26 high-powered rifles & handguns, over 1600 bullets found during Police operation in Kitty –
family members of slain biker “Paper Shorts” among 6 arrested
The brother of Ricardo Fagundes also called
“Paper Shorts” was among six persons who were arrested following the discovery of 26 high-powered rifles and handguns and over 1600 rounds of various calibres of ammunition during a police operation at Bar Street Kitty –the former home of the slain biker.
The discovery was made during a police intelligence-led operation on Wednesday at the Bar Street residence of Eon Fagundes, a 47-year-old clothes vendor where a search warrant was executed. The others that were taken into custody are
Fagundes’ mother, niece, sisters, and a handyman.
Police stated that a team entered the yard during the operation and observed Fagundes exiting a flat wooden house with a side bag in his right hand.
As such, he was approached and the ranks requested to search the bag during which one Sig Sauer Rifle and one magazine containing 14 rounds of 9mm ammunition; one Polimore-80 9mm pistol without serial number and one magazine containing eight 9mm rounds of ammunition; one Spring Field Armory 45 pistol and four
magazines of which one contained five live .45 rounds of ammunition, and one Bravo gun holster were found.
Upon interrogation, the clothes vendor admitted that he was not the holder of a firearm license. A search was also carried out in the house, but nothing substantial was found.
However, the ranks observed a heavily tinted black Nissan Juke bearing registration number PVV 6472 parked opposite Fagundes' home. Upon inquiries, it was revealed that the car belonged to the suspect’s daughter and child-mother but at the time, it was being
used by him.
The keys to the vehicle were subsequently handed over to the police who found a suitcase, one gulf bag, and a haversack upon entering. Upon inspection, a large cache of ammunition and firearms were discovered. These include one AM 15 rifle and two magazines containing 61 rounds of .223 ammunition; two Ruger-57 9mm pistols and one magazine containing 40 rounds of 9mm ammunition; one FN-45 pistol and two magazines containing 38 rounds of .45 ammunition; one Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol and a magazine; one Berretta 9mm pistol and a magazine; one Spring Field Hellcat 9mm pistol and a magazine; one Canik 9mm pistol and one magazine; one Glock 43 pistol and one magazine; five Glock 19 pistols along with nine magazines and 21 rounds of 9mm ammunition; seven Glock 40 pistols and 10 magazines with 18 rounds of .40 ammunition; two Glock 17 9mm pistols and two magazines; one Glock 9mm pistol and one magazine and one Glock 45 pistol and one magazine.
Police ranks searching the car on Wednesday
The large cache of guns and ammunition
Eon Fagundes among six arrested
BRIDGE OPENINGS
The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:
Thursday, July 25 – 04:00h-05:30h and Friday, July 26 –04:00h-05:30h.
The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:
Thursday, July 25 –07:05h-08:35h and Friday, July 26 – 07:55h-09:25h.
FERRY SCHEDULE
Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily.
WEATHER TODAY
Thundery showers are expected to prevail during the day and at night, with early-morning and late-afternoon sunshine. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.
Winds: North-Easterly to South-Westerly between 0.89 metre and 2.68 metres.
High Tide: 07:23h and 19:49h reaching maximum heights of 2.72 metres and 2.63 metres.
Low Tide: 13:21h reaching a minimum height of 0.54 metre.
Govt to crack down on public officials using insider info to steer contracts to themselves, friends – VP ...says all must benefit from opportunities during Region 6 outreach
has put public officials on notice that the government will be cracking down on those who use their positions and influence to steer contracts towards their companies, thereby abusing the procurement system.
During an outreach to Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) on Tuesday where he met with residents at the JC Chandisingh Secondary School in Port Mourant, the Vice President addressed issues concerning corruption in the public procurement system.
For instance, Jagdeo spoke out against certain families hogging the majority of contracts, while depriving others from benefitting. Nor is that the only thing the government is looking into, as he also issued a stark warning to any government employees using inside information to steer contracts to their own companies. Jagdeo stressed that even the appearance of such conflicts of interest must be avoided.
“The next thing is that we found that those who are working in government offices and who have a ton of contacts, especially if they’re working around the tender board in the region, they must not have companies and be competing with others. Because then they can violate the process. And I’m looking at that seriously.”
“I just had a serious meeting with the Regional Administration across there. And I’m going to have a serious meeting with the regional administration here now, to ensure that people are not steering contracts to themselves,” he said.
According to Jagdeo, the government has no interest in defending anyone engaged in corrupt practices. Added to this is the fact that checks have revealed a large network of related contractors bidding for contracts.
“We’re not going to defend anyone for that sort of behavior, if it proves to be true. Because we have a bigger mission in this country, which is transforming it. And creating opportunities for all of our people and
ensuring that our children have a future that is unbelievable. That was one of the reasons I wanted to gather you together because I get all sorts of (reports).”
“Whatever you tell me, I’ve been checking. I got
Engineering Inc. for the construction of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Wharf.
The National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) had issued a statement clarifying the circumstances surrounding the contract award.
The procurement process for the construction project involved a public tender where bids were evaluated independently, with Kares Engineering Inc. emerging as the lowest responsive bidder.
However, controversy arose when Correia & Correia Ltd. contested the decision in March 2024, citing outdated criteria in their bid review request. Jagdeo had dismissed these claims, however, underscoring that
This year they have $400 Million. I’m meeting the groups just now. And we’ll have another $400 Million to tackle the other grounds. Several are across the region, in New Amsterdam, almost all the grounds being done. That’s only in this area. There are so many other things that are going to be done.”
“Every contractor I speak with says we can’t find labour. So already, we started seeing some of those things. And I remember, four years ago, people didn’t have work. They didn’t have any work in this region. You remember GUYSUCO people were sent off. No money was circulating. This region was going down. Had it not been for PPP/c resuming office, this region would have
them to check, of the 200 plus, 300 contractors in this region, you got 90 something with related companies… 90 something. We know. So, we’re checking it now. People are gonna get help. But don’t think you’re gonna get past this,” Jagdeo added.
Clampdown
It was only a few months ago that the Vice President announced a nationwide review of the procurement systems in a bid to clamp down on corrupt practices. Already, President Dr Irfaan Ali has informed his Cabinet Ministers about this review process and instructed them to ensure that their respective procurement systems, as well as payment systems, are examined.
This announcement came on the heels of the controversy earlier this year surrounding the award of an $865 million contract to Tepui Group, for the construction of a pump station at Belle Vue, West Bank Demerara (WBD).
According to Jagdeo, stringent measures against agencies deviating from standard bidding protocols will be put in place. This stern warning also followed some other controversy over the $2.1 billion contract awarded to Kares
any deviation from the approved Standard Bidding Document could open doors to corruption within government agencies.
Dead region
Meanwhile, the Vice President – in addressing Berbicians – spoke about the significant investments the government has made in the region. Jagdeo referenced the major developments at Palmyra and the Moleson Creek to Palmyra 4-lane roadway, as well as the work being done on several community grounds. He noted that these initiatives, and more, will result in employment and other opportunities.
“You have 125 playgrounds, 62 we upgraded.
been a dead region,” Jagdeo also explained.
The former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government, in office from 2015-2020, had downsized the sugar industry by closing the Wales Estate on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD) and the Enmore Estate on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD). But in one fell swoop, they had also closed the Skeldon and the Rose Hall Estates – both in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) … decisions which not only went against the expert advice they received at the time, but also had a devastating effect on the village economy of the region. (G-3)
ice President Bharrat Jagdeo
A section of the gathering
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo as he addressed residents
Editor: Tusika Martin
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Changing Guyana's energy landscape
Several essential pieces of equipment for the landmark initiative that promises to transform Guyana's energy have arrived, signalling a significant step towards harnessing the vast natural gas reserves discovered offshore.
This project will change the country’s landscape as it will provide a cleaner, more efficient, and cost-effective energy source. Progress on the construction front has been encouraging. The project involves the establishment of a natural gas pipeline from the Liza Phase 1 and 2 operations in the Stabroek Block offshore, stretching to the Wales Development Zone (WDZ) onshore.
The development of the pipeline and the onshore facilities is well underway, with both local and international contractors working to meet the timelines set by the Government.
The Gas-to-Energy Project is expected to be a gamechanger for Guyana. At present, we rely heavily on imported fossil fuels for electricity generation, making the country vulnerable to global oil price fluctuations.
By tapping into our natural gas resources, Guyana will now achieve greater energy security and independence. The project is also poised to significantly reduce the cost of electricity in Guyana. Lower energy costs are expected to stimulate economic growth, attracting investments, and boosting the manufacturing and industrial sectors.
Added to this, natural gas is a cleaner alternative to the heavy fuel oil currently used for electricity generation and the switch to natural gas will reduce greenhouse gas emissions helping Guyana meet its climate commitments and improve air quality.
Moreover, the project brings cutting-edge technology and expertise to Guyana, fostering a knowledge transfer that will benefit the local workforce. The construction and operation of the gas processing and power plants will require skilled labour, thereby enhancing the technical capabilities of the Guyanese.
When this project is completed, it has the potential to make Guyana a regional energy hub. The Gas-to-Energy Project lays the foundation for future energy exports, which could strengthen Guyana’s position in the regional energy market. However, the project is not without its challenges.
Ensuring that construction stays on schedule and within budget requires meticulous planning and coordination among various stakeholders. The Gas-to-Energy Project represents a monumental stride forward for Guyana.
With careful management and continued collaboration, the project will not only revolutionise Guyana’s energy sector but also set the stage for sustainable and inclusive growth for years to come.
But before this becomes a reality, certain infrastructure has to be put in place but more importantly, adequate funding. With respect to infrastructure, a subsea pipeline will be installed on the seafloor to transport natural gas from the Liza field to an onshore pipeline on the West Coast of Demerara.
The onshore pipeline will deliver the gas to an integrated facility at Wales, on the West Bank of Demerara. At this facility, a natural gas liquids (NGL) processing plant will treat the gas to remove NGLs for commercialization, and a 300-megawatt (MW) power plant will use the dry gas to generate electricity for domestic use.
In terms of financial investments, already, ExxonMobil is expected to spend about US$1 billion on the onshore and offshore pipeline and ancillary infrastructure. This is just a portion of the US$1.8 billion that is needed to finance the project.
The Government – the other partner in the project – has applied for US$646 million (approximately G$135 billion) in loan support from the United States Export-Import Bank to help meet the cost of its side of the project.
That loan is still to be approved by the US-based financial institution more than a year later although it has conducted an independent assessment of the entire project, including the environmental issues.
Only recently, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had stated that Guyana is still pursuing the project, with or without the US Bank’s loan – with the focus of providing cheap electricity to the citizens.
Snap elections are not on PPP/C’s political radar
Dear Editor, Well-known social commentator, Mr. Ravi Dev stated in a recent newspaper letter that the PPP/C has the option to call snap elections in Guyana. His rationale is the perception that the PNCR and the AFC are in disarray before and following their recent party congress. Even if these parties are in some internal trouble, the PPP/C, in my opinion, would not be tempted to call snap elections.
The PPP/C had several months of interaction with the Guyanese before the 2020 elections to develop a manifesto, which they declared as a “covenant” with the people. In that manifesto whose theme was “Our Plan for Prosperity,” they stated: “We all want a society which is free, prosperous, socially equitably, globally competitive and which serves every Guyanese equitably.” In the 2020 manifesto, the PPP/C made several promises such as to allocate 50,000 house lots, create 50,000 new jobs, reduce VAT on several items like education and health, and re-open sugar estates.
The PPP/C wants to ensure that the range and scope of promises are fully realised. They do not want to disappoint the people for not being able to fulfill their promises, as did the
APNU+AFC coalition. A snap election would derail the remaining estimated 10% of promises such as cheaper and reliable energy; blending fossil fuel with ethanol to reduce carbon impact; creating an International Center of Excellence for Biological Diversity; and constitutional reform. It would also stall the momentum of the country’s rapid development thrust which had an initial setback due to 2 years of Covid-19 diversion.
The PPP/C also wants to enhance its “trust” with the electors, and one way to achieve this is to fulfill all of its manifesto promises. They have even gone beyond the manifesto promises, for example, to build 3,435 homes and several schools. The PPP/C pledged to “build, renovate, and rehabilitate” schools. They have exceeded all reasonable expectations: they have already scheduled 22 secondary and 6 primary schools for construction during their term in office. Not to mention the grant of ($(G) 600,000 (or $US 2,884) per year for patients on dialysis treatment, while continuing to build trust.
Racial discrimination has been a major political tool of the opposition and they have had the PPP/C on the defensive on occa -
sions. However, when the PPP/C began to provide an ethnic breakdown of house lots, scholarships, jobs, skills training, etc., the opposition switched focus onto corruption, which has been receiving heightened national attention since the revelation of alleged gold smuggling by 3 Guyanese; the dismantling of a Chinese gold smuggling ring; and the massive corruption at police headquarters. These aberrations must be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted to restore confidence to the Guyanese people. The PPP/C needs to finish the job. A snap election would be viewed as a distraction.
While the PPP/C has enough evidence (data) of fairness in the allocation of resources, the opposition still finds that racial discrimination has political traction for them. They would not give up this as a political tool in their seemingly limited arsenal.
While the results of the 2023 local government election show that issues are becoming more important to voters, both the PPP/C and PNCR also know that race is still the main determinant in political preferences. Despite the mediocre performance of the APNU+AFC coalition (sending home 7,000 sugar workers), they lost
the 2020 elections by less than 3% of votes cast, while the PPP/C won a majority by less than 1%. With significant demographic changes in the population, the electoral process has become more competitive. Whether the opposition forces share this position is unclear as they continue to push for executive power sharing. The PPP/C knows that “trust” is an essential political capital that must be earned but knows equally that it would take time to build and sustain it. They would therefore utilise the remainder of their term to continue building trust by taking government to the people, revitalising neighborhoods, enhancing social and physical infrastructure, crackdown on corruption, and fulfilling their remaining promises. They know that trust could also earn them traditional PNCR cross-over votes. They would not take any risk to call a snap election but continue to work hard to win people’s trust and ultimately their votes. They would therefore utilise their remaining time in the office to build, build, and build. A snap election is anathema to their vision and electoral strategy.
Sincerely, Dr Tara Singh
The Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Guyana His Excellency Ernesto Torres Pereyra paid a courtesy call to Chief of Defence
Staff Brigadier Omar Khan at Defence Headquarters, Base Camp Ayanganna, Thomas Lands. Whilst there, discussions focused on areas of mutual interest and explored opportunities for enhanced cooperation in defense and security matters
It is time this nonsense stops
Dear Editor, English essayist William Hazlitt describes envy as “a littleness of soul, which cannot see beyond a certain point, and if it does not occupy the whole space, feels itself excluded”.
Recent weeks and months have unveiled such envy beyond measure, in relation to the nation’s top law enforcement officer. It is unprecedented. It is time this nonsense stops.
The efforts to bring this decent gentleman to his knees have been unrelenting. The clear indications are that there are individuals in his immediate orbit
who are intent on leaving him dispirited and broken. I am compelled to comment on these shameful attempts to publicly lynch him.
Since Clifton Hicken assumed the role of Commissioner of Police, his stated mission has been to transform the force to a wholly professional entity. Anyone who doubts the efficacy of his methods would be pulling wool over their eyes.
Commissioner Hicken has been the most prominent proponent of contemporary-style policing. He understands its importance in realising and maintain-
ing safer neighbourhoods. The strategic plan is being implemented to a ‘T’, and has created an atmosphere of academic advancement and professionalism among the members of the force.
Capacity-building has been a primary focus. The need to “get with the programme” has seen great improvement in the attitudes of the ambitious ranks. There is purpose to their everyday activities, and great anticipation for the future.
The country as a whole will ultimately benefit from this methodology being properly implemented and maintained.
Like any other Police Force or institution where discipline is paramount, there will always be challenges. Those can be addressed objectively and skillfully.
That being said, mechanisms are in place to investigate allegations against anyone, regardless of their position in the Guyana Police Force.
There will be skepticism, but for the most part, there is accountability and transparency.
That is why the worrying trend that burgeoned immediately after an investigation commenced on a
SOCU’s investigation into alleged corruption by the GPF
Dear Editor,
I have noted the divergent views on the above-captioned subject between the PSC and the GCCI. It is good to see that the Chamber has taken a bold position, which I imagine, due consideration was given to this issue. Similarly, I am sure the leadership of the PSC had done the same.
Of particular note, the Chamber’s President has assured its members that the Chamber’s position is intended to be in the best interest of the Chamber. This is of course good in spirit and intent.
Within this thematic area of concern that borders “corruption”, there have been, recently, two major events that occurred: (i) the sanctions imposed on a leading business entity in Guyana and a senior govt official for alleged money laundering/transnational crime and (ii) within the same time frame, Guyana had just concluded its voluntary country review by CFATF on its anti-corruption framework.
Of note, the report showed marked improvement since the country’s 2011 review, which was very bad, as you may recall when Guyana was “grey listed” by FATF.
Thus, as regards our an-
ti-corruption legal framework, we have come a long way. However, there remains some key areas of improvement that were flagged by the CFATF/FATF country review. Mainly, in the area of bolstering the institutional capacity of local investigative and enforcement institutions, namely SOCU, which is the arm of the GPF that was established to investigate financial crimes, money laundering, and other matters relating to corruption.
It is therefore in the national interest that all stakeholders involved play a key role with the national interest in mind, towards achieving this objective, through the building of stronger domestic institutions over time.
I am unsure whether the GCCI considered the referenced reports and the implications therein for the country. The country’s failure to improve in this regard could have more damaging implications for the private sector in the longer term, in particular, as it exposes the domestic financial system to undue risks in terms of losing correspondent banking relationships. This, in turn, would enable a cut-off from the international payment system, if not adequately addressed over the medium
term.
With the above in mind, it is my considered view that we ought to be very careful that, we do not want to unnecessarily undermine our domestic institutions, whether perceptually or materially without credible and legitimate cause, given the broader range of adverse implications it could engender for the country.
I believe, therefore, that all of the private sector bodies together have a critical
role to play in, firstly, examining the recommendations of the last CFATF/FATF country review, and determining a role for the private sector, to facilitate, contribute and/or assist with the implementation of those recommendations with alacrity. Indeed, it is in all of our best interests to so do, chiefly the private sector.
Yours sincerely, Joel Bhagwandin
high-ranking senior officer is so offsetting.
The plethora of misinformation, innuendo, vitriol, and mud-slinging is disturbing, to say the least. And vicious character assassinations are being carried out with impunity against the Commissioner who can only act on that which is brought before him. He cannot prejudge.
Careful analysis would’ve shown that the letter in relation to the Crime Chief was leaked. The Head of SOCU came in for his fair share.
Strangely enough, there was no mention from Social Media influencers and commentators about the new hierarchy in Administration. Maybe it is too new, but that would be for another day.
In my humble opinion, members of the public such as myself should not be misguided, or I daresay blinded, by what is currently prevailing. It must not be lost in the thick fog of envy and jealousy that Commissioner Hicken’s main focus has been, and I know still is, to develop capacity in the force, and appropriately prepare the impressionable youth – our leaders of tomorrow.
I want to tell the amiable Commissioner that frankly he needs to get off his rear end – where he has obviously assumed the moral high
ground for way too long –and bring litigation against those who have incessantly defamed him, besmirched his good name, and tried to break his progressive spirit.
Commissioner Hicken is not being cast as a paragon of virtue in this missive, but he has proven himself to be a role model. Thus my advice to him is to not rest on his laurels, while allowing the envious and jealous around him to continue, uninhibited, feeding the frenzy of hatred.
There will always be bitter fights to be Commissioner; which has reached new depths during Mr. Hicken’s tenure. It has gone so far that political parties have joined the misinformation campaign – accusing him of ownership of property that belongs to the government, and receiving benefits from same.
Again, the public is urged to make their assessments, and not be unduly influenced by partisan politics within and outside of the Guyana Police Force. The law-abiding policemen and women deserve better. It is grossly unfair to paint all and sundry with the same brush.
We must support the Force, for the benefit of our ever-growing communities and the country at large.
Yours faithfully, Sherwin Crandon
Supplies:
At least two large boxes
Duct tape (lots of it!)
Packing tape
Hot Glue Gun (with glue of course!)
Plywood (for the base, it adds stability)
Xacto knife
Box cutter
Decorating supplies (scrapbook paper, fake flowers, or whatever suits your tastes)
push button lights
Instructions
Cardboard box fort
Note: The project should be done with adult supervision.
Start by figuring out how you’d like to orient the boxes. After you have the orientation you like, start taping the flaps of the boxes together to make the fort big enough to stand or sit in. Make sure the seams are taped completely together on the inside and outside of the box to add more stability.
Then collapse the box down and decide on the location of the door. Use your ruler or straight edge to make a nice rectangle
on the seam of the box. The seam will be your hinge.
Cut out the rectangle with the box cutter and then cut out the door handle.
Next, cut out a window in the smaller of the two boxes with the box cutter.
Put both boxes right side up again and next to one another. Next tape the two boxes together using lots of tape.
Once the boxes are taped securely together, crawl inside the house and cut out a hole between the two boxes.
The flower box is made using scrap cardboard and scored into a long rectangular cube and taped to the window sill of the smaller box (use hot glue to really tack the box in place).
Before you begin decorating make sure all seams are taped on both the inside and on the outside of the box.
For added stability you can hot glue the entire base of the fort to your ply wood piece.
Then, decorating the cardboard box fort as you like. (Adapted from handsonaswegrow.com)
1
Standing outside staring at a tree gentles our eyes
We cheer to see fireflies winking again
Where have our friends been all the long hours? Minds stretching beyond the field become their own skies
Windows doors grow more important
Look through a word swing that sentence wide open
Kneeling outside to find sturdy green glistening blossoms under the breeze that carries us silently
To be continued
Exxon taking measures to prevent environmental, health impacts from Hammerhead project – snr official
...says simulations, assessments being done to understand health impact
During their recent scoping meeting at Umana Yana in Kingston Georgetown, ExxonMobil Guyana fielded questions related to the impact its operations at Hammerhead will have on Guyanese, with the oil company detailing some of the measures being taken to mitigate any environmental and health impacts.
On Monday, Exxon met with citizens and stakeholders, as part of the consultations on what will be its 7th project offshore Guyana, the Hammerhead project. During the meeting, Exxon’s Global Projects Cost Engineering Manager Rebecca Cvikota highlighted measures that are being taken to safeguard the environment.
like pressure, temperature. And why do we do that? It’s so we can make sure we have a stable operation throughout this drilling activity. We are committed and our part-
term blowout preventer. We have those located on our drill ship, two per drill ship. And what those do, they are there in the event of an emergency,” she said.
She noted that Exxon constantly monitors different aspects of its drilling operations, to ensure any incidents can be prevented. In case an incident does occur, however, there are also blowout preventers on each drill ship.
“As we’re doing the drilling process, we’re constantly monitoring the different aspects of the drilling equipment, the reservoir, things
ners, our drilling operators, are committed to making sure that we don’t see anything we don’t expect or if it occurs, that we’re aware of it and we work towards it.”
“There’s lots of things we can do to change our operations and this process, to make sure the operation stays as stable as possible. In the event something unplanned does happen, you may be familiar with the
Questions were also raised about potential health impacts from the operation, which will be located approximately 160 kilometers from Georgetown. ExxonMobil Guyana’s Projects Environmental and Regulatory Manager Mariya Skocik said that assessments are being done on potential health risks.
“The project summary that was provided to
26 high-powered rifles & handguns...
In addition, 75 rounds of 2-gauge cartridges; 456 rounds of .223 ammunition; 484 rounds of 9mm ammunition; 83 rounds of 5.7- 28 ammunition; 13 rounds of 10 MM ammunition, and 315 rounds of 7.62 -39 ammunition and 15 magazines were found in the bags and suitcase.
The firearms, ammunition, and magazines were taken to the GPF's Ballistic Section to be examined while the motorcar was impounded as investigations continued into the discovery.
“Paper Shorts” was gunned down outside Palm Court, Main Street, Georgetown on March 21, 2021. Following the execution-style killing of the biker, Sergeant Dion Bascom, a then-serving member of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) held out there was a massive cover-up on the part of the investigators about Fagundes’ murder. He had further implicated several persons including businessman, Azruddin Mohamed, and his security detail, Mark Richmond. The business -
the EPA as part of the process, has a very high-level description of the process. And high-level description of potential impacts. That document intends to help EPA decide whether further studies are needed or if the project is small enough where we don’t require a full Environmental Impact Assessment.”
“In our case, one is needed. The project investment is large enough to do that. So, impacts on human health will be studied. And there are limits and measures in place for that. So we will be, as part of the study, running air dispersion models. And there are specific limits from the World Health Organisation, on the threshold of what’s safe for folks and what’s not safe,” Skocik explained.
Production on the Hammerhead is expected to begin in 2029. When it does, it is anticipated that between 120,000 to 180,000 barrels of oil per day will be added to Guyana’s production capacity. In a notice earlier this month, the EPA informed the public that ExxonMobil Guyana had applied for environmental authorisation for Hammerhead. The agency had explained that the project may have significant impacts on the environment.
It was pointed out by the EPA that the project is relatively close to other development projects, increasing the risk of cumulative impacts. Additionally, the associated risks that pertain to unplanned events while producing oil may be significant.
As such, this would require an Environmental
Map showing the location of the Hammerhead development
Impact Assessment (EIA) before any decision can be made. Members of the public were given 28 days to ask whatever questions they needed answers to regarding the project and its environmental impact.
A perusal of the project summary reveals that the development will have between 14 and 30 production and water injection wells. Further, production is expected to begin in 2029. When it does, it is anticipated that between 120,000 to 180,000 barrels of oil per day will be added to Guyana’s production capacity.
On the other hand, a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) ves-
sel capable of storing between 1.4 to 2 million barrels of oil will be attached to the project.
Exxon is undertaking four production projects –Liza 1, Liza 2, and Payara (which are currently producing oil) and Yellowtail (where installation activities are ongoing) in the oilrich Stabroek block.
It is estimated that when the Yellowtail development project comes on stream, production will climb to 810,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2027. Additionally, Exxon has already received approvals for and is advancing preparatory works on its fifth and sixth projects, Uaru and Whiptail. (G-3)
Reports are that the now dead man’s friends rushed out to enquire, but found Fagundes lying motionlessly in a pool of blood close to his motor car. FROM PAGE 2
man later filed a 200 million lawsuit against Bascom. He faced comparable legal actions initiated by Richmond. It was reported that Fagundes was partying with a group of friends at the bar when his phone rang and he exited the club to take the call, but soon after, several gunshots were heard.
Exxon’s Global Projects Cost Engineering Manager Rebecca Cvikota
A section of the gathering at the public event on Monday
Herstelling duo busted with ganja after Police tip-off
Aman and woman were taken into custody on Tuesday following the discovery of a quantity of cannabis at Herstelling, East Bank
Based on reports received, Police received a tip-off and went to a house at First Street, Herstelling where a search was conducted during which the marijuana was found. It
was later weighed and amounted to 45 grams.
The occupants of the house, a 52-year-old man
and a 30-year-old woman, were promptly arrested. Investigations are ongoing.
Essequibo man remanded on cocaine possession charge
The cocaine found in Lall’s possession
Charged: Devanand Lall
Forty-nine-year-old Devanand Lall, a labourer of Sparta Village, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon Supenaam) was on Monday remanded to prison on a narcotics trafficking charge.
Police stated that Lall was arrested on July 18 2024 at Sparta, Essequibo Coast with four grams of cocaine and was later charged.
He appeared before Magistrate Tamieka Clarke on Monday at the Charity Magistrate's Court where the charge was read to him. He pleaded not guilty and as such, was remanded to prison until August 14.
The matter was reassigned to the Anna Regina Magistrate's Court.
...in the streets
One of Eric Williams’s famous declarations when launching the 30-year-long reign of the PNM in Trinidad back in 1956 was: “Fighting in the streets is over and politics in Parliament will now begin”. Sadly for us in Guyana, his contemporary Burnham, who’d escalated his “fighting in the streets” in Guyana to a literal racial civil war in the 60s to seize power, never weaned his party to confine politics to the civilised rules of democratic politics.
What with rigging elections from 1968 to 1985, with horses voting to the army seizing ballot boxes and murdering civilians, they expanded the arena of violence. Parliamentary democracy for the PNC was always interpreted cynically – with a wink and a blow to the solar plexus of the other political players. Some killings by Police “encounters” (Koama/Dublin) with planted bombs in walkie-talkies (Rodney) or arbitrary torture after framedup charges (the De Willem 15) were some examples.
When they were ousted after 28 (long) years, the PNC’s violent street politics returned without skipping a beat – and Guyana’s known no lasting peace from 1997 to now. Some thought they’d learnt a lesson –- that violence can careen out of control and consume us all when they recalibrated, changed their name to APNU, went into a coalition with the AFC, and returned to power. But it soon became clear they just couldn’t keep on the straight and narrow. The folk wisdom predicts once canines start “sucking egg”, they just can’t stop!
And so after the PNC returned to their rigging ways in 2020, and when that was stymied, they extended their violence into the hallowed chambers of Parliament. They went where even Burnham never dared go!! Imagine seizing the Speaker’s Mace; fighting with the Sergeant at Arms over it and brukkin’ up the communications centre!! Ever since Aug 2nd, 2020, if it’s not the Courts, it’s the streets with their clenched fists and incendiary race-based rhetoric. We all know what happened at Mon Repos Market after the Opposition’s “peaceful” march from Golden Grove!!
Right now, the same set of provocateurs are busy stirring their cauldron of witches’ brew over social media to get PNC supporters into the streets to wreak havoc and mayhem. But we know what’s going on, don’t we? All of this simulated righteous indignation about “installed regimes” and “bloated lists” are just ploys to rile them up and precipitate the violence in the streets that’s been their modus operandi since the 1960s. Interestingly, the returned PNC leader ain’t biting!!
Your Eyewitness figures he might’ve learnt the lesson that violence really never solves anything after being used as cannon fodder since he was a young man fifty years ago!! …in gas exploitation
So the kvetching from the Opposition and their camp followers continues unabated on the gas-to-shore project at Wales. But hey, didn’t the VP lay out all the rationales for the need for cheaper electricity to kickstart our industrialisation drive before proceeding? Your Eyewitness believes that these armchair “experts” have no idea of what went down in the Wales community after the PNC shuttered the sugar factory. It’s devastation plain and simple!! If they did, maybe they’d echo the original weeping Prophet Jeremiah: “I will weep and wail for the mountains and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands. They are desolate and untraveled, and the lowing of cattle is not heard. The birds have all fled and the animals are gone.”
The Government is clearly committed to killing several birds with the natural gas big stone generating power for the next thirty years. Those who want to save the planet should speak to the big foreign emitters.
Our forests gonna cover our increased emissions!
…of Biden?
There’s a heated discussion on whether Biden was “bullied” by some Democratic colleagues to step aside as the party’s presidential candidate this November. We know from his own words that HE thought he could do the job… so wasn’t he bullied from that stance?
Demerara (EBD).
The ganja that was found in the house at Herstelling
Electoral fraud trial scheduled for July 29-Sept 13
Four years after the 2020 General and Regional Elections, the trial into alleged electoral fraud by former officials of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is set to begin on Monday, July 29, 2024, at the Georgetown Magistrates Court.
During his weekly programme ‘Issues in the News’, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall revealed that
the trial will be conducted “on a day-to-day basis until Friday, September 13.”
“We are expected to have about six weeks of continuous trial days,” he added.
The trial previously commenced at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Leron Daly but was placed on hold after two of the defendants - former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield and former Deputy Chief
Elections Officer Roxanne Myers, filed a case in the High Court challenging the proceedings.
They argued that Section 140 (2) of the Representation of the People Act breached their right to a fair trial, as guaranteed by Article 144, and their right to equality before the law, as guaranteed by Article 149 (D) of the Constitution.
The accused in their challenge claimed that
GFS officer busted with illegal liquor during Police roadblock
AStation Officer at-
tached to the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) was recently busted with a quantity of illegal spirituous liquor during a police roadblock at Melanie, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
The seizure included 24 bottles of Hennessy, 24 Johnny Walker Black Labels, 10 Johnny Walker Gold Labels, 12 Fireballs, 48 Absolut, and 12 Cîroc.
Following the discovery, the officer was taken to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Bond where the liquor was lodged after which he was escorted to the Brickdam Police Station.
Following the incident, Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, expressed grave dissatisfaction with the Officer’s conduct, describing it as unbecoming and a discredit to the Guyana Fire Service.
Minister Benn emphasised that such actions will not be tolerated by his ministry, as they represent a direct breach of Public Service Rules F02 and Offence No. 36 at Section G, as well as Guyana Fire Service Disciplinary Regulation 54, Paragraphs 42 and 44.
These regulations address bringing discredit to the Fire Service, causing harm to the Public Service,
and engaging in improper conduct.
"The Ministry of Home Affairs remains committed to upholding the highest standards of conduct among personnel affiliated with its agencies and will not condone behaviour which undermines public trust and confidence in these agencies," Minister Benn stated in a release.
He reminded all members of the disciplinary services to adhere strictly to their oath of office, standing orders, and organisational rules and regulations, noting that failure to do so will result in disciplinary action.
Only two months ago, officers of GRA, during an operation in the environs of Annandale, ECD, seized two mini buses and a large wooden motor vessel laden with Heineken beers and Rockingham Chicken. Four
persons were arrested and later charged.
GRA continues to remind the public that smuggling is illegal and anyone who attempts to import or export goods with intent to defraud the Revenue Authority of any duties is guilty of an offense and is liable for such offense to fines and or imprisonment in accordance with Section 218 of the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01.
The Revenue Authority pleads with the General Public to report any illicit, unlawful, or smuggling activities on telephone number 227-6060, Extensions 3201, 3204, 3205, 3206, 3211, 3212, or 3408. All information provided will be dealt with strict confidentiality and such persons may be rewarded in accordance with the provisions of the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01.
Section 140 (2) of ROPA states, “No evidence of any deliberations of the Elections Commission or communications between members of the Commission regarding its business shall be admissible in any court.” The challenge followed attempts by the duo’s lawyer to access minutes from GECOM’s meeting which was hindered by the law.
However, the trial was cleared to move ahead after Chief Justice Roxane George ruled that there was no ground established that showed that Section 140 (2) of the Representation of the People Act breached any provisions of the Constitution. Further, it was noted that the public interest in ensuring that GECOM’s deliberations remain confidential overrides whatever constitutional rights Lowenfield and Myers enjoy.
Lowenfield and Myers along with former District Four (Demerara-
Mahaica) Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, former People’s National Congress/Reform (PNCR) Chairperson Volda Lawrence, PNCR activist Carol Smith-Joseph, and GECOM employees Sheffern February, Enrique Livan, Denise Babb-Cummings and Michelle Miller, are facing twenty-eight charges relating to electoral fraud.
Among the offences these defendants are accused of committing are: misconduct while holding public office; presenting falsified documentation; and planning to manipulate Guyana’s voters by presenting an inaccurate vote total.
These charges stemmed from attempts to rig the 2020 General and Regional Elections in favour of the then-ruling APNU/AFC. The election report of former CEO Lowenfield claimed that the APNU/AFC coalition garnered 171,825
votes, while the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) gained 166,343 votes.
How he arrived at those figures is still unknown, since the certified results from the recount exercise supervised by GECOM and a high-level team from the Caribbean Community (Caricom) pellucidly showed that the PPP/C won with 233,336 votes, while the coalition garnered 217,920.
Following the recount PPP’s Irfaan Ali was declared President of Guyana on August 2, 2020 – some five months after the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections. Some of the witnesses expected to testify in the upcoming trial include Minister of Local Government Sonia Parag, Head of the Diaspora Unit Rosalinda Rasul, former Region Four Police Commander Edgar Thomas, and Forensic Investigator Rawle Nedd.
Govt attempts to retain payments owed to GTU for CoA on August 7
The government’s ‘Stay of Execution’ request in its substantive appeal to reverse the decision of High Court Judge, Justice Sandil Kissoon, who had ruled that striking teachers should be paid and that the Education Ministry must continue to deduct union dues on behalf of the Guyana Teachers Unions (GTU) will come up for hearing on August 7.
This was according to Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall on Tuesday evening during his weekly broadcast, “Issues in the News.”
One day after receiving the written High Court judgement, the Attorney General Chambers filed the challenge in the Appeal Court, seeking “…an order setting aside the whole of the decision of the Honourable Mr. Justice Sandil Kissoon…”
The decision handed down on April 19 had barred the government from deducting salaries from teachers who were on strike for more than five weeks and more so, from stopping the remittance of union dues to the GTU.
The High Court judge found that any move to deduct or withhold the salaries of those teachers on strike would be “arbitrary, unlawful, unreasonable and unconstitutional.” Similarly, he also ruled that
government acted “arbitrarily” when it halted the deduction of union dues from teachers’ salaries.
According to Justice Kissoon, “…the right to strike, like the right to engage in collective bargaining, is firmly embedded in the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed to every citizen of Guyana under the Constitution…”
However, the appeal sought a stay of execution of part of the judgment that bars the Education Ministry from discontinuing the remittance of the dues to the Union.
That ‘Stay of Execution’ comes up in court on August 7 while a date is yet to be set for the overall appeal.
“We filed our Notice of Appeal and we are awaiting directions from the Court of Appeal in relation to that notice. However, we have also filed an application seeking a
Stay of Execution on the part of the order that restrained the government from ceasing to collect the union dues and transmitting it to the union,” Nandlall explained on Tuesday.
He noted that the AG Chambers submitted all affidavits and documents required for the case to proceed. Submissions will have to be filed by the GTU and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) which had applied to be a party to the case.
The AG argued in his grounds of appeal that the High Court Judge “erred and misdirected himself in law when, he having found that the Applicant’s pleadings could not withstand judicial scrutiny, he failed and/or refused to strike out the pleadings as being frivolous, vexatious, and as disclosing no cause of action… erred in law
in considering issues which were not properly and adequately pleaded or pleaded at all, and which did not fall to be determined by the Court.”
It added, that the judge also erred “…when he held that the ‘no work no pay’ principle was raised by the pleadings as an issue to be determined” and “… when he found that there is no difference between a right to strike and the freedom to strike, notwithstanding that the Constitution of Guyana, Chap. 1:01 does not provide for a right to strike, rather, the freedom to strike is expressly guaranteed by Article 147 of the Constitution.”
The appeal document further detailed that “The Learned Trial Judge erred and misdirected himself in law when he held that the strike action called by a trade union was ‘justified’, and that the ‘no work no pay’ principle had no applicability, and that the employer was required to pay wages which had not been earned, contrary to and in con-
travention of the provisions of the Labour Act, Chap. 98:01.”
Another ground in the appeal was that “The Learned Trial Judge erred in law and fact when he found that the Government’s discontinuation of the gratuitous deduction of union dues and the remittance of the same to the Respondent Guyana Teachers Union constituted a direct interference with the Union’s right to collective bargaining as guaranteed by Article 147 of the Constitution.”
The Education Ministry had disclosed that every month, $700 is deducted from each unionised teacher and remitted to the GTU. This adds up to about $3.1 million monthly, and approximately $37 million annually.
Teachers proceeded on strike action twice this year demanding increases in wages and salaries and a multiyear agreement. Talks have broken down on several occasions but finally, the union conceded to the government’s proposal that salary increases
for teachers should be determined under a new agreement from the current year onward. This is the same proposal the Government had made even before the GTU moved to industrial actions.
The GTU had been pushing for a backdated collective bargaining agreement. However, the Government, through the Education Ministry has maintained that it is fully prepared to work on a multi-year agreement from 2024 and not 2019 as being initially demanded by the union.
The GTU subsequently recanted and agreed to negotiate from 2022 onwards – a proposal that was also rejected by the Government. Earlier this month, the GTU explained that it presented a new proposal covering the period 2024-2026 following consultations with its membership.
As such, bilateral talks between the ministry and the union on the new 2024-2026 multi-year agreement commenced on July 11.
Guyana’s Court of Appeal
Justice Sandil Kissoon
Attorney General Anil Nandlall
Guyana’s informal economy accounts for at least
30%
of its employment sector – US report
...finds businesses face challenges with staff recruitment, retention
As labour shortages continue to affect all sectors across Guyana, a recent Investment Climate Report released by the United States (US) State Department has found that the country has a major informal economy that accounts for between 30 and 50 per cent of the job market.
This is in part attributable to the many Guyanese pursuing self-employment in unregulated jobs, the report added but noted that businesses continue to report significant challenges when it comes to staff recruitment and retention.
“These issues are linked to a small pool of semi-
skilled and skilled workers,” the report, released this year, pointed out.
Noting that the private sector has made repeated calls for immigration reform to increase the supply of skilled labour, the US report said companies entering Guyana should consider training and capacity-building opportunities for their employees.
It was further documented that Guyana’s labour market is tightening due to high investments in the oil and gas sector and that the Local Content Act “creates pressure on an already tight labour market by offering legal protections and incentives for Guyanese companies to ser-
vice the oil and gas sector, fueling the flight of labour and investment to the industry and raising the risk of the resource curse.”
The report also referenced the 2021 Guyana Labour Force Survey Third Quarter Report, the most recent available, which noted that the labour force participation rate was 49.6 per cent, while unemployment stood at 14.5 per cent.
It also found that Guyana’s brain drain was evident, noting that “at 89 per cent, Guyana has one of the highest emigration rates in the world for nationals with a university degree.”
The report further made specific mention of profes-
6-year-old hit by stray bullet in Charlestown remains on life support
Nearly two weeks after six-year-old Jeremiah Gustave was struck in the head by a stray bullet outside of his home, he remains in critical condition and is still on life support.
This is according to his mother, Keisha Gustave.
The young boy of Charlestown, Georgetown, and a pupil of Smith Memorial Primary School, has already undergone two surgeries as doctors strive to stabilise him.
He is scheduled for a CT scan today to further assess
his condition.
The incident in question had occurred on July 9 at Charles Street, Charlestown, Georgetown.
Jeremiah was standing next to his mother, a food vendor, when a suspect approached on a black motorcycle and fired four rounds in the direction of a man known as “Crab.”
The intended target, who was standing nearby, managed to escape, but one of the bullets hit the boy.
Jeremiah’s mother had recounted the harrowing moment to this publication, explaining that she initially mistook the gunfire for fireworks. It wasn’t until
Jeremiah called out to her that she realised he had been shot. She found him in a pool of blood, with the bullet lodged at the back of his head.
Following the incident, the Guyana Police Force issued wanted bulletins for two men: Marlon Marcus, also known as “Miceman,” of East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, and Odelle Garnette, also called “Crab,” in connection with the crime.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Marlon Marcus and Odelle Garnette is urged to contact the police at 232-0313, 2258196, 225-6976, or the nearest police station.
sionals such as nurses and teachers emigrating in high numbers. Nevertheless, it has recognised efforts being employed by the Government to address the situation.
“…the GoG is considering inviting nurses from other Commonwealth nations to help fill the widening gap in the local labour force,” the report said.
It also acknowledged that there is an ongoing push for an information and communications technology curriculum in Guyana’s schools to develop a talent pool for the industry.
Additionally, the University of Guyana – the country’s premier tertiary educational institution –has expanded its engineering programme to address labour shortages in that area.
The Government is also moving to import labour to offset some of the demand, with Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo assuring that they will not be paid more than Guyanese.
“It will be comparable to what our people will get for the particular skill…So, if you have a registered nurse who is making ‘x’ amount of money, including the other benefits, the Guyanese will have to get exactly that same amount, or maybe, in some cases, even higher,” he had told reporters in March this year.
With the Government building 12 new hospitals across the country and planning to rehabilitate existing healthcare facilities, there would be a need for more doctors, including specialised doctors, as well as an increase in the number of nurses.
Only recently, The Director of the Center for Local Business Development (CLBD) Dr Natasha Gaskin-Peters stated that in the next five years’ Guyana will need some 53,000 workers to support various sectors.
This was derived from the Guyana Labor Assessment study which was conducted by the CLBD in collaboration with the University of Guyana,
Greater Guyana Initiative, and several key government agencies.
One of the findings is that Guyana will need 53,000 workers to support various sectors such as oil and gas, construction, transportation, and agriculture in the coming years.
“We need 53,000 plus new workers and that’s only across five sectors that we looked at and they are 22 sectors, so I think in addition to the importation of labour, we also have to ensure that we train our Guyanese folks. We still have quite a lot of women that are within the unpaid work even though we have made significant progress,” she had stated.
Jeremiah Gustave
Sod turned for $253M Micobie Secondary School
The ground was ceremonially broken on Tuesday for the construction of Micobie Secondary School in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) pegged at $253 million.
The multi-million contract was awarded to NK Engineering Services with an initial mobilisation amount of $76 million. The new facility is expected to be completed in six months and promised to be a cornerstone of educational advancement and community development.
efit approximately 150 students and community members, fostering academic growth and enhancing access to quality education in Micobie.
the school construction.
The school is strategically positioned to ben-
The project's impact extends beyond physical construction but rather it symbolises a commitment to
nurturing future generations and empowering local communities. By providing modern facilities and resources, NK Engineering Services aims to create an environment conducive to learning and personal development.
The new structure will feature a staff room for teachers and 10 classrooms, including five specialised labs for science, IT, home economics, visual arts, and library services. This comprehensive infrastructure underscores the school's commitment to providing a well-rounded educational experience, fostering both academic excellence and community development in the village.
During an engagement with residents, Education Minister, Priya Manickchand challenged the parents to be more involved in their children's
lives, noting that regardless of their academic background, their presence alone can aid in the development of their children's education.
"You don't have to have a PhD, you don't have to have a big house; you have to have interest. I know of a parent who watches her child do his work from beginning to end. She doesn't know or understand what he's doing, but she watches him work. And so, we need your partnership, also. Many times, it's not parents alone, it's grandparents also, who I know are taking up that role as well."
She also added that while the residents are to hold the contractors accountable to deliver on their promise, they too must be reliable, as they will also be benefiting using employment through
"We want him (the contractor) to give the work to you, we want you to benefit as far as you can, but we want the school. And he had to sign a contract that said how long he had to build the school and the quality he had to give us. So you also have to be reliable and show up when you have to, because this is employment for you."
Further, the construction of Micobie Secondary School aligns with broader socio-economic objectives, aiming to uplift the region through improved educational opportunities.
The sod-turning ceremony today marks the beginning of a transformative journey, laying the foundation for a brighter future characterised by accessible, high-quality education and enhanced community prosperity.
C’bean law libraries urged to increase online access to legal resources
As Caribbean countries work to curate legislation to manage Artificial Intelligence (AI) and navigate the intricate nexus of technological advancement and democratic governance, access to law text and cases is equally important.
This point was made by a Senior Legal Advisor at the Attorney General's Chambers, Chevy Devonish, who contends that law libraries in the region are the catalyst for social change and must step up to use technology to provide timely and exemplary service.
Devonish was at the time addressing the Caribbean Association of Law Libraries (CARALL) 38th Annual Conference, focusing on innovation, capacity building, and research to serve the modern spectrum excellently.
Underscoring the importance of online access to law libraries, the Senior Legal Advisor urged that investments be made in digitising resources, noting that the use of AI technology should not be ignored in 2024.
He explained that doing this would not only enhance the work of lawyers but also lawmakers, business owners, law enforcement officers, and everyone engaged in activities governed by law.
“Legal research produced the Arbitration Acts passed in Trinidad and Tobago last year, and in Guyana this year. It is therefore an unassailable fact that legal research is crucial in informing how we build, maintain, and change the societies in which we live. I also want to make it clear that legal research, and therefore the resources provided
Senior Legal Advisor at the Attorney General's Chambers, Chevy Devonish
by the law libraries across the Commonwealth of the Caribbean, are not just for attorneys at law, because it is not just attorneys at law who engage in legal research,” Devonish explained.
Further, Devonish reminded that access to legal
text is still difficult given that resources are expensive, noting that making these materials available will tackle this challenge and encourage individuals in the legal fraternity to strive in the field.
“The University of Guyana, like, students at various legal institutions, across the Commonwealth Caribbean including the law schools, we all have access to online legal resources. So, the way that we conduct research has transformed and as this has transformed, so too must law libraries. It is important that law libraries actually access and leverage technology and digital resources to allow a vast array of legal resources to be more easily accessible to persons seeking to access them.”
Meanwhile, Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-
Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards
Edwards shared similar sentiments, noting that governments in the region must collaborate with law libraries to spearhead the initiative.
“Take advantage of the technology, AI will not replace you, search engines and tools will just help to
make the research faster and simpler. Innovation is the driving force behind the advancement of our research capabilities and by leveraging technology we can streamline our processes, enhance our analytical capacity and provide comprehensive and timely information to support all disciplines,” the Chancellor said.
The 38th Caribbean Association of Law Libraries (CARALL) conference is being held in Guyana after 36 years, pulling together various principles in the legal fraternity including the President of the Organisation of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations, Donovan Walker. The forum is hosted under the theme “‘Legal Research, Capacity Building and Innovation for Service Excellence.’
Education Minister Priya Manickchand being assisted by a young girl to break the ground
Officials at the event
Minister Manickchand addressing residents
Govt makes 3rd withdrawal of $62.3B for 2024 from NRF
– $176.782B withdrawn to date
The Government has withdrawn $62.3 billion from the Natural Resource Fund (NRF), marking the third tranche of the $329.8 billion in withdrawals approved by Parliament for the year.
The announcement was made on Wednesday, with the Finance Ministry stating that the US$300 million was withdrawn from the NRF on July 22, 2024.
According to the Ministry, this is in accordance with the NRF Act 2021, as amended by the Fiscal Enactments (Amendment) Act 2024. This Act had seen parliamentary approval being granted for the total withdrawal of $329.8 billion.
“In accordance with this approval, the Government
of Guyana has made its third transfer for 2024, totalling US$300 million (equivalent to G$62.394 billion) from the NRF on July 22, 2024, to the Consolidated Fund. This transfer brings the accumulated withdrawals to date in 2024 to US$850 million (equivalent to G$176.782 billion)”, the Ministry said in its statement.
In 2022, the use of oil funds had constituted 23 per cent of the national budget, while in 2023 oil funds had constituted 26 per cent. This year’s budget was $1.146 trillion, which means that oil money will constitute roughly 28 per cent of the 2024 budget.
Back in December 2021, the Government amended the NRF Act to bring greater
transparency and accountability in the management of Guyana’s oil resources, including the requirement of the Government to seek annual parliamentary approval for withdrawals from the NRF as stated in Section 19 of the NRF Act 2021.
Pursuant to that provision, as part of its consideration of the budget process, the Parliament had approved a total of $208.9 billion (equivalent to US$1.002 billion) to be withdrawn from the NRF in 2023.
But during his presentation of the $1.146 trillion 2024 Budget in January, Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh pointed to the need for an “optimal and dynamic financing mix”.
“Our government will be proposing… a revision to the NRF withdrawal rule which, once approved, will result in an upward revision to the NRF withdrawal amount to take effect from this fiscal year.
“The revised withdrawal rule will retain the important feature that as production and revenue ramp up further, an increasing share of the inflows into the NRF will be saved relative to the share trans-
ferred to the Consolidated Fund to finance national development priorities,” he had explained, adding that this proposal would be placed before the National Assembly for consideration and approval.
The funds in the NRF have their origins in the oilrich Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, where US oil major ExxonMobil and its partners – Hess Corporation and CNOOC – are producing light sweet crude us-
ing the Liza Destiny, Liza Unity, and more recently, the Prosperity Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels.
In 2022, for the first time, Guyana had used oil funds to finance a national budget. In fact, in 2022, the Government withdrew a total of $126 billion (US$607.6 million) in three tranches from the NRF which went towards financing Guyana’s national development plans.
In 2023, US$1.002 billion was withdrawn to finance national development priorities. The last of eight withdrawals for last year was made on December 27, 2023, from the NRF to the Consolidated Fund, to the tune of US$152.1 million (equivalent to $31.6 billion).
CA$10M project launched to push climatesmart, gender-responsive agriculture in C’bean
Guyana is among the first set of countries in the Caribbean that will benefit from the CAD$10 million project aimed at promoting climate-smart and gender-responsive agriculture sectors.
Farmers and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector on Wednesday gathered at the Regency Suites Hotel in Georgetown as the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the Canadian Government and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) launched the ambitious project.
The CA$10 million project will target eight countries in the Caribbean including Guyana and is aimed at promoting gender-responsive and climate-smart agriculture.
To kickstart the project, a workshop was hosted following the opening ceremony in Guyana.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop was the Head of
Development Cooperation at the Canadian High Commission in Guyana, Adam Loyer who spoke about Hurricane Beryl and as such, highlighted the importance of resilient agri-food systems.
“In the aftermath of hurricane Beryl It would be remiss of me not to recognise the significant damage observed to agriculture and food security and livelihoods of many farmers across the region. We support CARICOM’S ambitions to increase the resilience of their food systems to disasters and other shocks by augmenting domestic food production through climate-smart agricultural practices and reduced dependency on food imports.”
He further highlighted that the project underscores Canada’s commitment to empowering women and youths in the agriculture sector.
“For Canada, this project represents an important commitment in line with our feminist inter -
Smith
national assistance policy. The active engagement of women and youth associations since the launch of this project is notable. We are optimistic that today’s workshop will yield constructive ideas to set a solid foundation, a solid foundation for the project in order to deliver on important results for women and youth farmers in Guyana and in the wider Caribbean.”
Additionally, he stated that the new project also complements other agricultural initiatives supported by Canada such as the CAD$90 million Canadian four-year Sustainable Agriculture in the Caribbean project, which is implemented by World University Services of Canada.
The project will be carried out by the FAO of the United Nations in Belize, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname.
Meanwhile, also speak -
ing at the opening of the conference was Guyana’s FAO representative Dr. Gillian Smith who reiterated that Guyana is the first country in the Caribbean
partnerships in light of the country’s rapid economic growth.
“Guyana is one of the first countries to kick off this work with this inception meeting. In FAO, we've been working together with the Government of Guyana, the people, and many different entities and agencies within Guyana to work towards Guyana's development agenda in food systems and agriculture. Guyana is moving at such a rapid pace that there is no way to do this work without partnerships. We must work together. We must work together because we save time and energy, we don't replicate the things, replicate things that don't need
Agriculture, Natasha Deonarine expressed gratitude to Canada for funding the CAD$10 initiative and to the FAO for providing technical support for the execution of the project.
Moreover, Guyana aquaculture's industry development has been described as a potential economic powerhouse the director stated “The government is willing to collaborate with investors in order to capture 25 per cent of the U.S. four-billion-dollar aquaculture market. “In this regard she revealed that the Ministry of Agriculture has identified the fisheries and aquaculture industry to be the main focus of this proj -
to begin work under the Regional GenderResponsive Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems in the Caribbean project.
As such she emphasised the importance of
to be replicated, we ensure that we leave no gaps, and we follow the lead of what the country's development agenda is.”
Additionally, the Director of Planning at Guyana’s Ministry of
ect. Additionally, to further bolster gender equality the government policy mandates that 35 per cent participation of young people and women be enlisted in all agriculture projects.
Head of Development Cooperation at the Canadian High Commission Guyana, Adam Loyer Guyana’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) representative, Dr Gillian
Participants during the launch of the project
Govt touts use of technology, AI to improve health sector – Dr Anthony
To build out a worldclass healthcare industry in the country, the Guyana Government is pursuing greater use of technology – including the use of artificial intelligence in the local medical field.
The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Changer on Wednesday hosted a Digital Health Strategy Meeting where subject minister Dr Frank Anthony spoke of the government’s efforts to revolutionise the health sector.
He explained that the ministry currently operates eight programmes, and it is about to introduce a ninth, focusing on digital health.
"We working very closely with funding from the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) to develop electronic health records (EHR) for patients. While initially, it Is going to be for the Georgetown Public Hospital and its satellite clinics, the idea is whatever we develop there, once established, this system will extend to the entire health sector." Dr Anthony revealed Dr Anthony emphasised the importance of unique identifiers for patients within the public health system. These identifiers will follow patients across clinics, ensuring seamless access to their health records. Additionally, recent legislation, influenced by European Union standards, has been passed to support this digital transformation.
"We are also drafting new legislation, and we have just completed a telehealth legislation that will soon go to parliament. We have also drafted a medicine act with the help of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO)," Dr Anthony stated. "That too will soon go to Parliament."
The minister envisions a comprehensive digital umbrella that connects various health services, significantly improving patient interface and reducing wait times.
“Right now, when people go to any one of our hospitals, have to wait a long time and that is compounded because we have a paper-based system… that is a very tiresome process. We spend a lot of hours and we lose a lot of manpower.
The new system aims to shorten these times by enabling quicker, more efficient service. An application for patients to download and manage appointments is also in the works, part of a broader effort to enhance service delivery.
"We recognise in the health ministry that it is really dealing with sick people, and it is not keeping people healthy. It is only when you get sick that is when you come to the hospital. We have to make that paradigm shift of trying to keep people healthy. We have started the process where we have started looking at school children…," Dr Anthony noted.
Efficiency within the Ministry of Health is another critical area targeted for improvement. With approxi-
mately 4,000 employees, the ministry's reliance on paper-based HR records has proven problematic. Over the past three years, substantial investments have been made in medical equipment for
over 400 facilities. However, tracking and maintaining this equipment remains a challenge without proper digital infrastructure.
"Very few of our laboratory services are digitalised," Dr Anthony admitted. "We need to improve this to enhance efficiency."
To successfully implement these initiatives, extensive training will be required. He said AI is already being utilised to ease work-
loads in areas such as radiology and dental scanning.
In closing, Minister Anthony emphasised that the strategy should have clear objectives and outcomes. "In the strategy, we have some very pragmatic kinds of targets. We need to have some objectives and outcomes that can enhance patients' experience in a realistic time frame," he stated.
Security officer slapped with breakand-enter-and larceny charge
Twenty-two-year-old Collin Henry also called 'Fatboy', a security officer of Adventure, Essequibo Coast, Region Two was on Wednesday charged and remanded to prison for the offence of 'Break-andEnter-and-Larceny'.
Henry is accused of committing the offence on Sunday on Marva Chappelle, a 49-year-old domestic work-
er of Onderneeming Sand Pit, Essequibo Coast. However, he appeared before Magistrate Tamieka Clarke at the Anna Regina Magistrate's Court where the charge was read to him. He pleaded not guilty and was remanded to prison until August 15, 2024. The matter was transferred to the Suddie Magistrate's Court. Collin Henry
90-year-old dies in Bartica blaze
An elderly man, who was said to be in his 90s, succumbed to his injuries after sustaining severe burns about his body on Wednesday when his Sixth Street, Bartica house went up in flames. The man was identified as Albert Hopkinson of Sixth Street, and Third Avenue, Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).
Guyana Times understands that the elderly man and his daughter were in the house. The daughter managed to escape with minor injuries, but her father – who was said to be bedridden – suf-
At the time of the blaze,
fered serious burns. He was taken to the Bartica Hospital, where he was treated for burns about 75 per cent of his body before being air-dashed to Georgetown for further medical treatment.
the
Service
branch was prompt in responding to the blaze. The firemen successfully doused the fire and prevented it from spreading to nearby structures. The building de-
Meanwhile,
Guyana Fire
(GFS) Bartica
stroyed is known to locals as the “Old Hopkinson House”, which previously housed a popular taxi service. Up to press time, the GFS had not released any details about the inferno.
Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony during his presentation
Participants at the meeting
Reform needed at level of UNSC – Guyana's Permanent Rep
– calls for more inclusion among Permanent Members
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has been described as the UN's most undemocratic organ by Guyana's Permanent Representative to the UN, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, who on Wednesday highlighted the need for important reforms.
Rodrigues-Birkett was at the time addressing a Cara Lodge-hosted dialogue on the Summit of the Future. During the discussions, the Ambassador noted that one area in need of reform is the representation, or lack thereof, among the Permanent Members of the council.
Currently, the five Permanent Members of the council are the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Russia, and China. There is no Permanent representation for any small states or countries from Africa, the latter of which she described as a “historical injustice”.
“We believe that in any reform of the security council, that first, it must be more representative. Can you imagine that we don't have, if you're talking about Permanent Members, Africa is not there as a Permanent Member?”
“That's a historical injustice. Small states as well. A lot of them, I think we need more representation. So the Security Council reform is extremely important,” Rodrigues-Birkett explained.
Then there is the voting
structure itself, with Article 27 of the Charter giving the power of veto to all permanent members on non-procedural decisions. This has led to instances where all it took was one country withholding assent for a resolution to not pass, something the Ambassador highlighted.
“The Security Council is the most undemocratic organ of the United Nations. We sit there now and some days I am amazed. You have five countries with a veto. That could scuttle anything that you bring.”
“And you have seen in recent times where you have 13 countries voting in favor of
(a resolution) and one country says no,” Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett added.
In January of this year, Guyana took its seat as an elected member of the United Nations Security Council for a two-year term 2024-2025.
In June 2023, Guyana was elected to the UNSC– becoming one of five new non-permanent members for the term
This will be Guyana’s third time serving on the Council following terms in 1975-1976 and 1982-1983. Guyana’s candidacy was uncontested, being the sole candidate for a single seat available to the Latin America and
Construction worker charged with attempted murder of stepson
Shawn Davidson, a 24-year-old construction worker of North East Squatting Area, Georgetown, was remanded to prison on Wednesday for the attempted murder of his one-year-old stepson.
Davidson appeared before Senior Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court where the charge was read to him which stated that on July 17, 2024, he attempted to murder his stepson.
He was not required to plead to the indictment and was remanded to prison until August 12, 2024.
Guyana Times understands that the child is now hospitalised with severe burns, allegedly inflicted by Davidson, who recorded the incident and shared it on social media. The child underwent emergency surgery and is currently recovering.
It was reported that the child’s 18-year-old mother is currently pregnant and is expected to give birth in a few days. In an interview with another section of the media on Tuesday, the woman related the incident occurred at their East
La Penitence, Georgetown home, where she lived with her son and Davidson.
The teen mother stated that prior to the incident, Davidson had broken her son’s foot. She recounted that every time she intervened to save her son, she was abused by the man.
“The first time he hit him, he ended up in the hospital for a break to his left leg, and now he is in the hospital for a burn to his right upper leg… the doctor said it is a 3rd degree burn and he has to do a surgery because it is to his bones,” the tearful mother said.
“He told me if I don’t cut off his hair, he gonna throw him in the trench. He put him by the drain to stand up and he said, 'You rather I throw him in the trench or you cut off his hair?' I told him I rather cut off his hair and that is when I took the scissors and cut off his hair.”
The teen added that many times she placed herself in the way to take the blows for her son.
“I felt terrible because I was there and I couldn’t do anything. He said he trying to get to the child’s fa-
Remanded: Shawn Davidson
ther. Every time he did it, he would video it and send it to his father. When I got on to the child’s father, he said he didn’t have time with that, if he wants to kill him, y’all could kill him if y’all want.”
She said she felt hopeless and trapped but is relieved she can now get out. “It feels good because I didn’t know exactly what to do in a situation like that,” she said.
This publication was informed that it was neighbours who called the police after hearing the child being abused. Davidson was subsequently arrested and charged.
main organs of the organisation, including the Security Council. It is given primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.
Its functions and powers are: to maintain international peace and security in accordance with the principles and purposes of the United Nations.
Caribbean Region, where it garnered the highest vote count at 191 out of 192.
The United Nations Charter established six
It is also tasked with investigating any dispute or situation that might lead to international friction; recommending methods of adjusting such disputes or the terms of settlement; formulating plans for the establish-
ment of a system to regulate armaments; to determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression and to recommend what action should be taken among others.
In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorising the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.
Temporary members hold their seats on a rotating basis by geographic region. Guyana will serve a two-year term on the Council from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025.
Govt to table new Bill to include harsher penalties for criminals – AG ...says Govt “not comfortable” with level of crime, violence
Determined to address the crime situation in Guyana, the Government will soon table a new Bill in the National Assembly which will see harsher penalties being handed down to persons who engage in petty theft, burglary, armed robbery, and murder, among others.
This was according to Attorney General, Anil Nandlall who stated that the relevant stakeholders are currently reviewing the penalty provisions for these crimes with a view of increasing penalties that are already in place.
He disclosed that this intervention is one of many being implemented through Guyana’s Legal system to deter individuals from committing such offenses.
During his televised programme ‘Issues in the News’, the AG expressed the Government’s displeasure with the country’s crime rate, noting that is a potential threat to public safety.
“Let me say that the Government of Guyana is not comfortable with the level of crime and violence in the society and that is no secret. We have repeatedly accepted that fact and we are assiduously working to address the situation…We have to have a multifaceted approach. So, we will take to the parliament shortly a bill that will increase penalties for different categories of offenses,” Nandlall said.
He noted that focus is already being placed on increasing penalties for those
responsible for road deaths and other traffic-related offences. He added that this coupled with enhanced community policing can comprehensively and successfully address the phenomenon.
“We are constantly training our police officers to make them better qualified and better suited to deal with crime and criminality in the country. More forensic approaches to investigations are being pursued. Thus, we have equipped our forensic laboratory with a skillset of highly qualified personnel that we have recruited from overseas. We now have modern equipment and we are acquiring more to equip the lab as we move into forensic examination”.
“In terms of the law, the Attorney General Chambers continues to partner with the Guyana Police Force in doing educational interventions with a view of educating our policemen and women on issues of the law that
we feel they should be more familiar with,” the Attorney General disclosed.
Road fatalities
In June, the Guyana Police Force’s Traffic Department reported that 97 individuals lost their lives in road accidents on Guyana’s roadways so far this year. This total includes 42 fatal accidents and 55 road incidents.
When compared to the same period last year the figure reflects a 19 per cent decrease in fatal accidents, some 47 fewer accidents.
Serious crimes Police Commissioner, Clifton Hicken two weeks ago reported an 18.9% reduction in serious crime for this year while emphasising the success of 361 community policing groups across regional divisions. Additionally, 75 firearms were taken off the streets.
Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall
Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, installed the Guyana flag alongside those of other Security Council members outside the Council chambers
School children to gain more tourism interest, career opportunities
─ as THAG pushes ‘adopt a school’ agenda
School-aged children could benefit from increased interest in tourism and enhanced career opportunities, as the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) plans to work closely with them to bridge the skills gap in the sector.
THAG’s President, Dee George told the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Wednesday, that the goal will be achieved through the SWIFT programme and the new ‘adopt a school’ initiative.
“Last year we recognised that we needed to find the source to encourage those who may not be aware of
what tourism has to offer, to actually start going within our high schools in particular, and hence came the project, adopt a school idea.” George stated.
The plan is for members to adopt a local school and collaborate with it to engage students on the topic of tourism and explore ways they could get involved. Meanwhile, through the ‘SWIFT’ programme, THAG is looking to partner with the Ministry of Education to further drive the agenda.
The aim is to help students pursuing the subject at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean
Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) levels to gain practical experience.
“What we have learnt is that there is tourism at CAPE and there is a particular subject matter within Social Studies of CSEC. We realise that if we assist the students with that topic [and] the actual CAPE preparation, we can actually persuade students to do tourism,” George noted.
She believes that by immersing students in the subject of tourism, they can be inspired to pursue it further at the University of Guyana. Additionally, there is also a plan to collaborate with the university to foster
1644 lots regularised in 13 squatting areas between
2022 & 2023
ome 1644 lots in 13
Ssquatting areas in several regions have been regularised to date, benefitting hundreds of households between 2020 and 2023.
Some 228 lots were regularised in Charity in Region Two.
In Region Three, 44 lots were regularised in Greenwich Park, 17 in De Kinderen, 48 in Tuschen Railway, 82 in Uitvlugt/Stewartville, 64 in Vergenoegen Railway, 86 in Vergenoegen South Acme, and 46 in Good Hope Railway.
In Region Four, the government certified 321 lots in Bachelor’s Adventure [Bare Root], 44 in Block CH Chateau Margot, and 76 in Annandale Railway.
In Region Ten, 155 lots were made legal in Block E Christianburg and Blueberry, Hill Wismar, and 433 lots in Conception, Fitz
Hope-Parcel Three to Parcel 435 Amelia’s Ward Phase Four.
Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal underscored that the regularisation of squatting areas is an ongoing process undertaken by the government since August 2020.
“We are in various regions. We have some areas that we have recorded in terms of the squatting… We have an ongoing exercise for the removal of persons on the river dam along the Demerara River,” the housing and water minister explained.
He made the remarks during a recent episode of ‘Guyana Dialogue.’ As squatting persists, Minister Croal maintained that no new squatting areas will be recognised.
“But there have been some small pockets that we have noticed popped up that
we had to address…We have been monitoring the areas where we have squatting that we can minimise,” he added.
He made mention of the seven displaced families, due to an incident, from Sarah Johanna, on the East Bank of Demerara, who were relocated.
Additionally, the government is working tirelessly to secure permanent housing for the families. Furthermore, an engagement was hosted last Monday with the residents of Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), in Region Three, since these persons have to be relocated.
This, he said, will ensure they are provided with a sustainable living environment, aimed at enhancing their standard of living.
For this year alone, eight squatting areas have been earmarked for regularisation in Regions Three and Four, benefitting 479 households.
These areas include 16 lots in Philadelphia Railway, 18 lots in Barnwell Railway, 34 lots in De Willem, and 71 lots in Vergenoegen/Tuschen in Region Three. Meanwhile, 51 lots will be regularised in DeEndragt Railway, 52 Lots in Vigilance/Bladen Hall/ Strathspey Railway, 15 lots in Beterverwagting Railway, and 222 lots in Mocha/ Arcadia in Region Four.
greater interest.
“We want to expose students to the actual indus-
$1.3B
try and what it entails behind closed doors, and that’s what the internship pro-
gramme within the high schools is going to be,” she emphasised.
allocated to upgrade Linden roads
An additional sum of $1.3 billion has been allocated to upgrade key thoroughfares across the mining town of Linden, Region Ten, through the Public Works Ministry. Some 26 local contractors were hired to execute the works in several areas.
Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill, stated that while these works are underway, the ministry’s engineers and clerks of works will identify additional roads in Linden for rehabilitation in a phased manner.
“We have started with these 26, and within a couple of weeks, we will identify all the other roads to be fixed in phases to ensure that everybody gets their roads repaired,” the minister said during site inspections last Wednesday.
He explained that the roads selected by the engineers would also be awarded to local contractors in smaller lots, enabling them to manage and complete the projects effectively.
“Last year, some contractors lacked the capacity with pavers and equipment, so we engaged smaller contractors to work on concrete roads in sections. This allowed us to involve over 50 contractors in Linden.”
Road works are currently being executed in the communities of One Mile, Buck Hill, Wisroc, Amelia’s Ward, South Amelia’s Ward, Central Amelia’s Ward, Block 22, Blueberry Hill, Canvas City, and Christiansburg. Recently, the government injected a mammoth sum of $1.8 billion to up -
grade 84 critical roads within the township Communities including Coomacka, Nottinghamshire, Canvas City, Green Valley, Blueberry Hill, Silvertown, Wismar, Christiansburg, Half Mile, Retrieve, South Amelias Ward, and Constabulary Road are beneficiaries of the transformative initiative. These infrastructure upgrades promise to unlock new opportunities for economic growth, social development, and improved quality of life for thousands of individuals residing in Linden.
Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond and THAG’s President, Dee George
Ongoing road works in Linden
An
PPC continues nationwide training to improve procurement practices
The Public Procurement Commission (PPC) has hosted a series of procurement training sessions across all ten Administrative Regions of Guyana as part of its ongoing public awareness campaign, aimed at familiarising ministries, regional bodies, and other key agencies about the rules and procedures governing the public procurement system.
A total of 85 participants from across the country attended these sessions, which were led by the Head of Operations at the PPC, Dwight Dodson, procurement specialist, and the Training Officer of the Commission.
The sessions covered a comprehensive range of topics relevant to the public procurement system, including the PPC’s role and responsibilities; the legislative framework, administrative review, and debarment process; the public procurement process; procurement plan preparation; thresholds and tender openings and the evaluation process.
The recent training sessions have equipped participants with essential skills and knowledge, enabling them to navigate the procurement process effectively and adhere to best practices. This initiative aligns with our commitment to improving public procurement and ensuring that all
regions have the resources and expertise needed to manage procurement activities proficiently.
During the training sessions, the commission clarified a wide range of procurement topics, questions, and concerns, including compliance, bid document preparation, administrative review of contracts, evaluation processes, investigation procedures, and publications. The discussions prompted participants to seek additional information and further training to enhance their professional skills and improve their work in procurement.
In each training, participants provided several recommendations, highlighting areas of improvement and challenges they face in procurement management within their locality which the commission will take under consideration in the
cial for enhancing procurement practices across the country. Our goal is to pro-
months, the PPC has completed its Regional Training Exercise, pro-
from each training emphasises the impact of these sessions, reinforcing the need for continued engagement with participants to gather feedback and identify opportunities to improve the current system. These training initiatives are cru-
vide the necessary tools and knowledge to promote efficiency, and accountability within the public procurement process, ultimately contributing to Guyana’s sustainable development.
Over the past four
viding procurement training to all ten administrative regions of Guyana. The PPC remains committed to its constitutional mandate, ensuring comprehensive and effective procurement education throughout Guyana. By expanding our
training efforts, we aim to foster a transparent, efficient, and accountable procurement system that benefits all stakeholders and supports sustainable development across Guyana.
The PPC is mandated by Article 212AA (1) (b) of the Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana to “promote awareness of the rules, procedures and special requirements of the procurement process among suppliers, contractors, and public bodies.” Additionally, under section 17(2) (c) of the Procurement Act, Cap. 75:03, the Commission is responsible for organizing training seminars regarding public procurement.
The PPC is dedicated to promoting and ensuring transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the procurement of goods, services, and works for the public sector in Guyana. Through its various initiatives and training programs, the PPC aims to improve procurement practices and contribute to the sustainable development of the nation.
The PPC encourages all relevant stakeholders to participate actively in these training sessions and to continue fostering a culture of excellence in procurement practices by applying the knowledge gained. Together, we can improve the procurement system that supports the nation’s growth and development.
Scotiabank introduces retail self-checkout cashless kiosks – as bank expands
Scotiabank has expanded its digital offerings by using its proprietary application technology to assist clients in elevating their retail shopping experience through self-checkout and cashless kiosks.
Clients can now accept and process payments through self-check and kiosk services. This payment solution provides clients with seamless, self-sufficient technology that allows their fund collections to be credited to accounts in 24 hours. Scotiabank is the only bank locally to have invested in its proprietary digital application.
Self-checkout kiosks offer speed and convenience and allow shoppers an enhanced shopping experience by scanning and bagging their items themselves, bypassing traditional cashier lines, and reducing waiting times.
The banking facility of-
digital offerings with payment solutions
fers two solutions from which clients can choose the option that works best for them. The solutions are that clients can utilise Scotiabank’s proprietary application for full integration of services or the bank can partner with a 3rd party Fintech to provide the acquiring services. “This new offering forms part of our commitment to providing clients secure, fast
and more convenient solutions, through innovative use of technology. We are pleased to be able to provide clients with a fully connected payment ecosystem to quickly reconcile payments and streamline information reporting. Furthermore, this adoption of technology redefines the Guyana shopping experience in bringing faster, better service to those who want it,” Country
Manager, Scotiabank Guyana, Nafeeza Gaffoor stated.
Scotiabank continues to make progress against its digital agenda. Most recently the Scotia Caribbean App – a redesigned and enhanced way to bank 24/7 from mo-
bile devices was launched. It boasts enhanced security and accessibility features that no other bank in the local market offers - biometric sign-in, through fingerprint and face recognition. This came on the heels of upgrades to its online
banking platform - Scotia OnLine, which now offers clients enhanced security. The Bank is also incorporating digital advancements into its ATM functionalities, with upgrades coming soon, along with an expanded ATM footprint.
exercise of its constitutional functions.
The positive response
Country Manager, Scotiabank Guyana, Nafeeza Gafoor using the self-check-out kiosks at a local supermarket
Regional
Kenya’s Haiti intervention needs rapid results, report says
The Kenyan-led Police mission in Haiti will need to rapidly deliver tangible results, according to a security bulletin on Wednesday, warning that people living in gang-controlled areas remain dependent on criminal leaders.
“The MSS (Multinational Security Support) as an external player, will need to rapidly deliver tangible security results to the community, so as not to be seen as part of the problem but part of the solution,” said the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) in a bulletin.
Several hundred Kenyan Police Officers arrived in the Caribbean nation at the end of June and have been patrolling together with national Police, as part of a long-delayed United Nations-backed mission intended to fight armed gangs that have cemented control over large parts of capital Port-auPrince.
Over half a million people have been internally displaced and close to five million people are experiencing severe hunger.
Authorities have re-
gained control of major infrastructure such as the airport and fuel terminal, but GI-TOC warned that in gang-controlled areas, civilians depend “almost exclusively” on regulations imposed by criminal groups.
“By distributing food or petty cash, or providing work and social recognition to children enrolled as foot soldiers, the gangs seek to consolidate their legitimacy,” the bulletin said, adding that residents feared gangs could use them as “human shields” against the Police and MSS. While the MSS brings
“operational oxygen” to Haiti’s under-resourced Police, GI-TOC noted there is “still much uncertainty surrounding the mission in terms of its strategy and rules of engagement”.
A handful of countries besides Kenya have formally pledged troops to the mission, first requested in 2022, but it remains unclear when they might deploy to Haiti.
Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille, who took office last month, has vowed to retake the country “house by house”. (Reuters)
10 drown in Panama river as migration risks escalate
Ten persons have drowned in a river near Panama’s border with Colombia, Panamanian border Police say, as the rainy season increases the risks migrants and asylum seekers face along a popular migration route.
The bodies were found in riverside tributaries near the remote community of Carreto, the National Border Service, known as SENAFRONT, said on Wednesday.
The village lies on the Caribbean Sea and is part of the Guna Yala autonomous Indigenous territory. SENAFRONT did not specify the nationalities of the people who drowned or whether they had crossed into Panama through the Darien Gap jungle or by boat.
“Transnational organised crime through local collaborators in these Caribbean coastal communities insist on using unautho-
rised crossings, putting the lives of these people at serious risk,” the agency added in a statement.
Connecting South and Central America, the Darien Gap is a dangerous route rife with natural hazards, including insects, snakes and unpredictable terrain. Its landscape ranges
from steep mountains to dense jungles and strong rivers, and the risks increase during the rainy season due to rising river levels. Criminal groups also operate in the area, and robberies, extortion and other forms of violence are widespread.
(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)
Brazil’s Lula kicks off global effort to end hunger and poverty
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva kicked off a global effort on Wednesday to end hunger and extreme poverty, aiming to make it a hallmark of Brazil’s G20 presidency as he seeks to restore the country’s soft power on the world stage.
Alongside foreign officials in Rio de Janeiro, where Finance and Development Ministers from the world’s largest economies are meeting this week, Lula hailed the nascent Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty.
“Nothing is as absurd and unacceptable in the 21st century as the persistence of hunger and poverty, when we have so much abundance and so many scientific and technological resources at our dis-
posal,” Lula said.
“No issue is more current and more challenging for humanity. We cannot normalise such disparities – hunger is the most degrading of human deprivations, an attack on life, an assault on freedom.”
Brazil will officially launch the initiative in November, when Heads of State gather for the G20 Summit in the South American city.
In practice, the event on Wednesday paved the way for countries and institutions to join the proposal, which aims to pool knowledge, resources and partnerships to combat malnutrition.
The Brazilian Government estimates it could attract participation from more than 100 countries.
Before the announcement, World Bank President Ajay Banga declared his support for the initiative during a bilateral meeting with Lula, the presidential office said.
Inter-American Development Bank head Ilan Goldfajn said at the event that along with the African Development Bank, the IDB would support the alliance with loans against International Monetary Fund Special Drawing Rights monetary reserves (SDRs).
The IMF approved the channelling of SDRs to multilateral development banks to boost their lending capacity in May.
Replicating the strategy adopted earlier this week for the G20 development ministerial meetings, the (Excerpt from Reuters)
Venezuela has no political prisoners, election should be peaceful – AG says
Venezuela does not prosecute people for their political opinions and holds no political prisoners, Attorney General Tarek Saab said ahead of presidential elections he says should be peaceful.
Campaigning for the presidential vote, where President Nicolás Maduro is seeking his third term amid notable support for Opposition coalition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, has been marked by arrests of people connected to the Opposition, accusations of conspiracy and warnings about possible fraud.
Advocacy groups estimate nearly 290 persons are detained nationwide for political reasons, often on charges of terrorism or conspiracy.
“There are more than 300 people in jail, not for political motives, but for being involved in terrorist attacks,” Saab told Reuters in an interview late on Tuesday in his high-rise Caracas office.
“We do not prosecute anyone – I’m the head of legal action – for their political opinion,” Saab said.
The Opposition has denounced the arrests and other moves by the authorities as efforts to harm its campaign and prevent a fair election.
The head of security for Opposition Leader Maria
Corina Machado was arrested last week and later released. Several dozen of Machado’s allies have also been detained.
“People haven’t been out to vote and they are already saying it’s fraud,” Saab said, adding Sunday’s vote, in which some 21.3 million people are eligible to cast ballots, will be peaceful.
Prestigious election observers, including representatives of the Carter Center, will be watching, he said.
“The table is set for this to be a very special moment,” Saab said. “I call for everything to occur in peace, for the environment to be an environment of respect, for the electoral results to be respected.”
If the National Electoral Council (CNE) officially reports potential fraud, it will be investigated, Saab said, adding election fraud
has not occurred for a quarter-century, since the socialist ruling party took power.
The Opposition boycotted the 2018 presidential vote where Maduro, in power since 2013, won his second term. His victory that year is considered fraudulent by the United States and others.
Appeals judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March rejected Venezuela’s appeal against the resumption of an investigation into alleged rights abuses by Government officials.
“What do they have to investigate if the Attorney General’s office has done it,” Saab said, adding 615 Police Officers and other State officials involved in abuses during anti-Government protests in 2014 and 2017 have been convicted.
(Reuters)
The Haitian National Police patrols in an armoured vehicle in the Cite Soleil neighbourhood in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, May 8, 2024
(Reuters/Ricardo Arduengo photo)
Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek Saab speaks to Reuters in an interview, in Caracas, Venezuela, July 23, 2024 (Reuters/ Leonardo Fernandez Viloria photo)
Migrants heading north arrive at Lajas Blancas, Panama, on June 28, 2024, after walking across the Darien Gap from Colombia [File: Matias Delacroix/AP Photo]
Around
OOil prices finish higher as US oil, fuel inventories ease
OIL NEWS
Israel carries out new raids in Gaza as Netanyahu visits US
Israeli forces carried out new raids in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to address the US Congress.
il prices settled higher on Wednesday, supported by large declines in US crude and fuel stocks, but hovered close to their lowest level in six weeks due to concerns over weak global demand.
Prices snapped three straight sessions of decline on falling US crude and fuel inventories, as well as growing oil supply risks from Canadian wildfires.
Brent crude futures for September closed 70 cents, or 0.9 per cent, higher at US$81.71 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for September rose 63 cents, or 0.8 per cent, to US$77.59 per barrel.
US crude inventories fell by 3.7 million barrels last week, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said, compared with analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1.6-million-barrel draw.
US gasoline stocks dropped by 5.6 million barrels, compared with analysts’ expectations for a 400,000 draw. Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, fell by 2.8 million barrels versus expectations for a 250,000-barrel increase, the EIA data showed.
“Demand is better than anticipated,” said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho in New York.
“As long as gasoline is doing well, that will support the rest of the market into the short-term future. Higher distillates demand was the icing on the cake,” Yawger added.
However, the market remained wary about global summer demand. US oil refiners are expected to report sharply lower second-quarter earnings versus a year ago after a listless summer-driving season weakened refining margins, energy analysts said.
Prices are under pressure from ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas and continued concern that the economic slowdown in China, the world’s biggest crude importer, would weaken global oil demand.
Crude-oil deliveries to India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer, also slipped in June to their lowest since February, Government data showed.
WTI lost seven per cent over the previous three sessions, while Brent was down nearly five per cent.
Buoying prices, wildfires in Canada forced some producers to curtail production and threatened a large amount of supply.
Imperial Oil said it has reduced non-essential staff at its Kearl oil sands site as a precaution.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Energy Ministry pledged to stick to the crude-output quota set by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies (OPEC+) group in July, after its June production exceeded limits. (Reuters)
Pilot survives Nepal crash, but 18 dead after cockpit split from plane
The pilot who survived a deadly plane crash in Nepal was saved after his cockpit was sheared off by a freight container seconds before the rest of the aircraft crashed in flames.
Captain Manish Ratna Shakya, the sole survivor of the disaster that killed 18 persons at Kathmandu airport, is being treated in hospital ,but BBC Nepali has confirmed he is talking and able to tell family members he was “all good”.
Rescuers told the BBC that they had reached the stricken pilot as flames neared the cockpit section of the aircraft embedded in the container.
“He was facing difficulty to breathe as the air
shield was open. We broke the window and immediately pulled him out,” Senior Superintendent of Nepal Police Dambar Bishwakarma said.
“He had blood all over his face when he was rescued but we took him to the hospital in a condition where he could speak,” he added.
Nepal’s Civil Aviation Minister Badri Pandey said the aircraft had suddenly turned right as it took off from the airport, before crashing into the east side of the runway.
CCTV footage shows the aircraft in flames careering across part of the airport before part of it appears to fall into a valley at the far edge of the site.
(Excerpt from BBC News)
The latest Israeli attacks destroyed homes in towns east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza and thousands of people were forced to head west to seek shelter, residents said.
The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said it had received distress calls from residents trapped in their homes in Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Younis, but was unable to reach the town.
Medics later said two Palestinians had been killed in an airstrike on Bani Suhaila, where the armed
Smoke and flames rise following an Israeli strike on a residential building amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, in this still picture taken from a video, July 24, 2024 (Reuters TV via Reuters)
wing of the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas said fighters had detonated a bomb against an Israeli army personnel carrier.
The Israeli military, which is trying to eradicate
Hamas after the October 7 attack on Israel, said it had been operating in areas from which fighters had been able to fire rockets into Israel and attack Israeli troops.
Gaza health officials said Israeli military strikes in
the past 24 hours had killed at least 55 persons, the latest casualties in a war that health authorities in the enclave say has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu sketched a vague outline of a plan for a “deradicalised” post-war Gaza in a speech to Congress on Wednesday and touted a potential future alliance between Israel and America’s Arab allies. While dozens of Democrats boycotted his remarks and thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated nearby, Netanyahu dismissed criticism of an Israeli campaign that has devastated the Palestinian enclave. (Excerpt from Reuters)
Russian attacks kill 3, damage
Swiss NGO’s
office in Kharkiv, Ukraine says
Russia launched a series of attacks on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and the surrounding region on Wednesday, killing three persons, wounding at least six and damaging the office of a Swiss mine-clearing Non-Governmental Office
(NGO), local officials said. Ukraine’s second-largest city and the surrounding region, which borders Russia, have been battered by drone, missile, and guided-bomb attacks since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Regional Police said a
Trump attacks Harris on immigration in 1st rally since Biden bowed out
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday attacked his new Democratic rival Kamala Harris as the “ultra-liberal driving force” who should be held responsible for the Biden Administration’s policies on immigration.
Trump addressed a North Carolina rally three days after President Joe Biden abruptly dropped his re-election bid and endorsed Harris, his Vice President, who has pulled in broad support across the Democratic Party and revitalised its election campaign.
Trump tried to quash some of that momentum in an aggressive speech at the rally, his first since Harris’ emergence changed the race. “She is a radical Left lunatic who will destroy our country if she ever gets elected,” he said.
Trump routinely uses insults in attacking his opponents and made clear he planned to ignore advice that he take a softer line. “I’m not gonna be nice!” he told his cheering supporters in Charlotte.
Harris, the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as Vice President, would become the first woman elected president if she prevails on November 5.
Trump’s rally began two
US
hours before Biden, 81, addresses the nation from the Oval Office to explain why he dropped out of the race under mounting pressure from fellow Democrats.
As his campaign signalled earlier this week, Trump focused his attack on Harris around the immigration issue.
“As border czar, Kamala threw open our borders that allowed 20 million illegal aliens to stampede into our country from all over the world,” Trump said.
“I will terminate every single open border policy of the Biden Harris Administration and we will seal the border and we will stop Kamala Harris invasion without delay,” the former President said.
(Excerpt from Reuters)
strike on the town of Lozova, south of Kharkiv, killed three and injured six, with rescue operations proceeding into the evening.
The region’s governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said an overnight strike destroyed the facade of the Fondation suisse de déminage’s office and the ceilings of several of its floors.
Six cars used by the group’s medics were damaged, he said, noting the importance of demining initiatives in his region, one of the most densely strewn with landmines and other potentially harmful war detritus.
Mayor Ihor Terekhov
said there had been five separate strikes on the city since Russia’s overnight attack. The latest one hit an industrial area and injured six, he said. Police said unspecified infrastructure was destroyed in this attack, including damage to vehicles.
Syniehubov reported new strikes late in the evening and local media reported explosions outside the city after midnight, but there were no reports on casualties or damage.
Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians, but thousands have been killed and injured in its 29-monthold invasion of Ukraine. (Reuters)
Typhoon Gaemi brings torrential rain to Taiwan, heads to China
Typhoon Gaemi blew through northern Taiwan on Thursday, bringing floods and leading to traffic snarls, before heading across the sea and into China where it is expected to bring further torrential rain.
Gaemi made landfall on the northeastern coast of Taiwan on the borders of Yilan and Hualien counties, and as of 07:00h (2300 GMT Wednesday) it was in the Taiwan Strait and taking aim at Fuzhou in China’s Fujian province.
It is expected to bring further rain across Taiwan, with offices and schools as well as the financial markets closed for a second day today.
Trains, including the highspeed line linking northern and southern Taiwan, will be closed until 15:00h (0700 GMT), with all domestic flights and 185 international flights cancelled for the day.
The Government said only two persons had died, with
266 injuries. Taiwanese television stations showed pictures of flooded streets in cities and counties across the island.
Chinese weather forecasters said Gaemi will pass through Fujian and head inland, gradually moving northward with less intensity. But weather forecasters are expecting heavy rain in many areas as it tracks north.
Government officials have already prepared for a stretch of heavy rain and flooding –raising advisories and warnings in the coastal provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang. Meanwhile, north China is experiencing heavy rain from summer storms around a separate weather system. Officials in capital Beijing upgraded and issued a red warning late Wednesday night for torrential rain expected through most of today, according to Chinese state media. (Excerpt from Reuters)
Vice President Kamala Harris
DAILY HOROSCOPES
Express yourself physically using affection, kindness and consideration to draw attention and gain respect. Pay attention to financial matters and take on only what you can produce as promised.
Someone will withhold information critical to how a personal, medical or financial situation will unfold. Take control, eliminate the middleman and do your due diligence.
20-May 20) (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Get motivated and moving. Wake up and rejuvenate. Speak up, enlist those you need to get things done and continue until you are happy with the results. Walk away from temptation.
Put more thought and ingenuity into whatever responsibility you encounter. How you present yourself will determine how much help you achieve. Forwardthinking will help you gain ground.
Enlist in something that moves you and be the one to make a difference. Get the lowdown regarding what's possible and within reason. Take responsibility for your life and achieving your goals.
Being helpful will aid you in gaining favors and meeting influential individuals who can point you in an exciting direction. Engage in life, and you'll find happiness and prosperity.
Be open to suggestions. Talk is cheap if you don't follow through. Get involved in something that moves you, and you'll connect with people you enjoy being around. Love and romance are in the stars.
Your instincts will guide you to recognize your best option. Don't trust anyone using bravado and hype to lure others into something dubious. If you want concrete results, do it yourself without regrets.
Invest more time in self-improvement to raise your awareness and encourage confidence. Refuse to let anyone's negativity lower your self-esteem. If a change is what you need, make it happen.
Bestow your affection toward people you love to ward off frustration. Think before you act. Don't let indecisiveness lead to vulnerability or trouble. Choose peace over discord.
(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) (June 21-July 22) (July 23-Aug. 22) (March 21-April 19) (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) (May 21-June 20)
Set goals and push forward. Adapt your surroundings to meet the demands you put on yourself. A partnership will pay off financially and emotionally, giving you the wiggle room to succeed.
Communicate with confidence, or someone will take advantage of you. Know what you want and ask direct questions. Do your research and you'll get the desired results. Trust your instincts.
PEANUTS
CALVIN AND HOBBES
PICKLES
Richards, Hooper hit back at Lara for “gross misrepresentations” in his book
Viv Richards and Carl Hooper have strongly hit back at former West Indies team-mate Brian Lara for “gross misrepresentations” in his book – Lara: The England Chronicles.
In a joint statement released on Sunday, both former West Indies Captains have rejected Lara’s “claim” that Richards made Hooper “cry once a week”, describing it as “categorically false”, and asked the latter to “issue a sincere apology for the harm caused.”
“Sir Vivian Richards and Mr Carl Hooper are deeply disheartened by the gross misrepresentations made about them in Mr Brian Lara’s recently-released book,” the duo said in a statement put out by Hooper.
“The allegations presented not only distort the reality of their relationship but also impugn their characters in an unjust and harmful manner.”
In the book, an extract of which was run recently on
ESPNcricinfo, Lara wrote that Richards’ words in the dressing room could “intimidate” players, though he made clear he always had West Indies’ betterment always at heart.
“Viv used to make me cry every three weeks, but he would make Carl cry once a week. Viv’s tone of voice is intimidating and if you’re not strong enough, you can take that personally and be affected by it. Me, I was never really affected by it. In a way I welcomed it, because I was so much under his arm that I knew abuse was coming and I was a strong personality. Carl? I know for a fact that Carl shied away from Viv Richards.”
But Hooper said Richards never caused him any “distress” and always had his back. “The claim that Sir Vivian was aggressive towards Mr Hooper and made him cry once a week is categorically false. Such descriptions paint Sir Vivian as a perpetrator of emotional abuse -- an assertion that is not only
baseless but also deeply hurtful to both parties.
“Sir Vivian, as Mr Hooper’s first captain, has never caused emotional distress to Mr Hooper. On the contrary, he has always acted as an encouraging mentor and provided unwavering support. Their nearly 40-year relationship has been founded on mutual respect and camaraderie. The misrepresentation of their interactions in Mr Lara’s book is a grave disservice to the truth
and has caused undue distress to both parties and their families.”
Richards and Hooper have pulled up Lara for “attempting to profit from such deceit”, something they find “inconceivable” considering his stature in global cricket. “We demand that Mr Lara immediately issues a public retraction of these false claims and offer a sincere apology for the harm caused. It is crucial for the integrity of public discourse and
Morocco beat Argentina in game marred by crowd trouble
Crowd trouble forced the first football match of the Olympics to be suspended for nearly two hours amid chaotic and worrying scenes, with the game eventually completed in an empty stadium.
Morocco had been 2-0 ahead against Argentina, who pulled a goal back and were pushing for an equaliser. Cristian Medina then appeared to have made it 2-2 in the 16th of what had been 15 scheduled minutes of injury time at the end of the second half.
After the resulting crowd trouble, play finally resumed after a lengthy delay with no fans present, and with VAR having ruled out Argentina’s equaliser, Morocco secured a controversial 2-1 victory.
* A number of fans in Morocco colours also ran on to the pitch, with some being escorted off the pitch by stew-
Here’s how the chaos and confusion unfolded...
* Immediately after Medina looked to have made it 2-2, a number of cups and bottles were then thrown at the celebrating Argentina side before what appeared to be a flare landed near the players and coaching staff.
ards.
* Riot Police moved to the side of the pitch and the referee immediately took the players off the pitch.
* The fans inside the stadium in Saint Etienne were told to leave the ground and a message on a big screen said: “Your session has been sus-
pended please make your way to the nearest exit.”
* It was unclear whether the match had been classed as finished, but it was then revealed the final three minutes would be played in an empty stadium with no fans present.
* Before the match could be played to a finish, it was announced that Argentina’s potential equaliser had actually been ruled out by a video assistant referee decision that showed a player was offside before Medina scored.
The players had gone off the pitch at 16:05 BST, and they then came back to warm up at 17:45 before the match could resume at 18:00.
Immediately, the referee checked to see if the ‘equaliser’ should stand via a pitchside monitor and, as expected, the ‘goal’ was disallowed.
Play resumed just after 18:00 for the last three min-
their personal and professional lives that the truth is set right.”
Lara and Richards only appeared in one international match together for West Indies, a One-Day International (ODI) at Lord’s on the 1991 tour of England, batting together briefly in a 20-run partnership – Lara laments not getting more time in the middle with him in the book, writing that “every young man’s dream is to be waiting in the middle, watching The Greatest walk through the gate and onto the field where I’m standing”.
Lara played much more with Hooper, both leading him as Captain and playing under his captaincy. Lara’s
first international match in 1990, an ODI in Karachi, was in a side that included Hooper, and Lara also played in what was Hooper’s last international game, against Kenya at the 2003 World Cup. In the book, Lara is fulsome in his praise of Hooper, calling him one of finest talents to have come out of the Caribbean.
“Man, what a player. The ease in which he batted brought out a kind of awe in us, and in all of us, even the senior players. You felt that when Carl went out to bat, they enjoyed it – Haynes, Richards, Greenidge, all these guys would stop what they were doing just to watch him.” (ESPNcricinfo)
Paris Olympics… Canada send 2 staff members home over drone incident
utes, and with neither side scoring further, Morocco won the match 2-1.
Both Morocco goals were scored by Soufiane Rahimi, one just before half-time and then a penalty early in the second half as they looked to begin their 2024 gold-medal bid with a win.
Argentina pulled a goal back through Giuliano Simeone, the son of Atletico Madrid manager and former Argentina midfielder Diego Simeone.
But, after all the drama, it was Morocco who took the three points.
Argentina won the men’s Olympic football tournament in 2004 and 2008, and ex-Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano, who was a part of the winning squad for the second of those successes, is managing the team in 2024.
Mascherano’s side will now need to get positive results against Iraq on Saturday and Ukraine on Tuesday to have a chance of finishing in the top two in the group and advancing to the quarter-finals.
A statement from the tournament organisers said: “The football match between Argentina and Morocco at the Saint-Etienne Stadium was suspended due to a pitch invasion by a small number of spectators.
“The match then restarted and was able to conclude safely. Paris 2024 is working with the relevant stakeholders to understand the causes and identify appropriate actions.”
(BBC Sport)
Canada
women’s football manager Beverly Priestman will not take charge of her side’s Olympics opener against New Zealand after two members of her backroom staff were sent home for allegedly flying a drone over the Kiwis’ team training session.
Priestman, 38, has “voluntarily withdrawn” from Thursday’s match in St Etienne after the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) reported that a drone had been flown over their training session on Monday.
Jasmine Mander, Priestman’s assistant, has been sent home along with “unaccredited analyst” Joseph Lombardi.
FIFA said it has opened disciplinary proceedings against Canada Soccer, Priestman, Lombardi, and Mander.
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) says a scouting report filed by Lombardi was sent to Mander.
Priestman says she takes responsibility for the actions of her colleagues.
“I first and foremost want to apologise to the players and staff at New Zealand
Football and to the players on Team Canada. This does not represent the values that our team stands for,” Priestman said.
“I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our programme.”
The COC confirmed on Wednesday that a “non-accredited member of the Canada Soccer support team” was detained by authorities.
“The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair play and we are shocked and disappointed,” it added in a statement.
“We offer our heartfelt apologies to New Zealand Football, to all the players affected, and to the New Zealand Olympic Committee.”
The NZOC said it has “formally lodged” the incident with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) integrity unit and has asked Canada for a full review.
“The NZOC and New Zealand Football are committed to upholding the integrity and fairness of the Olympic Games and are deeply shocked and disappointed by this incident.”
(BBC Sport)
Carl Hooper’s joint statement “demanded a public retraction and sincere apology” from Brian Lara
British Coach Beverly Priestman is manager of Canada’s women’s team, who won gold in Tokyo in 2021
A number of bottles and cups were thrown at the celebrating players after Argentina’s second goal, which was later disallowed
Referee Glenn Nyberg gestures after VAR disallowed Argentina’s second goal
“Teach Them Young” TT programme on at National Gymnasium
The National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS) in collaboration with the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Ltd have joined forces to host the “Teach Them Young” Table Tennis programme.
National Table Tennis Coach Linden Johnson says this is his 21st year of conducting the programme being held at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.
Current Olympian Chelsea Edghill recently shared that she too got her start at the programme. “18 years ago, on July
10, 2006, I attended this programme (Teach Them Young). Today, I am preparing to compete at my second Olympic Games,” Edghill shared on her social media page.
The programme commenced on Wednesday and will run until August 22, from 10:00h to 14:00h, Monday to Friday.
Guyana Cup fever spectacle
...as 11 horses to arrive next week
Dengue is incomparable to the Guyana Cup ‘fever’ that has the country spellbound. It is only 20 days away, and the intensity is so contagious that owners across the board (all levels) are ‘shopping’ as though Guyana Cup is their Xmas.
The country will witness an unprecedented day of racing on Sunday, August 11, 2024 with a 10-race card. It is the richest day of racing with the prize purse in excess of US$141,000.
Records are set to tumble with the calibre of horses being imported. Eleven runners will be shipped from Miami, Brazil, and Trinidad and Tobago in the next two weeks.
They will compete in the Guyana Cup, the Derby, the Sprint, and a major twoyear-old race for Guyanabred and Trinidad-bred juveniles, and the supporting six events.
Organisers confirmed, “The support amongst horsemen and patrons is immense. Never before in the staging of the Guyana Cup, interest has peaked so high. This race day created a hype
of immense proportion. The horses arriving will further enhance our horse-racing status. Patrons will witness an extremely competitive and exciting race day, resulting in people flying in from all parts of the world to witness a spectacle.”
It is the 16th renewal of the Guyana Cup which will be staged at Rising Sun Turf Club (RSTC), West Berbice.
The inaugural running of this race was in 2007 when T&T-bred Ice Follies, trained by Therbhuwan Jagdeo, and ridden by Paul Delph, won for Jagdeo Racing Stables.
Four of the 11 horses this year will be arriving from Miami, three from Brazil, and four from Trinidad and Tobago.
The four US-bred runners are described as decent horses according to wellplaced sources. They have competed in recognised races. All four will be competing in the Guyana Cup. Two of the three Brazilian-bred horses will compete in the Guyana Cup, while the other runner will compete in the 1000-metre Sprint Classic, which is one of the four Classic races on the 10-race
card. Last year, Spankhurst, who was named Horse of the Year topping the consistent Bossalina, won the Sprint Classic for Jumbo Jet Racing Stables.
Defending champion Easy Time, owned by Master Z Racing Stables and trained by Nasurdeen Mohamed, scored convincingly from John Bull and Bossalina last year.
After his comprehensive victory – winning unchallenged in his comeback run over 1350 metres at Port Mourant one week ago, Easy Time is now the raging favourite to record the double.
Easy Time’s success last year was Mohamed’s second back-to-back training feat –having won with Alado for Master Z Racing Stable in 2022 at Rising Sun.
Owner/trainer Colin Elcock is not represented in this race, but is the ‘winningest’ trainer having won the race on four occasions.
No trainer or owner has recorded a hat-trick of wins in this race. However, trainer Mohamed, and Master Z Racing Stables could change the course of history should Easy Time score.
The summer table tennis training camp is for both boys and girls aged 6 to 16 who are beginners and intermediates, to learn the fundamentals and correct techniques.
Parents are being en-
couraged to send their children out to the “Teach Them Young” programme since there could be yet another child starting his or her Olympic journey. Table tennis is currently the only racquet sport in Guyana with a two-time Olympian.
In addition, parents can also be a part of the programme on Wednesdays from 17:30h and Sundays from 15:30h. For more information, interested persons can call 621-7630.
Windies players register positive moves on ICC Test rankings
…despite crushing defeats to England
Despite two crushing defeats to England so far in their ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Championship three-match series, West Indies players remain on the up, at least where the ICC Men’s Test rankings are concerned.
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite leads the charge on the batting rankings, as he moved up two slots to 40th position, following scores of 48 and 47 in the second Test, which West Indies lost by 241 runs. They lost the first Test by an innings and 114 runs and will try to avoid a whitewash in the final Test in Edgbaston starting on Friday.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Joshua Da Silva was rewarded for his first innings score of 82 in that match, as he jumped seven places to 61st, while Jason Holder’s 27 and 37 saw him inch up two places to 70th. Kavem Hodge’s 120, which was his maiden Test century, pushed him into the top 80.
The Dominican batsman moved 21 places up to 75th, one spot behind Kyle Mayers, who, despite being out of action, remains in 74th. Alick Athanaze held firm in 77th, while discarded Jermaine Blackwood (50th); Tagenarine Chanderpaul (83rd); Roston Chase (86th), and Kirk McKenzie (100) are the other Caribbean batsmen in the top 100.
On the bowling chart, new-ball bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales made the only notable improvements to their rankings. Joseph moved up two places to 33rd after finish-
ing with five wickets in the match, and Seales moved up 10 places from 44th to 34th with six wickets.
Meanwhile, England batter Harry Brook has achieved a career-best third position after notching a century in the second Test.
Brook, who scored 36 and 109 in Nottingham, advanced four places, while his teammates Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope have also made significant gains in the latest weekly update to the men’s rankings, which are carried out on Wednesdays across formats.
Left-handed opener Duckett has progressed six places to 16th position after notching scores of 71 and 76, while Player of the Match Pope has advanced from 29th to 21st with scores of 121 and 51.
Chris Woakes is back into the top 20 of the bowling rankings for the first time since September 2021, after he finished with four for 84 and two for 28 in the match, while spinner Shoaib Bashir has advanced 18 slots to 53rd po-
sition after he took his third five-wicket haul in just his fifth Test.
In the ICC World Test Championship standings, England are placed in sixth place, while West Indies are ninth, as per the percentage points that determine qualification. (Sportsmax)
A glimpse of the “Teach Them Young” Table Tennis Programme at the National Gymnasium
The Guyana Cup is set to ignite the Rising Sun Turf Club next month
Kavem Hodge was the biggest mover, climbing 21 places up to 75th
Motie eager for return in 3rd Test
…Jordan replaces Louis in Test squad
After executing his task well in the first Test of the threematch series between West Indies and England at Lord’s, Gudakesh Motie was ready and raring to go for the second. However, illness meant that Motie would sit out the Trent Bridge Test, replaced by his countryman Kevin Sinclair.
Now, with the final Test on the horizon, the left-arm spinner is anticipating his return, as he reflected on his exploits during the first Test.
“I think I was just playing my role. My role in the team was just to give the fast bowlers a break and get wickets and I did exactly that,” Motie told Cricket West Indies (CWI) Media during an interview on Wednesday.
Motie shared his thoughts on his major wickets of Joe Root and Ben Stokes in this series.
“Yeah, I really enjoyed that [Joe Root and Ben Stokes’ wickets]. I think so far in my career, that’s the two biggest wickets to my
name. so, I really enjoy it. We all know how good they are and I think I was putting in a lot of work heading in to the Test match and I’m happy with the success I had,” the smiling left-arm spinner shared.
Motie went on to say
move up the order, by coming out not out.”
The final Test will bowl off at Edgbaston on Friday morning where Motie is optimistic about making the most of the game despite the series loss.
“Really looking for this
about his batting, “I really enjoyed it [batting]. I always do a lot on my batting. So, going into that game, I told myself I want to get out and that’s the only way I could
Test. It’s the last Test here, we already lost the series, but it’s a lot to look forward for, for this Test. Our next thing is looking forward for the Test Championships,
9-member Guyanese contingent for OECS Boxing Championships
Agroup of six Guyanese boxers, alongside three officials, departed the Land of Many Waters on Wednesday for St Lucia, as they gear up to compete at the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Boxing Championships in St Lucia.
The competition is scheduled to run from Friday, July 26 to Sunday, July 28.
The roster, which will be supervised by national coach Lennox Daniels, comprises: Abiola Jackman, heavyweight (Elite); Alesha Jackman, middleweight (Elite); Shakquain James, lightweight (Junior); Angelina Rogers, bantamweight (Junior); Ryan Rogers, bantamweight (Schoolboys); and Junior Madray, 31-33 kg (Schoolboys). Meanwhile, Lawrence Assanah and Germain Craig will accompany the team to serve as referees and judges, respectively. Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) Technical Director Terrence Poole said,
“Preparation has been good; they have been training for a period of time. I would say the preparation has been 95 per cent. They were training twice a day at the Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis gym.”
Probed on the importance of the event given that the Caribbean Schoolboys Championships are slated for August, Poole declared, “This tournament is part of the preparation for the Caribbean Schoolboys Tournament, and it will allow us to see the level of some of our fighters and where they are and where they need to be for that event. It’s very important, because it provides international exposure. My expectation is that everyone should do well at the event.”
Meanwhile, GBA President Steve Ninvalle informed that while the tournament was another step towards exposing local talent, it was also being used to support St Lucia Boxing Association’s President, David “Shakes” Christopher.
gain points, and see how we could move up the table,” the Guyanese bowler related.
England have already sealed the series, winning the first two Tests by 114 and 241 runs respectively.
Meanwhile, CWI on Wednesday revealed one
change to the Test squad, which will see Jeremiah Louis being replaced in the West Indies Test squad by Akeem Jordan due to injury.
Louis sustained a hamstring injury during the second Rothesay Test at Trent Bridge and has been ruled out of the series.
Jordan has been in the United Kingdom and has joined up with the squad, taking part in training on Wednesday.
Louis has remained with the squad for further treatment.
Good performances for Guyana at Pan Am Youth Chess Championship
“Guyana is not part of the OECS, but I see it as my duty to support Mr. Christopher who has always returned the favour when Guyana hosts international events.
“In addition, our objective for tournaments of this nature is the exposure of emerging talents in a competitive international environment,” Ninvalle said.
He further added, “Moreover, the exposure of females to the rigours of international competition is a major emphasis and priority for the association. We believe that the women’s arm, given the documented challenges that are faced with their initial participation and sustained continuance, requires and is aided by this approach in providing international exposure.”
The OECS Championships are slated to feature participation from several nations, several of whom will feature in the prestigious Caribbean Schoolboys and Junior Championships in Guyana.
The eight-member team of junior chess players are expected to return home soon after representing Guyana well at the recently-concluded Pan-Am Youth Championship.
The team performed exceptionally well overall, accumulating a total of 25.5 points.
The event, organised by the US Chess Federation, the Confederation of Chess for Americas, and Rosen Shingle Creek, was hosted in Orlando, Florida, from July 15 to July 20, 2024. Three hundred and sixty-eight junior chess players from 28 chess federations participated in the nine-round tournament in the Open and Girls categories.
The Guyana team participated in both divisions and at the Under-16, Under-14, Under-12, and Under-10 levels over the six-day event. The Guyana delegation consisted of Kyle Couchman, Maliha Rajkumar, Sachin Pitamber, Aditi Joshi, Jeremy Cole, Kataleya Sam, Vir Narine, and Saura Ruplal.
The accumulative points were gained by Joshi with 4.5, Couchman and Sam with 4, Pitamber with 3.5, and Rajkumar, Cole, and Ruplal, 2.5 points each. Nine-year-
old Narine ended on 2 points. Early in the first round, Couchman defeated his 2200-rated opponent American Nathan Yan in the U-16 category after Yan missed a critical move. Couchman also won against Jamaican Zuberi Edwards in round four and drew four of his games with rated players. The 14-year-old is well on his way to gaining rating points which will make him the youngest Guyanese player to reach the 1800 ELO rating. When asked for a comment, the young Couchman says the tournament was a valuable experience and he aimed to perform better in future tournaments.
Fourteen-year-old Joshi, playing in the U-14 Girls category, scored three wins and three draws; one of her draws being against Mexican Andrea Sanchez, the third ranked player in the category. Joshi’s best performances were also defeating USA’s Tanya Prabhu and drawing with Brazilian Mariana Yassuda. Joshi says her experience at the Pan American Youth Chess Championship was insightful and exposed her to a higher level of competition, more seasoned opponents, and a wide learning experience.
With 36 medals for the taking, Team USA took first place, capturing 25 medals, including 11 golds, eight silvers, and six bronzes, while Team Costa Rica won one gold and Team Ecuador won two silver medals.
Team Canada won one silver and two bronze medals.
The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) is pleased with the team effort shown by the players, who displayed their analytical skills, competitiveness, and strategy over the chess board. The time spent over a chess board shows the dedication and love of the game from these young players, some of whom challenged their opponents in three to four-hourlong games. The experience and knowledge gained by the players in this tournament will strengthen their confidence in future competitions, both locally and internationally. FIDE (International Chess Federation) ratings are also up for grabs for some of these players as they would have won against other FIDE-rated players.
The GCF wished to thank the parents for making the trip possible and the head of the Guyana delegation, Archana Joshi for her guidance and leadership.
Guyana’s youth chess team at the Pan Am Championships
Abiola Jackman Ryan Rogers
Shakquain James
Gudakesh Motie is looking forward to his return to the playing XI
Jeremiah Louis sustained an injury during the second Test at Trent Bridge
