Kaiteur News

$607 million already spent on incomplete Leguan

…contractorrequestsmoremoney, Govt.todecideonwayforward The 12-year-old survivor of the Mahdia dormitory fire being discharged on Monday from the Northwell Health, Burns Centre, Staten Island University Hospital. (Screen grab from Eyewitness ABC7 footage.)

Taxi driver informed ‘wife’ of danger two days before being found dead

hospital

Exxon's 6th oil project to cost US$13 billion 20% hold on Stabroek Block when evidence shows Exxon was unaffected Criminal for Govt. to extend by pandemic -Gaskin Civil Society Activist, Ramon Gaskin lack of concern for sector

Criminal for Govt. to extend 20% hold on Stabroek Block when evidence shows Exxon was unaffected by pandemic

Ci v i l s o c i e t y m e m b e r a n d transparency advocate, Ramon Gaskin has described the move by government to extend ExxonMobil's hold on the Stabroek Block for an additionalyearascriminal.

Gaskin in an exclusive interview with Kaieteur NewsonMondayarguedthat the government has been repeatedly approving all requests made by the company, portraying an incestuous relationship which does not bode well for thecountryoritspeople.

According to the provisions of the 2016 P r o d u c t i o n S h a r i n g A g r e e m e n t ( P S A ) , ExxonMobil and the Stabroek Block partnersHess and CNOOC- were required to relinquish a 20 percent portion of the 26,800 square kilometers field. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo in June this year however announced an extension of the relinquishment provision for a period of one year, owingtothecompany'swork programme being delayed by the Corona Virus (COVID) Pandemic.

Citing the evidence provided by the Alliance For Change (AFC) at a press conference on Friday, outlining the company's

- Gaskin

u

nhampered activities during the pandemic, the activist said,“Itiscleartomethatthe government is prepared to grant ExxonMobil all the concessionstheywantandall the approvals they want. We see it every day Everything that ExxonMobil has requested they are getting it fromthegovernment.”

Gaskin pointed out that after a Court Ruling was handed down for Exxon to provide a parent company guarantee to protect the country from footing the costs of an oil spill, Hess Corporation, the second largest shareholder in the Stabroek Block, spoke to President Irfaan Ali who assuredastaywouldbeputin place; this was indeed later approved by the Appeal Court.

Similarly, he said critical studies are being waived for Exxon's contractors, while the oil giant enjoys speedy approvals on projects which couldbetterbedescribedasa “fixed manner” Gaskin argued that these acts confirm government is preparedtogivethecompany allthatitwants.

In the meantime, he

pointed out, “This contract is lopsided but the Jagdeo government is still prepared tograntthemeverythingthey need It has wasted an opportunity to get back more for its people. We would be losing out on more royalties, on taxes- we keep losing all thetime.”

The activist told Kaieteur NewsthatGuyanashouldnot grant the company an extension to further explore the Stabroek Block since he holds the view that Exxon already has its grip on more ofthecountry'soilfieldsthan legallyrequired.

According to him, “It is illegal to grant the extension. There is no legal basis other than the fact that the

government of Guyana is determined to grant Exxon everything that they wish that is why it is criminal, it is illegal and it's outoforder.”

Gaskin said that such decisions by government ought to be challenged in the l o c a l C o u r t s s i n c e “Government is in bed with theoilcompanies.”

He noted, “The ordinary Guyanese people are trying to make a living every day and struggling, most of them while we are being shafted it requires other people who can run with the matterandtakeittoCourt.”

On Friday, the AFC told reporters that the excuse being given by government

to extend the relinquishment provision is unacceptable, since the company was granted permission by multiple state agencies to continue their operations uninterrupted during the COVID-19Pandemic.

The party explained that the Ministry of Health, the then Ministry of Public Infrastructure (now Ministry of Public Works) along with t h e E n v i r o n m e n t a l Protection Agency (EPA) had approved the company's work plan to continue its operations.

Several documents were sharedwith Kaieteur News to thisend,includingaGazetted Order datedApril 9, 2020 for 'Emergency COVID-19

M e a s u r e s ' g r a n t i n g ExxonMobil permission to continue its operations as an 'essentialservice'.Infact,this provision allowed for the oil gianttoworkfor24hours.

AFC Member, David Patterson said, “As Minister ofPublicInfrastructureatthe time, Exxon were allowed special flights…so what happened during that period of time all their personnel was allowed to come in by charter even though the airportswereclosed.”

The chartered flights wereapprovedweeklybythe Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), an

Taxidriverinformed‘wife’ofdanger twodaysbeforebeingfounddead

By Shervin Belgrave

Two days before 34-year-old

Orvil Pedro was found dead in a clump of bushes at Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara, he had informed his common-law-wife that he was indanger

The spanish speaking woman, Annie Oscar, on Sunday divulged details of the final conversation she had with Pedro before he disappeared.

Accordingtothewoman,Pedro told her that he could not “bear-up with the situation he was in any longer” before hanging up the phone and that was the last she heardfromhimonThursdaylast.

Pedro had reportedly left his home at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara around 08:30hrs to ply histradeasataxidriveratRobband LightStreetsGeorgetown.

Annie said that they had good

communicationwitheachotherand it was a routine for him to call her when he arrived at work and even video chatted with her in his free time.

Everything was going alright until Pedro called Annie and told her to take a taxi and go to his friend's home and wait for him there.

Annie said she heard the nervousness in his voice and immediately asked what was wrong.

“Y el me dice de algo de un pasadoquetuvo,unaexqueeltuvo una chica, no se, queriendo meterle preso por algo (and he told me about someone wanting to jail him for something),” recounted the womanwhileaddingthatPedrodid not divulge any more details about thetroublehewasin.

Sensing that he might be in

danger, she maintained communication with him as she travelledinthetaxi.

According to Annie, Pedro wanted to go and sort out whatever problem he had before meeting her at his friend's place; however, she kept pleading with him to come see her first and let them discuss whateveritis.

“El dice que no me queria involucrarennadayquemealejara (He said that he don't want to involve me in nothing and that I keepfarfromit),recalledAnnie.

She continued to plead with to himtodiscusstheproblemwithher butherpleaswentinvain.

Thelastthinghereportedlysaid to her before disappearing, was “I havetogoandfindthisgirl(theex) to solve this problem hay now” beforehangingupthephone.

Annie said she called him back

but got no answer She claimed that she kept calling until his phone wentdead.

Two days later on Pedro was founddeadbyafishermancatching iguanas.

Police visited the location around 10:00hrs on Saturday and according to them, no marks of violence were reportedly seen on theremains.

They found a black wallet containing his ID card in one of his pockets.ASamsungGalaxyS9was alsofoundnexttohisbody

Kaieteur news understands that an autopsy was conducted on Monday but up to press time police were yet to respond to questions on hiscauseofdeath.

As investigations continue, Kaieteur News learnt from one individual that while Pedro was working taxi at Robb and Light

agency under the remit of the PublicWorksMinistry

He added that the Ministry of Public Health was also providing a special service to allow Exxon to continue their operations through this period Two floorsoftheMarriottHotelin Kingston, Georgetown were rented to provide a quarantine facility for the staff of the company in addition to other locations in the country, the former Ministerpointedout.

Patterson therefore argued that ExxonMobil's operationswerenotimpacted duringthepandemic.

Already, the main political Opposition has called on the government to justify extending the relinquishment provision, sincenodocumentedproofin thisregardhasbeenprovided toGuyanese.

During the Opposition Leader's press conference on Thursday, the spokesperson on Oil and Gas, Elson Low explained, “While I can understand COVID-19 being a reasonable reason, what I would always ask is can the government provide to the public, a document which i s e v a l u a t i n g t h e situation; which they were able to receive expert advice as to whether or not they should

Streets,hereceivedastrangephone callandsuddenlyleftinhiscar

It is unclear if Pedro visited his sister on the East Bank, but his car was found parked there. Kaieteur News reached out to the sister for information but she declined to comment.

How Pedro ended up dead at Soesdyke two days after going missing,remainsamystery. Investigationsareongoing.

Civil Society Activist, Ramon Gaskin

Dead taxi driver, Orvil Pedro

Publisher:GLENNLALL-TEL:624-6456

Editor:NIGELWILLIAMS

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

EDITORIAL

The State and its religious allies

Vladimir Putin has incurred the wrath of theWest with his so-called “special military operations” in Ukraine. A tremendousamountofhardshiphasbeenfeltbyUkrainians, with the Russian military exposed as less than invincible, andtheRussianeconomystrugglingtofeedMr Putin’swar machine. Thoughheisnotwithoutloyalallies,thereisone thatismostsurprising. TheRussianOrthodoxChurchisnot just an ally, it is one of Mr Putin’s strongest, and most unwavering. Whatmanyarecallinganunjustwardisguised asspecialmilitaryoperationsdoesnotreflectwellonthose who should be about peace, and against violence per se, notwithstandinghowsmartlyitiscamouflaged.

ItisunderstoodthattheconflictinUkrainehastodowith fears of a shrinking border as seen from the Russian perspective, and of a territory grab as concluded by Ukrainians, and many in theWest. Further, there are deep Russian concerns about the expansion of NATO, and the turning of countries on its border against Moscow There arealsotherichgranariesofUkraine,andWesternanxieties aboutapossibledominoeffect,meaningthatUkraineisthe present target, with others likely to follow, if Putin is not stopped.

Amid all this, it is concerning that a religious group wouldcomeoutsoopenly,socompletely,tosupportawarthat has inflicted such a human toll, as well as infrastructure and psychic damage on the two sides now locked in a mortal struggle TheRussianOrthodoxChurchiswithinitsrightstobe about nationalism and Mother Russia and sacred national patrimony Butitismoreinkeepingwiththeircalling,when religiousleadersgotheotherway,whichisleadingthecharge for peace, and ending a now long running conflict The bloodshedandgrimnessofheavyhumansufferingarejusttoo muchforopen-endedconflicttocontinuewithoutcessationof hostilities,andreligiousleadersembroiled

Meanwhile, Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church,didmakeanoverturetohiscounterpartintheRussian OrthodoxChurchtousehisinfluencewithMr Putin,butthat yielded no results According to a Wall Street Journal article datedMay22,2022,theheadoftheRussianOrthodoxChurch, PatriarchKirillseestheconflictinUkraineasaholywaragainst theWest ThePatriarch’sunwaveringbackingforPutincounts for much in Russia, since 63% of the population identifies as Orthodox(“Putin’spowerfulChurchallyhelpcementsupport forthewar”-WSJ) AformercloseassociateofPatriarchKirill, SergeyChapnin,assertedthattopOrthodoxChurchshepherds form“partofthecorruptPutinistelite”and“it’sterribletosee howthisunionwiththestatehasmadethechurchpliantand amoral.” Many in Guyana conclude similarly about local religious leaders from many denominations, who give the distinctimpressionofpayingmerelipservicetotheteachings of their sacred books, or the commandments of their faith Theydosobystayingsilentontheexcessesofanincreasingly authoritariangovernmentanditscraftyleadership Theydo so,ratherunconcernedly,bysteppingforwardwithkneesbent and hands outstretched for blessings of money, or position, andwelcomedasunthreatening,ifnotsupportingallies.

Likeanyothercitizen,religiousleadersarefreetochoose theirpoliticalfriendsandrolemodels Butwhenthiseither divides their flock, or ignores the plight of the poor in their midst, then they are not about divine attributes, but the selfishness that leads to their own enrichment Guyanese peopleleftbehind,oratthebottomoftheeconomicpile,are lookingforanyhonest,strong,andvibrantspiritualleaderthat they can find, to lift them out of their disillusioned state. Neither God (by any system of belief), or believers are served when those specially selected to be leaders and guidesofworshippersareaboutthemselvesonly,andwhat feathers their nests. The truth is that too many religious leaders in Guyana have gotten too close to powerful politicians in general, and the government, in particular They should stick to caring for their flocks, and not taking careoftheirowninterestsonly;manyaresuffering.

Wastheextensionoftheserviceofacting CommissionerCliftonHickenconstitutional?

DEAREDITOR, President Ali announced thatheextendedtheservices of Clifton Hicken acting CommissionerofPolicetoa date to be determined. It is suspected that the extension was done after Clifton Hicken reached the age of retirement.

OnJuly22,2023,Clifton Hicken became fifty five years old - the age of retirement from the Guyana PoliceForce.Heshouldhave demittedofficeonAugust1, 2023inkeepingwithArticle 211 (3) of the Constitution and the protocols of the Public Service Commission Rules. Clifton Hicken at a meeting last week with all the Deputy Regional Police Commandersinformedthem that his extension is until sometime after the next General and Regional Elections. Those elections are programmed to be held during2025.

Editor, please permit me to put things in proper context.HereiswhatArticle 211(1)oftheConstitutionof theCo-operativeRepublicof Guyana says about the a p p o i n t m e n t o f a Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Police

“The Commissioner of Police and every Deputy Commissioner of Police shall be appointed by the President acting after meaningful consultation with the Leader of the Opposition and Chairperson of the Police Service Commission after the Chairperson has consulted with the members of the Commission.”

Article 232 of the Constitution states, “ ‘consultation’ or ‘ meaningful consultation’ means the person or entity responsible for seeking consultation shall - (a) identifythepersonorentities to be consulted and specify totheminwritingthesubject of the consultation and intended date for the decision on the subject of consultation; (b) ensure that each person or entity is afforded a reasonable opportunity to express a considered opinion on the subject of the consultation; and(c)causedtobeprepared andarchivedawrittenrecord of the consultation and circulatethedecisiontoeach of persons or entities consulted.” It is apposite to note that the President does

nothavetosolicitagreement from the persons or entities consultedinordertoappoint a Commissioner or Deputy CommissionerofPolice.

Editor, let me be pellucid, I hold no brief for anyoneinthismatter Ihave an abiding interest in law enforcement in Guyana Thanks to the print and electronicmediaIhavebeen publicly expressing my views on law enforcement issues. I will continue to do so.

The vex question is, was the extension of the service of acting Commissioner C l i f t o n H i c k e n constitutional? The Constitution speaks about the appointment and removal from office of a CommissionerofPolice,not extension of service I perusedtheConstitutionand the Public Service Commission Rules and did notseeasingleArticleinthe Constitution or a Public ServiceCommissionRulein relation to the extension of service of an acting

Commissioner of Police

The Constitution and the Public Service Commission Rules are silent about extension of service of a

CommissionerofPoliceand more so an acting CommissionerofPolice. Perhaps, it might be instructive for someone in authority to enlighten the publicunderwhichArticlein the Constitution the Public Service Commission Rules or any other law which is in any case subordinate to the Constitution that caters for the extension of the service of Clifton Hicken the acting Commissioner of Police. In addition, was meaningful consultations done in accordance withArticle 232 of the Constitution? The Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton said that his party will challenge the extensionofCliftonHicken, the acting Commissioner of PoliceinCourtthisweek. There are too many dangling forbidden fruit of the poisonous tree in place. This matter is crying out for urgentjudicialreview

Let us wait and see what will play out in Court. May God help the Guyana Police Force.

Sincerely, ClintonConway

Assistant Commissioner ofPolice.

(Retired)

DEAREDITOR

E v e r s i n c e i t s displacement from political power, PNC leaders and supporters embarked on a campaign to discredit the PPP/C as an Indo-party Intent on promoting divisiveness,theyconstantly seek to propagandize AfroGuyanese, misleading them into believing that they wouldbebetterservedunder a PNC government Emphasizing Afrocentrism and/or racism, they fail hopelessly to substantiate any claim of Indo-centrism, especially since no such ideologyexists,notinnation states, or as a political or religiousphilosophy

Just ask the Afrocentrists to provide citations of the ideology of “Indocentrism,” and they would mostlikelystutter,distort,or bamboozle their way out of the question.Anyone with some awareness of the political philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela, would readily realizethattheseremarkable leaders championed inclusion and advocated

against divisiveness and racism. In case the reader harbors doubts about associating Mandela and King with Gandhi, then it would be of benefit to examine Gandhi’s fight against oppression and discrimination in South Africa, and Mandela’s and King’s expressions of admiration for Gandhi - the formerreferringtoGandhias the“sacredwarrior,”andthe latter’s dedication of an entire Palm Sunday sermon toGandhi.

If Guyanese Afrocentrist proponents deny their advocation of i n d i f f e r e n c e a n d divisiveness, then let them explain if, and how, they subscribe to, or uphold the political philosophies of inclusion promoted by Gandhi,Mandela,andKing, three renowned leaders who challenged and reshaped White domination the world over Failing this, let them explain the origin of their Afro-centric ideology and how it applies to Guyanese society and the politics of racism Neither Gandhi, M

advocated for any type of ‘centrism.’

They advocated and practiced the political philosophy of inclusion, similar to that practiced by today’s PPP/C government, with President Irfaan in the f o r e f r o n t , o p e n l y demonstratingacceptanceof Guyanese of all races and ethnicities.As Dr Randolph Persaud eloquently explained in a newspaper articleafewdaysago,Afrocentrism emerged out of the advocacy and politicking of Marcus Garvey’s Pan Africanism, and the written works and lectures of W E.

B Dubois, and George Padmore, among others

Later,popularizedbyMolefi Asante and Chiekh Diop, A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n academicians utilized the Afro-centric approach primarilytochallengeWhite racist ideology and Anglo explications of African American history, and the continued subjugation, o p p r e s s i o n , a n d discrimination of African Americans.

Hence, injecting Afrocentric ideology into

Guyana’s politics is a disservicetoGuyaneseofall races, including AfroGuyanese.

Why? Afro-Caribbean scholars and writers promoted the Afro-centric ideology to explain the realities of Africans outside Africa – African realities from the perspectives of Africans, and not from the biasedanddistortedviewsof Whites.

As Walter Rodney pointedoutinhisessay,‘The Grounding with my Brothers’, “It was the white plantation owner who produced a number of pseudo-scientific and theologicaltheoriesattesting totheinferiorityoftheblack man.” Rodney’s words also ring true for Indian indenturedwhomtheWhites considered inferior as well.No one can deny the atrocities White colonizers committed against Africans inGuiana.

Colonizers not only inflicted harsh penalties on Africans, but stripped them of their names, beliefs, indigenouscultures,and

(Continuedonpage06)

InjectingAfro-centric ideology into Guyanese politics is a disservice to all Guyanese

We must do better, our people deserve better!

, I am all for loyalty to a particularraceofpeopleora particular party, but loyalty to Our Nation is of more importance when the decisions we make will affectusall.

We have been blessed with a healthy environment, healthy food and healthy water Allofwhichhasgiven us long and enjoyable lives. Just look at how many peopleliveover100yearsin our small country of less than a million. Health is always more important than wealth. It is imperative that we keep this in mind as we developournation.

Avoiding harmful

chemicals such as those that will be produced in the unprofitable gas to shore project, and avoiding the pollution that comes from the oil sector, gold mining andmanganeseminingmust remain top of mind In addition,thedestructionthat we have experienced as a nation due to intensified rainfallandfloodinghasnot been seriously addressed

Yetwearebuildingroadsfor expensivecars,hospitalsfor tourists, expensive houses that will economically enslave the populace, and expensive schools at the neglect of those that are already in place. The best schools in the nation have

UNC on the rise!

DEAREDITOR,

The local government election in Trinidad was keenlycontestedbutwecan see that Kamla PersadBissessar popularity is on theriseandthiscanbeseen clearly by the United National Congress (UNC) receiving 173,961 of the votes.

The People’s National Movement(PNM)popularity is decreasing with the party receiving130,868votesoutof 331,300votescast TheUNC got43,093morevotesthanthe PNM This is even more impressive given that the UNConlycontested110seats while the PNM contested 141seats.Ifyouaretoaddthe votes the National Transformation Alliance (NTA) received which is 15,997votes,youcanseethe popularityofthePNMisatan alltimelow Peoplearefedup withthemandthelowturnout atthepollsforthemcanattest tothis TheUNCfought31 seatslessthanthePNMand theyhavesurpassedthemin the number of votes by thousands and thousands.

The UNC also received morevotesthanalltheother parties contesting the elections combined and showsitsriseinpopularity

So you tell me what exactly is the Prime Minister celebrating in a 7-7 results?

yet to be equipped with sprinkler systems, but new and more expensive schools arebeingconstructed.

The construction industry is one of the most corrupt industries across the majority of countries in the world. Is Guyana different? Cries of corruption and greed are increasing, and many can see who has been over fed on our nation’s wealth.

Neglect for the safety of our citizens continues to increasewithuncontrollable crime and less people ensuringthatweeachdoour part in keeping the young and the old safe in their homes, schools and on the roads. There was a time whenamotoristcaredforthe safety of a pedestrian and thoseonabicycle.

in a rusty water system? Placing the cart before the horsecontinuestobetheorder of the day Housing developments without a proper sewage system is a development that hasn’t been thought out properly Georgetown is in need of a newwaterandsewagesystem, andthesamecanbesaidforall of the towns across the country Nottoolongagothere was sewage in the water in Timehri Whatgoodisfiltered waterifthepipeallowssewage to contaminate it after it has been filtered? The current planning is upside down and those we have entrusted are showing their lack of experience

management of our country mustbeplacedinthehandsof those who have hands-on experienceethicallymanaging and leading What is being witnessed today is the contrary Spending to buy votes, and lack of regard for the health and financial independenceofourcitizensis becomingmoreevidentasthe current plan for development continues to unfold A big houseandlittlelandwillhave our citizens being bystanders aswepursuefoodsecurity

hospitals and major infrastructure that lay in a flood zone. We are building up new industries (an oil refinery and petrochemical plant),whichwedonotneed that will poison the soil and deterioratethequalityofthe airwebreathe.

The PNM spent millions and millions on this election evidenced by the number of advertisements and several broadcastchatswiththePrime Minister. It’s no wonder former Sangre Grande Regional Corporation chairman, Terry Rondon was movedtotearsbythelicking the PNM received in Sangre Grande It was a crushing defeat by 6-2 The PNM has thrown away all the citizens’ hopes and aspirations in the last 8 years as they have performed terribly in the last eight years The PNM is dying!

All citizens are calling for a change in government at this stage, like they are calling for better roads, reduction in crime and heinous murders, and affordablefoodpricesatthe groceries.

AstheUNCgrowsfrom strength to strength, they will use this time, the next two years to increase their popularity and appeal to the electorate and become the next Government of

Trinidad and Tobago, while thePNMwillprobablyhave to look at removing their leader, their bully, their non performing narcissist to increasetheirpopularityand move their political momentumforward.

Dr.NeilGosine

Today,theyaredragging people through the streets andrunningovertheirheads in a rush to go nowhere and makeafleetingdollar,andif thepolicetrytotakecontrol they get a beating. It is said that a people get the leader they deserve. We must first think about what we need andnotaboutwhatwewant.

Development is a good thing when done properly, butwhatwearewitnessingis extensive waste and increasing expansion without first fixing what is alreadyinplace.Risktaking isalsoincreasing,andfixing ofthebasicstoensureweare all safely improving our living standards has been bypassed in order to add upon a deteriorating foundation.

What good is an oil contractifitdoesn’tbenefitthe countryandifitcanbankrupt it?Whatgoodisfilteredwater

However, the most important problem faced by the majority of our citizens continues to be neglected while we spend an ever increasingamountofmoney onvanityprojects.Nowhere in the world where corruption has been minimized would you find an airport construction projectthatneverends.

We must remember and not forget how easily our country fell from one of the richest and most educated to oneofthemostimpoverished Thiswaswhenpeoplereferred to LFS Burnham as one of the richest men in the world This was also when our citizenslineduptobuybread

Weknowwhatcorruption looks like and feels like This lesson should be a guide that makes us more conservative and cautious in our undertakings, but unfortunatelyithasn’t.

A PHD is only useful to thosewhowishtopursuealife in academia and research Good and practical

I guess working on the government’s farm is the preferred option, especially given that the oil industry will be around for only approximately20years.Just enough time to pay off for the new house A new generation of estate workers? Guyana has too muchlandandtoosmallofa population for this to be the best path for our development. We must do better, our people deserve better!This week California experienced its first ever tropical storm A year’s worth of rainfall fell in one day in some areas We cannot continue to pursue the current development plan for our nation without first and foremost addressing the risk of flooding No other

undertaking is more important than our sea defenseanddrainage.Weare building and upgrading roads that can easily be washed away in a major flood. We are building

P u r s u i n g t h e development pattern of the old first world countries, whichhaveseriousdebtand health care problems, is not the path that we should follow Oursshouldbemore in tune with the current situationandfutureneedswe faceinthischangingworld.

Sorry,butCRGcannotin goodconsciencesupportthe currentdevelopmentagenda and the poor priority setting that is taking place. Greed has taken root and we must uproot it before it destroys thehealthofourpeople,and our environment Our surroundings have blessed our citizens with long lives; we should do our best to enhance and preserve it and notdestroyit.Healthismore valuable than wealth and contentment will always bring more happiness than greed.

Sincerely,

Mr.JamilChanglee Chairman

T h e C o o p e r a t i v e RepublicansofGuyana

PRESIDENTALI’s VISIONAND LEADERSHIP SKILLS HAVE TRANSFORMED GUYANA

DEAREDITOR, Since becoming an independent country 57 yearsago,mostofGuyana’s pastpresidentsfromthetwo major parties have on numerous occasions used different strategies to heal the racial divide, unite, and improve the lives of the people,but,unlikePresident Dr IrfaanAli, they have not succeeded. And the reason being is that they did not have the vision and leadership skills and ability like His Excellency, who since becoming President in August 2020, had the prudence, wisdom, and couragetoinitiatepoliciesto unite the people and build a prosperous Guyana for all.

TheOneGuyanainitiativeis a classic example and the first of its kind to have ever been introduced in the countrytounifytheraces.It represents a symbol of harmonyandintegrityofthe stateathomeandabroad.

President Dr Ali sound leadershipandintegrityhave provided wide-ranging guidance in several regional matters in food security, nutrition and influence w h i c h h a s g r o w n significantly as the country

continuestobecomeaglobal leader in food security, climate security, energy

security, and human

development Under His Excellency extraordinary and superb leadership, Guyana has risen to the challengetobecomealeader intheCaribbean,andhehas exerted his influence on the countries to grow more of their own food, increase trade among each other and reduce regional imports

According to President Dr Ali, if these efforts succeed, CARICOM will be able to reduce its more than US$4 billion annual foodimportation bill by some 25 percentby2025.

The Caribbean heads of state have supported

President’s Ali’s agenda to reduce its food import bill, have also agreed to implement measures to boost agricultural production in their respective countries. Such leadership, which is particularly evident among the CARICOM states, has perhaps made Guyana the most recognizable and influential country in the region This marked a milestone because it is the

first time Guyana has been recognized in the same manner as Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. In the past these three countries have always been recognized by Europeans and North Americans as tourist destinations due mainly to their beautiful and picturesquebeaches.

On the International scene, President Dr Irfaan Ali has since taking office three years ago propelled Guyana into a global leader in several areas, including the environment, climate change, food security, renewable energy sources, and agriculture, among others. It is true that His Excellency has worked tirelesslytopositionGuyana tocontributesignificantlyto globalleadershipandtohave a strong influence on the global decision-making processwhichwasprimarily thedomainofthedeveloped countries. The move in this direction has been bolstered and fortified by the country being elected to serve as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in June for the term 2024-2025

Guyana’s candidacy was uncontested, being the sole candidate for a single seat available to Latin America and the Caribbean Region, whereitgarneredthehighest votecount,at191outof192 members of the United Nations General Assembly It is important to mention that the UNSC is one of the six principal organs of the UN, and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and approving any changes to the UN Charter

Evidence of this superlative achievement has never been achieved before inGuyanasinceitbecamean independent in May 1966.

To d a y, u n d e r t h e stewardshipofPresidentDr Ali,Guyanahasbecomeone of the most recognized and respected developing countries in the Western Hemisphere and has attracted an extensive list of more than 75 world leaders, inclusive of heads of governments from the

Frompage4

i d e n t i t i e s , w h i l e indoctrinating and proselytizing them to view Whites, and everything white, as good, and everything black as bad, or evil.Colonizerssucceededin transforming the Africans mainly because of the heterogeneous nature of the slave population. Captured andsoldfromamongdiverse African groups, slaves did n o t c o n s t i t u t e a homogeneous group, sharingacommonlanguage, system of belief, culture or identity, characteristics which would have militated againstconversion.

This is not to overlook the fact that some slave did rebel.To lay blame then on today’s Indo-Guyanese for the atrocities endured by Africans, and the formulationoftoday’sAfroGuyanese belief structures, socio-economic relations, and identity, is simply foolhardy, and a deliberate attempt to promote divisiveness and race/ethnic hostilities Indentured Indianssufferedmanyofthe same cruelties White colonizers meted out to A

tenaciously clung to their

world’s most influential and powerfulnationssuchasthe United States, Britain, Canada, China and the European Union that have either visited Guyana or have had direct bilateral engagementswithit.

President Dr Irfaan Ali has indicated that his meeting with US President JoeBidenandFirstLadyJill Biden at the 9th Summit of Americas, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister Shri NarendraModiofIndia,and China’sPresidentXiJinping among others is rock-solid proofofGuyana’ssuccessin achieving widespread respect and influence in the international community This is a resounding endorsement of the importance and the reason why more world leaders are coming to Guyana as never seen before because they believe that we as a people can contribute to global leadership and a peaceful and economically stable world.

President Dr Ali has made it clear that the

ancestral identity, language, culture, and beliefs in Hinduism and Islam. In this regard, their cultural homogeneity assisted in their resistance to conversion,andsubscription to Anglo-Saxon values and s o c i a l - c u l t u r a l characteristics Given Guyana’shistory,noonecan underplay, or deny IndoGuyanese contributions to well-being of emancipated Afro-Guyanese and their descendants.

Having left the sugar plantations, the majority of emancipated Africans and their descendants moved to live along Guyana’s coastal villages.

From their new residential locations, many turned to alternative modes of survival, including, teachers, nurses, dispensers, post-masters, clerical workers, civil servants, railway workers, road workers, policemen, dock workers, Christian ministers etc. The few who remained on the plantation served as carpenters, black-smiths, engineers,boatbuilders,and onlyahandfulworkedinthe sugarcane-fields.Exceptfor thesugarcane-fieldlaborers, alloftheoccupationsstaffed

Government intends to live up to its expectations by ensuringthatGuyanaplaysa major role in reshaping an international system that is fair, just and equitable and that the country will continue to seek alliances withothercountriesbutwill maintainanindependentand principled position by standing up for values established in the UN Charter and in international law His Excellency alluded to the many economic cooperation agreements Guyana has with several countriesinAfrica,Asia,the Middle East, Europe, and NorthAmerica.

The President intoned thattheseagreementswould advance tourism, improve the export of goods and services, and increase investment in energy, manufacturing, and agriculture These achievements by the President will transform Guyanaandmoveitfroman underdeveloped status to a developedcountry Sincerely, Dr.AsquithRose.

by Afro-Guyanese were financed from surplus income generated from the exploitation of IndoGuyanese sugar plantation laborers. In addition, while working on the plantation, Indo-Guyanese also became the primary producers of rice, a daily food staple of AfroandIndo-Guyanese.

Whileitisclearfromthe above that Indo-Guyanese havecontributedtothewellbeing of Afro-Guyanese, today’s Afro and Indo Guyanese existences reflect that of an interdependent reciprocity, a reciprocity facilitated and promoted by the PPP/C government, one that takes into consideration thewellbeingandupliftment ofallGuyanese,irrespective ofrace,ethnicity,orpolitical allegiance.

AsPresidentIrfaan,Vice president Jagdeo, and Prime Minister Mark Phillips have demonstrated, and continue to demonstrate, there is accommodation for all, and inclusionofall,andnoAfrocentric, or racist ideology, would deter, or detract from thebuildingofajustsociety, aunifiedGuyana.

Regards NarayanPersaud,PhD ProfessorEmeritus

InjectingAfro-centricideologyintoGuyanese...

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Jagdeo–Aleader wastingaway

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We feel sorry for Bharrat Jagdeo.

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He is running out of tricks.

He thought that the oil would give him kicks.

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Now he comes in for unending licks.

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His press conferences are now a brawl.

As Jagdeo looks for any hole in which to crawl.

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Exxon's 6th oil project to cost Guyana US$13 billion

Ex x o n M o b i l ' s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) has furnished the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for its sixth project, set to cost US$12.9B.

T h e d o c u m e n t comprising 3636 pages provides a comprehensive outlook of how the project will be established in the Stabroek Block, along with the range of social and environmental impacts it is likelytohave.

The report which is now available for public review and commentary for a 60 day period, notes that oil will be produced from the Whiptail, Pinktail, and Tilapia fields of theStabroekBlock.

T h e s e f i e l d s a r e approximately1,500to2,200 metersdeep.

The project will see the development of multimillion barrels of oil

resources by drilling approximately 33 to 72 d e v e l o p m e n t w e l l s (including production and water/gas injection wells). It will also see the installation of a Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessel to process, store, and offload the recovered oil. Currently, the FPSO's basic design has an upper production limit of 263,000 barrels per day (bpd).

For the purposes of the EIA,thedocumentstatesthat production of up to 300,000 bpd is considered to assess potential impacts from the project and cover potential production optimization afterfacilitystart-up.

If during the detailed design stage or during production operations an opportunity to expand the upperproductionlimitarises, theEIAstatesthattheproject will document the evaluation and justification and an updated upper production limitwillbeavailable.

EEPGL estimates the project will require a workforce of approximately 540personsatthepeakofthe development well drilling, and approximately 100 to 180 persons at the peak of production operations (with an additional 25 to 30 personnel on board each exporttanker).

N o t a b l y, E E P G L estimates that drilling the approximately 33 to 72 wells is expected to commence in late 2024/early 2025 through mid-2030 (but could extend as late as 2031). Installation of subsea components is planned to begin in the second half of 2025 or early 2026.

The FPSO installation, commissioning, and start-up are planned to occur in 2027. Overall, the project is expected to continue for at least20years.

Furthermore, the EIA states that the Whiptail field contains substantial quantities of associated gas. EEPGL said a study was

therefore conducted to determine its best use. It was notedinthereporttotheEPA that gas re-injection was evaluated as an option to maintain reservoir pressure and improved oil recovery The report states that this alternative was selected because it provides greater efficiency than water injection alone and will increase the amount of crude oilthatcanberecoveredover time.

Under this alternative, EEPGL said associated gas that is not used as fuel gas on the FPSO will be re-injected in support of normal operations, which results in lower air emissions than the continuous flaring option. It further noted that a gas export study was conducted for the Whiptail Project to evaluate the impact gas

exports would have on oil production forecasts and estimated ultimate recovery EEPGL said the results from the study indicate that any reduction in injected gas would result in reduced oil recovery

For this reason, the current development plan doesnotincludegasexports.

EEPGL is the designated Operator of the Stabroek Block under a Petroleum Agreement signed by the subsidiary and a consortium that includes Hess Guyana Exploration Limited and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited.

T h e P e t r o l e u m

A g r e e m e n t c o v e r s approximately26,806square kilometers and was executed together with a Petroleum Prospecting License for the StabroekBlock.

EEPGL has previously planned and obtained a p p r o v a l f r o m t h e Government of Guyana for five development projects in the Stabroek Block the Liza Phase 1 Development Project, Liza Phase 2 DevelopmentProject,Payara Development Project, Yellowtail Development P r o j e c t , a n d U a r u Development Project Collectively, these five projects are worth over US$41B. According to the terms of the petroleum agreement signed between the oil companies and Guyana, all investments will be recovered using Guyana's oil.

The Liza Phase 1 and Liza Phase Two Projects are already in operation, producing some 400,000 barrelsofoilperday

A map from the EIA showing the location of the Whiptail Project offshore Guyana

Education Ministry to spend $241M to repair schools, dorms in Reg. 2

It was revealed at the

recent opening of tenders at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office that theMinistryofEducationis looking to spend some $ 2 4 1 , 3 2 2 , 5 8 8 t o rehabilitate the structures of schools and dormitories at Aurora, Wakapoa, Charity and Anna Regina, which are all located in RegionTwo.

K a i e t e u r N e w s understands that the projects are for the rehabilitation of Wakapoa

Secondary School which is estimatedtocost$9million, Wakapoa’s dormitory which is estimated to cost $11 million, Aurora Secondary School which is estimated to cost $43 million, Aurora dormitory which is estimated to cost $27 million, Ann Regina

Secondary’s academic block which is estimated to cost $72 million, the school’s dormitory which is pegged at $41 million, a n d t h e C h a r i t y S e c o n d a r y School dormitory which is

estimated to cost $35 million.

It was reported that at the Committee of Supply during the sitting of the 67th National Assembly, Minister of E d u c a t i o n P r i y a M a n i c k c h a n d h a d mentioned that they would rehabilitateschools and dormitories not only to enhance their physical structures but to ensure too that fire prevention mechanismsareinplace

“We are working with the Guyana Fire Service They are assessing schools and then saying to us ‘This is what you need’, and that is how we are going to attend to those schools for fires,” the minister hadhighlighted

Already, the GFS has assessed all school dormitories with the intention of making the requisiteimprovements,she noted“Wehavedoneitatall the dorms currently and we are [looking to make] the changes at every single d o r m , ” M i n i s t e r Manickchandhadexplained.

Below are the companies and their bids:

MinistryofEducation RehabilitationWorkstoWakapoaSecondary School,RegionTwo.

RehabilitationtoCharitySecondarySchoolDorms.

MinistryofPublicWorks

ConsultancyServicesforTheEngineering ServicesforTheConstructionofGovernment OfficeComplex(Design&Build).

RehabilitationofAuroraSecondarySchool.

RehabilitationtoAcademic Block-AnnaReginaSecondarySchool.

RehabilitationtoDorms-AnnaReginaSecondarySchool.

RehabilitationofAuroraDorms.

RehabilitationworkstoWakapoaDormbuilding.

BY GHK LALL

AG Nandlall and consensus

First, here is a confession to my fellow citizens Every now and again, I pause a n d p o n d e r p u b l i c pronouncements of Guyana's Hon. Attorney General, Mr Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, MP, and so on and so forth. For the record, the AG is intriguing in his oral pirouettes, and rhetorical thunder; truth be told, Mr N a n d l a l l i s b e t t e r e n t e r t a i n m e n t t h a n Excellency Ali and the

mighty VP More pointedly, this erudite Guyanese surrendered all rights to speak for Guyanese when he joined with Exxon and went against his own people When Guyanese needed a valiant kshatriya, the pathetically cowardly was theirs On the issue of consensus, a burning one, in Guyana, the AG was up in arms and all slash and trash, bash and mash. He rocked whoever pays attention to him, with flights about

n d argumentations”, in the firm belief that some are impressed. Not I, sire. But, there is gratitude that Senior CounselNandalldidnottreat us to the delights of ' a d u m b r a t i o n s ' o r 'maladministration,andother perversions”, in his lofty verbal 'peregrinations,' f u l m i n a t i o n s , a n d panegyrics. A good actor is thisbrother Consensus is what we

need, and consensus is what we don't have; some seemingly are dead set against it, will not allow one whiff of breath, or consideration.

Sothen,beingthemanof logicandreasoningthatheis, I inquire of lawmaker and senior barrister, lawyer, and solicitor, and counselor (all roll into one here, aren't they?) from here to where? Again: from here to where, sir? The PPP can overcome its bitter memories and

pervasive hatreds of America (Down with America, that d e c a d e s l o n g passionate chant) and capitalism (down…ah, why even bother), but the rage from the 1950s and 60s, and asrefuelednowbythe2020s, is inexhaustible and, more poignantly, inextinguishable. In fairness and for balance, which I recommend to Mr Nandlall to try sometime in his multifaceted capacities of attorney,minister,andcitizen and a man, the PNC has also been about the dogged and same devastating rage that tears country and peoples into fragments. One Black face in the PPP and one Indian presence in the PNC, will only get us so far, which is nowhere. The AG knows this,allofit. He also knows that it is playing with the nuclear trigger when short thrift is given to calls for consensus. Okay, there were no calls for consensuswhenthePNCwas in power, but what Mr Nandlall surely knows is that half of the electorate simmered, stewed, and steamed, without any political provocations. Mr Nandlall may pretend to be hard of hearing, unseeing, even obtuse, but he is not. For he has to know that now that the power shoe is on the PPP's foot, then the other approximate half of the Guyana electorate is roiled, and rages with resentments. Whetherracialorpolitical,or tribal and communal, it is there, Dr.Anil. Now that we haveoil-nothopingforit,but actually owning proven reservoirs of it-then the agitations have a more searing, piercing intensity about them It is the proverbial and perennial: whogetsahandorwhogetsa kick. Proverbial, perennial, and perception can all be hurled out the window; the tripletsalso.

WhatGuyanesearethen leftwithissimple:thechoice between consensus and confrontation; the option between consensus and cooperation and comprise (all dirty words) on the p o s i t i v e s i d e , a n d confrontation and conflict andcalamityontheother

Now, Mr Nandlall is a smarter fellow than me politically Ihavesomeideas and conclusions, though, about how comparatively sensible he is on a pragmatic level. Consensus helped a

limping, lost President Joe Biden pass trillion-dollar relief bills during the pandemic; consensus aided the Democrats to triumph with a federal budget in a society in a state of undeclared war With itself and no other Though it may cause a surge of shuddering, Guyanaisonestepaway,one candlestick away, from settling our grievances the hard way Because national peace is involved, I cannot afford to be squeamish in language with what is tabled, howitispresented. Butthere must not be recklessness, either

I think that the PPP Government, with Mr Nandlall serving as a leading spear-carrier, is exemplary in its recklessness. If anything, the 2020 elections-before, during, and the interminable thereafter [now]-confirmed t h e r a n c o r o u s a n d bludgeoning nature of our society High up. Deep down. Rightacross.

Thisisourreality,brother Nandlall. Here is another, even more grim in its potential for the gruesome: we have all those guns smuggled and stockpiled, and they are definitely in the tens of thousands, probably with another zero that could be added to identify our reality

Yes,theStatehasitsarmy of agents. Saddam Hussein had his also. Somewhere a r o u n d t h a t s a m e neighborhood, there is Niger andithas/haddemocracy.

I could be influenced to agree that if the oil was nonexistent, we could putter around and muddle along, like we have always done. Oilisthegamechanger

Oil is the showstopper Oil is the danger Mr Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, MP, knows all this. He knows too that consensus-in whatever form, by whatever means-must be found, and must be given a chance to work. Somebody must try, die, for it. What say, you, brother?

D i s c l a i m e r : T h e opinions expressed in this column are those of the author Theydonotpurportto reflect the opinions or views of KaieteurNews.

$607 million already spent on incomplete Leguan Stelling

…contractor requests more money, Govt. to decide on wayforward

With $607 Million already pumped into the incomplete Leguan Stelling, some six years after the initial contract was awarded – the contractor Sattrohan M a r a j o f S M a r a j

Contracting Services has requested more money from theGovernmentofGuyana–after missing yet another deadline.

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill had revealed to the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the contractor has requested more money from the government to complete the project despite the fact that a previously agreedupon cost had already been approved.

Minister Edghill had planned to meet with the government engineer on Monday to decide on the way forward When contacted yesterday, the

minister revealed that there is no update at this time on thegovernment'sdecision.

Notably,theministerhad already hinted that the company will not get “another dime” to complete theremainderofthework.

The contract for the rehabilitation of the Stelling was signed in 2018 by the APNU+AFC government and since then, the contract sumhasincreasedfrom$413 millionto$607million.

Thenewdeadlineforthe completion of the project was July 2023 – however, the contractor has missed thatdeadline.

In November 2022, Kaieteur News had reported that the Auditor General Reportfor2021chronicleda series of payments made to an errant contractor for works that he did not complete at the Leguan FerryStelling.

Notably, the contract with the contractor was terminated and steps were taken by the People's Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Government to recoverthemonies.

According to the AG's report, the contract awarded for the rehabilitation of the Leguan Ferry Stelling in the sum of $413 259M was madeinSeptember2018.By 2019, payments totalling $199.435M were made on the contract sum. However, the estimated value of works completed at that time was $50.970M.

According to the report, as of December 2021, the Ministry of Public Works paid an additional sum of $151.316M to the contractor bringingthetotalsumpaidto $350.751M. It should be noted, however, that even though the additional sum was paid, auditors could not

determine if the incomplete works valued at $148.465M were done.According to the status report dated June 6, 2022, the Ministry of Public Works indicated that the contractor has a balance of $60.047M on the contract sum. Further, it was noted thatthecontractor,onMarch 11, 2022, proposed an increase of $168.058M on thecontractsum.

As a result, the contractor received payments in excess of $148.465M for works not

done. The audit office said that this led to a special investigation being conducted.

Asaresultoftheseriesof delays made in completing the rehabilitation works, the contract for the $413 million Leguan Stelling was eventually terminated by the Guyana Government in 2021. The Government then initiated legal action to have theissueaddressed.

S Maraj Contracting Services, and the Assuria Insurance Company, were

sued by the state over incomplete works on the stelling However, the Transport and Harbours Department (TH&D), which is the procuring agency, during litigation, engaged t h e c o n t r a c t o r i n negotiations and arrived at a settlement.

As such on December 16, 2022, works on the stelling restarted and the deadline was given as July 2023 – however the contractor was unable to completethework.

Sodturnfor$388MFriendshipMagistrates'Court

Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, Chancellor of Judiciary (ag) Yonette CummingsEdwards, and Principal Magistrate, Judy Latchman on Monday turned thesodfortheconstructionofanew Magistrates' Court at Friendship, EastBankDemerara(E.B.D).

The $388,873,985 contract for the construction of the courthouse was awarded to Romano Builders Inc. by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB)afterapublictender

The Attorney General Chambers reported that the building will house a courtroom, magistrates' chambers, living quartersforamagistrateandaclerk of court, washroom facilities, parking facilities and a perimeter fence.

The courthouse is expected to becompletedbyOctober,2024.

Present at the sod-turning were staff of the Supreme Court and the Contractor, Joey Monjal among others.

In her remarks, Principal Magistrate Latchman thanked the Attorney General for the “groundbreaking initiative” and extended gratitude to the GovernmentofGuyana,notingthat the court will serve citizens on the East Bank of Demerara and assist with the expansion of Guyana's jurisprudence.

Last Friday, the Attorney General, Mohabir Anil Nandlall

S.C., the Chancellor, Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire, SC and Chief Magistrate (ag) Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus, turned the sod for the c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a

$303Million Magistrates' CourtatTimehri,EBD.

The $303,905,015

c o n t r a c t f o r t h e construction of the courthouse was awarded to Orion Engineering Inc. by the NPTAB after a public tender The building will house a courtroom, magistrates' court office,

magistrates' court chambers, living quartersforamagistrateandaclerk of court, washroom facilities, parking facilities and a perimeter fence. Notably, when operational, thecourtwillhandlecasesfromthe lower East Bank Magisterial District all the way up to Silvertown, Linden. The project is expected to be completed by September,2024.

Moreover, just last Wednesday the $294 Million new Vigilance M a g i s t r a t e s ' C o u r t s , a technologically advanced court wascommissioned–toimprovethe delivery of justice to residents of theEastCoastofDemerara(ECD).

A section of the incomplete deck of the Stelling – (Guyana Chronicle Photo)

Officials at the sod turning for the $388M Friendship Magistrates' Court

Ecuadoriansvotetobanoildrillingin theAmazonin‘historic’referendum

(CNN) - Ecuadorians have voted to ban oil drilling inoneofthemostbiodiverse places on the planet, the Yasuní National Park, situated in the Amazon rainforest.

With more than 92% of the votes counted, nearly 59%ofvotersrejectedtheoil drilling while 41% voted in favor, according to the National Electoral Council of Ecuador (CNE) on Mondaymorning.

The referendum comes as the impacts of humancaused climate change accelerate, as the world continues to burn fossil fuels. Last month was the planet’s hottest June on record, and some scientists warn that the Amazon is headingtowardsadangerous tippingpoint.

The Yasuní National Park park spans around 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres)atthemeetingpointof the Amazon, the Andes and the Equator Just one hectare of Yasuní land supposedly contains more animal species than the whole of Europe and more tree species than exist in all of NorthAmerica.

But underneath the park lies Ecuador’s largest reserveofcrudeoil.

In2007,PresidentRafael Correa proposed that the international community give Ecuador $3.6 billion to leave Yasuní undisturbed. Buttheplanfailed.

In 2016, the Ecuadorian state oil company began drillinginBlock43–around

0.01%oftheNationalPark–which today produces more than 55,000 barrels a day, amounting to around 12% of Ecuador’soilproduction.

Y a s u n i d o s , a n environmental collective, hasbeenpushingforthevote to ban drilling in the park for a decade. In May they and other groups secured a victory when the country’s constitutional court authorized the vote to be included on the ballot of the presidential election held on August20.

Some politicians, including energy minister Fernando Santos, have argued that a ban it would

have negative impacts on Ecuador’seconomy

“It could cause huge damage to the country,” Santos told local radio in June, according to a Reuters report, estimating the country could lose $1 2 billion in revenues. He also denied there has been environmental harm from thedrilling.

But environmental and Indigenous groups argued that Ecuador needs to move away from fossil fuels and protect the Amazon, saying that other economic activities such as ecotourism could help fill the gap “This referendum

presents a huge opportunity for us to create change in a tangible way,” Helena Gualinga, an Indigenous rights advocate from a remote village in the Ecuadorian Amazon, told CNN.

In a post on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter), Yasunidos called the result “a historic victory for Ecuador and for the planet!”

M i t c h A n d e r s o n , executive director of the n o n - p r o f i t A m a z o n Frontlines, said in a statement: “In one fell swoop, the Ecuadorian people struck a mighty blow

to the oil industry, protected one of the most biodiverse forests in the Amazon, and showed the world what grassroots climate action really looks like ”But Fernando L. Benalcazar, a senior consultant at APD Proyectos,whichworkswith the extractive industry, said that Ecuadorians had voted to ban drilling “without u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e implications for the economic and social developmentofEcuador.”

“This decision brings a tremendous financial burden, hard to be offset in the short term,” he told CNN.

Shopkeeper on $500k bail for death of Mabaruma businessman

The shopkeeper who was remanded to prison earlier this year for unlawful killing ofAaron Conyers, a businessman of Mabaruma, North West District (N W D) Region One, was on Monday releasedon$500,000bail.

Zamul Samuels, 27, of Gaja Landing,N.W.D,waschargedwith manslaughter and was on remand sinceMarch2023.

However, on Monday when the matter was called at the Mabaruma Magistrate's Court before Magistrate Sunil Scarce, Samuels' attorney Bernard DaSilva made a bailapplicationforhisclientwhich waslatergranted.

The conditions of the bail are

the accused report to the station sergeant every other Saturday and donotcommunicatewithanyofthe witnesses until the hearing and completionofthematter

The matter was adjourned to November 20, 2023 and on that date the preliminary inquiry (PI) is slatedtocommence.

On the accused first court appearance he was not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that between March 27, and March 28, 2023 at Black Water Village, N W D he unlawfullykilledConyers.

Apolicereportrevealedthatthe 38-year-old businessman of Gaja Landing located in the Mabaruma area was attacked after imbibing

alcoholatSamuels'shop.

The police had reported that a labourer from the area, said that at around 21:00hrs on March 27, he went to Dorathy Samuels' house to charge his phone when he saw Conyers in the company of four men, ages 22, 24, 27, and 40, all of the same village. He said the men were all drinking alcohol at Samuels'shopontheeasternsideof DorathySamuel'syard.

Itwasreportedtothepolicethat Conyersandoneofthemenhewas drinking with began to fight when theshopkeeperintervened,causing Conyerstoverballyabusehim.The shopkeeper apparently threw Conyers to the ground, resulting in himhittingthebackofhishead.

The police learnt that Conyers got up and began to use indecent language against the shopkeeper,afterwhichhe walked out of the yard, and shortly fell by the roadside near a lamp pole, and remained there.

According to reports, the businessman was picked up by his wife and sister and taken home, where he was placed on a bed to sleep The following morning (March 28) he was overheard groaning and was subsequently taken to the Mabaruma Regional Hospital, where he died while receivingtreatment.

The four persons with whom

The referendum took place alongside the presidential and legislative electionsonSunday Luisa González, of the Movimiento Revolución Ciudadana party, took the lead in the first round of the elections, which have been marred by political assassinations and violence driven by criminal organizations vying to control the country’s drug traffickingroutes. González will face second-placefinisherDaniel Noboa in a run-off election in October as no candidate won more than 50% of the ballot.

Conyers was reportedly drinking with that night were arrested and takenintocustodyattheMabaruma Police Station, where Samuels confessed.This publication learned that Conyers who leaves to mourn hisfourchildrenandotherrelatives diedasaresultofhemorrhagetothe brain due to blunt trauma, the post mortemrevealed.

Aerial picture shows the Tiputini Processing Center of state-owned Petroecuador in Yasuni National Park.

Dead, Aaron Conyers

Govt. commissions $1B pump station at Craig, E.B.D

Local LG Distributor, Platinum Sales & Services plans more consumer-based presence at Building Expo 2023

Platinum Sales and Services, the authorized distributor for LG Products inGuyana,isgearingupfora more consumer-focused presence at this year's International Building Expo scheduled fromAugust 24 to August 27 at the Guyana

N a t i o n a l S t a d i u m , Providence.

According to Mahendra

Boodhoo, the Chief ExecutiveOfficer(CEO),the company had participated in the expo last year, primarily engaging in business-tobusiness interactions

Tomitigatefloodinginmany farming areas while i n c r e a s i n g f o o d productivity, residents along the East Bank corridor will soon benefit from the construction of a pump station at Craig.

On Friday last, a contract worth approximately$1billionwassignedto executetheproject.

The disclosure was made by Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha on Saturday during the commissioning of the $497.4 million dredge at Little Diamond Sluice, East BankDemerara.

“I went to Craig since the entire

EastBanksaidthattheyhadtowaitfor tidal drainage, as they needed 24 hour drainage.

The drainage capacity needed to improve. When we were planning our budget for this year, we put in our budget to build a brand-new pumping station on the East Bank of Demerara. And that is about $1 billion. This shows how we are responding to the needs of our people,” Minister Mustapharelayed.

As part of Guyana's food security aim, farmers countrywide continue to benefit from the construction and maintenance of new and existing drainage systems, farm-to-market

roads,amongotherinterventions.

Minister Mustapha explained that, “Over the last three years, we have purchased and fixed 28 new pumps across this country That is a monumental achievement for us. We have nine pump stations being built acrossourcountry.”

The minister noted that flooding has been mitigated tremendously in theDiamondarea.

Recently, for the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to execute rehabilitation works on existing drainage systems in RegionTwo, an additional$2.5 billion infundingwasapproved.(DPI)

However, this time around, thefocusisshiftingtowardsa more consumer-oriented approach. Speaking to this publication, Boodhoo highlighted the company's successinattractingattention from various sectors within the business community during the previous expo, including developers, mall owners, and other business proprietors.

He noted that at the forefront of the company's showcase was its innovative LG air conditioning units, knownfortheirrapidcooling capabilities, energy efficiency, and allergyreducing filters. He said that representatives from the company were present at the event and ready to engage with visitors, delving into discussions about product features, pricing, warranties, and potential installation partnerships.

This year, Boodhoo said that the company has catered for the expansion of their offerings beyond air c o n d i t i o n i n g u n i t s Currently, Platinum Sales and Services presents a diverse range of LG household appliances, encompassing refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, and washingmachines.

Building upon their success from the prior year, the company is aiming to amplify its presence at this year's expo.All product lines will be prominently displayed, accompanied by on-site sales offerings Boodhoo emphasized that consumers can anticipate discounted prices throughout t h e e x p o , a v a i l i n g themselves of attractive

deals.

W i t h a n e y e o n inclusivity, the company is establishing a notable presence with three booths, e n c o m p a s s i n g b o t h residential and commercial items. Having established a partnership with LG Electronics in 2020, Platinum Sales and Services stands as the exclusive local distributor offering LG p r o d u c t s w i t h comprehensive factory warranties, eliminating additional expenses Boodhoo also drew attention to the corrosion-resistant nature of these LG products, coupled with their energyefficient electricity consumption.

L o o k i n g a h e a d , Boodhoo's aspirations extend to expanding warehouse capacity, aiming to ensure widespread accessibility of these products for all Guyanese citizens.

This he indicated, is a commitment that solidifies Platinum Sales and Services' stature as one of the nation's most prominent distributors ofconsumerelectronics. With just three days remaining, the expo, centered around the theme “Building For All: One G u y a n a , M a n y Opportunities,” has been dubbed by Susan Rodrigues, the Minister within the Ministry of Housing, an invaluable platform for aspiringbusinessesseekinga memorabledebut.

A similar Pump station at Kingston

Mahendra Boodhoo, CEO of Platinum Sales and Services

SurvivorofMahdiadormfire dischargedfromNewYorkhospital

The young girl, who was flown to a N e w Yo r k hospital for further treatment following the deadly Mahdia dormitory fire back in May, was on Monday discharged fromahealthinstitution.

According to Eyewitness News ABC7, it's been three long months of surgeries, skin grafts, physical rehabilitation, and grief counseling for young Mariza Williams.

“The discharge of this little girl is a joyous chapter in this otherwise horrific story," said Eric Cioe Peña, MD, vice president of the Center for Global Health at Northwell Health, the article quoted.

“The Mahdia fire was a national tragedy in Guyana that captivated the world and was heartfelt in 'Little Guyana' in Queens. Getting herhomewillhelpaccelerate the healing process for Mahdia and Guyana,” the newsarticlereported.

Following her discharge, the girl's father, Max Williams spoke at a media briefing expressing how elated and grateful he is of the care and treatment his daughter received while at thehospital.

“I'm so proud for my babyhasbeenrecovered,”an emotional Williams said in anABC7newscast.

Earlier this month, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony had visited the young girl where he was given an update on her condition.

Kaieteur News had reported that a release from

the Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) stated that the girl suffered second and third degree burns to approximately 40 percent of herbody

Her injuries required extensive skin graft surgeries, 24/7 pain management, physical therapyandcounselling.

According to the release, the girl had begun to walk about 10 to 15 feet, but doctors would like to get her towalkaround40feetbefore dischargingher

This publication also reportedthattheteenwasone of two critical victims of the Mahdia Secondary School's female dormitory fire who was medically evacuated to the United States for treatment.

Before being flown overseas,theHealthMinistry had stated that the girl underwent two surgeries at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and though her condition improved steadily, it was deemed necessary that she be transferred to the Americanhospital.

“This transfer was deemed necessary out of an abundance of precaution and made in the best interest of the patient,” the ministry had explained.

Meanwhile, it was reported that on the night of May 21, 2023, fire swept through a heavily-grilled female dormitory which housed students of the Mahdia Secondary School, Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni) and claimed the livesof20children.

The 12year-old survivor of the Mahdia dormitory fire being discharged on Monday from the Northwell Health, Burns Centre, Staten Island University Hospital.

Mariza Williams alongside her parents at the hospital in New York.

Good Samaritan rescued robbery victim with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation after being stabbed by bandits

By Shervin Belgrave

AGood Samaritan played a key role in rescuing a man with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation after bandits stabbed him several times about his body and left him to die onJune18last.

Still recovering from a punctured lung, liver and multiple stab wounds, Sean Garraway, 51 of Sophia, Greater Georgetown, sat down with Kaieteur News on Mondaytorecounthowhislifewas miraculously saved by “divine intervention”.

Garraway returned to Guyana on May 14 after spending some ten years working in Trinidad and Tobago. On June 18 he was invited to a Father's Day Dinner at the Sophia Seventh Day Adventist church located not too far away from his home. While he was returning home around 22:00hrs that evening, two armed bandits pounced on him and stole the father'sdaygift-abottleofcologne andafather'sdaycard-hereceived at the dinner along with his Samsung GalaxyA-12 worth some U$200.

“I felt a blow to the back of my head and I thought somebody chopped me with a cutlass but it was not a chop”, Garraway recounted while adding that as one ofthementrytotakehiscellphone butheheldontotheobjecttheyhad struckhimwith.

It was at this moment that he

heard one of them saying “bore man up”. Garraway felt being stabbed but did not how many times the men stabbed him before fleeing the scene. He recalled feeling a burning sensation to his side and running a short distance beforecollapsinginayard.

He was reportedly unconsciousforashortwhile until someone revived him using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

“And somebody gave mouth-to-moth resuscitation about two time and I remember that well and I coughed and like my breathing come back a little bit”, Garrawaysaid.

The next thing he remembers after being placed in an ambulance is a distant voice saying 'this man foot cold, he needs blood instantly

Garraway's stab wounds.

Saved by divine intervention after being stabbed by bandits, Sean Garraway

(immediately)”. Garraway would remain unconscious until he woke up 48

hrs later to a smiling nurse wiping offhisskin.

He spent the next six days in hospital being treated for seven stab wounds When he was discharged, Garraway went in

search of the Good Samaritan and found out that it was a nieghbour who was only 10-years-old when he left Guyana Apart the individual's (Continuned on page 24)

The aftermath of the

fire

Bartica house destroyed by fire, Venezuelan woman arrested

The Police have arrested a Venezuelan woman, in relation to a fire which destroyed a house located at Bartica Arcade, Essequibo River, on Sunday evening.

Incustodyforallegedlyburning down the house of 68-year-old Alfred Wyatt, is Carmen Cristina Ruiz,aVenezuelannational,.

The Police reported that the fire started about 17:30 hours. It was stated that the house has been abandoned by the owner, and was frequentlyinhabitedbyvagrants.

According to 45-year-old SeeyoneLindore,abusinessmanof Bartica Arcade, he was at the Arcade when he saw smoke emanating from the said building. HethensawCarmenrunningoutof the yard whilst uttering: “It was an accident”.

Lindore raised an alarm and contacted the Police, and ranks immediately responded to the scene, as did the Guyana Fire Service.

Carmen, who was occupying the building, was contacted by the Police and questioned. She alleged thatSundayaround16:30hoursshe left Bartica Arcade and went to a

Chinese Supermarket to purchase groceries, and on her return to the house,sheobservedthemattresson fire.Ruizsaidsheattemptedtopull the mattress out of the house but

was unable to do so as the fire quickly spread. She then ran to safety No other buildings were damaged.

It was reported that the house

was not fitted with electricity, nor wasitinsured.Thecostisunknown at this time. Carmen Cristina Ruiz is presently in custody, assisting withtheinvestigation.

Arrested, Carmen Cristina Ruiz

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Ukrainian drone destroys Russian supersonic bomber

(BBC) - A flagship Russian long-range bomber has been destroyed in a Ukrainian drone strike, according to reports.

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Images posted on social media and analysed by BBC Verify show a Tupolev Tu-22 on fire at Soltsy-2 airbase, south of St Petersburg.

Moscow said that a drone was hit by small-arms fire but managed to “damage” a plane. Ukraine has not commented.

The Tu-22 can travel at twice the speed of sound and has been used extensively by Russia to attack cities in Ukraine.

The Russian Ministry of Defence said in a statement that an attack by a “coptertype UAV” took place at around 10:00 Moscow time (08:00 BST). It stated the location as “a military airfield in the Novgorod region”, where Soltsy-2 is situated.

“The UAV was detected by the airfield’s observation outpost and was hit with small-arms fire,” the ministry said.

“One airplane was damaged; there were no casualties as a result of the terrorist act.”

engulfing a jet with the distinctive nose cone of the Tu22. BBC Verify analysed the images and believes them to be credible.

While the destruction of a single aircraft will have little effect on the potency of Moscow’s current 60-strong fleet, the operation highlights Kyiv’s growing ability to strike targets deep inside Russian territory.

launched at short range.

The Tu-22 is a Cold War-era, swing-wing supersonic bomber, codenamed “Backfire” by Nato, which has been used extensively in attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment carried out the attack. The regiment is based at Soltsy-2.

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The statement also said a fire which broke out in the airfield parking lot was quickly extinguished.

However, images posted on the social media platform Telegram showed a large fire

Kyiv has over recent months launched dozens of fixed-wing unmanned aircraft to attack Moscow, a journey of several hundred miles. Soltsy-2 is around 400 miles (650km) from the Ukraine border.

However, the Russian MoD’s description of the drone as a “copter-type UAV” suggests a cheap, commercially available device

Modern versions such as the Tu-22M3 can reach speeds of Mach 2 (2,300km/h or 1,430mp/h) and can carry up to 24,000kg of weapons, including “dumb bombs” and homing missiles.

They have been used in conflicts in Syria, Chechnya, and Georgia and most recently in Ukraine.

According to prosecutors in Kyiv, 30 people were killed when a Tu-22-launched missile hit a block of flats in Dnipro in January.

They said Russia’s 52nd

BBC Verify confirmed the location of the Ukrainian drone attack on Soltsy-2 by comparing visual clues - such as the appearance of aircraft and bays - to historical satellite images of the airbase.

The weather conditions at the time - wet and overcast - also matched the weather in the images, as well as other witness photos of the incident.

The remnants of the aircraft visible in the footage are consistent with that of a Tu22M3.

Historical satellite imagery analysed by BBC Verify shows that aircraft of this kind were stationed at the base.

Good Samaritan rescued robbery victim with mouth-to-mouth...

From page 18 intervention to save his life, Garraway believes that it was “divine intervention” that made it possible for him to still be alive to tell his survival story.

grateful for life, he still lives with the trauma and is finding it difficult to adjust to a normal way a life.

do any strenuous work.

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Garraway did not see the face of his attackers and has no clue who they might be. Police too have been unable to identify any possible suspects and the attack on Garraway is turning out to be a mystery.

With the perpetrators still at large, Garraway lives in fear for his life. Although he is

“Sometimes I would be sleeping and this phone would drop on my hand and I would jump-up” Garraway said as he described having nightmares and reliving the horror he experienced on father’s night.

Apart from the trauma, the injuries have caused so much damage to his body that he is unable to cook for himself or

This according to Garraway has thrown him into a state of depression because he does not know if he will ever be able to ply his trade as a construction worker again.

“It destroy my life, you know. I have to live in fear, yuh know is a horrible situation. It is a horrible experience to know that somebody to stab you like a pig and leave you die,” Garraway lamented.

Garraway added that he is

a father two and with current cost living in the country and not being able to work, is adding to his worries, because he don’t know how he will be able find a source of income in his current condition.

“I am depressed because I can’t work and ah can’t earn and when you not working and you not earning, is not an easy thing to deal with”, Garraway said while showing Kaieteur News his scars and stab wounds.

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Images posted online show a Tu-22 on fire at Soltsy-2 airbase

Failure to improve local capacity to audit oil companies shows Govt.'s lack

More than three years after Guyana started to produce oil, the government is yet to implement programmes which will help developthecapacityoflocals toaudittheoilandgassector

Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton lamented last Thursday at his weekly press briefing that this failure by Government is a clear indication of their lack of concern for what is happening with Guyana's oil resources.

Speaking at the press conference, Norton declared that: “The government keeps t a l k i n g a b o u t G o a l Scholarship Programme but Goalseemstobegoalless!”

He continued, “If you are saying that you have this comprehensive programme to train people and you haven't aligned it with the needsofthecountry,thenyou areclearlygoalless.

ThemaingoaloftheGoal Programme should be to make full use of human resourcestocatertotheneeds of the country and provide scholarships to satisfy these markets.”

Norton called the project deficient while noting that it does not prioritize equipping people with the skills needed to fill vacancies that exist in theindustry

He questioned, “How do you explain knowing for yearsthatwehavetoauditoil and gas and not having the programmes to improve the institutional capability of the people that have to audit the oilandgassector?”

The Opposition Leader furtherlamented,“Itisoneof mymajorconcernsbecauseif youareintoprofitoil.

If you are getting your money from profits…Your most basic and fundamental task is really to have the capacity to audit. So you get whatyoujustlydeserve."

“The government's failure to improve our capacity is a clear indication that they don't care three whatever…about the people of Guyana because they are allowing our resources to go…”

D u r i n g t h e j o i n t opposition press briefing, A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Executive Member, Ganesh Mahipaul also spoke on the issue.

He noted that, “When the CommissionerGeneralofthe Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Godfrey Statia raised the issue of shortage of staff to deal with the cost oil audit

duringarecenthearingofthe Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the question was asked 'What it is that the governmentisdoingthrough the Ministry of Public Service in order to facilitate the training through scholarships and whatever other measures that may be necessary to enhance our people to make them more qualified in the oil and gas sector.'”

“I remember, the Commissioner General saying that there is no c o r r e l a t i o n a n d n o interaction between and Ministry of Public Service which is sad because we are intheoilandgasnow

We have been producing for more than three years now and the question is how involved is the Ministry of Public Service or the Government in the essence of ensuring that we have skills to service the sector?”

Mahipaulposited.

Outside of the Goal Scholarship Programme which is under the purview of the Ministry of Public Service, Mahipaul said that Government must move to enhance the programmes offered via the University of Guyana

“ In terms of the University of Guyana, what is the government doing w h e n i t c o m e s t o scholarships offered so as to utilize the people that we haveinourcountrywithfirst Degrees and Masters and so on, and to elevate themselves and specialize in their respective fields relativetooilandgas?

W h a t h a s t h e governmentbeendoing?”

Mahipaul stressed that theGovernmentshouldhave a plan to address the lacuna and use its efforts towards making Guyanese more skilled to address the needs oftheindustry

Meanwhile, at a news conference that followed, Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo sought to debunk the Opposition'sclaims.

“ H e [ N o r t o n ] i s peddling; he made a big issue of this at his press conference… But we are working to bring more people into the labour force t h r o u g h t r a i n i n g programmes. We have an aggressive programme through the Ministry of Labour We have about 1 7 , 0 0 0 p e o p l e o n

scholarships now Through the Goal Programme, there are lots of these activities going on to educate and

of concern for the sector - Norton

bringourownpeopleintothe labourforce.”

“You heard the GRAsaid

and I think that was a question which was raised at thelastpressconference,that

they don't have the skills to monitor Exxon's expenditure and if we don't have the

skills; then we would have to bring in the skills…,” the VP said.

Republic Bank U23 Inter-Club Super50 tournament… Competition ramps up, as exciting encounters continues

Action continues in the Republic Bank nationwide U23 Inter-Club Super50 tournament following some exciting matches and performances, with play on the East Coast and Berbice.

Following a number of exciting games in Berbice and Essequibo which opened up the tournament last weekend, action will continue tomorrow, Wednesday with a string of matches featuring some of the country’s top youth stars.

Over at the Buxton Ground, the home team Buxton will host Golden

Grove as the opening game. Enterprise and Lusignan do battle at the Enterprise Cricket Club Ground, while Fairfield

lock horns with Better Hope at Fairfield ground while Ogle draws a bye.

Moving across to the An-

Spain’s World Cup hero Carmona learns of

father’s death after final

(Reuters) - Spain captain and World Cup final hero Olga Carmona found out after the match that her father had died, the Spanish FA (RFEF) said on Sunday.

Carmona scored a 29thminute goal to clinch a 1-0 win over England and secure Spain their first Women’s World Cup title.

Tuesday August 22, 2023

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19)

Share your skills today, Aries. You will find that as you engage in the role of teacher, you learn more than if you just hold onto your knowledge without sharing it.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

Don't underestimate the power of other people today, Taurus. They may seem flighty and scatterbrained on the outside, but underneath you will find that they have a great deal of wisdom to share.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

Remember that there's a benevolent force out there that loves you, Gemini. No matter what, there's always a shoulder to cry on, even if it isn't a tangible one. Even in your darkest moments.

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

Don't hesitate to say the obvious today, Cancer, even if it sounds corny. Many times people hesitate to say what they really feel because they think it's obvious to everyone.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

Look to older figures for advice today, Leo. Seek counsel with a parent or grandparent on issues you feel strongly about. Relationships with older people are likely to go especially well.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22)

Consider composing a bit of poetry today, Virgo. Use this as an exercise to condense your ocean of emotions into a very few words.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

Just because your emotions are reserved or somber today doesn't mean you shouldn't share them with others, Libra. Work through difficulties.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

You may need to jump to many different people and situations today, Scorpio, yet something is holding you back. Listen to this inner voice that's asking you to be conservative at this time.

SAGIT (Nov.22–Dec.21)

ou feel like you have a stone strapped to your back, Sagittarius. The farther you walk with this load, the slower you go, and the more hunched over you will be by the time you reach your destination.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) = It

Feel free to break ties with certain people now, Capricorn. You may be overextending your emotional bank account by investing too much of yourself in others' lives.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

Less is more should be your motto for today, Aquarius. The more you cut back in certain areas of your life, the more room you open up to bring in new and exciting things.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

You may be asked to slow down today, Pisces. Whether this comes in the form of a speeding ticket or a scrape on the knee when you trip.

cient County of Berbice, playing at home, D’Edward/Bath will tackle the visiting Achievers while Tucber Park and East Bank CC will have their showdown at the Jai Hind Ground, as the final match on the day’s schedule.

Meanwhile, Wednesday’s round for August 23 will feature Port Mourant versus Albion at Port Mourant Cricket Club Ground. While the first semi-final of Essequibo County matches will see North Essequibo facing South Essequibo at Imam Bacchus ground.

From page 33 migrated. In her time playing for Guyana she was a beacon of inspiration to local chess players, particularly those in the community of persons with disabilities. As a Deaf chess player, the 13 year old’s determination led her to excel at the game, even against opponents who often had years of experience above her. The local chess fraternity will miss her dearly and wishes her the best as furthers her education.

The GCF also wishes to thank School of the Nations for providing the venue for the National Championship.

“The RFEF deeply regrets to announce the death of Olga Carmona’s father. The footballer learned the sad news after the World Cup final,” the Spanish FA said on social media.

“We send our most sincere embrace to Olga and her family in a moment of deep sorrow. We love you, Olga, you are Spanish soccer history.”

An RFEF spokesperson told Reuters that Carmona’s

father had been fighting a long illness and died on Friday.

“I know that you have given me the strength to achieve something unique,” Carmona wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “I know you have been watching me tonight and that you are proud of me. Rest in peace, dad.”

According to Spanish media outlet Relevo, Carmona’s family and friends decided not to tell her so that she could focus on the most important match of her life.

Carmona’s mother and brothers travelled to New Zealand during the World Cup’s group stage, but then rushed back to Spain.

They arrived in Australia on Saturday to support the Real Madrid fullback in the final.

Abdul Ramsammy

Rampertab Ramnauth

Zeynul Ramsammy

JESSICA CALLENDER IS NEW WOMEN’S...

Unstoppable Slingerz demolish Eagles and Bell West get past Wales

Inanotherhurricane-like performance Slingerz FC demolished Eagles FC 11-0 inthe2ndmatchoftheWest Demerara FA’s doubleheader in the Senior Men’s League played at the Tuschen Community Centre groundlastSunday

It was the 2nd 11-0 that Slingerz have delivered in the competition and after 3 g a m e s t h e y h a v e accumulated 31 unanswered goals.

The onslaught was spearheaded by four braces: RicardoHalley(16'and87'), Jamal Codrington (21' and 46'),LeoLovell(28"and85') and Deon Alfred (61' and

83').Therewas one each for Lennox Young (2'), Brian Wharton (38') and Clive Nobrega(80').

Meanwhile, Bell West registered its first victory of theseasonaftercomingfrom a goal down to easily beat WalesFC3-1intheopening match.

Quacy Alleyne gave Wales the lead in the 9th minute, but teammate Jacob Roachproducedanowngoal in the 32 minute for the equaliser Derek Cornelius struck in the 60th minute to give Bell West the advantage.Thingsgotworse forWalesinthe72ndminute when they were reduced to

ten Shamar Abrams was servedaYellowCardforunsportsmanbehaviorandthen one for dissent in an instant, resulting in his expulsion

Adrian Webster sealed the

win five minutes from full time.

It was the first win for Bell West who had a draw and a loss in their other 2 outings,whileWaleslostfor

Slingerz FC goalscores pose for photo-op after their 11nil win over Eagles FC.

the 2nd time to add to their onewin.

TheWestDemeraraFAis

one of nine Regional

Associations of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF)

who are providing 2nd tier football Leagues with f u n d i n g f r o m t h e Federation’s MembersFinancial Assistance Programme(M-FAP).

Devon Clements Slams 2nd century of the Peter Lewis

Construction & Asphalt Plant Services Big Man Cricket-2

Powered by Blue Waters as the official water

defeated table toppers, Essequibo Eagles in their backyard.

R O U N D 2 -

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19th,2023

At the Enterprise ground-Match1-Enterprise Star Sports gained a walkover from East Side Legends in the first match of the double header scheduledforthatground

At the Enterprise ground-Match2-OMenof Guyana gained a walkover fromLegendRangers

At the Jai Hind groundMatch 3- X Berbice Police Masters won the toss and decided to take first strike againstGTRoyals

Berbice Police finished with a quite formidable 187 for 8 off their allotted 25overs.KevinRosswasthe pickofthebowlerswith3for 24offhis5overs.

GT Royals responded in a blistering fashion with theiropeners,RichardLatiff andGhaneshSugrimputting on a record partnership of 135in12overs.

Man of the Match Richard Latif ended with a boundary studded 75 laced with 6 maximums and 5 boundaries.Sugrimmade40 whilst Mustafaa Azimullah wasleftnotouton30tosteer the GT Royals to a comprehensive victory by 7 wicketsin17.1overs.

IndependenceSC.

ROUND 3- SUNDAY, AUGUST20th2023

At the Enterprise ground- Match 1-Match was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to heavy rains on Saturday

night Both teams, Enterprise Star Sports and OMenofGuyanaearnedone pointeach.

At the Enterprise ground- Match 2-Match was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to heavy rains on Saturday night Both teams, GT Royals and East Side Legends earned one point each.

In reply, X Berbice Police Masters made a spirited effort to overhaul this mammoth total but fell agonizing short by 12runstofinishwith194for 6whentheiroversranout.

DevonClementsstrucka blisteringcentury103*laced with 8 maximums and 9 boundaries. He received stable support from opener P Brutus- 26, G. Griffith- 30 and Z. Moakan27. Zameer Khan and R. Mangali had 2 wickets apiece.

BIGMANCRICKET2@ O40s T25 tournament continued Saturday & Sunday with matches at 4 venues across Berbice, Essequibo and Demerara

GT Royals recorded their first victory in their first matchup of the tournament againsttheXBerbicePolice Masters on Saturdayat the Jai Hind ground whilst Essequibo Eagles and Enterprise Star Sports earned walkovers from East

IndependenceSC.

On Sunday only 2 of the 4 slated fixtures were completed since overnight rainatEnterpriseruinedany chances of the slated double header at that venue

Meanwhile, Devon

Clements slammed the 2nd century of this BMC 2 tournament, but it wasn’t good enough to save his team, X Berbice Police Masters from narrowly going under to Jai Hind Jaguars Everest also

Kevin Ross pegged the former lawmen and hadthem58for4untilthe X Berbice Police Maters recovered through a 77run partnership between top scorer Devon Clements and Eon Gibson Clements narrowly missed out on his half-century finishing on 48 punctuated with 2 @ 6s and 2 @ 4s Gibson finished on 25 with a solitary maximum and there were other useful contributions from Charles Grimmond 24 (2 X6&1X4),AndelDoris15, Cylus Gibson- 20 & Marlon Brutus-18 with 2 @ 6s and a boundary X

At the Canal #2 groundMatch 4- Match was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to heavy rains on Friday afternoon andintothenight.

Both teams, West Bank Warriors and Regal earned onepointeach.

At the Canal #2 groundMatch 5- Match was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to heavy rains on Friday afternoon andintothenight.

Both teams, Canal # 1 Scorpions and Everest Masters earned one point each.

At the Reliance groundMatch6:EssequiboMasters gained a walkover from

At the Jai Hind ground- Match 3- Jai Hind Jaguars prevailed in a high scoring encounter Jai Hind won the toss and elected to take first strike posting a very competitive total of206 for 5 off their allotted25overs

Z a m e e r K h a n anchored the innings with a well-played half

century 57 which contained 6 @4s and 2 maximums

He was very well

supported by opener

Imran Khan 25, R Mang

At the Reliance groundMatch 4- Everest Masters came out victorious in their very first match of the BMC 2 tournament

The match was reduced to20oversaftersomedamp spots on the ground and Essequibo Eagles won the tossandinsertedtheEverest Masters team to take first strike.

They then rattled up a formidable154for5offtheir allottedovers.

The top scorers were T Salick 36, Clement Archer26, E. Mohammad-29*, V Armstrong-26*.

Essequibo Masters folded for 112 to hand the cityboysahandsomevictory by42runs.

The chief wreckers were Rajesh Singh with 3 for 21, L, Mahabeer 3 for 7 and A. Lakhraj3for25.

-

Centurion Devon Clements

Young chess stars ready to shine at Youth CAC Games in T&T

Eleven Guyanese chess players landed in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday August 20 to vie for victory intheXIVCACYouthChess Festival.

The Championship will be played from August 21st to26thattheCascadiaHotel inPort-of-Spain.Therhythm of play will be 90 minutes plus an increment of 30 seconds per move from moveone.

Queen’s College’s Matthew Singh and former Marian Academy student Ronan Leeare competingin the U18 absolute category

Queen’s College’s Aniyah CouchmanwillplaytheU18 female category Alexander Zhang of Queen’s College and St. Stanislaus College student Italy Ton Chung competeintheU16absolute and female categories respectively

Queen’s College’s Kyle Couchman (brother of Aniyah Couchman) and St. Joseph High School’s DominicSamareintheU14 absolute category Siblings Cielof Queen’s Collegeand Kaija Clement of St. Roses High School are in the U14 femalecategory

Alexander’s brother

Nicholas Zhang (Queen’s College) will play the U12 absolute.KateleyaSamfrom Mae’s Primary is the youngest on the team in the U10femalecategory

Head of the Delegation accompanying the team is MarciaLee,whoalsoserves as GCF Secretary and Head of the Women in Chess Committee. Roberto Neto alsoaccompaniestheteamto coachtheplayersthroughout the tournament He, alongside FM Anthony Drayton, also helped prep the team prior to their departure Neto is an experienced national player and who has represented Guyanaglobally

This event is FIDE rated and offers these young players not only the opportunitytoputtheirskills to the test against the best and brightest players under the age of 18 across the region, but also the chance for those skills to be rewarded with titles and norms Gold, Silver and Bronze trophies will be awardedtoplayerstakingthe top three spots in each category ThetopthreeCAC countries, based on total points, will also receive

trophies.Countrieswillearn points based on top five finishes in each category; where a 5th place finish grants one point and 1st placerewardsfivepoints.

As is typical for these events, the winners will be decided by the points

obtainedbyeachplayer The champions will be decided by who obtains the most points,andinthecaseofties, winners will be decided by the implementation of a numberoftiebreaksystems. The nine-round Swiss system tournament features

over 200 players from 15 countries across the Central American and Caribbean region.

PresidentoftheTrinidad and Tobago Chess Federation Sonja Johnson confirmedthis,whilestating that St. Vincent and the

Grenadines, St. Lucia and Haiti are fielding contingentsforthefirsttime alongside long-time competitors such as Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Barbados and Suriname.

Jamaican women secure semi-final spots in 400m Hurdles at 2023 World Athletics Championships

SportsMax - Jamaica’s prowess in the Women’s 400m hurdles was on full display on Monday as all three hurdlers, Rushell Clayton, Janieve Russell, and Andrenette Knight, confidently secured their spots in the semifinals during the afternoon session on Day 3 of the 2023World Athletics Championships in Budapest,Hungary

Clayton’s solid run of 53.97earnedherthetopspot in the opening heat, surpassing former worldrecord holder Dahlilah Mohammed,whoclockedin at54.21.TheGermanathlete Carolina Kraftik claimed third place with a time of 54.53, followed closely by ViiviLehikoinenofFinland, who secured the fourth automatic qualifying spot withatimeof54.65.

Russell continued the Jamaican surge, executing a

controlled performance that resulted in her winning the second heat in 54.53. She outpaced Anna Cockrell of the USA, who finished in

54.68. Gianna Woodruff of Panama secured the third positionwithatimeof55.31, while Canada’s Savannah Sutherland secured the final

automatic spot in the semifinals with a time of 55 85 Andrenette Knight maintained the Jamaican success, finishing second in

her heat behind Kemi Adekoya of Bahrain, who claimed first place with a time of 53 56 Knight’s impressive run of 54 21

ensured her progression to the semifinals Italy’s Ayomide Folorunso secured thethirdqualifyingspotwith a time of 54 30, while Cathelijn Peeters of the Netherlands clinched the final automatic spot with a timeof54.95.

Meanwhile, the gold medal favorite Femke Bol of the Netherlands showed why sheisthefastestwomaninthe worldthisyear Determinedto makeastatementafterfailing toleadherteamtoamedalin theMixedRelaysonSaturday, Bol clocked an impressive time of 5339 in her heat, leaving her competitors trailinginherwake Vicktoriya TkachuckofUkrainesecured second place with a time of 55.05,whileHanneClaesof Belgium took third with a timeof55.1.LineKlosterof Norway clinched the final qualifying spot in the heat withatimeof55.23.

The Guyana Chess Federation team for the Youth CAC games in Trinidad and Tobago pose for a photo.

Jamaica’s Women hurdlers, Rushell Clayton, Janieve Russell, and Andrenette Knight all advanced to the semis of the World Championships.

Leguan Secondary is National Golf School Champion, Good Hope Secondary Takes Second Place

The Savannah

Milk National Junior Golf Championshiphostedbythe Guyana Golf Association, Ministry of Education and Guyana Tourism Authority attheNexgenGolfAcademy was a resounding success with players from all over thecountrytravellingbybus andboattocompetefortheir placeinhistoryandaspoton thenationalteam.

Some 30 golfers took home individual honors with Leguan Secondary taking Top School Champion Trophy and Good Hope Secondary secondplace

U N D P R e s i d e n t Representative for Guyana and Suriname Gerardo Nota opened the massive tournament with a short speech expressing his astonishment at the number of players and talent he had witnessed duringwarm-upsessions,“I

am especially pleased to be heresinceI’manavidgolfer and am also taking lessons here at the Nexgen Golf AcademywithAleem.

This is an incredible sight to see so many young players from all over the countryinoneplace!”

Miss India Worldwide Aruna Sukhdeo was also onhandtodistributeprizes and engage with the players and took the opportunity to get her first golf lesson, “I’ve always wanted to learn the sport but never had the opportunity

Now seeing all these youngwomendoingsowell, I definitely want to start playingregularly

Together with Mel, HashimandAleem,we plan to use golf to help young womenacrossthecountry.”

Vice President of the GGA Dallas Thomas thanked the team for their dedication to making the

national tournament a success, “We have to thank Aleem for his drive and vision along with Philip, Steve, the team of coaches, teachers, parents and especially the kids who put so much effort into this tournament. I saw firsthand the emotion and passion fromkidswhocherishedthis opportunity and I am redoubling my commitment to making the GGA a success.”

Shellon Nichols spoke on behalf of Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority Kamrul Baksh, “We see the vast potential for sports tourism through golf and today shows that the sport can rejuvenate local and international sports tourism and GTA will be a part of such growth with the Golf Association and Ministry of Education.”

President of the GGA Aleem Hussain expressed thanks to the title sponsor

DDL Savannah Milk for their unwavering support and added that partnerships with Sunshine, Sterling Products, Giftland FoodMaxx, KFC, Guyana Beverages Inc, Toolsie Persaud Ltd, Trophy Stall, Darthan Investments, Party Castle,Tri-StoneAutoSales, Praetorian Executive Security, Movietowne Guyana, Scout Association of Guyana, Guyana Police Force, and members of the media including Visit Guyana,fortheirsupport.

Headded,“42ofthetop players from the 135 contestants will be selected for the National Team and receive specialized training to represent Guyana in upcomingeventslocallyand internationally

The GolfAcademy feels confident that our methods of training will allow our students to beat any competitors who come up againstthem ”

Miss India Worldwide Aruna Sukhdeo presented the young winners with their prizes

The results of the tournamentwere:

Under 13 Boys Shaquel Mendonza1st;IvanPermaul

2nd;MichaelDeBarros3rd;

Helamon Witter 4th; Michael Bumbury 5th.

Under 13 Girls Kristina

Teekaram 1st; Adina

Arjune 2nd; Ariel Bonie

3rd; Tahira Patterson 4th;

Kailey Liverpool 5th

Under 17 Boys Fabian Rose 1st; Nashaun Dos Santos2nd;RalstonParahoo 3rd; Kai Boston 4th; Alex

Mohabir5th. Under17Girls Chitra Nauth 1st; Serena Kassim 2nd; Sarah Deonarine 3rd; Selecia Samaroo 4th; Aneliya Buer 5th. Male over 18 Kareem Liverpool 1st; Aldwane Lowes 2nd; Aditya Mohan; AziziChristiani4th;Tamesh Shewprasad5th. Female over 18 Marisa Morgan-Bonie 1st; Randini Ramdharry 2nd; Celina Guroodat 3rd; Roxanne Hendricks 4th; Michelle Weekes5th.

Hosein, Smith signed by MI Emirates for 2024 IL T20

- Charles, Drakes snapped up by Sharjah Warriors and Gulf Giants, respectively

SportsMax -West Indies all-rounders Akeal Hosein and Odean Smith will take their talents to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in January of next year after being announced as two of themarqueesigningsforthe MIEmiratesyesterday

The pair will join the likes of Andre Fletcher,

Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo,McKennyClarkeand Nicholas Pooran on the MI Emiratesroster Elsewhere, Johnson CharleswilljointheSharjah Warriors, who also retained Trinidadian all-rounder Mark Deyal ahead of next season’stournament.

DominicDrakeswilldon

the colours of defending champions, Gulf Giants, alongside Carlos Brathwaite andShimronHetmyer Brathwaite was the man of the match in this year’s final as the Giants beat the Desert Vipers by seven wickets.

The2024seasonissetto getunderwayonJanuary13.

Players, GGAExecutives and fans pose for a photo.

West Indies all-rounders Akeal Hosein and Odean Smith have been signed for T20 action in the United Arab Emirates.

Barbados capture CWI Rising Stars U17 50 overs title -Guyanafinish4th

Barbados was crowned champions of Cricket West Indies (CWI) Rising Stars Boys’Under17Regional50Overs tournament, with Guyana finishing the rainaffected competition in 4th place.

Rain ravaged the entire series, washing out a few rounds including the fifth and final one which was set for last Sunday With rain having the final say, the Bajans throughout the process managed to accumulatesome16.2points for their win. Second place was owned by Trinidad and Tobago who ended with 16 points. They were followed by Jamaica in 3rd with 11.6 points, Guyana 10-.4 points 4thplace,WindwardIslands 5th (7 6 points) and

Leeward Islands 6.2 points, forthe6thandfinalspot

The teams will now turn their attention to the 2-day tournament which bowls

Wednesday 23 August from 10:00h(9amJamaicaTime).

The opening round will see TrinidadandTobagohosting LeewardsatInshanAliPark, Windwards meet Barbados at PowerGen and Jamaica and Guyana do battle at the national Cricket Centre in Couva.

MATCHSCHEDULE

23-24August

Trinidad and Tobago vs Leeward Islands at Inshan AliPark

Windward Islands vs BarbadosatPowerGen

Jamaica vs. Guyana at NCC26-27August

Windward Islands vs

GuyanaatNCC Trinidad and Tobago vs. JamaicaatGPCG

Djokovic storms back to beat Alcaraz for Cincinnati title

(Reuters) - Novak

Djokovic overcame a match pointandstiflingheattobeat world number one Carlos Alcaraz 5-7 7-6(7) 7-6(4) andwintheCincinnatiOpen in a heart-pounding thriller onSunday

Djokoviccollapsedonhis backandrippedhisshirtopen after triumphing in the nearly four-hour contest to get revenge for his loss to the young Spaniard in last month’sWimbledonfinal.

“So much to say and so little energy,” Djokovic said while collecting his third Cincinnati Open title “It has been a roller coaster and definitely one of the toughest andmostexcitingmatchesthat I’veeverbeenapartofinany tournament.“Itdidfeellikea GrandSlamfinal,evenmore thanthat,tobehonest.”

The Serb was hobbled by theintensehumidityinthetail end of the first set, barely moving when Alcaraz hit a backhand winner to grab the opener Alcaraz raced out to a 4-2 second-set lead and it appeared he might cruise to thefinishlineashis36-yearoldopponentlookedcooked intheOhiosun.

But Alcaraz would produce a poor service game while leading 4-3 thatincludedfourunforced errors to give life to the world number two In the

second-set tiebreak

D j o k o v i c s a v e d a championship point and wentontoforceadeciding set after winning a 25-shot r lly. During the break before the third set, a frustratedAlcarazpounded his right hand against the plastic drinks container next to his chair, requiring a medical time out to tape hisfinger

In the decider, Djokovic broke for a 5-3 lead but would then squander two match points in the next game The drama would continue when Djokovic missed an overhead for 5-5 and the players would ultimately arrive at another tiebreak, which Djokovic wononhisfifthmatchpoint ofthecontest.“Itisgoingto betoughformetotalkright now but I tried to do my best,” Alcaraz said. “I want to congratulate Novak once

again. It’s amazing to play against you, share the court with you, learn from you. This match was really close butIlearnedalot.”Thewin delivered Djokovic his 95th careertitleand39thMasters 1000crown.

The tournament was Djokovic’sfirstonUS soilin twoyearsafterhewasbarred from entering the country becauseheisnot vaccinated against COVID-19 He will look to add a 24th Grand Slam trophy to his collection at the upcoming U S Open,whichrunsfrom Aug.28-Sept.10.

“Everyoneofourmatches goes the distance,” Djokovic said to Alcaraz. The pair are now 2-2 in their generational rivalry “Hopefully we can playinsomeweeks’timein NewYork,”hesaid

“That would be nice for the crowd, I don’t know aboutme.

Leeward Islands vs BarbadosatInshanAliPark 30-31August

Leeward Islands vs JamaicaatGPCG

Barbados vs. Guyana at

InshanAliPark

Trinidad and Tobago vs. WindwardIslandsatNCC

American Holloway wins third straight world 110m hurdles title

Grant Holloway of the U.S. celebrates with his medal after winning gold. (REUTERS/ Aleksandra Szmigiel)

BUDAPEST, (Reuters) - American Grant Holloway raced to his third consecutiveWorldAthleticsChampionships 110 metres hurdles gold medal in dominant fashiononMonday.

The 25-year-old, who won in 2019 in Doha and last year in Eugene, led by the first hurdle and was in a virtual race of his own by the third, cruisingto victoryinaseason’sbest12.96seconds.

Holloway held up three fingers after crossing the finish line, hollering “One-two-three!” to the delighted crowd at the National Athletics Centre

“I’m speechless right now,” he said “Nothingfeelslikethefirstone,butthisone I’mdefinitelygoingtocherishinmyheart.”

HansleParchmentofJamaicaclosedwell to take the silver in 13.07, while Daniel

RobertsoftheUnitedStatescrossedin13.09 forbronze.

“To come back out here and do it with my brother (Roberts), we started running in college together, having battles, now we’reabletohavethesebattlesontheworld stage.

“Consistency is my biggest attribute

ThebiggestthingisIcomeoutthereandI knowwhatI’mgoingtorunbeforeI’mon track ”

The final was missing the world’s fastest man this season, Rasheed Broadbell of Jamaica (12 94) who crashedoutinthepreliminaryround Holloway, the second-fastest hurdler in history, finished second at the Tokyo Olympicsin2021 andsaidhewas using the sour taste of silver as motivation to go one betternextyearinParis.

The victorious Barbados U17 team.

American Richardson claims world gold in women’s 100m

BUDAPEST, (Reuters)

- Sha’Carri Richardson finally delivered on three years of promise when the American overcame the challenge of being stuck out in lane nine by delivering a late surge to win world 100 m e t r e s g o l d i n a championship record 10.65 secondsyesterday

The 23-year-old Richardson came through in thelast20metrestooverhaul Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson, whotooksilverin10.72,and claimherfirstglobaltitle.

Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, seeking a remarkable sixth world 100m title at the age of 36 after an injury-hit season, had to settle for bronze in 10.77,herbestoftheyear

Richardson missed the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 after testing positive for cannabis then failed to qualifyforlastyear’sworlds onhomesoilinEugene.

Hugelypopularonsocial media, and always an

outspoken and colourfully attiredcompetitor,shewasin good form despite Jackson, who won world silver in Eugene last year, having the fastesttimeof10.65coming intoBudapest.

However, Richardson’s global championship struggles looked to be continuingwhenshewasleft in the blocks in the semifinalsearlieronMondayand the American had to dig desperately deep to finish thirdandscrapeintothefinal asafastloser

That came with the consequence that she was given lane nine - never popular with sprinters - but she had a far better start in the final and maintained her focusawayfromthetraffic.

Jackson,inlanefour,had opened a clear gap and was still ahead at 80 metres before Richardson swept throughandraisedherarmin triumph. Her time matched Jackson’s 2023 best and betteredFraser-Pryce’s2022

championship record of 10.67. In a spiky post-race pressconferenceRichardson snappedatjournalistsasking about her poor semi-final start or her previous championshipmisses.

“InpreviousinterviewsI mentionedthatI’mnotback, I’m better I’m going to stay humble, I’m not back, I’m better and I’m going to continue to be better,” she said.

“Never give up never allow media or outsiders to define who you are.Always fight. This journey for me sinceIbecameaprofessional is, no matter what happens, you never leave sight or yourself.

“You’ll have good days andbaddaysbutyoualways havetomorrow.”

Richardson is the first U.S. winner of the women’s 100 since the triumph in 2017 of Tori Bowie , who diedthisyearaged32.

MASSIVETALENT

Coming after Noah

Lyles’s victory in the men’s race on Sunday, the U.S. is firmly back on top of the sprinting mountain after so long playing second-fiddle toJamaica.

“This is incredibly important because so much has been made of Richardson,” saidAmerican former 200 and 400 metres championMichaelJohnson.

“She’s a massive talent. She didn’t make the team in Dohaandthencamebackin

2021 and won the trials. Everyoneknewwhoshewas aftertheban.

“She’s very authentic, she doesn’t make excuses. Some people love to love it andsomepeoplelovetohate it. I think it’s great for the sport because she has a personality that is unmatched ” Fraser-Pryce was phlegmatic about her bronze “Given the circumstances of how I startedtheseason-notbad,”

shesaid.“Beingachampion isnotallaboutwinning.I’m grateful to have another medal to add to the tally I won’tberunningthe200,I’ll rest for the 4x100 relay.” It wasanotherfrustratingnight for Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast, who has been in superb form in the DiamondLeaguethisseason but had to settle for another fourth place in 10.81 having twice finished fourth in Olympic100mfinals.

James claims Best Boxer Award, as Guyana retain the Winfield Braithwaite Junior Championship

The 6th edition of the Winfield Braithwaite International Youth Schoolboy/girls Boxing tournament reached its conclusion on Sunday evening at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue The event featured 10thrillingfinalsthatmarked theendofanothersuccessful youthchampionship

Following three days of intense action, Guyana once againasserteditsdominancein the junior boxing scene Notable performances came fromShakquainJames,Tiquan Sampson, and Akeila Vancouten, who secured the covetedtitlesofbestboxersin the Youth, Junior, and Female Youth championships, respectively Shakquain James, displaying remarkable prowess, emerged as the best overall boxer and clinched the gold medal in the youth division He faced off against Trinidad and Tobago’s Michel Medicainagrippingfinalofthe youth welterweight (67kg) category The encounter saw Medica utilizing a formidable straight-rightthatintermittently

pushed James onto his backfoot

However, James responded with a wellcoordinated flurry of punches, causing Medica to retreat against the ropes Despite Medica’s tenacity, James showcased his skill, and the first two rounds remained closely contested, setting the stage for an epic final round. In the climactic round, both fighters unleashed a barrage of attacks James targeted Medica’s body with impactful shots while also seekingtheelusiveknockout blow Ultimately, James

securedvictoryviaanarrow split decision, earning himselfawell-deservedgold medal. Over in the Junior Lightweight(60kg)division, Tiquan Sampson showcased hisprowessagainsttheswift Prince Charles from Trinidad. Both contenders entered the finals undefeated With Charles displaying exceptional footwork and Sampson utilizing a dynamic combination of powerful rightandlefthooks,theclash of styles was evident Throughout the first two rounds, Sampson landed significant blows on his

Trinidadiancounterpart.The final round saw Sampson outmaneuver Charles, leading to a hard-fought victoryforSampsonoverthe resilientTrinidadian.

Akeila Vancooten Then faced off against Shania Nunez of Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) in the Girls Junior 60kg final. Despite being tugged to the canvas three times by Nunez, Vancooten, backed by the home crowd, demonstrated remarkable resilience. In a come-from-behind performance, Vancooten defied the odds and triumphedoverNunezbythe end of the third round, as indicated by the judges’ scorecards Vancooten secured victory on points, earningawell-deservedgold medal in the Girls Junior division. In the remaining eight bouts, Guyana’s MatthewThomas triumphed over Wayne Castillo in the Youth 52kg final. Kaiden Weither bested Kyle Marcel ofSaintLucia.JaquanGrant of Barbados defeated Makeive Bellille (TTO) in the Schoolboys 57kg final.

Leon Albert of Guyana surprised Jazzari Mayers (BAR) in the youth

bantamweight (57kg) final.

Anferney Baptise (BAR), John Dedier (St. Lucia), and NordisshaWilliamsclinched gold medals in the Youth Lightweight (63kg), Youth Light-Heavyweight (80kg), and Girls Youth 80+kg finals,respectively

Trophies and medals

were awarded to all exceptional boxers in recognition of their achievements in the 2023 championship.

As the tournament concluded, the President of

the Guyana Boxing Association expressed gratitude to all participating teams. He commended the remarkable performances witnessed on the final night, particularly highlighting the impressive showing by femaleboxers.ThePresident extended congratulations to AkeilaVancootenandallthe victorious fighters, as preparations begin for the 2024 championship. Overall results Guyana claimed the firstplaceposition Trinidad and Tobago camesecondwith15points Barbadosinthirdwith14 points

Sha’carri Richardson of the U.S. celebrates after winning gold alongside silver medalist Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson and bronze medalist amaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. (REUTERS/Alina Smutko)

Akeila Vancooten of Guyana dealt Trinidad’s Shania Nunez some blows on finals night of the Winfield of Braithwaite Youth and Juniors Boxing Championship.

Some of the action between Tiquan Sampson and Prince Charles (facing)

Jessica Callender is new Women’s Chess Champion

Jessica Callender

rompedtothetitleof newWomen’sChess Champion after emerging victorious in the Diamond Insurance Women’s NationalC/Ship.

The Women’s National Chess Championship, sponsored by Diamond Insurance,cametoacloseon Sunday August 20th when Jessica Callender emerged victorious on 8 points after ninerounds.

Callender lost no

opponent10moveslater CallenderisaformerUG Chess Champion and has represented Guyana on multiple occasions, including the most recent FIDE chess Olympiad in India. This is however her first national title. The 21 year old is currently the highest rated active female chess player in Guyana. She ranks 10th overall in ratings for active chess players in GuyanaasofAugust2023.

Callender is also quite

andTobago.Shefinishedon 6 points after losing to Shariff and Aditi Joshi, and drawinghermatchesagainst Waveney Johnson and Callender

Italy Ton Chung (5

points), Johnson (5 points), Joshi (4.5 points), Clement (3.5 points), Adia Alphonso (3points),Lall(3points)and Chelsea Harrison (0 5 points) all finished 4th to 10thplacerespectively

This event was made possible with the hard work of Tournament Director Irshad Mohamed, Chief Arbiter John Lee, Tournament Coordinator Marcia Lee and Assistant

Arbiters Kim Shing Chong andTaffinKhan. This event was also a farewell to Lall, the current U16 chess champion and a nationalplayer Lallhasnow (Continuedonpage25)

matchesbutdrewhergames against Aniyah Couchman andAnaya

Lall.

The championship came down to a clash between Callender and qualifying champion Sasha Shariff on thefinalday Thefinalpoint Callender earned here solidifiedhervictory

After drawing in their encounter during the Qualifiers the duo played a tense 4.5 hour match, with bothsideseagertosecurethe victory They played a symmetrical English opening By move 66, Callenderhadcapturedallof Shariff’spiecesandwasupa Queen.

She checkmated her

active in developing chess locally as a member of the Wo m e n i n C h e s s Committee, a volunteer coachintheGCFChessclub and part-time assistant arbiter in some youth tournaments.

Shariff, who held the women’s title from 2020 to 2022, finished the event on 6.5points.

She drew her game against Anaya Lall and lost matchestoCielClementand eventual champion Jessica Callender

Thethirdplacewinneris young Aniyah Couchman, w h o i s c u r r e n t l y representing Guyana in a team at the Youth CAC Chess Festival in Trinidad

Jessica Callender is the new Women’s Chess Champion.

Players in action during the championship.

Sha’carri Richardson of the U.S. crosses the finish line to win gold. (REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel)

The Guyana Team shares photo with GBAPresident Steve Ninvalle at the closing of the 2023 Winfield Braithwaite tournament.