Guyana Times - Thursday, February 20, 2025

Guyana’s carbon credits in high demand as airlines pay premium price

Guyana’s growing carbon credit market is gaining international traction, as airlines flock to secure premium-priced credits under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), among others.

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has attributed the premium pricing of Guyana’s forest carbon credits to its internationally recognised conservation track

record, noting that the country’s rigorous carbon assessment and forest protection strategies are key drivers of investor confidence.

Additionally, he attributed this success to strong forest protection policies and a robust monitoring system that ensures credibility and premium pricing for the country’s carbon credits.

“Just recently, we made a first sale here at prices that are as good as those

that we got from Hess, and even a bit better, when the voluntary markets are onetenth of that price for forest carbon; and I think we're getting this premium price for forest carbon because of the track record of protection and the robust system we have to ensure that investors get what they pay for, which is not just MRV, a robust MRV system, but on ground probing and assessment of the stock of carbon and the deforestation rates,

which are among the lowest in the world,” Dr. Jagdeo explained.

Jagdeo made these remarks during a panel at the Energy and Development on Day One of the Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo, where he highlighted that approximately 70 percent of the nation’s carbon sink remains intact, reinforcing the country’s position as a leader in forest conservation.

According to Vice President, the country is poised to become a pivotal player in the global fight against climate change, offering a sustainable avenue for airlines to offset their carbon footprints while simultaneously boosting the local economy.

He assured that despite the country’s expanding oil and gas industry, Guyana remains committed to maintaining its net-zero status, emphasizing that even at peak oil production levels of 2 million barrels per day, emissions would be significantly outweighed by the carbon sequestration capacity of its forests.

“We would be a net zero country even if we were producing 2 million barrels of oil per day. When you calculate the emissions even at current level of efficiencies of these FPSOs, assuming no improvement in their carbon efficiency, we would still, their total emissions would be just a fraction of the sequestration of car-

bon that our forest does every year. So, we have no fear about losing that status,” he assured.

Jagdeo further underscored the Government’s commitment to forest conservation through stringent environmental laws and a well-established carbon monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) system. These measures, he noted, are crucial to maintaining investor confidence and ensuring the continued success of Guyana’s carbon market.

In 2024, Jagdeo told the media that the Guyana Government is not in a rush to find new markets, and is waiting to get higher prices.

Meanwhile, in June, President Dr. Irfaan Ali had disclosed that since the issuance of these certified credits, the PPP/C Administration has engaged in “commercial discussions” with several major airlines to sell Guyana’s eligible carbon credits for that market.

The Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) had said that the $7.14 million 2021 vintage carbon credits or TREES (The REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard) credits were issued in recognition of Guyana’s successful efforts to reduce emissions from forest loss and degradation and maintain “one of the world’s most intact tropical forests”. This year, more than 11 airlines will purchase carbon credits at a rate of $21.70 per ton.

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Thursday, February 20 –22:00h-23:30h and Friday, February 21 – 23:30h-01:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Thursday, February 20 –08:25h-09:55h and Friday, February 21 – 09:55h-11:25h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily.

WEATHER TODAY

Light to thundery showers are expected throughout the day and at night, interrupted by sunshine in the afternoon hours. Temperatures are expected to range between 23 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East North-Easterly between 3.58 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tide: 09:06h and 21:43h reaching maximum heights of 2.29 metres and 2.14 metres.

Low Tide: 15:12h reaching a minimum height of 0.95 metre.

Gas-to-Energy Project

Govt negotiating contract with German firm to operate 300MW power plant – bid out for NGL facility operator

The Guyana

Government is currently negotiating contract terms with German company Siemens Energy SAS, which has been selected to operate the 300-megawatt (MW) combined cycle power plant – a key part of the highly-anticipated Gas-to-Energy (GtE) project.

Located at Wales, West Bank Demerara, the GtE project comprises the power plant and a Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility –both utilising the rich natural gas that will be piped from the Liza Field in the Stabroek Block offshore

power plant and the NGL facility, and both of those parties are expected to be in place by the middle of the year; so, there is enough of a transition between construction and operations,” Brassington told delegates at the Conference.

Based on the RFP advertisement for the NGL facility, potential operators are expected to show O&M experience of at least three plants similar to the NGL facility under construction in Guyana; strong HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) culture, with demonstrative capabilities in workforce training, par-

perienced in operations and maintenance of comparable facilities will be ranked, and these must be

Guyana.

In January 2025, the Office of the Prime Minister had issued a Request for Proposal (RFP), inviting qualified firms to provide their proposals for the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) of the GtE Phase 1 NGL Plant.

The RFP invitation, which is still out, states that the proposal is not for the operations and maintenance of the power plant and auxiliary services, which will be managed overall by Siemens Energy.

During a presentation at the ongoing Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo on Wednesday, GtE Project Lead Winston Brassington confirmed that Siemens Energy was selected to run the 300mw power plant.

“It was the most technically compliant proposal, and now the contract is being negotiated. And we expect that to be concluded in the next few months,” he stated.

As it relates to the RFP advertisement for operation and management of the NGL facility, the deadline for submission is March 13, 2025.

“The NGL facility is a relatively smaller facility to the whole plant. But we’re gonna get a sub-contractor to be the O&M operator for this. So, between the two, those are the parties that will operate the

ticularly focusing on local content, use of advanced technology for efficient operations and safety monitoring, and financial capacity to manage large scale operations.

According to the invite, only firms or consortia ex -

listed with the relevant criteria, as mentioned above, for the last fifteen years.

The highly anticipated GtE Project was initially slated to come on stream by April this year. However, the Guyana Government has been engaged in a dis-

pute with the project contractor, Lindsayca CH4 Guyana Inc. (LNDCH4), which has made financial claims and a deadline extension over delays caused by other aspects of the project.

During Wednesday’s presentation, Brassington stated, “On the integrated facility (power plant and NGL facility), contractually, this slated to be delivered in the second half of this year, but we’ve seen a schedule that suggest it’s going to take longer. So, contractually, this year, realistically, we’re looking at some delays, and some of these matters are in dispute.”

A three-member Dispute Avoidance and Adjudication Board (DAAB) was set up to settle this matter between the Government and the GtE contractor, which was awarded US$759 million contract in November 2022 to build the Power Plant and NGL facility at Wales.

Gas-to-Energy Project Lead, Winston Brassington

Editor: Tusika Martin

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Retraumatisation of child victims

The Human Services and Social Security Ministry has issued a strong and unequivocal condemnation of the alarming rise in the retraumatisation of child victims of sexual violence and assault. This deeply concerning trend demands immediate and decisive action from law enforcement and the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA). The Ministry on Wednesday highlighted an urgent issue: the misuse of social media by self-styled "influencers" and "social activists," whose actions, however well-intentioned they may appear, cause irreversible harm to already vulnerable children.

Recent social media posts and interviews have surfaced purportedly to raise awareness about alleged cases of sexual violence and abuse. However, rather than serving the interests of justice or child welfare, these posts have often inflicted additional harm. By publicly exposing young victims and compelling them to recount their trauma before an online audience, these individuals are exacerbating the very suffering they claim to fight against. Human Services and Social Security Minister Dr. Vindhya Persaud has since categorically condemned this practice, calling it both "despicable" and "reprehensible."

“Retraumatising a child is not right, irrespective of who you are. I have noticed persons bringing children on social media to recount their abuse; this act is not only despicable but also reprehensible, and must cease immediately,” the minister declared.

It is imperative that the public recognises the devastating emotional and psychological toll that retraumatisation imposes on child victims. Forcing a child to repeatedly relive their trauma in a public forum does not aid justice — it undermines it. The failure to report abuse through the appropriate channels not only prolongs a child's suffering, but also creates unnecessary delays in seeking justice. In the most egregious cases, such exploitation may even compromise legal proceedings, making it more difficult to secure convictions against perpetrators.

To address this issue, the Ministry has introduced a series of robust reporting mechanisms focused on prioritising the safety and wellbeing of child victims. Upon receiving a report of suspected abuse, the CPA would promptly intervene to ensure that affected children receive expert and compassionate care. A key element of this approach is the forensic interview process — an internationally recognised best practice carried out by trained professionals in a secure and private environment. This method is carefully designed to reduce additional psychological trauma while safeguarding the integrity of the child’s testimony.

Persaud has emphasised the importance of respecting and protecting vulnerable children. “This specialised process is specifically designed to minimise the risk of retraumatisation and prioritise the child's emotional and psychological welfare,” she stated. The Government has made significant strides in improving support structures for victims, and these efforts must not be undermined by irresponsible social media behaviour.

A child’s traumatic story is not a commodity to be traded for social media engagement, popularity, or personal validation. The wellbeing of our children must take precedence over all other considerations. Those who exploit children under the guise of advocacy must be held accountable. True activism demands responsible action, not public spectacle.

As a society, we have a moral and legal obligation to protect our most vulnerable. This means recognising that the right course of action is to report suspected abuse to the appropriate authorities rather than sensationalising these deeply personal experiences online.

The exploitation of child victims must end. As a society, we have a moral duty to protect them from further harm by ensuring ethical and responsible support. Law enforcement, advocacy groups, the media, and the public must work together to prevent retraumatisation and uphold the dignity of every child. Only through compassion, discretion, and integrity can we truly safeguard their rights and build a future free from abuse.

Collaboration & consensus key to inclusive AI

In today's evolving technological landscape, the global community needs to strengthen cooperation in order to promote the inclusive and sustainable development of artificial intelligence (AI) for the benefit of all humanity.

A statement signed by about 60 countries at the recent Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris called for efforts to promote AI accessibility, and to ensure the technology is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy.

Global AI technology has been developing rapidly in recent years, with breakthroughs, new business models, and numerous applications emerging. Tech giants in multiple countries have significantly increased investments in this sector. While bringing important opportunities for economic and social development, AI development also faces unpredictable risks and complex challenges, making consensus on global AI governance imperative.

China emphasizes openness, inclusiveness, and shared benefits to help bridge global digital divides. As China pursues its own development, it has also made significant contributions to the progress of AI globally. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, from 2014 to 2023, China filed over 38,000 generative AI patent applications, causing it to be ranked first globally.

China is home to more than 4,500 AI companies, with the scale of its core AI industries nearing 600 billion yuan (US$83.68B).

China's approach to AI could serve as an inspiration for the rest of the world.

Domestically, the Government released the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan in 2017, emphasizing safe, controllable, and sustainable AI progress. The country also enacted laws and issued guidelines for AI regulation.

Internationally, China released the Global Artificial Intelligence Governance Initiative in 2023 in order to provide Chinese solutions for global AI governance, and China has hosted the World Artificial Intelligence Conference annually since 2018.

To improve AI governance, countries need to

enhance information exchanges and technological cooperation, and should also develop AI governance frameworks, norms and standards based on broad consensus. This approach would help make AI technologies more secure, reliable, controllable, and equitable.

Each nation may have their own unique ethical and moral perspectives, making global AI governance a pressing challenge. Therefore, it is essential to strengthen international cooperation, promote coordination, and foster consensus among countries. To achieve this, the international community should jointly oppose ideologically-driven practices or exclusive groups that hinder other nations' AI development. It should also reject barriers that disrupt the global AI supply chain through technological monopolies and unilateral co-

ercive measures. Scientific and technological innovation should neither become a privilege of wealthy countries nor a tool for hegemony; benign competition is good for all.

However, unchecked competition could lead to disorder, and potentially become a "gray rhino." It is therefore vital to formulate effective rules, through joint participation and consultation by all countries, to ensure AI and other new technologies would become "Ali Baba's treasure cave", rather than "Pandora's box."

As a firm advocate of inclusive AI and a key player in the industry, China stands ready to enhance exchange and cooperation, and remains committed to governing AI for the good of all. The world needs to foster dialogue and collaboration to ensure the sound and sustainable growth of AI benefits all. (Xinhua)

The Housing and Water Ministry on Wednesday launched their 2025 Mashramani Band with costumes designed by Jermaine Broomes (Housing and Water Ministry photo)

Mischievous, and sowing division

Dear Editor,

I feel compelled to respond to Khaleel Cave on an article he posted regarding the visit by His Excellency Dr. Irfaan Ali (President of Guyana) to Essequibo Coast.

The writer felt disappointed and very upset, since he felt that His Excellency, being a Muslim, was not the most appropriate person to commission the opening of the tallest Shiva lingam in South America.

He completely failed to realize that Guyana is a plu-

ral, multicultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic society; and being President, nationhood takes precedence over personal beliefs, and that was exactly what His Excellency did.

I personally feel the article was mischievous, and was meant to sow division, confusion and discord among our people. His Excellency, by right, is free to travel anywhere within the perimeter of Guyana to serve his people and country. We are extremely fortunate to have

a leader who is not only assiduous, but is humble, kind and forgiving (as was seen only two days ago when he opened his arms and heart to the folks who were misled and lost their matter in the High Court).

Khaleel Cave accused His Excellency of shrik (worst sin in Islam), but isn’t serving humanity and being compassionate, kind, helpful, neighbourly the bedrock of Islam? What wrong has our President done, except for being those? Cave

should follow the teachings of Sheikh Moeen-ul Hack, a most eloquent, brilliant, charismatic and powerful Islamic scholar, who said that we cannot love God and hate His creations (aren’t Hindus, Christians etc. God’s creations too?) He further said Prophet Muhammad’s message is still relevant, since it was taught that the humanity of every person should be respected along with their religion, place of worship and culture.

I completely respect the President’s vision of ONE GUYANA, and endorse all that he’s doing to accomplish same. President Ali will definitely go down in history as the BEST leader Guyanese have ever seen. Just let your conscience be your guide, but do remember also that he’s human.

One is marvelled at the total transformation of our country in all areas, due to his profound leadership. As a Leonorian, I must admit that I am extremely proud

of His Excellency and his amazing, astute and humble leadership. I am also very grateful to his predecessors for their worthy and invaluable contributions to Guyana.

I am looking forward for Cave’s apology to His Excellency Dr. Irfaan Ali on this very delicate matter, as his narrative runs contrary to the values we uphold as a people.

Sincerely, Edwin Basdeo

MOH slams article urging Guyanese to boycott the Universal Healthcare Voucher Programme

Dear Editor,

The Ministry of Health strongly condemns the mischievous and politically motivated article published in the Kaieteur News on February 17, attempting to dissuade Guyanese from participating in the Universal Healthcare Voucher Programme that would benefit over 500,000 Guyanese.

This initiative is a well-structured component of the Ministry’s primary health care strategy, and is designed to ensure ear-

ly detection of illnesses. It will aid in patients’ access to care and treatment on the onset of their illness/ disease. Early diagnosis not only means early treatment, but also offers opportunity for patients to receive counselling and guidance on how to make informed decisions on lifestyle changes, such as in their diets.

Under the programme, each citizen will receive a voucher worth $10,000 to enable them to access essential diagnostic tests at over 30 accredited laboratories

which will complement the public health facilities across the country. Recognizing the importance of affordability, the Government of Guyana, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), has successfully negotiated a uniform price for a basic menu of tests, ensuring accessibility and fairness for all Guyanese.

It is deeply concerning that Kaieteur News, which is run by a publisher with a clear political agenda, has chosen to wage a campaign against a programme

that prioritises the health and wellbeing of ordinary Guyanese. The attempt to call for a boycott under the guise of satire is no joke; it is reckless and dangerous. We cannot afford to play Russian Roulette with the health of our people. To oppose such a programme means you are depriving our people of a critical benefit that empowers them to take charge of their health. Public health is not a matter of mockery, political mischief, or self-serving narratives.

Law enforcement officials must be equipped with tasers

Dear Editor,

There is a common trend in which our policemen and women are being targeted by unruly mobs in our streets. It is an increasing lawlessness that has gripped our society in recent times, where police officials are violently beaten and ridiculed in full view of a cheerleading crowd. In many instances, others either join in the violent assault, or gangup on police officials, thus preventing them from carrying out their lawful duties.

Now, this is a worrying trend that must come to an abrupt end, but that end would come only when

police officials are properly equipped with the necessary tools to curb this lawlessness. One of the ways in which that can be achieved is having police officials wear body cams to verify the assault; another is for them to carry tasers to subdue the unruly hooligans.

A taser allows a user to bring down an attacker before he gets the upper hand. A taser would restrain an offender, and give its user enough time to handcuff and arrest him. Cheerleading mobsters would be forced to retreat, take evasive action, and not get in the way of law enforcement officials who

are doing their duty.

We must nip this lawlessness in the bud, put a tight lid on this sordid situa-

tion before it escalates.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Encouraging citizens to reject access to critical health screenings puts lives at risk, particularly among vulnerable populations who rely on these services for early detection and treatment of diseases.

The Universal Health Voucher Programme ensures that every Guyanese, regardless of income level, has access to fundamental diagnostic services that are critical in routine checkups. We urge citizens to see through the political games and embrace this oppor-

tunity to improve their health and longevity. The Government remains committed to ensuring that every Guyanese has the chance to live a long, healthy and productive life, benefitting from the nation’s ongoing economic transformation.

The Universal Health Voucher Programme is about building a healthier, stronger nation. It is no secret that early detection saves lives.

Sincerely, Ministry of Health

Page Foundation

(1) Which of the following represents a percentage relationship?

(7) Which of the following is equal to 60 0 + 7000 + 80 + 31?

(2) Which one represents a pictograph?

(3) How many decades are there in a millennium?

(4) One hundred twenty-one million twelve thousand can be written as

(A) equilateral (B) obtuse (C) scalene (D) isosceles

(8) Figure 3 is a/an ______________ triangle 5. 238.2+100

(9) The graph below shows how Pat spends her weekly wages.

(a) How much does Pat save?

(b) How much does she spend on food/clothing and entertainment altogether?

(c) What is Pat's weekly wage?

(d) How much would Pat eam in two weeks?

By Marianne Moore

I too, dislike it: there are things that are important beyond all this fiddle. Reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it, one discovers that there is in it after all, a place for the genuine. Hands that can grasp, eyes that can dilate, hair that can rise if it must, these things are important not because a high-sounding interpretation can be put upon them but because they are useful; when they become so derivative as to become unintelligible, the same thing may be said for all of us—that we do not admire what we cannot understand. The bat, holding on upside down or in quest of something to eat, elephants pushing, a wild horse taking a roll, a tireless wolf under a tree, the immovable critic twinkling his skin like a horse that feels a flea, the base— ball fan, the statistician—case after case could be cited did one wish it; nor is it valid to discriminate against “business documents and school-books”; all these phenomena are important. One must make a distinction however: when dragged into prominence by half poets, the result is not poetry, nor till the autocrats among us can be “literalists of the imagination”—above insolence and triviality and can present for inspection, imaginary gardens with real toads in them, shall we have it. In the meantime, if you demand on the one hand, in defiance of their opinion— the raw material of poetry in all its rawness, and that which is on the other hand, genuine, then you are interested in poetry.

Caricom Heads of Govt Meeting Free movement, trade barriers, use of AI among Guyana’s priorities – Pres Ali

resident Dr Irfaan

PAli has outlined the priority areas that Guyana will be pushing at the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Heads of Government meeting. These include, but are not limited to, free movement across the region; the removal of trade barriers; technology; and maintaining democracy within member states.

Over the next few days, regional leaders will converge in Bridgetown, Barbados, for the 48th Regular Meeting of Caricom Heads of Government, which got underway on Wednesday evening.

President Ali travelled to the Caribbean island state of Barbados on Wednesday, where he hit the ground running, joining his Caricom colleagues for a presentation by innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology solutions providers from Silicon Valley.

The presentations showcased how AI can be utilised to tackle various issues, including cancer detection, enhanced and accurate diagnostics, urban planning, housing solutions, and data cloud management.

In a video message outlining his focus area for this regional engagement, the Head of State said he would be making presentations that look at the future of the Caribbean.

“We'll be presenting some thoughts on education, the Guyana Digital School which we hope to come into operation by March the second, that will be available for all of Caricom; the development of a common AI strategy and plan, looking at regulations that we must implement [for the use of AI across the region],” President Ali stated.

The Guyanese leader believes that this Heads of Government meeting is coming at an important time globally, especially when there has been major shift in policy agenda and significant changes in the geopolitical realities in various regions across the world, particularly as it relates to trade arrangements – all of which, he said, Caricom has to be very mindful of and should be critical areas for discussion over the next few days.

Top of his agenda, however, is looking at ways to

ease the bureaucracy and hurdles in doing business within and among Caricom member states.

“Of course, this meeting is also looking at the historical issues of free movement of people and the trade barriers. We have expressed very strong concerns on the slothfulness of the removal of trade barriers. So, at this meeting, Guyana will be pursuing this issue…

“The private sector in Guyana has also raised with us a number of issues in relation to trade barriers, the free movement of people. This is a substantive mat-

Govt negotiating contract with...

After submissions and hearings, it was reported earlier this month that the DAAB had ruled and now the Government has 28 days to decide on whether to go forward with full arbitration.

The Office of the President said in a statement that the DAAB issued its ruling on January 31, 2025. While it did not say what the ruling was, citing confidentiality, it was explained that both parties now have 28 days to decide on their next course of action, namely whether they wished to refer any of the decisions to arbitration.

“It would be recalled that certain aspects of the project were executed on the GoG’s behalf by ExxonMobil. The GoG will, therefore, in the next few weeks, in consultation with its partners, including ExxonMobil, as well as relevant legal and technical advisors, determine the best course forward for GoG,” the Office of the President said.

“The GoG’s priority continues to be to ensure that the project is completed in the shortest pos-

sible time and in keeping with contractual specifications, with a view to bringing the power plant and the NGL [Natural Gas Liquids] plant into operation and delivering the associated benefits to the Guyanese people as soon as possible.”

The Office of the President reminded that when completed, the project’s benefits would include a doubling of the country’s electricity generating capacity to keep pace with the growing demand and the slashing of electricity prices paid by consumers, by 50 per cent.

“This will, in turn, catalyse rapid expansion in industrial activity, and immediately improve the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector and all other productive sectors that are energy intensive, bringing vast employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for Guyanese nationals.

“Additionally, the completion of the project will facilitate other benefits such as a reduction in the cost of LPG cooking gas to households and businesses, and the realisation of

FROM PAGE 3

domestic self-sufficiency with significant surplus for the export market,” the Government further explained.

As such, the Office of the President explained that the project would not only generate significant foreign currency savings for Guyana as a result of reduced imports, but also generate additional export revenue. This will in turn bring with it macroeconomic benefits like a stronger balance-of-payment position and help grow the economy.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration’s flagship GtE initiative is divided into five components: the pipeline from offshore production activities to Wales, the building of the power plant and NGL facilities, the transmission main to move power generated at the power plant, a new control centre at Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD) and upgrading the national power grid.

According to Brassington, works on these other components are progressing.

ter that will have a lot of attention clarification as we move towards implementation of the free movement within and among states,” President Ali noted.

The President said too that attention will also be given to the regional transportation system and the expansion of the Caribbean’s productive capacity – issues that will be tackled with the introduction of the ferry system between Guyana, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.

“I believe the regional private sector organisation would have advised that they now have a former presentation to make, and they have made significant progress on this matter. So that, of course, will be discussed at the meeting,” he stated.

Another key area for Guyana is the food agenda and regional food security.

According to the Guyanese Head of State,

while tremendous strides have been made in the region towards achieving the reduction of food imports by 25 per cent by 2025, there has been a lot of setbacks caused by the harsh realities of 2024, as it relates to natural disasters that affected targets and food production across the region.

In addition, Guyana is expected to push discussions on the many elections that will be taking place in the region this year, and Caricom’s role in continuing to secure democracy within the region.

Guyana, like many of its Caribbean neighbours, is slated to hold General and Regional Elections later this year. At the 2020 polls, Caricom had played a key role in thwarting attempts to rig the March 2, 2020 elections results in Guyana, and led the process for a national recount exercise to be conducted, which saw the

current People’s Progressive Party/Civic administration being sworn-in to office five months later.

Moreover, President Ali noted that there will be a lot of discussions on Haiti and how the region will continue to not only support the transition towards elections in Haiti, but also work on building greater international coalition and international partnership in support of the troubled Caribbean nation.

“These are all issues that are important for leaders in the region, and issues that we will continue to pursue at this meeting,” President Ali stated.

The 48th Regular Meeting of Caricom Heads of Government opened on Wednesday night and saw presentations from outgoing Chair, Prime Minister of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell; current Chair, Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley; and Caricom Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett.

Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, were the guest speakers at the opening ceremony.

The regional meeting, which is being held under theme: ‘Strength in Unity: Forging Caribbean Resilience, Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development’, will conclude on Friday.

President Dr Irfaan Ali joined other Caricom Heads of Government for a presentation on Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology solutions in Barbados on Wednesday

NA man charged with rape of 13-year-old girl

…teen tells police she ran away from abusive home

Andrew Bhola, a 25-year-old mason of New Amsterdam in Berbice, has been charged with rape committed on a 13-year-old girl who had reportedly run away from her Georgetown home after being sexually abused by her stepfather.

Following his appearance before Magistrate Michelle Matthias at the Reliance Magistrate’s Court in East Canje Berbice on Wednesday, Bhola has been remanded to prison until March 11.

The child’s mother had taken to social media to report that her daughter had gone missing; and based on information received, police ranks proceeded to Bhola’s home and found the girl on his bed.

Both he and the child

were escorted to the Central Police Station, where the girl was interviewed by an officer from the GenderBased Violence Unit. During

that interview, the girl disclosed that on Monday, January 20, she left home for school, but instead travelled to New Amsterdam to

Election fraud case

meet Bhola, whom she had met on TikTok last year.

The girl detailed that during her stay at Bhola’s residence, they engaged in sexual intercourse on three occasions.

Further, she disclosed that she had been sexually abused by her 38-year-old stepfather at her home in Georgetown.

She stated that the matter had been reported at the Brickdam Police Station, but since her stepfather still resides at the home and no one believed her claims, she had repeatedly run away from home, and had engaged in relationships with older men.

Further, she disclosed that this incident marks the fourth time she had run away from home.

Magistrate signals end to delays, obstacles …as lawyers argue conflict-of-interest issue by prosecution

The high-profile election fraud case following Guyana’s 2020 General and Regional Elections is moving steadily after years of delay, as acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty indicated her determination to see the matter progress without further holdups.

On the second day of the

trial, the proceedings began with the continuation of witness Rosalinda Rasul’s testimony, cross-examination by Nigel Hughes, and heated courtroom exchanges over alleged conflicts involving prominent attorney at law Latchmie Rahamat and Dexter Todd.

Nevertheless, Rasul, Head of the Diaspora Unit at

the Foreign Affairs Ministry and an accredited elections observer at the 2020 elections continued her testimony, providing an account of the disputed tabulation process at GECOM’s Ashmin’s Building.

During Wednesday’s session, Magistrate McGusty addressed concerns about the four-year delay in bringing

the case to trial. While not directly stating that further delays would be tolerated, her remarks made clear that the matter would move forward.

“We would all like this matter to come to an end one way or another,” she said, underscoring the court’s intent to push past procedural obstacles.

Witness provides more evidence of Mingo altering tabulations

Continuing from where she left off on day one, Rasul recounted that on March 13, 2020, she entered GECOM’s media center as the tabulation process commenced.

According to her, political party agents Sasenarine Singh (PPP/C), Jonathan Yearwood (ANUG), Lennox Shuman, and other party agents immediately raised concerns about the lack of running totals. Rasul testified that returning officer Clairmont Mingo refused to provide those totals, leading to heated arguments.

“The political parties pressed Mr. Mingo to commence the tabulation process …,” Rasul said. However, she said Mingo initially agreed but later reversed his decision, insisting that the process would continue from where it left off on March 5”.

Full circle…

…for illegals

Trump’s certainly keeping his word about deporting “undocumented migrants”, isn’t he?? He ain’t messin’ around!! But, as we Guyanese know, America’s always been deporting “illegal aliens”. Especially those convicted of crimes – who then did their “thing” in Guyana!! In the last four years, there’s been an average of some 40,000 deported annually. So, we should appreciate that, this go around, the numbers are gonna be astounding if the pace increases – which, from all indications, it will!

We saw Trump jawbone not just the presidents of Panama and Guatemala to take back their undocumented citizens, but had El Salvador actually announcing they’ll take convicted criminals of other countries!! Well, they were gonna be paid for their troubles, but it just goes to show that when American talks, Central America still listens!! Especially when the latest president not only carries a big stick, but doesn’t talk quietly!! Everybody now knows that with America, “knock got knock back”!!

Trump even jawboned Modi – who’d felt he was besties from Trump I days. But he played it slick: not raising any objections to placate his domestic opposition, but announcing ahead of the meeting – like our VP did for us – that he’ll take back his undocumented citizens. Up to now, three planeloads with 332 citizens have landed – all in the non-BJP state of Punjab, that’s been a pain in Modi’s neck! But a very interesting phenomenon is revealed: the Indian deportees’ profile ain’t that of the poverty-stricken rural peasant, as one might suppose. They’re middle-class individuals who paid big money to “agents” who were moving them from one country to another, then into the States.

Modi and other developing countries, like us, have to find ways of keeping these individuals in their countries by harnessing their drive and facilitating their initiative into productive activities. That India actually has a programme for training individuals with skills for overseas employment is a failure of strategy. How can “Make India Great Again” become a reality if your most aggressive candidates for moving ahead are emigrating??

But a couple days ago we witnessed an interesting development: Costa Rica agreed to accept Indian deportees! They announced: “The Government of Costa Rica agreed to collaborate with the US in the repatriation of 200 illegal immigrants to their country. These are people originating from countries in central Asia and India. Costa Rica will serve as a bridge for them to reach their countries of origin”. In the first shipment of 200, there was also one from the Cameroon. How about them apples?

Shows there might’ve been something to the intimations of us being asked to accept the transshipment of some “Asians and Africans” !! So, we bucked Trump and lived to tell the tale??

…for the Opposition

They say “time longer than twine”, but you gotta admit that the ball of twine on this elections-rigging case has tested even Father Time!! Have you been able to follow all the reasons for the delays since the matter reached the courts in 2023?? Don’t even try – too Byzantine – but you’ll notice the Opposition’s lawyers throwing all kinds of spanners into the works!! But they do also say that “all smart flies does end up on cow’s backside”!!

So, the case is finally taking off, where all the Opposition’s Fifth Columnists in and out of GECOM will be exposed: CEO Keith Lowenfield, Reg 4 Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, and DCEO Roxanne Myers; and six cohorts – former PNCR Chairperson Volda Lawrence, PNCR activist Carol Smith-Joseph, just as we’re gearing up for elections. Can you imagine what the electorate will be thinking of the Opposition’s circus on biometrics - after the seventy-three witnesses describe the barefaced way they hijacked the 2020 elections??

The wheel of justice grinds very slowly - and will grind them into oblivion!!

…to Mad Maduro

Those “Sindicatos” who ambushed and shot our soldiers are bandits who control the illegal gold mining over the Cuyuni. They operate because the governor and Maduro allows them. It’s WAR.

Remanded: Andrew Bhola

Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty

Stop digging up roads everywhere –VP blasts poor public works planning

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has called for more order within the public construction sector, noting that too many times thousands of citizens are left in discomfort owing to poor organisation within various Ministries and Government agencies. Jagdeo participated in a panel discussion during the Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo at the Marriott Hotel, Georgetown. There he spoke about the number of projects being executed by the Government.

However, he acknowledged that many times, citi-

zens complain about the discomfort they face as a result of the various projects.

“I came back yesterday [Tuesday] from abroad and from the time I came down the East Bank Road, I posted in the Cabinet group my dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Public Works. They're not managing these sites well; there are people all around; they don't think about the 100,000 people who are discomforted every

day there, they just go and dig things up everywhere,” Jagdeo said.

While noting that these developmental projects are important for the country, Jagdeo has since expressed that more order was needed.

“I know we're building lots of things at the same time – we have to do it, and it's causing a discomfort, … but just let's do it with some order,” he stressed.

In fact, the Vice

President revealed that a lack of communication between Ministries and various departments has resulted in several new roads being destroyed.

“…we just pave a road… then the GWI, the water sector, will come and dig up back the road again. So, … if regulation would help, tomorrow I'm, I'm doing all the regulations,” he said.

Additionally, the Vice President addressed the issue of corruption in the sector, noting that the Government has been working assiduously to clamp down on weaknesses within the system.

“We have spoken about engineers who do shoddy work in the design or who may take some bribe to pass work that is not done properly… We have seen multiple companies, one family would have four or five companies established in different names. When they bid, they breach the process, the tender process, because you shouldn't be producing multiple bids from a single family,” the Vice President explained.

He added, “There is a re-

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo at the Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo 2025

AG criticises opposition leadership, calls for ostracism over divisive rhetoric

The Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, has said the type of leadership demonstrated by certain members of the opposition must be ostracised. He was referring to the recent contentious remarks made by leader of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA),

David Hinds, and leader of the People’s National Congress (PNC), Aubrey Norton.

During one of his programmes of “Politics 101”, Hinds hurled a series of insults at certain AfroGuyanese persons, calling them “lick bottoms,” “house slaves,” and “sell outs”, among other names in comments that have been viewed as a direct attack on the dignity of Afro-Guyanese persons who have been exercising their democratic right to support a political party of their choice. And Norton has refused to condemn those remarks.

According to Nandlall, Hinds’s comments do not come as a surprise. “What you heard David Hinds say…is what is in his mind, is what his brain is programmed to say; and the fact that he has not expressed any remorse or regret over it confirms my conclusion (that he is racist),” Nandlall has said.

In condemning the remarks nonetheless, the Attorney General has noted that Hinds would not

change his attitude. “If they are prepared to say that for the world to hear, do you imagine what they say privately?” he asked.

Nandlall has also spoken about Norton’s remarks: that he is satisfied with the advice he gave to the squatters of Cane View/Mocha, East Bank Demerara, who lost

their court challenge against the Government for removing them from state lands they were illegally occupying.

The PNC leader had said, “As far as we are concerned, we gave good advice to them.”

And when he was asked what advice he would give to the squatters now that they have lost the case against Government and are homeless as a result, Norton said he would encourage them to insist that they get back the lands from which they were removed.

“Is this man sane?” Nandlall questioned. “He gave good advice to the people? He’s home in Plaisance by his house. He has a driver and a Prado land cruiser that the Government is paying for him… These people whom he advised are now homeless, and he’s proud…?” he added.

Further, Nandlall questioned why are people “still supporting this kind of leadership?”

“You have to cast your ballot later this year. If that is what you want to lead you; if that is the type of political leadership you want; then I guess you will get what you deserve,” he said. “If you think David Hinds has said the right thing, then that’s the type of leader you need,” the attorney general has added.

Stop digging up roads everywhere...

He added, “There is a requirement Under the Procurement Act that every company that gets all contracts awarded by the National Procurement Authority, which is above the big contracts, must be published on a website. You have to have the name of the company, the procurement method used, the sum procured for… I can go on with many other measures, the Integrity Commission law, strengthening it.” Meanwhile, the

Government has allocated a substantial $209.1 billion in the 2025 budget for the construction and rehabilitation of roads and bridges across the country. This funding will support several major infrastructural projects, including the long-awaited Corentyne River bridge linking Guyana and Suriname.

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, during the budget presentation, revealed that $5 billion has been earmarked to begin

construction on the new bridge once discussions with Surinamese counterparts are concluded.

Another $15.5 billion has been allocated for the Palmyra-to-Moleson Creek road project. Additionally, $5 billion has been set aside for the commencement of the new Berbice River Bridge, a key infrastructure development for the region. Other critical projects include $17.5 billion for the Railway Embankment Road expansion from

Further, $3.9 billion is

FROM PAGE 10

designated for the completion of the Good Successto-Timehri road on the East Bank of Demerara. These significant invest -

ments in infrastructure are expected to boost connectivity and support the country’s ongoing development efforts.

David Hinds of the WPA

Attorney General Anil Nandlall

PNC leader Aubrey Norton

Sheriff Street to Orange Nassau, and a continuation towards the Mahaica River Bridge.

Teen to face judge and jury for deadly Mahdia dorm fire which left 20 dead

Ateen girl charged with 20 counts of murder in connection with the deadly Mahdia dormitory fire in 2023 has been committed to stand trial at the Suddie High Court in Essequibo, after a prima facie case was made out against her at the Mahdia Magistrate’s Court.

Special prosecutor Latchmie Rahamat made this disclosure to reporters on Wednesday following the decision made by Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Mahdia Magistrate’s Court on February 14.

The teenager, who was 15 at the time of the fire, was represented by Attorney-atLaw Dexter Todd.

The devastating fire, which erupted on May 21, 2023, resulted in the deaths of 18 female students aged 12 to 17, along with a fiveyear-old boy, the son of one of the dorm parents. Two additional students succumbed to their injuries while receiving medical treatment, bringing the death toll to 20.

The charges allege that on the night of May 21, 2023, at the Mahdia Secondary School Female Dormitory in Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), the accused deliberately set a fire that led to the deaths of

multiple students, including Nicholeen Robinson, Martha D’Andrade, Shorline Bellarmine, Eulanda Carter, Adonijah Jerome, Subrina John, Cleoma Simon, Tracil Thomas, Andrea

Roberts, Lisa Roberts, Rita Jeffery, Loreen Evans, Delicia Edwards, Belnisa Evans, Lorita Williams, Mary D’Andrade, Omefa Edwin, Natalie Bellarmine, Arianna Edwards and

Sherona Daniels.

During the committal proceedings, the defence made a no-case submission, arguing that there was insufficient evidence linking the teen to the fire. According to court documents, the prosecution argued that the accused became enraged after a teacher confiscated her phone. Survivors testified that they saw her with a yellow cigarette lighter and a bottle of perfume before the fire. Three students stated that the accused explicitly mentioned her intent to burn down the dormitory.

One of the witnesses recalled the accused saying, “If me nah get to burn the place now, it will be for tomorrow night, midnight time when everybody sleeping.” Another survivor quoted her as saying, “Is problem you all want? You all gon get problem for the phone.”

The prosecution emphasized that these statements, coupled with physical evidence and survivor testimonies, form a strong case that the fire was an act of arson.

In its response to the no-case submission, the prosecution described the evidence as “very strong circumstantial evidence that [the accused] maliciously set the fire at the dorms, which caused the building to burn down, resulting in the deaths of 20 children and injuries to several others.”

After reviewing the evidence, Magistrate Scarce ruled in favour of the prosecution and committed the teenager to stand trial in the High Court.

The scale of the tragedy required extensive forensic investigation, as several of the victims were burned beyond recognition. DNA

testing had to be conducted to confirm their identities, with experts brought in to assist grieving families to identify their loved ones. The Mahdia fire had sent shockwaves across Guyana and attracted international attention. The dormitory, a concrete structure, housed approximately 59 students from remote villages such as Karisparu, El Paso, Micobie, and Chenapau in Region Eight. At the time of the fire, 56 students were inside the building, while three had gone home for the weekend. The fire broke out in the bathroom area and spread rapidly. It took firefighters nearly three and a half hours to fully extinguish the flames.

Reports indicate that six individuals had initially been hospitalized, two in critical condition and four with severe injuries. They were later transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) for further treatment.

Firefighters managed to rescue 20 students by breaking through the dormitory’s northeastern wall. However, others were unable to escape as flames quickly consumed the building. A survivor recounted waking up to screams and seeing fire erupting from the bathroom area before spreading throughout the dormitory.

Deputy Fire Chief Dwayne Scotland confirmed that the fire was classified as arson, with investigators pinpointing the southwestern end of the building as the point of origin. Following the fire, a Commission of Inquiry was conducted and several recommendations were made to Government.

The victims who lost their lives in the Mahdia inferno

Cultural shift needed to empower women as future leaders – Rodrigues

Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues, has highlighted the need for a cultural shift that challenges traditional gender roles and empowers persons to take leadership positions, where endless opportunities await.

Stressing the importance of fostering confidence and inclusivity to break down barriers, Rodrigues has called for a mindset shift among women in the workforce, and has urged women to recognize their potential as future leaders in order to remove self-doubt, as Guyana continues its rise.

Speaking at a panel discussion at the ongoing 2025 Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo, the minister said, “A man can have zero knowledge about a specific work subject and he will tell you that he is the right one for the job. And you would have a woman in that same room with 5 degrees and 25 years of experience and she’d say that she doesn’t think that she’s the right one for the job…we just need to have that confidence.”

Adding that women need to stop blocking their own pathways by longstanding presumptions,

Rodrigues said, “Sometimes we have to move out of our own way. I think a lot of times we are always looking for someone to fix the problems for us. And we need to get out of our own way most of the times, and I think that we can achieve infinite possibilities.”

Minister Rodrigues has also relayed that numerous social issues have been around, but women of Guyana are being empowered by Government as it pertains to freedom to control their own territory.

“There are many social issues that (women) still face, that we are still faced with in our communities, especially in rural communities; and being able to give women that empowerment and that freedom: for them to have a place of their own, and for them to be able to leverage that and access collateral, have a collateral that they can access financing…,” she declared.

She added, “Because, you know, our banking system is shifting now away from collateral base in terms of real property, but that has really given a lot of women an opportunity over the last four years to be able to access financing and to be independent and to control their own fi -

nances. So, those are just some of the impacts That we've had in the housing sector.”

Sharing a similar view, Managing Director of SLB, Sharlene Seegoolam, expressed that women should move away from the belief that leadership is reserved for a different gender or group.

“You have to challenge that mind model. A CEO can be anybody they can look like me. Challenge the mind model, and the third: educate, because everything is a Pyramid, and you need a big population to get things to the top,” Seegoolam stated.

The panel also highlighted that while these recommendations have been made to empower women, there has been significant progress in women's participation in various programmes. Notably, the Goal Scholarship program for 2025 has seen a record 70% female participation, marking it a historic achievement.

It was recorded in 2023 that the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) had been successful in empowering a large percentage of women to step out of their comfort zones and become certified and employed in male-dominated areas.

From left: Local Government and Regional Development Minister Sonia Parag; Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues; Moderator (centre), Managing Director of SLB, Sharlene Seegoolam, Exxon official

Less workload, more efficiency for local criminal justice system

– as judicial officials participate in new Criminal Procedure Bill workshop

Law enforcement officers are now more equipped to enact the groundbreaking Criminal Procedure (Plea Discussion, Plea Agreement and Assistance) Bill of 2024, as a result of a training workshop held on Wednesday at Cara Lodge hotel in Quamina Street, Georgetown, considered a major step in reforming Guyana’s criminal justice system. This initiative comes as

CARICOM (The Caribbean Community) early last year had declared crime a public health hazard, and urged immediate action across member states.

Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, speaking at the workshop, highlighted that, with the workshop to familiarise judicial workers with the new laws, Guyana will be leading the charge in implementing Caricom’s

vision for a more efficient criminal justice system.

The Attorney General explained that the implementation of this modern law represents a crucial moment in justice reform in Guyana and the wider Caribbean.

“At an earlier forum held at the Hyatt Regency early last year, at which I had the privilege of attending, a subcommittee of the heads of CARICOM, after a twoday symposium, concluded that crime is a public health hazard in the Caribbean; that crime is threatening the very existential nature of our society; and that the criminal justice system is in chaos. And it was resolved at that symposium that every member state must do a deep introspection of their individual criminal justice system and make reforms,” he recalled.

“We have complied with that directive by enacting two of the most modern expressions of those two important mechanisms in the form of legislation in our country last year. The Criminal Law Procedure Plea Discussion, Plea

Agreement and Assistance Bill of 2024 was brought into operation on the 21st of January 2025,” he told those gathered.

The National Assembly passed the Criminal Procedure Bill of 2024, reinforcing fairness in plea negotiations. As a result, accused individuals cannot be pressured into pleading guilty, and must be fully informed of their rights, with access to legal counsel.

Additionally, prosecu-

tors must consider all relevant factors before engaging in plea deals and understand potential outcomes.

Further, judges must verify that pleas are made voluntarily and with full awareness. The bill also mandates clear pre-bargaining procedures, allows withdrawal under justifiable circumstances, and invalidates pleas obtained through fraud or misrepresentation.

Nandlall emphasised that the bargaining mechanism will drastically reduce the workload in the country’s criminal justice system and bring much-needed speed and efficiency in the disposal of criminal cases. He noted that engagements with the judiciary are geared towards ensuring a smooth rollout in order to ensure fairness, transparency, and adherence to the principles of freedom of choice.

Lance Corporal feared drowned after Puruni River patrol

Apolice patrol along the Puruni River in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) took a tragic turn on Tuesday, February 18, when Lance Corporal (L/Cpl) 23647 Batson went missing in the water. He is now feared drowned. Police have since commenced an extensive search for the body, and have launched an investigation into this incident.

L/Cpl Batson, Constable Quincy Marks, and boat captain Ransdale Melville, a 30-year-old resident of Third Avenue, Bartica, set out on a routine patrol from Puruni Landing at around 9:00h on Tuesday, February 18, in a 12-foot-long, 3-footwide wooden boat powered by a 40hp Yamaha engine.

According to preliminary reports, at approximately 11:45h, while navigating upstream through a ‘fall’, a section of the river with strong currents and rocky outcrops, the boat’s engine suddenly cut off. As a result, water began to enter the vessel, causing it to partially sink.

L/Cpl Batson, who was armed with a Taurus pistol containing 15 rounds, was seated in the middle of the boat, alongside Constable Marks, who was unarmed. As the boat took on water, Batson jumped into the river while Marks and Melville scrambled onto a

nearby rock to prevent the vessel from being carried away by the current. The two managed to secure the boat by tying it to a branch.

After securing the vessel, Constable Marks spotted Batson holding onto a branch on the opposite side of the river. The two exchanged words, with Batson confirming that he was unharmed and asking about the status of Marks and Melville. Marks reassured him that they were both safe.

As Marks and Melville worked to bail water out of the boat and restart the engine, they suddenly realized that Batson had disappeared. Despite scanning the river, they could not locate him. With no sign of Batson, Marks and Melville immediately

launched a search operation, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

Realizing the urgency of the situation, they travelled to a nearby camp to access Wi-Fi and report the incident to authorities. Upon receiving the distress report, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Chaitram, Detective Sergeant (D/Sgt.) Jonas, and Constable Watts were dispatched to the scene to investigate and assist in the search.

Authorities have not yet recovered Batson’s body, and search efforts are ongoing.

Police officials have assured that every effort is being made to locate Batson and determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC

Missing: Lance Corporal (L/Cpl) 23647 Batson

“We

can’t be static in our thinking” – Pres Ali

…as Guyana’s 1st digital school to utilise AI, address students’ weaknesses

The Government is investing in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in order to rapidly develop its education, healthcare, governance, and financial systems to efficiently meet the needs of the expand-

ing economy. The first digital school will soon be commissioned to offer remote and specialised educational courses to students at primary and secondary levels. During his address at the opening of the

Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown on Tuesday, President Dr Irfaan Ali noted that the digital school would do more than simply offer remote education.

Indigenous communities to benefit from 900 carbon credit-funded projects this year

Some 900 carbon credit-funded projects are expected to be launched this year, aimed at empowering Indigenous communities, following a successful run of 800 projects last year.

These initiatives, driven entirely by the villagers and their leadership, are poised to create significant economic opportunities in the 242 Amerindian villages involved.

The funding structure of the Guyana Government’s multi-year agreement with Hess Corporation ensures that 15 percent of the carbon credit revenues go directly to the communities, allowing them to manage and execute projects that reflect their needs.

According to Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, over the past two years, approximately 1,700 projects have been implemented.

In contrast to the

lengthy timelines often associated with multilateral agency projects, which can take years to yield results, Jagdeo noted that through the multi-year agreement, Amerindian communities are demonstrating their capability to swiftly enhance land tenure security in these communities, by accelerating land titling activities, among other things.

“If we had gone through, and I don't like to be critical of the multilateral agencies, but sometimes funds intermediated by, say, the UN system or many others to do 10 projects in these villages sometimes would take four or five years. We're going to get 1,700 projects done in two years, managed entirely by the villagers themselves and their leadership. And the funds are transforming the lives of those communities,” Dr Jagdeo said.

The Vice President explained that the remain-

“The school will have an AI module where every student in every subject area will be evaluated, and AI would generate specific lessons to target specific weaknesses of every student, and send that lesson to the student to work on their weaknesses,” he detailed.

This method, he explained, seeks to increase efficiency in upgrading students’ learning abilities in a timely manner.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand has since posted to her social media page photos of a meeting with providers and content reviewers of the Guyana Digital School, which she said would soon

be commissioned by the President.

In addition to education, the Head of State disclosed, work has been ongoing with Harvard University to utilise AI to read malaria slides.

“It is already operational,” he added. “We can’t be static in our thinking; we have to be able to open ourselves to the competition and challenges and opportunities that the world gives to us. Therefore, AI and digitisation and technology must and will be the strategic bedrock on which our future is built.”

The President has pointed out that AI is being used to enhance transparency,

improve financing and investment, improve agriculture and food security, crime analysis, traffic management, remove bureaucracy and human biases, and create greater efficiency in Government services and systems. Some of these applications have commenced with the introduction of paperless transactions at the ports of entry and other public offices. Further, he noted that with the extensive borders Guyana has, AI is also important for national security and defence.

The Guyana Digital School is expected to become operational next month, and will be available regionally.

Magistrate signals end...

ing 85 percent of the carbon credit funds are being allocated to a special fund, which he noted is audited separately to ensure transparency and accountability.

“The 85% that remains we're keeping in a special fund to be audited separately. And now we're funding an entire adaptation process across the country that would see about 40 new mobile pumps bought this year; another 20 pumping stations with 39 pumps installed; canals to take the water directly from the backlands, bypassing the villages directly into the Atlantic; a whole program that would help to solve one of the biggest vulnerabilities we have, which is flooding and managing water,” he explained.

In 2024, the Guyana Government distributed a historic $4.778 billion in carbon credit funding for the development of Indigenous communities.

An additional sum of $35 million was later allocated to small groups that had submitted developmental plans to the ministry with the aim of boosting economic activities within the various areas.

The funds are disbursed through a Village Council system wherein the funds for each village are deposited into a special bank account owned by that village, and the Community Council oversees how the funds are spent.

The funds are spent based on collective decisions made by the village, with a Financial Oversight Committee ensuring proper usage of the funds.

Rasul testified that Mingo attempted to falsely declare the results, and legal proceedings were filed in the High Court. However, Mingo persisted and moved the tabulation process to GECOM headquarters.

Party representatives and observers were instructed to gather under a shed at 16:00h. Rasul, under heavy security, was escorted to the location, where Mingo, along with Denise Babb-Cummings Babb and Sheffern February, conducted the tabulation by reading numbers from papers.

Objections were raised about the speed of the process but were ignored. She said the process continued, party representatives and observers eventually left, and another AmCham observer took over when Rasul departed.

Courtroom Drama

During Rasul’s testimony, drama enfolded when defense attorneys including Eusi Anderson and Darren Wade, challenged the role of prosecutor Latchmie Rahamat. The issue arose after Rahamat disclosed information related to two earlier private criminal charges against some of the accused associated with the 2020 elections.

“I have instructions from the DPP to disclose to the court that before these criminal charges were instituted by the police, there were

previously two private criminal charges filed by a representative of the PPP party,” she stated. She further added, “At that time, Mr. Dexter Todd was part and parcel of a prosecutorial team that was being assembled to move those two charges further. Those charges are no longer in existence.”

Defense attorney Anderson objected, raising concerns about the fairness of the proceedings.

Rahamat clarified her statement, asserting that she was not accusing Todd of any wrongdoing. “Your Worship, I am not saying that Mr. Todd did anything improper. I was instructed by the DPP to disclose this information simply because it relates to the history of this matter. There’s no accusation against Mr. Todd,” she stated.

Given the opportunity to clarify, Dexter Todd firmly denied any substantive involvement in the case, saying “I was initially a part of a selected group. I met on two occasions. I stepped away from the matter because I did not form the view that the prosecutor should also be the investigator. All these statements that form part, that even are now here, were prepared through Ms Rahamat’s office, not at the CID’s office,” Todd explained. “I never saw a statement or advised on a statement. I was not a part of advising at all. So that is misleading” he

added.

Despite continued objections from the defense, Magistrate McGusty ruled that Rahamat would remain on the case. Nevertheless, throughout the heated exchanges, Magistrate McGusty remained firm in her stance about moving ahead with the case and finishing the case, addressing the defense’s repeated objections.

Following Rasul’s testimony, she was cross-examined by Nigel Hughes, who focused on what he described as the inconsistencies between her police statement and testimony.

Hughes also questioned Rasul’s familiarity with election procedures. At the end of the cross-examination defense requested the witness to submit her Curriculum Vitae (CV) in 2015 and an updated CV.

The case was adjourned to March 17, when further cross-examination of Rasul is expected.

The accused included former District Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, former Health Minister Volda Lawrence, PNCR activist Carol Smith-Joseph, former Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, and former Deputy CEO Roxanne Myers. All defendants face 19 charges of conspiracy to commit electoral fraud, charges to which they have all pleaded not guilty.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand meeting with providers and content reviewers of the Guyana Digital School

Top row, from left: Volda Lawrence, Keith Lowenfield, Denise Babb-Cummings, and Michelle Miller. Bottom row, from left: Enrique Livan, Sheffern February, Clairmont Mingo, and Carol Smith-Joseph

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

“We want to be able to gain more from our natural resources” – former

…looks

at how to capitalise on value-added products

Guyana’s manufacturing sector is continuously seeking to capitalise on value-added production, which refers to the increase in value of an article at each stage of its production, exclusive of initial costs.

And former Vice Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Rafeek Khan, in providing advice on how Guyana can properly capitalise on its value-added products, has made certain remarks on “The Guyana Dialogue” show.

Focusing on the manufacturing sector, Khan mentioned that one of the ways value-added manufacturing can be achieved is by converting natural resource logs into dimensional timber.

“For me, I would say we need to at least look at converting logs into dimensional timber, targeted towards consumers who are currently willing to buy our timber. This includes applications

for hydraulic and engineering uses, housing, framing, and roofing. You also have decking. These are applications that don’t require sophisticated value-added processes,” Khan explained.

Emphasising that this shift is driven by the desire to gain more from natural resources, Khan detailed, “We want to be able to gain more from our natural resources. So, if you're cutting let’s say a truckload of logs and you sell it to India or China, the value of that truckload of logs without adding any value is just going to be about US$10,000. However, if you were to convert that truckload of logs into dimensional lumber, you’re not even talking about further processing…,” he explained.

By the simple act of converting a truckload of logs into dimensional lumber, Khan explained, a businessperson would greatly multiply revenue receivable on the logs.

Rafeek Khan, former Vice Chairman of the Private Sector Commission

“We’re talking about the first stage of production: from logs to lumber to roughsawn lumber. And just by doing that alone, you're moving towards almost doubling the revenue you will get from a containerload of lumber that you're going to sell,” Khan explained.

“So, can you imagine if you were to utilise labour in-country, helping contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product by converting our raw material into more value-added products…?” he asked.

“That has been the broad objective of the Guyana Forestry Commission and the stakeholders within the forestry sector: to keep growing businesses by increasing revenues through value-added production,” he detailed.

Noting that if Guyana were to continue exporting raw materials without conversion, the desired growth would not be seen, Khan declared, “If we keep just exporting raw materials, we're not going to see our profitability as we would like to. We would not be creating employment and we will not be increasing our GDP. So, from a broad perspective, we need to look at increasing value-added each year.”

PSC VC

Acknowledging that the transition has been challenging, he declared that possibilities are on the horizon.

One of the major challenges over the past four to five decades, he said, has been the move from reducing log exports and hopefully one day banning them, to increasing value-added products.

Another key issue has been logistics, he declared. Moving raw materials from the hinterland to a sawmill to be processed into value-added products means that the cost of transportation can be as much as 50% of the total cost of the raw material, Khan added.

“If you're spending most of your production cost on logistics, you're not going to be competitive. However, what we see happening now —and why the opportunity is great for any company seeking to enter into value-added production — is that logistics’ costs are set to decrease by at least 50% due to infra-

structure improvements being made to move logs from the forest to the sawmills,” he detailed.

“Another area where costs would be reduced, which has been a hindrance in the past, is energy,” he added.

As global demand for sustainably-sourced products grows, the need to move beyond exporting raw materials -- making the shift towards value-added products -- has become increasingly urgent, he explained.

Similarly, as Guyana continues to develop, maintaining upward mobility on a number of value chains across a range of sectors would be a challenge, he explained.

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat had in fact said in February 2023 that investing in these value-added products could be the key to ensuring the long-term viability of the forestry sector.

Vision 25 by 2025 Caricom records significant achievements in food security initiative

The Vision 25 by 2025, Food and Nutrition Security Initiative, has recorded major achievements; two of which are increased production across the Caribbean region, and implementation of key agricultural policies. This has been reported by the Caricom Secretariat’s Agriculture Programme.

The Initiative is aimed at reducing the Region’s high food import bill by 25 per cent by the end of 2025, and Deputy Programme Manager, Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Development, at the Caricom Secretariat, Ms. Milagro Matus, has provided an update on the Initiative during an interview prior to the Forty-Eighth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of Caricom, which is being held in Bridgetown, Barbados from February 19 to 21, 2025 under Chairmanship of the Hon. Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados.

Matus pointed out that governments have increased budget allocations for agricultural development, have incorporated climate-smart project development in their planning, and there has also been improvement in the adaptation of digital technologies in the sector.

“There have been major milestones and achievements, a lot of successes, starting off with the fact that we have increased local production, and member states have been increasing local production in vegetables, fruits, legumes and root crops. In addition, member states have also been

Plant Commodities. These are exceptional and extremely important policies to improve intra-regional trade,” Matus highlighted.

Fight against climate change

increasing the budget allocation in agriculture to improve their services at the national level…Improving the adaptation of digital technology on the ground,” she detailed.

Revised and improved trade polices

A key component of the region’s Vision 25 by 2025 Initiative is the free movement of goods and services, the Deputy Programme Manager revealed as she explained that the Caribbean Community has, over the years, made significant strides towards removing trade barriers, allowing for the free movement of agricultural products within the region.

“We have also been able to start the implementation of some major polices. For example, the Trade Policy on Animal and Animal Products, the Policy on Animal Health and Food Safety, and we have also been able to start implementation of the 19 Special Guidelines on Animal and

Caricom member states are among the most vulnerable small-island developing states (SIDS) whose agriculture sectors remain highly exposed to the effects of climate change. Changes in weather patterns: heavier rainfall and harsher dry seasons, among other changes, continue to have disastrous effects on the output and productivity of agriculture sectors. In this regard, stakeholders from within Caricom have been very strategic in the steps they have taken towards addressing the issue.

Matus revealed that extensive work has been done in the area of climate change, with Caricom members being able to attract investors into the region to strengthen its climate resilience.

“It’s a very key area. All member states: last year we had Jamaica, Guyana, and many other member states who hosted their own agri-investment forum; or even in their trade forums, they have a component specific to agriculture,” Matus highlighted.

“Also, we have been working with the FAO, the hand-in- hand programme. We ended up presenting irrigation projects worth over $20 million. We have also worked with 17 asset managements to come up with investment profiles to start attracting investments throughout the region,” she detailed.

Moreover, following the devastation caused by

Hurricane Beryl, which wreaked havoc in five member states, the region has collectively signed on to the Regional Economic AgriInsurance Programme (REAP).

REAP is managed by Lynch Caribbean Brokers – a consortium of insurance companies that provide agricultural insurance for crop and livestock farmers and fisherfolk.

The new initiative allows agriculturists to safeguard and recover smoothly from the adverse effects of climate change and dangerous weather patterns such as drought, excessive rainfall, pest infestation and fishery interruption, among other climate disasters.

“Agriculture insurance programmes are very limited, and last year we managed to identify a product that can suit the needs of each member state. And I think it's very important that we high-

light this, because especially in the times that we're living right now, with climate change,” Matus noted.

Agriculture insurance plays a vital role for Caricom member states by providing protection against the unpredictable and devastating impacts of climate change on agriculture.

As the Caribbean faces more frequent and severe weather-related events, the importance of agriculture insurance in safeguarding farmers’ livelihoods and ensuring food security for the people of the Region grows significantly.

Recognizing the severe effects of natural disasters and climate change, the Region’s initiative aims to enhance food sovereignty and economic resilience by adapting to, and mitigating against, these impacts.

Agriculture insurance programmes are essential in enabling farmers to in-

vest in sustainable and resilient practices, mitigating climate-related risks and facilitating quick recovery from natural disasters.

Agriculture insurance stands as a key component of Caricom’s strategy to combat the adverse effects of climate change on agriculture and work towards the targets of the 25% by 2025 Initiative.

About the 25 by 2025 Initiative

The 25 by 2025 Initiative is a long-term social and economic partnership between Caricom Member States, the regional private sector, regional organisations, producer groups, development partners and civil society. It outlines actions and critical areas of intervention to tackle the rising food import bill and reduce food insecurity, improve intra-regional trade, and create wealth and economic opportunity for every Caricom Member State.

Deputy Programme Manager, Agricultural and AgroIndustrial Development, at the Caricom Secretariat, Ms. Milagro Matus

Dr Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana and Lead Head of Government with responsibility for Agriculture and Food Security in the Caricom Quasi Cabinet, is pictured here with the Hon Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, at a shade house in Guyana where lettuce is cultivated

Offshore Technology Conference 2025

Govt seeking investors to maintain GtE project NGL plant

...must retain competitive edge in the oil and gas sector – Senior Petroleum Coordinator

Ministry of Natural Resources’ Senior Petroleum Coordinator,

With the highly anticipated US$1.7 billion Gas-toEnergy (GtE) project nearing its completion date, which is expected to be by the fourth quarter of 2025, the Guyana Government is currently working to secure investors to assist in the maintenance of the project’s Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) plant.

This was revealed by Senior Petroleum Coordinator at the Natural Resource Ministry, Bobby Gossai, last Friday during the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) press conference on the upcoming Offshore Technology Conference (OTC).

The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is a series of conferences and exhibitions focused on the exchanging of technical knowledge relevant to the development of offshore energy resources, primarily oil and natural gas. The

flagship event is held annually during early May in Houston, Texas, USA since 1969.

Gossai revealed that in order for Guyana to remain competitive in the oil and gas sector, local business who attend the OTC must seek to secure partnerships and investments that will see new skills and technologies being brought into the country.

“What we want to see over time, and this is part of the initiative of bringing our audience here – when I say our audience, I mean the membership of the GCCI and every local business in particular – to find those technologies that we don't have here, that we can serve as our oil and gas sector… We have been doing this for the last three years, but we have to maintain our competitive edge in the oil and gas sector.”

With the Gas to Energy (GtE) project being one of the major transformation-

al projects with Guyana’s oil and gas sector, Gossai highlighted that the Government will focus on securing additional investments for the project.

He explained that there is room for capacity building, particularly in the area of maintenance, a field which he noted the government is actively working to secure investments in for the project.

“The development of the Gas to Energy (GtE) project, there’re a host of opportunities there that we need to build capacity in the country, even at a government level; we’re looking at opportunities for maintenance opportunities to engage in working in this type of industries, and plants that are being established now – and especially to have the ability to supply the type of services and goods that a power plant of that nature will need.”

Gossai added, “As you would know right now, we have RFPs [Requests for proposals] out for operating and maintenance of the phase one of the NGL plant–and it's not just about that service of having personnel, but as I said, you need to have that equipment; you need to have parts in place, you need to have systems in place that are monitoring these activities 24 hours a day. So, I'm going to use that as a simple example that we have there. But we are also looking at more opportunities within the current oil and gas development that is happening here.”

Bartica man fined for refusal to take breathalyser test

Elijah Fraser of Byderabo Road in Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) has been fined $30,000 for refusing to take a breathalyser test.

The 23-year-old appeared on Tuesday before Bartica Magistrate Teriq Mohammed to answer a charge of refusing to consent to the test after being stopped by law enforcement officials.

The charge, laid under Section 39 (e) 5 (a) of the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act, Chapter 51:02, Amended Act #10 of 2008, stems from the legal requirement for drivers to maintain breath alcohol levels within the prescribed limit in order to ensure safety on the nation’s roads.

Fraser admitted to the

offence, and the magistrate imposed the fine on him.

The penalties for driving under the influence (DUI) have seen significant increase, with first-

time offenders now facing a $200,000 fine, up from the previous $30,000, and repeat offenders being subject to a $300,000 fine.

Additionally, those convicted of DUI offences will have their licences suspended for 12 months, a harsher consequence than had previously obtained.

In tandem with the revised penalties, amendments to the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Act of 2022 have placed greater responsibility on bar owners. They are now legally obligated to prevent drunkenness on their premises, and are prohibited from selling, giving, or bartering alcohol to individuals who are already intoxicated. Failure to comply with these rules will result in increased fines being imposed.

Gas-to-Energy project

The scope of Guyana’s GtE Project consists of the construction of 225 kilometres of pipeline from the Liza field in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, where Exxon and its partners are currently producing oil.

It features approximately 200 kilometres of a subsea pipeline offshore that would run from Liza Destiny and Liza Unity floating, production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessels in the Stabroek Block, to the shore.

Upon reaching the West Coast Demerara (WCD) shore, the pipeline would continue for approximately 25 kilometres to the NGL plant at Wales, West Bank Demerara (WBD).

In last year’s national budget, the project received a $43.3 billion allocation in

addition to the $24.6 billion injected into the start-up of the transformational project.

The Guyana Government has envisioned the startup of the GtE Project by 2025, thus realising its commitment to deliver cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable energy to the population.

There is also a planned phase two of the GtE Project. It was only in September 2024 that the Government invited interested companies to submit proposals for a second power plant and NGL facility at Wales, WBD, – the project site for the current GtE Project.

It is expected that of the 250 kilometres of 12-inch pipelines that will bring the gas onshore, only 40 percent of the pipeline’s capacity will be used in Phase One to gas up the first pow-

er plant and NGL facility at Wales, bringing 50 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of dry gas onshore. It was announced in April 2023 that Guyana had applied for the loan from the US EXIM Bank to finance the US$761 million GtE Project, which includes the construction of an integrated NGL plant and a 300-megawatt (MW) combined cycle power plant at Wales, WBD, utilising natural gas from the country’s offshore operations in the Stabroek Block. Subsequently, some US$526M of the loan applied for to the EXIM Bank was approved. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had pointed out that the EXIM bank, in its press statement, referred to the GtE Project as a transition to more reliable, clean energy.

Artistic impression of the GtE project NGL plant

Bobby Gossai

Fined: Elijah Fraser

Regional

Charged with coup plot, Bolsonaro seeks lifeline from Brazil lawmakers

After Brazil's top prosecutor charged former President Jair Bolsonaro with plotting a 2022 coup, the ex-President's political future may hinge on a legislative blitz to change how politicians are blocked from running for office.

A conviction by the Supreme Court, which is overseeing the case, could land Bolsonaro in prison and create another obstacle for his plans of running for President next year. Anticorruption legislation that the far-right firebrand voted for in 2010 as a lawmaker bars anyone convicted by higher court from running for public office.

Bolsonaro was charged on Tuesday evening with leading a "criminal organisation" aiming to overthrow Brazil's 40-year-old democracy after he lost the 2022 election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whom they planned to poison.

Lawyers for Bolsonaro denied on Tuesday that he had supported any movement attacking Brazil's democratic institutions. He has called the case a political witchhunt conducted by biased courts and investigators.

"Every authoritarian regime, in its thirst for power, needs to create internal enemies to justify persecution, censorship and arbitrary arrests," Bolsonaro wrote on his X account on Wednesday.

Aides close to Bolsonaro acknowledge in private that he faces long odds to clear his name before the Supreme Court, so the former President is focused on rallying allies in Congress to clear his path for a political comeback.

Bolsonaro huddled with allied senators on Tuesday about plans to revise the socalled "clean record law" and other potential obstacles to his 2026 candidacy. He was expected to meet with Lower House lawmakers on Wednesday.

"The clean record law today only serves one purpose, to persecute right-wing politicians," Bolsonaro said in a video posted to social media this month. "The ideal thing would be to reverse the law so no one else is persecuted, and the person who decides whether they will elect a candidate or not is you."

Marlon Reis, a former Judge who first proposed that law, recalled that it was a rare piece of legislation that reached Congress because of a popular initiative, after a petition gathered over 1.6 million signatures for a bill.

"We needed a great popular mobilisation, one of the biggest in history, to demand that Congress go through with the law," he said.

Few politicians have benefited more from the law

than Bolsonaro himself, who pushed for its passage as part of an anti-corruption crusade that carried him from the back benches of Congress to the presidential palace.

Lula, long one of Brazil's most popular politicians, was barred from the 2018 campaign by the clean-record law, clearing Bolsonaro's path to win the presidency.

The leftist leader was convicted that same year for his alleged role in a sprawling bribery scheme involving his Workers Party. The Supreme Court later annulled his conviction.

Speaking at an event in Brasilia on Wednesday, Lula said that all Brazilians have the right to be presumed innocent.

Bolsonaro and his allies could go free, he added, "if they prove that they did not try to throw a coup, kill the President and, Vice President," referring to evidence about the case released by the federal Police.

Constitutional barrier

A simple legislative change may not be enough to revive Bolsonaro's political hopes if he is found guilty by the Supreme Court. Brazil's Constitution bars convicts serving time from holding office.

Amending the Constitution would require a 60 per cent majority in both chambers of Congress, which could be an uphill battle, according to Rubens Glezer, a constitutional law professor at the FGV law school in São Paulo.

"It would have enormous political cost, because you're talking about people convicted for any crime," he said.

The case before the Supreme Court is not Bolsonaro's only problem. In 2023, Brazil's federal electoral court (TSE) barred Bolsonaro from public office until 2030 for abusing his political power in two different instances during his 2022 presidential campaign, including his attack on the legitimacy of the country's electronic voting system.

His allies are now proposing changes to laws that could, for example, reduce

how long a politician can be blocked from running for office. It is not clear if those bills can gain traction in Congress, but some conservatives have been emboldened by Lula's plunging popularity.

A February poll released by Datafolha revealed only 24 per cent of Brazilians approve of the Lula Administration amid rising food prices — the lowest-ever approval across his three presidential terms.

Bolsonaro allies have also attacked the Supreme Court as biased against his rightwing movement in an effort to stoke a legislative backlash.

US President Donald Trump's Trump Media & Technology Group and video-sharing platform Rumble sued Brazil Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the Bolsonaro case, over accusations of illegal censorship. (Reuters)

Migrants in Panama deported from US moved to Darien jungle region

Agroup of migrants deported from the United States to Panama last week were moved on Tuesday night from a hotel in the capital to the Darien jungle region in the south of the country, a lawyer representing a migrant family told Reuters on Wednesday.

Susana Sabalza, a Panamanian migration lawyer, said the family she represents was transferred to Meteti, a town in the Darien, along with other deported migrants.

La Estrella de Panama, a local daily, reported on Wednesday, that 170 of the 299 migrants who had been in the hotel were moved to the Darien.

Panama's Government did not respond to a request for comment.

The 299 migrants have been staying at a hotel in Panama City under the protection of local authorities and with the financial support of the United States through the UN-related International Organisation for Migration and the UN refugee agency, according to the Panamanian Government.

The migrants include people from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, according to Panama's President, Jose Raul Mulino, who has agreed with the US to re-

ceive non-Panamanian deportees.

The deportation of non-Panamanian migrants to Panama is part of the Trump Administration's attempt to ramp up deportations of migrants living in the US illegally.

One of the challenges to Trump's plan is that some migrants come from countries that refuse to accept US deportation flights, due to strained diplomatic relations or other reasons. The arrangement with Panama allows the US to deport these nationalities and makes it Panama's responsibility to organise their onward repatriation. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Honduras reaches agreement to extend extradition treaty with the US

Honduran President Xiomara Castro has announced her Government has arrived at an agreement with the United States to extend an extradition treaty that she had previously pledged to discontinue.

Castro said on Tuesday that the agreement will include “safeguards” for Honduras’s sovereignty, after previously attacking the treaty as an example of the heavy-handed US influence in Latin America.

Honduras President Xiomara Castro expressed fears of US meddling in domestic affairs

[File: Fredy Rodriguez/Reuters]

“I have reached an agreement with the new United States Administration so that the Extradition Treaty will continue with the necessary safeguards for the State of Honduras, guaranteeing its objective application,” Castro said in a social

7 Chileans charged over burglary spree targeting pro athletes in US

Seven men have been charged in connection with a spree of burglaries targeting professional athletes across the US.

Goods worth more than $2 million were stolen from the homes of NBA and NFL players in a series of breakins which began in October 2024.

Kansas City Chiefs stars Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes were among those targeted as they were competing in games late last year, as were players from the Milwaukee Bucks and Cincinnati Bengals.

According to a federal complaint unsealed on Tuesday, all seven men charged over the burglaries are Chilean nationals. It alleges they are members of a South American theft group that targeted high-profile

athletes.

The complaint names the men as Pablo Zuniga Cartes, Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, Bastian Jimenez Freraut, Jordan Quiroga Sanchez, Bastian Orellano Morales, Alexander Huiaguil Chavez, and Sergio Ortega Cabello.

The group, who are aged between 23 and 38, all face a maximum of 10 years in jail if convicted over the burglaries.

It is not yet clear if they have legal representation. Four of the defendants –Cabello, Chavez, Morales, and Sanchez – pleaded not guilty to initial charges in Ohio last month.

While the federal complaint does not name the victims, it said the Kansas City homes of two Chiefs players were burgled in October.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

media post. The treaty was otherwise set to expire in 10 days. But Castro’s decision comes amid US calls to continue the agreement, which has been used to facilitate the extradition of figures such as former President Juan Orlando Hernandez and former Police Chief Juan Carlos Bonilla. Hernandez, for example, was a staunch US ally who came to power as a “law and order” figure. But in April 2022, he was extradited to the US, where he was convicted last year of using his influence to protect powerful drug traffickers. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

More than 1 million new Caribbean jobs predicted

By 2032 there will be more than a million additional jobs in the Caribbean than there were in 2019, according to a report from World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

“It is anticipated that we should see a rise in jobs in the region of 1.32 million additional jobs and a doubling of our GDP (Gross Domestic Product),” stated Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Immediate Past President Nicola Madden-Greig.

That is an increase of about 2.1 per cent.

“When you see a forecasted data set like this, we at CHTA said to ourselves, ‘How do we achieve this? And what is the data set that we will need to use to be able to analyse what is happening in our industry and then also to help our members to achieve this forecast that we

see in front of us?’” MaddenGreig added during a panel discussion Monday on day one of the Global Tourism Resilience Conference and Expo being held at Princess Grand Resort in Green Island, Hanover. The topic being discussed was ‘Big Data Analytics and Tourism Resilience’.

Madden-Greig was referencing an economic impact report that CHTA conducted in collaboration with WTTC. It examined the potential contribution of tourism to GDP as well as the growth of travel and tourism jobs. The report indicated that in 2019 tourism contributed 13.7 per cent to the Caribbean’s GDP and 10.4 per cent at the global level. These numbers are expected to move up to 14.2 and 11.6 per cent, respectively, by 2032. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (Reuters/Anderson Coelho file photo)

Around the world

UOIL NEWS

Exxon, government plan large-scale gas project in oil-dominated Guyana

.S. oil major Exxon Mobil, plans to boost natural gas output and supply in Guyana through a large-scale project announced on Wednesday, following the government's call for more gas to fuel onshore power and petrochemical projects.

The "Wales Gas Vision", outlined by Exxon's Guyana head, Alistair Routledge, at an energy conference in Georgetown, is set to provide gas for several petrochemical and power projects through a $1 billion pipeline completed last year.

The government will take a portion of the gas, produced by Exxon at its massive Stabroek Block and transported through the pipeline for power generation and natural gas liquids production.

Also planned is a gas processing and liquefied natural gas (LNG) offshore facility to be built by U.S. company Fulcrum LNG.

Exxon might be in charge of building a separate set of pipelines to transport the gas the government is entitled to as profit gas to Fulcrum LNG's facility, energy minister Vickram Bharrat told Reuters on the sidelines of the conference.

The plant will allow LNG exports and gas supply to Guyana's Berbice area for producing fertilizers and alumina.

Exxon and the government have not disclosed total investment figures for the projects. A complete assessment of gas resources at Exxon's block is needed for that, and Exxon must decide how it will use its portion of the gas to be produced, Bharrat said.

But the government believes there is enough gas for commercial projects, the minister added.

Guyana is aiming to add natural gas to an energy mix dominated by oil output, helping to open new sources of revenue, Bharrat said.

"There will be a shift towards gas utilization and monetization," the minister said at the conference. The government is expected to launch its ambitious gas strategy this year.

The Exxon-led consortium in Guyana, in which U.S. Hess, and China's CNOOC, participate, plans to ramp up gas output in the coming years, especially through projects involving gas not associated with oil, such as Longtail.

Exxon is "ready to deliver gas" to shore, Routledge said at Guyana's Energy Conference. (Excerpted from Reuters)

YouTuber's 'dirty' comments spark massive row in India

"Dirty." "Perverted mind." "Disgusting."

These were the words India's Supreme Court used on Tuesday while granting interim protection from arrest to a popular YouTuber who has been in the eye of a storm in the country over the past week.

The furore began after Ranveer Allahbadia, whose YouTube channel BeerBiceps has eight million followers, asked a contestant the question: "Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once and stop it forever?"

The comments, made on the show India's Got Latent on February 9, sparked massive outrage, police cases and even death threats.

YouTube quickly removed the episode, but that didn't stall the tide of anger directed at Allahbadia and the show.

In fact, the amount of attention the incident has received is mind-boggling: it

Turkey to export 15,000 tonnes of eggs to US to ease bird flu disruptions

Turkey has begun exporting around 15,000 tonnes of eggs to the United States as a devastating outbreak of bird flu is slashing U.S. production and sending prices soaring, a leading sector official said on Wednesday.

Deaths of millions of laying hens imperil U.S.

President Donald Trump's pledge to bring down everyday costs, as grocery stores ration supplies and restaurants raise prices for egg

dishes.

Shipments to the U.S. from Turkey began this month and will continue until July, said Ibrahim Afyon, chairman of the Egg Producers Central Union in Turkey.

"The export will take place through our member companies with the required authorizations, while two firms will coordinate the process," Afyon said.

"A total of 15,000 tonnes of eggs — equivalent to

700 containers — will be shipped," he added.

The U.S. has been working to contain bird flu, which was first detected in dairy cattle in Texas last March and has since spread to more than 970 herds in 17 states.

The virus has infected nearly 70 people since April, primarily farm workers exposed to infected poultry or cattle. One person who was infected died.

"We support the temporary import of egg prod-

ucts to help ease the strain on the U.S. egg supply," said Chad Gregory, CEO of United Egg Producers, a cooperative that represents U.S. egg farmers.

Faced with supply constraints, U.S. companies have sought alternative import markets, leading to negotiations with Turkish producers, Afyon said.

The deal is expected to generate around $26 million in export revenue, he added.

(Excerpted from Reuters)

US must not interfere in Tate's case, say alleged victims

Four women who allege they were sexually abused by the social media influencer Andrew Tate have urged the US not to interfere in his case in Romania.

The women said they were "extremely concerned" by reports that US officials had asked Romania to relax travel restrictions against Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, who have dual UK-US

Qatar’s emir holds talks with Iran’s supreme leader in Tehran

nationality.

Ranveer

has made national headlines, been covered on primetime TV and some of India's most prominent news sites have even run live pages.

Since the controversy erupted, Allahbadia and the show's creator, Samay Raina, have apologised for the comments and Raina has taken down all previous episodes of the show.

The Supreme Court in its recent order banned Allahbadia from posting content on social media.

(Excerpted from BBC News)

Qatar’s emir has held talks with Iran’s supreme leader and the country’s president during a state visit amid high tensions in the region.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s spiritual leader and its highest authority, in Tehran on Wednesday.

The leaders discussed bilateral relations, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.

The visit comes as tensions remain high across the region, with fragile ceasefires holding following months of war in Lebanon and Gaza and a transitional government in place in Syria following

the removal of President Bashar al-Assad.

Sheikh Tamim acknowledged the tensions in the region and urged countries to cooperate more to address the situation, the Iranian state news agency IRNA reported.

Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani says regional challenges ‘necessitate coordination’.

Tohid Asadi, a professor of politics at the University of Tehran, said the meeting was “critically important”.

“We heard the two leaders put an emphasis on the necessity of peace in the region [and] on the necessity of expanding [economic] ties,” Asadi said. (Excerpted from Al Jazeera)

Lawyer Matthew Jury, who is representing the four alleged victims, told the BBC they were "absolutely bewildered why the Trump administration has decided to interfere in this way", although Romania denies being pressured by the US.

Tate, 38, and his brother were arrested in Romania three years ago and face trial on allegations of rape, trafficking minors and money laundering, all of which they deny.

Separately, the brothers are wanted by police in the UK over allegations of rape and human trafficking,

which they also deny. Their extradition to the UK will be dealt with once the Romania case finishes.

Representatives for the Tates said they had no comment on the latest development.

One source told the paper that a request had been made by the US to return the brothers' passports to them so they could travel while waiting for the criminal case against them to finish.

The Tate brothers are currently banned from leaving Romania, although are no longer under house arrest. (Excerpted from BBC News)

Sweden’s top court rejects Greta Thunberg lawsuit on climate action

Sweden’s Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that Greta Thunberg and hundreds of other activists cannot proceed with a lawsuit that had sought to force the state to take stronger action against climate change.

Activists filed a class action lawsuit in 2022 with a district court, arguing that the state violates rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights by not doing enough to limit climate change, or mitigate its effects.

The district court asked the Supreme Court in 2023 to clarify whether such a lawsuit could effectively be tried in a Swedish court, fol-

lowing a request by the state for the case to be dismissed. “A court cannot decide that the parliament or the government must take any specific action. The political bodies decide independently on which specific climate measures Sweden should take,” the Supreme Court said in a statement on Wednesday. But the court added that it had not ruled out that a lawsuit formulated differently could be heard in Sweden, as the European Court of Justice has said groups meeting certain requirements may have the right to sue over climate change. (Excerpted from NBC News)

Andrew Tate pictured inside court in Romanian capital Bucharest for a hearing last December

Allahbadia, also known as BeerBiceps, is a popular Indian podcaster

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian (left) walks with Qatar's Emir

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during a welcome ceremony at the presidential palace in Tehran on February 19, 2025

Share a special moment with someone who can bring you joy or help you explore new possibilities. Refuse to let anger ruin your plans or get in the way of something that can help you.

Refuse to let uncertainty leave you bewildered. Hiding out won't help you get ahead. Wrap your head around your options and pick a path. Discover what's possible.

Say no to anyone complicating your life, and focus on what's important. Put what you hear in context with what you want to do and try to simplify your life. Proceed calmly but with determination.

Size up your current situation, prospects and desires. It's time to take a chance and explore new possibilities. You may not welcome change, but to experience what life can offer, you must step outside your comfort zone.

Promoting something you are working toward prematurely will be met with criticism and potential loss. Take one step at a time. Focus on personal growth and gain, and finish what you start.

Walk away from temptation or anyone trying to push you. A well-thoughtout plan is the only way to implement desirable change. Put relationships first, show concern and be sensitive to the needs of loved ones.

Someone who excites you will grab your attention. A new adventure will spark your imagination and encourage you to change your direction, surroundings or pastimes.

You're in the driver's seat; refuse to stop, because attention will be necessary to reach your destination. Keep tabs on how much things cost and consider with whom you want to share life. A project will require dedication.

Observation will pay off. Don't give away your secrets. Allowing others to steal your thunder or exploit your naivety will set you back and lower your self-esteem.

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1st Match, Group A, Karachi, ICC Champions Trophy...

Latham and Young centuries hand New Zealand thumping victory

Pakistan had to wait for near ly three decades for a global tourna ment to return to their country, but New Zealand spoiled their party on the opening day of the Champions Trophy, handing the co-hosts a 60-run loss in Karachi. In a short, sharp tourna ment, where each team plays just three groupstage games, a defeat like this might jeopardise Pakistan’s chances of mak ing the semi-finals. Will Young and Tom Latham were the architects of their team’s victory, both batters scoring outstanding hun dreds to set up the dominance that followed, but there was also a little bit of luck. Two balls into the game, Fakhar Zaman suffered an injury while chasing a cover drive from Young and was forced off the field for large parts of the first innings. As result of the time spent off the field, Fakhar, whose big hitting is exactly what was necessary for a big chase, could not open the batting in their pursuit of 321. And when he came out to bat at number four – Pakistan were 22 for 2 in 10 overs at the time – he was visibly hampered while running between the wickets. New Zealand’s offspin

to Lockie Ferguson and Ben Sears, but their spinners made up for that on a pitch that offered turn and variable bounce. The spinners were so good that New Zealand didn’t need Nathan Smith, their third seam er, until the 31st over. By then Pakistan’s asking rate had al touched 10 over.

Zealand were also depleted by the injury-en forced absence of Rachin Ravindra, but Young and Latham scored tone-setting hun

That’s when Young got together with Latham to repair the early damage and then boss the middle overs. Young has spent much of his international career

innings in Pakistan and con verted it into a century. He got there in 107 balls in the 35th over, with Ravindra warmly ap him from

he ended up toe-ending it to the fielder for 61 off 39.

Phillips wasn’t done though. He produced the play of the day when he leapt to his left from point, stuck out one hand above his head and held onto a screamer to dismiss Mohammad Rizwan for 3 off 14 balls on the last ball of the first powerplay.

Will O’Rourke had already dismissed Saud Shakeel, the makeshift opener in place of Fakhar, for 6 in the fourth over. Matt Henry, who had missed the tri-series final with a knee niggle, also kept it tight in the first powerplay,

Pakistan’s lowest score in the first 10 overs since March 2019 and third lowest in the history of the Champions Trophy. There would be no way back for them, despite late blows from Khushdil Shah, who hit 69 off 49 balls, and the lower order. Pakistan were ultimately bowled out for 260 in the 48th over.

In his first match at a global event as New Zealand Captain, Mitchell Santner came away with three wickets though he took some tap at the end. For the third time in the pace of two weeks,

final on the back of three ducks, stretching back to the Auckland ODI against Sri Lanka in January. After being assisted by multiple reprieves on his way to 56 in the tri-series final against Pakistan, Latham reminded the world of his full range. He played a variety of sweeps, including the reverse, off a variety of lengths to disrupt Pakistan’s spinners. Fifty-two of his 118 runs came square or behind square on the leg side.

After Young holed out for 107, Latham forged a 125-run partnership with Phillips for the fifth wicket off just 74 balls. Having been on 10 off 18 balls, Phillips surged to his fifty off his next 16 balls. He had launched Shaheen Shah Afridi for back-to-back sixes and then when he shaped to ramp Haris Rauf over short third,

b Naseem Shah 1

Daryl Mitchell c Shaheen Shah Afridi

b Haris Rauf 10 Tom Latham † not out 118

Glenn Phillips c Fakhar Zaman

b Haris Rauf 61

Michael Bracewell not out 0

Extras (lb 4, w 9) 13

Total 50 Ov (RR: 6.40) 320/5

Did not bat: Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke

Fall of wickets: 1-39 (Devon Conway, 7.3 ov), 2-40 (Kane Williamson, 8.1 ov), 3-73 (Daryl Mitchell, 16.2 ov), 4-191 (Will Young, 37.2 ov), 5-316 (Glenn Phillips, 49.4 ov)

Bowling O-M-R-W

Shah Afridi 10-0-68-0

Shah 10-0-63-2 Abrar Ahmed 10-0-47-1

Rauf 10-0-83-2 Khushdil Shah 7-0-40-0

Salman Agha 3-0-15-0

Pakistan (T: 321 runs from 50 ovs)

Saud Shakeel c Henry

b O’Rourke 6

Babar Azam c Williamson

b Santner 64

Mohammad Rizwan (c)† c

Tom Latham settled in against spin

Khushdil Shah counterattacked with 69 off 49

Will Young celebrates his century

Babar Azam eased himself into Pakistan’s chase

Increased grand prize as Rock Futsal returns for 2nd instalment

Comenext Monday, 16 renowned futsal teams will begin a quest for a million-dollar grand prize when the second edition of the Rock Auto Trans Futsal tournament gets underway. The tournament was launched during a simple ceremony at the Fireside Grill, Garnett Street, Kitty on Wednesday afternoon, with the company being announced as another one of the event’s many sponsors. In sharing details of the upcoming competition, organiser/referee Wayne Griffith divulged the names of the competing teams and the structure of the tournament.

“Sixteen teams are going to take part in this tournament. I’ll just run through it quickly for you guys. The 16 teams are Back Circle A; Gold is Money; Sparta Boss; Stabroek Ballerz A; Back Circle B; North East La Penitence; Albouystown; Bent Street; Z-Tekk Family; Festival City; North Ruimveldt; Road Warriors – yes, the Brazilian team is back; Laing Avenue; Team Cruel; Mocha Family and Victoria Eagles,” Griffith informed.

He went on to share, “It’s 16 teams we’re going with this year, we have them in four groups of four and we’re going to play a group stage.

The first three playing nights are going to be group games and then we go on to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final.”

While the tournament kicks off next Monday, February 24, the remaining playing days will be February 28, March 8, March 14 and March 22, with the grand finale scheduled for Saturday, March 29 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH). Griffith, in a word to the players, shared a reminder about the importance of them being properly attired for the sport. The organiser cautioned, “All teams are asked to use the attire and come proper-

Group

Group

Group C Gold is Money North East La Penitence Team Cruel North Ruimveldt

CG United Women’s Super50 Cup…

Groups and first-night fixtures:

not the street ball that we normally play; it’s futsal – it’s sanctioned by the Guyana Football Federation and we have sponsors come on board to help us make these tournaments possible. So, we’re asking players to come out with their shin pads and proper socks to have this tournament up and running.”

As first place pockets $1 million, the second-place finisher will have to settle for $500,000; third place, $300,000 and fourth place, $200,000.

Back Circle are the tournament’s defending champions after thumping Bent Street 3-1, in the inaugural final last year.

Group D Sparta Boss Stabroek Ballerz A Albouystown Z-Tekk Family Day 1 Group

19:00h: Back Circle B v Laing Avenue

19:30h: Stabroek Ballerz B v Mocha/Family

20:00h: Gold is Money v Team Cruel

20:30h: Stabroek Ballerz A v Z-Tekk

21:00h: North East La Penitence v North Ruimveldt

21:30h: Bent Street v Victoria Eagles

22:00h: Back Circle A v Festival City

22:30h: Sparta Boss v Albouystown

Action bowls off in St Kitts on Monday

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced the return of exciting regional women’s cricket to St Kitts with the CG United Women’s Super50 Cup regional tournament, showcasing the Caribbean’s premier female cricket talent.

The prestigious CG United Super50 Cup will unfold across three premier venues – the historic Warner Park, Conaree Cricket Centre and St Paul’s Sports Complex – from February 24 to March 7, with matches beginning at 10:00h daily.

Defending champions Jamaica will face fierce competition from a stellar lineup including Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, Guyana, Windward Islands and hosts Leeward Islands. The tournament

marks a crucial preparation phase in a landmark year for West Indies Women’s cricket.

This regional showpiece precedes an intensive international calendar for the West Indies Women, who look to build on their commanding One-Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) series victories against Bangladesh in St Kitts last month.

CWI Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe expressed his excitement at the start of the tournament, saying: “We at Cricket West Indies are thrilled to kick off this year’s CG United Women’s Super 50.”

“This tournament isn’t just a competition but a celebration of the incredible strides we’ve made in

women’s cricket across the Caribbean. We are seeing phenomenal talent emerging from every corner of the Region and watching these players battle it out on the field is going to be something

Round 1 – February 24

special.

“With our international tours on the horizon and the impending ODI World Cup coming up, the timing couldn’t be better to showcase the strength of West Indies women’s cricket. We are particularly excited for cricket fans in St Kitts to see once again, some of our rising stars in action as the future of women’s cricket in the Caribbean looks brighter than ever.”

Last year’s tournament highlighted the depth of women’s cricket in the Region.

Jamaica started strongly with a commanding 204run victory over Barbados, powered by Stafanie Taylor’s impressive 99. Guyana established themselves as serious contenders with consistent performances, including a crucial win over Trinidad and Tobago where Ashmini Munisar claimed exceptional figures of 5-15.

The Windward Islands

Windward Islands v Leeward Islands (St Paul’s)

Barbados v Guyana (Conaree)

Jamaica v Trinidad & Tobago (Warner Park)

Round 2 – February 26

Windward Islands v Barbados (Warner Park)

Trinidad & Tobago v Leeward Islands (Conaree)

Guyana v Jamaica (St Paul’s)

Round 3 – February 28

Trinidad & Tobago v Windward Islands (St Paul’s)

Leeward Islands v Guyana (Warner Park)

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also made their mark with a thrilling two-wicket victory over Trinidad and Tobago, thanks to Jannillea Glasgow’s decisive innings of 62.

Some notable individual performances also lit up the tournament, including Chinelle Henry’s remarkable 6-31 for Jamaica against the Windward Islands; Kycia Knight’s steady batting for Barbados, which brought her three half-centuries and Shemaine Campbelle’s aggressive batting displays for Guyana.

Cricket enthusiasts worldwide can catch every moment of the action at Conaree and St Paul through live-streaming on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel, while matches at Warner Park will be broadcast on ESPN Caribbean for regional viewers. These broadcasts will be complemented by comprehensive ball-by-ball coverage on the windiescricket.com live match centre.

Jamaica v Barbados (Conaree)

Round 4 – March 3

Leeward Islands v Jamaica (Warner Park)

Barbados v Trinidad & Tobago (St Paul’s)

Guyana v Windward Islands (Conaree)

Round 5 – March 5

Guyana v Trinidad & Tobago (Warner Park)

Windward Islands v Jamaica (Conaree)

Barbados v Leeward Islands (St Paul’s)

Finals Day – March 7

Championship Final: 1st v 2nd (Warner Park)

3rd Place Play-off (Conaree)

5th Place Play-off (St Paul’s)

ly dressed: they must have shin pads, all players must have shin pads and a long sock. This is futsal; this is

Flashback! Back Circle receive their prize after the inaugural Rock Auto Trans Futsal tournament last year

Jamaica are the defending champions after winning last year’s round robin

GFF names 21-member Women’s U20 team for CONCACAF Qualifiers

The Guyana Under-20 Women’s National Team touched down safely in Antigua and Barbuda, ahead of the CONCACAF Women’s U20 Qualifiers, set to take place from February 20 to February 25.

Guyana will compete in Group A alongside Haiti, Belize, and Antigua and Barbuda, with the winners of the group advancing to the CONCACAF U20 Women’s Championship. That tournament will serve as the qualification pathway for the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.

The team will open its campaign against Belize tomorrow, Friday, February 21, before facing host nation Antigua and Barbuda on Sunday, February 23. Guyana will then close out the group stage against Haiti on Tuesday, February 25.

The 21-member squad selected to represent Guyana in this crucial campaign includes:

Goalkeepers: Nya-Grace Young –Howard University Kymora Chung –

West Indies Championships…

Unionville Milliken Soccer Club

Deena Fredericks –Unaffiliated Defenders:

Maliya Gangadin –Vaughan SC

Heike Clarke – Alliance Shareina Langevine –Vaughan Soccer Club

Sarah Dasilva – Toronto Blizzard

Akeelah Vancooten –Police FC

Latoya Williams – Police FC

Aaliyha Christie – GDF FC

“We can’t play that type of cricket going forward”

…Hercules

reflects on

3rd-round

conclusion

Well on their way to an imminent draw on Saturday last at the Guyana National Stadium, the Guyana Harpy Eagles (GHE) seemingly lost focus under the lights as the swing of the pink ball obliterated the hosts’ top order in the second innings.

Both Raymond Perez and Matthew Nandu were out for a duck while Kevlon Anderson found the boundary once before departing.

Kevin Sinclair played a flashy innings, but an unnecessary shot cost him his wicket as the team were left at 44-4 in just eight overs, before the drawn result was announced.

Reflecting on the third-round West Indies Championship clash with the West Indies Academy, GHE Head Coach Ryan Hercules expressed his disappointment with the way in which his team batted in those final overs.

“Like you mentioned, not the result coming into the back end that I was looking at. Obviously, the rain would have played its part raining out on one day and not a lot of play on the first day. Pretty much disappointed to be honest, coming down to the back end, seeing the batting display that we just had. Obviously, guys need to take the responsibility and play the situation as it is. If you’ve got 15 to 18, 20 overs to go out there and bat, I expect that the top five batters or the top batters can go out there, play that role and take the responsibility,” the Head Coach exclusively told Guyana Times Sport

He continued on Saturday night’s batting performance, “So, from a coaching standpoint, yes, we did get the first innings points, but it’s going to be some tough discussions in the dressing room on that performance and going forward, because I don’t think we can play that kind of cricket going forward, looking to win a title.”

However, the Head Coach is not too worried about that performance affecting his troops, highlighting that they will address it and bounce back.

Hercules explained, “The thing is, we still need to keep ourselves in a good space. Obviously, we’re professionals, these things do happen, but we need to address it and go back into training and work on it. So, when they get on the road, they need to play the brand of cricket we’ve been

playing.

“Yes, it’s going to be addressed. I want men to reflect on what went wrong for this first block and what we as a coaching staff can do to improve them. So, when we start our training sessions, we get to Jamaica and we get back into competition, we’ll be ready to improve in those areas.”

The Harpy Eagles will now shift their attention to the Jamaica Scorpions, who they will take on in two weeks’ time. As the Scorpions are coming off a loss, Hercules is hoping his troops can capitalise.

The Coach opined, “That [capitalising] will play a big part for us. I think we should be top of the table after this block and yes, it will be a high-confidence team for us and yes, we will capitalise on whatever we can when we get to Jamaica. Conditions will play a part as well, it’s when we get to assess and adapt to those conditions. But we will see whatever we can take to our advantage and use that going forward.”

With injury affecting their pace-bowling department in the third round, Hercules is not too concerned about the pacers, but is hopeful of them having an ace up their sleeves for the next round.

“Still work in progress. We had young [Thaddeus] Lovell playing his first game, he didn’t get a lot of bowling; there’s Ronaldo [Alimohamed], who I think has been doing a really decent job for us and Nial Smith, who is also just back in. I think with those guys and with the support from the spinners, we’ll have a decent combination,” Hercules shared.

He later disclosed, “There’s some word, I think Sheppy [Romario Shepherd] probably could be available as well for that fourth round. So, we’re still trying to finalise that. Even if we get Sheppy in there as well, that will add to our batting and bowling. We’ll be okay for now, but we’ll just see as we go by.”

The Guyana Harpy Eagles take on the Scorpions at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica, beginning on Wednesday, March 5.

Jaida Tucker – Ottawa South United (OSU)

Anaya Joseph – Western New York Flash Soccer Club

Midfielders: Alexis Bayley – Durham College Sydney Glean – North Toronto GU15 OPDL

Liyah Menilek – Saint Bonaventure University

Olivia Watt – Vaughan FC

Naomi Benjamin –Markham FC

Kaela Medas – North Toronto Nitros OPDL

Forwards:

Se-Hanna Mars –University of Connecticut

Nydel Nelson – GS United

Myanne Fernandes –Pickering FC

Guyana will kick off their campaign with the intention to secure the top spot in Group A and book their place in the CONCACAF U20 Women’s Championship. As such, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has extended its best wishes to the team and encourages all supporters to rally behind the players as they compete on the regional stage.

Pepsi/Michael Parris U16 Tournament returns on Saturday

The next generation of Guyanese boxing talent will once again step into the ring as the Pepsi-sponsored Michael Parris Under-16 (U16) Boxing Tournament makes its much-anticipated return this Saturday at the Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis Gym.

Organised by the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA), the event serves as a premier platform for young fighters from gyms across the country to showcase their skill, determination, and championship aspirations.

Now in its third edition under the Association’s developmental programme, the competition continues to be a beacon of hope for aspiring boxers.

GBA President Steve Ninvalle, highlighted the tournament’s critical role in shaping the future of boxing in Guyana.

While the Association successfully staged 18 editions of the Pepsi/Michael Parris U16 tournament last year, Ninvalle revealed plans to increase that number in 2025.

“This tournament has been instrumental in our boxing development efforts,” Ninvalle stated, “Through this programme, we have been able to identify and select a number of young talents to represent Guyana at the Caribbean Championship in St Lucia later this month.”

The last edition of the tournament, held on February 1, was a spectacle of raw talent and fierce competition.

One of the standout performances came from Ken Harvey of the Andrew Lewis Boxing Gym (ALBG), who claimed the prestigious Best Boxer award.

Harvey’s coach, Lennox Daniel, was recognised for his exceptional mentorship, earning him the Best Coach accolade.

The Andrew Lewis Boxing Gym further cemented its reputation as a dominant force in youth boxing by winning the Best Gym award while the Rose Hall Jammers Boxing Gym finished as the runner-up gym.

A look at the National Under-20 Women’s Football team in Antigua

The Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis Boxing Gym will come alive with youth boxing action this Saturday

The West Indies Academy bowlers had a ball with GHE’s top order on Saturday night

The Harpy Eagles were reduced to 42-4 in the second innings before the match was drawn