THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM
The Demerara
“Get the youths
The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily. Thursday, August 15, 2024 - 12:45 hrs to 14:15 hrs and Friday, August 16, 2024 - 13:50 hrs to 15:20 hrs
…encourages citizens to register for nursing, other training programmes
With several parts of Guyana buzzing with economic activities, the Government is contending that there are sufficient opportunities available for young people but they need to be proactive and go after these prospects.
This is according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali during a visit to Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) on Wednesday.
While engaging residents of Monkey Mountain, the Head of State announced plans to work along with the village council to identify youths interested in tak-
als in the field they desire to join.
According to the Guyanese Leader, several
how we can get some Rural Constables so that they can work with the Police Force, we want to work with the community to identify persons who may want to join the military so that we can take your information and we can help you to get the training. We want to identify in your community persons who we can train to become medics, teachers, nurses, healthcare professionals. Those are the things we want to work with you as we build a stronger community,” President Ali said.
The Guyanese leader explained that the undertaking forms part of government’s holistic plan to
the people all across our country and here in Monkey Mountain you are not left behind and will not be left behind,” the Head of State announced.
Meanwhile, during the outreach in the community, President Ali disclosed that over the past four years government has expended more than $600 million to improve the livelihood of the citizens residing in Monkey Mountain.
Providing a breakdown on monies spent, he said $101 million was spent through the Ministry of Amerindians Affairs, $298
ing up career-oriented jobs.
He said Government is prepared to provide the necessary training to pave the way for these individuals to become skilled profession-
employment opportunities are available in the security, health and education sectors.
“We want to discuss with the community Toshao
mould youths into exemplary citizens, through the provision of guidance, training and resources.
On this point, he said the administration is committed to playing its part to ensure youths countrywide to become disciplined, alert and focus, which are essential in the upbringing of youths in today’s society.
This, President Ali explained, calls for investments into the education sector.
“The Monkey Mountain Secondary School will commence at an investment of more than $199 million dollars. So, this is the type of love and care that the People’s Progressive Party Civic Government has for
through the Education Ministry, $14.7 million by the Guyana Energy Agency, $ 57.4 million by the Ministry of Health, $16.3 million by the Ministry of Agriculture, $76 million by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security and $25 million by the Ministry of Public Works.
To further advance the lives of the villager, the sum of $42 million will be made available soon via cheques for targeted programmes.
This includes $2 million to cater for the construction of a village garage, $5 million each for a mechanic shop, block making project and shade house and $12 million for a multipurpose building. (G1)
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This Sunday, August 18, marks the 201st anniversary of the great 1823 slave rebellion in the colony of Demerara --before the British unified it with Berbice and Essequibo in 1831 to create British Guiana. After a series of exchanges of government with the Dutch and the French from 1796, the British had finally taken possession of the three colonies in 1812. During their stint in 1807, they had abolished the trading of African slaves, who had been used as labour on the cotton, coffee and sugar plantations.
While British historians and officialdom have traditionally presented the abolition of the trade as a symbol of their enlightened civilization, it was actually part of larger historical forces that undermined the institution in the evolving capitalistic relations of production. Marx would later dub slavery as a “primitive mode of accumulation”. In Britain, those forces created social movements that demanded the abolition of the entire institution of slavery, as proponents of free trade such as Adam Smith (1776) insisted that free labour would accumulate capital more efficiently. Following the abolition of the slave trade, the British Government in 1823 enacted measures to “ameliorate” the conditions of slavery - which continued in her colonies. Some of these measures were that slaves were to be given Christian instruction; Sunday markets were to be abolished to encourage religious worship on that day; and marriages were to be encouraged; while slave families were not to be broken up by sale.
These measures were announced by the Governor of Berbice, but not by the Governor of Demerara. However, knowledge of them was gleaned by Jack Gladstone, a slave from Plantation Success on the East Coast of Demerara, who, because of his profession as a cooper (barrel maker), could travel freely to Georgetown. He informed his father Quamina, who was active in the Church, where a pastor, John Smith, had been sent by the London Missionary Society. Smith confirmed the amelioration measures, and this spurred Quamina and his son Jack to plan a rebellion to force their implementation. At no time did the leaders attempt to seize the colony, and in fact were very nonviolent to the planters.
As the eminent historian and Trinidad PM Eric Williams pointed out, “The revolt was so carefully and secretly planned that it took the planters unawares.” The historian Emilia Viotta da Costa, in her 1994 book Crowns of Glory, Tears of Blood: The Demerara Slave Rebellion of 1823, described the uprising well:
“The rebellion started at Success and quickly spread to neighbouring plantations. Beginning around six o’clock in the evening (of Aug 18), to the sound of seashell horns and drums, and continuing through the night, between 9,000 and 12,000 slaves from about 60 East Coast plantations surrounded the main houses, put overseers and managers in the stocks, and seized their arms and ammunition. When they met resistance, they used force. Years of frustration and repression were suddenly released. For a short time, slaves turned the world upside down. Slaves became masters, and masters became slaves. Just as masters had uprooted them from their traditional environment and culture, appropriated their labour, given them new names, forced them to learn a language, and imposed on them new roles, slaves appropriated their masters’ language and their symbols of power and property. Slaves spoke of laws coming out of England. They spoke of “rights”. They spoke of the king, (of) Wilberforce, and “the powerful men in England”. They used their masters’ whips and put their masters in the stocks. They broke doors and windows, destroyed furniture, and set buildings afire. They whipped managers and masters, stole their clothes and money, drank their wine. When whites fired at them, they shot back. By the middle of the night, the old African shells and drums were silent. Only the sound of European guns was heard.”
At Bachelors Adventure, 200 slaves were shot and killed by the militia when they refused to disperse, and later the government sentenced another 45 men to death, and 27 were executed. Quamina was hunted down and shot; Jack Gladstone was banished to St Lucia. But the spirit of freedom continued.
By Sidney Blumenthal
The madness of King George III was never diagnosed; he likely suffered from bipolarity. One of his uncontrollable bouts of madness was triggered by his reading of Shakespeare’s play of a mad king, King Lear.
“This morning he is…more agitated and confused, perhaps from having been permitted to read King Lear,” wrote his doctor in papers released only six years ago.
The story upset King George, his equerry recounted: “His Majesty became so ungovernable that recourse was had to the strait waistcoat.”
King George’s straitjacketing occurred in 1788, a year after the constitutional convention created the United States Government to prevent the rise of any king – mad or not. The American revolution waged against the absolute sovereignty of a monarch had the madness of King George in mind as the office of President of the United States was being framed. The president, wrote Alexander Hamilton in Federalist Paper No 69, would be subject to impeachment and removal, and “liable to prosecution and punishment in the ordinary course of law. The person of the King of Great Britain is sacred and inviolable; there is no constitutional tribunal to which he is amenable; no punishment to which he can be subjected without involving the crisis of a national revolution.”
About the difference between the American President and the English King, Hamilton stated: “What answer shall we give to those who would persuade us that things so unlike resemble each other? The same that ought to be given to those who tell us that a government, the whole power of which would be in the hands of the elective and periodical servants of the people, is an aristocracy, a monarchy, and a despotism.”
When the US Supreme Court ruled, on 1 July, that Donald Trump as a former president had “absolute” immunity from prosecution for crimes committed as “official acts”, Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented that “the President is now a king above the law.”
As Shakespeare wrote in King John: “Mad world, mad kings, mad
composition!”
King George swooned reading King Lear. Trump has become delirious at the sight of Kamala Harris. The king’s courtiers succeeded in restraining him, while Trump’s cannot control him. He rages, curses, and shouts to the heavens of the unfairness of fate. His aides attempt to calm and steady him about Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race.
“It’s unfair that I beat him and now I have to beat her, too,” he cries.
Trump’s years-long industriallevel production of “Crooked Joe” and the “Biden Crime Family”, amplified as regular programming on Fox News, is now toxic waste. These crude projections were fabricated out of the materials of Trump’s own vices, flaws, and offences. If Biden could be tarred with false charges, his shadow would blot out Trump’s true crimes. Trump’s initial effort against Biden – to blackmail Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in an exchange of weapons for dirt on Biden –constituted the articles of Trump’s first impeachment.
The House Republicans, led by the January 6 co-conspirator Jim Jordan, set up a “weaponization committee” that, along with the oversight committee, spent millions of dollars and consumed thousands of staff hours to discover, after parading one false witness after another, that Biden had done absolutely nothing wrong. Their impeachment farce of Biden collapsed from its own weightlessness.
Despite their contrivances, they found Biden blameless.
The entire Hunter Biden saga, which has breathlessly riveted the Wall Street Journal editorial board, meanwhile drifts into a trivial pursuit.
Always just a series of distorted projections, the campaign against Biden is missing its object. The screen has suddenly gone blank. Trump is exposed standing naked on the stage. His negative campaign is self-indicting. Everything he accused Biden of being he manifestly embodies. His malicious characterizations describe only himself. He is the crook, the cheat, the liar; he is the worst president in history. Biden is gone, but Trump can’t escape him. Biden haunts him as a ghost. Trump is left as
the oldest man ever to run for the office, whose babbling incapacity is on display.
Trump frantically attempts to find the key to a negative campaign against Harris. He stumblingly flickers his projection of Biden. She’s the crook, the cheat, the liar. She’s not really Black, or she is Black but only lately. He mispronounces her name in a variety of deliberately mangled ways to make her seem strange, but in doing, so he appears stranger. She’s “dumb”, “incompetent” and a “bitch”.
He states that Biden is plotting to stage a coup at the Democratic convention to overthrow her. His dream for restoration requires his animadversion of Biden’s ghost. He can’t stop talking about the man who isn’t there. He complains to Elon Musk, playing the role of his straight-man second banana, that Biden is “close to a vegetable”. But insults can’t make Biden come back to political life.
Trump’s bitter nostalgia for Biden stokes his anger at Harris. Since Trump can’t change, Harris must be an illusion. He says the packed crowds at her rallies are “fake”, created by AI. “She should be disqualified because the creation of a fake image is ELECTION INTERFERENCE. Anyone who does that will cheat at ANYTHING!”
Of course, his 34 felonies for business fraud were for the purpose of election interference in 2016. His instinctive reflex for projection boomerangs. He constantly reveals his pattern of guilt through his accusations.
Lost in the illogic of his conspiracy theories, he wanders back and forth from higher realms of incoherence to lower depths of innuendo.
His tale of his near-death experience in a diving helicopter with Willie Brown encapsulates more than his careening method of demeaning insinuation. It is his unconscious metaphor of his current plight crashing to earth.
Willie Brown, the former Speaker of the California Assembly, once dated the young Harris. Trump explained: “But he told me terrible things about her. But this is what you’re telling me anyway, I guess. But he had a big part in what happened with Kamala. But he – he, I don’t know, maybe he’s changed his tune. But he – he was not a fan of hers very much, at that point.”
But Willie Brown is not a fictitious character. “I don’t think I’d want to ride on the same helicopter with him,” he said. Willie Brown never flew in a ’copter with Trump. Willie Brown admires Harris – “absolutely beautiful woman, smart as all hell, very successful” –and he supports her “religiously”. Willie Brown, clever, funny and canny as ever, says he can’t wait to watch Harris whip Trump in the debate. “I would think it would probably be unfair for her to debate inept Donald Trump with his appalling lack of knowledge. The absence of knowledge is appalling. I would put every nickel I have on the results of the debate, and it will all be on Kamala Harris.”
Trump appeared to confuse Willie Brown with the former California Governor Jerry Brown, who did fly once in a ’copter with Trump – though it was never in difficulty. Then another Black politician –not Willie Brown – stepped forward to state that he was in a ’copter in trouble with Trump, Nate Holden, the former Los Angeles City Council member and California State Senator. “I guess we all look alike,” he told the Guardian.
Trump’s near-death by helicopter is the latest flight of his freakish fantasies – this week’s favourite, instead of electrocution from the battery of an electric boat or being eaten by sharks. Whatever convoluted smear Trump was attempting to spread about Harris, it wound up sliced in the propellers. It was Black Hawk Down for Trump’s slander. Though his lie was shredded, he feverishly tried to reassemble its pieces. He insisted to Maggie Haberman of the New York Times that he has the records to prove that it was really Willie Brown in the ’copter.
“When asked to produce the flight records, Mr. Trump responded mockingly, repeating the request in a sing-song voice,” she reported.
Trump responded with a slur: “Maggot Hagermann should apologize for her fake & fraudulent writing on the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX, along with many other of her poorly written and badly researched stories.” (Excerpted from The Guardian) (Sidney Blumenthal is a Guardian US columnist)
The 25-year-old University of Guyana Berbice Campus has seen a notable lack of students enrolling into the institution over the years. This was revealed by Vice Chancellor of the University Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin on Monday during the launch of the University’s Water World: Institute for Marine and Riverine Ecologies and Economics (IMAREE).
“We have a campus in Berbice that is now celebrating a big anniversary. It's 25 years this year, and
it is a campus that has not been attracting as many people as we want to see in Berbice,” she explained. In an effort to delve into the situation Guyana Times on Wednesday spoke with the Director of the University of Guyana Berbice campus professor Gomathinayagam Subramanian, who explained that whilst enrollment levels were low in the past this year enrolment levels are steadily increasing due to initiatives being implemented by the institution.
“The enrollment now is increasing, we started very low but it is okay now so we are seeing more students coming into the institution compared to previous` years. Currently we are conducting outreach exercises within the Berbice area to further increase the population,” he explained.
Moreover, the director attributed the level of enrolment to students preferring to conduct their studies at the University’s Turkeyen campus in Georgetown, however he noted that the two institutes have identical curriculums.
“One of the reasons is because the children they want to get away from their parents, they don’t want to stay with their parents. A lot of parents call me, we offer the same programmes here in Berbice. But they want to be In Georgetown that’s the intention” he stated.
Meanwhile, in an effort to further push enrollment at the University’s Berbice Campus, the institute has identified ways in which they can achieve this goal. One way highlighted was to exclusively offer several disciplines at the Berbice campus. As such students who wish to study topics in the field of marine biol -
ogy will now have to attend the classes at the university’s Berbice campus where the Institute for Marine and Riverine Ecologies and Economics (IMAREE) was strategically built.
According to the Vice Chancellor, this new institute in Berbice aims to educate some 500 persons over the next four years in the areas of Marine Biology, Law, Engineering, Port Security and Port Management, biotech, aqua biotech among others.
These initiatives align with the university’s goal of ensuring that in every
household across the country by 2040 at least one person must be a university graduate.
Additionally, the new Institute for Marine and Riverine Ecologies and Economics (IMAREE) is the only institute in the world that combines studying water with the economics of the areas these waters occupy. The institute will offer a wide range of programmes to citizens: Undergraduate Programmes include a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology; Diploma in internation-
al shipping and logistics; Bachelor of Science in Port Management; Bachelor of Science in Marine Biotechnology. Other Programmes under consideration are Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation; Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering; Bachelor of Science in Coastal, Riverine and Ocean Management; Bachelor of Science in Port Security; Postgraduate Diploma in Maritime Law; Master’s Degree in Maritime Law; Master of Science in Marine Biology in Marine Biotechnology.
angles are two angles that form a right angle. Their sum will be 90o
If angle A = 35o, what is the measure of angle B?
Step 1: Think: A right angle = 90o
Step 2: Subtract: 90 – 35 = 55
So angle B = 55o
When two lines intersect the angles opposite each other are called vertical angles. Those angles are equal.
Insects in the Food Chain
All living things – plants and animals – need energy to live. Flowers need energy to grow and bloom. Birds need energy to move their wings for flight. People need energy for all kinds of things, from thinking to laughing to playing soccer to sleeping. All living things get their energy from food. Green plants use energy from the sun
to make their food. Animals get their energy by eating plants or other animals.
The sun is at the beginning of every food chain. Because there are so many insects, they are most often the link between plants and other animals in a food chain. Insects also are often in the food chain in more than one place. Birds, frogs, lizards, snakes, bats, many
mammals, and other insects eat insects. And insects often eat plants and dead animals, helping them decompose, or break down. This helps make healthy soil that plants need to grow.
The levels – or steps – in a food chain are called trophic levels. Here’s a sample food chain with the trophic levels explained:
By Kamau Brathwaite
To be continued
atural Resources
NMinister Vickram Bharrat has disclosed that Guyanese stakeholders are among the investors who have expressed an interest in acquiring the abandoned Troy Resource mining pit at Karouni, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni).
Since the Australianbased mining company halted operations here last year, the Guyana Government has since taken over ownership of the abandoned mining property and is seeking potential investors to restart operations there.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Bharrat told reporters that the government has been engaging a number of companies, including Guyanese investors, that have ex-
pressed interests in taking over the mining operations.
“Only last week I meet with a group – it’s a group involving Guyanese and foreigners. There is another group that I met a few weeks back, I can tell you, without disclosing names, that I met with three or four groups, that is a mixture of Guyanese and international investors, that are interested in the Troy Resources area,” he stated.
According to Bharrat, the ministry has already allowed two of these potential investors the opportunity to have a technical team visit the site to conduct their own independent assessment of the plant, the mining pit and to also do some drilling to determine the resources that are there.
“So at least two compa-
nies, we’ve afforded them the opportunity to go into the sites and do a technical assessment. There are about two more that we will afford the opportunity to do the similar exercise and to come back to us with a formal proposal. So, I will say that we are making advancements with regards to seeking out a new investor for that property,” the Natural Resources Minister stated.
Still a possibility
Back in June, Bharrat had told Guyana Times that government had approached the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) for them to explore putting together a local consortium to take over the abandoned Troy Resources large-scale operations.
The minister said on Wednesday, “That is still a possibility. But from where I see it, it could be a possibility of a mixture between local miners or the local mining association and foreign investors because it requires a lot of foreign investments to restart the operations there. But I can tell you that we are committed and working towards restarting that operation there.”
It was previously reported that the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic and the death of former Troy Resources Chief Executive
The Government of Guyana has concluded negotiations on the new Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with six companies looking to commence oil exploration soon. The companies will occupy a total of eight oil blocks.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat disclosed that “the PSA has been finalised with no changes to the fiscal terms.”
Unlike the 2016 oil contract signed between the ExxonMobil-led co-venturers and the then A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition, the new agreement outlines an increase in royalty from two per cent to 10 per cent, a 65 per cent cost recovery as opposed to the previous 75 per cent, and the retention of the 50-50 profit-sharing.
“This means we will get more upfront,” Bharrat said. While the fiscal terms for each company remain
the same, the work programme will differ.
Each company is required to pay a signing bonus of US$10M for shallow water projects and US$20M for deepwater projects.
“All of them have indicated that they’re ready to pay their signing bonus. We will ensure that the payment of the signing bonus is made and of course it will be made public,” the Minister said.
The companies –some of which are consortiums –were selected following an auction which was launched in December 2022 and closed off in September 2023. In total, there were 14 offers made on those blocks – two deep-sea blocks and six shallow-area blocks.
Among those awarded oil blocks during the bid round was a Guyanese female-led company, Sispro Inc, which received a shallow block (S3) and a deep-water block (D2). Other shallow blocks were awarded to Total Energies EP Guyana BV in consortium with Qatar Energy International E&P LLC and Petronas E&P
Overseas Ventures SDN BHD (Malaysia), which got Block S4; Liberty Petroleum Corporation of the US and Ghana-based Cybele Energy Limited, which got Block S7, and International Group Investment Inc of Nigeria, which got two blocks – S5 and S10.
Another shallow block, S8, was awarded to the Stabroek Block partners – ExxonMobil Guyana Limited, Hess New Ventures Exploration Limited, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited. The second deep-water block – D1 –was awarded to Delcorp Inc Guyana, which comprises Watad Energy and Communications Limited and Arabian Drilling Company of Saudi Arabia.
“Some may sign before some but it will be the same PSA,” the minister told reporters at Wednesday’s press conference.
Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo had previously noted that this new PSA is said to be one of the toughest oil contracts in the market.
Officer (CEO) Ken Nilsson had on Troy’s overall operations, to the point where the Australia-based company never recovered and subsequently left Guyana.
At the time, however, the company left Guyana, owing the State over $2.6 billion in royalties. This had prompted the Ministry of Legal Affairs to write the company a demand letter and to pursue legal means of recovering the monies owed.
In addition to the state taking control of the mining property here – including the living accommodation, the administrative section, the processing plants and the mining pits, the Natural Resources Ministry has also issued permits to local small operators to mine around the area, while the main pit is reserved for a large-scale investor(s).
On Wednesday, Bharrat disclosed that approximately 112 mining permits have been issued to small operators to date.
Troy Resources had been operational in Guyana since 2015 and out of the 634,905 ounces of gold declared in 2019, Troy Resources, as one of Guyana’s largest gold producers, accounted for a large portion of it. The company had reported production figures of 58,118 ounces of gold from its Karouni, Region Seven mine for 2019. In 2018, its gold production figure was 70,207.
It had also been announced in 2021 that the company would be partnering with Barrick Gold Corporation, a Canadian company with operations around the world. Based on the joint venture, the company was supposed to explore for gold near the Karouni mining site in Region Seven.
All of that has since fallen through and following the company’s departure from Guyana last year, the Government – through the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC); the Guyana Revenue Authority
(GRA) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) – had taken control of the Karouni mine.
In addition to failing to pay outstanding royalties, the Australian mining company had failed to pay rental fees as well as adhere to its environmental obligations to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and work programme.
Moreover, a number of companies and sub-contractors were also owed millions by Troy. In fact, there were workers who are owed wages for extended periods, prompting the Labour Ministry to intervene. It was further reported that Troy Resources had entered into receivership, the process whereby creditors sell off a company’s assets to recover monies owed. The Government had said that Troy actually initiated this process, but due to poor site management, persons have been raiding the site and stealing equipment and materials. (G8)
A52-year-old USbased Guyanese of No. 58 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, was remanded to prison after being charged with illegal firearm and ammunition possession.
Ganesh Rampersaud also called ‘Shami’, who was arrested on August 2, appeared before Magistrate Tuanna Hardy at the Whim Magistrate's Court last Monday.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges of possessing a firearm and ammunition without a license and was remanded to prison.
The man who reportedly arrived in Guyana on July 27 and was staying at
No. 58 Village, Corentyne Berbice where Police stated that ranks acting on information received, went to Rampersaud’s home and
executed a search warrant.
During the operation, he was told of the information
received that he had in his possession a firearm and ammunition without a license.
The ranks requested to search his person and home. As a result, Rampersaud said: “I’m here on vacation, and I have a firearm to protect myself; I want to be honest. Let me show you.”
He then allegedly proceeded to a bedroom, where he had his personal belongings, and took out a black handgun with a magazine and 10 live rounds of ammunition. He reportedly handed over the firearm to the Police after which he was escorted to the Springlands Police Station.
Your Eyewitness would be the last person you’d accuse of being “woke” or anything like that. In fact, if the truth be told, he’s constantly accused of being a real fuddy duddy who sticks to the line laid down by the old fire-and-brimstone preachers from his long-bygone youth!! But the debate over the gender of those two boxers from Algeria and China really opened up his eyes on this woke gender fluidity. Going on looks, your Eyewitness would’ve sided with those who thought the two were “males” – but he then found out they were born with female apparatus, and were raised all their lives as girls!!
He began to understand what they must’ve gone through – especially when he discovered they could’ve been born with a chromosomal anomaly called “Swyer syndrome”. As the medical tome pronounced, “Girls with this condition have an XY chromosomal makeup (as boys normally do) instead of an XX chromosomal makeup (as girls normally do). Despite having the XY chromosomal makeup, girls with Swyer syndrome look female, and have functional female genitalia and structures, including a vagina, uterus and fallopian tubes.” However, while some of the physical features, like height and small breasts, contribute to their “male” appearance, they have what are called “streak or fibroid gonads”, and don’t secrete extra testosterone. As such, they don’t have the “male” advantages that hormone usually confers. Life ain’t always what it seems, innit?
Your Eyewitness’s takeaway is that we in the boondocks like Guyana don’t have to become woke by only demanding that the government leave our oil in the ground under the Atlantic; we should start looking at other aspects of life around us with new eyes. There are subjective “truths” that may have an objective basis not easily seen!! And this brings him to the frothing from members of the Opposition, that up to now he thought was “bizarre”. Like this insistence that the Yanks under the Trump Administration installed the PPP through electoral rigging!! He’d assumed up until now that the Opposition troglodytes were simply rubbing their doody on the PPP’s bamsie!!
So, he’s gonna be thinking out loud as to how the PPP might’ve done the dirty (riggin’)!! Up to the counting of the Reg 4 votes - where the hawk-eyed Mingo was waiting - things were regulah, according to the Opposition. So exactly what was it the PPP had done to make Mingo switch from SOPs to spreadsheets? Stuffed the ballot boxes with fake votes from the dead and emigrated, we’re told. Even with their gimlet-eyed agents in place? Was THAT because of mass hypnosis? Forget about the recount, they snort, the (dirty) deed had already been done!
OK, your Eyewitness gets their subjective truth; but the objective basis still escapes them!! Nasty riggers!!
…heart surgeries
Your Eyewitness was pleased as punch when he read that eight open heart surgeries had been performed in Guyana – and on children at that!! That meant the level of expertise needed had to be that much higher, since the hearts were that much smaller!! And this is the second time these surgeries were being done here!! Now, he knows the “operations” were done by a team of foreign doctors and specialists, but that it was done HERE means we have all the necessary apparatus, instruments and equipment needed for the job!
All that’s needed is for our doctors to acquire the expertise that the furriners have. Now, your Eyewitness isn’t saying that this can be done with the snap of the fingers; far from it! But he knows that our medical personnel are as smart as any other cohort from across the globe. So now GPHC and the Government just gotta get with the programme of training!
And motivating the trainees with decent salaries!!
…oil production
Chevron just announced that they’re gonna be opening a new frontier in oil production – this time dealing with 20,000 psi pressures, up from the previous limits of 15,000 psi - under the Gulf off Louisiana.
Drill baby, drill!!
Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister,
Anil Nandlall believes that it is in Guyana’s interest to stop the enforcement of an arbitral award in favour of US company ConocoPhillips. That company sought and acquired through the High Court, a ruling to register its arbitral award which claims monies owed to Venezuela and its state-owned oil company, PDVSA.
In 2019, ConocoPhillips obtained an arbitral award valuing a large sum of money against the Venezuelan Government. The decision followed moved by the Bolivarian republic to nationalise assets belonging to the US Company. Subsequently, ConocoPhillips moved to enforce the award in countries where PDVSA has assets including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom (UK) and Hong Kong.
This year, the US company approached the local High Court seeking a similar ruling before Justice Gino Persaud, who sought to make the AG a party to the case. However, he disagreed with the AG’s argument on the matter and has since been involved in a public debate.
The attorney general ar-
gued that enforcing the arbitral award would contradict Guyana’s “public policy.”
Given the ongoing border controversy with Venezuela and commitment by both sides to desist from escalating the matter until the International Court of Justice delivers its ruling.
“In that volatile environ-
ment, how do you think the Venezuelan government will view a court in Guyana permitting an American company to take away money owed to Venezuela by Guyana?” Nandlall questioned during his weekly programme ‘Issues in the News’ Tuesday night.
Reports are that the Guyana Government’s escrow account for the payment to Venezuela has a deposit of US$32.01 million under the PetroCaribe agreement.
However, the Judge said the AG’s submission was
designed to intimidate the court, noting that potential investors must not think that international arbitral awards are problematic to recognise, register and enforce in Guyana
On Tuesday evening, the Attorney General said the Government would not have objected to the enforcement of the award in Guyana if there was no ongoing dispute.
“In the ordinary course of things, the state would pay no interest, would have no objection to the registration and enforcement,” he said.
He added that the executive determines the national policy of a country and “If anything goes wrong, it is the executive that has to answer for the national security of this country, it is the executive that has to answer for national sovereignty of the country.”
The AG plans to appeal the case.
It must be noted that the lawyer representing ConocoPhillips is Attorneyat-law and Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) Nigel Hughes.
Police in Regional Division One (BarimaWaini) are investigating an accident that has left one person dead and another injured at Jawbone Backdam Trail, North West District.
Dead is 29-yearold Horman Bumbery of Matthew’s Ridge, NWD while 31-year-old Leon Meadas of the same village was injured.
Reports are that a motor tractor driven by a 35-year-old was transporting Bumbery and 31-yearold Meadas.
However, as the tractor descended a hill, the left-side front and rear wheels fell into a pothole, causing the vehicle to tip over onto its left side. Police said that Bumbery, who was seated on the leftside fender, was pinned under the tractor, while Meadas, seated on the rightside fender, was thrown off, sustaining injuries to his left foot and ribs. He has since been medevacked to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation for further treatment.
Meadas was rushed to Baramita Cottage Hospital by a passerby, where he was admitted in serious condition. Bumbery was removed from under the tractor by public-spirited citizens and was later pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
The driver, who was uninjured, was been taken into custody pending investigation. A breathalyser test conducted on
Political parties and civil society bodies have submitted recommendations to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) regarding the adoption of biometrics and electronic voting to enhance electoral integrity. However, GECOM has clarified that this can only be done with the passage of related legislation.
Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall on Tuesday evening said he disagrees with calls for the implementation of biometrics noting that the Commission should instead work towards hiring “staff with integrity.”
“They must hire staff with integrity, trained
qualified people. People whose character and reputation can withstand scrutiny and who are not prone
to the proclivities we have seen exhibited,” he said referring to attempts to derail the results of the 2020
General and Regional Elections.
The attorney general, whose office is responsible for the drafting and updating of the country’s laws, posited that the current Identification Cards issued by the elections body are sufficient to identify voters.
“You have biometrics already. Your ID Card with your distinguishing marks, with all your particulars, those are biometrics,” he said.
Nandlall believes that the political opposition parties recommending the new system are looking for a means to tamper with the next elections results. “They want an ability to play tricks with the elections. They want to put a
system possibly that they can manipulate,” the AG stated.
Currently, several former staff of GECOM are facing charges for electoral fraud including former Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield and Deputy Chief Elections Officer Roxanne Myers along former IT Officer Enrique Livan. The charges relate to efforts to declare the Opposition APNU+AFC as winner of the 2020 elections.
The elections process including voting were declared free and fair up until the tallying of the Region Four votes which led to a five-month delay of the results.
GECOM has indicated that it has sufficient sys -
tems in place to prevent any form of dishonesty on election day. These include but are not limited to, (i) the presence of political party agents at each polling station, (ii) accurate identification of the voter, (iii) the use of indelible ink, (iv) the presence of security personnel from the Guyana Police Force, (v) the conduct of an intensive voter education campaign, (vi) adequate training of Election Day staff for efficient conduct of the polls, (vii) counting of ballots at the place of poll in the presence of authorised representatives of the contesting parties, and (viii) the presence of local and international observers throughout the voting and counting processes.
oil sales between UK-Guyana accounts for 96.1% of trade revenue
With three floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels now in operation, the sale of crude oil between United Kingdom and Guyana has increased by 96.1 per cent for 2024.
According a report, issued by the Department for Business and Trade dated August 2, 2024, crude oil sale between the two nations amounted to £429.4 million.
In addition, the report revealed successes in the exports and imports for road vehicles and specialised machinery, which saw an increase of 22.5 and 11.1 per cent, respectfully.
In figures, road vehicle accumulated £35.1 million while specialised machinery was £16.0 million.
During a brief press conference on Tuesday, Country Director for Trade and Investment at the Department for Business and Trade, Sherwyn Naughton, explained that the robust growth in trade and investment between
the UK and Guyana signals promising prospects for both nations’ economies.
“It’s really fixed in about four or five sectors that’s really account for the numbers but I know machinery, vehicles, equipment, petrol chemicals, pharmaceuticals are some of the key sectors that account for most of that trade and
also in oil and gas being a recent sector accounts for a significant portion of the trade between Guyana and the UK,” Naughton said.
The trade and investment director added that due the increasing demand for UK products in Guyana and the growing inflow of goods from Guyana into the UK, bilateral trade re-
lations are expected to continue on an upward trajectory in the coming months. Meanwhile, as it relates to the sectors that performed poorly, he disclosed that the Guyana and UK Governments are working aggressively to ensure that the numbers increase in the third and fourth quarters of 2024.
These include trade for beverages and tobacco which saw a decline on 49.0 percent and wood and cork that also declined by
45.8 per cent.
“That is why we have our government-to-government partnership arrangement and that’s why we have the trade missions coming Guyana so that we can have a spill off effect into other sectors and we also focus at the high commission department heavily on sectors such as agriculture, security and defence, and food and drink to increase trade in those areas,” he added.
In 2022, trade between
the UK and Guyana was 12.5 percent in 2022 for services only, however, in 2023 a substantial increase of 312.5 per cent or £1.2 billion recorded for goods and services.
Analysts attribute this significant surge in trade to the strengthening economic ties between the two countries. Guyana emerged last year as the UK’s 78th largest trading partner accounting for 0.1% of the total UK trade. (G1)
Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) on Wednesday (Office of the President photos)
Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) on Wednesday (Office of the President photos)
The highly anticipated Amerindian Heritage Month 2024 celebrations have kickstarted with a call for collective action to push the interests of the country’s indigenous people.
On Wednesday, this year’s Amerindian Heritage Month was launched under the theme: "Many Voices, One Song. Celebrating Amerindian Heritage 2024". Campbelltown, an Amerindian community north of Mahdia, in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), has been named the 2024 Heritage Village.
Scores of individuals from the Indigenous community, Members of Parliament and other dignitaries assembled at the Umana Yana Georgetown for the official launching ceremony.
Speaking at the launch event was Vice Chairperson of the National Toshaos Council (NTC), Sonia Latchman, who reflected on how the month-long celebrations have grown over the years.
“Over the years, Amerindian Heritage Month has grown in significance not just for our indigenous peoples, our communities, but for the entire nation of Guyana. It has become a national celebration
that brings together people from all walks of life to appreciate the unique contributions of the Amerindians of Guyana” she stated.
Latchman also highlighted that whilst the indigenous people of the country have made significant strides over the years to ensure that they are included in the country’s economic development, additional work must be done to improve the lives of Amerindian citizens further.
“We have made significant contributions in the education sector, the health sector, and other sectors,
and we have had many community developments. But there remains work to be done, and the work to be done requires our collective attention and action. We must continue to advocate for policies that protect our rights and promote sustainable development, ensuring that our villages blossom into a rapidly changing one. As we launch Amerindian Heritage Month, let us do so with a sense of unity and purpose” she explained.
On this note, she encouraged persons who will be celebrating throughout the month to exercise
safety at all times. “Once again, the National Toshao Council wish you a wonderful Amerindian Heritage Month. As we do so, and as we celebrate, let us do so with much pride. And I can't say sober, because I know what some my indigenous peoples will do, but I will definitely say, let us celebrate responsibly” she stated.
Notably absent from the celebrations was the Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai, who had accompanied President Dr. Irfaan Ali for an outreach in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) on Wednesday. However, representing the Minister was Member of Parliament, Alister Charlie, who shared similar sentiments, highlighting the importance of the Amerindian Heritage Month celebrations.
“This occasion is not merely a formal gathering, but a powerful reminder of the enduring spirit, rich cultural tapestry, and invaluable contributions of our Amerindian brothers and sisters across the length and breadth of the land of many waters. Today, we stand united as one nation to honour the legacy and achievements of the people who have played a foundational
role in shaping our country's identity” he noted.
Moreover, Charlie went on to remind of some of the key political figures that paved the way for Amerindians to be recognised and given the opportunities that other ethnic communities in the country receive.
“Amerindian Heritage Month, as we know it today, was not always part of our national calendar. It was the late President, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, alongside the visionary People's Progressive Party Civic Government, in 1995, who made the landmark decision to designate the month of September
as Amerindian Heritage Month. This decision was not a mere act of recognition, but a profound statement of intent, a commitment to ensuring that the contributions, culture, and history of our Amerindian communities are celebrated and preserved for generations to come,” he explained. Since its inception, every year in the month of September, Guyanese from all walks of life celebrate the country’s Indigenous culture through numerous activities including food and craft exhibitions, pageants, cultural extravaganza, sport activities and the Village Heritage Day celebrations.
Once gas production exceeds local demand, the Caricom member states will be given the first preference to purchase the excess gas. This is according to Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat who said a number of those countries have already approached the government.
“Once we develop that and we have excess gas, obviously our Caricom partners will be persons who we will turn to and speak to because we’ve developed a good relationship through the chairmanship of our President at Caricom.
CARICOM has been reenergised and revitalised and they’re looking to Guyana for support, especially from the oil and gas sector, so I don’t see us looking past our Caricom sister coun-
tries before we go to other countries,” he stated
during a press conference.
The progressing Gas to Energy (GtE) project being undertaken by ExxonMobil in cooperation with the Government of Guyana will utilise gas from the Liza Phase 1 and 2 projects on the Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana. With an expected startup date of December 2024, the project will bring associated 50 million standard cubic feet of gas per day onshore.
However, other projects including Hammerhead and Longtail will eventually begin production. “We were told too that the longtail development will provide more gas than the other two development,” the Natural Resources
Minister said.
Even so, he noted that the demand for energy is constantly increasing.
“The demand for energy will increase so we will require far more than the 300 megawatts in a couple years’ time. [Therefore,] It is a bit premature now to say who we can sell to and how much we can sell to them,” he noted.
Already, the government is looking at a second power plant to boost the local manufacturing sector and increase value-added exports.
The GtE project and any similar projects in the future will reduce the country’s high electricity cost.
The Thomas Lands Road project being executed by J.K.P Construction is scheduled to be completed by October 26.
This first phrase of works is valued at $30 million.
Works commenced on the project in December 2023, and like most infrastructural undertakings in Guyana- it faced delays.
Guyana Times was that the contractor experienced procurement challenges when acquiring geosynthetic materials used to protect the structural integrity of the road and prevent the granular subbase material from slipping into the weak substrate.
In a written reply to this publication, Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill revealed that the materials were estimated to be delivered in three months, however, it took five months. He related that liquidated damages as stipulated by contract will be enforced if
they delay further.
Currently the project is 50 per cent complete, with sections of the roads paved to cater for commuters going to and from Vlissengen Road and Camp Street.
Next week, excavation works will commence on the carriage way spanning from the Albert to Camp Street, which is in the vicinity of the Queens College High School.
This aspect of the road’s construction is part of efforts to restructure
the pertinent piece of infrastructure to ensure that when complete, it is sturdy enough to accommodate heavy-duty vehicles, as government aims to ease traffic congestion on Carifesta Avenue.
In fact, a new technology called Mechanically Stabilised Earth wall is being employed on both sides of the road to reinforce and stabilise the aging infrastructure.
This innovative method utilises geo-grid and
geo-fabric materials filled with sand at the base and concrete in the outer walls, ensuring durability and stability.
Back in June, the Manager of Traffic, Safety & Maintenance at the Public Works Ministry, Kester Hinds explained
that this method will allow the contractor to widen the road, to cater to vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.
According to Minister Edghill, when complete, the road not only provides advantages for the residents in the vicinity, but
Furthermore, it was noted by the
the
roads extend from Lamaha to conversation tree, and further to Sheriff Street in a western direction. (G1)
Machinery Corporation of Guyana Limited (MACORP) on Wednesday commissioned a 326 CAT excavator at EKAA HRIM Resources Inc in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) as the company begins its quarry operation.
A MACORP team led by Sales & Marketing Manager, Jordi Pinol, travelled to the Cuyuni site for the simple commissioning ceremony in Cuyuni. In addition to
supplying the equipment, MACORP also provided training for four operators for the quarry.
Chief Operating Officer at EKAA HRIM Resources Inc., Shiva Kumar, expressed his gratitude to MACORP for their support.
“This marks the beginning of a promising partnership with MACORP, our equipment supplier, whom we thank for their timely delivery and continued support,” Kumar
said, according to a statement from MACORP.
Other team members from MACORP included EMS Superintendent, Rodney Jaramillo; Sales Representatives, Conan Wilson and Mahindra Singh; Trainer, Dexter Savory; and Marketing & Communications Manager, Nadia DeAbreu.
MACORP said it will continue to provide support through its technology platform, vision link, to monitor the perfor -
mance of the excavator, enroll the machine in the Caterpillar Fuel Promise programme, and provide parts support through its Bartica branch.
EKAA HRIM Resources Inc. was established a year ago, with the inauguration led by His Excellency, President Irfaan Ali. Since then, the company has been putting systems in place to begin operation. The company employs over 60 staff members.
Meanwhile, MACORP also used the opportunity to present certificates to 11 excavator operators at BK Quarries, who recently completed the training programme. MACORP facilitated the training at the Mazaruni River location.
Brian Tiwari of BK Group of Companies said the company is definitely better off with the training provided.
“Not only are we able to operate the machines bet -
ter but this training has equipped the team with premaintenance, knowledge and skills which will support productivity and efficiency.
“Now we can buy more machines because it means we'll have more production,” Tiwari said.
BK Quarries Inc. – a subsidiary of BK Group of Companies – is located on the Mazaruni River and is one of the largest quarry facilities in the Caribbean.
The government is on track to sign the contract for the third cost oil audit of ExxonMobil’s expenses, covering the 2021 to 2023 period, an important step towards the goal of making the audits current.
In his first press conference for the year, Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat on Wednesday also revealed that the government’s intention is to have the contract go to a local consortium, in partnership with international companies.
“We’re well on course to sign that in a month, in September. Again, we’re looking at the same model (as the second audit) where we can have the local consortium partner with international companies or a company. So, we can build capacity,” Bharrat said.
The contract for the third cost oil audit for the 2021 to 2023 period was tendered earlier this year. When the bids were opened in March at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) in Georgetown, it was revealed that Guyanese companies did indeed throw their hats in the race.
VHE Consulting – the same Guyanese consortium that did the second audit (2018 to 2020) – had submitted a bid to the tune of $229 million. The second bid came from London-based Grant Thorton UK LLP and PFK Barcellos Narine & Co, which did not have a bid price at the time.
Priced at $202.8 million, the third bid is a joint venture of local Guyanese firm N Sookhai & Company and the Nigeria-based Infoworks Solutions Ltd.
Bharrat meanwhile hit back at concerns that have been expressed regarding the findings in the 2018-2020 audit done by a consortium of local and foreign audit firms, that some costs had been overstated.
Guyanese firms
Ramdihal and Haynes Chartered Accounting, and Professional Services Firm
Vitality Accounting and Consultancy Inc., and Eclisar Financial & Professional Services had partnered with Oklahoma-based Martindale
Consultants Inc. and the Swiss technical company SGS to conduct that audit.
However, while there had been criticisms that the government seemed not to be taking any action on the findings, the minister explained that the government had to await the final report before any action could be taken.
“The purpose of the audit is to look at whether Exxon is using revenue in the Canje and Kaieteur block, but is being added to the Stabroek cost bank. In fact, rather than carrying negative statements, the auditors should be commended for finding these inaccuracies, of seeing expenses in the Canje and Kaieteur block, under the Stabroek cost bank.”
“And to say that we are not doing anything about it is unfair, because there is no final report on the second audit as yet. It simply means we’ll take that cost out of the cost bank, before any final report is produced. There is no way the government will accept expenses from Canje and Kaieteur, in the Stabroek cost bank,” Bharrat made clear.
The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) had flagged inaccuracies in declarations made by a Trinidadian logistics company that acted as the broker on oil well equipment imported for ExxonMobil. It was reported that the company, in submitting the declaration, had listed US$4.4 million worth of oil well equipment as a whopping US$12.1 billion.
This revelation had prompted government to take certain steps to ensure this was a one-off incident, with Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo explaining that GRA
would be checking previous invoices to see whether this was a one-off occurrence.
“We’re now ensuring that before we finalise any of the [cost oil] audits – the second audit, the GRA will go back and check all the back-invoices for the past several years, to see that there’s been no overstatement on any of these invoices. This is a serious matter, and we’re taking it seriously,” the Vice President had said back in May.
ExxonMobil Guyana, for its part, had claimed that it was a typographical error that caused the worth of the equipment to be overstated in November 2023. Further, the oil company had said that it had cut ties with the supplier and had beefed up its internal systems.
And in response to a March 18, 2024 letter from GRA, asking it to show cause why proceedings should not be instituted against it, Exxon had committed to working along with GRA to address any further concerns on the matter. However, Jagdeo had said in May that GRA had proceeded to file legal proceedings over the US$12.1 billion overstatement for the oil well equipment.
Other
When it comes to the first cost oil audit, British firm IHS Markit had flagged US$214.4 million as questionable costs of ExxonMobil’s expenses incurred between 1999 and 2017 from its operations in Guyana.
Government had subsequently declared its intentions to move to arbitration to settle this disputed amount being claimed by the US oil major. And according to
Bharrat, there is nothing sinister regarding the government’s handling of this matter, making it clear that the money will be removed from the cost bank, provided the matter does not reach arbitration.
“In terms of the audits, the first audit as you know… we have closed that. At the US$214 Million figure. Based on advice, we would have written Exxon, saying this is the final report. We are awaiting the response. I think there’s a time period for that response. And then we’ll take it from there.”
“But from the government’s perspective and our position, is that the final report has been closed off. And the US$214 Million. Let me stress too, not only for the media but for the viewers as well, that there was this perception and allegation, against myself. The Vice President, staff members, that there is some kind of sinister motive behind the whole issue of that first audit.”
Bharrat explained that in the first instance, the audit had nothing to do with exchange of payments, but merely the verification of payments made. He made it clear that neither he nor his ministry benefited from any money from the oil company.
“So, when we say its
US$214 Million, it doesn’t mean in any way that US$214 million will be transferred from Exxon to the Ministry of Natural Resources. It doesn’t work like that. That’s not how audits work. It simply means that US$214 Million, once we agree, will be removed from the cost bank. It means the country doesn’t have to pay back that US$214 Million.”
“It’s just writing off the amount from the cost bank. That’s the only transaction involved there, where once the government says this is the final amount, Exxon agrees and we don’t go to arbitration, then the US$214 Million comes out of the cost bank. The cost bank is reduced.”
Following months of review, GRA – the technical body tasked with advising the government on the audited oil expenses – had
supported the dispute of the US$214.4 million, as flagged by IHS Markit.
Based on the 2016 oil contract that was signed between ExxonMobil and the then A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government, Guyana will have to incur the cost of the oil company’s legal fees should the matter go to arbitration. And according to Bharrat during his press conference, the government prefers to avoid arbitration if possible.
“We’re hoping this matter can be resolved amicably, between the two parties. And that we don’t reach the stage of arbitration. If we’ve got to go to the stage of arbitration, we’ll have to do it. Because its US$214 Million we’re talking about. And if it costs us 1/10 of that, it makes perfect sense,” Bharrat said. (G3)
An eradication exercise conducted by Regional Police Division Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) on Tuesday led to the discovery of a Browning shotgun and live ammunition during a raid along the Berbice River.
Police stated that the operation was conducted between 03:30h and 01:00h as officers targeted a one-storey wooden house at Fort Nassau, where two men were present.
According to Police, upon spotting the approaching officers, the men fled the scene.
During a search of the house, police discovered a Browning shotgun, five live cartridges, and one suspected spent cartridge. The firearm and ammunition were confiscated, and no license was found at the scene. The suspects remain at large, and the police continue their investigation.
As of mid-2024, local companies have earned some US$314 million from the oil and gas sector, according to Director of the Local Content Secretariat (LCS), Dr. Martin Pertab.
As mandated under the Local Content Act, contractors and subcontractors must submit half-year reports to the LCS, providing an update on the procurement activities, employment and capacity-building programme.
Addressing a news conference on Wednesday, Dr. Pertab revealed that the Secretariat has received 40 such reports and it was observed that from the 40-carved-out-areas in the Local Content Act, local companies have earned some US$314 million so far
– which is over 50 per cent of the 2024 projected estimate.
He noted that when com-
pared to mid-2023, there was a 238 per cent increase in demand for engineering and machining services, a
The first batch of 50 residents from Uitvlugt, along the West Coast of Demerara (WCD), will soon begin poultry production to become self-sufficient, following the launch of a poultry programme on Wednesday.
Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha said persons will receive 50-100 broilers or black giant chickens from the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) to increase the country’s poultry production.
According to a DPI report, the agriculture minister made the assertion while launching the agriculture initiative, at Branford’s residence in the Region Three community. “We will work along with you through the GLDA. We will work along with you to start the poultry activity that the president would have committed. By next Wednesday, Dr. Walrond [GLDA’s Chief Executive Officer], and his team will return to work with the entire group, so that we can have a group of people
producing poultry at a cheaper cost in the community,” Mustapha disclosed.
The programme has already benefitted residents in Regions Four, Six, and 10, as well as hinterland regions. Cognisant of the global disease affecting poultry, Minister Mustapha noted that the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) is currently undertaking measures to manage the issue to stabilise chicken costs.
“We are working with the
large and small poultry farmers. There are a number of persons’ businesses that were affected by the disease. Last year, we gave $29 million to the poultry industry to purchase vaccines to vaccinate the chickens,” he added.
The minister was accompanied by Director-General of the Ministry, Madanlall Ramraj, and Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), Dr. Dwight Walrond.
The Bahamas’ Foreign Affairs Minister, Fred Mitchell, says Prime Minister Phillip Davis has been “ordered” to take bed rest, after apparently disobeying doctors and overstraining himself, weeks after undergoing surgery in the United States.
“So, you know he had surgery a couple of weeks ago, and as usual, we disobey our doctors and overstrain ourselves. So, he has been ordered to have bed rest for three days. So … I bring apologies on his behalf,” Mitchell said, explaining Davis’ ab-
sence from a church service to celebrate Fox Hill day on Tuesday.
Mitchell, who is the parliamentary representative for Fox Hill, told reporters that Prime Minister Davis, who underwent surgery to correct sciatica, had presided over a Cabinet meeting earlier this week, but took “an early break”.
Health Minister Dr. Michael Darville said last month that Prime Minister Davis had successful surgery in the United States after experiencing excruciating pain over the course of several
39 per cent increase for accommodation services, a 48.5 per cent increase in equipment rental services and an 18.8 per cent increase in catering services.
These increases, Dr. Pertab noted, can be attributed to the growth in petroleum activities as a result of the arrival of the third FPSO in local waters.
Over
Some US$700 million was generated from local content in 2022 while in 2023, it was projected to have been US720 million.
It was also revealed that from January to June this year, there have been over 454 new hires by the 40 companies. Dr. Pertab noted that while the total number of Guyanese employed
by these companies now stands at 4,467, it is estimated that over 6500 locals are working in the oil and gas sector.
He also noted that there has been an investment of over US$3.8 million in capacity building, with 14 individuals receiving scholarships amounting to US$525,000.
Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud on Tuesday met with residents in several communities along the East Coast corridor, to address social issues and offer the ministry’s services.
The meetings, according to a DPI report, were held at the Better Hope Community Center Ground, Success Ballfield, and La Bonne Intention (LBI) Community Center Ground.
While engaging residents, Minister Persaud thanked the senior citizens for their years of economic contributions and shared her ministry’s plans to keep them actively involved in community life.
“We are rolling out a community programme where we will organise activities for older folks to participate from the communities…The Better Hope community will be the pilot for this initiative that will occur at least twice a week,
after which it will be rolled out to other communities,”
Dr. Persaud is quoted by DPI as saying.
Staff from various ministry departments including the Difficult Circumstances Unit, Childcare Protection Agency, and Family Enhancement and Services Section were also on-site to provide immediate service.
Persons could also register for various services such as old-age pensions and social assistance programmes.
“This is something we
do all through the year and this is taking the ministry’s services to the communities, giving me and the entire team a chance to engage with you, to understand how we can better serve you, how we can deal with any challenges that you have with our services, Dr. Vindhya Persaud emphasised.
The Difficult Circumstances Unit also distributed hampers and walking canes to the senior citizens.
months while standing.
But Mitchell told reporters that the prime minister may have been overexerting himself too soon after the procedure.
“He’s fine. He had an operation on his back, and you know he was at several public functions, so on and so forth. And so, you should really be more careful. We’ve been trying to tell him slow down, slow down, slow down. He’s going to take doctor’s orders,” Mitchell said.
“He’ll be back up and running,” he added. —NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC)
Agroup of United Nations experts has said that Venezuela's presidential election lacked "basic transparency and integrity".
The UN panel of experts has echoed the criticism levelled by the Carter Center, whose independent observers said earlier that the election "could not be considered democratic".
Both organisations have criticised Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) for declaring the incumbent, Nicolás Maduro, the winner without publishing detailed voting tallies.
The UN human rights chief had earlier warned of a "climate of fear" caused by arbitrary detentions carried out in the wake of the election.
According to the Venezuelan government, more than 2,400 people have been detained since 29 July - the day the disputed election result was announced.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said in a statement published on Tuesday
that "it is especially troubling that so many people are being detained, accused or charged with incitement to hatred under counterterrorism legislation". The UN denounced the fact that in the weeks since the vote, street protests and criticism on social media had been met with "fierce repression" by the state.
It said its independent rights experts had recorded 23 deaths between 28 Julywhen the election was heldand 8 August. Most of them were caused by gunfire.
Mr Maduro on Monday put the death toll at 25 and blamed "opposition violence" for the deaths.
He urged the justice system - which is largely under the control of his socialist PSUV party - to act with an "iron fist". (BBC)
Brazil's Lula nods to 'longterm partnership' with
Brazilian President
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday that he will discuss a "long-term strategic partnership" with China when he meets his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping later this year in Brazil.
Lula mentioned at an event that China, Brazil's top trade partner, is aiming to talk to the South American country about its Belt and Road Initiative.
He signaled that Brazil would be open to joining the initiative.
The leftist leader will receive Xi for a state vis -
it in Brasilia following the G20 leaders' summit in Rio de Janeiro in November.
Lula noted, however,
that he does not want his country's ties with China to compromise its relationship with the United States. Brazil and the U.S. are the two largest democracies in the Western Hemisphere.
"We want our economy to be stronger than ever, so we need to find partners," Lula said. "Do not think that I want to pick a fight with the U.S. On the contrary, I want the U.S. on our side as much as I want China." Brazil and China are both members of the BRICS group of major emerging economies.
(Excerpted from Reuters)
Ernesto becomes a hurricane after pummeling northeast Caribbean and knocking out power
Ernesto strengthened into a hurricane on Wednesday as it dropped torrential rain on Puerto Rico and left nearly half of all clients in the U.S. territory without power as it threatened to become a major storm en route to Bermuda.
The storm was located about 175 miles (280 kilometers) northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico and was moving over open waters. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and was moving northwest at 16 mph (26 kph).
“The official forecast still reflects the possibility of Ernesto becoming a major hurricane in about 48 hours,” the National Hurricane Center said late Wednesday morning.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for
Puerto Rico and its outlying islands of Vieques and Culebra and for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.
“I know it was a long night listening to that wind howl,” U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. said in a news conference.
An island-wide blackout was reported in St. John and St. Croix, and at least six cell phone towers were knocked offline across the U.S. territory, said Daryl Jaschen, emergency management director.
He added that the airports in St. Croix and St. Thomas were expected to reopen at midday.
Schools and government agencies remained closed in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, where heavy flooding was reported in several areas, forc-
ing officials to block roads, some of which were strewn with trees. More than 140 flights also were canceled to and from Puerto Rico.
Amid the relentless rain, officials opened one of Puerto Rico’s biggest dams and evacuated some residents from the north coastal town of Toa Baja as torrents of churning brown water flowed toward it.
Ernesto is forecast to move through open waters for the rest of the week and make its closest approach to Bermuda on Friday and Saturday. It is expected to become a major Category 3 storm in the upcoming days and then weaken slightly to a Category 2 as it nears Bermuda.
Forecasters also warned of heavy swells along the U.S. East Coast. (T&T Guardian)
Argentines, feeling the pinch of the world's highest annual inflation rates, are feeling both hopeful and weary as monthly price increases dip to their lowest in over two years amid tough austerity measures under President Javier Milei.
Inflation in July came in at 4%, Argentina's INDEC statistics agency reported on Wednesday, the lowest since the start of 2022. In the 12 months through July, however, inflation topped 263% - making it still the highest
recorded in the world.
The South American country is trying to emerge from a severe economic crisis which ushered libertarian outsider Milei into power late last year as voters opted for a radical new approach to restore stability.
Milei's sharp cost-cutting campaign has helped bolster the state's embattled finances, allowed the central bank to rebuild reserves, and tamped down inflation - though it has taken a heavy toll on economic activity. Poverty levels have also risen.
"I am tired, but this is something different to what we have seen before, that's for sure," said Miguel Jamui, a 69-year-old retired worker, who is hopeful Milei's maverick approach will start to yield results.
Milei's policies have helped bring down monthly inflation from over 25% in December to now 4% in July, though the country has slid into recession and subsidy cuts have pushed up prices of certain services and goods. (Reuters)
Swift investigations by the Kingston Western police have resulted in a 17-year-old student being charged for a double murder, which occurred in Craig Town, Kingston 12, two weeks ago.
The student was charged with two counts each of murder, possession of a prohibited weapon, unauthorised possession of ammunition and using a firearm to commit a felony.
The double murder occurred at a bar at the cor-
ner of Union Street and Clarence Road in Craig Town. Kingston 12, on July 28, 2024.
The deceased were identified as 64-year-old Carlyle Lyons, otherwise called ‘Jungle Youth’ from Union Street and 62-year-old Trevor ‘Cow’ Collins, from Pouyatt Street in the community. Lyons operated the bar where the incident took place, the police reported.
Reports were that around 1:50 pm, both men were at the bar when they
were pounced upon by several men armed with guns. The men opened gunfire, hitting them.
Lyons was shot in his chest, while Collins received injuries to the left and right side.
Police assisted the injured men to the Kingston Public Hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead. The accused teen was charged after he was pointed out during an identification parade, the police said.
(Jamaica Observer)
ANSA Mc AL Group of Companies boasted of a $38 million increase in profits for the first half of the year ending June 30, recording $258.8 million in profits after tax.
The reported profits marked an increase as compared to the same period the year before, when the company earned $220.7 million.
The figures were revealed in the company’s limited unaudited consolidated financial statements for the period, published in the TT Stock Exchange’s website on August 14.
The statements said revenue increased by five per cent, from $3.251 billion for the period in 2023, to $3.429 billion this year. Profits before tax increased by 17 per cent, from $311 million in 2023, to $363 million this year.
Chairman Norman A Sabga said in his statements that well-executed working capital management strategies boosted the Group’s cash flows from operations, increasing to 10.6 per cent as compared to a nine per cent increase in 2023. The construction, man-
ufacturing, packaging and brewing segment increased its profits before tax by 33 per cent and the banking segment also performed well, increasing revenue by 21 per cent and increasing profits before tax by 22 per cent over the prior year.
“We remain focused on the achievement of our 2X objective of becoming a $2 billion PBT (profit-before-tax) company by 2027,” Sabga said. “Our people-centered culture emphasis on sustainability and investment in growth will continue to drive our success.” (T&T Newsday)
MASSY Stores has announced the impending sale of its in-store pharmacy assets to SuperPharm, allowing the brand to sell out of its current locations.
In newspaper advertisements on August 13, Massy said the sale would benefit Massy Stores customers, affording them an enhanced experience and “specialised service.”
SuperPharm and Massy Stores have ten locations in Trinidad each but none in Tobago.
Chief executive Kavi Panday said the move “is consistent with Massy’s transformational agenda as they remain focused on innovating supermarket retail in Trinidad.”
Massy said the transition is “expected to cause minimal disruption” to the pharmacies.
Massy Stores said loyalty card holders would continue to receive benefits at the in-store pharmacies and that the in-store pharmacies would operate independently when the sale is complet-
ed.
SuperPharm chief executive said, “We are excited to partner with Massy Stores…As specialists in the retail pharmacy business, SuperPharm is widely known for expert counselling by our pharmacists, accessibility to affordable, genuine products and the continuous value we add.
“Massy customers will continue to enjoy their benefits at the in-store pharmacies as we accompany them on their wellness journey.”
(T&T Newsday)
n oil production breakthrough that producers say can safely tap ultra-high-pressure fields could put up to 5 billion barrels of previously inaccessible crude into production, analysts said.
Chevron on Monday disclosed it had pumped first oil from a field at 20,000 pounds per square inch pressures, a third greater than any prior well. Its $5.7 billion Anchor project employs specially designed equipment from NOV (NOV.N), opens new tab, Dril-Quip (DRQ.N), and drillships from Transocean (RIGN.S).
The No. 2 U.S. oil firm began pumping from the first Anchor well on Sunday, with the second already drilled and close to being ready to turn on, said Bruce Niemeyer, head of Americas oil exploration and production.
A 2010 blowout at Gulf of Mexico's Macondo prospect killed 11 workers, fouled fisheries and covered area beaches in oil.
Transocean was the operator of the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon vessel and BP (BP.L), was the owner of the Macondo project. Both are involved in the new, higher pressure well developments.
Today, the industry is employing new drillships and equipment that has been created to cope with the extreme pressures that are a third greater than encountered in the Macondo failure.
"The industry has done their bit to safely deliver the barrels, with the new technology," said Mfon Usoro, a principal analyst who focuses on Gulf of Mexico operations at research firm Wood Mackenzie.
The new gear promises Chevron's Anchor and similar projects by Beacon Offshore Energy and BP will deliver a combined 300,000 barrels of new oil, and put 2 billion barrels of previously unavailable U.S. oil within producers' reach, she said.
"These ultra-high pressure fields are going to be a big driver for production growth in the Gulf of Mexico," Usoro added.
The Gulf of Mexico has produced below the record 2019 level of 2 million barrels per day, and the additional oil could help return the region to its peak output.
BP has its own high-pressure technology it hopes can tap 10 billion barrels of known oil. Its first 20k project, Kaskida, was discovered in 2006 and put aside because of a lack of highpressure technology. (Reuters)
UK woman jailed over ‘blow the mosque up’ Facebook post after
A53-year-old woman who lived a “quiet, sheltered” life has been jailed for 15 months for posting a comment on Facebook which said: “Blow the mosque up with the adults in it.”
Julie Sweeney, of Church Lawton, Cheshire, pleaded guilty at Chester crown court to sending a communication to convey a threat of death or serious harm.
She was part of a Facebook community group which had 5,100 members. Responding to a photograph which showed a number of white and Asian people involved in the clean-up after disorder in Southport, she posted: “It’s absolutely ridiculous. Don’t protect the mosques. Blow the mosque up with the adults in it.”
The rapid spread of mpox, formerly called monkeypox, in African countries constitutes a global health emergency, the World Health Organization declared on Wednesday.
This is the second time in three years that the W.H.O. has designated an mpox epidemic as a global emergency. It previously did so in July 2022. That outbreak went on to affect nearly 100,000 people, primarily gay and bisexual men, in 116 countries, and killed about 200 people.
The threat this time is deadlier. Since the beginning of this year, the Democratic Republic of Congo alone has reported more than 14,000 mpox cases and 524 deaths. Those most at risk include women
and children under 15.
“The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of mpox in eastern D.R.C., its detection in neighboring countries that had not previously reported mpox, and
the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director general.
The outbreak has
spread through 13 countries in Africa, including a few that had never reported mpox cases before. On Tuesday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared a “public health emergency of continental security,” the first time the organization has taken that step since the African Union granted it the power to do so last year.
“It’s in the interests of the countries, of the continent and of the world to get our arms around this and stop transmission as soon as we can,” said Dr. Nicole Lurie, the executive director for preparedness and response at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a nonprofit that finances vaccine development. (New York Times)
Asenior Hamas official told the BBC that it will not participate in the indirect talks on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal due to resume in Doha on Thursday.
The Palestinian armed group wanted a roadmap for implementing the agreement and would “not engage in negotiations for the sake
of negotiations in order to provide cover for Israel to continue its war”, the official said.
He reiterated that the roadmap should be based on the proposed deal outlined by US President Joe Biden at the end of May and accused Israel of adding “new conditions”.
Israel’s prime minister
Japan's Prime Minister Kishida to resign, paving way for new
Sentencing, Judge Steven Everett, the honorary recorder of Chester, said in circumstances such as these “even people like you need to go to prison”.
He jailed her for 15 months, telling her: “You should have been looking at the news and media with horror like every right-minded person. Instead, you chose to take part in stirring up hatred.
“You had a big audience. You threatened a mosque … It truly was a terrible threat.”
The judge said “so-called keyboard warriors” like Sweeney “have to learn to take responsibility for their language – particularly in the context of the disorder that was going on around the country”. (The Guardian)
Japan's Prime Minister
Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday he would step down next month, succumbing to public disaffection over political scandals and rising living costs that marred his three-year term, and setting off a scramble to replace him.
"Politics cannot function without public trust," he told a press conference to reveal his decision not to seek re-election as the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
"I made this heavy deci-
sion thinking of the public, with the strong will to push political reform forward."
The LDP will hold a contest in September to replace him as president of the party, and, by extension, as prime minister.
Kishida's ratings dipped after he took office in 2021 following revelations about the LDP's ties to the controversial Unification Church.
His popularity took another hit when a slush fund of unrecorded political donations made at LDP fundraising events came to light.
He also faced public discontent as wages failed to keep pace with rising living costs as Japan finally shook off years of deflationary pressure.
"An LDP incumbent prime minister cannot run in the presidential race unless he's assured of a victory," said Koichi Nakano, a professor of political science at Sophia University.
"It's like the grand champion yokozunas of sumo. You don't just win, but you need to win with grace." (Reuters)
has denied doing so and said Hamas has been the one demanding changes. The talks are still expected to take place even without Hamas, as US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators say they could use them to put together a plan that resolves the remaining issues.
They suffered several setbacks last month and have been suspended since Hamas's political leader and chief negotiator, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in Tehran.
The US hopes that finalising a deal could deter Iran
from retaliating for the assassination against Israelwhich has neither confirmed nor denied involvementand avert a regional conflict.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
More than 39,960 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. (BBC)
Ukraine says advance into Russia 'going well', creates strategic buffer
Ukraine's forces advanced further into Russia's Kursk region on Wednesday as Kyiv said its gains would provide a strategic buffer zone to protect its border areas from Russian attacks.
Kyiv's surge into Russian territory last week caught Moscow by surprise. Russian forces that began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 had been grinding out steady gains all year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met top officials to discuss the humanitarian situation and possible establishment of military administrations in an occupied area that Ukraine says exceeds 1,000 sq km (390 sq miles). "We continue to advance further in the Kursk region," Zelenskiy wrote on
Telegram, "from one to two km in various areas since the start of the day".
Later, in his nightly address, Zelenskiy referred to the growing number of Russian prisoners of war taken in the Kursk region who could be exchanged for Ukrainian fighters.
"Our advance in the Kursk region is going well today – we are reaching our strategic goal. The 'exchange fund' for our state has also been significantly replenished."
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said creation of a "buffer zone" was "designed to protect our border communities from daily enemy attacks". Russia has been pummelling Ukraine with strikes launched from adjacent border territories, including the Kursk region. (Reuters)
(March 21-April 19)
Be careful who you trust. Verify information before passing it along. Ease stress through relaxation or an activity that helps you maintain emotional stability. Keep an open mind.
Don't fool yourself into thinking someone will help you out of the goodness of their heart. There will be a price to pay or hidden costs that come your way if you aren't cautious.
(May 21-June 20) (April 20-May 20)
(June 21-July 22)
(July 23-Aug. 22)
(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)
(Oct. 24-Nov. 22)
Look for legitimate opportunities. If something sounds too good to be true, take a pass. Make your own opportunities rather than tag along with someone else. Avoid the easy path.
An open mind will gather wisdom and knowledge. Travel, education and observation will help you gauge trends and figure out how to take advantage of an opportunity. Seize the moment.
Reach out to groups or people who can contribute to your success. Start a dialogue and determine what's available and the cost involved. A friendly but confident attitude will pay off.
Work behind the scenes. Stay out of the way and out of trouble. Use wisdom and experience when dealing with situations threatening your position or prosperity. Choose discipline over bravado.
Point yourself in the direction you want to go, then run to the finish line. Create opportunities, learn as you go and let your intelligence and charm help you stand out.
Look over your shoulder and protect your ideas, possessions and reputation. Be careful not to give anyone inside information that allows them to beat you to the finish line. Take the high road.
(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)
Keep the information flowing, learn all you can and incorporate your findings into your routine. Efficiency is the path to freedom; don't rely on others to make decisions for you.
(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Emotional deception is prevalent. Whether you fool yourself into believing what's false or allow someone to lead you astray, regret will follow. Get the facts and get back on track.
(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
A change is overdue, but first, figure out how to make things happen. Check to see if there are any incentives or offers that can bring you closer to your objective. Look for opportunities.
Simplify your life. If you let others intervene or lure you into temptation, you will fall short of your expectations. Don't take risks with your relationships, health or assets.
Kylian Mbappe has scored on debut as Real Madrid beat Atalanta to claim a record sixth Uefa Super Cup in Warsaw.
The French forward, 25, was barely involved during the first period, as Real struggled to find their rhythm against Gian Piero Gasperini’s well-drilled side. However, Real were transformed after the break, and Federico
pass to open the scoring.
As Atalanta began to fade, Mbappe doubled Real’s lead, accelerating onto Jude Bellingham’s pass before dispatching an effort into the top corner.
Atalanta had started the contest as the brighter team, with Marten de Roon’s effort ricocheting off Eder Militao and striking the Real crossbar. And with Mbappe operating in a central role
fort on the stroke of half-time, which hit the Atalanta bar, was the best Real had to offer.
However, Carlo Ancelotti’s side went through the gears after the interval, and by the time Mbappe was withdrawn late on, they looked comfortable winners.
Bellingham shines as Mbappe
ast bowler Kwena
FMaphaka, Player of the Tournament at this year’s Under-19 World Cup, is in line for a senior international debut after being included in South Africa’s squad to play West Indies in three T20Is later this month.
The call-up tops a stellar year for Maphaka, who helped South Africa U-19 to the semi-final of the World Cup, where he took 21 wickets at an average of 9.71.
He also made his provincial debut for Lions just before that, and was picked by Mumbai Indians for IPL 2024, all in the space of three months.
“Kwena has been identified as a player with significant potential, and this tour presents a great opportunity to include him in the Proteas environment and gain valuable international experience,” South Africa’s whiteball coach Rob Walter has said. In his short career so far, Maphaka has shown a remarkable level of maturity in balancing pace and control against some of the best young batters in the game. He is completing his final year at school, with matriculation examinations imminent, but will take some time away from the books to possibly make his international
cricket bow.
Jason Smith, a middle-order batter who was Dolphins’ top-scorer in the CSA T20 challenge in 202324, is the other new name in South Africa’s playing group. With T20I cricket taking a backseat after the recent World Cup, and with the next one two years away, South Africa’s squad contains a mix of old and new names, and is without several regulars.
Quinton de Kock is perhaps the most notable absentee from the T20 World Cup squad. He has not confirmed his international retirement, although it has been widely speculated. De Kock had stepped away from Tests in 2021, from ODIs in 2023, and had indicated that the T20 World Cup in June this year would be his last international assignment.
However, he has not made a definite announcement yet, and would be playing for Barbados Royals in the CPL which starts on August 30, three days after the third and final T20I against West Indies.
CPL could also be the reason behind the exclusion of Heinrich Klaasen, Anrich Nortje, David Miller and Tabraiz Shamsi, although Tristan Stubbs, who has been signed by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, has been included
in the squad. Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj and Marco Jansen are being rested, while Nqaba Peter, the legspinner who made his T20I debut against West Indies in May, could not be considered, as he continues rehabilitation after a shoulder injury.
That would leave the main spin-bowling duties to Bjorn Fortuin, who was a reserve player at the T20 World Cup.
Lungi Ngidi would lead the pace pack, with Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger and Lizaad Williams alongside, while Wiaan Mulder and Patrick Kruger would provide seam-bowling allrounder options.
Rassie van der Dussen has been recalled after missing out on the T20 World Cup, but there is no room for Matthew Breetzke. Aiden Markram, meanwhile, would continue to captain the side.
“This tour allows us to continue developing our player pool while maintaining the core of experienced players,” Walter has said. “It will also expose our emerging talent to quality international opposition, similar to the last time we played against West Indies in May.”
The three T20I matches would all be played at the Brian Lara Stadium from August 23-27.
South Africa had also toured the West Indies for three T20Is in May, just before the T20 World Cup, but lost that series 0-3.
South Africa squad for T20I series in the West Indies: Aiden Markram (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger, Donovan Ferreira, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams. (ESPNCricinfo)
Ancelotti collected his 14th piece of silverware across his two spells in charge of the club. It also took the Spanish giants clear of AC Milan and Barcelona, who had won the trophy on five occasions.
The Italian’s task now would revolve around adding more honours and finding the most suitable system to get the best from the wealth of attacking talent at his disposal.
Bellingham occupied a
much deeper role, and was scarcely involved during the first 45 minutes, while Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo were starved of space and the ball. However, after a tactical tweak at half-time saw Mbappe shifted left, the England midfielder came into the game and played a starring role thereafter. He released Vinicius Jr for the opener, and an incisive pass soon after put the Brazilian through on goal again, with
and many of their stars having trained together just five times before this performance, this win would have sent an ominous notice to their domestic and European rivals.
Match officials involved in the tied first ODI of the recent Sri Lanka-India series made the mistake of not taking the game to a Super Over, as per the ICC’s playing conditions.
ESPNcricinfo has learned that on-field umpires Joel Wilson and Raveendra Wimalasiri, along with match referee Ranjan Madugalle, TV umpire Paul Reiffel, and fourth umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge, internally acknowledged having misinterpreted the ODI playing conditions, which state that, in case of a tie, teams would contest a Super Over to procure a result.
While in this case there was some confusion over whether the Memorandum of Understanding between SLC and the BCCI for this tour allowed for a Super Over to be played, it has since become clear that all ODIs that end in ties would feature a Super Over, time and conditions permitting.
While the umpires had brushed off the bails to signal the end of the match after the tie, neither team had enquired about the absence of the Super Over, with the players shaking hands immediately. Questions, though, quickly
started to pile up on social media.
The latest edition of the ODI playing conditions, released by the ICC in December 2023, says: “If the teams’ scores are equal after both innings have been completed, then a Super Over shall be played. If the Super Over is a tie, then unless exceptional circumstances arise, subsequent Super Overs shall be played until there is a winner. Should it not be possible to play or to complete the Super Overs needed to determine a winner, the match shall be tied.”
It is understood that Madugalle, Wilson and Wimalasiri did not immediately discuss any specific
reason behind not having the Super Over. Following later discussions, though, match officials decided they would activate the Super Over in case there was another tie in the remaining two ODIs of the three-match series, which was eventually won by Sri Lanka 2-0. In the match in question, India needed five runs from the final three overs, with two wickets in hand, to chase down the target of 231. Shivam Dube managed a four, before India lost consecutive wickets in the 48th over, delivered by the hosts’ newly appointed captain, Charith Asalanka, resulting in the tie. (ESPNCricinfo)
Mthe ancient county of Berice emerged as champion by defeating his opponents with scores of 3-0 (2, 7, 8) in the final.
Johnson’s path to victory included wins over Carpio and Morgan in earlier rounds.
In the Novice Girls bracket, Tiffany Lord of Berbice prevailed by securing the championship with a decisive 3-0 (6, 7, 4) victory in the final match over A. Hector.
The “B” Class Open bracket saw Malachi Moore being crowned winner after a hard-fought final match against Colin Wong. Moore’s journey to the top included victory over strong competitor Umar Percival, while Wong got past Samara Sukhai who had earlier defeated veteran Xen Goliath in a thrilling fivegame encounter.
A number of other upand-coming talents also had the opportunity to showcase their skills, as the event featured several categories, in-
alachi Moore has again been among the top performers when competition in the inaugural President’s Games brought together young table tennis players from across the country last Sunday at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue in Georgetown.
cluding Novice Boys and Novices Girls, which pitted players from the various summer camps across the country; “B” Class Open, Doubles, and Open. In the Novice Boys bracket, Dane Johnson from
President of the St Lucia Boxing Association (SLBA), David ‘Shakes’ Christopher, is optimistic that his team would be successful at the impending Winfield Braithwaite Caribbean Schoolboys and Schoolgirls Boxing tournament, scheduled to get underway at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue this weekend.
Relaxing at his home in Bois D’Orange, St Lucia shortly after observing his charges complete another satisfying training session under the tutelage of Coach Conrade Fredericks, Christopher spared a few moments to share his thoughts in regard to the tournament, and warned adversaries, “We are coming with blood in our eyes.”
The St Lucia contingent consists of 10 boxers, 2 coaches and manager Shannon Labourne, who also serves as an executive member of the St Lucia Boxing Association.
Brimming with confidence, Christopher said the preparation period has been tough, but his charges employed strong determination and ‘sticktoitiveness’ in their bid to whip their bodies and minds into the required shape.
Notwithstanding, the SLBA President pointed out that his executives have battled strenuously to field a large contingent, as their main objective is to dethrone defending champions Guyana.
“The procurement of adequate funds was indeed challenging, but through the strenuous efforts of the organizing committee, coupled with the generosity of the corporate community in St Lucia, we were able to meet our financial obligations,” Christopher stressed.
Notwithstanding, Cristopher feels that much more assistance must be had from this sector if the local boxers are to reach the pinnacle of success.
“Too many of our businessmen and women are just delivering lip service; and this, coupled with the meagre sum allocated by the Government in the national budget, can hardly suffice for the astronomical bills that we face,” he explained, as he declared that boxing is enduring testing times and needs a fillip to keep it alive.
Further, he lauded the efforts of the President of the (Guyana) Boxing Association, Steve Ninvalle, for “keeping the developmen-
The Doubles Open event proved to be an exciting showcase of teamwork and skill.
Moore and Wong had earlier defeated Nigel Bryan and Joel Alleyne, while Bissu and Johnson had defeated Umar and Levi Percival to advance.
The pair of Malachi Moore and Colin Wong claimed the championship title with a final score of 3-1 (7, 9, -3, 6), playing against the formidable duo of Niran Bissu and Elishaba Johnson.
tal machinery of the sport chugging.”
He noted that boxing serves as a reformative catalyst for youngsters, but even amidst the stringent efforts of administrators, many boxers stray away and slip back into delinquency.
“When we organize such tournaments as the impending championships, our pivotal objective is to harness the youths and preserve their integrity through involvement in productive activity,” he asserted.
He relived the memories of a young boxer residing at the Boy’s Training Center, a reformative institution in the Gros Islet area.
“He represented St Lucia while in that institution, and was responding remarkably to the rehabilitative programme, but upon release slipped back into crime because of lack of support,” Christopher lamented.
He feels there must be continued guidance for such youngsters, which boils down to adequate funding through generous input of the corporate community.
“The (St Lucian) Sports Minister Kenson Casirmir tries his best, but Government allocation is too meagre for an expansive programme,” Christopher pointed out.
He said he has instilled in his boxers the importance of a convincing victory, if only to strengthen the calls of his executive for improved funding. “This might just be the fillip we need for improved support,” he declared.
The opening ceremony of this tournament would precede fistic activities. Guyana is the current defending champion.
This inaugural President’s Cup table tennis tournament is the brainchild of His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, and it provided six sports disciplines with sponsored prizes for a weekend of competition. The competition not only crowned champions, but
provided a platform for these athletes to showcase their skills, gain valuable competitive experience, and highlight the depth of young table tennis talent in the country. As the sport of table tennis continues to grow in popularity, events like the President’s Cup would play a crucial role in nurturing the next generation of players and promoting the sport at the grassroots level.
Sensei Dunbar praises the recent success of karatekas
Chief Instructor of the Guyana Wado Ryu Karate Association, Sensei Winston Dunbar, has praised the performances of the young karatekas of the Association, who were successful at the National Junior Championships recently held at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue.
Organized by the Guyana Karate Federation, the championships catered to young karatekas, both boys and girls, between the ages of 6 and 17 years old.
Tattieanna Appiah, Anfa Singh and Lakechand Persaud won their respective categories, while there were also medals for Alina Persaud, Ty David, Younce Allen and Matthew Kendall Jr.
Appiah captured the
girls 12-14 Kumite title; Singh copped the girls 6-8 title, and her teammate Alina Persaud finished in the runner-up position. Lakechand Persaud won the boys 9-11 kumite, with teammate Kendall securing third place. David secured the runner-up position in the boys 15-17 category, while Allen won bronze in the boys 6-8 kumite.
Sensei Dunbar has said he was very impressed with the team’s performance, and cited discipline as a critical element of their preparation.
The veteran martial arts specialist added that both senior and junior karatekas will continue training in preparation for upcoming competitions. Training is done at Banks DIH Sports Club.
Big Picture: West Indies, South Africa look to go back to winning ways
That competitive edge we were hoping for in the series opener showed itself on the last day of the rain-affected match, when both teams did all they could do to avoid a draw. In the end, too much time was lost to rain, and the teams had to settle for Test crick et’s first draw in 28 matches.
The teams would want to get back to winning ways in Guyana, and happily, the elements are not expect ed to have as much impact, and more play should be
comfortable against the short ball, and used the sweep shot well. His composure against South Africa’s more experienced players, Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada, was also impressive. He has already been identified as a key cog in the revival of West Indies’ long-format fortunes, and could underline that with another big performance at a place in which he has historically done well, Guyana.
Athanaze has played two first-class matches at Providence, and crossed 50 three times. He scored 66 against Guyana in 2019, and 81 and 97 against Jamaica in March 2023.
If South Africa want the option of playing only six
South Africa were comfortable going into the first
time in the Test squad, was dropped for the now-retired Heinrich Klaasen, and faces some competition from
Test with a bowler short, but with the series on the line, they may have to sacrifice the length of their line-
9 Lungi Ngidi, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Nandre Burger.
Pitch and Conditions: Tough outing for the batters?
With only two Tests having been played at this ground, and the second of those 13 years ago, there is scant data to go on for what to expect here, but the firstclass numbers may tell us something. In 2023, it hosted three red-ball matches, and the average first-innings score was 206, which suggests that batters are in for another tough outing. The venue seems to offer enough for both seam and spin, with quicks taking 67 wickets in 2023 at 20.20 and an economy of 3.35, and spinners taking 49 wickets at 21.20 with an economy rate of 2.55. There are some afternoon thunderstorms forecasted throughout the match, but the outlook is mostly sunny and dry. The players may need a few ex
