Kaieteur News

ExxonMobil’s US$10B 4th oil project set to extract 900 million oil barrels ...already60%complete

of oil would be produced. The Yellowtailprojectisakeyelement in the development of offshore crude production in Guyana, with projections suggesting it will lift the nation’s output above 800,000 barrels per day This substantial increasewouldpositionGuyanaas the world’s largest per capita producerofoil.

ExxonMobil’s fourth development, the Yellowtail project, is approximately 60% completeandisontrackforfirstoil in 2025, according to Greg Hill, Hess Corporation’s President and Chief Operating Officer. Hess is ExxonMobil’s Stabroek Block partner,alongsideCNOOC.

The Yellowtail project’s gross productioncapacityisestimatedat around 250,000 barrels of oil per day Over a 20 year period, approximately 900 million barrels

The Yellowtail development is situatedintheeasternportionofthe Stabroek Block, approximately 200 kilometres from Georgetown and southeast of other projects. It willproduceoilfromtheYellowtail and Redtail reservoirs, discovered in April 2019 and August 2020 respectively. ExxonMobil’s local affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL)gavethegreenlighttothe finalinvestmentdecision(FID)for the Yellowtail project in April 2022. So did its partners. This

decision followed the grant of an environmental permit from the Environmental Protection Agency and a Production License from the MinistryofNaturalResources.The project is anticipated to involve a total development cost of around US$10billion.

TheYellowtailprojectwilljoin Liza Phases One and Two, currently in production, and Payara, expected to commence operations later this year The Yellowtail development plan consistsofsixdrillcentres,drilling up to 67 development wells, including 26 production and 25 injectionwells.TechnipFMCisset toinstallasubseaumbilicals,risers and flowlines (SURF) production system.Thissystemwillconsistof

51 enhanced vertical deepwater trees (EVDT) with associated tooling, as well as 12 manifolds with related controls and tie-in equipment.

Theprojectwillmakeuseofthe ‘ONE GUYANA’ floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO)vessel,contractedbySBM Offshore for processing. ‘ONE GUYANA’willbeSBMOffshore’s 4th unit for Exxon, featuring a newly-built, multi-purpose floater hull from its Fast4Ward® programme. The vessel will be anchored at a water depth of approximately 1,800 metres by an up to 22-point spread mooring anchorsystem.‘ONEGUYANA’is designed to produce 250,000 barrelsperdayofoilandwillhavea

Fire destroys 13 water taxis at Vreed-en-Hoop stelling …Watchman arrested

Thirteen water taxis are destroyed and another six slightly damaged following a fire at the Vreed-en-Hoop stelling around 01:49hrsonTuesdaymorning.

Police have detained a watchman(securityguard)stationed atthestellingforquestioningasthe Guyana Fire Service (GFS) continues its investigation to determinethecauseofthefire

AccordingtotheGFSacrewof

fire fighters from the La Grange Fire Station and another with the firefightingagency’sfireboatwere dispatchedtothescene.

“When firefighters arrived, they discovered several boats on fire”

A total of nineteen boats were

on fire and by the time firefighters wereabletoextinguishtheblaze13 were destroyed while the remaining 6 were slightly damaged.

Police questioned several persons including the watchman who is in custody at the Vreed-en-

HoopPoliceStation.Followingthe investigation,policelearntthatthe firestartedfromthesternoftheone oftheboatsdockedonthesouthern endofthestelling.

Reportedly helped by the breeze the fire began spreading to nearby vessels nearby destroying them.

Meanwhile, some persons are suspectingthatitcouldbeanactof arson.Personsrecalledseeingthick smokecomingfromthebehindthe stelling and after rushing to area discovered that the boats were on fire.

storage capacity of two million barrels of crude oil. In addition, it will provide a gas treatment capacity of 450 million ft³ a day, and water injection capacity of 300,000barrelsperday

The vessel includes features designed to carry out produced watertreatmentfunctionsaswellas oil separation and gas injection. It also comes equipped with a flare tower, safety system, power generation capability, and crude meteringsystem.

Water Taxis on fire

An alarm was raised and boat owners were notified. All of them reportedly immediately rushed to the location but while some were relievedthattheirboatswerebarely damagedothersspokeoftheirloss.

One person posted a photo showing the aftermath of the fire and said, “Look all my parents’ hard-work and sweat all just like thatitgone.Heart-breaking.”

The loss suffered by the boat owners is estimated to be millions of dollars as most of the boats had two 75HP outboard engines. One enginecostsaround$1.4M.

Hess Corporation’s COO, Greg Hill

ExxonMobil’s CEO, DarrenWoods

Printed

Publisher: DR. GLENN LALL - TEL: 624-6456

Editor-In-Chief: NIGEL WILLIAMS

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

EXXONMOBIL’S PEOPLE PROSPERITY, GUYANESE PEOPLE POVERTY

Just look at those compensation numbers for

ExxonMobil’s top people, which are largely from Guyana’srich,cheapoil.

Itisrichinqualityandcheapbythebarrel. Ifthepeople at the top of ExxonMobil’s food chain could rake in so much,itstandstoreasonthatthosebelowthemalsocamein for that extra sweet somethingin their compensation package. While the people at ExxonMobil bask in thesun and have fun from cheap Guyanese oil, Guyanese are hanging by their fingernails to find daily sustenance, and condemnedtopoverty’sgraveyard.

Lookcloseratthosenumbersagain,aspresentedinthe news article titled, ‘ExxonMobil’ executives given salary increases on record-breaking profits’(KN, July 29, 2023). They are more than a nice increase, they are an extravagance,andasizablefractionofthemoneythosetop peopleatExxonMobilarepocketingcomesfromGuyana’s rich,cheapoil. Ouroilistopoflinequality,andisproduced underacontractwithdirtcheapterms,sothesalesandprofit marginsaremuchbiggerthannormalforExxonMobil. Its executivesarecashinginonGuyana’soil,whileGuyanese are stretching out their hands for any help they can get to easetheirgnawinghungerpangs.

First, there is CEO DarrenWoods, whose monthly pay went up by almost GY$1.5 million. It is more than what mostGuyanesemakeinayear,andtheyarethetrueowners of this oil on which ExxonMobil’s people capitalize so handsomely Evenmorespectacularly,Mr Woods’sbonus wentupbymorethan100%,andtothetuneofawhopping US$3.24 million. That is GY$700 million in new bonus rewards for Mr Darren Woods alone. Meanwhile, Guyanese teachers and public servants are waiting around for the measly 7% or thereabouts from the PPPC Government,and pensioners are left to struggle with a GY$5,000(US$20)increasein2023.

Just so that Guyanese get a real understanding of how ExxonMobil is making gold out of our oil wealth, we presentthenewcompensationnumbersforacoupleofother top executives at this mammoth American oil company Ms. Karen Mikells’ salary increased by over 250%, and bonus by over US$2.4 million. Further, the bonus of Mr JackWilliamsflaredupwardsbyoverUS$2.7million,and that of Mr Neil Chapman by US$2.1 million. These oil pirates are collecting by the American millions, but over 90% of Guyanese are not even getting 1% of their annual increaseinbonusamounts.

As we weigh how much these ExxonMobil executives wererewardedbytheirboardofdirectors,(whothemselves, inturn,wouldgettotastethehoneyfromGuyana’soil),it would be interesting to know how fabulously another ExxonMobilexploiterandenforcerdidforhimself. Weare talking about none other than ExxonMobil’s Guyana Country Head, Mr Alistair Routledge. However Mr Routledgemadeout,ithastobewithinareasonablevicinity of those millions doubled for Darren Woods and other plunderersofGuyana’spatrimony

Afterall,heisthenewimperialchiefcrackingthewhip in Guyana, and keeping Guyanese,who are angry and unrulyoverwhattheygetfromthedirtyExxonMobil2016 contract,incheck.

When we think of how ExxonMobil executives help themselvestoouroilriches,withthehelpofcollaborating Guyanese political bigwigs, those compensation increases are not only an abomination, but they are also obscene. ExxonMobil’s people are celebrating, while Guyanese are mourningattheirongoingloss,inthistheirtimeofgreatoil discoveries.

This stark and impoverishing reality of the greatest number of Guyanese is possible because there is one Guyanese leader, who emphasizes “sanctity of contract” andanotherisfearfulaboutinflation,shouldtherebemore togivetoGuyanese.

THE STRUGGLE OF THEAFRICAN GUYANESE FOR RACIAL, SOCIAL ECONOMICAND POLITICALJUSTICE IS REAL

DEAREDITOR,

“Freeatlast.Freeatlast. ThankGodalmighty,weare freeatlast.”Thesewordsare associated with the Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr in his famous 1963 “IHaveADream”speechfor March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In that speechhecalledforciviland economic rights and an end to racism in the United States They are also associated with an African American hymnal and these hymns are often associated withstrugglesforliberation.

185 years ago, it would have marked the first day Africans in the British Empire achieved their freedom based on the EmancipationProclamation. This day came after hundreds of years of oppression and daily resistance to chattel slavery byourancestors.

It is a freedom that did notcomefree.Itisafreedom that we must not only guard zealously but must continue to fight to preserve, deepen and strengthen It is a

freedom that could be reversed if we accept the Emancipation Proclamation isgoodenoughandweneed not do more. Our ancestors were treated as sub-human notasequaltothewhiteman. They were sold as property, on a trade block- men were quartered and whipped for daring to resist and demand they be treated with dignity and respect; women were violated in the cruelest of mannerforputtingupsimilar resistance,andchildrenwere ripped from their parents. Africans. Those were inhumane conditions under which our ancestors lived andtoiledwithoutpay Make no mistake, whereas the chains are no longer around our necks, and Guyana is no longer a slave society, but republican nation, inhumanity, brutality and cruelty are still present, albeitindifferentforms.

The disregard today for thebasicrightsandfreedoms of African national space poses a clear and present threattothefreedomwonon 1stAugust1838,thenation’s

political independence on 26thMay1966,andfullright to self-determination with Republican status on 23rd February1970.

Africans are not in a happy place today.The state oftheAfricanracein2023in Guyana is deserving of individual and national attention. Let’s remember whereitallbegan,whostood to benefit and why it is importantthatwewhotoday are the beneficiary of such support cannot turn our backs on modern day wrongdoings or stay silent. We are duty bound to resist wrongs and advocate and agitate for what is just and fair The Church can no longer remain silent or disengaged from social issues. The struggle of the AfricanGuyaneseforracial, social economic and politicaljusticeisreal.

The constitutional rights to life, work, own property, collective bargaining, freedom of association and protection from being discriminated against on the ground of race are being

attacked.

We are proud and resilient people. Ours is a history of standing up against wrong, regardless of whocommitsitandwhowill benefit from our agitation. Ours is a history of economic, political, cultural and social determination Ours is the ability to overcome and lift others up with up Our is the inalienablerighttobetreated as human beings, with dignityandrespect.

Wemustknowourworth andfearlessnessstandupand demand what’s justly ours. Today I ask of you to join hands with me and crusade acrossthelengthandbreadth ofthiscountrytoadvancethe struggle for equal rights and justicefortheAfricanrace.

Notuntilthisisachieved canwesay-Freeatlast.

Free at last. Thank God almighty we are free at last.

Onthis185thAnniversaryof Emancipation may God continue to give us the strengthtosoldieron.

Regards,

LincolnLewis

GTUC honoursAfricans’ contributions to Guyana’s development

DEAREDITOR,

The Guyana Trades Union Congress joins with all Guyana in celebrating freedom from the world’s most inhumane system and treatment of man towards man As Guyanese mark emancipation of Africans from chattel slavery, in a worldwhereinjusticetoone poses a threat to justice for all, this day is not only a victory and progressive step inrelationsbetweentheonce enslaved and enslaver, but forall.

Freedom from bondage came with it some measures of expected uncertainties, such as what would life be post-slaveryandrelationship betweengroups,wherethere existed a history of dominationandsubjugation, built on unscientific notions ofsuperiorityandinferiority

In that Africans, having given of their labour for centuries, under brutal conditions that deprived them of fundamental rights and decency, were able to

moveofftheplantationsand set up progressive life independent of same, is no smallfeat.

Pooling the pennies acquiredduringthefouryear ofamelioration(1834-1838) and being able from the getgo to use their meagre earnings to buy up plantations,convertingthem to villages, and establishing an indigenous system of government and economy are remarkable These achievements speak of a people possessing of intellect,thoughignoredasa justificationtoenslavethem, andthespiritofcamaraderie and determination to establish a life and succeed independentofasystemthat would have told them they areincapableof.

Outside of laying the topography of coastland Guyana with their lives, blood, sweat and tears, Africans have laid the foundationoftheindigenous system of government, which came to be known as

What has become more obvious to more citizens is that one haslosthismemoryofpreviouspowerfulcommitmentsmade, whiletheotherhasconvertedhimselfintoacorkscrew Somebody is naked in bed with somebody, and it is not rank andfilecitizenssleepingwithExxonMobil.

Local Government, that laid the foundation for National and Regional governments, and a village economy built on the cooperative principles,whichisapartof the nation’s tri-sector economy Africans have contributed to every facet of this nation’s growth and development, giving of the labour and talent in the various sectors, processes and areas of endeavour These achievements and contributions must not only be recounted but must see redoubling of efforts to preserve and motivations to grow from strength to strength.

For emancipation will mean nothing if Africans, whofoughtforandachieved thislandmarkmomentinthe world’s calendar, were to accept or participate in any actionthatwouldthreatenor repeat the domination, marginalisation and oppression their forebears rightfully fought against GTUC therefore takes the

opportunity to remind all freedom is not free; it requires eternal vigilance andcontinuoussacrifices.To theextentwhereAfricansare deprived of equality in the social, cultural, political, civic and economic environment, all out efforts must be made to secure these.Andletitbesaid,inthe p u r s u i t o f s a i d determination,itmustmatter not the identity or diversity of those who suppress or supportthecause.

The only thing that must matter is the cause, for it speaks to and solidifies the inalienable rights of all humankind. To ignore this would be unlike the ancestors who worked with othersinfurtheranceoftheir interests and resisted any who participated in their e n s l a v e m e n t a n d deprivations.

Onward, upward, we musteverygo!

Regards, Guyana Trades Union Congress

Executives at ExxonMobil (not forgetting Mr Routledge) celebratetheirgoodfortune,whileGuyanesegrieveovertheir misfortune. This country is ripe for urgent expressions of its bottled-up passions.

Court India and avoid external engagement with a power that challengesAmerica

DEAREDITOR,

Guyana’s relations with USA and that is also balanced by wise global partnership will shape the destiny of our three quarters million people. For small developing countries like Guyana, geo-political alliance with a far away major power should be avoided if it will incur the wrathofthedominantpower intheregion.

That has been the realpolitik, pragmatism of international relations and foreign (political and economic) policy of a developing country since end of WWII Small economies can’t influence world politics, but international politics can influence and shape their politics.

Small economies don’t make international rules but simply obey them for survival.

Thus, unwise foreign policy alliances could significantly impact our future economic growth, security environment and geopolitical and geo economic interests. That is political realism Every government of a small or economically weak country knows the lessons of political realism if the leaders study or understand international relations stay far from alliances that will challenge the dominance of the power houseoftheregion.

There is no doubt which isthedominantpowerinthe great Caribbean and American region. Several governments of countries in the region, including succeeding governments in Guyana, tried to challenge the mighty USA and paid a hefty price Since the collapseoftheSovietUnion in 1991, the USA has been theworld’sonlysuperpower China,flushwithtrillionsof Americandollarsofsurplus, haschallengedUSA’sglobal influence over the last decade.

The USA has not taken too kindly of being ‘played’ (being taken for a ride) by governments of developing countries and to being challenged. A new kind of Cold War has been boiling withChina.Guyana,located in America’s backyard and with more of her population living in USA than in Guyana itself, has to be cognizantoftheimplications

ofgettingtiedupinthisnew ColdWarortieupswithany challenger of American hegemony Given new realpolitik of an emerging cold war between the US as leaderofwesternpowersand China, Guyana’s interests will be better served in a partnership with the West andorwithalargeemerging economylikeIndia.

India’s national power has increased dramatically, making it a force with international systemshaping capabilities. India has a huge $600 billion surplusandhasbeenoffering generous loans to many countriesincludingGuyana.

In addition, Indian companies have been investing globally including intheUSAandGuyana.

A new assertive India is being courted by western powersandbyAustraliaand Japanforpoliticallystrategic andeconomicreasons.India is being hailed globally as the economic powerhouse for the next couple decades as China has cooled off. Indiahasthehighestgrowth rate among large economies doubling that of USA Instead of seeking alliances with powers in Middle East and those that seek to challenge American hegemony, Guyana should consolidate economic partnershipwithIndiawhich is projected to be the third largest economy before the endofthisdecade.

Its GDP is almost four trillion dollars and it is projected to exceed $5 trillion by end of decade. Modiwantstomakeitan$10 Teconomyby2050.

Guyana and India can work together in newer economic and security areas such as cyber and financial domains as well as in health

and infrastructure. Such a partnership will not irk the USAwhichitselfispursuing trade and security treaties withIndia.

The Indian PM was treated like a rock star in Washington No world leader in America’s recent foreign relations, was given such warm treatment as Modi.

Americahasalsotiedup with India on economic and security fronts. In addition, agreements have been signed on space, health, investment, aviation, and cyber security sectors. The UK, Japan, France, Germany, Australia, and other large economies, taking the lead from USA, havebeencourtingIndiafor security and economic tie ups.

The major economies have recognized that ignoring the global consequences of a rising India’s power is unwise India is now one of US and West’s closest friends, a reversal from a few years ago The U S and the wealthy West want India to be on their side in strategic securityconflicts.

G u y a n a c a n b e Washington’s strategic partnerintheregion.Sowhy courtorhavestrategictieups withpowersthatraisealarm bellsinWashington.

Why not play it safe and build a strong partnership withIndia!AsIndiagrowsas awhole,sowouldGuyanain any tie ups As an illustration, India has built the most highways and rail

networks over the last two decades India has been building one section of our newhighwayinrecordtime.

India has been very successful in reducing poverty by half over the last thirty years from 50 percent in 1991 to twenty percent today Shecanhelpustoreduce poverty rate well below the current 45% estimated by international financial institutions Partnership betweenthetwonationswill serve more of Guyana’s as well as the global good. A new partnership with India, already inextricably linked, will be further strengthened

bythewarmbondsoffamily and friendship that have existed between the peoples of both territories for 175 years.

And as noted above, India is not a threat to but a newfriendoftheWest.

Countries in USA backyard ought not to tie up with any power that the US views as a challenger to its globaldominance.

Contrary to what others maythink,PaxAmericanais not dead. Several leaders in the 1960s thru 1980s made such pronouncements and foundouttheconsequences. As a reminder, without US intervention in 1964, 1992,

2015,and2020,therewould have been no change in government and democracy would have been dead in Guyana Pax Americana secured democracy in G u y a n a i n 2 0 2 0 Nationalistic hubris or officious comments denigrating the American dollarwillnothelpGuyana. Guyana must avoid an external engagement with a powerthatisseenasathreat toAmerica.

Otherwise, it would be a strategic blunder that could see a reversal in democratic gains.

Yoursfaithfully, VishnuBisram

Who is this PPP administration trying to fool?

DEAREDITOR,

As we end the month of July, the Editorial in the State-controlled newspaper andothersimilaroutfitskeep extolling the virtues of the PPP administration with languageintendedtofoolthe people The latest declarationstatesandIquote “ The government’ determination to sustain these initiatives and navigate the evolving economic landscape, h o w e v e r, d e m a n d s continued support from citizens, cooperation from

opposition parties and adaptability in the face of unforeseen circumstances.

Itistimeforallstakeholders to unite behind this vision, for the journey to a better tomorrow is one that must beundertakentogether.”

Who is this PPP administration trying to fool?Together!

You ignore and bypass the GuyanaTeachers Union, Guyana Public Service Union, the Trades Union Congress IPADAG, the Press Association, the Opposition in Parliament,

the Oil and Gas Governance Network andanygroupthat seeks independence and decency

The State controlled media need to go back to school to learn the meaning of the word Together and to understandthattheyhavenot inherited the mantle of the divine rights of kings. This, dearpeopleofGuyana,isthe problem we face in the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

Sincerely,

HamiltonGreen Elder

Let us work together to build a just and fair society where all are treated equally before the law

DEAREDITOR,

The Guyana Public ServiceUnionextendswarm g r e e t i n g s o n t h i s Emancipation Day, to all locally and internationally Emancipation offers an opportunity to reflect on the difficult and untold sufferingsofourforefathers.

It was a long and grueling fight to end the harrowing crime of enslavement which was inflicted on humanity for centuries despite the persistent cries for freedom. Freedom guaranteed the right to live and enjoy a life indignity,andthesecurityto live one’s life according to one’sdreamsandbeliefs.As we continue to reflect let us envision a future of prosperity for all Guyanese as One People, One Nation, One Destiny – with a c o m m i t m e n t f o r development in the interest ofall.Historywouldteachus that Human Slavery was institutionalized long before the year 1080, and several effortsweremadetobanthe slavetradeinEnglandinthe 12th Century when the Ecclesiastical Council of London decreed that ”let no one dare to engage in the infamous business…of selling men like animals”.

However, time progressed, until 1783 when an antislavery movement started.

Despite legislative restrictions on slave trading, slavery itself remained unchallenged and flourished on the sugar plantations of the Caribbean Many African families were captured and sold into slavery during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Barbarism and genocide were the fate of some slaves during this unfortunate period Others endured sickness, starvation, torture and the brutal life sugar plantations offered death was a relief from the sickeningconditions.

The Jamaican rebellion causedtheBritishEmpireto hold an inquiry into the rebellion, which resulted in the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 that became effective on August 1, 1834 throughout the British Empire except a few territories. With the passage of the 1834 Act 800,000 slaveswerefreed,causingan influx of indentured labourers to supplement the plantation’s labour force Under the Act 20-millionpound sterling were paid to s l a v e o w n e r s a s

compensation.

Further, on January 1, 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation by United States President Abraham Lincolntowit:

“…all persons held as slaves shall be forever free and all authority thereof, shall recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons and will do no acts to reprise such persons in any effort they make for their actualfreedom”.

This Proclamation was only effective in the rebellious States during the civilwarwhichliberated3.5 millionslaves.

In2023,189yearslater, there is still the call for Reparative Justice, for restitution to the victims of slaveryortheirdescendants.

The July 2023 Brussels Summit of the European Union and the Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States (CELAC) Declaration10states

“We acknowledge and profoundly regret the untold suffering inflicted on millions of men, women and children as a result of the trans-Atlantic slave trade including the acknowledgment that slavery and the slave trade, including the transatlantic slave trade, were appalling tragedies in the history of humanitynotonlybecauseof their abhorrent barbarism but also in terms of their magnitude, organized nature andespeciallytheirnegation of the essence of the victims, and that slavery and the slave trade are a crime againsthumanity…”.

CELAC referred to the Caribbean Reparation Commission document which outlines the path to conciliation, truth, and justice for the victims of s l a v e r y a n d t h e i r descendants.

In today’s society, the conditions experienced by

the enslaved human capital ofthe16thcenturynolonger existandseveralanti-slavery legislations are inforce to prevent a recurrence

However, that process to emancipationwaslacedwith blood and tears, many have diedtosecurefreedomforall andtherighttobebornfree, to live freely and to enjoy benefits compensatory to efforts.

As we enjoy our lives in freedomwherethechainsof bondage were broken, the shackles loose, let us strive to secure economic freedom as well as prosperity for all. Let us continue the difficult journeyinpursuitofalivable wageforworkers.Socialand economic equality must be attained to bridge the gap betweentherichandthepoor of our country The lack of adequate resources to provide for our needs has created another bondage for the citizens of Guyana Economic freedom remains

elusivefortheworkingclass.

The Guyana Public ServiceUnionadvocatesfor allofustoworktogether,to rid our country of the affliction of economic deprivation and the stranglehold of poverty that continuestogriptheworking class.Letusworktogetherto build a just and fair society where all are treated equally beforethelaw,whereallcan share in the richness of our country’s resources, regardless of our ethnicity, social and economic standing, or geographic origin. This is a Guyana of One People, One Nation, One Destiny We can do better; albeit we must do better to secure a brighter futureasanation.

Letindividual,economic andsocialfreedomreign.

Happy Emancipation Day Regards, Guyana Public Service Union

DEAREDITOR,

TheGuyanaAgricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) once again takes thisopportunitytosaluteour Afro-Guyanesebrothersand sistersacrossthecountryand in the diaspora on the occasion of Emancipation

Day This historic anniversary provides yet another opportune moment to reflect on the sacrifices made by our African

ancestors who were brought to these shores in chains to provide free labour to the sugar planters. Stripped of their humanity and dignity andforcedtotoillonghours, to say that our African ancestors suffered at the hands of the sugar planters w o u l d b e a g r o s s understatement. During that genocidal process, many were tortured and brutally killed for standing up for

their rights In the long march to freedom, many battles were fought, including the Berbice Slave rebellionledbyourNational Hero, Cuffy In the end, the resilient spirit of resistance, demonstratedbyourAfrican ancestors, prevailed and freedom was attained in August 1838 Freed and successful in forging a society, having purchased a number of villages, there

were attempts by the sugar planters to sabotage the slaves’ newly won independence However, their determination for successandpeaceresultedin their triumph. Our African ancestors and their descendants have and continue to make invaluable contributions to the developmentofGuyana.The foundations of our society and economy were firmly laid by them through hard work and commitment to their homeland As our Uniononceagainrecognizes the tremendous sacrifices andtheselflesscontributions African ancestors made to ourmodernsociety,itwishes toreiteratetheimportanceof the principle of racial equality, and a governance mechanism where each and every citizen regardless of race, colour or creed, be givenanequalopportunityto contributetoadvancementof oursociety

Once again, happy Emancipation greetings to all Guyanese, in particular our Afro-Guyanese brothers andsisters.

Sincerely,

Guyana Agricultural andGeneralWorkersUnion (GAWU)

OurAfrican ancestors and their descendants have and continue to make invaluable contributions to the development of Guyana

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EMANCIPATION?

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Yesterday we celebrated Emancipation from slavery.

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Like slavery, Indentureship is also no longer an official practice of foreigners in Guyana, but the reality of the local environment is of so many in the Guyanese population, who exist in a state of serfdom, as if they are still on plantations and estates (and slums), but ones that are national in scale.

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Though the bodies of men and women in Guyana may not be physically trapped in chains, the minds of too many in local society, are too craven in crass prostration before those who come here with a covetous gleam in their eyes for our wealth.

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FordeslamsGovt.movetoimportnurses

Shadow Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Roysdale Forde has called out the Government of Guyana for its failure to improve working condition of local health care providers but is ready to import foreign nurses to fill the shortage in thesystem.

During his last press conference, President Irfaan Ali had disclosed the government’s intention to engage with Cuba to have nursestherehelpfillthevoid here President Ali had highlighted that one of the main issues facing the Caribbean region right now is the outward movement of nursesandhealthworkers.

As such, he noted that there was an engagement in ordertogetCubannursesto come into Guyana’s healthcare system In responsetothismovebythe government, Forde said: “it issettledknowledge,thatthe health of a nation rides high onthehumanresourcesofits

— says locals are being underpaid

healthcare system. Guyana has been spending multibillions of dollars of taxpayers money to train nurses, for decades yet, the President admitted that we arefacingawoefulshortage ofnursesandothertechnical healthstaff.”

He added that according to reports, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is working with below its required strength ofnurses.Fordesaidthatthe health institution is in need ofabout500nursesandthat atthenationallevelthereisa shortage of over 1200 nurses.

Forde noted that the approach by government to address this extremely worrying shortage could only lead to a further diminishednumberofnurses causing a diminution of that important sector of our society Forde highlighted

thatnursesplayasignificant roleinnationalpublichealth care listing the following ways:

(I) National primary healthcare delivery: nurses are often the first point of contact for patients seeking healthcareservices.Theyare trained to provide comprehensive care, including preventive, curative, and rehabilitative services. They play a vital role in delivering primary healthcareservicesinremote and underserved areas, where doctors and specialistsmaybescarce.

(ii) Health awareness and education: nurses are well positioned to educate i n d i v i d u a l s a n d communities on preventive measures such as personal hygiene, nutrition, immunization, and family planning Through their skills, they empower

individuals to take responsibility for their own healthandpreventthespread ofdiseases.

(iii) Disease prevention and control: well- trained nurses contribute to the surveillance, prevention, and control of diseases in localcommunities.Theyare trained to recognise public health threats, record and report infection diseases, and put in place effective infection control measures. Thishelpspreventoutbreaks and ensures the timely and efficient management of potentialhealthcrises.

(iv) Maternal and child healthcare: nurses work to promote safe childbirth, delivering prenatal and postnatal care, and assisting new mothers. They assist with the well-being of both mothers and babies by carefully observing their

Shadow Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Roysdale Forde

health, administering vaccinations, and providing guidanceonearlychildhood development.

(v) No-communicable disease management: in developing countries, like Guyana, challenges and problems associated with of non-communicable,suchas diabetes and hypertension, are steadily increasing Trained nurses do work as primary healthcare

providers in managing these conditions, educating p a t i e n t s o n s e l fmanagement techniques, and facilitating access to appropriate healthcare resources.

(vi) Collaborative care: nurses often work closely with doctors, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals and technical s t a f f t o p r o m o t e comprehensive patient care. Theircontributionsinmultidisciplinary teams help improve health outcomes and increase the efficiency of healthcare delivery systemsinresources-limited settings Forde said the governmenthasalwaysbeen aware of the challenges to the national healthcare system. He added that the significance and effects of the migration of health workers have been carefully studied by Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO).

Essential health services continue to face significant disruptions three years into pandemic: PAHOregionalreport

The Director of the PanAmerican Health Organization (PAHO), Dr Jarbas Barbosa, calledoncountriesoftheAmericastomaintain investments in health, promote innovation in primary care with a focus on digital technologies, and move from theory to practice through specific policies to overcome challenges in access to health services.

“AtPAHOweviewPrimaryhealthcareas astrategicapproachthataddressestheneedsof people where they live Our strategy for the expansion of primary health care in the 21st Century is critical to address barriers in access, ensuring continuity in the provision of health services,” Dr Barbosa” said at the opening of the virtual event “Strategies to ensureaccesstohealthservices:overcoming barriersandguaranteeingcontinuity”.

Two PAHO regional reports on essential health services were presented during the meeting, providing a deeper insight into the wide range of factors that act as barriers to access to primary health care, while taking into account the specific characteristics and needsofterritoriesandpopulations.

PAHO analysis reveals that, three years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, disruptionstoessentialhealthservicesremain asignificantchallengeinmultiplecountriesof the Americas. In this context, a profound transformation is needed to improve health system response and to close gaps in access and availability of human resources, infrastructure, supplies, equipment and financing.

The first report ‘Analyze and Overcome theAccess Barriers to Strengthening Primary Health Care’, presents the results of the collaborationbetweenPAHOanditsMember States to examine ways to address access barrierstoprimaryhealthcareandformulate

innovative policies to reduce and eliminate them,withparticularemphasisonvulnerable populations.

Thesecond,‘[Fourthroundofthenational survey on the continuity of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic’, presents the results of national surveys on essential health services during the pandemic.Itprovidesanoverviewonhealth systemdisruptionsandanalysesdatapatterns from the 17 countries and territories that participated.

“Even before the pandemic began, we facedunequalaccessandavarietyofbarriers which prevented us from achieving true equality,”Dr Barbosasaid PriortoCOVID19,approximately29.3%ofthepopulationin the Americas had unmet health needs, affectingsome295millionpeople.”

Both reports concur that the arrival of the pandemic significantly intensified these barriers,resultingindisruptionstobothsupply anddemandofessentialhealthservices.This reversed the progress made over the past 20 years towards universal access to health and universal coverage in the Region of the Americas.

“Primaryhealthcareiskeytoovercoming thesechallenges Itisthelifebloodofresilient healthsystemsanduniversalhealthandkeyto ensuringbetterpreparednessforfuturecrises andgreaterequityinhealthservices.Itisalso fundamentaltoreversingpandemictrendsin maternalandchildmortalityrates,increasing immunization coverage and accelerating the elimination of communicable diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria,” Dr Barbosaremarked.

Today’s event is the first in a series of webinars on primary health care that will discuss strategies to ensure access to health servicesintheregion

THERE IS NO REASON TO DESPAIR

Onthesurface,therecent Day of Standstill, called by the publisher of this newspaper, may have appeared to be an abysmal failure Admittedly, there was a disappointing responsefromthepublic.

Thisledonelawyer,who has often adopted positions supportive of the PPPC government, to ridicule the call for a Day of Standstill He however is too young to recall that during the struggle for free and fair elections, the PPP did support calls, on more than one occasion, for Days of Rest These Days of Rest petered out no differently from that of Monday’s Day ofStandstill.

Anditwasnotbecauseof the lack of support for such calls Rather the poor responsehasoftentodowith the fact that Guyanese then, as today, were scrambling for their daily bread and cannot afford to not work, especially considering the number of holidays which amount to unpaid labour for theself-employed.

The lack of a larger responsetothecallforaDay of Standstill should not be confused with a lack of public support for such a call. But perhaps that logic may also be difficult for the lawyertograsp.

The Day of Standstill and the Long Walk undertaken by Ray Daggers have helped to re-legitimize peaceful protests Such protestshavebeenmarredin the past when they descended into violence, as for example during the protests against a police

killing of man at Golden Grove.

Days of Standstill were used by both Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King as part of their civil resistance. It is therefore a tried and tested method of peacefulprotestwhichneeds time and repetition to gain tractioninourcountry

Glenn Lall has never askedanyonetodoanything thathehimselfwouldnotdo. Hemadeagreatsacrificeon thatdaylosingrevenuefrom his radio and newspaper, including advertising and sales revenues. He took a standandhisstaffsupported him.

Others took a stand and stayed at home Other refrained from making purchases on that day However, like in the past when the PPP supported Days of Rest, the numbers who were not sufficient to createastandstill.

But great movements have started small. Both the movementforIndependence inIndiaandtheCivilRights Movement in the USA had inauspicious beginnings. The small numbers of personswhostayawayfrom work last Monday have showed their personal commitmenttochange.That commitment, under the rights conditions, can be infectious.

The race for economic justiceisnotfortheswiftbut rather for those who can endure to the end. And the struggle for a better deal for Guyana will continue using peaceful means of civil resistance.

Theprimaryobjectiveof

Dem Boys Seh...

theDayofStandstillwasto protest foreign exploitation of our country’s valuable resources on unfair terms. While it is admitted that the public response was not as overwhelming as expected, it would be a mistake to dismiss the day as a completefailure.Instead,we musttakeacloserlookatthe underlying reasons for the poorresponse.

One of the most significant challenges faced by those who fought for Guyana’s political independence was helping people understand the need to take a stand and how foreign exploitation affects them Unfortunately, this connection remains elusive formanycitizenstoday

The Day of Standstill provided an opportunity to begin bridging this gap and helping people to come to appreciate why Guyana will never become a prosperous nation with a 2% royalty, 12.% profit-sharing, a 75% cap on expenses, no ringfencing and unknown interestontheoilcompanies investments.

The day allowed for an assessment of the public militancy on the oil and gas sector. I am sure that if the DayofStandstillwascalled 2 months earlier and for an entirely different reason, namely protesting the Mahdiatragedy,therewould havebeenagreaterresponse. However, when it comes to theoilandgasindustry,there is a need for much greater public engagement and publiceducation.

More work has to be done by those who want to

LINING UP - A LOST ART IN GUYANA

It seems we gat ourselves a national pastime: boring lines and creating chaos. Whetherisdemtrafficlinesonderoadsor de line in dem supermarket, Guyanese losingdisciplineandyuhdoesalwaysfind peopletryingfuhboredeline.

Itmekdemboyswanttocallforareturn ofdedaysofGUYLINES.Indemdaysyuh justhadtoseealineandyuhdoesjoinitand askwahitwasfuhafterwards.Everything was in short supply So any line had to be worthjoining.

Yuhhadtolineupfuhcookingoil,line up fuh cooking gas. Line up fuh illegal bread. Yuh does line uo overnight fuh lil gasoline Line up fuh Dunlop yachting shoes.Wasalinefuheverything.Yuheven used to have to join line fuh change yuh salarycheque.

Is all dem GUYLINES wah teach Guyanesediscipline.Indemdays,yuhnah gatnobodyboringnoline.Andyuhnahgat

nobody keep space fuh dem friend. To do any of dem two things is to lead to nuff quarreling.And deh does gat some people in dem line wah yuh don’t want quarrel with.

Dem days when we all knew how to keep a straight line, shoulder to shoulder, lookinglikeawell-trainedarmybattalion. But nowadays, yuh does gat people see a line in a supermarket and does just come and juk themselves in. And dem does be barefacedtolookyouintheeyeandifdem nahdonothingwrong.

Andwhenyuhdehdrivingpunderoad, yuh always gat one of two vehicles trying fuh squeeze in. And dat now become de normalthing.Sowegattolearnofforming andstayinginlines.

Let’sbringbackthenostalgiaoforderly queues and teach de present generation aboutdedisciplineofliningup.

TalkHalf!LeffHalf!

secure a better deal. No mobilization was done for the Day of Standstill No one went out to speak to those in the transportation sector or to the market vendors or to the farmers or store owners. People were left to make their own choice.Goingforward,there has to be greater mobilization.

Different groups and individuals in society have differentreasonsforwanting a better deal. Some, like Glenn Lall, want a renegotiationofthetermsof contracts in the mining sector Others want to see greater protection for the environment.Othershavean interest in greater

transparency. And still others question how the revenues from mining are sharedamongthepeople.

Thesevariousgroupsare all operating almost separately Whatisneededis to bring them together for a single protest. Each of these groups have their own constituencies and even though these may be small, when combined together, theycanhaveasnowballing effect.

The struggle for economic justice has never been easy It often pits the poor and powerless against themightoftherichandtheir backers in the government. But we must learn from history and learn to fight on

despitethedisappointments.

Glenn Lall is certainly not disappointed. He took a stand and stayed home, and had the support of the Kaieteur family and others acrossGuyana.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s affiliates.)

GHK LALL

PPP GOVT. - THREE YEARS OF THE COMMERCIAL, THREE YEARS OF THE MALARIAL

What have Guyanese had for the last three years underthePPPGovernment?

What has President Ali and VP Jagdeo presented that comforts all citizens? How do global presences assess

Guyana? Where are Guyaneseamidthegleamof galloping events? How do they manage, reconcile, wheretheyshouldbe?

AskthePresidentandhe willwaxlavishaboutroads, clinics,schools,andmore.It is so, and citizensuse them; that counts for something. Theissuestillnotaddressed, is how our unemployed, underemployed, unskilled, retired and poor cope? The symphony of being the richestoverwhelmsallother sounds. But I identify

minimum wage workers, public servants, incomestrapped (pensioners et al), and bottom feeders, they qualify for neither ‘highincome’norrichinanything. Even hope dims. Amid the array of infrastructure projects,theylanguish. Itis the equivalent of giving a hungrymanashinysuit. Or presenting a woman with evening gowns when her home is lacking. The fuel, or the means for fuel, is not there. Thanks, Dr Ali, but this is the reality of the majority of the citizenry I would have recommended fewer public works, and more government relief money where it is most needed. Some expensive projects could have waited.

More than some of the hungry and struggling peoplelifted. Inodatcash, subsidies, and such: too little, too imbalanced in comparisontosteel,cement, and structures Dr President, I am talking people here; people right here under the PPP’s threeyear watch that are hurting. Guyanese are the richest in theworld,butmanyhustleto grab any dollar-a-day job theycanget. OurGDPisan incomparable beauty, yet too many Guyanese survive indailyagony Thisreality, Dr. President, is the legacy ofthelastthreeyears,andall the building in the world doesn’t ease their pain. Povertyameliorationshould b e d i s c a r d e d

F u h g e d d a b o u d i t ! Respectfully, commander, try poverty elimination Can be done. Right now Sleeponthat,sir Inhisown words, VP Jagdeo spoke about “better contract management.” Ihear,agree, sire. Yet,thelastthreeyears have seen better protection forExxon,betterclearances for Exxon, better prospects for Exxon, and better in termsofunlimitedpowerfor Exxon I congratulate brotherBharratE.Jagdeoon his wisdom, energies, and results relative to better contract management. I could be wrong, but my thinking re “better contract management”hastodowith money. Squeezingmoreout of Exxon for Guyana Focusing on savings that could be had for Guyana. Sharing with Guyanese, so that they can participate in thismystical“bettercontract management” vision I stretch my hand out to brotherBarry Trythesefor size,please,sinceacatcould beskinnedmanyway;since renegotiationiskissofdeath in Guyana’s politics. Better contractmanagementmeans lettingGuyanesebeprivyto the billions in expenses that Exxon submits. A few billion could be entangled and straightening those out could mean a few dollars moreforus. Bettercontract management means that GuyaneseknowwhatExxon charges us for interests on loans taken, or equity invested. Itcannotbe10%, not even 8%, not when interest rates were where

theywere. Therecould be a couple billion there. And, please, Dr J, don’t try walking on airliketherealDr J(Irving) with dissertations and distractions about investor returns. Too slick, doesn’t stick Better contract management would call for audit reports, all oil reports, beingpublicized. Guyanese wouldappreciatehowmany millions have questions

surrounding them Awareness would come of the quality of the GuyanaExxonpartnership. Idonot mean to insult friar Alistair or brother Barry, but mistakes happen when big moneyisinvolved.

Better contract management means that brother Jagdeo suddenly findsthathistimeisrequired elsewhere, so there is less time for new project approvals. TheVPmaytrya fastone,bypretendingtobe dense, but I know that he understands what I table. I trysomeYankeelingo.Time is money Slowed project approvals leads to Exxon raising a sweat, triggering corporate hypertension, perhapsfindingGod. There are ways to tie a cobra to a firehydrant. Putdifferently, Messrs Woods and Routledge become enlightened. Bettercontract managementcanhaveteeth. Itmustnotbealltongue;an unsanitaryone,toboot.

To reinforce my Americanism, Guyanese patriotism, and PPP credentialism, all should note that the ‘r’ word is

unmentioned. Itisnotrace. Think of a six-syllable ‘r’ wordendinginion;oraverb stoppingafterate. Ipushfor no such thing, when “better contract management” Dr Jagdeo’sownwordsprevail. From expenses, interest, audits, slower approvals, Guyana could get at least US$5 billion more, maybeUS$10 Another thing, brothers Ali and Jagdeo: using 2015 and the PNC lacks comparison, when today’s money cup gushes, overflows. Good politics, great PR, bad leadership.

I hope Guyanese now appreciate why leaders get upset with writings, presentations. IfDr Jagdeo had worked his “better contractmanagement”more f i r m l y, h o n e s t l y, patriotically, Guyana would havegottenbillionsmorein the last three years. Last, President Ali would have had more to spend on strugglingGuyanese.

Not on projects that corrupt, but on Guyanese hurting.

Notwithstanding their bright smiles and brighter words, this is the ugly story of their wasting of the past threeyears.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s affiliates.)

Trump charged in federal election probe, his third criminal indictment

Aljazeera - Former United States President, DonaldTrumpfaceshisthird criminal indictment in four months, this time stemming from a federal investigation into his alleged attempts to interfere with the results of the2020election

The 45-page indictment wasfiledinWashington,DC, by Special Counsel, Jack Smith, who has led investigationsintotheformer presidentonbehalfoftheUS DepartmentofJustice

The former president has beenaccusedofattemptingto overturnhislosstoDemocrat JoeBideninthe2020race

“Despite having lost, the Defendantwasdeterminedto remain in power,” the indictment reads. “So for more than two months following election day on November 3, 2020, the Defendant spread lies that there had been outcomedeterminative fraud in the election and that he had actuallywon.”

While the indictment affirms Trump’s right to free speech, it claims the former president “pursued unlawful means of discounting

legitimate votes and subverting the election results”

Those efforts included pressurecampaignsonswing states and their election officials to reverse Biden’s victory

Tuesday’s charges include one count of conspiracytodefraudtheUS, one count of conspiracy against rights, one count of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, and one count of obstructing an officialproceeding

T h e i n d i c t m e n t specificallycitestheeventsof January 6, 2021, which saw Trump supporters storm the US Capitol in a deadly attempt to disrupt the certification of the election results.

“The attack on our nation’scapitalonJanuary6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of Americandemocracy,”Smith said in a brief media appearance, approximately threeminuteslong

“As described in the indictment, it was fuelled by lies, lies by the defendant targetted at obstructing a

bedrock function of the US government: the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.”

The former president has been summoned to appear beforeafederaldistrictcourt onAugust3 Sixunnamedcoconspirators were also included in the indictment, oneofwhomisbelievedtobe RudyGiuliani,whoservedon Trump’slegalteam.

“Our investigation of other individuals continues,” Smith said “In this case, my officewillseekaspeedytrial, so that our evidence can be testedincourtandjudgedbya juryofcitizens”

Trump a Republican frontrunner in the 2024 presidentialrace teasedthe newsearlierinthedayonhis Truth Social platform, as he haswithearlierindictments

“I hear that Deranged Jack Smith, in order to interferewiththePresidential Election of 2024, will be putting out yet another Fake Indictment of your favorite President,”hewrote

“Why didn’t they do this 25 years ago?Why did they

wait so long? Because they wanted to put it right in the middle of my campaign ProsecutorialMisconduct!”

He later posted a statementfromhiscampaign, calling the indictment “the latest corrupt chapter in the continuedpatheticattemptby the Biden Crime Family and theirweaponizedDepartment ofJusticetointerferewiththe 2024election”.

Tuesday’s indictment is thelatestlegalwoeinalitany of cases and investigations

Trumpalreadyfaces

In April, he became the first US president, current or former, to face a criminal indictment when Manhattan DistrictAttorneyAlvinBragg filed 34 state-level charges against him for falsifying businessrecords.

That case pertained to a hush-money payment made to an adult film star during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Then, in June, Special Counsel Smith filed 37 federal charges alleging that

Trump and his valet, Walt Nauta,attemptedtoretainand concealclassifieddocuments at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, despite requests to surrenderthemtotheFederal Bureau of Investigation and theNationalArchives.

That indictment was expandedjustlastweekwith additional counts against Trump, bringing the total to 40 It also named an additional defendant in the classified documents case: property manager Carlos de Oliveira

AgrandjuryinGeorgiais also considering state-level charges in a similar investigation into 2020

President Mohamed IrfaanAli on Tuesday promised that his government will not marginalize Afro-Guyanese The President was at the time delivering his EmancipationDay2023message.

“The greatest tribute we can pay to the struggles and sacrifices ofAfrican Guyanese is to build a free, prosperous and more inclusive nation. In this regard, I want to assure all African Guyanese that my government is wholeheartedly committed to ensuring that they will never be politically or economically marginalized,”Alisaid.

GuyanacelebratedEmancipationDayon Tuesday, an annual celebration to celebrate theabolishmentofslaveryin1838.

Africans were brought to Guyana and forced to work on sugar plantations and followingtheendofslavery,theycontributed significantly towards the development of Guyana.

However, the main opposition A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) has said thatAfro-Guyanesearebeingsidelinedwhen it comes to getting contracts from the governmentaswellashighpaidjobs.

President Ali has debunked the allegations and said the statements by the opposition are aimed at creating division amongthetwomostdominantethnicgroups inthecountry,EastIndiansandAfricans.

election meddling That investigation was announced after an audio recording emerged of a phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, wherein he pushed the election official to“find”himextravotes.

“There’s nothing wrong with saying that, you know, that you’ve recalculated,” Trump told Raffensperger during the call Prosecutor FaniWillis has indicated she intends to bring any charges fromthatinvestigationbefore September1

Trump has denied wrongdoing in all of the casesagainsthim.

In his Emancipation Day message, the Presidentsaidheisawareofforcesinsideand outside of Guyana, who for selfish reasons, continuetostrikedivisionandengenderfear, mistrustandsuspicion.

“As I have done in the past, I want to encourage Guyanese to continue to reject these attempts and expose the agitators of disunity and fear-mongering who threaten our nation’s cohesion and progress,” the presidentstated.

AccordingPresidentAli,“Noonewillbe left behind” including Afro-Guyanese “African Guyanese will share in the bounty that will flow from Guyana’s transformative development now and in the future. They, along with all others, will have a stake in national development and in the governance ofourcountry,”theHeadofStatesaid.

Afro-Guyanesewillnotbepolitically, economicallymarginalized–Pres.Ali

President Mohamed Irfaan Ali

A grand jury has charged the Republican leader with obstruction, conspiracy, in attempt to undo 2020 election loss.

Special Counsel, Jack Smith has announced the unsealing of a second federal indictment against Donald Trump at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC [Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo]

Oil companies‘stealing’GRA trained auditors with big $$$ - Statia tells Parliamentary Committee

As petroleum activities ramp up in Guyana, a key unit established by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to review the expenses of oil companies operating in the country is p r e s e n t l y g r o s s l y understaffed, with the agency anticipating that the gap will plugged in a few years’time.

Thistroublingrevelation was made during the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting on Monday by the Commissioner General, GodfreyStatia.

The tax chief was at the time responding to a question from Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill on the adequacy of the personnel to monitor Guyana’s oil and gas operations.

To this end, the Commissioner General explained that the agency is presentlyunderstaffedinthis department, with 31 on roll but 65 persons required for thejob.

According to him, “we do not have the full complementof staff.We are working assiduously to get thefullcomplementofstaff. We have even pulled some staff from other Ministries, but as we know we have a paucity of skills in Guyana. Wehaveevenincreasedpay for persons in that capacity for them not to leave but whatwe haveseenis thatas wetrainstaffwelosestaff.”

Statia said that the

trained workers are being lured with higher salaries from the oil companies and theircontractors.Infact,five persons trained within the past year alone have been stolenbytheoilcompanies.

He said, “A couple of them were actually snapped up by CNOOC whereby theirsalariesisactuallyway more than mine and my officers and a couple by Exxonandwehaveevenlost onetoSchlumberger.”

The Commissioner General indicated that GRA is presently operating with lessthanhalfoftherequired complement with the Cost Recovery Unit lacking most of the manpower needed to conduct reviews of the petroleumcompanies.

Presently, two audits of the Stabroek Block oil and gas activities are outstanding. The first audit was awarded since 2019 for a review of ExxonMobil’s US$1 6 billion expenses between 1999 and 2017. Meanwhile, another audit that was signed in 2022 for the oil company’s US$7.3 billion expenditure, racked upbetween2018and2020is yettobefinalized.

Statia said he has been appealing to the employees’ patriotism, rather than force theworkerstoremainonthe job, since he believes “you have to love your work and you have to love what you do”.Additionally,hesaidhe believes that GRA employees are privy to the

best working conditions and insomecasesdoublesalaries comparedtotheotherpublic servantsatthesamelevel.

RAMPEDUP PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES

With the ramping up of offshore oil and gas activities, the GRAhas seen an increased presence of petroleum operators and contractors, with the agency stilltryingtocatchup.

In 2019, Statia said the agency had 15 trained personnelinthisdepartment; howeverithasnowgrownto 31, with at least 34 more employees needed Back then, 121 petroleum companieswereoperatingin the country, however it has now increased to more than 350, with this number also stillclimbing.

In the meantime, the Commissioner General said GRA has been conducting

210modernyoungprofessional homesunderwayatLBI,ECD

The government has commenced the construction of 210 young professional homes at the La Bonne Intention (LBI) HousingScheme,EastCoastDemerara.

The homes come in two styles % the single flat unit (bungalow) and the twostorey, similar to those constructed at ProspectandProvidenceontheEastBankof Demerara. Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues said over100single-flatunitsand100two-storey unitsarebeingconstructed.

Shedisclosedthattheconstructionofthe homes is progressing smoothly, emphasising that the project is part of the government’s affordable housing programme, which allows individuals the opportunity to own homes in wholesome communities.

“By constructing homes within these communities, people will move in faster…So,thatwillhelpwiththeoverall planthatwehave,tohelppeopletomove into communities and to occupy these areas faster,” Minister Rodrigues told the DepartmentofPublicInformation(DPI)in

arecentinterview

Additionally,theministerstatedthatthe government is also looking to construct homes targeting low-income earners along the East Coast. Efforts are underway to identify a suitable area for the housing project. “We want to do a similar type of development like we have at Diamond, where we have about 250 low-income homes…Ithinkit’snecessaryhereonthe EastCoast,”sheexplained.

Minister Rodrigues reiterated that these initiatives will increase occupancy in housingdevelopments,aswellasencourage individualswhowereallocatedhouselotsin thecommunitiestooccupytheirlands.

As part of the government’s turn-key initiative, over 1,500 homes are currently under construction in communities including LBI, Providence, Prospect, Great

Ordnance/Fortlands, and Amelia’s Ward. These homes are at different stages of completion,withsomealreadyhandedover tofamilies.(DPI)

“selective audits” with the tax body concentrating its efforts on clawing back the largest return. In addition to that,hesaid,“Wehavetouse external accountants to do the cost recovery audit and we work along with them and we utilize their analysis andtheirfindingstoguideus in our examination and review of the accounts that would have been submitted bytheoilandgasplayers.”

Statia said if his entire staff compliment were to be trained, they would be able to function in the Cost RecoveryUnit;howeverthis wouldtakeafewyears’time.

Thetaxchiefwaskeento note,“Oilandgastrainingis atechnicalaspectoftaxation and you do not meet that

l e v e l a l m o s t immediately...anytime I see an oil and gas file there are lots of things that are not beingdealtwith...weneedto look specifically for some specific transactions where youwouldfindalotofprofit shifting and transfer pricing between the related companiesintheoilandgas industry.”

Consequently,Statiasaid the GRA will require the needof“outsidehelp”which thecompanyhassofarbeen utilizing with the audit of costoil.

The revelations made by thetaxboss asitregardsthe limited human resource in this critical agency would spark further concerns among Guyanese who have

beencallingonGovernment to implement a depletion policy for its newfound resources. This plan could possibly, among other things, address the prevailing challenges being faced by the Revenue Authority

Initsbidtofasttrackthe oil and gas sector however, Government last year launched its maiden bid roundfor14ofitsoilblocks. Thiswillundoubtedlyaddto the already strained tax authority

FOREIGNERS

CRIPPLINGGUYANA

M e a n w h i l e , t h e Publisher of this newspaper, Mr Glenn Lall in a public comment articulated the view that foreigners are crippling Guyana by not only exploiting the nation’s wealthbutbybuyingoutthe individualshiredtolookout forthecountry’sinterest. Hesaid,“Ihavetoldyou people before, the oil companies have bought out many of the media houses along with some of the best journalists. They buy over andbuyoutsomeofthebest law firms already in this country They bought out some of the best accounting and auditing firms. They buy out some of the best professionalsinevery

Continuedonpage29

Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs meeting with the BVI delegation

BVItradedelegation seekingcloserties

A16-member delegation from the British Virgin Islands is in Guyana to explore trade, investment and enhanced cooperation with Guyana.

The BVI team is led by the Hon. Lorna Smith, Deputy Premier and Minister for Financial Services, Labour and Trade, Government of the BritishVirgin Islands, the Department of Public Information said in a release

The private representatives are pursuing investment opportunities in agriculture, financial services and tourism This morning theDeputyPremierandMinisterforFinancial Services, Labour and Trade, Government of the British Virgin Islands along with the Ms

PetronaDavies,PermanentSecretary,Minister for Financial Services, Labour andTrade, Dr Hon Karl Dawson, Junior Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries met with Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud at the Ministry of ForeignAffairs.

Mr. Persaud in the meeting outlined government’s interest in facilitating investment and closer trade ties He further updatedthedelegationondevelopmentsinthe countryandthevisionofthePresidentforthe continued transformation of the country The DeputyPremiernotedthatGuyanaandtheBVI cancollaborateonanumberofareasdrawing oneachother’sexperienceandpotential BVI ishometoalargeGuyanesediaspora

Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority, Godfrey Statia (second from left) along with other senior representatives of the agency present during Monday’s PAC

Guyanaisthegoldenticket to fast track oil production

–Hessbosstellsshareholders

Map showing the Stabroek Block Offshore Guyana

Bicyclebanditsroband killGuyanesere-migrant

A Guyanese re-migrant, who returned from neighbouring Venezuela two months ago, was on Saturday night killed by bicycle bandits.

Dead is Fazal Khan better known as ‘Chris’.

Khan and his colleague from work were reportedly pounced on by bicycle bandits at the corner of Regent and Wellington Streets, Georgetown.The two men just had left their workplace and went to that location to purchaseChinesefood.

Khan’s relatives told Kaieteur News that after robbing the men, the bicycle bandits turned back and stabbed Khan four times beforefleeingthescene.

The injured man was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC)butlatersuccumbedwhilereceiving treatment.

Guyana’sStabroekBlock has proven to be the golden ticket for Hess Corporation, as the company recently reported that the offshore assetisprojectedtopropelits profitmarginwithastunning annual growth rate of over 10%

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), John Hess, unveiled the massive potential of the Stabroek Block during the company’s 2023secondquarterearnings call, revealing plans to tap into an astonishing 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent resources

Additionally, the licence awarded to Stabroek Block operator, ExxonMobil Corporation, to drill 35 new wellsby2028issettofurther bolstertheirposition

The strategic partnership w i t h E x x o n M o b i l Corporation,alongwithother key stakeholders like CNOOC Petroleum Limited

Guyana, has been instrumental in realizing this remarkable achievement With more than 30 discoveries made on the StabroekBlock,thepotential forexplorationisvast,setting

the stage for a production capacity of over 12 million barrelsofoilperdayfromsix floating production, storage, and offloading vessels (FPSOs)by2027

Importantly, Guyana remains the lynchpin of Hess’s ambitious growth strategy, and the projected development of projects like Payara, Yellowtail, and Uaru are expected lead to a combined production of 500,000 barrels per day by 2026 Thelowcostofsupply, particularly in Guyana with breakevens ranging from US$25 to US$35 per barrel Brent, further solidifies Hess’s strong position in the market

Despite a slight dip in profits for the second quarter of 2023, Hess’s assets in GuyanaandtheBakken,USA proved to be a lifesaver, delivering higher production volumes and helping to cushion the impact Net productionfromtheStabroek Block, including the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity FPSOs, soared to impressive levels, and the outlook for 2023ispromising

With a clear focus on

responsibleproduction,Hess said it is set to continue its successful trajectory Investments in Guyana and theBakkenarealsoboundto pay off handsomely, as the company strives to deliver leading cash flow growth and exceptional financial r e t u r n s f o r t h e i r shareholders, all while contributingtoglobalenergy needs.

Since 2015, Guyana’s Stabroek Block has indeed emerged as a game-changer for Hess Corporation, catapultingitsprofitmarginin record time and setting the stage for impressive annual growth As the partnership w i t h E x x o n M o b i l Corporation and other key stakeholderscontinuestobear fruit,themassivepotentialof 11 billion barrels of oil equivalentresourceshasbeen unlocked, firmly establishing Guyana as the key to Hess’s robust performance strategy With exciting projects in the pipeline, including the Payara,Yellowtail,andUaru, Guyana’s contribution to the company’ssuccessstoryisset toremainattheforefrontofits achievements

Mocha teen drowns during creek outing with friends

A 17-year-old resident of Mocha, East Bank Demerara (EBD) reportedly drowned on Saturday at Chanta Creek, Soesdyke LindenHighwaywhileoutwithfriends.

DeadisMylesMunroe.

Police reported that on Saturday Munroe and a group of friends went to the creek at about 13:00h. The reports are that after spending sometime Munroe’s peers noted thathewasnowheretobeseen.Analarmwas raised and his friends, along with wellwishersformedasearchparty.

It was during the search for the teen that his motionless body was found in the water. Police disclosed that no marks of violence wereevidentonMunroe’sbody Hisbodywas thentakentotheDiamondDiagnosticCenter, wherehewaspronounceddeadonarrival.

From there Munroe’s body was taken to

Dead: Myles Munroe

Relativesallegedthatthehospitalfailedto inform the police immediately about Khan’s injury and believe that this may impact the investigation.

Khan was a tailor by profession and had lived in Venezuela for some 40 years. He recently returned to Guyana to work. Only two weeks ago he acquired some cash to purchase a sewing machine so that he could monetizehisskillsandtakecareofhisfamily

PopulardancehallartistesDemarco,Gaza Slim and Pumpatte will be performing in Guyana on August 5, 2023 at the Summer FestReloadscheduledfortheNationalPark, Georgetown.

According to Elite Production, promoter of the show, the highly anticipated event promises to be an unforgettable night of thrillingperformances.

Demarco, the Jamaican dancehall artiste behind chart-topping hits like “I Love My Life”and“PuppyTail”bringshiscaptivating charisma and distinctive style to the stage, promisingtohaveeveryoneontheirfeetand movingtotherhythm.

JoiningDemarcoisGazaSlim,renowned for her soulful vocals and impressive range. Best known for her collaborations with the legendary Vybz Kartel, Gaza Slim’s performanceissettobeatrulymesmerizing experienceforallthoseinattendance.

The promoter said too that Pumpatte, a rising star in the genre known for her sassy lyrics and dynamic stage presence, will also

takethestage.Sheisexpectedtobeltouther “IDon’tCare”songamongothers.

Pumpatte’s performance promises to bringfreshandpowerfulfemaleenergytothe summer show, Elite Production said while notingthattheSummerFestpromisestooffer patrons an “unforgettable night of dancehall music, showcasing the incredible talents of Demarco,Pumpatte,andGazaSlim”.

Guyaneseartistes,LilMillionandHamza willalsoperform.

Ticketsforthesummershowareavailable nowat: WhiteCastleFishShop,RajJewelry - Giftland Mall & Movie Town, Hard Rock Cabs - 110 Prospect Park -East Bank Demerara and 96.1 FM/Channel 9. Tickets are$3000(regular)and$10,000(VIP).

The show is sponsored by Team Mohameds, Skysport Homes, Raj Jewelery, 96.1FM, Stag and Mackeson Beer, Clear Waters and Clarity Trading. Show starts at 8:30PM.

For more information, please contact: ZandraLallat629-0359.

Murdered: Fazal Khan

theMemorialFuneralHome,whereitawaits apost-mortemexamination. Investigationsareongoing.

Spending oil revenues wildly guaranteed to steer Guyana off pathway of transformative development -Economistwarns

Guyana, with its rapidly increasing oil production, is settoexperienceremarkable economic growth, projected to rise by approximately 30 percent annually during the period2023-2026.

This was outlined in the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) 2022 Article IV Consultation Report

That very document also indicates that the nation’s commercially recoverable petroleum reserves are expected to surpass 11 billion barrels, placing Guyana among the highest per capita levels of oil reservesintheworld.

While this boom in oil wealth presents a transformative opportunity f o r t h e c o u n t r y ’s development, Dr Meredith Arnold McIntyre, an esteemedeconomistwith30 years of experience, has emphasized the significance

of leveraging this moment wisely for Guyana’s future generations.

“Guyana’s potential for development gains is immense, but it hinges on prudentpolicydecisionsand strategic investments,” stressed Dr McIntyre in a recently published commentary A crucial aspect of this journey he posited lies in ramping up publicinvestmenttoaddress infrastructure gaps and human development needs, which poses formidable policy challenges for a nation managing such substantial natural resource wealth.

The former IMF Economist also underscored the importance of establishing a transparent and fiscally prudent framework for managing oil revenues Acknowledging Guyana’s cautious yet

decisivestepsinintroducing therevisedNaturalResource Fund (NRF) legislation in 2021 and implementing critical amendments to safeguard transparency and fiscal prudence, Dr McIntyre was keen to note that“exercisingrestraintand not using oil revenues prior to the passage of NRF amendments was a wise movebythegovernment.”

However, to ensure sustainable economic growth, he advised that Guyanese authorities strive tomaintainwisespendingof its revenues. This approach he said includes charting a path for public investment that considers absorptive capacityconstraints,thereby minimizing inflationary pressures and avoiding the adverse effects of Dutch disease.

“A measured pace of public investment is

RealEstate,DataProtectionBills forsecondreadingonThursday

essential to prevent Dutch disease type effects over the medium term,” warns Dr

experiences of other developing countries facing similarresourcebooms.

It is noteworthy that the

IMF’s 2022 Article IV Consultation Report also analyzedscenariosof Continuedonpage29

The Real Estate Agents and Brokers Bill and The DataProtectionBill2023are among a number of incoming legislation set for second reading in the National Assembly on Thursday

The bills will be read at thenextsittingoftheHouse slated for August 3, 2023

According to the Order Paper for Thursday’s sitting, the Real Estate Agents And Brokers Bill 2023 which was published on2023-07-19 willberead for the second time by the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, AnilNandlall, SC

Theisaimedatproviding for the registration and regulation of Real Estate Agents and Brokers in Guyana; to promote transparency, accountability and integrity in the Real Estate profession; to protect and assist persons engaged in transactions with Real

EstateAgentsandtoassistin thedetectionandprevention of money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing, and to provide for other related matters.

The Data Protection Bill 2023 which was published on 2023-07-20 is also set to bemovedforthesecondtime by Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips. Once passed, the Data Protection Bill law will regulate the collection, keeping, processing, use and dissemination of personal data;toprotecttheprivacyof individuals in relation to their personal data; and provideforrelatedmatters.

Also on the list for presentationistheElectronic Communications and Transactions Bill 2023 Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce

OneidgeWaldronistomove the second reading of that Bill.

AccordingtoParliament, once passed this new law provides for the facilitation and regulation of secure electronic communications, transactions and receipt, payment and transfer of money and for their legal recognition, to promote the developmentofthelegaland business infrastructure necessary to implement secure electronic commerce and to enhance efficient delivery of governance by public authorities by means ofreliableelectronicrecords and electronic filing of documents and for related matters.

In addition to this, the Guyana Compliance Commission Bill 2023 will also be presented by Attorney General and MinisterofLegalAffairsfor thesecondreading.ThisBill precedes the Act that will p r o v i d e a d e q u a t e supervision to reporting entities (Designated NonFinancial Business or Professions and Non-Bank Financial Institutions) for compliance with obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism

Act; to enhance the compliance, guidance and training regime on money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing in Guyana; to provide domestic and international cooperation; and to provide for other relatedmatters.

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

EmancipationDay2023 EmancipationDay2023

– A Celebration of Freedom and Unity

permeatedtheair

participatinginthefestivities.

Local artists performed the striking “Jonkonnu” dance, a colorful and rhythmic expression of emancipation and resilience, originally practiced by enslaved Africans to assert their identity andfreedom.Spectatorsgathered in awe, clapping to the beat and embracing the spirit of unity that

One of the highlights of the day was the “Heritage Extravaganza,” an exhibition of Guyana’s diverse cultural heritage. Display booths featured artifacts, clothing, and stories from various ethnic groups, allowing attendees to learn about their fellow citizens’ traditions, customs,andvalues.

“We celebrate Emancipation Day to remember the struggles faced by our forefathers and to appreciate the liberty we now enjoy,” said James Allen, a resident of Golden Grove

“It’s a day to come together, irrespective of our backgrounds, and celebrate our shared identity as Guyanese,” he told Kaieteur News.

“Emancipation Day reminds usofthestrengthandresilienceof our people in the face of adversity,” DaivdThompson told this newspaper “It serves as a potent reminder that freedom must be protected and preserved for all, and that we must strive to buildanationwhereeverycitizen is treated with dignity and respect.”

SahrahPersaud,ayoungIndoGuyanese woman, proudly displayed her family’s traditional clothing and artifacts “Emancipation Day is not only about African history but also about embracing each other’s cultures and histories,” she told KaieteurNews.“We’reallpartof the beautiful tapestry that is Guyana.”

Government officials including Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips also attended the celebrations in theNationalPark.(WayneLyttle)

Scenes from

Day 2023 at the National Park. (Photos by Wayne Lyttle, the Department of Public Information, and the National Communications Network)

Guyana, China to increase collaboration in trade and infrastructure

Guyana and China have committed to expanding their collaboration in the areas of trade and infrastructure.Thecountries have resolved to deepen ties through continued partnership during a recent meeting between President Irfaan Ali and China’s PresidentXiJinping.

LastFriday,PresidentAli met with President Xi Jinping in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China’s SichuanProvince.

According to a joint statement by the two countries,GuyanaandChina welcomed the signing of a M e m o r a n d u m o f Understanding(MoU)onthe establishment of an Investment and Economic

Cooperation Working Group. The two countries expressed satisfaction with the positive development of bilateral relations and r e a f f i r m e d t h e i r commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations and expanding collaborationinanumberof areas.

According to the statement, Guyana and China also reaffirmed their respect for each other’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and support for their peoples’ choice of a development

path suited to respective national conditions, based on the principles of mutual respect and mutual benefit, and in keeping with the purposes of the United Nations Charter and international law Guyana has maintained its firm support for the one-China principle.

President Ali thanked PresidentJinpingforChina’s support in Guyana’s economic development, including in the area of infrastructure Both sides committed to deepening economic ties, including enhanced trade and investment promotion, and to expanding cooperation in areas such as infrastructure development, agriculture, health, energy and education.

President Ali also applaudedChina’sproposals for the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative.

With reference to the MoUonCooperationwithin the Framework of the Silk RoadEconomicBeltandthe Twenty First Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative, signed between the two sides on July 27, 2018, Guyana expressed

willingness to discuss and conclude the Joint Action Plan on Promotion of the BeltandRoadInitiativewith theChineseside.

The Chinese leader applauded President Ali for the constructive role played by Guyana in regional and international affairs, especially on food security, regional integration and China-CELAC cooperation. President Ali emphasised that keen attention needs to be paid by both developed and developing countries in promotingfood,climateand energysecurityforsustained development Both sides noted that the Global Development Initiative was one framework that could support the implementation ofthisobjective.

Notably, recognizing the p o s i t i v e r o l e o f infrastructure development in generating economic growth and alleviating poverty, both Guyana and China agreed to expand collaborationinthisarea.

Further, Presidents Ali and Xi agreed to investigate t h e p r o s p e c t s f o r collaboration in the d e v e l o p m e n t a n d construction of critical infrastructure projects, leveraging China’s experience, and expertise andfinancecapacity

Govt.welcomesprivatesector investmentininfrastructure

Min. Singh

The government is welcoming private investment in public infrastructureasitcontributes totheadministration’svision oftransformingGuyanawith the recent economic expansion

In the past, public infrastructure has always been viewed as the government’s responsibility, but now there have been manyinvestmentsbyprivate companies in the sector And, according to Senior Minister in the Office of the P r e s i d e n t w i t h Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh institutions like IDB Invest can play a meaningful role in the local developmentalpush.

Dr.Singhwasatthetime speaking at an engagement held with IDB Invest and private sector entities some weeks ago, where he also alluded to investments in

public infrastructure, healthcare, and educational services.

“There was a time when we would have thought that schools and hospitalsweregovernment business, we have in the room today private providers of educational services, providers of healthcareservices and we welcome this,” the seniorministerexpressed.

InApril,amulti-milliondollar private hospital was

commissioned by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali at Leonora The medical institution brings healthcare access closer to those residinginRegionThreeand c o m p l e m e n t s t h e government’s commitment to increasing access to quality healthcare. This is just one example where private investments are being pumped into public infrastructure.

Minister Singh also alluded to the many opportunities found in Guyana’s economic landscape, in which private companies can flourish “We’re at a particular moment now in Guyana whenineverysinglesector of economic endeavour, there are opportunities for growthandexpansion,”he explained. Minister Singh alsoreiteratedthecalltothe local private sector to capitalise on the many opportunities available (DPI)

Both Guyana and China recognized the important value of trade and investment in deepening economic ties and committed to creating a favorable business environment to facilitate bilateral trade and investment activities. The countries agreed to explore the possibility of expanding trade in a variety of industries, including agriculture, energy, mining, manufacturing,andservices.

Kaieteur News reported that during the discussion

with President Ali last Friday, President Jinping, said that Guyana and China should be good friends who trustandcountoneachother Chinese media entity, Xinhua reported that President Xi said both countries should share opportunities, meet challenges,seekcooperation and promote development together

Xiurgedthebuildingofa more close-knit ChinaGuyana community with a shared future. President Xi saidChinaandGuyana,both

developingcountries,should strengthen communication and cooperation, firmly support each other, and advance bilateral relations steadily for the fundamental and long-term interests of thetwopeoples.

CHINAHASBEENONE OFGUYANA’S BIGGESTLENDERS

As such, Guyana has often been warned by the experiences of other countries when it comes to borrowingloansfromChina andtheforeigncountry

Continuedonpage28

Minister Dr.Ashni Singh

Presidents Irfaan Ali and Xi Jinping (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Education Ministry to spend

$221M to rehabilitate six dormitories

The Ministry of Education will soon be rehabilitatingsixsecondary school dormitories at an estimated cost of

$221,020,872 During a recentopeningoftendersit wasrevealedthatworksare slated for the male and female Mahaicony Secondary School dormitories, Santa Rosa Boys’ School dormitory in Region One, Aishalton SecondarySchoolmaleand femaledormitories(Region Nine), and the Linden

Foundation dormitory (Region 10). It was also revealed that the Rosignol Secondary School will be rehabilitated at a cost of $ 1 4 , 4 3 6 , 4 0 0 i n rehabilitation With its $94 4 billion budgetary allocation, this year a sum of $12.4 billion has been dedicated towards the construction,rehabilitation, extension,andmaintenance of educational facilities across the country Below are the companies and theirbids:

MinistryofEducation

RehabilitationofMaleDormsMahaiconySecondarySchoolDormitory

RehabilitationofRosignolSecondarySchool.

RehabilitationofMaleDorms-SantaRosaBoysSchool.

RehabilitationofFemaleDorms

-MahaiconySecondaryschoolDormitory

RehabilitationofMaleDormsAishaltonSecondarySchoolDormitory

RehabilitationofLindenFoundationDorms.

RehabilitationofFemaleDorms

-AishaltonSecondarySchoolDormitory

RehabilitationtoDiningHall

-AishaltonSecondarySchoolDormitory

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Guyana, China to increase collaboration...

From page 25 funding local projects through procurement models that allow for transfer to the government at some point.

PresidentAli,however,is notthreatenedbythosewarningsandinsteadbelievesthat China has an integral role to play in the development of Guyana.

TheGovernoroftheBank ofGuyana(BoG),Dr.Gobind Ganga in an interview with this publication had said the ChinaEximBankaccountsfor 39.5 percent of the country’s totalexternaldebt.

Exim Bank was a major contributortoaloanGuyanahad taken to modernise the SkeldonSugarFactory

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Guyanahasbeenborrowing majority of its bilateral loans from the People’s RepublicofChina.

OnDecember30,2022,the Government of Guyana enteredintoanewcontractwith the China Export Import (EXIM)BankfortheUS$172 million loan to help build the newDemeraraRivercrossing.

Last year, it was reported that the bulk of the country’s loanswereowedtotheChina EXIMBank.

Additionally, debt repaymenttotheChinaEximBank hadaccountedfor82percent of debt repayments to bilateralcreditors.Inthefirstthree months of the year, US$10.6Malonewaspaidto the Chinese lending institution, up by 1.4 percent. The increase, according to the Central Bank, was as a result of higher principal repayments during the review period.

At that time, Guyana’s total stock of public debt, which comprises both external and domestic debt stood at US$3.248 billion. China’s

This plant was to boost the sugar production figures of the industry; to essentially rescue the sugar sector from its ailing state. Instead, it turned out to be a contributing factor to the poor health of the industry

In 2017, this newspaper reported that the Ministry of Financecontractedtwoloans fortheSkeldonproject.

These were from the ExportImportBankofChina,the repayment period for which ends in 2025 and the Caribbean Development Bank, the repayment period for which endsin2033.

On the two loans, the total amount that the Governmentispaying(principaland

Another project that was completed and funded by loans from China is the Cheddi Jagan International Airport,Timehri.

The airport expansion contract was signed in 2011 underthenPresident,Bharrat Jagdeo, and was passed through the truncated presidency of Donald Ramotar However, when the David Granger administration took over in 2015, it said that the very defective plan needed adjustments and changes weremade.

The decade-old project was awarded to China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) for the sum of US$150M–$138Mfromthe China Exim Bank and $12M from the consolidated fund –taxpayers’money

Efforts to help Haitians suffer new...

From page 26 working in the small brick clinic late last week when armedmenburstinandseized her.LorminaLouima,whowas waiting for a check-up, said one man pulled out his gun andtoldhertorelax.

“When I saw the gun, I was so scared,” Louima said. “I said, ‘I don’t want to see this,letmego.’”

Somemembersofthecommunity said the unidentified men had asked for $1 million ransom,astandardpracticeof the gangs killing and sowing terrorinHaiti’simpoverished populace.

Hundreds of kidnappings have occurred in the country this year alone, figures from the local nonprofit Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights show

The same day Dorsainvil and her daughter were taken, theU.S.StateDepartmentadvised Americans to avoid travel to Haiti and ordered nonemergency personnel to leave, citing widespread

kidnappings that regularly targetU.S.citizens.

Kenya’sForeignMinistry said Saturday that it had offered1,000policetohelptrain and assist the Haitian National Police “restore normalcyinthecountryandprotect strategic installations.”

Most Haitians say they simply want to live in peace.

Protesters, largely from theareaaroundElRoiHaiti’s campus, which includes a medical clinic, a school and more, echoed that call Monday as they walked through the sweltering streets wielding cardboard signs written inCreoleinredpaint.

“She is doing good work in the community, free her,” read one.

JeanRonaldsaidhiscommunityhassignificantlybenefittedfromthecareprovided byElRoiHaiti.

As the protesters walked through the area where Dorsainvil was taken, the streetswereeerilyquiet.The doors to the clinic where she

worked were shut, the small brickbuildingempty

Ronald and others in the areaworriedthelatestkidnappingmaymeantheclinicwon’t reopen.

“Iftheyleave,everything (the aid group’s programs) willshutdown,”Ronaldworried.

“Themoneytheyareasking for, we don’t have it.”

StateDepartmentspokesmanMatthewMillerwouldn’t say Monday if the abductors hadmadedemands,oranswer other questions.

“Obviously, the safety andsecurityofAmericancitizens overseas is our highest priority We are in regular contact with the Haitian authorities.

We’ll continue to work withthemandourUSgovernment interagency partners, but because it’s an ongoing law enforcement investigation, there’s not more detail I can offer,” Miller wrote in a statement Monday

In a video for the El Roi

Haitiwebsite,AlixDorsainvil describes Haitians as “full of joy, and life and love” and people she was blessed to know.

Dorsainvilgraduatedfrom Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, which has a program to support nursing education in Haiti. Dorsainvil’s father, Steven Comeau, reached in New Hampshire,saidhecouldnot talk. In a blog post Monday, El Roi Haiti said Alix Dorsainvil fell in love with Haiti’s people on a visit after the devastating 2010 earthquake. It said the organization was working with authorities in both countries to free her and her daughter.

“Please continue to pray withusfortheprotectionand freedom of Alix and her daughter

As our hearts break for this situation, we also continue to pray for the country and people of Haiti and for freedom from the suffering they endure daily.”

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DEAREDITOR, Emancipation Day. It is a day that resonates with utmostimportance,markingthe liberation of our ancestors fromthechainsofslaveryand reminding us of the strength and resilience that has molded our country

Embraces its history, acknowledges its flaws, and cherishes the progress we have made.

EmancipationDayallows us to reflect on the journey of our forefathers and reaffirm ourcommitmenttoamoreinclusive and equitable future.

Today,As we honor those

who fought for justice, who dreamt of a better tomorrow, and who toiled tirelessly to createaworldwherefreedom is not a privilege but a right forall.

Itisamomenttopaytribute to the courage and determination of countless individualswhostoodupagainst oppression, despite the numerous challenges they faced.

Let us also use this day as an opportunity to recognize the work that still lies ahead.

We must be vigilant againstanyformofdiscrimi-

nation, prejudice, or social injustice that continues to plague

our country

Byworkinghandinhand, we can build a future that offers equal opportunities for every citizen of Guyana, regardlessoftheirbackground, race, or economic status.

EmancipationDayserves asareminderthatourstrength as a community lies in our unity and diversity

Our collective heritage shapes us, defines our identity, and offers a platform for growth and progress.

With this in mind, let us embark on this annual cel-

ebration with a renewed sense of purpose, determination, and hope for a brighter future. I extend my warmest wishestoeachandeveryone of you as we celebrate this important day in our country history

Mayitremindusallofthe strength and resilience that lies within us and inspire us to create a better tomorrow forall.

Happy Emancipation Day! Pt. Ubraj Narine, JP, COA

Former Mayor City of Georgetown

USblackliststwoChinesefirmsoverUighurforcedlabouraccusations

Aljazeera - The United States has sanctioned two Chinese firms over their labour practices, accusing the companies of targeting members of persecuted groups in China, including theUighurMuslimminority

In a statement, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said goods produced by battery manufacturer Camel Group and Chenguang Biotech Group, a spice and extract manufacturer, would be prohibited from entering the countryasofWednesday

The move aims to “eliminate the use of forced labor practices in the US supply chain”, DHS said on Tuesday.The sanctions also s e e k t o “ p r o m o t e accountability for the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other religiousandethnicminority groups” in China's western Xinjiang province, DHS said.

“We will continue to work with all of our partners to keep goods made with forced labor from Xinjiang out of US commerce while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade,” US Secretary of Homeland

S e c u r i t y A l e j a n d r o Mayorkas said in Tuesday's statement.

The United Nations has said at least one million Uighurs have been detained in so-called “counterextremism centres” in Xinjiang, where rights groups have said China's treatment of the Muslim minority amounts to genocide and crimes against humanity

But Beijing has rejected these allegations, saying its policies towards the Uighurs, as well as other minorities, are necessary to fendoff“extremism”.

China's treatment of the Uighurs has been one of several points of tension

between Beijing and Washington, which have experienced frosty relations inrecentyears.

US President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, have imposed a series of sanctions and restrictions against Chinese companies and government officials over the situation in Xinjiang.

In March, Biden also expressed solidarity with the Uighurs in a message to Muslimsaroundtheworldas they celebrated the holy monthofRamadan.

“Together with our partners, the United States stands in solidarity with Muslims who continue to face oppression, including

Oil companies steal GRA trained...

From page 13 field...usingouroilmoneyto cripplethiscountry.”

Lall observed that the GRA boss himself has complained that the trained personnel to audit monitor and verify Guyana's interest in the oil industry is being snatched by the oil companies, offering salaries higher than his pay. To this end,thenewspaperPublisher reasoned, “When are we going to emancipate ourselves from this type of s l a v e r y ? To d a y i s

Emancipation Day but yet we remain in chains because of the actions of the oil companies; using our oil money to buy out the people, who have to safeguard Guyana and protect our interest.” He pointed out that oil companies have been utilizing this trick for centuries across the world, yet leaders are blind to the trouble. “How can you have foreigners coming to your country, thieving out the family's wealth, buying out your own children, paying

them more from their own wealth than you who are the owners of the wealth...you are in more trouble than anyone of you can ever dream of ” Lall, a stern advocate for better governance in Guyana pointed out that petroleum companies in Guyana have hired the best experts in the World that are paid from the country's oil revenue, now the few skilled employees that are being trained to monitorthosecostsarebeing stolen.

Spending oil revenues wildly guaranteed to steer...

Frompage15 scaling up public investment, and the results therein also underscored the importance of steady, measured growth rather than an aggressiveacceleration.“Animprovementin investment efficiency requires a focus on public investment management,” advises Dr McIntyre.Drawing lessons from Ghana's experience, Dr. McIntyre highlights the need for effective public investment management, especially given Guyana's estimated 41 percent efficiency gap in capital utilization. This gap is higher than the regional averages for Latin America and the Caribbean and EmergingMarketEconomies.

The Former IMF Economist advocates for key improvements in public investment management, such as a rules-based fiscal framework, a policy framework on PublicPrivate Partnerships (PPPs), and enhanced monitoring of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) to mitigate fiscal risks. “Adequate resources and expertise must be allocated to theMinistryofFinancetoundertakethistask

effectively,”headvised.

Moreover, Dr McIntyre emphasized the importance of providing guidance and training in project preparation and appraisal, as it is vital for Guyana to address the weaknesses highlighted in the IMF's Report andimplementtherecommendationstherein.

In conclusion, Dr. McIntyre who is currently an Associate at Manchester Trade Ltd and a Fellow with the Caribbean Policy Consortium commends Guyana's commitment to fiscal prudence, but he urges thecountrytoremainvigilantinmanagingits newfoundnaturalresourcewealth.

“Establishing a medium-term fiscal framework alongside effective public investmentmanagementisvitalforGuyana's economic stability in the medium to long term,” he asserted. By carefully navigating these challenges and heeding expert advice, he holds the view that Guyana can seize the opportunity to transform its economy and secure a prosperous future for generations to come.

Uighurs in the People's Republic of China,” Biden said in a statement at the time The US president signed the “Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act” in December2021.

The law, which entered into force last year, bars

g o o d s p r o d u c e d i n

Xinjiang from being imported into the US unless there is “clear and convincing evidence” that

they were not produced with f o r c e d l a b o u r T h e

Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday that 24 companies have been sanctioned under the legislationtodate.

Demonstrators take part in a protest for Uighur rights near the Chinese consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, July 26, 2023 [File: Dilara Senkaya/Reuters]

BroadscriptsperfectfarewellasEnglandlevelAshesseries

LONDON (Reuters)England's Stuart Broad claimedthelasttwoAustralia wickets to secure a dramatic 49-run victory for his team in the final Ashes test at The Oval on Monday and leave the series locked at 2-2 after fivegrippingmatches.

Broad, playing his final test, removed Todd Murphy and Alex Carey, both caught by wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, to dismiss Australia for 334 and deny them their first Ashes win in Englandsince2001.

Australia, who won the firsttwotestsandhadalready retained the urn, moved to 238-3 chasing 384 to win before a two-hour rain delay halted their progress and England took the last seven wicketsinjustovertwohours forafamousvictory.

Chris Woakes was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4-50 and Moeen Ali took three wickets before the 37-year-old Broad completedthejobinaperfect swansong two days after announcinghisretirement.

"It was absolutely wonderful," Broad told Sky Sports "I thought Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali set the tone absolutely unbelievably."Once we got a couple we really started to believe The crowd were unbelievable. It was so loud and we just jumped on the back of that. To contribute to the team with two wickets is very special "When you make that decision (to retire) you wonder what your last ballwillbesototakeawicket to win anAshes test match is prettycool,"headded.

Stuart Broad scripts perfect farewell asEngland level Ashes series. (Reuters)

Australia had started the day with high hopes of victoryafterUsmanKhawaja

partnership of 135 on

Wednesday August 02, 2023

ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19

Emotionallyspeaking,things might get tense for you today asothersdemonstratearather selfish attitude, Aries Remember that selfishness isn't always considered negative.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20)

You might be quite stirred by the general energy today, Taurus. "Stirred" may be too light a word. Put on your armor and get ready to do battle. Others may cower when they see what's going onoutside,

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

Move in for the kill today, Gemini. Don't stop until you succeed Don't let other people's insecurities become yours.

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

Nowistheperfecttimetosay something you've been meaning to say for quite a while, Cancer Get it out in theopen.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

Your opinions might be the focus of conversation all day, Leo. You have a very strong will that you aren't afraid to express. You will get that chance.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22)

Your sensitive heart may be touched by anger today, Virgo. Don't be afraid of hurting other people's feelings as you express this emotion.

LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)

Youmightfeelagreatdealof physical power today, Libra. If someone asks you to help move a couch, you're likely to be able to pick the whole thingupbyyourself.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

The train is headed out, so you'd better hop on, Scorpio. People won't be too sympathetic to your emotionalsobstorytoday,so keepitquiet.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21)

Jumpintoactionwithenergy today, Sagittarius. Order others around and delegate tasks for a change. An aggressive approach is what's needed, and you have the ability to deliver the goods.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

Guardyourheartwelltoday, Capricorn. It's a prime target for the abrasive words being tossed around Your sensitivityleavesyoufeeling alone and naked in the harsh atmosphere.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)

A position involving power and authority is opening up, andyou'retheperfectonefor thejob,Aquarius.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

-Sticksandstonesmaybreak your bones, but names will never hurt you, Pisces The problem with today's energy is that there just may be some sticksandstones

Sunday.The pair looked to continue to bat with positive intent but under grey skies theballmovedaroundforthe England bowlers from the start.

Warner, on 60, was beaten by a lifting delivery from Woakes and edged a catch to Bairstow before Woakes trapped Khawaja lbw for 72 in his next over,

the batsman failing to overturn the decision on review

CRISPFOURS

Marnus Labuschagne struck two crisp fours to get to 13 but he nibbled at an outswinger from MarkWood andZakCrawleytookagood lowcatchatsecondslip.

Travis Head started unconvincingly and Smith was fortunate to survive after edging Moeen off his glove to Stokes, only for the England captain to lose controloftheball.

Australia reached lunch on 238-3 but rain delayed the restart and when the players returned Smith and Head took their fourth-wicket partnership to 95 with the touring side looked well placed on 264-4 The dismissal of Head for 43, however,sparkedacollapse.

Head drove a ball from Moeen which span out of the rough and Joe Root took a sharp catch at slip before Mitchell Marsh, on six, edged Moeen on to his pad and Bairstow reacted quickly to snatch the ball onehanded.

Woakes ended Smith's resistancefor 54, wellcaught low down by Crawley at second slip, and Mitchell Starc edged Woakes to Crawley for a duck as Australia lost four wickets in 19 balls Captain Pat Cummins made nine before under-edging a ball from Moeen onto his pad and Stokesheldaloopingcatchat leg slip to reduceAustralia to 294-8, still 90 runs short of their target Carey and Murphy bravely added 35 before Murphy, on 18, edged Broad to Bairstow and five runslaterthe37-year-oldfast bowler produced another perfect outswinger to end Carey's resistance for 28 and spark wild celebrations aroundtheground.

"We were going nicely there," Starc said. "Credit to England, they put some good ballsintherightareasandwe nicked them or weren't good enough.

"This has been the closest, most exciting series I'vebeenapartof,"headded. "All the test matches have been really special. It's the rightresult."

Scores: England 283 (Brook 85, Duckett 41, Starc 4-82) & 395 (Root 91, Bairstow 78, Starc 4-94).

Australia 295 (Smith 71, Woakes 3-61) & 334 (Khawaja 72, Warner 60; Woakes 4-50).

Result: England won by 49 runs, series drawn 2-2.

Ex-Barcelona star Dani Alves to face trial for rape

AFP- Brazilian defender Dani Alves will be tried on sexual assault charges in Spain, the high court of Catalonia told AFP on Monday

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star was detained in January after being accused of raping a young woman in the bathroom of a nightclub in lateDecember

The court said a date for thetrialhadnotyetbeenset.

T h e 4 0 - y e a r - o l d Brazilian has been held in custody without bail because the court investigating him felt there was a risk he would trytoflee.

Whenthestoryfirstbroke --andbeforehewasarrested- Alves in a television interview initially denied knowingthewoman.

But when questioned by investigators after his arrest, he changed his story, insisting that they had had consensualrelations.

Alves, who could face up to 12 years in jail if found guilty, defended his innocence in an interview

published in June, saying he hasa"clearconscience".

"I have a really clear conscience regarding what happened that night in the bathroom of the VIP area of theSuttonnightclub,"hetold daily newspaper La Vanguardia in his first interviewsincehisarrest.

"What happened and what didn't happen And what didn't happen is that I forced this woman to do anything that we did," he

added.

IntheJunearticle,hetold La Vanguardia that he had lied at first because he was afraid his wife would leave him if he admitted he had beenwithanotherwoman.

At the time of the incident, Alves was on holiday in Barcelona after playing for Brazil at the WorldCupinQatar

After his arrest, Alves, who is being held in the Brians penitentiary complex

England smash China for six to ease...

From page 32

the lastdefenderandshefinishedcrisply

The third goal came in the 41st minute when James was left completely unmarked on the edge of the box at a free kick and clipped the ball first time into the back of the net.James conjured up an even better finish for what would have been a fourth goal of the tournamentinstoppagetimeattheendofthe half but it was ruled out for offside after referencetoVAR.

Chinahadofferedlittleinattackbutgota goal back through aWang Shuang penalty at

the start of the second half after VAR adjudgeddefenderLucyBronzehadhandled inagoalmouthscramble.

James, however, grabbed the spotlight again in the 66th minute when Jess Carter's cross picked her out at the far post and she finishedwithabeautifullycontrolledvolley SubstituteKellythenscoredthefifthinto an empty net from a James through ball that China goalkeeper Zhu Yu completely misjudged and wingback Daly put a gloss on the scoreline with a fine finish in the 84th minute.

Marta in tears as Brazil World Cup...

From page 33 in women's football," she told reporters on the eve of the match with Jamaica, tearsfillinghereyes.

"How could there be if you didn't show women's football? How could I understand that I would reach the national team and becomeareferencepoint?

"Now I go out on the street and people stop me, parents say to me, 'My daughter adores you, she wantstobejustlikeyou.'"

Marta has spent a lifetime overcoming obstacles, from a childhood of poverty to sexism and, more recently, the worst injuryofhercareer

"It is logical that I am happy to see all this because 20 years ago, in 2003, nobody knew Marta," she added, looking back at how far women's football has

come.

It is unclear if the attacker, who has never won theWorldCupdespiteallher achievements, will start againstJamaica.

But she could be called off the bench by coach Pia Sundhage if Brazil are chasing the win they so desperately need to stay in thecompetition.

-'Lethalweapon'Jamaica are second behind Group F leaders France going into the last round of games, and won their first Women's World Cup game in history when they defeated Panama 1-0 lasttimeout.

They were missing the prolific striker Khadija Shaw in the Panama win after she was sent off for a second yellow card in their opening 0-0 draw with France.

outside Barcelona, was sacked by his Mexican club PumasUNAM.

In a highly successful career,Alveswon42football titles, including three

Champions Leagues with Barcelona and two Copa AmericaswithBrazil.

The 26-year-old Shaw, who scored 31 goals in 30 games for Manchester City last season, will be back to face Brazil and could have a majorsayinproceedings.

"She's a lethal weapon, she scores goals and is the leading goal-scorer in Jamaica," coach Lorne Donaldsonsaid.

"She'saverygoodleader and an outstanding footballer."

Donaldson, whose side is ranked 43 in the world to Brazil's eight, said his team were the underdogs despite being in a better position to makeitoutofthegroup.

But he called his players "resilient", adding: "We know Brazil are going to come after us with everything they've got, but wehavetobeready

"We want to stay a little longer."

Brazilian defender Dani Alves will be tried on sexual assault charges in Spain, the high court of Catalonia has said. (Pau BARRENA)

Australia emphatically beats Canada to reach Women's World Cup last 16, eliminating reigning Olympic champion

CNN - Australia is through to the round of 16 of the Women's WorldCupthankstoanemphatic40 win over Canada, eliminating the reigning Olympic champion in the process.

Nigeria'sgoallessdrawwiththe Republic of Ireland in Group B's other match ensured the Super Falcons progressed in second place, a point ahead of Canada, to reach the last 16 for the second WorldCupinarow

HayleyRaso'sfirst-halfbrace,a second-half goal for Mary Fowler and a Steph Catley penalty secured an eye-catching victory for the cohostandthrilledaraucouscrowdof 27,706 inside the Melbourne RectangularStadium.

For Canada, this early exit caps off a brutally disappointing tournament in which the team never once looked close to its best and the manner of this meek defeat will likely leave a bitter taste for quitesometime.

NoKerr,noproblem

Australia knew only a win would guarantee it a place in the last 16 and the pressure was certainly on to avoid the same fate as co-host New Zealand, which failed to make it beyond the group stages.

The Matildas also had to find a way to win again without injured

Hayley Raso's first-half double set Australia on its way. way

(Scott Barbour/The Canadian Press/AP)

starSamKerrinthestartinglineup. One of the world's best players and the face of Australia's home World Cup, Kerr suffered a calf injury in the final training session before the tournamentstarted.

The Chelsea forward missed the opening two games but declared hersel f f i t a n d available in the days leading up to this match She didn't feature from the substitutes' bench, arguably because the Matildas had no need to risk their

star player when they were performingsowell.

Any concerns the team would struggle again without Kerr – as it had against Nigeria and the Republic of Ireland – were alleviatedearlyon.

The stadium erupted after only nine minutes when Raso buried the ball into the bottom corner After a VAR review, French referee Stephanie Frappart signaled there was no offside and the goal stood, leading to a second cathartic

fEngland smash China for six to ease into last 16asgroupwinners

ADELAIDE, (Reuters)

-

Lauren James shone again with two fine goals as England put in their best performance of the Women's World Cup so far to sweep aside China 6-1 yesterday and march into the last 16 as GroupDwinners.

Alessia Russo gave the European champions the perfectstartwithagoalinthe fourth minute and Lauren Hemp and James added two more to give England a comfortable lead at the break atHindmarshStadium.

James grabbed her third goal of the tournament after halftime before Chloe Kelly and Rachel Daly also found the net to give England an emphaticvictoryastheyhead off to Brisbane to play Nigeria on Monday for a placeinthequarter-finals.

Without the injured Keira Walsh as the holding midfielder, England shifted to a 3-5-2 formation and caused havoc for China with balls into the box from the flanks.

"I think we are growing into this tournament. Tonight we had a great performance," England coach Sarina Wiegmansaid.

"The team showed that they're really adaptable that we can change shape very easily, that's what we showedtonight."

It was a record World Cup defeat for Asian champions and 1995 semi-finalists China, who exit in the group stageforthefirsttimeineight appearances at the global showpiece Denmark finished second in the group after2-0winoverHaiti.

eruptionofnoisefromthestandsas Raso sank to her knees in celebration.

Australia's evening looked to have improved even further after MaryFowlerslammedtheballinto the roof of the net 10 minutes before half time, but this timeVAR was on Canada's side as another review found there was an offside inthebuildup.

However, the Matildas weren't madetowaitlongforasecondgoal. Raso again got on the score sheet,

prodding the ball home from a cornerkick.

While Australia and its fans were in dreamland after a perfect first half, Canada looked shellshocked.

Among the pre-tournament favorites, Canada had failed to impress so far at the tournament and against Australia looked completelyoutofitsdepthinaonesidedfirsthalf.

In need of a dramatic turnaround in both score and performance in the second half, Canada head coach Bev Priestman opted to make four changes at half time, including replacing captain andtalismanChristineSinclair

The changes made very little impact, if any, and the match was over as a contest just before the hour mark after Fowler turned home Caitlin Foord's cross from closerange.

Catley's late penalty, awarded after Katrina Gorry was fouled by Jessie Fleming on the very edge of the box, added further gloss to an already glittering scoreline as Australia firmly declared itself among the favorites with a dominantperformance.

Backed by a vociferous crowd wherever the team goes, Australia will be a daunting proposition for anyteamatthisWorldCup.

"It's very unfortunate that wehadthisterribleloss,"said China coach Shui Qingxia. "We need to analyse and find ways to improve things for thefuture."

England opened the scoring with a move that started with a Hemp cross

it down before sliding it inside thepost.

James was finding it hard to find space to show her skills on the edge of the box but, fed by Millie Bright

storming out of defence, slid a pass from a deeper position through to Hemp in the 26th minute.

The Manchester City forward took what seemed to be an extravagant first touch butherpacetookherclearof

(Continued on page 31)

from the left, James heading the ball to Russo in the box and the forward bringing

China's Li Mengwen in action with England's Rachel Daly. (REUTERS/Hannah Mckay) Daly

Guyana Police Force 'Night of Fights' successfully held

As part of its continuous 184th Anniversary Celebrations, Guyana PoliceForceheldasuccessfulnight of boxing called 'Night of Fights'. The activity, which was held at the Police Sports Clubs Ground Eve Leary,saw11fightsbeingheld.

The night's activity got on the way shortly after 20:00hrs to a packedaudience.

The night's opening bout saw b o x e r s c l a s h i n g i n t h e bantamweight category with Joseph Chintaman getting the better of Alex Hazell by a unanimous decision, while Julian Clarke triumphed in his bout againstCourtneyLynch.

There was a close contest in the Featherweight Division with Osias Prince and Daniel Harper battling toanexcitingdraw,whileDonovan Richardson defeated Clifton GrahamintheJuniorDivision.

Themiddleweightdivisionwas

packed with action as they were four bouts. First off MichaelAdam defeated Chris Lewis in the first encounter Hillman Bovell won from Troy Ridley with Maheen ScottdefeatingGrenvilleHarris. In a female encounter, Alesha Jackman and Akeelah Vancooten foughtitouttoadraw

Marta in tears as Brazil World Cup hopes hang in the balance

AFP - Football legend Marta was moved to tears Tuesday as the Brazilian reflected on her career andlegacyontheeveofwhatcould be her final Women's World Cup appearance.Brazil face Jamaica in Melbourne in their final group match onWednesday knowing they must win to guarantee they stay in the tournament in Australia and New Zealand The 37-year-old Marta--nicknamed"Peleinaskirt" by the late football great -- has

Le-Andrea Abrams defeated Tulsie Persaud in a Heavyweight contest.

The final matchup for the night was a Super Heavyweight clash with John Campayne winning againstChristopherJames.

At the end of the night's encounters cash incentives and

medals were presented to the winners and outstanding participants.

Speaking to the end of the a c t i v i t y, A c t i n g P o l i c e Commissioner Clifton Hicken, noted that 'Night of Fights' was a great night since all the athletes demonstrated a lot of skills and

expertiseinthering. He also thanked the various stakeholders who continued to supportthePolice.

Hicken also lauded the athletes for their participation and urged them to increase their training and remaincompetitive.

(SamuelWhyte)

Round-of-16 kicks off today....

From page 29

Malachi Barker (49') along with own goals from Tromayne Hercules (61') and D'Lessando

Brazil's Marta was tearful at the pre-match press conference.

(William WEST)

already said this will be her last WorldCup.

She is the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cups, men's or women's,andifsheaddstohertally

of 17 she will be the first footballer in history to score at six World Cups "You know what's good?

WhenIstartedtherewerenoidols (Continuned on page 31)

Vallenzuela (70') propelled the Georgetown team to victory despite the opposition's consolationgoalwhichwasscored th in the 78 minute by Findly Miggins. In Game 2, Westminister prevailed 5 – 3 against North Ruimveldt as Samuel McAllister (7' & 22') led with a double with support from Tyreese Johnson (30'), Harod Haynes (32') and Khy Austin (35') The opposition's goals were scored by Jevon Luck (75'&87')andCalvinBowlin.

In Berbice, Mahaicony had a goal each coming from Hiswar Kiene (10'), Dawrad Wilson (21'),

Jaheim Drakes (66') and Ezekiel Abel(78')intheir4–2winagainst TutorialAcademy DaneSinghand Kadeem Henry were responsible forTutorialAcademy'sgoals.

BEI won a hard-fought battle against Queen's College as Daniel th Arthur's 15 minute goal became the decider that propelled BEI into thenextround.

Over at the NIS Ground, Charity blasted eight unanswered goals past Marian Academy as Enrique Edwards (24', 38' & 67') and Oundra Sobers (27', 35' & 60') recorded doubles while Aron Williams (2') and Dwayne Williams(20')eachfoundtheback ofnetonce.

This tournament is organised bythePetraorganisation.

Some of the action during the night of fights.

Part of the action in the night of fights.

Boxers and officials pose for a photo op as the boxers display their silverware.

Hetmyer and McCoy back as West Indies name squad for Kuhl Stylish Fans T20I Series

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad –The CricketWest Indies (CWI) Senior Men's Selection Panel has announced the provisional squad for the five-match

Kuhl Stylish Fans T20I Series powered by Black and White against India which starts on Thursday 3 August at the Brian Lara Cricket AcademyinTrinidad.

All 15 members of the provisional squad will travel to all matches. There will then be a 13-member squad for each match from which thefinalXIwillbeselected.

Wicket-keeper/batsman

Shai Hope, and fast bowler Oshane Thomas have earned recallstothisformat.

Thomas played his last match in this format in Pakistan in December 2021 while Hope played his last match in India in February 2022.

Lead Selector, The Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes

said: “The squad is selected with the next ICC Men's T20 World Cup in mind. We are looking at various plans as we try to find the right combinations As we prepare; we are looking to buildaunitwhichwebelieve can do the job when we host the global event in just under a year.We have some matchwinnersinourline-upandwe will look to have the right kind of preparation, starting here in Trinidad on Thursday.”

Haynes added: “We also haveotherplayerswhocould come into consideration going forward, with the Caribbean Premier League starting next month, others will come into the reckoning.”The Brian Lara Cricket Academy will host the opening match on Thursday The teams then movetotheGuyanaNational Stadium for the second and third fixtures on Sunday 6

August and Tuesday 8 August.

The series will climax with the blockbuster weekend at the Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida for the final matches

Akili Haynes and Priyanna Ramdhani headline the winners of World Badminton Day tourney

The Guyana Badminton Association

World Badminton Day Tournament 2023 concludedonSaturday,July29,2023after threecompetitivedayofBadmintonatthe National Gymnasium and at the conclusion, Akili Haynes and Priyanna Ramdhani headlined the winners in the respectivecategories.

The Winners of the Total Solutions

World Badminton Day Tournament 2023 are:

A-DIVISION

Men

st1 AkiliHaynes

nd2 TyreseJeffrey

rd3 MarlonChung&AvinashOdit

Women

st1 PriyannaRamdhani

nd2 ShivanniePersaud

rd3 Priyanka Shivnauth & Alima

Eastman

B-DIVISION

Men

st1 VirajSingh

nd2 ColinBowry

rd3 Joanathan Debidin & Jaheim

Carmichael

Women

st1 AlimaEastman

nd2 AsiyahEastman

rd3 Naveah Eastman & Leshaunte

Berkley

C-DIVISION

Men

st1 JoanathanDebidin

nd2 FrankWaddell

rd3 Raah Russell & Jedidiah

Uwagboe

Women

st1 GabrielleFelix

nd2 GiannaRamnarine

rd3 AaliyahBacchus

The results of the matches played on Day 3 areasfollows:

1. Men's C-Division Semi-Finals: Joanathan Debidin bt Raah Russell: 21-13, 21-14

2. Women's A-Division Finals: Priyanna RamdhanibtShivanniePersaud: 21-11,21-5

3. Men's B-Division Finals: Viraj Singh bt ColinBowry: 21-9,24-22

4. Men's C-Division Finals: Joanathan DebidinbtFrankWaddell:21-19,21-15

5. Men's A-Division Finals: Akili HaynesbtTyreseJeffrey: 21-18,17-21,21-12

Special thanks to sponsor Total Solutions for their ongoing sponsorship towards this tournament.

The Guyana Badminton Association will nowfocusitsattentionontheBadmintonCamp which started on Monday, July 31, 2023 from 09:00-11:00hrs at the National Gymnasium, this camp is being powered by the National Sports Commission and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and is being conducted by national players Priyanna RamdhaniandAkiliHaynes.

Also, the GBAwill be taking a junior team to the CAREBACO Regional Badminton Tournament to be held inTrinidad fromAugust 16-20, 2023, thereafter the Seniors will attend the Trinidad and Tobago International from August 22-27, 2023. The junior tournament is beingheldafterathreeyearhiatus.

on Saturday 12 August and Sunday 13 August All matches start at 10:30am local time (9:30am Jamaica Time) Tickets for the matches are available from box offices at Queen's Park Oval, Port-of-Spain; the National Cricket Centre in Couva, Trinidad and the Guyana Cricket Board headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana.Additionally,tickets are available online in advance from the Windies Tickets service, presented by M a s t e r c a r d a t tickets.windiescricket.com

Fans who purchase online will benefit from a 20% discount compared to

the box office prices, with ticketsrangingfromthemost premium seats with the best and shaded views in each stadium through to affordable standard seats or mounds/groundsentry

Tickets are also available for the Tribe Party Stand in Trinidad with all-inclusive drinksandlightfoodoptions.

CWIhasalsoannouncedthat WestIndieshospitalitybythe Red Stand will be on sale for the first time with tickets for the hospitality suites. This is a premium all-inclusive experienceinair-conditioned suites, with outdoor viewing and fully inclusive premium foodanddrinkoptions.

For the matches at the Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida there will be VVIP and VIP hospitality packagesavailableproviding patrons with a great experience.

FULLSQUAD

R o v m a n P o w e l l

(Captain)

Kyle Mayers (Vice Captain)

JohnsonCharles

RostonChase

ShimronHetmyer

JasonHolder

ShaiHope

AkealHosein

AlzarriJoseph

BrandonKing

ObedMcCoy

NicholasPooran

RomarioShepherd

OdeanSmith

OshaneThomas

MatchSchedule

Kuhl Stylish Fans T20I

Series powered by Black andWhite

3August: 1st T20I, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad

6 August: 2nd T20I, NationalStadium,Guyana

8 August: 3rd T20I, NationalStadiumGuyana

12 August: 4th T20I, Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill,Florida

13 August: 5th T20I, Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill,Florida

start time at: 10:30am (9:30am Jamaica)

Riddim Squad ends Vengy unbeaten run ...West Dem. yet to start

The unbeaten run of Vengy FC e n d e d l a s t Sunday (30th July) when the Senior Men's League (SML) of the Georgetown FA continued at the National T r a i n i n g F a c i l i t y, Providence.

Coming up against Riddim Squad, another side yet to lose in the 9-team League competition proved to be Vengy's biggest test as they lost for the first time. The game's solitary and decisive strike came in the 28thminute,complimentsof

LesterAlleyne. The 3 points pushed Riddim Squad to 8 pointsfrom4gamesand2nd position, 1 point less than leaders Beacons who have a game in hand. Vengy remain on7pointsbutdropto3rdin the points table.In the first game of the double-header, GFC and Black Pearl played to 1-all draw Peter Smith broke the deadlock in the 14th minute to give Black Pearl the initiative The 'Bourda Blues' drew level in the 70th minute thanks to Rondell Sobers. The one point earned left GFC in 4th

place on 6 points from 4 games while Black Pearl moved to 4 points in 6th position.On the West Side, an unplayable state of the Tuschen Community Centre ground for a 2nd successive weekend forced another postponement of the opening of the West DemeraraFA's SeniorMen's League The Interim Competitions Committee is hopeful the conditions will improve when another attempt is made to kick-off the 2023 season this coming weekend.

Shimron Hetmyer and Obed McCoy are back in the squad. (CWI)

The organisers and stables working at fever pitch for Guyana Cup 2023

Aldo with Colin Ross astride powering home to win a recent event. (Jumbo Jet Events)

The organisers and stables are leading the charge at fever pitch in preparation for the Guyana Cup Horserace meet set forAugust 13th attheRisingSunTurfClub.

Organised by the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee (JJTRC) Guyana Cup horserace meet and running at the Rising Sun Turf Club at West Coast Berbice, the majority of the leading racehorses and jockeys will be liningupfortheexcitingeventsand attractive cash prizes at stake in Guyana'spremierhorseracemeet.

Gates at set to open as early as 8:00am and fans are promised a treatwiththeontrackactionandthe show to be staged after the racing. Eight races have been highlighted on the provisional programme, all being draw-card events, but the Guyana Cup main event will be the crowninggloryoftheday'saction.

Aldo of the Master Z Racing Stable, who won last year's event, has been showing excellent form andwillbetheonetobeatinthisthe 15theditionoftheevent.

Many challenges to his crown will be mounted and fans are promised a big treat, not just from the main event, but the entire card. A total prize package of over

$30,000,000 is on offer during the day'sactivity

Fansareencouragedtogettheir tickets early to avoid any last minute rush and not being able to get into the venue. Early bird tickets are $3000 (available while stocks last), while you will have to pay $6000 at the gate, $10,000 for VIP stage front (tel: 639-1235), $30,000 for the VVIP early bird (tel:640-3672).

Other Ticket locations: Leisure Inn Berbice, HJ Box office, Main street lime on Fridays, Soesdyke Junction on Sundays, AJM Enterprise Smythe & Leopold Street Mon - Friday Tel: 223 9132, Jumbo Jet Smythe Street Tel: 225 8255, Eccles East Bank Tel: 233 3101, Berbice West Coast Chester Village Tel: 624 9242, Berbice

Corentyne #1 Road Jagdeo office Tel:3220789or3220369;Orgoto jumbojeteventsfacebookpageand clickonthelinktobuyonline.

Head of the organising team, Nasrudeen Mohamed Jnr, has been hard at work for the big event and hadearlierinformedthattheJumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee met with Senior Police Officers of the Region 5 District to mitigate the incessant traffic

emanating from the annual Guyana CupHorseRacingevent.

Due to the massive attendance in 2022 their where thousands of patrons and commuters who were stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for hours while trying to reach the venueorsimplypassthefestivities.

After careful examination of the shortcomings for 2022 the JJTRC has collaborated with the Guyana Police Force to initiate a five-step plan to eliminate the traffic probleminthebestpossibleway

Those arrangements will be in place and will again be highlighted

sofansheadingtothevenuewillbe aware and have a much easier time gettingintoseetheracing.

The after concert sponsored by Banks DIH is set to commence at 6:00pm and Teejay is set to be one of the featured artiste on show for thefansenjoyment.

Jamaica defeat Barbados by 56 runs to complete West Indies Rising Stars Under-19 50-Over, Three-Day double

SportsMax - Jamaica are championsoftheWestIndies RisingStarsUnder-19ThreeDay competition after securing a 56-run win over Barbados on the third and final day of the final atArnos Valeyesterday.

After starting the day 4-0 in their second innings, Jamaica were dismissed for just 87 in 31 4 overs, meaning Barbados would need 199 in just over two sessionstowin.

StevenWedderburnmade 39 for Jamaica as Saurav Worrell took 4-14 from six overs and Renecio Smith grabbed 3-11 from seven oversforBarbados.

Then, despite starts from Joshua Dorne (34), Zion Brathwaite (28), Nimar Bolden (23) and Captain Nathan Sealy (23), Barbados were bowled out for 142 in 61.2 overs with just 10 balls leftinthematch.

Tamarie Redwood took 4-47 off 18 overs while Reon Edwards took 3-31 off 10.2 overs.

Johnson 120, Brian Barnes 61, Nathan Sealy 564) and

defeated Barbados by 56 runs in the final of the West Indies Rising Stars U19 Three-Day Championship. (Cricket West Indies)

Eccles All-Stars first team book semi-final spot in Kares T10

Qualified! Eccles All-Stars is through to the semi-final.

EcclesAll-Starsisthefirstteam to secure a spot in the final four of the Kares One Guyana T10 after defeating Movements Family (Mahdia) on Sunday at the Everest CricketClub.

Eccles is being dubbed the 'giant-killers' as they knocked out the formidable 'The Guards' and brushed aside the renowned Mahdiatosecuretheirspot.

Mahdia only posted 87-6 from theirallotmentof10tenovers,with a top score of 22 from a fortuitous RicardoAdams.

Eccles reached their target in 8.1 overs, with six wickets in the hut, led by Quazim Yusuf with a blazing 33 off nine balls and Anthony Antonio 27 from eight balls.

Earlier, the Guards recovered fromashakystarttopost110-6,and Eccles won the tense contest with four wickets and two balls to spare afterAntonio smashed 42* from 18 balls.

Also victorious on Sunday was Village Rams, who hammered Housing andWater One Guyana by 81 runs; V-Net Vipers surged to a massive win over Diamond Gunners,whileMahdiareachedthe Super 8 stage due to a walkover fromBigB'sBlairmontBlazers.

Tarmac Titans, Team Corruption, The United Crew, and Avinash All-Stars are the other remaining teams in hot pursuit for the title and first prize of $1M on August 12 at the National Stadium, Providence.

Inclement weather on Saturday meant the intended two-day extravaganza could not be completedinthescheduledperiod.

With support from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, the finals are shifted to August 12, under lights, at the National Stadium,Providence.

Initially, at the end of Saturday,

there were to be four teams remaining but the weather meant notalloftheSuper16andtheSuper 8 matches were completed and had tobeplayedonSunday

Currently, three more Super 8 matches are still slated to be contested,andavenueandtimeare expected to be soon confirmed by theorganizers.Whenthosematches are completed, it means just four teams remain Teams expressed great delight at the opportunity of playing at the facility, noting it is

historicforthem.

Additionally, the charity match willbebackinfullswing.

The first-ever champions will pocket G$1M, while the losing finalistwillcollectG$300,000.

The two losing semi-finalists will walk away with G$100,000 each. There will also be prizes for o u t s t a n d i n g i n d i v i d u a l performances.

TheMostValuablePlayerofthe serieswillgetamotorbikevaluable over G$250,000, compliments of

Assuria Insurance.The Corporate Village organised to promote brand awareness has been postponed to August 12. Avinash Contracting and Scrap Metal Inc., Guyana Tourism Authority, ANSA Motors Guyana, Continental Transport Inc , Gafoors, and Premier Insurance are just some companies arestillsettobeonshow

The Kares One Guyana T10 Tapeball Tournament organizers would like to thank their sponsors who have made the tournament

possible Corporate support has come from Kares Engineering Inc., Banks DIH through their GT Beer Brand, Mohamed's Enterprise, Regal Stationery and Computer Centre, Assuria Insurance , E-Net, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Cricket Zone USA, First Change Builders, Impressions, Jacob's Jewellery, Beacon Café, RS53 RestoBar and Lounge, Zeus Enterprise, Hits and Jams Entertainment, Montra Restaurant andLounge,andTrophyStall.

BramptonGladiatorsareORSCA/ImranAliRealEstate15-overschampion

Brampton Gladiators pulled off a thrilling three-wicket win off the last ball against defending champions Masters in the 2023 Ontario Round-Arm Softball

C r i c k e t A s s o c i a t i o n (ORSCA)/Imran Ali Real Estate 15-oversknockoutcompetition.

Playing at Emancipation Park at Dixee-407 ground in Brampton, Ontario, on Sunday, Brampton Gladiators were set 109 for victory and ended up with two runs requiredwithoneballremaining.

Canada-based Guyanese

Naresh “Scrapper” Singh had the responsibility with the last over but Lindon Persaud tucked away the ball to short mid-wicket to scurry through for two runs to spark unbridled celebrations among his teammatesandsupporters.

Experienced batsman and former Guyana first-class skipper Damodar Daesrath was with him when they created history The right-handed Daesrath batted with a great amount of determination and defiance to score an invaluable 35 not out. Brampton Gladiators lostwicketsregularlyandatcrucial junctures inducing a tension-filled showdown.

The tidy Singh bowled two

separate spells and almost turned a hero with the ball having snapped up 3-8 from his maximum three economicalovers.

Riaz Kadir chipped in with 19 for Brampton Gladiators while skipperMarkNazirtook2-21inhis threeoverstosupportSingh.

Earlier, Brampton Gladiators won the toss and opted to bowl in glorioussunshine.

Masters' top-scorer was Abdool Samad with 29, while anotherex-Guyanaplayer,AzibAli Hanif and Azam Haniff made 29 not out and 20 respectively Timore Mohamed and Kadir grabbed two wicketsapiece.

Kadir was named player-ofthe-matchforhisall-rounddisplay

In the preceding two semi-final encounters at the same venue also onSunday,Mastersgotthebetterof Enterprise while Brampton GladiatorsdefeatedSunshine. Meanwhile, at the post-match presentation, the winning team receivedatrophyandalltheplayers with one small trophy each as well. Kadir took home one for his performance.

Masters team also collected a trophywhileeachplayerwasgiven a medal. Singh was also a recipient

of trophy for his memorable bowlingperformance.

President of the ORSCA Mitch

) congratulated the victorious side (BramptonGladiators)andthanked

all 18 teams for their participation inthisyear'sedition.

He also expressed his gratitude to Realtor Imran Ali for his sponsorship for the second year in succession.

Sherry Ali presents the winning trophy to captain Naresh Bhagwandin.

India secure 2-1 ODI series win after dominant 200-run victory in Tarouba

SportsMax - India

completed a 2-1 ODI series winovertheWestIndieswith a mammoth 200-run win in the third ODI at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Taroubayesterday

India made 351-5 off their 50 overs, their highest ODI total in the West Indies, afterbeingputintobatbythe hosts.

Openers Ishan Kishan andShubmanGillonceagain shared in a prolific opening partnership, this time putting on143forthefirstwicket.

Gill top-scored with 85 off 92 balls including 11 fours while Kishan made 77 off 64 balls, his third halfcentury in the series, hitting eight fours and three sixes in theprocess.

India also got halfcenturies from Captain Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson.

Pandya hit an unbeaten 52-ball 70 including four fours and five sixes while Samson made 51 off 41 balls including a pair of fours and four sixes Suryakumar Yadavalsocontributed35.

Romario Shepherd took

2-73fromhis10oversforthe Windies.

Then, similar to their batting effort in first ODI where they were dismissed for 114 batting first, early wickets meant the West Indian chase was over before itcouldreallybegin.

They lost their first six wicketsforjust50in14overs before, eventually, being

Shubman Gill used the variations of the pull to good effect.

(AFP/Getty Images)

bowled out for 151 in 35 overs.

G u d a k e s h M o t i e provided some late entertainment for the crowd with 39* off 34 balls includingfourfoursandthree sixes.

Alick Athanaze had earlier made 32 whileAlzarri Josephmade26.

Shardul Thakur led the

way with the ball for India with 4-37 off 6.3 overs while Mukesh Kumar took 3-30 off seven overs and Kuldeep Yadav took 2-25 from eight overs.

Scores: India 351 for 5 (Gill 85, Kishan 77, Pandya 70*, Samson 51, Shepherd 273) beat West Indies 151 (Motie 38*, Thakur 4-37, Mukesh 3-30) by 200 runs.

Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya added 65 off 49 balls. (AFP/Getty Images)

Shardul Thakur had Shimron Hetmyer mishit one to cover. (AFP/Getty Images)

The respective winners display their prizes during a photo op after the action.