI photo)

Guyana’s first ever agriculture database...

From page 12

“These hubs will serve as different agencies into a collaborative spaces for singleplatform,soinsteadof extension officers, fully having GLDA having their equippedwithmodernoffice own data base, GRDB or facilities, internet and NAREI, it will all be on one computer, extension officers platform. So this will help us will be equipped with tablets to better serve our farmers, so that we can have real time the extension officers, even data,”hementioned. the media personnel will be Noting that the ministry able to get more time bound has commenced training information,”shebriefed. withtheextensionofficersin In his feature address, using this new system, the Minister of Agriculture, minister told the officers that Zulfikar Mustapha said that theAIS will help guide them the development of the AIS to help the farmers to be is important because now it more efficient, to help the would help the ministry to farmers to ensure that they plan effectively moving cultivate crops that will be forward,andthatitwilldrive beneficial to themselves e

e n c y , b o o s t which will improve their productivity and cement livelihood and at the same Guyana’spositionasaleader time bring benefit into the

country d

he In his remarks, IDB’s Caribbean. General Manager of the

“We are launching a AIS C a r i b b e a n C o u n t r y where we are hoping that D e p a r t m e n t , A n t o n will help us to plan and plan Edmundssaidthatthelaunch effectively All of us who are of this initiative highlights in the agriculture sector will the promising trajectory of know that we have had a Guyana’s agriculture sector number of issues in relation towards modernisation, todatacollection,somuchso increase productivity and that when we had the sustainabledevelopment. devastating flood, we had a “Agriculture in Guyana number of issues to identify is poised for transformation, the beneficiary,” he implementation of theAIS is explained. more crucial than ever as

According to the agriculture data is essential minister, this system will to the effective planning and help to provide data for them e v a l u a t i o n , m o r e to identify who are in the importantly for agriculture livestock industry, in cash- strategies and programs and crop fruits and vegetables, in projects,”hesaid. thericesectorandwhoarein AccordingtotheGeneral the fishing sector He further Manager, the lack of data is said the that implementation one of the biggest issues of the system all forms part facing the Caribbean region of the modernisation of the and“theabilityforustohave agriculture sector that they dataandcollectitinrealtime arebuilding. is really and truly crucial for

The minister shared that the future of the industry.” the Agriculture Information H e a d d e d t h a t t h e System is not a standalone implementation of the p r o j e c t , i t w i l l b e system will enhance the strategically complemented ability to make informed by AIS hubs which will be decisions that can drive located in eight of the ten growth and sustainability in administrative regions thesector

‘Govt. knew long ago of Region 8 engineer’s operations’

- MP. Mahipaul says blocking of $28M contract calculated to distract public

Member of Parliament

GaneshMahipaulhaspoured

c o l d w a t e r o n t h e

government’s recent decision to block the award of a $28M contract to a firm owned by the Regional Engineer in Region Eight, LatchmanSingh.

Opposition Member of Parliament, Ganesh Mahipaul

Mahipaul said the move was calculated to distract attention away from the bigger picture. According to Mahipaul, Singh is no stranger to the Ministry of P u b l i c Wo r k s a n d Amerindian Affairs “Our intelligence is clear: He advised that the whenever PPP/C ministers citizensmustnotbedeceived grace Region 8, they are by surface level optics and wined and dined at Lene’s the government wants them Restaurant and Bar, owned to believe that they are by the same individual addressing the issues, behind Lene’s Contracting however “this is just a Enterprise,”Mahipaulsaid. calculated distraction.” He explained that there Mahipaul is of the opinion was an instance where Singh that the government “knows stood before the Public fully well who this engineer Accounts Committee and is, and they continue to accused a Regional enable his actions in Region Executive Officer (REO) of 8. Now, with elections on the directing him to undertake horizon, they are attempting illegal activities under the to sell us on a false narrative APNU/AFC administration. ofreform.”

“But one must ask, who Furthermore, Mahipaul directed him to open a disclosed that there is a contracting company and PPP/C Regional Councillor who is instructing him to do in Region 8, reportedly very wrong things now? Could it close to Minister of be a PPP/C Minister pulling Amerindian Affairs, Pauline the strings behind the Sukhai.Mahipaulsaidthe scenes?”hequestioned. (Continued on page 19)

Cost oil audit unit at GRA now strengthened with more employees - Govt.

Man busted with 696 grams of weed, police ‘radio set’ arrested

A 3 0 - y e a r - o l d “The bag contained cupboard drawer inside a construction worker was leaves, seeds, and stems bedroom along with two arrested on Monday after he suspected to be cannabis,” camouflage shirts in a box, wasfoundwith696gramsof police said in a press release. suspected to be military cannabis at his New Assuch,Simpsonwastoldof attire. “All the items found Amsterdam,Berbicehome. the offence committed and were taken to Central Police

The man has been cautioned. “Officer, is me Station in Berbice,” police identified as Konata weed,”hereportedlytoldthe said. Simpson.TheForcesaidthat ranks.

While at the police ranks ventured off to Policealsofoundanother station, the cannabis was Simpon’s residence about plastic bag containing sixty weighed. 16:00h and searched the transparent bags containing

The ‘radio set’ was premises in his presence. A leaves, seeds and stems positivelyidentifiedtobethe bulky plastic bag under a suspected to be cannabis. A property of the Guyana tablewasdiscovered. ‘radio set’ was found in a PoliceForce(GPF).

The Guyana Revenue staffing key departments Statia said he has been Authority’s (GRA) Cost examining oil companies’ appealing to the employees’ Recovery Unit has been revenues and cost recovery patriotism, rather than force strengthened with the statements as well as the workers to remain on the addition of more auditors; performing customs job, since he believes “you the Government of Guyana controls,”thereportstated. have to love your work and (GoG) revealed in its 2024 T h e G R A h a d you have to love what you Mid-YearReport. complained that its trained do”. Additionally, he said he Inprovidinganupdateon auditors were being lost to b e l i e v e s t h a t G R A the legal, regulatory, and the petroleum sector The employees are privy to the institutional framework cost recovery unit plays a best working conditions and relative to the oil and gas crucial role in examining the insomecasesdoublesalaries sector, it was noted that the expenses incurred by oil compared to the other public Environmental Protection companies to develop the servantsatthesamelevel. Agency (EPA) continued to resourcesoffshore. With the ramping up of strengthen its monitoring of L a s t y e a r t h e offshore oil and gas operationsoffshore. Commissioner General of activities, the GRA has seen Additionally, “The the GRA, Godfrey Statia an increased presence of Guyana Revenue Authority pointed out that the petroleum operators and also made progress by departmentwasunderstaffed contractors, with the agency as 31 persons were on roll, strugglingtocatchup. while 65 persons were In 2019, Statia said the requiredforthejob. agency had 15 trained

According to him, “we personnelinthisdepartment. do not have the full The staff complement complement of staff. We are however grew to 31 in 2023, working assiduously to get though at least 34 more the full complement of staff. persons were needed at the We have even pulled some time. He said back then, 121 staff from other Ministries, petroleum companies were but as we know we have a operating in the country; paucity of skills in Guyana. however, the figure

We have even increased pay increased to more than 350, for persons in that capacity with this number also still for them not to leave but climbing. what we have seen is that as Due to the shortage of wetrainstaff,welosestaff.” employees, GRA was Statia said that the conducting “selective trained workers are being audits” with the tax body lured with higher salaries concentrating its efforts on from the oil companies and clawing back the largest theircontractors.Infact,five return.

persons who were recently In addition to that, Statia trained at the time were said, “We have to use stolenbytheoilcompanies. external accountants to do He said, “A couple of the cost recovery audit and them were actually snapped weworkalongwiththemand upbyCNOOCwherebytheir we utilize their analysis and salaries is actually way more their findings to guide us in than mine and my officers our examination and review and a couple by Exxon and of the accounts that would we have even lost one to have been submitted by the Schlumberger.” oilandgasplayers.”

The two camouflage shirts that were found.

The marijuana that was found in Konata Simpson’s home.

The GRA Head office

AG withholds legal costs to fight against Guyanese in major oil, other cases filed against Govt.

Attorney General, manycasesweresuccessful. Anil Nandlall Duringthe84thSittingof SC has failed to the National Assembly on

provide details July 31, 2024, Nandlall on the costs incurred by the provided the response to the state to fight legal cases former Minister within the relating to the petroleum and M i n i s t r y o f P u b l i c othersectors. Infrastructure.

The Legal Affairs While he supplied the Minister was requested by House with the Court cases Opposition Parliamentarian, handled by the AG’s Annette Ferguson to provide Chambers during the period, a detailed list to the National he did not outline the costs Assembly of the number of attached with fighting those cases where the Ministry cases and the Lawyers that represented the government wereretained. method was “otiose” or by the AG Chambers during Collins and Godfrey Whyte decision was later appealed between2022and2023. In fact, the AG in pointless. theperiod. andfinallyamatterfiledbya and is presently ongoing. Shealsoaskedforalistof responsesaidthequestionby Similarly, on the

These include critical oil citizen, Stuart Hughes for With regard to the GTE retainers and their costs for Ferguson was “wholly question of how many of and gas related matters such adequate compensation for Permit, the Court ruled in those cases Additionally, misconceived” Nandlall those cases were successful, as the tax case that was filed his lands affected by the favourofthecitizensthatthe Ferguson requested the explained,“TheMinistrydid he said the Ministry of Legal by Publisher of Kaieteur GTEpipeline. Permitwasnotlegallyissued Minister of Legal Affairs to not retain lawyers for cases Affairs does not record News, Glenn Lall; the case Thegovernmenthadwon but did not quash the Permit. inform the National in which the Ministry successes or failures of seeking to quash Exxon’s the tax case, while the The citizens have appealed A s s e m b l y w h i c h represented the Government cases. PermitfortheGas-to-Energy citizens were successful in thatruling. procurement method was for the year 2022 and 2023.” Accordingtothelistseen (GTE) pipeline; the case for their application to the Court In the meantime, the used to obtain the services of L i k e w i s e , h e s a i d by Kaieteur News, some 131 full liability protection from seeking full liability other matter involving the retainers and say how questioning the procurement Court matters were handled oil spills filed by Frederick coverage for oil spills. That Hughesisstillongoing.

EPA to conduct its own study for OMAI planned dumping of mining pit water into Essequibo River

In response to an article by publication had reported that Authorisation has been granted for water) of the Wenot Pit does not between November 14 and 16, Kaieteur News highlighting that according to the project summary, any activities related to the project contain cyanide or mercury 2023, to characterise the chemistry Canadian mining company, Omai cyanide and mercury levels were as proposed. “Although Omai has “Initial water quality tests and water quality of the Wenot and Gold Mines Corporation intends to below detection limits “All conducted its own water quality conducted by Omai indicate no Fennell pit water, and the adjacent dischargewatercontainingcyanide cyanide data was reported below testing, which shows that cyanide detectable levels of these Essequibo River, the document and mercury at levels below the the method detection limit of 0.002 and mercury levels are within substancesinthewaterintendedfor noted. Within those three-days, detection limit from the old mining mg/L (accepted objective is 0.005 acceptable international standards, discharge,”theagencyadded. Omai said it collected a total of 86 pits into the Essequibo River, the mg/L) and all mercury data was the EPA will conduct its own Kaieteur News reported water samples from the Wenot Environmental Protection Agency reported below the method independent testing to verify the that as part of the legal and Fennell pits and 26 (EPA)announcedonTuesdaythatit detection limit of 0 2 ug/L results and ensure compliance with requirements outlined water samples from the will be conducting its own water (accepted objective is 0.2 ug/L),” it

e wasstated. standards,”itwasstated.

Essequibo River. The

compliance with environmental In the statement, the agency To this end, EPA said that the Protection Act, an analysed within the standards. noted that no Environmental proposed dewatering (removal of Environmental

Omai water sample collection (November 2023)

d

timeframes for

d Omaithroughitswhollyowned

metals, anions, and Exploration Inc., holds a 100% (EIA) is necessary cyanide. interest in the Omai Prospecting due to the potential Results from the License,coveringsome4,590acres

Av a l o n s u b m i t t e d a n

h e or 18 575 square kilometres environmental effects EssequiboRivershowed including the past producing Omai of the proposed mining that the majority of the gold mine. Omai’s gold project activity samples were within established encompassestwogolddeposits:the TheEPAsaiditwillonlydecide surface water quality objectives, shear-hosted Wenot Deposit and on the approval or rejection of the except for three sites with minor the adjacent intrusive-hosted Gilt project after the EIA is completed. copper exceedances, the company CreekDeposit. As such, the public is invited to said.

participate in the process by According to Omai, the results application for environmental submitting questions and concerns were compared to international authorisation to conduct gold they would like to see addressed in water quality standards such as the mining and processing operations the EIA. These submissions must Canadian Council of Ministers of in Region Seven, at the confluence be made in writing to the EPA the Environment (CCME) and of the Essequibo and Seballi within 28 days of the notice issued Ontario’s Provincial Water Quality Rivers, Omai, Potaro Mining onSeptember17,2024. Objectives (PWQO) and showed District 2. The project aims to Moreover, the project summary no ex

y sustainably extract and process stated that characterisation of both contaminants like arsenic, goldfromthearea. the pit water chemistry and the cadmium, cyanide, copper, lead,

OnMonday,itwasreportedthat receiving water body (Essequibo mercury,nitrate,andsulphate. the future re-opening of Omai River) chemistry is essential to “Review of all quality control operations in Guyana would understanding any potential (QC) data demonstrated overall require dewatering of the existing impacts. goodreproducibilityandexcellent open pits (Wenot and Fennel). This Water sampling took place (Continued on page 22)

Opposition Parliamentarian, Annette Ferguson

Attorney General, Anil Nandlall SC

$100M soil chemical services laboratory commissioned

A state-of-the-art soil revitalise soil management whattypeofcroptoplantand chemical services laboratory and improve crop yield accurately recommend the was commissioned on withinthecountry type of soil that would yield Monday at the National Theinitiativewasfunded optimumgrowth. Agricultural Research and by the Inter-American I m p

Extension Institute Development Bank (IDB) laboratory provides the (NAREI), Mon Repos, East through the Sustainable opportunity for Guyanese to CoastDemerara. Agricultural Development adapt to modern and The $10

rehabilitatedfacilityconsists Farmers will be the key

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha (right) and a representative from the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) at the commissioning ceremony

e beneficiaries of the lab. It commissioning ceremony, technological equipment to will help them to determine Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, stressed Spectrophotometer (AAS) innovativewaystotransform that the facility will was purchased earlier in the agriculture while taking contribute to a further year for $26.2 million along advantage of emerging reduction of the food import with other technological technology to reduce the bill by 25 per cent by 2025 equipment. amount of manual work that for Guyana and the AnAASdetectselements farmers and agriculture Caribbean. in either liquid or solid officers are required to

“The rehabilitation of

perform Meanwhile, the the soil laboratory today is application of characteristic General Manager of the a prime example of how w

Country Department of the innovation and technology electromagnetic radiation Caribbean of IDB, Anton are at the heart of our from a light source. Director Edmunds, said that these a g r i c u l t u r a

General at the Ministry of

y transformation…We have Agriculture, Madanlall investment priorities for the allocated over $57 million Ramraj noted that “The organisation. ”A primary to completely modernise rehabilitative centre will focusofourinvestmentsisto this facility,” the minister provide accurate soil testing e n h a n c e G u y a n a ’ s stated. services, enabling farmers to agricultural research and

To further support the make informed decisions extension system. This is laboratory, an Atomic about fertiliser application, crucial for supporting A b s o r p t i o n crop selection, and soil farmers and achieving the managementpractices.” national and regional food He said Guyana is security goal,”Edmunds committed to finding said. (DPI)

Businessman arrested for discharging loaded firearm at minibus park

A50-year-oldbusinessman,identifiedasMichaelThomas of Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara (ECD) was arrested by police on Monday evening after allegedly discharging a loaded firearm at Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown,inthevicinityoftheRoute44minibuspark.

According to police reports, around 20:20hrs, ranks were onmobilepatrolintheareawhentheyheardwhatsoundedlike a gunshot. They proceeded to the Route 44 bus park, where they observed Thomas attempting to conceal a firearm in his waistband.

A police sergeant approached Thomas and conducted a search and uncovering a .32 Taurus pistol along with two magazines containing 14 rounds of ammunition.Aspent shell wasalsorecoveredatthescene.

When questioned about his firearm license, Thomas confirmed that he possessed one and produced the necessary documentation.Notwithstanding,hewasarrestedandtakento the Brickdam Police Station, where the firearm, spent shell, and ammunition were secured in separate evidence bags for analysis.

Severalindividualsinthevicinitywerequestioned. Butnoinjurieswerereported. Investigationsareongoing.

Minister Mustapha being briefed on the operation of the equipment in the laboratory

The gun and ammo seized.

Govt. moving to review...

From page 3 has to demonstrate that they with its seventh project will submit all the Hammerhead. Jagdeo was documents needed for us to asked by this publication, assess whether the “In relation to produced requirements are met. On water from Hammerhead the seventh project, we are Exxon’s 7th project that is yettodeterminewhetherwe supposed to start up in 2029 want that on the cost bank when he made the now ahead of any clarity of comments. “So first of all, howwearemovingwiththe there is an assumption that monetization of the Gas there will be a seventh Project. So those issues will project. So we will get the be determined next week.” application soon and at that The inAugust again Jagdeo time, the government will was asked whether the determine through two seventh project would be permits, one the licence and approved he said thusly:” then the environmental When and if…if and or permit,howitwilldealwith when and if we approve the alloftheseissues.” project then you will be told He boasted that the about what the benefits will administration has made the be. We have not looked at permits for previous anything…thereiscurrently projects public unlike the no application in for the previous administration and seventh project as yet, so they will be dealing with when the application comes any issues as they arise. in that’s when we will start Jagdeo added: “Exxon still consideringthismatter.”

‘Govt. knew long ago...

said contractor receives a lot of contracts in Region One. “The time will come when their names, faces, and company will be exposed. Butmakenomistake—thisis the most corrupt government Guyanahaseverseenandwe cannot allow ourselves to be blindsided by their games,” hesaid.

From page 15 situation where the laws were breached, he told reporters of the case with Singh. “One engineer there in the region…so he is based in Mahdia and then put in a bid through the public process, an open bidding process but through NPTAB and got a contract for $28M because they just looked at whoeverhadthebestbid,but this guy is also the regional engineer ” The engineer however did not submit his bid through the regional system, instead he submitted via an open public tender, and received the bid to do workinMahdia.

On Monday, this publication reported that Singh was told to decide whether he wants to be an employee of the State or work as a private contractor after he had won the $28M contractthroughtheNational Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).

While responding to a Stabroek News editorial last week at his newspaper, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo exposed the issue. He said there are complaints that personsmaybeinfluencedor they may be violating procurementlawsbecauseof instructions they receive or they may even lack awareness of the law and what it has provisions in placefor

However, he said the current administration has embarked on a campaign to fix all of this and they have made it clear that nonadherence to the law will not be tolerated at a political level. “So people know now that they are responsible for compliance with the procurement laws and that t h e y w i l l b e a r t h e consequencesshouldwefind breach.Wehavealreadyseen that from the time we spoke on one visit to Region Eight lastweek,wegotanumberof things,” he said. Giving an example

“Now if you’re an engineer and you’re based in MahdiaworkingfortheRDC and you’re the contractor for a project in Mahdia, people wouldn’t care if it’s NPTAB that gave that and you participated in an open bid, this is the kind of conflict I spokeof,”Jagdeostressed.

The VP is of the opinion that as an employee of the government, you cannot also be a contractor for government project as well, hence the engineer will have to make a choice which path to follow as he cannot a s s u m e b o t h r o l e s Additionally, a number of other issues were exposed to the officials during the outreachandthegovernment is working to address them, Jagdeo said. “People are now bringing this to our attention,wedidn’tknowthe NPTAB didn’t know I asked them, they said we don’t know this guy is the regional engineer, he bid through an open process. They did not know.Oncethiscomestoour attention, people have to make a determination,” the of one such VPsaid.

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St. Stanislaus College Association announces newly elected executive committee

The St. Stanislaus College Associa tion (SSCA) has elected a new Executive Committee for the 2024/2025 term.

The new leadership team was officially voted in during the 65th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on October 2, 2024, a press release from the association said. “This dynamic group of individuals is committed to furthering the mission of the association by fostering alumni connections, supporting the development of St. Stanislaus College, and enhancing the experience of current students,” the release added.

The new office bearers are: 1. President – Jason Bhojedat 2. 1st Vice President – Crysteline Younge

One clerk for TSI Eccles office. English & Mathematics, grade 1 or 2. Email application: techserigy@ yahoo.com or call 615-9132.

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

One (1) painter Call 615-9132 or 645-8443.

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

General Domestic, must know to cook, clean , press ect. 3 days, $6000, 8-4 at Keyfood, Mcdoom village next to the post office.

Female Cleaner for an office in Eccles. Call 615-9132 or 645-8443.

Chainsaw Operators and Labourers needed for wood concession. Call: 670-6919/ 723-0211.

Laundry attendant, receptionist, supervisor & Room attendant 23-50 years old. 233 south road Lacytown / 2250198.

Housekeeper and Chef needed contact number 6774896.

Experienced Hair Colorist, Hair Cutters, Nail technicians and Barbers needed. Please Call/ WhatsApp 6096259 or 6495005.

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Experienced Sales Clerk, Must be computer literate. Apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb Street, Borda.

3. 2nd Vice President –Ashley Bailey

4. Treasurer – Faris Ali

5. Secretary – Angel Hope

6. Assistant Secretary/ Treasurer – Lizanna Gordon

In addition to the elected officers, the following members were appointed to the SSCA Council:

7. Sherwin Bart

8. Kezia Bess

Call: 649-0956.

Hiring Lorry Driver & Porter, Must have Valid driver and lorry license 3 years experience. WhatsApp 609-2220.

9. Jamal Scott

10. Zion Hinckson

11. Ron Motilall

12. Alexcia Elias

According to the association, the new executive committee brings together a diverse group of professionals, all of whom are passionate about serving the alumni community and strengthening ties with St. Stanislaus College. “Under their leadership, the SSCA will continue to promote alumni engagement, organize events, and provide mentorship opportunities for current students, in line with the association’s goals of fostering growth, unity, and giving back,” the release added.

The association ex-

New President

pressed gratitude to the outgoing executive members for their dedication and service and looks forward

to the exciting new initiatives and achievements that lie ahead with the newly elected team.

Chinese businessman critical after shot several times on D’Urban Street

AChinese man was shot several times at D’Urban Street, Georgetown early Tuesday morning.

The injured man, who is listed as critical, has been identified as 50-year-old Jianqing Chen, owner of First Choice Supermarket located on D’Urban Street.

Police in a statement said the shooting took place around 00:07hrs in front of Chen’s supermarket.

An on-duty security guard, who witnessed the incident, described the shooter to police as a lone gunman on a black motorcycle.

Investigators were told that loud gunshots rang out shortly after Chen was over-

First Choice Super Market

heard by the guard arguing in his car with someone over the phone. The gunman made good his escape after shooting the businessman. The guard recalled seeing

Chen’s limp hand hanging from his car door and his bloodied body slumped in the car seat. The security guard said he contacted his boss immediately and informed him

of the shooting. Chen was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for treatment. Investigations are ongoing.

Labourer remanded for murder of Haslington carpenter

A 58-year-old labourer accused of murdering a carpenter was remanded on Tuesday to prison when he appeared at the Vigilance Magistrates’ Court.

Keith Jeffrey known as ‘Pugga’ is accused of killing 47-year-old Theodore

Baynes, also known as ‘Silver’. The incident allegedly took place on September 30, 2024, at Haslington North, East Coast Demerara (ECD). Reports indicate that when police arrived at the scene, they found Baynes’ body outside his home at Lot 40

Haslington North, showing severe injuries, including a crushed face, a deep neck wound, and multiple cuts across his back and other parts of his body.

Jeffrey was apprehended shortly after the murder. On Tuesday, Jeffrey appeared

before Magistrate Sunil Scarce where the murder charge was read to him. He was not required to enter a plea. The prosecution objected to bail and Jeffrey was remanded. He is scheduled to return to court on November 6, 2024.a

EPA to conduct its own study for OMAI planned dumping... tions.

From page 17 accuracy,” the company said. Omai explained that while the CCME and PWQO guideline values have no regulatory standing in Guyana, the practices were used for comparative purposes as current best industry practice concentra-

Overall, the company findings are that all critical parameters were well within safe limits for the protection of aquatic life. The study analyzed the water chemistry in both Omai pits (Fennell and Wenot) and the receiving

Essequibo River. The results indicated that the water from the pits did not exceed any international water quality standards for the protection of aquatic life.

In fact, the company said that the water quality in the pits was found to be better than that of the Essequibo River in several parameters. As a result, Omai said that the discharge of water from the Wenot Pit into the river is expected to improve the Essequibo River water quality in the discharge area and downstream.

1 Toyota Allion, Pioneer DVD, CD & USB deck, reverse camera, alarm, low milage.

of the St. Stanislaus College Association, Jason Bhojedat

ERC signs MoU with UNDP for e-monitoring of hate speech

The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) and the U n i t e d N a t i o n s Development Programme (UNDP) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement an e-monitoring tooltotacklehatespeeches. The signing occurred at the Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown.

Chairman of the ERC

Shaikh Moeenul Hack said that “the partnership represents a significant advancementinourongoing efforts to monitor and address racially and ethnicallyoffensiveremarks on social media, a crucial component of our commitment to fostering harmony and good relations withinoursociety.”

He noted that the ERC hasaMediaMonitoringUnit (MMU) which diligently observes various platforms including television, newspaper and social media toidentifyinstancesofracial and ethnic infractions commonly referred to as “hate speech”. “Until now,

thismonitoringhadreliedon manual processes which whileeffectivearelimitedin reach. From August to December 2023, after reactivating our Media Monitoring Unit, we documented116infractions.

In the first nine months of this2024,wehaveidentified 163infractions,westillhave under three months to complete 2024 and we have already surpassed 2023,” he informedthegathering.

$6.9B award

Chairman of the ERC, Shaikh Moeenul Hack and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative (ag) Gerardo Noto sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the implementation of an e-monitoring tool to tackle hate speech on social media platforms.

According to the

Chairman, the majority of these infractions occurs on social media, and noted that the statistics underscore the urge needed to tackle hate speech within the society as the 2025 election is approaching.

Speakingoftheirneedto boostupcapacitytomonitor hate speech, the Chairman explained that the emonitoring tool will be instrumental in enhancing

in contracts to boost infrastructural development in Region 6

The Ministry of Public Works has awarded some $9 6B in contracts to contractors for the rehabilitation of several roads in Region Six. The contracts are aimed to enhance infrastructural development.

The Ministry conducted a community outreach on MondayandTuesdayatNew Amsterdam, Berbice where thecontractswereawarded.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and Ministers of Public Works Juan Edghill and Deodat Indar attended theoutreachonTuesday The ministry in a statement said that 475 contracts for the rehabilitation works across Region Six were awarded to small contractors from the region. The contracts were signed between the contractorsandtheRegional DemocraticCouncil(RDC).

“This transformative initiative, valued at an impressive $6.9 billion, will e m p l o y o v e r 3 0 0 contractors, boosting local e m p l o y m e n t a n d development,” the ministry highlighted.

On Monday, Minister

Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill during an outreach

Edghill, accompanied by Head of the Special Projects Unit, Colin Gittens, visited residents of North East La Penitence, Georgetown. During this visit, he announced that the communitywillsoonbenefit fromrehabilitatedroads.

“In the coming weeks, four kilometers of road will be rehabilitated, with these worksbeingexecutedbythe Ministry of Public Works’ Special Projects Unit,” the ministrystated.

Minister Edghill also disclosed that work has started with the clearing of the road shoulders, and that the desilting of drains will beginshortly

TheMinistersaidthatthe

presence of derelict vehicles on parapets in the area continues to be a challenge and urged residents to removetheobstacles.

“Failure to remove these derelicts will result in their removal by the Ministry of PublicWorks,”hewarned.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday the Minister assessed the progress of road works at Parfait Harmonie, W e s t m i n s t e r , Onderneeming,andLust-enRustinRegionThree.

The ministry announced that almost 50 kilometers of roadwork is expected to be completed to the level of rigidpavementandasphaltic concrete by the Special Projects Unit and small contractorsbeforetheendof theyear.

Minister Edghill also inspected ongoing road worksatAracariRoadonthe West Bank of Demerara, with expectations for completion within a month. The combined efforts of the Special Projects Unit, small contractors, and larger projectsawardedbyNPTAB aim to enhance the entire road network in these areas, hesaid.

will enable them to issue warningsorescalatematters totheirInvestigativeUnitfor furtherconsideration.

In brief remarks, U N D P ’ S R e s i d e n t

the Commission’s capacity tocapturemorecontent.

“This innovative automated system will efficiently identify key words and phrases that are racially,ethnicallyoffensive allowingustorespondmore swiftly and effectively,” he related While the emonitoring tool will automate much of the data collected, Hack noted that they will maintain a manual verification process which

Representative(ag)Gerardo Noto said that as part of the MoU, UNDP will provide comprehensive support to theERCincludingtechnical assistance to strengthen E R C ’ s e x i s t i n g methodologies for mapping a n d c o u n t e r i n g disinformation and hate speech. He said the intent is to strengthen ERC’s capacities to access social media data, provide crucial insights into information pollution and enhance the ERC’s technological infrastructure to better respond to these challenges, hestated.

He related that the emonitoringsystemisastateof-the-art social media monitoringandanalysistool that leverages Artificial Intelligence(AI)totrackand analyze harmful content acrossdifferentplatforms.

T h e U N D P

representative further stated that the “Memorandum of Understanding is just not a documentitisacommitment toupholddemocraticvalues and contributes to Guyana’s unity Letustakethiscrucial step together to promote social cohesion and inclusion and contribute to eradicate hate speech and free people from the s h a d o w s o f misinformation.”

In a joint release from both agencies, it was stated that the MoU aims at enhancing the knowledge base surrounding hate speech and fostering institutionalresilienceinthe face of this growing challenge.Itwassharedthat thispartnershipcomeswhen Guyana prepares for the 2025 General Elections, a period that historically witnesses a surge in ethnic andracialhatespeech.

ThesigningoftheMOU formspartofthewiderERCUN System campaign to ‘Counter Hate Speech’, which was launched in June 2024.

Man stabbed to death while urging cousin to go home

A 23-year-old mason was stabbed to death on September 30, 2024 while tryingtoconvincehiscousin to leave a location at Sand Road, Kuru KururuVillage, Soesdyke-LindenHighway DeadisEtonCallistroof Swan/ Kuru Kururu Squatting area, SoesdykeLinden Highway Police reported that the alleged murderoccurredat02:30h.

Investigations revealed that Callistro and his family attended the Kuru Kururu Heritagecelebrationsheldat t h e K u r u K u r u r u Community Centre Ground onSeptember29,2024.

It is reported that during the Heritage celebrations, the family consumed alcoholic beverages and participated in several activities. At about 02:20h, Callistro reportedly ventured off to call his cousin Charline (only name given), who was at the time

partying with a group of men.

“He told her it was time to go home, and she refused,”policereported.

In light of her refusal, suspects(unknownnumber) from the group confronted himandthisledtoascuffle.

During the scuffle, one of themalesreportedlystabbed Callistro to his left side chest.

Inanefforttoescapethe group, Callistro ran but collapsed some fifty feet

away from where he was stabbed.

The injured man was then picked up by his 37year-old brother, Kempton Callistro and rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where he was pronounced dead by a doctor

Police reported that the area was checked, but no Close Circuit Television (CCTV) footage was seen. The area where the alleged murderoccurredisonasand track leading to the Highway, with bushes on bothsidesofthetrack.

“There is no light in the area,” police reported. The area was processed, and what appears to be blood wasseenonthetrack,where the incident occurred, and samplesweretaken.

Police reported that statements are currently being taken as part of its investigation.

Dead:EtonCallistro

Dead: Eton Callistro

BCB hosts Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh Cricket Academy for 80 youths youths

-Holdssuccessfultalkswithgovernmentministers

The Berbice Cricket Board is forging ahead with its ongoing cricket development programme The BCB last weekend hosted a highly successful cricket academy at the Port MourantCricketGroundfor over eighty youth cricketers between the ages of ten to sixteenyears.

The academy sponsored by overseas based BCB sponsor, Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh,wascoachedbyhead coach Winston Smith with support from Leslie Solomon and Lawrence Mentis Special emphasis wasplacedonimprovingthe players’ batting, bowling and fielding techniques,

while the coaches also worked on the physical fitnessofallplayers.

The academy also involved the hosting of several practice matches on the pitch where technical problems were identified andcorrected.Playerstothe academyweredrawnfrom (Continuedonpage24)

BCB Patron Vickram Bharat and BCB delegation.

National Public Health Reference Laboratory gets GNBS certification

Th e G u y a n a National Bureau

of Standards

( G N B S ) Certification Services Department on Monday certified the National Public H e a l t h R e f e r e n c e Laboratory (NPHRL) under its Laboratory Certification Programme.

The certificate was issued to NPHRL for demonstrating conformance to the requirements of the Guyana Standard: (GYS 170:2021) – General requirements for the operationofalaboratory.

In a press release, the G N B S s a i d a t t h e certification ceremony, held in the Ministry of Heath capabilities and maintaining quality, accuracy, and be accurate and in keeping surveillance, diagnostic satisfying the criteria for Conference Hall, Brickdam, thedailyactivities. reliability in our health with best practices.” He also tests, innovative research

the certificate, which is valid The Lab Director also systems.” He added that emphasized the importance and staff who are well requirements outlined in the for two years, was formally highlighted the importance NPHRL is now equipped to of external validation and trained to combat emerging NationalStandard.

handed over to the of the certification provide more precise and committed to ensuring that and reemerging infectious Laboratories, which Laborator y Q uality “Today’s certification is reliable diagnostic services, N P H R L m o v e f r o m diseases. conform to the requirements Manager, Ms Aletha more than a badge of essential in the timely certificationtoaccreditation. The scope of NPHRL ofthisstandard,areprovided Quintyn, in the presence of honour It represents our identificationofdiseasesand Additionally, effort will be certification includes the with formal recognition to Laboratory Director, Mrs. promise to our clients, public health threats.” The made to have other public testing for RPR, HIV, attest that they have Joyce Whyte-Chin, the partners and the wider ED promised that the GNBS laboratories follow the path Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, implemented an effective MinisterofHealth,Dr Frank community and signifies will continue to partner with tocertification. Dengue, Leptospirosis and laboratory management Anthony, GNBS Executive that the results produced are laboratories and institutions NPHRLis the thirty-fifth many more diseases system, which aids their Director, Mr Trevor Bassoo, accurate and reliable and across Guyana to promote laboratory to become Through its Laboratory provision of accurate and other staff and special meet the highest standards Standardisation and certified under the GNBS Certification Programme, reliable results to customers. invitees. of scientific and ethical Certification. Laboratory Certification the GNBS monitors the GNBS also carries out

In her remarks, Whyte- data ” Minister Anthony in his Programme The Lab’s operations of laboratories surveillance checks during Chin expressed gratitude to Meanwhile, Bassoo, remarks described the mission is to promote

, the certification period to her team for the effort they c o n g r a t u l a t e d t h e certification as a significant healthy population by

ensure that the laboratory have put into making the L a b o r a

y f o r i t s milestone that should be responding to public health calibration activities to management system is certification possible. She achievement.Hestated,“this maintained. threats through regular

maintained. commended them for certification is not just a Minister Anthony also c o n t r i b u t i n g t h e i r testament to the dedication underscored the importance knowledge, skills and andhardworkofthoseinthe of confidence in Laboratory p

“

w a r d s laboratory but also

implementing procedures, reflection of Government’s diagnosesaretobemadeand advancing the lab’s research commitment to upholding results are issued, they must

GNBS Executive Director, Mr. Trevor Bassoo, (left) hands over the certificate to Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony and the team from the National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL)

Former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Iniesta announces retirement

SportsMax - Former

Barcelona and Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta

has announced his retirement from football at theageof40.

Iniesta, who also played for Japanese side Vissel Kobe, most recently played for UAE Pro League club Emirates and had the option to extend his contract until 2025, but has instead decidedtohanguphisboots.

The midfielder started his career at Barcelona, joining at the age of 12

before making his senior debutin2002.

He went on to make 674 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions, the fourth-mostinthehistoryof the club, behind Lionel Messi(778),Xavi(767)and SergioBusquets(722).

“Pleaseallowmetobea little emotional today...” a tearfulIniestasaidatapress conferenceonTuesday

“Ineverthoughtthisday would come I never imagined it. Yes, all these tears we have shed these daysaretearsofemotion,of pride. They are not tears of sadness.

Wednesday October 09, 2024

ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19)

Difficult predicaments could arise today if you try to exert your will over others without having the most honorable intentions, Aries. It could be that you're using someone else's fear of you to control himorher

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

The fire within you is raging today,Taurus,andyoushould becarefulhowyouwieldthis power Be proud and triumphant. Walk with your shouldersbackandheadhigh. Freedomisimportant.

GEMINI(May21–June20)

There may be a great deal of fuss over something that seems quite insignificant to you, Gemini. Try to see the beauty and importance of everythingaroundyou.

CANCER(June21–July22)

Thingsarecomingtoacritical point for you today, Cancer, and you may find that other people openly object to your actions. It's OK to be a bit selfish if the situation is appropriate.

LEO(July23–Aug.22)

Feelfreetospeakmoreloudly today, Leo. You'll find that things fall into place more easily if you speak your thoughts outwardly and directly in the presence of others. Bring your internal powerunderyourcontrol.

VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22)

Youshouldbaskinaglorious splendortoday,Virgo.There's a great deal of power at your disposal.You'll find your ego ishealthy,charged,andready forthebattlefield.

LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)

Add more sunshine to your day, Libra. It may be time to stir up your inner passion and let it speak with greater confidencethanyouhavebeen lately Make sure you heal yourself by letting the people aroundyouhearyourtruth.

SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov 21)

You'llfindthatyoursparkcan easily turn potential energy into kinetic energy, Scorpio. Don'tunderestimatethepower of your words. Realize the profound impact they have on othersandtakeresponsibility

SAGIT(Nov 22–Dec.21)

Don't dwell on your fluctuating moods today, Sagittarius. Look at the larger trends and how positive elements are coming together inyourfavor

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19)

Thisisyourdaytoshineinall your glory, Capricorn. There's noneedtoholdanythingback. You'll find that you have a great deal of love to share. Your heart is likely to go to extremes today in order to proveitslove.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)Trynottolosesightofyour own projects or desires, Aquarius. There's a great deal of power and manipulative energy in the air today that could throw you off course if youaren'tcareful.

PISCES(Feb.19–Mar.20)

Recharge today by getting outside and stretching your arms to the sky, Pisces. Be proud and courageous. You have the power to turn an unhealthy situation into a positiveone,

which he scored (W33 D2).

Only Angel Correa (58 games) has scored in more games without losing in the competition in the 21st century WhileatBarcelona, he won 29 major honours, includingnineLaLigatitles, four Champions League, two UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups. Iniesta also made 131 appearances for Spain, the fifth-most in the history of the male national team, and famouslyscoredthewinning goal in the 2010 World Cup final as La Roja lifted the trophyforthefirsttime.

His strike in the 116th

“They are tears of that boy from a small town like Fuentealbilla, who had the dream of being a footballer andweachieveditafteralot of hard work, sacrifice... of never giving up, essential valuesinmylife.Ifeelvery proud of this path, with all the people who have accompaniedme.”

Iniestascored35goalsin 442 LaLiga appearances, with Barcelona unbeaten in the 35 league games in

Taharally rocks with 2 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze...

Frompage32 Association for their assistance in supporting the four athletes to compete in SouthAfrica.

Demetri Chan was scheduledformoreactionas he seeks to add to his benchpressgoldmedalwhile the other lifter, Bjorn Williams will be competing today Additionally, Taharally is expressing thanks to the following entities for their support towards her being able to compete:MinistryofNatural Resources, Central Housing and Planning Authority, CirkelDistributors, Machine Tech Inc, Stacy, Michael, Telicia, Alisha, Sherri Williams, Shamie, and the GymCrew

Rogers would like to recognise the support of the Hon Min

s and PermanentSecretariesofthe M

Government and Regional Development, Tourism, Industry, and Commerce, Human Service, and Social

Commissioner of the NationalParksCommission.

exactly)isthelatestwinning goalintheshowpiecematch in the history of the tournament. He was also a part of S p

Championship successes in 2008and2012,beingnamed thePlayeroftheTournament atthelatteredition. Despite playing an integral role in those tournaments, Iniesta failed to score with any of the 34 shots he attempted in his three appearances at the Euros finals (2008, 2012, 2016), a record number of attempts without scoring by anyplayeratthetournament since at least the 1980 edition.

Andres Iniesta has announced his retirement from football at the age of

Cricket West Indies President Congratulates Saint Lucia Kings on Historic Republic Bank CPL Victory

S T J O H N ’ S , ANTIGUA– On behalf of Cricket West Indies (CWI), President Dr Kishore Shallow extends heartfelt congratulations to the Saint Lucia Kings for their remarkable achievement in securing their inaugural Republic Bank Caribbean PremierLeague(CPL)title. Sunday night, in a thrillingfinalattheNational Stadium in Providence, Guyana, the Kings defeated the Guyana Amazon Warriors by six wickets to claim their first-ever championship.

In his commendation, CWI President Dr Kishore

Shallow said, “The Saint Lucia Kings have etched their names in history, and I commend their performance throughout the tournament which was an exhibition of relentless hard work and unmatched determination With Aaron Jones and Roston Chase playing crucial innings at a decisive moment,andFafDuPlessis’ outstanding leadership, the Kings demonstrated the resilienceandskillneededto succeed. This victory also reflectsthetirelesseffortsof Head Coach Daren Sammy, whoseknowledgeandbelief intheteamhaveshapedtheir journeytothismoment.”

Shallowfurtherextended congratulations to Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre and the people of Saint Lucia, who are in the midst of a period of remarkable nationalpride.“Thisvictory comesatanexcitingtimefor Saint Lucia, which recently celebrated the homecoming of their Olympic gold medalist and the fastest woman in the world, Julien Alfred Prime Minister Pierre and his nation have muchtocelebrate,andSaint L u c i a ’s s p o r t i n g achievementsareasourceof pride for the entire Caribbean.”

TheCWIPresidentnoted the impact of the emerging players in the tournament andhighlightedthewealthof talent the Caribbean continues to produce. “This

edition of CPL stands out with the remarkable impact of the West Indies emerging stars. It has been a historic yearwitharecordnumberof appearances by Emerging Players With over 50 appearances and some impressive performances, the talent pool in the Caribbean remains exciting and surely augurs well for the future of West Indies cricket.” Saint Lucia Kings featured former West Indies Boys Under19 captain Ackeem Auguste Other impressiveemergingplayers

Kishore ShallowCWI President Dr. Kishore Shallow

in the 2024 Republic Bank CPL were Shaqkere Parris for Trinbago Knightriders and Jewel Andrew for Antigua and Barbuda Falcons The 17-year-old Andrew has just been selected for the West Indies Men’s ODI team to tour Sri Lanka.

Cricket West Indies remains committed to the partnership with the Caribbean Premier League which continues to play a pivotal role in the advancement of regional cricket.

LGC to field 12-member team at Suriname Open 2024...

Frompage31 sportsmanship on this regional stage. In 2022 and 2023 several Guyanese representing Lusignan Golf Club were successful. In 2022,BrianHackettsecured firstplaceinFlightB,while Patanjilee Persaud took second Carlos Adams finished third in Flight C, and Shanella London and Eureka Giddings claimed first and third in the Women’s A and B categories,respectively In 2023, Patanjilee PersaudwonFlightB,Carlos Adams repeated his thirdplace finish in Flight C, ShanellaLondoncamethirdin FlightDandsecondoverallin the Ladies’ category, and Eureka Giddings rounded off the team with a third-place finishinFlightE

The camaraderie between Surinamese and Guyanese golfers is a hallmark of this event, fostering both a healthy rivalry and strong relations betweenthetwonations.

5th Annual KFC Goodwill Int’l Football Series set for December kickoff

Troy Mendonca speaking at yesterday’s KFC Goodwill Series launch.

Th e P e t r a Organisation, in collaboration with Beharry Restaurants and Holdings Inc , has officially launched the 5th Annual KFC Goodwill International Schools FootballSeries,scheduledto kick off from December 1522. This announcement was made at a press conference heldattheCaraLodgeHotel inGeorgetownyesterday Key stakeholders, including representatives fromthePetraOrganisation, the Ministry of Education, andKFC,gatheredtodiscuss the details of the upcoming tournament. Among those present were Franklin

Wilson,AssistantDirectorof Sports, Nicholas Fraser, Head of the Ministry of Education’sAlliedArtsUnit, and KFC Marketing Manager, Sadia McDonaldStrand. The tournament will featureeightteamsfromfour Caribbean nations, competing in a round-robin format. The teams will be divided into two groups, with the top two from each groupadvancingtothesemifinal(knockout)stage. Guyana will field four teams in this year’s competition, including Region 7’s D. Caesar Fox Secondary, which has already qualified for the 2024 series. Joining them

will be the first and second place finishers from local Schools League, along with theRegion9winner—either Annai Secondary or St. Ignatius Secondary. Defending champions Clarendon College of Jamaica will return, while TrinidadandTobagowillbe represented by last year’s runners-up St Benedict’s College and Speyside High School. Suriname is yet to confirm its participating t e a m T h e P e t r a Organisation continues to provide a platform for local y

s to showcase their talent on a regional stage Guyanese teamsaredeterminedtokeep thetrophyathomethisyear, with the Ministry of Education pledging its full support to the tournament. NicholasFraser,speakingon behalf of the Ministry, praised Petra for its decadelong dedication to the development of youth football.

Troy Mendonca, CoDirector of Petra, highlighted the significance of the tournament in his address: “This tournament gives young players the opportunity to compete a

LGC to field 12-member team at Suriname Open 2024

Golfenthusiastsfromaroundtheregion aregearingupfortheprestigiousDSBGolf Club Paramaribo Invitational 2024, scheduled for Saturday, October 12, and Sunday,October13,2024,attheGolfClub Paramaribo, Indira Gandhiweg The Lusignan Golf Club will be representing Guyanawitha12-memberteam.

The team consists of Orson Fergson, Mohanlall Dindanauth, Vishal Harry, Patrick Prashad, Avinash Persaud, Carlos Adams, Kishan Bacchus, Brian Hackett, Lakeram Ramsundar, Feroze Barkat, Troy Cadogan,andPatanjileePersaud.

Thishighlyanticipatedtournamentwill bring together top players from Suriname and neighboring countries, including Guyana,tocompeteina36-holeStableford format, with different flights based on handicaps.

Handicap Flights include; Men Handicap0-13,MenHandicap14-24,Men Handicap25-30,SeniorMenHandicap0and above, Ladies Handicap 0-22, Ladies Handicap23-36andJuniorFlightforages714.

LGC President Anasha Ally shared her excitement, stating, “I am pleased to be fielding a team of 12 members from the Lusignan Golf Club. We look forward to excellentresultsfromourteam,aswedowell every year we participate. I wish them the best and great camaraderie with our Surinamese counterparts. I would like to

opponents, which is crucial for their growth and the development of football at the grassroots level. We are thrilled to partner with KFC once again to host this excitingyear-endevent.”

Speaking at the launch,

Twelve LGC members are set to be in action at Suriname’s DSB Golf Club Invitational tournament.

thank our Surinamese colleagues for graciously hosting us—we cherish that relationship and do not take it for granted. I am optimistic they will have a successful competition.”

Guyana,moresoLusignanGolfClub,has a long-standing tradition of sending competitive players to the Suriname Open, with several top performers making their mark over the years. Notably, Guyanese golfers have consistently ranked among the top,showcasingtheirskilland (Continuedonpage30)

KFC’s Marketing Manager, Sadia McDonald-Strand, also expressed enthusiasm, saying, “We’re proud to partner with the Petra Organisation in this initiative that supports the development of young football talent across the region. We look forward to an exciting tournament and wishalltheteamsthebest.” Matcheswillbeplayedat the Ministry of Education and Queen’s College grounds.

IPF World Masters and Commonwealth PF Championships 2024 Taharally rocks with 2 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze; Rogers snares 4

silver, 2 bronze

Guyana’shasonce again kept the G o l d e n Arrowhead aloft with a n o t h e r c l a s s i c a l performance at the International Powerlifting Federations Masters and C o m m o n w e a l t h PowerliftingFederation Championships being held simultaneously in Sun City,SouthAfrica.

FollowinguponDemetri Chan’s benchpress gold medal on Friday, Taharally increased Guyana’s medal tally handsomely when she liftedherwaytotwo(2)gold medals, one (1) silver and four (4) bronze medals againstthebestintheworld in the Masters 11, 76kg weight class and in cold conditions while Rogers captured four (4) silver medalsandtwo(2)bronze.

Achieving a squat of 150kg (330lbs), benchpress 77.5kg(170lbs)anddeadlift of 182.5kg (402lbs), total 410.5kg(Taharallyachieved bronze medals atWorld’s in the squat, deadlift and overall whilst her numbers w e r e s o l i d f o r Commonwealth squat and overall gold, silver in the deadlift and another bronze inthebenchpress.

Takingtheoverallahead of Taharally at World’s was

performances! Roger Rogers and Nadina Taharally

theUSA’sJoahIannottawith Heather Tagg of Great Britain,claimingsilver At Commonwealth, Canada’s Amelie Maya and New Zealand’s Bobby-Jo Williamson had to settle for theoverallsilverandbronze, respectively With sessions running very late into the night owing to a late start, Rogers wasstillabletoaddandalso betterhisshowingatWorld’s in2023,likeTaharally Heachievedabestsquat of 260.0kg, benchpress of 162.5kg, deadlift 240.0kg foratotalof662,5kg. Those numbers were good enough for Rogers to

land a silver in squat and a total bronze at the World Masters whilst he hauled in silver medals in the squat, benchpress, and total with another bronze in the deadlift.

Minister of Culture, Yo u t h a n d S p o r t , Honourable Charles S Ramson MP, on behalf of His Excellency, the Government and people of G u y a n a e x t e n d e d congratulations to both Taharally and Rogers for t h e i r e x c e p t i o n a l performances in Sun City, SouthAfrica.

MinisterRamsonsaidhe was really impressed with

the great improvement of both lifters when compared to their performances at the 2023 World’s which took place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Powerlifting Federation President, Franklin Wilson a l s o e x t e n d e d congratulations to the duo foranotherexcellentyearon the world stage, applauding them for their consistency and being shining examples forotherlifterstoemulate.

Wilson expressed the Federation’s gratitude to the Ministry of Sport, National Sports Commission and the GuyanaOlympic

(Continuedonpage29)

Jamaican sensation Alex Powell claims first F4 win in Italy

Alex Powell

SportsMax - Jamaican Alex Powell, MercedesAMG F1 Team Junior, claimed his first European F4victoryinoneofthemost exciting races of the year at the famed ‘Temple of Speed’ , Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Monza, Italy, on Sunday Ninth on the grid for the first race of the weekend, Powell had a blistering start, which saw him move up four positions on lap one, before the first of several Safety Car appearances paused racing It was a race with multiple incidents and re-starts, but

Powell remained focused and was consistently sharp foreverystart.

After a three-way battle, the Jamaican sensation executedabreathtakingpass for the race lead, before a final incident brought out the Safety Car again, with Powellcrossingthelinefirst as the race finished In addition to the outright race win, Powell also secured first among rookie drivers,claimingthetwotop trophiesintherace.

His performance also assisted Prema Racing to secure the team title for the 2024Euro4Championship.

Solid

Schutt takes 3 for 3 as Australia push closer to a semi-final spot

ESPNcricinfo-Australia put one foot in the semifinals with a dominant 60run victory over neighbours NewZealandinSharjah,and in the process recorded their 13th straight win in T20I WorldCups.

The result means Australia have two wins from two with a healthy net run-rate of 2.524 - they are alsotheonlyunbeatensidein thegroup.ForNewZealand, themarginofdefeathashad a hefty impact on their net run-rate, now going below Pakistan’sastheyfelltothird place.

Thewinwasaresultofa supreme all-round effort from Australia, and a solid executionofplans.Theirtop order of Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney and Ellyse Perry contributed heavily, and while Amelia Kerr - who ended with excellent figures of 4 for 26 - did her best to

reel New Zealand back into thegame,Australia’stotalof 148 for 8 on a sluggish surface always felt like too tallachase.

AndsoitprovedasNew Zealand’s batters struggled to get going. Suzie Bates hung around for a scratchy 20off27,whileKerr’s29off 31wastheonlyotherinnings of substance. While Megan Schutt,SophieMolineuxand Annabel Sutherland shared eightwicketsamongthem,it was Schutt’s outstanding spell of 3 for 3 that pinned New Zealand down. Schutt tookhomethePlayer-of-theMatchawardforherefforts. Healytakescharge On a surface with a nice layering of grass, Australia might have suspected they had won a good toss when they elected to bat. After Healy’s 26 off 20, that decision was looking more soundthanever,asAustralia

New Zealand were bowled out for 88 in a chase of 149, leaving their progress in doubt

struck 43 inside the powerplay

Itmightnothavebeenso though, had Healy not been convinced by partner Mooney to review an lbw call in the third over That overturned decision seemed to bring clarity, as the very next delivery from Fran Jonaswassmokedovermidoff. Two balls later, another one over extra cover She’d repeat the trick in the next over as well, before carving one over point in the final overofthepowerplay

WhileHealyfelllooking for a fifth loft over the offside,Australiahadsetthe ideal platform for their innings.

Mooney and Perry shift throughthegears

Once the fielding restrictionswerelifted,Perry inparticularstruggledtoturn overthestrike.Thepressure thatwasbuilteventuallytold whenshestruckonestraight to long-on, only for Maddy Green to spill the chance. NewZealandunsurprisingly came to the rue that missed opportunity as Perry and Mooney stitched together the match’s highest stand of 45off38.

What both batters did well from there on was not get bogged down. While boundaries were hard to come by, they were still eager to use their feet and keep ticking over singles. It meantthemomentumset up by Healy’s early salvo was

never lost This was highlighted by Mooney’s 40 off 32, which included just thetwoboundaries.

Once Mooney fell, caught trying - and failingto clear mid-off, Perry took over as aggressor carting Eden Carson for six over long-off, before pummeling her through square leg Bookending those strikes was a pair of boundaries off two Kerr overs, as Perry threatened to take the game awayfromNewZealand.

KerrkeepsNewZealand init

ButjustasAustraliawere looking to truly unleash, Kerr struck in consecutive deliveriesinthe14thoverto take out Perry and Grace Harris, having already removed Mooney earlier Kerr grabbed one more

beforesigningoff,makingit three wickets in a five-ball periodforthelegspinner

These wickets had the effect of snuffing out Australia’s momentum, though their propensity for picking up singles mixed in withtheoddboundarymeant they still managed 32 runs off the final five overs. Not as much as they would have liked, but enough to push them to a fairly imposing total.

Australia execute to perfection

Knowing that they had a good total on the board, Australia’s goal was to simply make life as difficult as possible for New Zealand’s batters - and that they did. Schutt set the tone with her impeccable lines and lengths, never allowing

the batters to swing their arms, while she was ably supported by her teammates.

This meant that while New Zealand lost just one wicketinsidethepowerplay, theywereonlyabletomuster 29 runs. By the 10th over, it was still one wicket down but the scoreboard had just abouttickedoverto54.

The final 10 overs then broughtabouttheconclusion they’d been planning for throughout as batter after batter got out trying to hit out.Intheend,atnopointin the chase we New Zealand everinthegame.

Scores:AustraliaWomen 148 for 8 (Mooney 40, Kerr 4-26) beat New Zealand Women 88 all out (Kerr 29, Schutt3-3,Sutherland3-21) by60runs.

CrawleyleadsEnglandreplyafterSalmanhundredsetsupPakistan

ESPNcricinfo - Salman Agha became Pakistan’s third centurion to cement their dominant position in Multan, before a chaotic interlude in which England lost Ben Duckett to injury and their captain, Ollie Pope, for a duck left the touringsidescrabblingfora footholdinthefirstmatchof theseries.

Duckett suffered a painful-looking blow to his left thumb taking the catch to dismiss Pakistan’s last man Abrar Ahmed - who had already been given two lives - meaning that when Englandbegantheirinnings midway through the eveningsession,itwaswith Pope walking out alongside

Zak Crawley Pope only lasted two balls, Aamer Jamal plucking a onehanded screamer at midwicket to further galvanise Pakistan and bring Joe Root, England’s designated No. 4, to the middleinthesecondover The riposte, as it often does, came from Crawley, back in the side after missingtheSriLankaseries with a broken finger He slashed his sixth ball, from Shaheen Afridi, to the boundary and did the same to Naseem in the following over, before taking Afridi for a brace of fours to end the seamer’s opening spell. That led to the early introduction of spin - and

another statement of intent from Crawley, as Abrar’s firstoverwentfor11.

Crawley brought up England’s 50 in the 11th, hauling Abrar through the legside,andhecontinuedto go after Pakistan’s legspinner, who claimed 11 wicketsasadebutantonthe same ground against Englandtwoyearsago.Two morefoursdowntheground left Abrar with opening figuresof4-0-31-0,beforea ninth boundary, clipped through midwicket off Naseem, took Crawley to a 55-ballhalf-century

Beyond a trio of speculative lbw appeals, therewaslittletoencourage Pakistan’s attack - as had

been the case for England during149oversinthefield - with Root slipstreaming Crawley to the close in an unbrokenpartnershipworth 92 Although Duckett’s availabilitytobatlaterinthe innings remained unclear, their position looked a little moresecure.

It was, nevertheless, a day in which Pakistan put a commanding stamp on proceedings. Saud Shakeel steered the innings during the first forays, quelling England’s mini-fightback fromthefirstevening-with a little help from Naseem’s cameo at nightwatcher Salman then set about drivinghometheadvantage on the way to a 108-ball

hundred, his third in Tests, as Pakistan reached a position from which they could hope to dictate the course of the match, even a g a i n s t B r e n d o n McCullum’sBazballers. England’s six bowlers all had something to show for their efforts, with Brydon Carse taking his first Test wickets and Jack Leach finishing with 3 for 160. They generally kept at itinthefield,althoughthere were signs that five-and-ahalf sessions in the baking heatofMultanwouldtakea toll, Jamie Smith missing a simple chance to stump Abrar and Gus Atkinson then dropping the No. 11 after he had skied a chance

to midwicket England chipped away with two wicketsineachsession, but S

ensured Pakistan did not s

foundation provided by c

m Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique on day one. The innings progressed in fits and starts but Salman’s j

on England’s spinners, in particular, helped maintain thehosts’momentum. Salman was scoreless at lunch, but stroked the first ball after the break through the covers for fourbringingupthePakistan400 and signalling his own intentions.

Amelia Kerr picked up 4 for 26. (ICC via Getty Images)

Megan Schutt produced figures of 4-1-12-3 to go to the top of the table for the most wickets at Women’s T20 World Cups•Oct 05, 2024. (ICC/Getty Images)

WNBA playoffs: Sun force decisive Game 5 in semifinal series vs. Lynx,

YahooSports-TheNew York Liberty will have to wait one more game before their opponent in the 2024 WNBAFinalsisdetermined.

The Connecticut Sun forced a decisive Game 5 in their playoff semifinal

series, defeating the

Minnesota Lynx 92–82 in Game 4 on Sunday Game 5 wasscheduledforyesterday, TuesdayattheTargetCenter inMinneapolis.

Minnesota led 50–43 at thehalfandappearedtobein position to move on to the WNBA Finals But Connecticutcamebackwith a second-half surge, outscoring Minnesota 49–32.

“Obviously, there’s a senseofurgency,”Suncoach StephanieWhite said before thegame.

“Yougottoplaylikeyou weredesperate.”

The Lynx cut the deficit to 72–65 with eight minutes remaining in the fourth

winning 92–82

quarter,buttheSunfinished off the game with a 20–17 run led by Alyssa Thomas andDeWannaBonnerforthe finalmargin.

Tyasha Harris scored 20 points(aplayoffcareerhigh) to lead the Sun, shooting 4for-5on3s.

Thomas followed with 18 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists. Bonner also had 18 points with eight rebounds, four assists and four steals And DiJonai Carrington finished with 15 pointsandfourrebounds.

3-point shooting again makesthedifference

One big difference for theSuninGame4wasbetter shootingon3-pointers.After a 3-for-20 performance in Game 3, Connecticut bouncedbacktoshoot8-for15 (53%) from behind the arc. Besides Harris’ four 3pointers, Marina Mabrey shot 2-for-6 after going 1for-11inFriday’sloss.

Another difference from

Connecticut outscored Minnesota 49–32 in the second half

Game 3

from

range. TheLynxwent10-for-26

(39%)withBridgetCarleton going2-for-11.

Napheesa Collier followed up her 26-point,

11-rebound performance in Game 3 with 29 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Lynx.Butshewastheteam’s only consistent scoring threat.

Natisha Heideman followed with 16 points, includingalong3-pointerat the buzzer to end the first half.ButCourtneyWilliams was the only other Minnesotaplayertoscorein double figures with 11 points.

Who would Liberty rather face in the WNBA Finals?

The Liberty await the winnerofyesterday’sGame 5 after defeating the Las VegasAces,76–62,tofinish their WNBA playoff semifinal. Presumably, New York’s players and coaches will say it doesn’t matter whotheiropponentisforthe championship.

But they had a better record against one of the teams.

During the regular season, the Liberty went 3–1againsttheSun.Breanna Stewart averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds, playing three of the four games. Sabrina Ionescu was even better, scoring 21.8 points pergame.

Neither the Liberty nor the Sunhaseverwona WNBA championship, while the Lynx have four titles in franchise history, lastwinningin2017.

Against Minnesota, New York went 1–2 Collier averaged 16 points and12reboundsinthethree games, followed by Kayla McBride’s 14 points per game.

Breanna Stewart averaged 25 points and 15 rebounds for the Liberty, including 38 points and 18 rebounds in their Sept. 15 matchup. Sabrina Ionescu scored14.3pointspergame. The WNBA Finals will tip offThursday

was Minnesota shootingpoorly

3-point

Connecticut Sun guard Tyasha Harris reacts after making a 3-point basket during the second half of Game 4 against the Minnesota Lynx, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Covent Garden Sec’ and St Rose’s High shine at GOAPC Tapeball Cricket Competition

The Georgetown Office Assistant

P

Committee (GOAPC) concluded its Schoolboys

Ta p e b a l l C

c

e t Competition last Saturday, with St Rose’s High ‘Renegades’and the Covent Garden Secondary Schools liftingtherespectivetitles. The tournament, which beganonSeptember28with 10teams,cametoadramatic end on October 5 at the Durban Park tarmac St Rose’s lifted the prestigious James “Uprising” trophy after their hard-fought victory Batting first, St Rose’s Renegades scored 37-5 in their allotted four overs, with Joshua Sharmar leading the charge, topscoring with 17 runs. In response,RISSWarriorsfell shortbynineruns,managing

St Rose’s High celebrates winning the James “Uprising” Lewis trophy at the recently concluded GOAPC Tape ball competition. Covent Garden Secondary wins GOAPC Sports Ambassador trophy.

28-6 in their four overs, despite a valiant effort from Troy Anderson, who topscoredwith13runs. Earlierintheday,Covent

Garden Secondary defeated St. John’s College in a nailbiting encounter Covent Garden batted first, posting 61runsfromtheirfourovers,

Premier Insurance on board for Prime Minister’s

Softball Cup tournament

Premier Insurance has come on board for the 8th edition of the Prime Minister’s Softball Cup three-daytournamentwhich bowls off on Friday in the Men’scategory Teams from New York, Canada and across Guyana will be participating in the T20extravaganza.

On Monday at the

business location in Kingston, Georgetown, PresidentoftheGeorgetown Softball Cricket League (GSCL) Inc Ian John thanked the Insurance

Company for their contribution.

John stated that the tournament will be definitely exciting and thrilling in both men’s and women’scategories.

TheLadieswillbeinthe 1 5 - o v e r k n o c k o u t competition from Thursday at various venues across Georgetownwhilethemen’s willbearound-robinformat.

There will be Legends (Over-50), Masters (Over40)andOpen(All-Stars).

John, left, receives the sponsor’s cheque from Sasha Munro.

Sasha Munro, Motor Underwriting Supervisor of Premier Insurance was delighted to say that her Company was indeed honouredtobeonboard. The tournament is being run by the GSCL Inc. in collaborationwiththeOffice

of the Prime Minister and Ministry of Culture, Youth andSport. Over G$3M will be up forgrabs,whilethewinning teamineachmen’scategory will cart off G$600,000 and G$200,000 for the championshipladies’side.

than ks to a blistering 36 from Vinesh Kalpoo. St. John’s fought back but could only reach 59-6 in their four

overs, falling just two runs short Covent Garden

s Ambassador Trophy and medalsfortheirwin.

President of the GSCL Inc. Ian

Vinesh Kalpoo was named Player of the Competition, receiving a prize donated by James “Uprising”Lewis.

BCB hosts Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh Cricket Academy for 80 youths youths

-Holdssuccessfultalkswithgovernmentministers

The Berbice Cricket Board is forging ahead with its ongoing cricket development programme The BCB last weekend hosted a highly successful cricket academy at the Port MourantCricketGroundfor over eighty youth cricketers between the ages of ten to sixteenyears.

The academy sponsored by overseas based BCB sponsor, Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh,wascoachedbyhead coach Winston Smith with support from Leslie Solomon and Lawrence Mentis Special emphasis wasplacedonimprovingthe players’ batting, bowling and fielding techniques,

while the coaches also worked on the physical fitnessofallplayers.

The academy also involved the hosting of several practice matches on the pitch where technical problems were identified andcorrected.Playerstothe academyweredrawnfrom (Continuedonpage24)

BCB Patron Vickram Bharat and BCB delegation.

Taharally rocks with 2 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze; Rogers snares 4 silver, 2 bronze

Petra’s Co-Director, Troy Mendonca (second from right) unveils 2024 Trophy in presence ofAssistant DoS, Franklin Wilson,AAU Head Nicholas Fraser and Troy Peters.

Nadina Taharally

Roger Rogers