Guyana slams Maduro’s “Essequibo election” plan as brazen violation of
“The country will invest in you” – Pres Ali to Joint Services
…as minimum wage increases to $130,000
With the aim of levelling the playing field among the various agencies within the Joint Services, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Dr Irfaan Ali, has announced the increase of the minimum wage for junior ranks and officers to $130,000.
He made this announcement on Wednesday at the commissioning of the Guyana Fire Service’s new Headquarters and the handing over of 40 Rapid Intervention Vehicles (RIV) to the GFS.
Currently, the sala-
ry of junior ranks such as constables and privates in some agencies differs, ranging between $105,000 and $130,000. According to the Head of State, this adjustment would fix the salary scale across the board, ensuring equity among the junior members of the Joint Services.
“There were some anomalies that had to be addressed, one of which was the difference in the basic salary of ranks at the lowest level – that’s the level of constable… I’ve spoken to the Minister of Finance and I’ve asked that he en-
sure that every rank in the Joint Services that is at the Constable level be paid a minimum salary of $130,000, so that there is consistency…
We [now] have equity across the scale,” the President said.
“We have your best interest at heart because we ask for your best, too. We ask you to give of your best to our country…and the country will invest in you,” the Commander in Chief has posited.
This move to level the playing field for junior officers comes on the heels of efforts by the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government to adjust, in a phased approach, the salaries payable to selected categories of public servants, such as members of the disciplined services.
In fact, President Ali, back in November 2022, had rolled out the first phase of salary adjustments for Joint Services members, including officers within the Guyana Fire Service. That had seen firemen and firewomen with five to 10 years’ experience getting $110,000 – a 7.3 per cent increase from the $102,488 being paid. Those fire officers with more than 10 years of experience were given a salary increase of no
less than $115,000.
Leading Firemen/ Firewomen were also given an increase of $130,000. This represents an additional 6.3 per cent hike from the previous $122,241 minimum salary.
With regard to the Guyana Police Force, Constables have received salary adjusted in 2022 upwards from $94,907 to $102,488, representing an eight per cent increase on the current minimum salary paid to this rank level.
Further, Constables with five to 10 years of experience were given a pay hike of no less than $110,000, and those with more than 10 years’ experience got
$115,000, which in some instances is almost a $19,000 increase.
Meanwhile, in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), recruits’ minimum salary was adjusted upwards from $94,485 to $100,000, representing a 5.8 per cent increase. Privates also benefitted from an 8.1 per cent pay hike, moving their salary from $94,771 to $102,488; while Privates with five to 10 years of experience have had their salaries raised to $110,000, and those with more than 10 years got $115,000.
Joint Services members have since been benefitting from reintroduction of the
year-end one-month bonus along with the across-theboard annual salary increase for all public servants. During its time in office, the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Coalition Government had taken away the one-month tax-free bonus from the Joint Services. In December, President Ali had disclosed that in addition to the 10 per cent salary increase for all public servants, the Disciplined Services also benefitted from a one-month annual bonus – a $1.6 billion injection that would be added to their monthly salary as well as the $100,000 cash grant. (G8)
Joint Services members will now get $130,000 as the minimum salary
Commander-in-Chief, President Dr Irfaan Ali
BRIDGE OPENINGS
The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:
Thursday, January 9 –00:30h-02:00h and Friday, January 10 – 01:45h-03:15h.
The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:
Thursday, January 9 –12:05h-13:35h and Friday, January 10 – 13:10h-14:40h.
FERRY SCHEDULE
Guyana slams Maduro’s “Essequibo election” plan as brazen violation of international law
Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily.
…after announcement of election for Venezuelan governor over Guyana’s territory
The Guyana Government has issued a stinging rebuke to the Nicolás Maduroled Venezuelan regime after the embattled President announced that “elections” would be held in Guyana’s own territory for a “Governor of Essequibo”.
Maduro, who is under international scrutiny over plans to swear himself in as President on Friday, despite widespread claims that he had actually lost last year’s election, announced to his cabinet during its first meeting of 2025, on January 7, that elections would be held for “Governor of the state of Guayana Esequiba.”
The response from Guyana has been swift, with the Foreign Affairs Ministry issuing a statement slamming Maduro’s utterances, which it noted was a clear violation of the Argyle Agreement of December 14, 2023 and the edit of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), both of whom prohibit Guyana and Venezuela from escalating the border controversy over Essequibo.
“The announcement by President Nicolás Maduro on January 7, 2025 regarding the election of a “Governor of the Guayana Esequiba” by “the people of Guayana Esequiba” constitutes a direct violation of these commitments. This unilateral action disregards the spirit of the Argyle Agreement, undermines the agreed framework for dialogue and peaceful coexistence, and significantly escalates tensions between our nations,” the Guyana Government has said.
“The people of Guyana’s Essequibo region are Guyanese nationals who live in Guyana’s sovereign territory. It would be a flagrant
violation of the most fundamental principles of international law, enshrined in the UN Charter, for Venezuela to attempt to conduct an election in Guyanese territory involving the participation of Guyanese nationals,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry has said.
It has also been pointed out by the Foreign Affairs Ministry that for Maduro to make this inflammatory announcement of elections in Guyana’s territory would not only violate the ICJ’s binding order, but undermine the authority of the international court as the principal judicial arm of the United Nations.
The Foreign Affairs
Ministry has also warned that it would approach the ICJ for additional measures against Venezuela, and has urged that Spanishspeaking country to desist from its actions.
“Guyana reserves the right to ask the Court for additional provisional measures in the event that Venezuela takes any steps toward conducting its so-called “election” in Guyanese territory, or involving Guyanese nationals.
“Guyana urges Venezuela to immediately cease all actions that contravene the Argyle Agreement and the ICJ Order, and to recommit to the principles of international law and peaceful dispute resolution to which it agreed at Argyle,” the Ministry has said.
Constructive dialogue
Further, Government has requested assuranc-
es from Venezuela that it would adhere to its international obligations, and has made clear that it is open to constructive dialogue within agreed frameworks.
“Guyana remains prepared to engage in constructive dialogue under the agreed frameworks, but it cannot condone or accept unilateral actions that threaten its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Ministry has said.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana requests assurances from the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela that it will respect its international obligations and refrain from further actions that undermine the peaceful resolution of this longstanding controversy, in conformity with international law.”
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
President Dr Irfaan Ali
Editor: Tusika Martin
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E-ticketing system & safer roads
In a move to enhance road safety and reduce traffic violations, the Government’s imminent launch of the e-ticketing system represents a courageous step forward. As Attorney General Anil Nandlall revealed, this initiative is not merely about digitizing traffic enforcement, but also about ensuring a comprehensive, fair, and efficient system that would save lives and create safer roadways for all.
Road traffic accidents remain one of the leading causes of fatalities worldwide, and Guyana is no exception. Speeding, reckless driving, and failure to adhere to traffic regulations often result in tragic consequences. The e-ticketing system’s core objective is to instill discipline among road users, and its multifaceted approach promises to address the underlying issues that contribute to road carnage.
The e-ticketing system hinges on cutting-edge technology, including the installation of speed cameras on major thoroughfares, like the Heroes Highway. These devices would capture real-time data on vehicular speeds, and identify traffic violations. Once an infraction is detected, the system would generate a ticket, which can be delivered both electronically and manually. This streamlined process eliminates the ambiguity and delays often associated with traditional methods of traffic enforcement.
By integrating the e-ticketing mechanism with advanced cloud infrastructure under the Safe Road Intelligent System (SRIS) Project, the Government has demonstrated a commitment to leveraging technology to enhance public safety. The data generated would not only ensure accountability, but would also serve as a valuable tool for analyzing traffic patterns and developing strategies to mitigate risk.
The success of the e-ticketing initiative relies on robust legal and logistical frameworks. Attorney General Nandlall has assured the public that amendments to the Road Traffic Act have been finalized, ensuring that the system operates within the bounds of due process. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to establish physical infrastructure such as payment centres across the country to facilitate convenient fine payments, or court proceedings for disputes.
The involvement of stakeholders, including the Attorney General’s Chambers and the National Data Management Authority (NDMA), ensures that potential bottlenecks are addressed before the system’s official launch.
One of the most significant advantages of the e-ticketing system is its potential to alter driver behaviour. Knowing that violations are being monitored and recorded in real-time by impartial technology, drivers are likely to exercise greater caution. This psychological impact is crucial in fostering a culture of compliance and responsibility on the roads.
Further, the system’s ability to generate data would aid in targeted public education campaigns. Patterns in traffic violations could help to identify hotspots for accidents or common infractions, enabling authorities to focus their outreach efforts where they are needed most. Education, coupled with enforcement, creates a powerful combination for long-term change.
Traditional traffic enforcement methods have often been criticized for being subjective and prone to errors. The e-ticketing system addresses these concerns by introducing an impartial and automated process. Every violation recorded by speed cameras and radar systems would be verifiable, leaving little room for dispute. This transparency builds public trust and reinforces the legitimacy of traffic laws.
Moreover, the dual delivery system for tickets — both electronic and manual —ensures that all individuals, regardless of their access to technology, are treated equitably. By making the system inclusive, Government is setting a benchmark for fairness in law enforcement.
Ahead of the e-ticketing system’s rollout, the Government’s planned public education campaign would play an essential role in its success. Drivers and pedestrians alike must understand how the system works, the penalties for violations, and the benefits of compliance. Clear communication would demystify the technology and emphasize its purpose: saving lives and improving road safety.
The educational campaign should also focus on reinforcing the importance of responsible driving. By highlighting the devastating consequences of speeding and reckless behaviour, it can appeal to the public’s sense of empathy and community responsibility. When people view road safety as a shared obligation, the impact is weighty and lasting.
When your propaganda has become ridiculous
Dear Editor,
First they said it would not happen, there would be no cash handout; in their exact words, “The Government is fooling the people with a cash grant, that is not going to happen; dem fellas busy filling their pockets with our money.”
Well, that is not the case, because, to date, over 412,000 persons have been registered for a cash handout.
Then there is the propaganda that persons are being registered as a vote for the PPP/C to win in the next elections. This propa-
ganda campaign strategy of the PNC would be dealt with in a subsequent article by yours truly, in which I would highlight the fact that this selfsame plan of action used by the PNC to rig elections is now being pinned to the ruling party.
This nonsensical idea of persons being on a prepared list of electors for the PPP/C for the next elections is a total lie and a fabrication of the PNC that has backfired on them.
Yet another ridiculous claim is that there are “many names” of dead per-
sons earmarked for a disbursement of the cash grant.
Well, let me explain, while I inform and educate the propagandists that, yes, there would be names on the list of recipients who are dead or will be dead betimes its disbursement. A clear case is that bandit who was shot and killed in the Sophia armed standoff. He will not get a cash grant, because he is dead, and no one can turn up to receive his cheque.
For other hapless souls, such as those who are losing their lives in reckless speeding, there will be no
more Guyana for them, no $100,000 cash grant; that money returns to the state, thank you.
The nitpicking waged by the Opposition is to the point where it has become ridiculous. They magnify these petty matters to the point where those matters are categorized as being ridiculous. Could someone tell them they have become so idiotic in their scheming that even those with half a brain can recognize it.
Respectfully, Neil Adams
Upgrades to Meadow Bank Wharf bringing hope to Guyana’s fishing community
Dear Editor,
The Meadow Bank Wharf in Georgetown, Guyana is getting a much-needed facelift, with major upgrades aimed at improving conditions for fisherfolk and fish vendors.
With about $150 million already invested, the project is 80% complete, and is set to be completed by January 2025.
Key improvements include resurfacing the tarmac, building a new shed and stalls for vendors, and adding modern amenities like a sanitary block and concrete drains to prevent flooding. Enhanced lighting and a police outpost are also being installed to ensure better security and safety for everyone working there. Fisherfolk are ecstat-
ic about this new development, and these upgrades are a game-changer for the local fishing community. Fisherfolk and vendors would now have a cleaner, safer, and more organized space in which to work, making their jobs a little easier and their businesses more efficient.
This initiative shows the Government’s dedication to
supporting one of Guyana’s oldest industries; one which plays a vital role in the country’s economy.
As this project nears completion, the fishing community looks forward to reaping the benefits of a wharf that better meets their needs and helps them thrive.
Sincerely,
Annette Lynch
Pope Francis, at right, is looking at a performance by CircAfrica circus troupe during the weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican (VOA)
January 17 is Budget Day
inance Minister
FDr Ashni Singh on Wednesday evening announced that Budget 2025 would be presented to the National Assembly on Friday January 17.
In December 2024, Dr Singh had told Guyana Times that the Finance Ministry had received budget submissions from various Government agencies, and had held consultations with various stakeholders as part of the 2025 budget cycle. He had said that these engagements played a major role in drafting out the 2025 Budget.
The Finance Minister had
assured that Budget 2025 would continue the PPP/C Administration’s commitment to improving the lives of all Guyanese and creating opportunities for citizens to thrive.
The 2024 Budget, “Staying the Course, Building Prosperity for All”, which amounted to $1.146 trillion, had set out a comprehensive plan for improving the livelihoods of Guyanese citizens. In that Budget presentation, the Finance Minister had announced a menu of measures that were intended to put in excess of $70 billion in relief for persons and business. The income tax thresh-
old has been increased from $85,000 to $100,000. With this jump, taxpayers in the public and private sectors had seen $4.8 billion going directly to improve their disposable incomes.
Meanwhile, the “Because We Care” cash grant was increased from $35,000 to $45,000 per child, benefiting 205,000 school-aged children in both public and private schools, and putting an over-
Judy Latchman tipped as new Chief Magistrate; Alisha
George as Deputy Chief Magistrate
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has recommended that Senior Magistrate Judy Latchman be appointed new Chief Magistrate and Alisha George be Deputy Chief Magistrate.
This recommendation comes months after Chief Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus was appointed puisne judge by the JSC.
In February 2024, nine new magistrates were sworn-in: Tuanna Hardy, Teriq Mohammed, Abigail Gibbs, Tamieka Clarke, Orinthia Schmidt, Shivani Lalaram, Michelle Matthias, Omadatt Chandan, and Ravindra Mohabir.
At the time Attorney General Anil Nandlall had noted that the reconstitution of the Judicial Service Commission in July 2023 paved the way for these critical judicial appointments to be made.
Also in 2024, 10 persons were recommended by JSC for appointment as new Judges, and received their instruments of appointment from President Dr Irfaan Ali. Those appointed were Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus; Peter Hugh; Zamilla AllySeepaul; Deborah Kumar; Nicola Pierre; Priscilla
Chandra-Hanif; Hessaun Yasin; Joy Persaud; Nigel Niles and Jacquiline Josiah Graham.
In October 2024, the JSC invited “suitably qualified persons” to apply for the positions of Chief Magistrate and Commissioner of Title.
In a vacancy notice published in Guyana Times, it was noted that applicants for the post of Chief Magistrate must have a Bachelor’s Degree in Law and a Legal Education Certificate; be qualified to practise law in Guyana, and have general knowledge of the Laws of Guyana; and have at least
12 years’ practice as an Attorney-at-Law in Guyana or in any Commonwealth jurisdiction; or have experience as a principal magistrate.
“Applicants are expected to have knowledge and experience in criminal practice and procedure. Applicants should demonstrate strong leadership and management competencies, and have excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Applicants are also expected to possess a high level of personal integrity and impartiality. If successful, applicants are expected to subscribe to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers,” the notice had detailed.
For the Commissioner of Title position, applicants must be an Attorneyat-Law admitted to practise law in Guyana or any Commonwealth country with at least seven years’ experience.
The JSC was appointed by President Dr. Irfaan Ali on July 14, 2023. The Commission members are Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards; Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George; Chairman of the
Public Service Commission (PSC), Manniram Prashad; Retired Justice Carl Singh and Retired Justice Beasraj Singh (BS) Roy. The Chancellor sits as Chairman of the Commission.
The JSC is a constitutional body responsible for handling matters related to the appointment, discipline, removal, and promotion of judicial officers, including Judges and Magistrates.
Following its appointment, the Commission had published vacancies to fill the personnel gaps within the judiciary and magistracy.
all $9.2 billion in the hands of parents.
Old age pension increased from $33,000 to $36,000. NIS pension moved from $35,000 monthly to $43,075.
Meanwhile, public assistance was increased from $16,000 to $19,000, with 35,000 persons with disabilities standing to benefit from an additional $1.2 billion.
To improve access to health services for all citizens, the Finance Minister had said, provisions were allotted for over 205,000 students and 76,000 pensioners to receive a $3,000 voucher towards the cost of an eye test. This measure comes at a cost of over $840 million.
Additionally, for those from these categories who require spectacles, a $15,000 voucher was allocated towards the cost of acquisition.
Supporting early detection of cervical cancer, the Government had announced that it will be providing a voucher of $8,000 for women between the ages of 21 and 65 to meet the cost of cervical cancer testing. This intervention will cost an estimated $2.8 billion.
In a move to ease the cost of living, Government had indicated its intention to absorb the impact of elevated fuel prices. The measure, which has been maintained with zero percent excise tax on petroleum products, would be kept in place. It is estimated that this measure had seen Government foregoing some $40 billion in revenue.
Government had
launched, in 2022, the part-time jobs programme by which one person per household was able to earn $40,000 by working in public offices in close proximity to their homes. In 2023, over 15,000 persons were employed through this programme; and in 2024, this programme was expected to be expanded with an allocation of over $10 billion.
Budget 2025 is expected to not only eclipse the 2024 budget in size, but also give effect to many of the measures President Dr Irfaan Ali had announced in October that would help with the cost of living.
One of the key measures announced was a one-time cash grant of $200,000 for every household, which subsequently became a one-time cash grant of $100,000 for every adult Guyanese. That is to say, every Guyanese 18 years old and older by January 2025 is qualified to receive the one-off payment. Already, 400,000 citizens over the age of 18 have registered for the cash grant and the rollout of the cash grant has begun for the elderly and public servants.
Over 300,000 cheques are being printed, 95,000 of which have already been distributed.
President Ali had also announced, at a press conference at State House last month, that budget 2025 would cater for the General and Regional Elections that are expected this year by including the necessary funding for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2025
Senior Magistrate Judy Latchman
Magistrate Alisha George
Page Foundation
Measures of Central Tendency
Statistics is a branch of Mathematics that studies data expressed in numbers. In the data, the numbers answer questions like: How many? How long? How far? How big?
Let’s say you have this set of numbers: 22, 11, 19, 11, 15, 8, 11, 15
Begin by arranging them in order: 8, 11, 11, 11, 15, 15, 19, 22
The range is the greatest number minus the smallest number: 22-8: 14
Example:
Find the mean of 6, 4, 7, 11, 6, 3, 5
Step 1:
Add the numbers: 6 + 4 + 7 + 11+ 6 + 3 + 5: 42
Step 2:
Divide by the number of addends: 42 ÷ 7 = 6
Remember The range, mean, median, and mode numbers may all be different! Or some of them could be identical.
The mean(sometimes called the average) is the total of the whole collection divided by the number of addends: 112 ÷ 8 = 14.
The median is the number in the middle. If your collection of numbers has an even number of addends, the median is the average of the two middle numbers: (11 + 15 ) ÷ 2 = 26 ÷ 2 = 13
The mode is the number that appears most often in the collection of numbers: 11
Exercises: Calculate
1) What is the range for this set of numbers: 3, 10, 14, 23, 12, 18?
2) What is the average for this set of numbers: 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 8, 8, 10?
3) What is the mode for this set of numbers: 2, 5, 10, 13, 6, 5, 6, 2, 5?
4) What is the median for this set of numbers: 3, 6, 9, 14, 11, 9, 7, 11, 6?
5) What is the mean for this set of numbers: 1, 3, 9, 9, 4, 6, 6, 1, 3?
Electrolyte Challenge: Orange juice v sports drink Part 3
Label the final three bowls as follows: dH2O Rinse 1, dH2O Rinse 2, and dH2O Rinse 3. Use these bowls to rinse the conductance sensor between uses.
Pour each liquid into the appropriately labelled bowl. All of the solutions should be at room temperature. The liquids should be deep enough to completely submerge the coiled part of the conductance sensor. Make sure you fill each bowl to the same level, so the sensor can be submerged to the same depth. This is important because the extra surface area of the “tail” part of the wires in contact with the liquid will affect the conductance.
Measuring the conductance
Before you turn on your multimeter, make sure the two wires of your conductance sensor are not touching each other, and that the ends of the different alligator clips are not touching each other. If they are, this will blow the fuse in your multimeter. Turn your multimeter on and set it to measure direct current in the 200 μA range. This is the “200μ” on the upper-right part of your multimeter dial. This is a high-sensitivity setting that you will only use to measure distilled water, which is less conductive than the other liquids, for which you will use the 200 mA range (this is the “200m” on the right side of the multimeter dial). Place the conductance sensor in the distilled water. Make sure the straw is completely immersed. You will need to submerge the straw to the same depth each time. This is probably easiest if you let it rest on the bottom of the bowl. Read the current on the multimeter. Always make your readings quickly and remove the conductance sensor from the solutions immediately. Over time, the copper wires will start to dissolve in the solutions, skewing your results. In addition, electrolysis may take place, forming tiny bubbles on your conductance sensor that can interfere with your data. Your readings may fluctuate slightly, and this is normal. Try to
record an “average” reading, or a number in the middle of the range that you observe. Record the current (the readings from your multimeter) in your lab notebook in a data table. Make sure to record the distilled water reading in microamps (μA). Remember that a microamp is one millionth of an amp.
You do not need to rinse your conductance sensor this time because you used distilled water; when measuring the other liquids tap the sensor dry, and then dip the sensor in tap water, then in the three bowls of distilled water.
Measure the conductance of the other liquids. Remember to rinse the sensor between measurements in distilled water, dipping it briefly in each of the three distilled water rinse bowls.
Before you proceed with your calculations, convert all of your current measurements to amps (A).
Convert microamps (μA) to amps (A) by dividing by 1,000,000. For example, 20 microamps is 0.00002 amps (20/1,000,000 = 0.00002).
Calculate the conductance for each liquid by using Equation 1.
Which liquid has the highest conductance, meaning the most electrolytes?
(Adapted from David Whyte, PhD, Science Buddies)
By RoBeRt FRost
Or even thought of standing there
Until the January thaw Should take the polish off the crust.
He bowed with grace to natural law,
And then went round it on his feet, After the manner of our stock; Not much concerned for those to whom, At that particular time o’clock,
It must have looked as if the course He steered was really straight away From that which he was headed for— Not much concerned for them, I say:
No more so than became a man— And politician at odd seasons.
I’ve kept Brown standing in the cold While I invested him with reasons;
But now he snapped his eyes three times; Then shook his lantern, saying, “Ile’s ’Bout out!” and took the long way home By road, a matter of several miles.
GFS’ 10-point plan
Tougher penalties for breaches, use of technology to enhance fire-fighting – Pres Ali
…as
new HQ commissioned, 40 RIVs handed over
As part of an integrated approach to enhancing the country’s security, President Dr Irfaan Ali has rolled out a 10-point plan for the Guyana Fire Service that will see, among other things, stricter enforcement of safety codes and stronger penalties for breaches of fire prevention measures.
The Head of State, who is also the Commander-inChief of the Armed Forces, announced the 10-point plan on Wednesday during a ceremony to commission the newly-constructed Guyana Fire Service Headquarters on Homestretch Avenue, as well as the acquisition of 40 Rapid Intervention Vehicles (RIVs) that would boost response to fires across the country.
During his remarks, President Ali pointed out that construction of this new headquarters, which was done to the tune of $614.5 million by Mohamed’s Enterprise, and the acquisition of the 40 new RIVs from the United Kingdom-based Angloco are a demonstration of his government’s commitment to not just building a professional, efficient and responsive Fire Service, but also one that is equipped to meet the growing challenges of a modern society. Consequently, the Head of State outlined the GFS 10-point plan, which will focus on enhancing operational capacity, improving response times, and positioning the service to better
protect citizens from fire hazards.
Foremost in this plan is the strengthening of the legal framework to have stronger enforcement of fire safety codes, as well as higher penalties for breaches.
“Efforts will be intensified to strengthen fire codes and standards for buildings, ensuring that structures are designed and maintained to reduce the risk of fires. As part of this initiative, legislation will be reviewed to mandate stricter inspections, certification processes, and robust enforcement of safety regulations. Additionally, stiffer penalties will be imposed for non-compliance, sending a clear message about the importance of adhering to fire safety standards is non-negotiable. These measures are all geared towards improving fire prevention, fostering a culture of safety, and minimizing the likelihood of devastating fire incidents across the country,” he stated.
Other key pillars of the 10-point plan include equipping the Fire Service with adequate resources, collaboration with partner-agencies, public awareness education, and training of firefighters as well community volunteers to enhance response and also deal with emerging challenges as Guyana continues on this unprecedented development path.
“As industries grow and new sectors develop, the
(L-R) President Dr Irfaan Ali, British High Commissioner Jane Miller, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn, Local Government Minister Sonia Parag, Fire Chief Gregory Wickham, and Finance Minister Ashni Singh commissioning the 40 new vehicles procured for the Guyana Fire Service
complexity and scale of fire risks will evolve requiring the Fire Service to be adaptable and forward-thinking. Additionally, the impacts of climate change, such as increased incidences of extreme weather conditions and forest fires, will further complicate firefighting efforts. To meet these challenges head-on, the Fire Service must continuously develop its capabilities and ensure that its strategies align with the changing needs of a dynamic and developing nation,” he noted.
To this end, the Head of State underscored the need to prioritise and tailor strategies to mitigate hazards effectively, especially in regions most vulnerable to fire outbreaks. As such, he
noted that a comprehensive risk assessment would be conducted to map out highrisk areas such as densely populated neighbourhoods, industrial zones, commercial districts, and locations with limited access to water or firefighting infrastructure.
“So, firefighters within a given locality will be trained to operate within that locality. So, you have a generalized training, but you will also know where every asset is, every pond, every drain is within that locality that you’re operating in,” he stated.
Another major element of the 10-point plan for the Guyana Fire Service is the use of technology in firefighting, including identi-
Guyana slams Maduro’s “Essequibo election”...
It was only last month that Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd had a high-level meeting with Venezuelan Ambassador to Guyana, Carlos Amador Perez Silva, during which Guyana formally registered its protest over the regime’s construction of a bridge connecting Venezuela’s mainland to Ankoko Island in the Cuyuni River, where the Venezuelan army maintains a military base.
During that meeting, the Venezuelan Ambassador had indicated that the Venezuelan regime would provide an explanation for its aggressive tactics at the border with Guyana, including the recently constructed bridge.
That engagement had followed remarks made by President Dr Irfaan Ali when he informed officers of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) that the Foreign Affairs Ministry was asked to write to international partners along with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and Venezuela, renewing Guyana’s condemnation of the bridge that was built on Ankoko Island.
Under the Arbitral Award of October 3, 1899 and the Boundary Agreement of 1905, the international boundary passes through Ankoko Island, dividing the island between Guyana and Venezuela, with Guyana’s sovereignty extending over the territory
east of the boundary line.
However, while Ankoko Island is shared by the two South American neighbours, Venezuela illegally took over the entire island and established a military base there in 1966 after Guyana gained independence. Then, in 2024, there were reports along with satellite images shared of Venezuela’s National Armed Forces building a bridge to Ankoko Island in the Cuyuni River.
The Spanish-speaking nation is claiming more than two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass in the Essequibo region and a portion of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) where more than 11 billion oil-equivalent barrels have been discovered over
the past nine years.
Guyana submitted its final written reply to Venezuela’s counter-memorial, pointing out that the Spanish-speaking nation’s case is without merit, and that, ultimately, the court would confirm the 1899 award as valid and legally binding.
In the merits phase of the case, Guyana’s Memorial was submitted on April 8, 2023 and Venezuela’s Counter-Memorial was made one year later, on April 8, 2024. Now with Guyana’s Reply filed on December 9 as set out by the ICJ, Venezuela would have the opportunity to respond with its Rejoinder, due on August 8, 2025. (G3)
fying those high-risk fire zones. Additionally, there are plans to implement modern technologies to streamline the dispatch processes to allow for a faster, more efficient response to emergencies, ultimately saving lives and minimising damage to properties.
Cutting-edge technology
In fact, Government has reached out to Angloco –the leading British manufacturer of fire-fighting vehicles and equipment – to ascertain the type of communication technology that they use with the aim of replicating it here in the coming months.
Another new advancement in firefighting that Government wants to introduce here is the fire extinguishing balls, which the Guyanese Leader noted can be used in hotels and commercial buildings.
“We will leverage cutting-edge technology, including drones for aerial assessments. By investing in these resources, we aim to empower the Fire Service with the tools and technology necessary to address fire incidents swiftly, safely, and effectively, aligning with the demands of a modern and evolving environment. Part of this of course includes training, looking at the welfare of our staff, but also importantly, holding our staff accountable. Technology would be helping us to hold our staff accountable for their action,” President Ali stated. He went on to add that Government is also working on hiring retired firemen and women in the diaspora to share their experience and expertise with the GFS. Meanwhile, data collection would play a key role in the National Firefighting and Fire Prevention Plan, and according to President Ali, there would be built out a comprehensive database of fire incidents, response times, and outcomes, and that would be maintained to analyze trends and identify areas for improvement.
“This feature will be digitized, and will be online, so that one can go and check online and see the update on a fire. They can see what was the response, what was the nature of the fire, and every aspect in relation to every fire. So, that system, I’ve asked the Minister of Public Service to work with the National IT Advisor to have this system in place before the end of the first quarter of this year,” he stated. (G8)
Soup vendor on armed robbery charge granted bail
Peter Thompson, a 22-year-old food vendor accused of armed robbery, has been placed on $250,000 bail on Wednesday after appearing before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty virtually in that Georgetown magistrate’s court.
Thompson had been remanded to prison since December 2024, following his arrest for armed robbery involving over $3.4 million in valuables.
Charges against Thompson stem from an incident that occurred on November 12, 2024 at Durban Street in Lodge, Georgetown. According to police, Thompson was armed with a handgun and was in the company of others when he allegedly robbed Adelle David inside a salon. The items he stole reportedly included six gold finger rings valued at $632,500; two gold chains worth $870,000; a gold ankle chain valued at $150,000; a gold wristband
worth $570,000; a handbag valued at $2,990, and $1,190,000 in cash.
During Wednesday’s court proceedings, the prosecution requested and was allowed to proceed with a summary trial, presenting video evidence as part of their case. Footage reportedly from the salon where the robbery occurred was played in court. It showed two men entering the establishment and robbing those present of their valuables.
At the initial hearing in November 2024, the prosecution had argued against bail, citing the severity of the crime and pointing out that the victim claimed she could identify Thompson as one of the perpetrators.
Thompson’s attorney at the time, Darren Wade, had argued that his client had no prior convictions, no stolen items were recovered from him, and the video footage did not clearly implicate him. Bail had been denied, and Thompson had been remanded to prison.
In court on Wednesday, Attorney Nigel Hughes, who now represents Thompson, argued that the prosecution’s case remained weak. He pointed out that the video evidence presented in court did not provide clear identification of the perpetrators, as their faces were obscured by camera angles and physical obstructions.
The prosecution maintained that Thompson could be identified by a mark on his hand, but this could not be established in court. The prosecution had also requested that Thompson be required to surrender his passport as a condition of being placed on bail.
Magistrate McGusty acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations, but noted that the video evidence offered little assistance in positively identifying Thompson as one of the perpetrators.
She declined the prosecution’s request to have Thompson surrender his passport. However, she granted bail in the sum of $250,000 and imposed reporting conditions, requiring Thompson to report regularly to the police.
Thompson is expected to return to court on February 5, as the case progresses.
Preview…
…of shared governance
If there’s one thing our Opposition’s known for is its single-minded pursuit of power. Now, at one level, there ain’t nothing wrong about that; after all, power is to politics what money is to business!! Can’t do much without it, can you!! But the problem with OUR Opposition is the way they go about getting power. When we were living in caves, fellas would go about bopping folks over their heads with their clubs to get their way – which is what ultimately power’s all about!! But on our way out of the caves, literally and figuratively, we figured it’s more efficient all round if we create rules about how to get power – as we’d done with making money.
For us in Guyana, we were tutored into, and settled on, the “democratic” way to power – with our good citizens voting for whoever they think would use power best to benefit them. It had the legitimacy of “fairness” in that those who secured power had more people supporting them that those who’d be in the opposition. It worked quite well in our early go around – until Burnham, in 1968, “cack de wuk” by rigging the elections – and continued to do so for his PNC party to remain in power till 1992.
After then, whenever the PNC lost the now “free and fair” elections, they’d use protests to unleash some condign violence on PPP supporters. But after seeing that didn’t work in three decades – during which they unsuccessfully gave rigging another shot - the Opposition turned to another option to get their hands on power. That is, “shared governance” among the parties winning parliamentary seats – with power being proportional to their votes. That sounded fair too, didn’t it?
Well, the PPP – being around for 75 years, as they’re reminding us – said that before that arrangement can work, there gotta be “trust” between the parties. But from how PNC treated the AFC between 2015 and 2020, when they pried out the PPP to take power by following the rules, your Eyewitness can’t see how they see trust developing!! The PPP knows that once the PNC have their toe into the (governmental) door - since most of the bureaucracy supports them -they’ll have the edge in EXERCISING power!!
But there’s another reason why shared governance can’t work in Guyana – and we can see the dynamics of the problem in the work of the Guyana Elections Commission. The recently departed Carter devised this as a form of power sharing writ small on a threshold issue – elections. The Govt and Opposition have equal seats, with the Chair being an impartial professional chosen by consensus.
But we see how the Opposition is still kvetching, don’t we?? Imagine what would happen if the stakes were bigger!!
…for wokeness
Reacting to the former British Ambassador’s comment that part of our road carnage is due to our endemic uncivility to fellow road users, one respondent in the letters’ pages went on a rant that the real reason was our poverty, which the Government ain’t doing enough to remove!! Fella says poverty causes speeding – now that we can afford carsbecause Guyanese are hustling and want to get to where they’re gonna do their hustle, and want to get there as fast as they can! Money gaffa mek!!
Poverty also presumably causes drivers not to dim their bright lights at incoming vehicles at nights!! Or cut in front of cars at will on their shiny new motorcycles!! And all this won’t be solved until the Government gives “the Guyanese people a fair shot at economic dignity”!!
Your Eyewitness, however, has seen these same povertystricken Guyanese, when they emigrate to foreign, become more law abiding than the citizens there!!
Your Eyewitness agrees with the High Commissioner –enforce laws and impose stiffer fines!!
…to sugar’s turnaround
Your Eyewitness has just been informed that “GuySuCo is outsourcing the harvesting and delivery of cane to its factories as it moves towards more mechanisation.” As to why GuySuCo can’t do the “more mechanisation” wasn’t explained.
Peter Thompson being escorted by a Police Officer
US EXIM Bank chief to talk up approval of US$527M for Gas-to-Energy Project
…during 4-day visit to Georgetown
Some two weeks after the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of the United States approved the US$527 million loan for Guyana’s Gas-to-Energy project, the bank’s President and Chair, Reta Jo Lewis, will be in Georgetown to talk about the historic half-billion-dollar energy deal.
In a brief statement on Wednesday, the US Embassy in Georgetown disclosed that Jo Lewis will be in Georgetown on a fourday visit “…to highlight the EXIM Board of Directors’ recent approval of $527 million in financing to support a gas-to-energy project that will double the country’s installed electric capacity.”
The US EXIM Bank Chief is expected to arrive today. During her visit, she would be meeting with President Dr Irfaan Ali, senior Guyanese officials, and business leaders to discuss the GtE project and future opportunities for the U.S. and Guyanese companies to partner on in order to benefit both peoples.
“The [GtE[ project will help Guyana transition to more reliable and cleaner energy for consumers and businesses, while supporting 1,500 American jobs. It will also unlock econom-
ic growth potential for U.S. and Guyanese companies of all sizes,” the US Embassy stated in its missive.
Back in April 2023, Guyana had applied for a loan from the US EXIM Bank to finance the US$761 million GtE Project, which includes the construction of an Integrated Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) plant and a 300-megawatt (MW) combined cycle power plant at Wales, West Bank Demerara, utilising natural gas from the country’s offshore operations in the Stabroek Block.
On December 26, it was announced that US EXIM
Bank’s Board of Directors approved $527 million to Guyana’s Finance Ministry to support the highly anticipated Gas-to-Energy project that would strengthen the country’s energy security by doubling its installed electric capacity.
According to the bank, the financing from the loan transaction would aid the construction of a natural gas separation plant, a 300 MW combined cycle gas turbine power plant, and services related to the gas supply pipeline near Georgetown.
“This project will allow Guyana to transition to more reliable and cleaner energy for consumers and businesses by using natural gas-powered turbines to generate electricity. Without this gas-to-energy project, Guyana will continue to import fuel oil, one of the highest polluting fossil fuels, and be unable to decommission hundreds of less efficient local generators. This project will result in a reduction of more than 460,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, the equivalent of consuming more than one million barrels of oil,” the bank stated.
In that missive, Chair Lewis said she is pleased with the Board’s approval of this strategically import-
ant energy project, adding, “Not only is EXIM continuing its support of US businesses small and large, but this project will support more than one thousand jobs across the country. I am especially proud to continue to support Bank priorities and charter mandates along with projects that align with the administration’s economic, energy, and national security priorities.”
The loan financing will support the US joint venture – Lindsayca CH4 Guyana Inc. (LNDCH4) – involving Lindsayca, a Texas-based company, and CH4 Systems, a Puerto Rican small business, as well as services provided by ExxonMobil, which has already installed the US$1 billion pipeline that will bring the gas onshore to the Wales site.
Last week, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo told reporters that the approval of the US$527 million loan was
not conditional on the settlement of claims being made by LNDCH4 Guyana.
The Guyana Government and the US-based consortium of Lindsayca and CH4 are at loggerheads over a US$50 million claim by the contractor and the timeline for the completion of the project.
LNDCH4 was awarded the US$759 million contract in November 2022 to build the 300-megawatt Combined Cycle Power Plant and a Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility at Wales. However, there was a three-month delay in other components of the project that would affect LNDCH4-Guyana’s delivery of the power plant in accordance with the contractual timelines. While the Government has extended the deadline by three months, the contractor is not satisfied, and wants more time.
In addition, LNDCH4
is making financial claims to the tune of US$50 million, stating that the delays would cost the company. The Guyana Government has already rejected this financial claim, thus resulting in the contractor activating the dispute resolution mechanism.
A three-member Dispute Avoidance/Adjudication Board (DAAB) that was set up to resolve this issue has already heard oral and written submissions from both sides, and could potentially rule by this month, Jagdeo had previously reported. He had noted, too, that if either or both parties are not satisfied with that decision, then the matter would head to full arbitration.
But even as efforts are being taken to resolve this dispute, the Guyana Government has maintained that this issue would not impact the project, and that works continue on the ground.
US EXIM Bank President and Chair, Reta Jo Lewis
The Gas-to-Energy Project at Wales
Indigenous land ownership expanded by 16.4%
…US$900,000 expended on ALT project in 2024
The Government of Guyana has reported a significant investment of US$900,000 in the Amerindian Land Titling (ALT) project in 2024, underscoring its commitment to addressing historical land tenure issues and promoting Indigenous rights.
The expenditure formed part of the Amerindian Affairs Ministry’s $800 million budgetary allocation for the year.
This announcement was made by Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai during that ministry’s yearend press conference on Wednesday. Highlighting the achievements of the ALT initiative, which was launched in 2013, Minister Sukhai detailed the substantial progress made, particularly in recent years.
Since its inception, the ALT initiative has made critical advances in securing
land titles for Amerindian communities.
Between 2020 and 2024 alone, more than 21 land titles were issued. In 2024, the Government issued two certificates of title, granted six absolute land grants, and successfully conducted seven demarcation exercises. These milestones have enabled Indigenous communities to safeguard their lands and natural resources, fostering sustainable social and economic development.
Minister Sukhai emphasized that the project is not merely about land ownership, but also about empowering Indigenous populations to exercise their rights, pursue economic opportunities, and preserve their cultural heritage.
“Over the years, we have noticed that we have expanded the landmass owned by Amerindians from 6 per cent to 16.4 per
cent, and that alone tells the story. And so, last year, we were allocated 800 million to continue the land titling programme. Our success and achievement can be compared very easily to the Government that were in office between 2015 to 2020, a little more than five years, almost six years.”
The minister noted that it “…speaks volumes for the amount of investment, the amount of effort, and responsible approach to the work as it relates to land tenure, and so we are very pleased at the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs that our ministry is able to continue down a road of progressive and incrementally titling lands for Amerindians. So, the story may not be told in a very exciting way, but for Indigenous people, it is very important, and our Government is pleased that we have been able to
leap forward on this programme,” she declared.
are looked at,” she added. The Amerindian Land Titling process being facilitated by the Amerindian Act of 2006 was scheduled to commence in 2013 and end in 2016 under the auspices of the Government of Guyana and the United Nations Development Fund, with funding of $2.2 billion (US$10.7 million) provided from the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF).
However, the project was extended from 2016 to 2018, and subsequently from 2019 to 2021, and again from 2022 to 2024.
Man dies 1 day after EBD collision
Twenty-six-year-old Christopher Chan of Friendship, EBD suc cumbed to his injuries one day after his vehicle toppled then struck a sign board along the Land of Canaan Public Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
Chan reportedly nev er regained consciousness, and died at around 10:30hrs on Wednesday while receiv ing medical attention in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC).
Guyana Times under stands that the 26-year-old taxi driver was heading to work at the time of the incident.
According to reports, the young man had been at-
tempting to overtake 2 vehicles and subsequently lost control of his motor pickup.
In a video post that surfaced on social media, the pickup was seen flipping several times before colliding with a signboard on the road within the vicinity of the Falls Gas Station.
A relative of the deceased who wished to remain anonymous told Guyana Times that, following the incident, the young man was rushed to the Diamond Hospital, after which he was then transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) to receive further treatment.
This publication understands that a CT scan conducted on Chan revealed that he had sustained several fractures to his head.
Investigations are ongoing.
The Amerindian Land Titling (ALT) project activities were complemented by extensive consultations with Amerindian communities to ensure their needs and perspectives were incorporated into the process. Sukhai explained that the funds expended during 2024 were utilized for activities such as surveying, legal documentation, and logistical support for consultations and community engagements.
She emphasized that due to this, government has achieved all promises listed under the PPP/C manifesto under the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs within the last five years.
“You are aware that the Ministry of American
Affairs is a very unique ministry, a ministry with cross-cutting, supportive representation, facilitation, and responsibility that hinges on Government’s commitment to support and to provide development, or making the development environment for Indigenous people much more aggressive. And so, each year since 2020, we have seen quite a few, if not a lot, of changes at the village level. These changes were as a result of our commitment, our manifesto commitment, that made some very serious issues very prominent, bringing it to the fore. Our commitment to continue land titling, our commitment to ensure that the services, education, health, water, infrastructure, investments,
The continuous execution of works is aimed at helping the ministry clear its substantial backlog in the approval and distribution of Amerindian land titles.
This is significant, because Guyana has a 10 per cent Indigenous makeup with 16.4 per cent of the land mass based on the current census data. But the process of new land titling has been a slow one.
In 2023, some six villages, including Four Miles, Region One (Barima-Waini); Paramakatoi, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni); Capoey Extension, Mashabo Extension, Akawini and Wakapao in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) received titles.
Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai
US teen drowns on birthday during family outing in Guyana
Demarius Wilabus Payne, an 18-yearold American college student, drowned on Boxing Day while visiting Guyana to celebrate his birthday.
Payne, who hailed from Atlanta, Georgia, USA and Wismar, Linden, was spending time with relatives when the incident occurred.
Police reports are that Payne was at the Coomacka Mines creek in Linden with relatives; and while swimming, he ventured into the deeper part of the creek and attempted to cross to the other side, but became submerged underwater, prompting family members and others nearby to search
for him. Payne was later pulled from the creek in an unconscious state, and was taken to the Linden Hospital Complex, where a doctor pronounced him dead. However, the teen’s family members have provided a different account of the events. They clarified that
the incident occurred in the Demerara River, not at a creek; and that Payne was in a boat with family members when it sank. While swimming to safety, Payne reportedly suffered a cramp, panicked, and water entered his lungs, leading to his death.
A post-mortem ex-
amination conducted by Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh on December 30, 2024 at the Memorial Gardens Mortuary has confirmed the cause of Payne’s death as drowning.
Payne’s body has since been released to his relatives for burial.
Police investigating sudden death of Wismar woman
Afemale resident of Wismar in Linden is reported to have died suddenly last Thursday, and police are investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.
Tiffianna Stewart, a 32-year-old unemployed resident of Linden, passed away at around 5:30h after apparently experiencing a severe medical episode.
Stewart was reportedly with her boyfriend in a car when she began coughing violently. Blood was seen coming from her mouth, and she quickly lost consciousness.
Concerned, the boyfriend rushed her to the Linden Hospital Complex, but she was pronounced dead on arrival.
According to police reports, Stewart had had a history of respiratory issues,
and had often relied on an inhaler to manage shortness of breath. She had also had a known heart condition. An initial examination of Stewart’s body showed no visible signs of violence or trauma.
Her body was subsequently taken to the Pensioner Funeral Home, where a post-mortem examination was scheduled for Wednesday to determine the exact cause of death. The results of the examination have not yet been released, but investigators are awaiting the post-mortem results to better understand the cause of her death, even as they continue their inquiries into the matter with the hope of providing clarity on the incident.
Draft oil spill bill completed
The Attorney General’s Chambers has completed the draft oil spill bill, and has submitted same to the Office of the President for review.
This was revealed on Tuesday evening by Attorney General Anil Nandlall during his programme of “Issues in the News”.
Nandlall said discussions should soon begin on possible changes to the draft legislation, officially called the Oil Pollution Prevention, Preparedness, Response, and Responsibility Bill 2025.
He said Government had initially wanted to table the oil spill bill in the National
Assembly by the end of 2024, but there were delays in its crafting. Among other things, it is expected that the bill would mandate compensation to individuals and entities for economic and other losses incurred as a consequence of any oil spill.
In December 2024, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had said persons could expect the bill to be laid in the National Assembly early this year. In September 2024, Jagdeo had dropped some crucial insight on the much-anticipated oil spill legislation. For instance, it is expected that the bill would mandate compensation to individuals and enti-
ties for economic and other losses incurred as a consequence of any oil spill. Jagdeo had spoken on Government’s plan to legislate better oil spill coverage, as Guyana had observed difficulties faced by the Trinidad and Tobago Government in dealing with the catastrophic oil spill that had ensued after a mystery vessel had run aground and released approximately 50,000 barrels of oil in 2024. That oil spill in Tobago had left the island’s beach severely damaged, and the Government had declared the situation a national emergency and estimated that the damage could reach as much as US$30 million.
Workers from state-owned Heritage Petroleum Oil and Gas Company cleaning up an oil spill that had reached Rockly Bay beach in Scarborough, southwestern Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago, February 11, 2024 (VOA)
Dead: Tiffianna Stewart
Dead: Demarius Wilabus Payne
Sod turned for $1.2B Kaneville Secondary School
…to benefit over 500 students
Education Minister Priya Manickchand on Wednesday turned the sod for construction of the Kaneville Secondary School, which would serve over 500 students from the KanevilleGrove area on the East Bank of Demerara.
Joining the minister at the sod-turning ceremony were Regional Education Officer for Region Four, Keane Adams, and Senior Education Officer Colwyn Delph.
With a total project cost of $1,206,255,197, this stateof-the-art secondary school is set to enhance the educational landscape of the region, ensuring that students have access to high-quality learn-
ing facilities.
A release from the Ministry has said the project would commence on January 12, and be under construction for duration of 11 months. A subsequent three-month defects period would guarantee that the completed school meets all quality standards.
Speaking at the ceremony, Manickchand has reaffirmed Government's commitment to equitable education by highlighting that the school is a vital component of Government’s overarching mission to provide every child with access to modern facilities and a nurturing learning environment, while advancing the nation towards achieving
universal secondary education.
The school would cater to the educational needs of students from the KanevilleGrove area, addressing longstanding challenges of overcrowding and improving access to secondary education in the region.
Construction will be completed in time for the 2026 academic year, setting a new benchmark for educational infrastructure in Guyana, the ministry said in its release.
The project would be overseen by Origin Investments, the designated project consultant, and would involve contributions from several local contractors.
Parking lot abduction, robbery
Cop released on bail; mastermind arrested, yet to be charged
Apolice lance corporal has been granted bail following his appearance in court on a charge of conspiracy to commit a felony relative to a robbery that took place at the Giftland parking lot in October 2024.
Lance Corporal Delon Younge appeared before Magistrate Clive Nurse on Tuesday, where the conspiracy charge was formally read to him. He pleaded not guilty, and the court set bail at $40,000.
The incident in question involved the abduction of gold mining worker Kevin Fiedtkou, who was forcibly taken from the parking lot by three men, later identified as two cops and other man who has since been arrested.
Fiedtkou, who was held at gunpoint, was driven to his home at Providence on the East Bank of Demerara, where he was allegedly robbed of over $9 million that belonged to his family’s trucking business. The perpetrators, including Younge, were
Arrested: Okeema Brummel
captured on video during the incident.
After the abduction, Fiedtkou had reported the crime to the police, revealing that the suspects returned the following day in a police vehicle, demanding additional money. Fiedtkou, however, managed to evade further robbery by claiming he had no more money. Despite the second attempt, the men left
empty-handed.
Police have confirmed that an investigation into the matter led to the charging of Younge, while another officer, whose name has not been disclosed, faces disciplinary action for the unauthorized use of a police vehicle during the incident.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had initially recommended criminal charges for both officers involved. However, after further investigation, only Lance Corporal Younge has been brought before the court. Meanwhile, police investigators have arrested 29-year-old Okeema Brummel, for whom they had issued a wanted bulletin last year. Brummel is believed to be the mastermind behind the robbery. Brummel was taken into custody along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway earlier on Wednesday morning. Police have confirmed that charges are being prepared against him in connection with the case.
Security guard charged in shooting incident granted $150,000 bail
Ryan Weeks, a 38-year-old secu rity guard of Sixth Street Alberttown Georgetown, was ar raigned on Wednesday in the Georgetown court of Acting Chief Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty on a charge of discharging a loaded fire arm with intent to harm Jason Hardy at Durban Backlands, Georgetown on June 16, 2024.
Weeks pleaded guilty to the offence, but his attor ney, Everton Lammy-Singh, raised questions about the timing of the charge, point ing out that the incident occurred nearly seven months ago.
Explaining that his client was working as a security guard at a China Trading
Store when he witnessed an attempted robbery on the day of the shooting, the attorney said the incident unfolded at around 05:00h, when Hardy allegedly at-
Among them, A. Ograsein & Sons General Contracting would execute works valued at G$74,386,975. Sheriff Construction Inc would undertake multiple lots, includ-
ing external works, for a combined sum exceeding $400 million. Additional contractors include NP Contracting & Transportation Services, JD’s Construction Company,
D&S Construction, JK Enterprise Inc, and You Nailed It Construction, all contributing in delivering the various aspects of the school’s construction.
tempted to steal tiles from the store.
“At around 5:00am, the individual attempted to rob China Trading (at Durban Backlands, Georgetown), where my client was working. He picked up some tiles, and when he (Weeks) attempted to retrieve the items, he (Weeks) stepped back and fired shots in the direction of the individual,” the attorney contended.
Attorney Singh-Lammy further pointed out that Weeks, who has had no prior criminal convictions, had been on bail for six months.
The prosecution, however, objected to bail, arguing that Weeks was not in imminent danger when the shot was fired.
The sod being turned on Wednesday for construction of the Kaneville Secondary School, East Bank Demerara
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9,
Copa Airlines adds more flights between Guyana and Panama
In a bid to provide greater flexibility and connectivity for passengers, COPA Airlines has this month added two new flights between Guyana and Panama to its weekly schedule.
Beginning on January 5, 2025, passengers now have more options with the addition of two weekly flights, bringing the total flights to seven per week.
“By increasing our flight frequencies to Guyana, we aim to further strengthen the country’s ties with the region, and open new opportunities for tourism and commerce. At Copa Airlines, we believe in Guyana’s potential and connecting its travellers to the world,” said Karen Nanne, Regional Sales Manager for Central America and the Caribbean.
This enhancement re-
inforces Copa Airlines’ role in connecting Guyana with more than 80 destinations in the Americas via the Hub of the Americas at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City.
Since 2014, Copa Airlines has been a key player in connecting Guyana with the rest of the Americas, promoting the country’s growth and facilitating its integration into global markets.
The additional flights would operate on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Flight CM181 will depart Tocumen International Airport at 8:57a.m., arriving at Cheddi Jagan International Airport at 1:28p.m. (local time). The return flight, CM180, would leave Guyana at 2:23p.m. and land in Panama at 5:10p.m. (local time).
These two new flights complement the five weekly flights already connecting Georgetown and Panama
City. The updated schedule is as follows: From Panama City (Tocumen International
Airport):
From Georgetown (Cheddi Jagan International Airport):
Flight CM180 departs at 2:23 p.m., arrives at Tocumen International Airport at 5:10 p.m. (operating on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays). Flight CM191 departs at 5:18 a.m., arrives at Tocumen International Airport at 5:52 a.m. (operating on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays).
Passengers can book their flights to and from Guyana via copa.com, sales offices, or call centres.
Flight CM181 departs at 8:57 a.m., arrives at Cheddi Jagan International Airport at 1:28 p.m.(operating on Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays). Flight CM190 departs at 9:31 p.m., arrives at Cheddi Jagan International Airport at 1:59 a.m. (operating on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays).
US$11.1M spent on ICT hubs; 40% of project remains to be rolled out – PM …215 of targeted 253 communities connected to high-speed Internet
The cost for the 146 Information Communication Technology (ICT) hubs completed by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government since returning to office has been pegged at US$11.1 million.
During his recent end-ofyear press conference, Prime Minister Brigadier (retd) Mark Phillips gave an update on Government’s ICT hubs’ programme. He said the ICT hubs are being built through the Hinterland Connectivity Programme for Hinterland, Poor and Remote Communities Project. For instance, of the US$17 million earmarked for the ICT programme, US$11.1 million has been expended so far, and 146 hubs have been completed. Over 1100 persons have also been trained to provide critical maintenance service for this project, including as ICT hub managers and technicians.
“Year to date, we’ve expended US$11.1 million.
That’s some 66 per cent of the total expenditure for the project. You know the project would have been US$17 million, and year to date, we’ve expended US$11.1 million,” Phillips explained.
Meanwhile, 2024 had seen the National Data Management Authority (NDMA) connecting over 120 residents in mainly riverine communities to highspeed internet. This project, which cost over $1 billion, would allow residents to benefit from programmes that rely on internet, such as the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) courses, he detailed.
“The National Data Management Authority had a successful year, where they connected 215 out of a targeted 253 communities, who are now benefitting from the low orbiting high speed internet connectivity project,” the PM detailed.
“Those satellites, familiarly known as the Starlink devices, were installed, and we have 124 residents,
mainly in our hinterland and riverine areas, benefitting from improved connectivity,” the Prime Minister explained.
He recalled that there had been times when those very communities were unable to receive internet connection. Now, he pointed out, those communities are able to benefit from highspeed internet.
“I can recall that, four years ago, when I was campaigning and I went to some of those communities, we tried connecting, and we were still connecting. We’ve reached a stage today where we are connected,” the PM said. “So, all those communities now have high speed internet. And all that we promised in terms of GOAL scholarships, telemedicine, etc, can now be realized by those communities. And we spent some $1.05 billion on that project.”
The Government of Guyana has been investing heavily in the ICT sector, which lays the foundation to enable Guyanese to take advantage of the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) initiative.
In addition to faster internet connection on mobile and residential services, the Government has also reduced the cost of bandwidth across the country and removed the value-added tax on data and mobile devices, which had been a burden on students.
At a graduation ceremony held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) last year for over 1700 GOAL scholarship recipients, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh had stated that the students were able
to complete their respective courses with little or no financial constraints.
The minister had also highlighted the various financial investments Government had made which had significantly assisted the graduates throughout their studies, including the new Telecommunications Act.
“If one were to reflect on the comprehensiveness
of this PPP/C Government Policy Agenda, you might think of GOAL as a great initiative, but one of the first things that the President did was to bring into law a new Telecommunications Act,” the minister had said.
Dr. Singh explained that the legislation had immediately laid the foundation and set the stage for greater competition in the telecommunications sector, thereby
easing the financial burdens on students.
The minister had also said that, as a result of this, fiber optic cables had been laid across the country as far as Crabwood Creek, Linden and the Essequibo Coast. This, he added, had made the internet more reliable; and without a doubt, the students had taken full advantage of that development. (G3)
Security guard charged in...
According to the prosecution, Hardy was picking up discarded tiles across from the store, and CCTV footage showed no direct threat had been posed to Weeks at the time.
The prosecution also suggested that there had been an interaction between Weeks and Hardy
before the gun was discharged, and contended that the shooting had been without justification.
Moreover, the prosecution highlighted that Hardy had sustained life-threatening injuries from the gunshot.
Although present at court, Hardy was not al-
lowed entry because of his inappropriate attire.
After considering the submissions, Magistrate McGusty placed Weeks on $150,000 bail, and ordered him to report to the East La Penitence Police Station as a condition of his bail. Weeks’s next court appearance is set for February 5.
A building in the community of Father’s Beach in Region One that was connected to high-speed Internet last year
Prime Minister, Brigadier (Retired) Mark Phillips
Guyana gears up for e-ticketing
…public campaign to be rolled out before launch – AG
Apublic educational campaign would be rolled out ahead of the Government’s launching of the e-ticketing system in a matter of weeks, according to Attorney General Anil Nandlall.
Speaking during his programme of ‘Issues in the News’ on Tuesday evening, he explained that the Attorney General’s
Chambers, along with other stakeholders, is currently working to ensure the e-ticketing system functions without any issues.
“…to ensure that the technological mechanisms are in place, and to ensure also that the legal machinery is in place; so that when the tickets are generated, they are done so efficiently, they are done so legally, and
due process is observed,” Nandlall said. He added that it is a complex exercise.
Noting that the necessary amendments have already been made to the Road Traffic Act, Nandlall said the Government is working on building out the physical machinery to support the e-ticketing system in that a number of speed cameras have already been installed
Region 2 Police receive reflective vests, portable searchlights
Police in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) on Wednesday received donations aimed at enhancing
Coast donated 10 reflecting vests, while Shahab Alli of 786 Imports contributed eight multifunctional portable searchlights.
and highlighted their continued commitment to supporting the regional police division.
He also said the donat-
the safety and efficiency of law enforcement operations when the manager of the Silvies branch in Essequibo
These items were handed over to Regional Commander Superintendent Khemraj Shivbaran, who expressed gratitude to both donors
ed equipment would be distributed among Traffic, Criminal Investigations Department (CID), and patrol ranks.
on major roadways, including the Heroes Highway.
“The image from the cameras will have to go to a particular place (and) be examined by the police officer. Once the offence is established, that machinery will generate the ticket. The ticket will be served electronically and manually, and the ticket will inform you of the court to which you will have
to go, either to pay the ticket or to contest the case, or defend the case,” he explained.
The Attorney General has said Government is also developing payment systems at different centres countrywide.
In preparation for the launch of the e-ticketing system, the Guyana Police Force and the National Data Management Authority
(NDMA) have installed new radar speed signs connected to advanced cloud infrastructure as part of the Safe Road Intelligent System (SRIS) Project. Designed to monitor vehicular speeds and traffic patterns, the data generated from these signs would be used to implement strategies aimed at reducing speeds and improving road safety across Guyana.
Woman in love triangle charged, fined $20,000 for assault
Two women appeared on Wednesday in the Georgetown court of Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty to answer charges of assault stemming from a confrontation rooted in a love triangle.
Javshanna Gonzalves of Hadfield Street, Lodge, Georgetown has been charged with assaulting Alicia Myers. Gonzalves pleaded guilty to the assault charge, and when asked to explain her actions, stated that she lives at the address with her partner of seven years and their two young children, aged one and three.
She explained that Myers, who also claims to have a relationship with her partner, came to her home and knocked on the gate to call for him. Gonzalves said Myers’s actions were disrespectful, prompting her to confront the woman.
She admitted to pushing Myers in the face, but denied punching her, contrary to Myers’s claims.
Myers, who appeared virtually, told the court that she had gone there to return
a toolbox to the man, and she was sitting in her car with him when Gonzalves approached, picked up a piece of wood, and allegedly punched her in the face.
Myers also admitted that she has a relationship with the man, further complicating the situation.
The magistrate questioned Gonzalves about her actions, emphasizing that her behaviour could have
led to her being separated from her children. While acknowledging Gonzalves’s frustration, the magistrate advised her to control her temper and resolve conflicts in a more mature manner.
Given Gonzalves’s guilty plea and her responsibility as a mother to young children, the magistrate decided not to impose a custodial sentence on her, but instead fined her $20,000, with an alternative of one month’s imprisonment if the fine is not paid.
Gonzalves has also been required to sign a bond to keep the peace and avoid further contact with Myers.
The magistrate has reminded Gonzalves of the importance of setting a positive example for her children, and urged her to avoid similar confrontations in the future.
She also advised both women to have a conversation with the man involved, as they both appear to be in a relationship with him, and she further advised them to decide how to move forward in such a situation.
(G9)
Fined: Javshanna Gonzalves
UG’s Port Mourant school's survey finds high rate of absenteeism, dropouts
– community project created to address research findings
Nearly 70 per cent of registered students in Port Mourant, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) do not attend school. This finding comes from a group of University of Guyana fourth-year social work students recently carrying out a survey in the community.
Lata Devie Jagmohan, who is responsible for the research, says the absenteeism rate in the community is very high.
“Almost 70 per cent who are registered in the area are absent from school; they don’t go to school,” she noted.
The survey found that only 40 per cent of persons between one year and 20 years old have acquired a primary education, 20 per cent of this demographic have acquired a secondary education, and just 5 per cent have attained a tertiary education. The school dropout rate for this age group is 35 per cent.
In the age category of 20 to 40 years old, only 20 per cent have attained a primary education; 10 per cent a secondary education, and 3 per cent a tertiary education. The school dropout rate for this group is 67 per cent.
The UG students have since launched a project with the aim of increasing school attendance and academic performance among youths.
The community development project is spearheaded by a group of fourth-year
students from the Tain Campus, and is expected to establish an inclusive learning hub for community empowerment, and to foster a community wherein every child and young adult has access to quality education and development opportunities.
Jagmohan explained that the project hopes to improve literacy rates and educational attainment in Ankerville, Port Mourant by addressing the immediate educational needs of the community and providing long-term support to break the cycle of poverty. To address this issue, the students are focusing on enhancing educational opportunities for the community through development strategies.
The aim is to support families in need of literacy skills by providing necessary tools and material, as well as through partnerships with educators, Government programmes, and establishment of a community library.
“We are setting up this community project in collaboration with GuySuCo. They have given us this space for the community learning hub for Port Mourant area. It is an inclusive learning hub, not just for youths and young adults, but also those from marginalised and vulnerable groups, such as persons with disabilities. Since we are students, we are going to be here only for a period of time. We would have
liaised with the NDC and RDC to have workers here who would continue with the programme when we would have left,” Jagmohan explained.
She pointed out that as a person living with a disability herself, she would continue to make weekly visits to the centre to assist other persons with disabilities.
“I am visually impaired, and I will be working with those persons who actually access the learning hub who are visually impaired or blind. I will help them to access resources that (are) readable to them using inclusive software,” she said.
The social work students also found that there are several other disadvantages currently affecting the community. These include limited career opportunities and lower educational attainment, which limit career prospects and earning
potential. This often makes the community economically vulnerable. In addition, the social inequality that exists perpetuates cycles of poverty and increasing social inequality.
Trudy Sinclair who is from the community, is the project leader, and has responsibility for overseeing all project activities and community engagement. It was not until she became an adult that she had the opportunity to sit her CSEC exams. She is now finishing her Bachelor’s Degree at the university.
“One thing about Port Mourant is that the emphasis is in only certain areas, and from our survey, we would have noticed that ed-
ucation is not emphasized. So, after we got a place to do a community project, we decided… After doing a survey which showed that children are lacking the resources and the motivation, we created this learning hub with the intention that we would have retired teachers, current teachers, or such persons who would like to volunteer their time to help with school- based assignments (SBAs) or homework,” she explained.
Sinclair noted that the National Library has partnered with the group to provide the necessary resources to enable research.
She says it is hoped that Government ministries would come on board,
particularly the Education Ministry.
“The literacy programme can be introduced to this area because many of our children do not attend school. Some do not get to attend school because of transportation, some because of a lack of resources, and some because their parents are not motivated or have the skills to help them as they progress in education,” Sinclair disclosed.
Group members are currently engaged in developing a section of the Port Mourant Community Centre to create the learning hub. The work is being undertaken by the students through self-help.
Essequibo Coast man jailed for damage to property, simple larceny
Mohan Lall of Windsor Castle, Essequibo Coast has been sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment by Suddie Magistrate Tamieka Clarke on Wednesday after he was found guilty of malicious damage to property and simple larceny committed on August 16, 2024 against Jim Kanhai of Devonshire Castle, Essequibo Coast.
The 42-year-old Lall has been found guilty of causing damage to Kanhai’s property and stealing items from Kanhai’s possession under sections 164 and 160 of the Criminal Law Offenses Act.
Lall also faced a charge of attempting to commit murder, under section 103 ‘C’ of the Criminal Law Offenses Act. After witnesses testified, Lall failed to present a defence, and the court has committed him to stand trial for attempted murder at the next session of the Essequibo Criminal Assizes at
Driver fined, licence suspended; admitted to multiple traffic offences
Runako Critchlow, a resident of Jackson Street in Danielstown, Essequibo Coast, appeared on Wednesday beforeMagistrate Tamieka Clarke at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court to answer charges related to multiple traffic violations.
Critchlow, who was charged with four offences, pleaded guilty to all charges; to wit: driving a motorcycle without a valid licence, breach of insurance, riding a motorcycle without a safety helmet, and failing to confirm a signature.
Runako Critchlow
The charges stemmed from a violation of sections 23(1) and 52(b) of the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act, section 3(1) of the Motor Vehicle Insurance (Third Party Risks) Act, and Regulation 3(1) of the Motorcycle (Protective Helmet) Regulation of 1972.
Critchlow has been fined a total of $52,500 for the four offences, and the magistrate has ordered that Critchlow’s driver’s licence be suspended for one year. This suspen-
sion means that Critchlow will be prohibited from driving for the duration of the period specified by the court. This suspension comes amid a wider Governmental crackdown on traffic violations. President Dr Irfaan Ali recently announced that authorities would begin suspending the licences of drivers caught speeding more than three times along the Heroes Highway. His statement came as part of a broader effort to tackle the growing recklessness on Guyana’s roadways, particularly among truck and public transportation drivers. President Ali has emphasized that compliance with traffic laws is crucial for saving lives, especially with the rise in traffic accidents and fatalities.
US student Trudy Sinclair
the Supreme Court in Suddie. Lall is thus awaiting trial for the attempted murder charge.
Simple larceny convict Mohan Lall
Labour Ministry recovered $31.7M in restitution for workers in 2024
…Minister says decline in cases recorded
Speaking during the Labour Ministry’s end-of-year press conference on Tuesday, Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton revealed that some $31.7 million in restitution has been recovered from companies, chief among those being security firms.
of employers to remit to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) deductions made from workers’ remunerations in this regard.
Minister Hamilton has said that, through interven-
As the Ministry of Labour continues to intervene in workers’ grievances with their employers, to ensure amicable solutions to those grievances, Minister Hamilton noted, the Labour Ministry’s team has made significant strides in addressing issues relating to these grievances.
Many of the concerns have been related to failure
tion of the Labour Ministry, more than $200 million in restitution were recovered from defiant companies from 2020 to date.
“I know there was a time when we had a couple hundred cases. I am told by the lawyers that we were successful in dealing with most, if not all, of them…If I recall, over the four-year period, we have recouped nearly $200 million - over $200 million. So, in four years, we have been able to recover
over $200 million for workers from employers across this country,” Minister Hamilton disclosed.
Notably, the minister said, security companies have been identified as the employers mostly found guilty of breaching labour laws, as some 24 per cent of cases originate from within those establishments.
“The chief culprit in the situation are security services and companies; and when they rob people in 2024, next year, in 2025, they change the company name to another name. So, we have to do a lot of work there, and we have been taking them to court…As I have said, 24 per cent of complaints come from the security companies,” he reiterated.
The minister revealed that, for 2024, more than $30 million in restitution for workers were recovered by the Labour Ministry.
“…this year, we were able to recover $31.7 million on behalf of employees from companies…,” he noted. In 2023, however, the Labour Ministry had recovered $69 million in restitution; and Hamilton has attribut-
ed this decline to a positive outcome from the ministry’s continuous sensitization activities and awareness campaigns.
“We have had some redress. So, this year 2024, compared to the last year, saw a 25 per cent decline in complaints lodged with the Ministry of Labour, and this can be attributed to the increase in outreaches and seminars done by the Labour Department over the years,” he surmised.
The Labour Ministry had, in 2023, received more than 900 complaints from employees regarding various issues; such as termination benefits, annual leave, unlawful deductions from salaries, overtime payments, failure to pay minimum wage, and severance payments, the minister disclosed. The Ministry’s Labour Department was able to resolve 85 per cent of these complaints on behalf of the employees, and the other 15 per cent was set to be resolved within the first quarter of 2024, he explained.
Meanwhile, in a bid to improve its service, the Labour
Ministry last year launched a Digital Complaints and Information Management System, which is coupled with a “Labour Advice” Mobile Application app. The sum of $2.5 million was expended by the ministry to develop the application, and this was spearheaded by the National Data Management Authority (NDMA). The user-friendly mobile app is tailored to facilitate employers and employees lodging labour violations and complaints digitally.
The Digital Complaints and Information Management Systemwhich can be accessed on Google Play and the Apple Store - allows its members to track their complaints at the various levels at the Labour Ministry. However, the system would not replace the existing walk-in service, given that the ministry’s primary goal is to resolve all complaints amicably, and to ensure that the process is fair, transparent, and without prejudice or bias.
MoH working to certify more local hospitals for organ transplantation
In a bid to improve this particular service in Guyana, the Health Ministry will be working this year with several international health entities to certify more hospitals to perform organ transplantation procedures.
Expansion of the organ transplantation landscape in Guyana has been revealed by Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony during the Health Ministry’s endof-year press conference.
Minister Anthony noted that the Health Ministry’s Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Agency (HOTTA) has been working
closely with several international health agencies, such as the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Donation Transplant Institute (DTI) in Barcelona, to certify more hospitals for the procedure.
“We have a transplant agency that has been set up, and that agency has worked with several partners, both locally and internationally, to put a number of regulations in place so that we can monitor and have these things done to international standards…,” Minister Dr Anthony has revealed.
“In addition to that, the agencies have been working
with the hospitals locally to certify them to be able to do transplant,” he explained.
The Georgetown Public Hospital(GPHC) is currently the only health facility that has been certified to conduct organ transplantation; but in a bid to improve health care, Minister Anthony noted, the Health Ministry is working to certify more hospitals in this regard this year.
“(There are) others in the private sector that have indicated that they would like to be certified, and they have been told the requirements. So, they are going through that process of
meeting those requirements to be certified,” he disclosed.
Minister Anthony noted that kidney transplantation is the only type of transplantation currently done at the GPHC. This procedure is carried out with live donors, he explained, but noted that the Ministry is looking to soon implement deceased donor transplantation for this operation.
“As you know, we are doing live donor transplant for kidneys, and they have been looking into the possibility of us doing deceased donor transplant. So that is something that we have been working on,” he explained.
Moreover, Dr. Anthony noted that The Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Act has paved the way for the Health Ministry to expand its services.
“So, the legislation that we passed in 2022, that piece of legislation, it has broadly three broad areas. One, it provides for transplant of organs, tissues, and…there’s a section there that also talks about transfusion…And the third component of that legislation talks about regenerative medicine, meaning to use things like stem cells. So that is covered in the legislation, and we have been
working to bring that legislation to life,” he disclosed.
The Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Act was passed in the National Assembly in 2022. The bill has incorporated measures to establish an agency responsible for overseeing the removal, donation, and transfer of human organs to patients requiring them.
The agency is expected to collaborate with authorized hospitals to coordinate surgeries and develop operating protocols. Additionally, the agen-
cy would be responsible for conducting public awareness campaigns regarding consent for organ donation and utilization.
The bill also notes that transplantation is to be used in regenerative medicine, including cell therapy, gene therapy, stem cell therapy and other therapeutic purposes; for medical education and scientific research purposes, including stem cell research, cell explant research, and cell line research; and for connected matters.
Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton
Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony
Regional
Venezuela’s Opposition decries arrests ahead of anti-Maduro protests
Venezuelan Opposition parties and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) decried the arrests of a prominent press freedom activist and a wellknown Opposition figure, among others, ahead of planned protests against Friday’s inauguration of President Nicolás Maduro for his third term.
The Opposition Popular Will party said on X late on Tuesday that at least 19 persons had been detained nationwide in what it termed a “worsening of persecution and repression” by the Maduro Government.
Neither the Communications Ministry nor the attorney general’s office immediately responded to a request for comment about the latest arrests.
The Government is investigating major Opposition leaders for alleged conspiracy, among other charges, and has repeatedly accused them of inciting violence on their claims of victory in July’s presidential election.
The Opposition has published ballot box-level tallies that it says show a resounding victory for its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez,
who is now on a regional tour to promote the Opposition’s cause and who is recognised by various countries, including the United States, as President-elect.
Gonzalez visited Panama on Wednesday and the Opposition said its copies of the tallies will be stored there, in a vault at the country’s central bank.
The electoral authority and Venezuela’s top court say Maduro won, but have not published detailed tallies.
Gonzalez, 75, said his son-inlaw was kidnapped on Tuesday while taking his children to school.
The Government, which has repeatedly accused the Opposition of plotting with foreign governments to commit acts of sabotage and terrorism, said on Tuesday it had detained seven “mercenaries”, including two Americans.
One of the Americans is a high-ranking FBI official, Maduro said on State television on Wednesday, while the other is a military official. Three of the detained are Ukrainians and two are Colombians.
President Gustavo Petro of neighbouring Colombia said on X on Wednesday that the detentions of Marquez and Correa prevented him from personally attending Maduro’s inauguration. Petro added that he would not break relations with Venezuela, with whom he has sought to increase trade.
Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado, who was barred from running in the 2024 contest but remains highly popular, said on Tuesday she would attend Opposition marches planned today, but did not specify where. Machado, 57, is being investigated by the Government in at least two cases of alleged conspiracy and has been in hiding since August. There is no public warrant for her arrest.
Thirteen Cuban soldiers are missing after explosions rocked an arms and ammunition depot in the eastern province of Holguin, Cuba’s armed forces said late on Tuesday.
The explosions rattled the small rural community of Melones, 724 kilometres (450 miles) south and east of Havana, early on Tuesday.
About 2000 persons were arrested at protests following the disputed election. The Government said this week it has released 1515 of them.
Politician Enrique Marquez, 61, who ran in the 2024 election,
Neither the US Department of State nor Colombia’s Foreign Ministry responded to requests for comment.
13 Cuban soldiers missing after explosions rock ammo depot
Officials had previously said the blasts were set off by a fire at a construction site.
The incident is still under investigation, authorities said.
Cuba’s military reported four officers and nine soldiers among the missing.
Videos on social media showed plumes of dark smoke and flames above
a forested tree line near Melones.
Soldiers and local Police guarded access routes to the site while rescue teams and firefighters worked to put out the flames.
Officials earlier on Tuesday said 361 persons had been evacuated to a safe location following the explosion. (Reuters)
NY Fed beats lawsuit by Puerto Rican bank over Venezuela-related account cutoff
AUS Judge on Wednesday dismissed a Puerto Rican bank’s lawsuit challenging the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s decision to cut off its access to the US central banking system in a crackdown on lenders with links to Venezuela.
US District Judge John Koeltl in Manhattan rejected Banco San Juan Internacional’s claim the Federal Reserve Act entitled it to a “master account”, which lets banks access the Fed’s electronic payment system.
BSJI sued the New York Fed in July 2023 after learning its 11-year-old account would be closed over concerns it was not complying with US sanctions and anti-money laundering rules.
The bank said it had improved compliance after an earlier probe into its work with State-run oil company Petroleos de Venezuela, and was unlikely to survive an account cutoff.
But in a 69-page decision, Koeltl said the Federal
Reserve Act’s language gave the New York Fed discretion to close master accounts, and that BSJI’s due process rights were not violated.
Koeltl also highlighted the New York Fed’s conclusion that BSJI’s “heightened risk profile and non-compliance” created undue risk and justified closing its account.
“Nothing in the amended complaint plausibly suggests that the FRBNY failed to provide an adequate basis for the account-closure deci-
sion or committed a clear error of judgment,” the Judge wrote.
Koeltl also said BSJI lacked standing to pursue a related claim against the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors.
He gave BSJI until January 27 to file an amended complaint, and said the bank has indicated it might do so.
Lawyers for the New York Fed did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Excerpt from Reuters)
but backed Gonzalez as the victor, has been detained, the Popular Will party said on social media, without providing more details.
The director of press freedom NGO Espacio Publico, Carlos Correa, 60, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon by hooded officials, that group said on X.
“I wouldn’t miss that day for anything,” she said in a virtual press conference. “Venezuela will be free, I can’t guarantee the day or the time. It might be before, during or after January 10, but it will happen.”
Gonzalez and Machado have repeatedly urged the Police and military to support the Opposition. (Reuters)
Brazil marks anniversary of January 8 attack on capital
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has marked the second anniversary of an attack on Government buildings with a celebration in the plaza where the violence took place.
On Wednesday, Lula –who underwent surgery last month to treat bleeding in his brain – appeared in the Three Powers Plaza in the
capital Brasilia to denounce the riots of January 8, 2023, which he has likened to a coup against his presidency.
He also used the occasion to project defiance in the wake of the attack, which saw thousands of protesters break into the presidential palace, Supreme Court building and Congress.
“Today is the day to say loud and clear: We’re still here,” Lula told his supporters.
“We’re here to say that we are alive and that democracy is alive, contrary to what the January 8, 2023, coup plotters had planned.” The attack on January 8 came just seven days after Lula, a left-wing leader, had been inaugurated for a non-consecutive third term. (Al Jazeera)
Panama Canal will stay in our hands, Minister tells Trump
Panama has insisted that its sovereignty over the Panama Canal is “non-negotiable” after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out military force to seize it.
Trump made the remark during a news conference on Tuesday at which he also falsely stated that the Panama Canal was being op-
erated by Chinese soldiers.
Panama’s Foreign Minister Javier MartínezAcha responded by saying that “the only hands operating the canal are Panamanian and that is how it is going to stay”.
The Panama Canal was managed by the US for decades, but under a treaty signed by the late US President Jimmy Carter in
1977, it was handed over to the Panamanians on December 31, 1999.
In his news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, Trump described President Carter’s decision to hand the canal back as “a big mistake”.
Panama’s Foreign Minister denied his country had received any kind of offer from the president-elect.
(Excerpt from BBC News)
Caribbean States, Benin mull troops for “symbolic” Haiti
Foreign Ministers from Caribbean nations and Benin on Wednesday discussed sending troops to Haiti, saying stability in the strife-torn nation was symbolic to “all black people” around the world.
Poverty-stricken Haiti has been ravaged for years by gang violence and political instability.
“For all black people in the world Haiti is symbolic, it is the first black republic
in the world, and so if Haiti falls all we black people fall” with it, said Benin’s Foreign Minister, Olushegun Bakari.
He said discussions were under way to send troops to Haiti “to support and secure, strengthen security” in the country.
The ministers from the west African nation and the Caribbean Community (Caricom) met in Benin’s capital, seeking to deepen cooperation.
The countries hope to double trade between Africa and the Caribbean to US$1.8 billion by 2028 and to bolster investment in industries from agriculture to tourism.
The Ministers also agreed to promote so-called memorial tourism, allowing nationals from the Caribbean to discover historical sites of Benin linked to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, said a statement issued at the end of the talks. (AFP)
Panamanian Foreign Relations Minister Javier Eduardo Martinez-Acha Vasquez (left) welcomes Venezuelan Opposition Leader Edmundo Gonzalez at the Presidential Palace in Panama City, Panama, January 8, 2025 (Reuters/Aris Martinez photo)
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York building in New York City, US, April 26, 2021 (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton file photo)
Oil trims gains on dollar strength, tight supplies provide support
LA wildfires: 100,000 evacuated, at least 5 dead in “historic natural disaster”
Raging wildfires surrounded Los Angeles on Wednesday, killing at least five persons, destroying hundreds of homes and stretching firefighting resources and water supplies to the limit, as more than 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate.
Oil prices trimmed earlier gains on Wednesday as the dollar strengthened, but continued to find support from a tightening of supplies from Russia and other Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries-plus (OPEC+) members and a drop in US crude stocks.
Brent crude was up 32 cents, or 0.42 per cent, at US$77.37 a barrel at 1217 GMT. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude climbed 47 cents, or 0.63 per cent, to US$74.72.
Both benchmarks had risen more than one per cent earlier in the session.
Shell warned of a weaker fourth quarter on Wednesday.
"The dollar's safe haven status is appreciated as fears of renewed US inflationary pressure grow," said Tamas Varga, an analyst with oil broker PVM.
A stronger dollar makes oil more expensive for holders of other currencies.
"The drop (in oil prices) seems to be driven by a general shift in risk sentiment with European equity markets falling and the USD getting stronger," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.
Oil output from OPEC fell in December after two months of increases, a Reuters survey showed. Field maintenance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) offset a Nigerian output hike and gains elsewhere in the group.
In Russia, oil output averaged 8.971 million barrels a day in December, below the country's target, Bloomberg reported citing the Energy Ministry.
US crude oil stocks fell last week while fuel inventories rose, market sources said, citing American Petroleum Institute (API) figures on Tuesday.
Despite the unexpected draw in crude stocks, the significant rise in product inventories was putting those prices under pressure, Varga added.
Analysts expect oil prices to be on average down this year from 2024 due in part to production increases from non-OPEC countries.
"We are holding to our forecast for Brent crude to average US$76/bbl in 2025, down from an average of US$80/bbl in 2024," BMI, a division of Fitch Group, said in a client note. (Reuters)
Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza amid stepped-up ceasefire push
Israeli strikes killed dozens of people across Gaza on Wednesday, Palestinian medics said, as talks to halt the fighting continued in Qatar and Israeli troops recovered the body of at least one hostage from a tunnel near the southern city of Rafah. Palestinian medical workers said an Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 in a multi-storey house in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City, while another killed 10 in other parts of the city.
In Deir Al-Balah city in central Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering, and in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza's eight historic refugee
camps, a total of seven persons were killed, they said. Israel's military said it struck Hamas militants operating in a school building in Jabalia, and that it took steps to minimise risk to civilians.
Such mass casualties have become a daily occurrence in Gaza, where some 46,000 Palestinians have now been killed in Israel's 15-monthlong assault against Hamas, according to health officials in the enclave.
As Israel continued its bombardments, the United States, Qatar and Egypt were making intensive efforts to reach a ceasefire deal, with one source close to the talks saying this was the most serious attempt to reach a deal so far. (Excerpt from Reuters)
Fierce winds hindered firefighting operations and fuelled the fires, which have burned unimpeded since they began on Tuesday.
Five separate fires burned in Los Angeles County, all of them zero per cent contained according to state officials, including a pair of conflagrations that held the city in a pincer move.
On the west side, the Palisades Fire consumed 15,832 acres (6406 hectares) and 1000 structures in the hills between Santa Monica and Malibu, racing down Topanga
Canyon until reaching the natural fire break of the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday. It was already one of the most destructive fires in Los Angeles history.
To the east, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, the Eaton Fire claimed another 10,600 acres (4289 hectares) and killed at least five persons, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told KNX radio.
Private forecaster AccuWeather estimated initial damage and economic loss at more than $50 billion.
US private forecaster AccuWeather said damage and economic loss from Los Angeles wildfires are estimated at US$52 billion to US$57 billion on a preliminary basis.
AccuWeather added that the figure could rise depending on the fires' spread.
"Should a large number of additional structures be
burned in the coming days, it may become the worst wildfire in modern California history based on the number of structures burned and economic loss," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.
Taiwan and China traded barbs over what the Government in Taipei suspects was a Chinese-linked ship's damage to an undersea communications cable off the island's coast, an incident that has raised alarm bells on the island.
The ship owner, speaking to Reuters on Wednesday, said there was no evidence the ship was involved. Taiwan's Coast Guard suspects the ship damaged the cable off the island's northern coast late last week, but was unable to board it to investigate due to bad weather.
The Coast Guard said it "cannot rule out the possibility" the ship, registered both in Cameroon and Tanzania, but owned by a Hong Kong company, was engaged in "grey zone"
activities. However, it has not provided any direct evidence of this.
Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has repeatedly complained about "grey zone" Chinese activities around the island, designed to pressure it without direct confrontation, such as balloon overflights and sand dredging.
Late Wednesday, China's Taiwan Affairs Office said damage to undersea cables are "common maritime accidents" and Taiwan was making accusations "out of thin air" and intentionally hyping up the "socalled grey zone threat from the mainland".
Responding to that statement, Taiwan's China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council said the case was being investigated and would
Germany and France warn Trump over threat to take over Greenland
Germany and France have warned Donald Trump against threatening Greenland, after the US President-elect refused to rule out using military force to seize Denmark's autonomous territory.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said "the principle of the inviolability of borders applies to every country... no matter whether it's a very small one or a very powerful one".
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said "there is obviously no question that the European Union would let other nations of the world attack its sovereign borders".
On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his desire to acquire Greenland, saying that the Arctic island was "critical" for national and economic security.
He has repeatedly expressed an interest in buying Greenland, having mooted the idea in 2019, during his first term as president.
Denmark, a long-time US ally, has made clear that Greenland is not for sale and that it belongs to its inhabitants.
Greenland's Prime Minister, Mute Egede, is pushing for independence from Denmark, but he too has made clear the territory is not for sale. He was visiting Copenhagen on Wednesday.
Chancellor Scholz said there was a "certain incomprehension" about statements coming from the incoming US Administration.
"The principle of the inviolability of borders applies to every country no matter whether that's in the East or the West."
Denmark is a member of the US-led NATO alliance, as are Germany and France.
Scholz stressed that "NATO is the most important instrument for our defence and a central of the transatlantic relationship". (Excerpt from BBC News)
State officials said earlier on Wednesday that more than 1000 structures had burned so far.
JP Morgan believes that insured losses originating from the wildfire could be around US$10 billion, the brokerage firm said in a note. (Excerpt from Reuters)
Taiwan, China trade barbs over undersea cable damage
proceed based on the evidence.
Taiwan has previously experienced damage to cables to the Kinmen and Matsu islands, the council said, referring to territories that sit right next to the Chinese coast but are controlled by Taiwan.
"Of course the government must be cautious in handling this," it added.
China detests Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, calling him a "separatist" and has rebuffed his repeated calls for talks. Lai and his government reject Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only Taiwan's people can decide their future.
(Excerpt from Reuters)
NATO membership only credible security guarantee for Ukraine, Finnish Foreign Minister says
and
for
from rearming for a new attack.
"I think in the long term the only credible security guarantee is Article 5 of the Washington Treaty – so NATO membership essentially," Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen told Reuters in Kyiv, referring to the alliance's collective defence clause.
"And we are supporting Ukraine's NATO membership further down the line and hopefully not in (the) too-distant future."
Ukraine's leaders have aggressively pushed for an invitation to join the 32-member alliance, but have met resistance from key members as the war lurches toward its three-year mark and Ukrainian troops struggle to beat back Russian advances.
Membership in NATO is the only credible longterm security guarantee Ukraine can receive against future Russian aggression, Finland's top diplomat said on Wednesday.
Donald Trump's return to the White House on January 20 has sparked hope of a diplomatic resolution to end Moscow's invasion, but also fears in Kyiv that a quick peace could come at a high price.
Ukrainian officials including President Volodymyr Zelenskiy have called for strong security guarantees from partners that would prevent Russia
Trump, who has criticised US aid to Ukraine, said on Tuesday he sympathises with Russia's position that Ukraine should not be part of NATO. His aides and allies see Ukrainian membership as an unnecessary provocation toward Moscow.
Valtonen, who was in Kyiv days after Finland assumed the chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, said a Trump Administration would not necessarily spell the end for Ukraine's NATO ambitions.
"Three years ago nobody thought that Finland would be joining NATO, or Sweden for that matter," she said. "So here we are, you never know."
(Excerpt from Reuters)
A burnt home stands in ruin as powerful winds fuelling devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area force people to evacuate, in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of west Los Angeles, California, US, January 8, 2025 (Reuters/Mike Blake photo)
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office
Minister
Foreign Affairs of Finland, Elina Valtonen and Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (not pictured) attend a joint press conference amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, January 8, 2025 (Reuters/Alina Smutko photo)
Tread carefully when handling your money, investments and overhead. Replacements that offer more for less may not please everyone in your circle, but if it puts your mind at ease, it's worth every penny.
You need diversity in your life. Stop trying to change others, consider what makes you happy and make adjustments that fulfill your personal goals and lead to your happiness.
Rethink every move, decision and promise before you proceed. Direct your energy into something positive that encourages you to learn something new or sends you on a journey.
Take the plunge and explore your options. Let your imagination wander and point your energy in a direction that helps you transform an idea into a dream come true.
Don't lose touch with reality when trying to make your dreams come true. Charm will help you buy your way into a position or someone's heart. Raise your qualifications to meet market demands.
Consider what makes you happy, how to achieve the look you want and the appeal you want to have on those you encounter. Assess your current relationships and the attributes you have that need to be fine-tuned.
Turn your home into a user-friendly environment. Putting everything in its place will help turn streamline your routine. Keep the peace and get things done.
Let your imagination take the lead and use your skills and attributes differently. Sign up for lectures, trade shows or events that connect you to people offering information.
It's time to examine the changes you are considering and enforce what makes the most sense. Put a budget in place that will help you complete your tasks without going into debt.
Assess what's entering and leaving your bank account. Balancing your books will put your mind at ease and offer insight into how you can restructure your investments to help pay off debt quickly.
Fix only what's broken. Put your energy into making needed updates. The less bureaucracy you face throughout the year, the easier it will be to achieve your goals.
Shut down those tempting you to be excessive, engage in indulgent behavior or dodge an expensive mistake. Sign up for a cause that concerns you and be the one to make an emotional plea for positive change.
ARCHIE
2nd ODI, Hamilton, Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand
New Zealand breeze past Sri Lanka despite Theekshana hat-trick
New Zealand strode to 255 for 9 in their 37 overs, with a 112run second-wicket stand between Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman the bedrock of that innings. And then Sri Lanka's top order crashed and burned again. They were 4 for 22 inside the first five overs, their hopes of levelling the series almost completely dashed.
Kamindu Mendis attempted to revive the innings, but his 64 was not nearly enough to revive this innings. Sri Lanka slipped to a 113run defeat, having also lost heavily to New Zealand in the first One-Day International (ODI). New Zealand take the series despite being significantly depleted by absences and injuries. Sri Lanka are essentially at full strength, but the failure of their top five continues to dog them, even in a rain-reduced match such as this.
New Zealand had some stutters too. They were modest at the death, as Maheesh Theekshana in particular was effective, taking a hat-
the Ravindra-Chapman stand. They had contributions through the middle, with Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, and Mitchell Santner chipping in. And then they had their confident seam bowlers, who imposed themselves even with the older ball. Will O'Rourke took 3 for 31, Jacob Duffy 2 for 30, while Matt Henry and Nathan Smith claimed a wicket apiece. The only semblance of a partnership had been between Kamindu and Janith Liyanage, as the pair put on 57 together for the fifth wicket. Outside of that, New Zealand were picking their way through the batting order, and ultimately had them all out inside 31 overs.
Sri Lanka's required rate was 6.92 right from the beginning. Although this seems a monumental challenge, the pitch was good to bat on, and with rain having delayed the start of play by two-and-ahalf hours, a damp ball was also proving a challenge for some bowlers. But Sri Lanka needed a strong start to put
collapse.
Pathum Nissanka holed out to mid-off in the second over, badly miscuing a lofted drive against Duffy. Kusal Mendis then edged behind in Duffy's next over, before Avishka Fernando slapped a ball from Henry straight to point immediately after.
Captain Charith Asalanka's horrendous judging of a run extended Sri Lanka's nosedive. He'd blocked one towards Mitchell Santner at mid-off and called his partner through. Santner swooped on the ball, hit the stumps with an under-arm throw, and caught Asalanka metres short. Kamindu had been out in very similar fashion, taking on the same fielder, only on Sunday.
At Asalanka's dismissal, Sri Lanka still had 234 runs to get off 194 deliveries, and only two specialist batters and two all-rounders left to do it with. They didn't get es pecially far.
Contrast this to New Zealand's top order, who put their team in a powerful posi tion inside the first 22 overs, with Ravindra stroking 79 off 63 and Chapman hitting 62 off 52.
What was most impres sive about their stand was how comfortable both bat ters made brisk run-scoring appear. Ravindra was strong through the offside as usual, but found plenty of runs to leg, using the sweep and the pick-up shot off the pads to especially good effect.
Chapman, meanwhile, was decidedly stronger on the legside, scoring 46 of his 63 runs in that di rection. He hit two six es – one top edged over the keeper, and anoth er over midwicket off a short ball from Eshan Malinga to bring up his fifty off 44 balls as well as the century part nership. Ravindra had also got to his half-century with a six – down the ground off Wanindu Hasaranga. He took 43 balls to get there.
spectacular again, and the catch of the day belonged to Nathan Smith, who bounded along the deep-third boundary, threw himself off his feet, and got his outstretched right arm to a ball that might otherwise have landed over the boundary to dismiss Malinga. (ESPNcricinfo)
Earlier, Asitha Fernando had bowled Young with an outstanding jagging deliv ery, but neither Ravindra or Chapman were tested for long by Sri Lanka's seamers. In fact, it was the spinners that introduced even a little discomfort – between them, Theekshana and Hasaranga
Sri Lanka fielded well, and induced errors at a great er rate in the back half of the innings. Asalanka pulled off an excellent diving catch
Mark Chapman scored 62 off 52 balls
Maheesh Theekshana became the seventh Sri Lanka bowler to bag an ODI hat-trick
Will O'Rourke was New Zealand's most-effective bowler on the night with figures of 6.2-0-31-3
This Saturday, January 11, 2025, the Rosignol Ground in the Ancient County will play host to the opening match of this year’s Guyana Football Federation (GFF)
Elite League Qualification to begin this Saturday
Elite League Qualification Play-offs.
As Season Seven of Guyana’s premier football league approaches, seven teams from Regional Member Associations
The remaining fixtures are as follows:
Sunday, January 12, 2025
Potaro Strikers FC v Uitvlugt Warriors FC at Uitvlugt Ground – 13:00h
Pele FC v Agricola Red Triangle FC at Uitvlugt Ground – 15:00h
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Semi-final 1 – Lake Mainstay FC v Winner of Mahaica Determinators FC-Paradise Invaders FC (Venue and time to be determined)
Semifinal 2 (Venue and time to be determined)
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Saturday, January 18, 2025
Elite League Qualification Play-offs Finals (Venue and time to be determined)
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Elite League Qualification Play-offs 2 – Ann’s Grove vs Finals Loser (Venue and time to be determined)
During the last Elite League Qualification Play-offs, Slingerz FC and Monedderlust FC gained entry into the League and managed to maintain their spots for Season Seven.
UK Athletics
charged with manslaughter over death of Paralympian
UAthletics has
charged with manslaughter over the death
Abdullah Hayayei. while training at Newham Leisure Centre, London in July 2017. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has charged UK Athletics Limited with "corporate manslaughter and a health and safety at work act offence".
Keith Davies, the head of sport for the 2017 World Paraathletics Championships, has also been charged with "gross negligence manslaughter and a health and safety at work act offence".
UK Athletics and Davies, 77, will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on January 31.
Hayayei was training for the World Championships in London at the time of the incident.
The United Arab Emirates thrower had been set to com pete in the F34 shot put, discus, and javelin events.
Hayayei, a father of five, finished sixth in the javelin and seventh in the shotput when making his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016.
London 2017 was due to be his second appearance at a World Championships. At the 2015 event in Doha, Qatar, Hayayei finished fifth in the discus and eighth in the shot put.
A moment of silence was held in honour of Hayayei during the opening ceremony of the World Championships at London Stadium.
(RMAs) around the country will compete for two spots in the upcoming Elite League competition.
The teams are: Bartica Football Association’s Potaro Strikers Football
Club; Berbice Football Association’s Paradise Invaders FC; East Bank Football Association’s Agricola Red Triangle FC; East Demerara Football Association’s Mahaica Determinators FC; Essequibo Coast/Pomeroon Football Association’s Lake Mainstay FC; Georgetown Football Association’s Pele FC and West Demerara Football Association’s Uitvlugt Warriors FC. Notably, challengers from the Upper Demerara and Rupununi Football Associations are missing from the line-up, like-
ly a consequence of those Associations not completing their Senior Men’s League.
The tournament will take on a knockout format, with games earmarked for community grounds, owing to vital maintenance works scheduled for the GFF’s National Training Centre (NTC) at Providence, a GFF missive revealed.
The competition will run from this weekend and conclude on Saturday, January 18. As is customary, the winner of the tournament will gain an automatic spot in the Elite League that
was vacated by Buxton United FC, who were relegated after finishing at the bottom of the points table in Season Six.
However, there will be a reprieve for the losing finalist, who will move on to challenge Season Six’s number nine finishers Ann’s Grove United for their spot in the League. That playoff game is scheduled for Wednesday, January 22. The first fixture of the competition will pit Mahaica Determinators against Paradise Invaders at the Rosignol Ground from 16:00h on Saturday.
Bahamian “Buddy” Hield poised for blockbuster 3-team trade
Bahamian National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar Chavano “Buddy” Hield may soon find himself on the move once more, as reports surface about a potential blockbuster threeteam trade involving Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler.
According to a recent report from Caleb Hightower of The Sporting News, Hield could be part of a trade pack-
aging 12.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 42.9 per cent from the field and 39.4 per cent from beyond the arc. Earlier this season, he reached two major career milestones, scoring his 10,000th point and making his 2000th three-pointer in the NBA.
The Golden State Warriors are reportedly eager to acquire Butler to strengthen their roster
turns 37 in March, can still be the best player on a title contender, and the Warriors owe it to him to put a championship-calibre supporting cast around him. Right now, they don’t have that, and while this deal wouldn’t guarantee it, it would certainly bring them closer,” Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey opined.
“Butler’s defensive know-how and competi-
consecutive seasons and boasts a career three-point shooting percentage of 40 per cent. Drafted sixth overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2016, Hield has since played for the Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, 76ers, and Warriors. (Sportsmax)
K
been
of Paralympian
The GFF’s competitions department briefs members of the participating clubs
Chavano “Buddy” Hield
Glasgow pays it forward at football camp
With an eye on not only developing young players but offering the opportunity to interact with one of Guyana’s biggest football stars, a oneday football camp was facilitated on Saturday last at the National Gymnasium.
There, the upcoming players benefited from sessions with a number of coaches while also participating in scrimmages alongside Chicago Fire FC and Golden Jaguars forward Omari Glasgow.
One Coach, Leon Roberts divulged some of the objectives of the event.
“Well, today was just a learning process for some of the young players that was out of football for the holidays and stuff. We just
coaching principles and getting them involved,” Roberts disclosed to Guyana Times Sport
The Coach added, “It’s very much important, because it helps them to see where they want to be in the future, because when you look at the game, Omari had a little scrimmage with them and you could see the difference in the faster play and movement and the whole chemistry of the game. It’s made different and a higher level, so it benefits them all around.”
After getting in some game time among the youngsters, Glasgow expressed elation at being able to pay it forward in
in similar activities.
Glasgow told this publication, “It was fun, you know, coming out and spending at least half a day with the youths. You could see a lot of talent here, it’s just for more stuff like this to happen. I’m expecting more people to come
to put out something good here. I’m looking forward for a next one.
“I think it’s important, because the coming generation need this. The more we could give it to them is the more they would buy into what’s going on and try to put their best foot
ing more of the national players, if they could just come out also and help. I must say thanks to Coach Natural, Leon, Awo and those guys. It’s a good feeling,” Glasgow further expressed.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) Wednesday announced the women’s squad to compete against Bangladesh in their upcoming inaugural bilateral white-ball tour of the West Indies from January 19 to January 31.
The tour will feature three CG United One-Day Internationals (Odis) and three T20 Internationals (T20Is), all scheduled to take place at Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts.
This marks the West Indies Women’s first-ever bilateral series against Bangladesh, and it is Bangladesh’s first bilateral series tour of the Caribbean, as both teams continue their preparation for upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) events.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe welcomed the series: “We are pleased to welcome Bangladesh for an exciting whiteball series. This tour is significant for multiple reasons as it strengthens our bilateral cricket relationships, provides our team valuable match practice, and offers opportunities for vital ICC Women’s Championship points."
He added, “We’ve seen Bangladesh’s progress in recent years, and these
matches will be crucial for both teams. We are particularly excited about showcasing our women’s team to a larger home audience, giving cricket fans throughout the Region a chance to see international women’s cricket up close. These bilateral series are essential for the continued development of women’s cricket worldwide and in our region. We expect some highlycompetitive matches across both formats.”
The two teams last met in the group stage of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup
2024 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on October 10, where West Indies Women secured an eightwicket victory at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Previously, their last T20I clash was on November 9, 2018 at Guyana’s Providence Stadium during that year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.
Their last ODI meeting, which took place nearly three years ago in New Zealand on March 18, 2022, resulted in a four-run victory for the West Indies. Overall, the two teams have met five times in international competition –four times in T20Is and once in an ODI – and West Indies are yet to
taste defeat.
A series victory is also in the sights of West Indies Captain Hayley Matthews, with her team seeking qualification to the 2025 ODI World Cup.
West Indies Women’s Head Coach Shane Deitz commented: “Bangladesh’s visit comes at an ideal time in our preparation cycle. They’re a skilled unit that has shown impressive growth, and this series gives us an excellent opportunity to examine our squad depth and continue to implement our aggressive, flamboyant brand of West Indian cricket."
He continued, “We have been focusing on specific areas of improvement in our training and touring, and these matches will
Meanwhile, two of the players in the camp interact with Glasgow. “I was very happy today because I played with a star from Guyana that fly all the way from America to be here,” Smithett shared. Hickerson, meanwhile, said, “It’s a nice opportunity for me to meet him.” Currently, organisers are hoping to get sponsors on-board to run the camp on a consistent basis.
squad "historic" series
help us gauge our progress.
The conditions at Warner Park will challenge both teams and make for compelling cricket. I’m looking forward to seeing how some of our younger and less-experienced players respond to the test.”
Under the leadership of Matthews, the selected squad represents a blend of seasoned campaigners and eager newcomers.
While Stafanie Taylor is still recovering from a knee injury, Jannillea Glasgow and Cherry-
Ann Fraser, who recently had successful stints in state cricket in Tasmania, have been included.
West Indies Women's squad: Captain Hayley Matthews, Vice Captain Shemaine Campbelle, Aaliyah Alleyne, Nerissa Crafton, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Jannillea Glasgow, Chinelle Henry, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph, Mandy Mangru, Ashmini Munisar, and Karishma Ramharack.
Team Management Unit:
Head Coach: Shane Deitz
Manager: Sheena Gooding
Assistant Coach: Ryan Austin
Assistant Coach: Damien Wright
Team
Physiotherapist: Angelica Holder
Performance Coach: Dr. Nadine Sammy
In excess of 50 young players attended the one-day camp
