Kaieteur News

TelecomGiantswelcomeremoval oftaxesoncellphones;promiseto passbenefitstoconsumers

Telecommunications providers GTT, Digicel,andENetexpressedtheirsupportand satisfactionwiththerecentannouncementby President, Dr Mohammed Irfaan Ali to eliminatetaxesoncellphones.

PresidentAliathisparty’spublicmeeting held at New Amsterdam on Friday night announcedthatalltaxesoncellphones willberemovedeffectiveMonday

“Wehavecontinuouslysaid wanttobridgethedivideinthis we want to ensure that there equitableplatformonwhich transform themselves, on important things about the future is the use of technology.”

T h e P r e s i d e n t remindedthatValueAdded Tax on data has already beenremovedandthiswill be bolstered by the removal of taxes on cell phones. “We are now going to remove the taxes from phones in countrysothatyoucanbuyittaxfree...All the tax that is on the device will be removed.”

In response to the President’s announcement, the country’s three service providersinajointstatementonSaturdaysaid theremovaloftaxesoncellphonesrepresents a significant step towards improving information access and bridging the digital divideinGuyana.

They said, “This announcement will transform the communications sector by enablinggreateraccesstopursueeducational opportunities, conduct business, and foster personal growth. As our society becomes

increasingly connected, it is essential to remove barriers that hinder access to vital technologicalresources.”

By exempting taxes on cell phones, the companies said President Ali has taken a progressivestridetowardsbridgingthedigital divide and promoting inclusivity in all of Guyana.Theynotedtoothat the initiative will undoubtedly result in a multitude of positive outcomes for the people of Guyana, including improved educational prospects, expanded economicopportunities,and enhanced communication networks across the nation, especially for rural and hinterlandcommunities.

A s t h e l e a d i n g telecommunications providers in Guyana, the companies said they will c o n t i n u e t o w o r k assiduously with the government and other stakeholders to facilitatetheseamlessimplementationofthis taxexemption.

Theysaid,“Customerscanlookforward, inthenearfuture,torevisedpricesreflecting the removal of taxes on all cellular devices. These changes will be communicated to the public in tandem with the government’s liftingoftaxesonsuchproducts.”

GTT,Digicel,andENetsaidinconclusion thattheylookforwardtocontinuedeffortsto promote digital equity, as they strive to deliver the best services and solutions for Guyana.

Loanstakeninlasttwoweeksmore thanoilmoneyreceivedforthisyear

In a startling revelation, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration,ledbyPresidentDr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has amassed a significant debt of US$500M in just a few days This amount surpasses the total oil revenues received by Guyanasincethebeginningof2023.

Since the start of the year, Guyana has received US$360M in oil-related income. This figure comprises two royalty payments totallingUS$111Mandthesaleofthreeprofit oil lifts generating US$249M. However, recentreportsfromtheDepartmentofPublic Information expose the government’s rapid accumulationofdebt

On May 29, the government announced securing a loan of US$350 million from Qatar This loan is earmarked for the extensionoftheSchoonordtoCranefour-lane highwaytoParikainRegionThree.President Ali made this announcement during an engagement with residents of the Malgre Tout/Meer-Zorgenarea

On June 6, in the presence of President Ali,theMinisterofFinance,Dr AshniSingh, signed two loan agreements worth US$150 millionwiththeSaudiFundforDevelopment (SFD). The loans are intended to fund the “Infrastructural Development Works for the Housing Sector Project” and the “ConstructionofWismarBridgeProject ” Threatening to add to the mounting debt, Guyana has applied for a loan of approximately US$660 million from the

UnitedStatesExport-ImportBanktofinance the Gas-to-Energy project. If approved, this would bring the total debt with borrowings from just three countries to nearly US$1 16 billion,spanningfourprojects

Despite the substantial increase in debt, VicePresidentDr BharratJagdeodefendsthe PPP/C administration’s borrowing spree. He arguesthatgiventheoilboom’simpactonthe economy, it is acceptable for Guyana to take on such debt. Jagdeo recently stated that Guyana’sdebt-to-GDPratioremainslowby global standards, outperforming many developed countries in Europe and North America

While the PPP/C administration and its supporters emphasize the positive effects of borrowingoneconomicexpansion,therateat whichtheseloanshavebeenacquiredandtheir magnitudes necessitate careful scrutiny to ensureresponsiblefinancialmanagement.

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, has said Guyana continues to enjoy strong debt sustainability fundamentals “even as we expand investments in public infrastructure, socialservices,andotherinitiativesgearedat ensuringimprovedstandardsoflivingforall Guyanese ”

In January, the Minister had said, “This delicate balancing act hinges on our timehonoured debt management strategy of contracting development financing and meetingdebtserviceobligationsatthelowest cost,withinprudentriskparameters.”

Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo appears to show two faces when it comes to judgments issued in the insurance case involving ExxonMobil Corporation’s affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production GuyanaLimited(EEPGL).

The case was initially filed last year by twoGuyanese,GodfreyWhyteandFrederick Collins, both of whom believe that the operator was in breach of its financial obligationsforoilspillsintheLizaPhaseOne Permit. High Court Judge, Justice Sandil KissoonsubsequentlyruledthatEEPGLwas in breach of its permit. He ordered that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issue an Enforcement Notice for the provision of an unlimited parent and/or affiliate company guarantee for oil spills by June10orthepermitwouldbesuspended.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs,Anil Nandlall subsequently issued a statement indicating the government’s intent to appeal Jagdeo later held a press conference stating that he agrees with Nandlall’s position as he believed the judgment to be flawed while questioning what would be the premium to be paid on unlimited insurance. He said, “There is nothing like that in the world of insurance. Youcanhavecoveragebuteventhen,thereis adefinedrisk.”

He had also expressed the view that the judiciary is treading in murky waters by directingaregulatoryagencyonhowtodoits jobandsettingatimeframeonwhenitshould completecertainorders.

Followingtheruling,EEPGLandtheEPA filedappealsandsuccessfullysecuredastay of execution on the order for an unlimited parentcompanyguarantee.

JagdeoatapressconferenceonThursday

VicePresident, BharratJagdeo

didnotspeaktothemeritsofthecaseasthis has been ventilated from both sides already Bethatasitmay,hebelievesthedecisionby Justice Rishi Persaud to issue a stay of executionmaygodownwellglobally Theofficialsaid,“Thejudiciaryhastoact fairlyineverycase.Wecan’ttellthejudiciary what positions to make and they must not make those decisions because of some international imperative. But if international investorsandlocalpeopletoo,theycangeta fair and predictable application of the law then a predictable, objective judiciary lends great confidence to locals and foreign investors.”

Heconcluded,“Thatisallweareseeking because in a modern, sophisticated jurisdiction dispute resolution is crucial in your ability to attract investment and have locals make investment We have the CaribbeanCourtofJusticewhichhasgreatly enhancedourcredibilitytoobutIdon’twant tosaythisisgoodorbadbecausepeoplewill thinkthatiswhatwewant.”

VP Jagdeo shows two faces on judgments for Exxon’s parent company guarantee

Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

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

Editor-In-Chief: NIGEL WILLIAMS

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

EDITORIAL

THEFT IS THEFT

Wesayitinthemostunambiguousterms:thecontractis theft; plain, old fashioned, theft of the most wanton and heinouskind. Whenonepartnerdoesthistoanotherpartner, itisnotacontract,butwhatequatestoacrime,acapitalone. In Victorian England, petty pickpockets and property vandals were often hanged, and when they were not, they were subjected to the ordeals of a grueling trip in chains to wildAustralia, which was even grimmer than the cramped ships.

Inthisenlightened21stcentury,thereisthisdestruction done to Guyana’s most prized property, its national patrimony, through barbarisms and vandalisms of an unmentionablekind,soputridtheyare. Whatishappening toGuyanacannot,wouldneverhavehappened,intheUnited States. This was said by Kenya anticorruption sage, ProfessorPLOLumumba,andwearerightwithhimonthat position.

Howisit,andwhyisit,thatcontractsofthesetypesfor the rich resources of coloured people around the world are always about a yoke around their necks, a saddle on their backs,andawhipacrosstheirhindquarters? Contractswith the terms and provisions, clauses and conditions, that Guyana is a signatory to, never seem to be the binding agreements finalized between multinational corporations and countries of Anglo-Saxon, Nordic, Gallic, and other Caucasianheritage.

ButitiswhatGuyanahas,andwearetoldmustlivewith, even though in America itself, such a contract would be burned in effigy Or, possibly, the people behind it would have been sent to some penal colony, like Devil Island to reflectupontheircovetousness,voraciousnessand,letitbe said, their patented selfishness and the wickedness that it broughtabout.

Peelbackthelayersoflegaleseinthatcontract,andlook at what is really happening to Guyana and the Guyanese people. Country and citizens are being robbed blind, their richassetsarebeingstolenfromrightundertheireyes,and underlegalcover Thepowersthatbe,localsontheinsideof the thievery and the foreigners around it, have the unmitigated gall to tell this nation and its peoples that the thieveryisasacreddutysworntosomedemonofagodthatis worshipped. In the days of the Old Testament, examples used to be made of such brigands. If they used to stone women for adultery, imagine what was the penalty for thievery

Theft is theft, and there are no two ways about it. No amountofleadershipinterferenceandjustificationunderthe banner of what is untouchable, and should be allowed to remainso,canavoidthissimpleconclusion:thecontractasit stands in its utterly revolting and condemnable state is perishable. It is not untouchable, and about that all Guyanesemuststeeltheirminds,discoverthecouragetosay sobeforeanyoneatanyforum.

What is good for America and Europe is good for Guyana. Theremustnotbeanydoublestandard. Nomore ofthetwo-facedandforktongueddeceptionsthathavebeen piled upon Guyanese by their own. And there must be no moreofthe‘eyes-pass’bythosefromtheoutsidewhohave the audacity to come here with their tricks to conceal their theftsofourproperty,ourprosperity,andourdestiny

Theft is theft, and when Guyanese get one penny less than they are rightfully due, it is nothing, but great thefts practiced in the open by foreign exploiters and extractors, with the connivance of our fellow Guyanese who think nothing of betraying citizens for a dirty dollar. When our birthright is ruptured so cruelly, snatched from us so brazenly, then there can never be the sacred or what is inviolablewiththatunspeakablecontract.

The Guyanese people are being violated at will, and it countsfornothing. Thesearenotthedaysofslaveryandthe plantation.Sohowcanthereeverbewhatisjustaboutalegal concoctionthatchainsustothewillandwhimsofthegreedy andthealwaysgraspingfromthetreasurechestsofnonwhite people all over the world? Theft is theft, and this is regardlessofwhojustifiesit.

LETUSBEAUNITEDFORCEFORREAL CHANGEINTHESOCIO-ECONOMIC DYNAMICSOFTHISCOUNTRY

DEAREDITOR,

Thepersistenceofraceas thepredominantfactorinthe Guyanese political process and the role which the country’s political leadership in the PPP/C is playinginhealingtheethnic divide is bearing bountiful fruit, despite coalition miscreants’ attempts to exacerbate disunity in the nation.

If one reads our history and if one is au fait with the historyofthecolonizers,one would recognize that the

predominant factor driving the power of the colonial elitistsineverycountrythey have occupied is a ‘divide andrule’policy Whether they create ethnic cleavages, exacerbate religious intolerance, or causepoliticaldivides,itwas theirstrategytoconquerand rule countries that they occupied, primarily for the extraction and appropriation of the wealth of occupied territories.TodayHaitiisstill under siege by its former colonizers.

Guyana fell prey to this vicious strategy because the viability of the sugar estates under British rule was threatened subsequent to emancipation when freed African slaves refused to be subservient to the ‘massa’ anymore and preferred to pursueagriculturalactivities for survival When their demands for humane conditions of employment were not met, the British plantocracy was forced to import indentured labourers fromvarioussources,butall

except Indians refused to be held hostage to the exploitative plantation owners; hence the pitting of one exploited race against another for pecuniary interests.

When a Commission of Inquiry was established to investigate the treatment of indentured labourers by the plantation owners, it was freedslaveswhotestifiedon behalf of the Indian labourers and forced concessionarymeasuresthat

(Continuedonpage6)

Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox

THE MINISTRIESARE FAILING THE PEOPLE

DEAREDITOR,

Afterfifty-sevenyearsof Independence, all the ministries still present long, difficult,andarduoustaskto obtain simple documents in anindependentGuyana.And both the PPP and PNC governments have done absolutely nothing to improve the process by reducing the time span because they do not care about the people, only their relatives and friends. For instance, to replace a National ID card or obtain a Death Certificate or a Birth Certificate or a passport continue to take months becauseoftheincompetence and massive clumsiness in all the departments. Not to mention that it takes more

DEAREDITOR,

It is outrageous, being entrustedwithayoungchild and his well-being is casuallyhandledtothepoint of being unaware of his presenceandheislockedina vehicleforhours(GDNJune 10) No amount of explanation could wash that away; this was a case of grossnegligence.

But what is equally worrying is the daycare facility Was the child missed and was there an enquiry as to his

thanthreemonthsforafirsttime worker employed by thegovernmenttoobtainhis orherfirstsalary

Is President Ali for real when he said that Guyana would become the next Dubai? Is he dreaming? If yes, then dream on Mr President.

The entire country is sufferingfromwhatIdubbed the‘waitingdisease’.

At the same time, road accidents are at an all-time high and traffic pileups are on all the major roadways thus causing thousands of loss man hours daily, which is affecting the GDP Also, the country’s fire safety systems remain primitive, whichbegsthequestion:the Minister of Home Affairs

who is from a different bygone era is belligerent, arrogant, childish, and pigheaded,doesnothaveaclue as to what to do to solve the problem.

And while the Minister of Education is not to be blamedforthetwentyyoung lives lost in the Mahdia Secondary Female School dorm inferno, it must be made clear that several schoolfirestookplaceunder her tenure: Mabaruma Secondary, ChaseAcademy, NorthRuimveldtSecondary, St. George’s High, Church Christ Secondary and now the Mahdia dormitory Even though she has no direct responsibility for maintaining safety standards, she should have

the schools checked out skilled personnel on a regular basis and report any irregularities to the respective ministries in charge of school and fire safety

It must also be made clear that the ministry responsible for the untimely death of those 20 children is Local Government, headed by an oddball who is the most incompetent, arrogant, rude, obscene, and vulgar member of the cabinet There is no question that he must be forced to resign or fired by the President for dereliction of duties and be

charged with Criminal negligent homicide. But it willnothappen,becausethe immature and vindictive honcho and de facto president who speaks on the tiniestofissuesandcriticizes thosewithdifferentopinions has remained silent because theministerinquestionishis friendandconfidant.

Hehasnotonlyattacked Justice Kissoon’s decision against Exxon Mobile and the EPA, but he has also criticized and threatened the Judge by saying that judges do not have the right to rule against regulatory agencies.

Thetruthiswhenitcomesto

the laws governing the country, the honcho and de factopresidentisadunce. Another government failure is the Ministry of PublicWorks.Comprisedof a senior and junior minister, theMinistryofPublicWorks is corrupt, highly inefficient andlacksproperjudgement. Most of the infrastructure contracts are awarded to relatives and friends of the PPPgovernment and almost allcontractsdonotfinishon the allotted scheduled time. For example, repairs and construction at the airport is initstwelfthyearandis

(Continuedonpage6)

whereabouts by the one(s/) trusted to keep him safe and well? It is posited the wellbeing of the child was not handled with due care and attention. This bothersome episodedemandsthefacility

be investigated before it becomes like that other facility where a fatality occurred a short while ago, or equally worse, like other facilities,ofrecent.

ShamshunMohamed

Well-being of child was not handled with due care and attention

LETUSBEAUNITEDFORCEFORREAL...

Frompage4 created some degree of alleviation in the illtreatment, similar to what had been dealt to the slaves, bythecolonialelitists.

So at human levels – in our country descendants of African slaves and Indian indentured labourers have always co-existed in harmony

However, when the oppressive governance of the colonials was threatened by the strident calls of Dr Cheddi Jagan and the PPP for independence, they invoked their ‘divide and rule’policy and created rifts inGuyana’sfirstmass-based politicalparty

Wehaveneverrecovered from the ensuing rancorous consequences in our nation,

w h i c h h a v e b e e n exacerbated and exploited by opportunistic politicians whose only agenda is selfe n r i c h m e n t , s e l fempowerment and selfaggrandizement. However, the leadership of the PPP/PPPC has never wavered in its commitment to creating a united nation andtodayGuyanesearewell on the way to becoming “One Guyana” because finallywe–individuallyand collectively, currently recognize and accept the reality; that, instead of considerationofissues,racebased politics will always leave this nation vulnerable to the exploitative strategies ofneo-colonizerswhocovet our wealth and who are still using ‘divide and rule’

strategies to conquer us and appropriate our wealth, through various strategic measures, but mainly by purchasing the favours of key players in the political divide, we will forever be held hostage to the manipulatorsofourdestiny

The PPP will always be the people’s party because the welfare of the people is the genesis on which the Party propelled its struggles to win independence and a democratic culture for this nation and so PPP/C leaders continue to urge all our people to come aboard with usandletusbeaunitedforce for real change in the socioeconomic dynamics of this country

Yourssincerely,

AlvinHamilton

THE MINISTRIES ARE FAILING THE...

Frompage5 costing the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollarsinover-runcosts.

Turning to the Ministry of Housing which also has two ministers has been sharing hundreds of house lots, but the waiting period for a house lot continues to exceed 5 years in a country with83,000squaremilesand with less than 800,000 people.

Bangladesh,ontheother hand has 170 million people living on less than 58,000 squaremilesandthewaiting period for a house lot is less than one year The two Ministers of Housing could learn a lot if they consulted the housing minister in that country

These ministers have neveroperatedormanageda cake shop; therefore, their portfolios could be overwhelming for their pitiful brains. A comedy of errors in this and the previous government traverse the Land of Many Waters where water is imported, and the high cost of living has eaten away at thewagesofthepoorandthe

workingclass.

Almost all the ministries in the country are backward and reactive and are failing the citizens. Building roads, bridges and stadiums and bribing voters with cash grants to vote for the PPP willnotwork.

It shows that the government headed by the honcho and de facto president is desperate, corrupt, and rotten to the core.Itrustthatthepeopleof Guyana are smarter that this deceitful and wicked government They should not allow the government to bribe them to vote for the PPP It is the taxpayers’ money that the government is using and not the PPP, therefore, I am urging the voters to take all the money they could get from the PPP and stay at home or vote against this corrupt, arrogant, and uncaring governmentonJune12.The people ought to know and understandthattheMinisters of the PPPonly come to the voters at election time. Do not allow them to use and abuse you because after the election, they will not visit

you again until the next election.

Personally, I think President Ali could do a better job if he sidelined or get rid of the honcho and de facto president who will cause him to lose the next election because despite the poor performance of Granger’s inept coalition government, the PPP only won the election in 2020 by 6,000 votes and one seat. Now that the honcho and de facto president has returned tohisoldvindictive,spiteful, nasty, and evil ways, there exist the possibility President Ali could become another Donald Ramotar in 2025.

Heshouldemployhighly skilled and professional personnel instead of those anointed, incompetent, and corruptPPPofficialstosteer the country in the right direction.Thehonchoandde facto president is an old and washed-out politician who should be heading to the pasture.

L e y l a n d C h i t l a l l Roopnaraine

Real Estate Builder, NewYork

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

BILLIONS IN OIL PROJECTS

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

APPROVED BUT NO NEW OIL LAWS

The PPPGovernment has approved over US$30B in oil projects for ExxonMobil in less than three years.

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

In defence of moving at such breakneck speed, it conjures up all types of excuses such as the need to keep the momentum going.

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

But when asked about putting modernized laws for the sector in place, we hear nothing but excuses.

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

What a shameful display of leadership!

Is this the type of recklessness we will continue to vote for with blinders on?

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

Guyanese, it is time to wake up!

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT...BLUNT

Guyanese still have to depend on oil companies instead of Govt. for present and projected expenses in Stabroek Block

In the last seven years, G u y a n e s e stakeholders have had to rely on oil companies in the Stabroek Block to know just how much they are investing offshore, instead of their government which receives those projected expenditures on a monthly, quarterly,andannualbasis.

The situation is one that has motivated calls by severalsectionsofsocietyfor the government to be more proactive in their disclosures on costs incurred or forecast to be incurred so that citizens may be able to keep track of these expenses which run intothebillionsofdollars.

The APNU+AFC regime never released any data in this regard and for five years, ignored numerous calls for greaterdisclosures.

Since assuming office, Kaieteur News has asked the People's Progressive Party C i v i c ( P P P / C ) Administrationifitisopento changing this state of affairs.

Specifically, Vice President, Dr BharratJagdeowhositsat the helm of the oil and gas sector indicated that he is not so inclined to release such information as he believes

Kaieteur News would use same to “nitpick”. He did commit however to lending some consideration to the merits of such disclosures and the extent to which they would improve transparency andaccountability

Withcallsfordisclosures

still mounting, Dr Jagdeo was recently asked to respond to criticisms that the administration is slow to action and that more needs to done. He maintained that his government is dedicated to thismatteronceitgetspastits current wave of activities

Stabroek Block

At the Stabroek Block, ExxonMobil Corporation's affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) is the operator alongside Hess Guyana Exploration Limited and CNOOC Petroleum GuyanaLimited.

The partners now have over US$40B in oil projects, two of which are in operation. Specifically, the Liza Phase One and Liza Phase Two Projects are producing approximately 400,000barrelsofoilperday

which include the auction of 14 blocks and amendments the legislative framework for thesector

Jagdeo noted that in the interim, there is quite a bit of information flow already a b o u t t h e m o n t h l y production of oil and gas. He

noted as well that the new P r o d u c t i o n S h a r i n g Agreementsbeingworkedon will see a significant e n h a n c e m e n t i n government's monitoring of costs and the transparency thatwouldoccurtherein.

Jagdeo agreed that the government does have to do more work on increasing information flow about the oil and gas sector into the publicdomain.

The third oil project, Payaraisontrackforstart-up in the third quarter The f o u r t h s a n c t i o n e d development, Yellowtail, is expected to come online in 2025 with a gross production capacity of approximately 250,000barrelsofoilperday A sixth development, Whiptail, is expected to be submitted for government and regulatory approval later thisyear

In total, six FPSOs with a gross production capacity of more than 1.2 million barrels of oil per day are expected to be online on the Stabroek Block by the end of 2027, withthepotentialforupto10 FPSOs to develop the estimated gross discovered recoverable resources of more than 11 billion barrels ofoilequivalent.

SHOULD HANGINGS BE RESUMED?

The escape of Royden Williams from Guyana’s high-security (no pun intended) Mazaruni Prison and now the murder of an officer of the Guyana Defence Force by armed bandits have resurrected calls for hangings to be resumed.

One argument being madeisthatwehavepersons on death row who are being held at the pleasure of the State and the expense of taxpayers, and this is likely tocontinuefortheremainder of their natural lifetime. As such, it is being suggested that those on death row be executedforthwith.

Itisnotassimpleanissue as that. For one, many of those on death row have not exhausted their legal appeals. They cannot and should not be executed unless these appeals have been exhausted. They are others, however, who have exhausted their appeals and are languishing on death row This brings us to the nextissue.

There is judicial precedent both at the Caribbean Court of Justice and the Privy Council to the effect that having someone ondeathrowformorethan6 and one-half years constitutes inhuman and degrading punishment. In Pratt and Morgan v Attorney General of Jamaica, the Privy Council ruled that keeping someone on death row for 14 years was inhuman and degrading treatment and this is prohibited by the ConstitutionofJamaica.

Guyana’s constitution

has a similar provision to that of Jamaica. As such, it canbeinferredthatitwould be unconstitutional to hold someone more than five yearsondeathrow

Any attempt to carry out the death sentence for those languishingondeathrowfor morethanfiveyearsislikely to be met by a legal challenge, and the courts have been predisposed towards commuting these death sentences to life imprisonment. This is how one judge of the Caribbean CourtofJusticeputitduring a lecture he delivered in 2012:

“A period of five years following sentence was established as a reasonable, though not by any means inflexible, time-limit within which the entire postsentence legal process shouldbecompletedandthe execution carried out. If the execution was not carried out within that time frame, therewasastronglikelihood that the court would regard the delay as amounting to inhuman treatment and commute the death sentence tooneoflifeimprisonment.”

Giventhebackloginour appeals’process,adeathrow convict would be very fortunate to have his appeal heard and completed within fiveyearsofconviction.And ifperchanceheorshecando this and the sentence is upheld, there is still a resort under international conventions such as the Inter-AmericanCommission ofHumanRights.Aprisoner may also seek recourse under the Optional Protocol of the International

Dem Boys Seh...

Gentrification is a big word about big people transforming poor, rundown areas into havens for thewealthy Gentrification is like Cinderella’s fairy Godmother that turned a pumpkin into a luxury carriage, except that gentrification is about turning ghettos into commercialdistricts.

TheOppositionbelieves that this enchantment is happening in La Penitence and Albouystown, where the PuntTrench Dam into a promenade.

Buthey,whystopthere?

Why not bring back the goodoldPuntTrenchCanal, slapalidonit,andvoila!We h

Convention on Civil and PoliticalRights.

The PPP/C government, having acceded to the Optional Protocol in 1993, was forced to pass a resolution in the National Assembly in 1998 renouncing the Protocol and re-acceding to the Protocol with a reservation that it reservestherighttocarryout capital punishment for anyoneconvictedtodeath.

The government then said that it considered that death row prisoners were abusing the procedures under the Optional Protocol after their sentences would have been upheld by the CourtofAppeal.Despitethis reservation, there have been no hangings since 1997 when two men were executed.

The previous year two persons were also executed. Moreimportantly,fourdeath row prisoners were released in 2012 in accordance with the P r a t t decision, considering the long time they would have spent on deathrow.

Both the PPP/C and the APNU+AFC governments have not attempted to remove the death penalty from the law books. Yet, neither has shown any inclination to carry out the death sentences David Granger was even quoted as saying, “I have no intention ofexecutinganyone.”

The PPP/C however in 2010 removed the mandatory nature of the death penalty for murder It isnowatthediscretionofthe court to decide whether a person should be sentenced

to death or receive an alternativesentence.

Itshouldberecalledthat one of the obstacles to the extradition of Sergeant Gregory Smith, who was implicated in the murder of Walter Rodney, was that Guyana had the death penalty on the books and French law prohibited extradition someone to a country where the death penaltyremainedlawful.

In the meantime,

international pressure is mounting on Guyana to abolish the death penalty

There have been calls by foreigngovernmentsforthis to happen. But every time thereisacrimewave,thereis equally a demand for hangings. But even if Irfaan Ali wishes to go in this direction, it is now a virtual legal impossibility to hang anyone, given the death penalty jurisprudence which hasevolvedsince1993.

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

recreational park The Dutch would be so proud. But we’re not that creative, so we’ll just trade greenery for concrete promenades and hope our drainage problems magically disappear.

The city is apparently running out of space for commercialbusinesses.The north of the city is already bursting at the seams with businesses, and traffic congestion is the latest fashion statement So naturally, we need to developnewbusinessareas. However, the big shots aren’ttookeenonsettingup shopsouthofAgricola.

That is too far from the action! So we are told that they may be eyeing up La PenitenceandAlbouystown

withtheintentionofbuying up properties at bargain prices,andtransformingthe area into the newest commercialdistrict.

Butlet’snotforgetabout thepoorcitizens.Theymust tread carefully through the treacherous flood waters of gentrification.

It may sound like a dream, but in reality, it’s more like a nightmare. As soonasthebigshotsarrive, they’ll snatch up all the residential properties, turning humble homes into fancy commercial warehouses and superstores.Isn’tprogresssimply marvelous?

Does this sound like a sound plan or a recipe for disaster?Onlytimewilltell. Talkhalf.Leffhalf!

‘Gentrification’ is a big word fuh de big boys

H@RD TRUTHS

BY GHK LALL

HEADS TOGETHER, MINDS IN TANDEM, FOR GUYANA

We need to talk; we are not. We must get a better sense of each other; we prefernot.

Thepoliticalplayersthat are most successful for the longest while are those who are quietly rational. They study the range of circumstances, weigh them, consider the obstacles in their path. On occasion, theyarriveataspecialplace -the greatest good for the

greatest many I haven’t seen this happening in Guyana, and wait with less and less patience for the leading figures in government and Opposition to take the first steps, share the first words. Both step andwordcouldnurturemore of the same, and towards those programmes and practices that are in the interests of all Guyanese. Hereistheterritory.

The PPP Government is neither waiting nor welcoming. Similarly, the PNC Opposition has not shownanypassionorvision for leaning forward. The first objective of both must be closing gaps. The great gaps existing in today’s Guyana: those economic, social, and racial gaps in Guyana that brings recoiling; sometimes, there is prompting to retreat

behind my self-made barricades. In the worst of times, the bitterest of racial and social environments, ForbesBurnhamandCheddi Jagan found a way to keep the door of communication and connection open. It mighthavebeenasidedoor orabackdoor,buttheyboth rose to the occasion with what served the interests of Guyanese. Through their rancorous divisions, and their acrimonious times, they found a way to continue, because the country was bigger than whatever was the priority that the other held closest. The sum of us is not politicallywiserthanthetwo ofthem.

Compare that to today’s reality, and the contrast cannot be more glaring: the gaping holes and wounds in this ragged society more oozing, more hurting, more enfeebling. We have the PPP Government and the PNCOpposition,andasthey rise, so do Guyanese. The leadership of both major parties,withalmostallofthe national electorate nearly equally apportioned to their hands,isnotrising. Thereis scant conversing with each other; only reciprocal cursing The PPP Government may think it is rising all alone, but that is leaders fooling themselves. Therisingisnotashighasit should be, given our gifts; and if the party continues down the road chosen, the shocking might be lurking. Thatis,itsreigncouldbecut short, as has happened before.

For its part, the PNC Opposition (the whole

c o a l i t i o n umbrella) is resistanttoreaching out, adamant about any touching. I think that that is a fatal error In judgment. In vision. In calculations. Mostlikely,in result, too. Something is terriblywronginGuyana,in thistimeofgreatwealthand the great events, when the only exchanges that the leadership of this country canforce(force)themselves towardsiseitherthroughthe auspices of the American Ambassador; or via their reciprocalinsultsandabuses in the regular media; or still worseinthefree-for-allthat is the appalling malice in social media It says somethingthatinthistimeof abundant newsprint, and a network of radio and television stations, that our leadersaremostprolificand at home on their Facebook pages, their party cyber channels. We(they)haveall the technology and tools of the times at their touch, but thebestthattheycanconsent to are the washrooms, backrooms, and boiler roomsofdarkspaces.

There is nothing more constructive than two men (ortwowomen)sittingdown face to face and at arm’s lengthandlayingeverything onthetableinciviltones,in earnestconstructs,inmutual respect. Wars have been stoppedwhensanityreturns, and when that great leap is taken. Misunderstandings and mistakes are corrected, and a foundation is erected for follow-up eye to eye exchanges. Those often pave the way-already rocky and filled with treachery-

towards more of what is smoother, less unpromising, more hospitable. I would prefer that we try and fail, rather than we fail and fall fromlackoftryingtobridge the great Guyana rift that is widerthananyinAfrica.

In this hour of oil, so much is expected, yet so much is lost Time Opportunity bypassed or o v e r l o o k e d o r underappreciated. Two headsarebetterthanone. At the very best, less than half ofwhatshouldbe,notevena fraction of the full vastness of our potential, is where Guyanesestand. Amidstthe vivacity of elusive prosperity there is this Guyanese tragedy, and it is all homemade. We are all lesser, chronic losers, come to think of it. I do so with thesethings.

It is why today I come not with sword nor slap, but with serenity and sensitivity ofwhatarethepossibilities. We continue like this as government, as opposition, as leaders of both, and there will be the inevitable collapsing into the pyrrhic. Talking is a must, it could lead someplace. And any place would be better than whereGuyanesearetoday (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s affiliates.)

PPP too distracted with Local Government Elections to finalise critical documents for oil blocks auction

Preparations to complete documents for Guyana's first offshorelicensingroundhave been delayed because the People's Progressive Party Civic(PPP/C)administration is busy behind Local Government Elections. Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo acknowledged that these

crucial documents required for the licensing round, includingthefinalisedmodel petroleumagreementsandan amendment to the Petroleum (ExplorationandProduction) Act,areyettobecompleted.

Speaking at a PPP/C press conference last Thursday in his capacity as

General Secretary, Jagdeo revealed the government's preoccupation with the local electionsasthereasonforthe delay in finalising these pivotal documents. The local government elections, which are set to conclude on June 12, have significantly affected the government's

focus and availability to expedite the necessary procedures for the offshore licensing round, with the submissiondeadlinelooming onJune15.

"It's very tight now," said Jagdeo, acknowledging the mounting pressure. "And to be frank with you, the local government elections interfered a bit with it. And also the drafting… it's taking time."

The VP stressed that the bulkofthefeedbackreceived pertained to the amendment of the legislation, which has also been time-consuming, rather than the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA). He however assured that the government would return to address these concerns in a matterofdays.

The documents not being finalized has the potential to inhibit the success of the licensing round, because investors are left with uncertainty,andwouldnotbe sure whether to make bids. Exxon, for example, has not decided whether it will make a bid because of this very reason.

While Jagdeo stopped short of saying that government would extend the deadline for the submission of bids, he noted

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo

the government's devotion to providing investors with the necessary documents well aheadofthedeadline.

“Idon'twanttobequoted as saying there will be an extension, but we made a commitment to have these two documents available to the investors before they put in final bids. We're not going t o w a i v e r o n t h a t commitment,"Jagdeosaid.

The government had already amended the timelines for the licensing round once before, because it had needed more time to changethelaw.

Jagdeo said maintaining transparency and integrity in

global markets is of utmost i m p o r t a n c e f o r t h e government. Therefore, he maintained that ensuring that investors have ample time to study the documents and make informed bids is a key priority He also assured that consultation will be done before the law is taken to Parliament.Hestatedthatthe firstdraftofthelawhaslikely already been submitted by thedrafters.

Eleven of the oil blocks on auction are located in the shallow area and three in the deep water zone The government said investors have shown interest in all of theblocks.

Woman sells cocaine to care for sick husband

An elderly woman on Friday told police that she sells cocaine and marijuana to take care of her ailing husband The woman's admission followed a drug bustatthewoman'sUitvlugt, West Coast Demerara (WCD)home.

Police reportedly found drugsstashedinthewoman's kitchen during a search conductedatabout02:30h.

“ O n e b u l k y transparent plastic bag containing several small bulky silver foil wraps and several small white bulky paper parcels on a counter in her kitchen were found,” the Guyana Police Force said in astatement.

The ranks opened the packagesandfoundthatthey contained marijuana and cocaine.

When asked about the illegal drugs found on her premises, the woman reportedly responded, “I selling da cocaine and weed

fuh mind me sickly husband.”

Police arrested the woman and took her to the Leonora Police Station where the drugs were

weighed.

According to police, the woman, said to be in her sixties, had 10.3 grams of cocaine and 28.6 grams of cannabisinherpossession.

The cocaine found on the woman's premises.

BLUNTNESS ON INDECENCY!

In case you haven’t heard, please be informed that as part of our continued effort to channel positive changes in our country, our publisher, Mr. Glenn Lall, has dedicated our Page Seven to be “BLUNT” about on-going indecency in our land that should matter, not only to us at this publication, but the entire nation.

Sunday - June 4, 2023

was honest, if Jagdeo was truthful, insurance coverage that will meet when he said umpteen times, he is all the circumstances should there

Alesson for Guyana working towards protecting this be an adverse event offshore. He

…Ghana, despite oil riches, nation with that Parent Company alsosaiditiscrucialforinstitutions takes begging bowl to IMF for Guarantee. Tell me if this man is to act in a manner where decisions US$3B economic bailout not a sell-out -saying one thing are not made on the premise of yesterday to the nation and economicnationalism.

The International Monetary meaning something else in his Jagdeo also said it is incumbent Fund (IMF) Executive Board heart,”Lallsaid. on the courts to produce judgments approved a 36-month Extended

He rhetorically asked whether that are well reasoned, adding that Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement Jagdeoshouldeverbetrusted“with the EPA’s efforts on securing for Ghana in May, totalling about ourfutureandthatofthisregion?” variousformsofinsuranceintheoil US$3billion.

“He nor the EPA didn’t get it, sector should not be overlooked.

This follows challenges faced the Judge ordered it, then he turned The Vice President said the by Ghana, which, despite having a around and instructed the EPA and regulatory body has been in vibrantoilsectorandastorysimilar the State to appeal the Judge’s discussions for over a year now tothatexperiencedbyGuyanawith decisionprotectingus.” with Exxon to secure a US$2B Exxon and the Stabroek Block, is

In the judgment handed down parent guarantee for the Stabroek grappling with a struggling, on May 3, 2023, Justice Kissoon Block. He said those discussions unstableeconomy ruled that Exxon’s affiliate, Esso concludedrecently

Kristalina Georgieva, IMF Exploration and Production

He also noted that the EPA has Managing Director, said the Guyana Limited (EEPGL) is in so far secured a US$600M programme “is focused on breach of its permit which, in the insurance package from EEPGL, restoring macroeconomic stability court’s view, unreservedly calls for thepremiumforwhichisbeingpaid and debt sustainability as well as unlimited insurance protection in usingrevenuesearnedfromthesale implementing wide-ranging theeventofanoilspill. of Guyana’s oil resources. If that reforms to build resilience and lay

The Judge also issued an Order insurance premium is increased, he the foundation for stronger and significant petroleum wealth, of the Kaieteur News said Jagdeo of Mandamus directing the said it is Guyana that ultimately moreinclusivegrowth.” Ghana’s experiences serve as a cannot be trusted, exposing Environmental Protection Agency pays. He further noted that the EPA

Despite the discovery of oil in powerful reminder that oil alone is instancesoftheVP’sdoublespeak. (EPA) to have EEPGL produce on can liquidate EEPGL’s assets if significant quantities in 2007, not the answer to a nation’s Jagdeo has been accused of or before June 10, 2023, the needed to cover costs relating to an Ghana has had to resort to external economicissues. championing the cause of unlimitedliabilityParentCompany oil spill He said the Exxon assistance to revive its economy In Guyana’s case, its petroleum ExxonMobil over Guyana, Guarantee Agreement and/or subsidiary now has US$6B to Large external shocks and pre- wealth is way more outsized when althoughtheAmericanoilgianthas unlimited liability Affiliate US$8B in assets based on its existing fiscal and debt compared to the size of its thus far refused to renegotiate a Company Guarantee from an balancesheet. vulnerabilities have escalated into population and economy Hence, lopsided oil pact it signed with the insurance company with standing Jagdeo said the foregoing an economic crisis, characterized the vulnerabilities are greater formerAPNU+AFCGovernment. and repute that equates to Grade A therefore arms Guyana with three by plummeting domestic investor While petroleum revenues can It is not the first time Lall has Plus. Failure to comply will see the mechanisms that can be applied to c o n f i d e n c e , d e c r e a s i n g provide a substantial boost to the called for the removal of Jagdeo. permitbeingsuspended. cover the expenses associated with international reserves, currency economy, they can also introduce Several other Opposition But in making the case for the clean up, restoration and depreciation, rising inflation, and a volatility and potential dependence spokespersons have also made government to appeal the decision, compensation for an oil spill. He lossofinternationalmarketaccess. onasingleresource. similarcalls.

Jagdeo told reporters at a May 4, also refuted claims or contentions

The result was an increasingly Therefore, local and regional

Speaking in one of his recent constrained domestic financing stakeholders have said it is critical TikTok presentations, Mr Lall said environment and a reliance on for the government to establish a every citizen must listen to Jagdeo monetary financing of the robust regulatory framework, and assess whether he should still government. ensure transparency and be sitting at his desk as a so called

Recognizing these deep accountability, invest in human “defender and protector of challenges, Ghana has taken steps capital and infrastructure, diversify Guyana.” to rectify the situation, including the economy, and manage the

He noted that before Justice accelerating fiscal adjustment and petroleumrevenueswiselyforboth Sandil Kissoon delivered his launching a comprehensive debt presentandfuturegenerations. landmark ruling compelling the restructuringeffort.

IMF’s support to Ghana indeed Environmental Protection Agency

The Extended Credit Facility aims at rebuilding the country’s (EPA) to ensure ExxonMobil gives arrangement provided by the IMF economy, but the challenges faced Guyana unlimited parent guarantee is expected to aid Ghana in by the West African nation should in the event of an oil spill here, he overcoming immediate policy and be a wake-up call for other (Lall) had asked Jagdeo at a news financingchallenges. resource-richcountries. conferenceonMarch3,2023about

Furthermore, the government’s As many stakeholders have theveryissue. Post COVID-19 Programme for lamented,itisprudentandeffective

In his response Jagdeo said that Economic Growth (PC-PEG), management of petroleum wealth he had agreed with Mr. Lall on the which forms the basis of the ECF that help oil-rich nations avoid the urgency of having such guarantee arrangement, seeks to restore pitfalls of overdependence and andthathehadevenstressedthisto macroeconomic stability and debt ensure sustainable and inclusive the EPA, saying they should insist sustainability and build resilience growth. on a deadline for ExxonMobil to through wide-ranging reforms.The providesuchaguarantee. focus is on a more inclusive and Glenn Lall exposes

“However, now that Justice 2023 press conference: “we all that government should secure stronger growth trajectory, with Jagdeo’s ‘sinister whirlwind’ KissoonhassinceorderedExxonto want to ensure that as a country, in unlimited insurance coverage from capacity development and of doublespeak ...says VP provide Guyana with that same the case of a spill, and hopefully it Exxon “What would be the c

cannot be trusted, should Parent Company Guarantee that never happens, that we have premium for this unlimited developmentpartnerscriticaltothe be removed from office Jagdeo and his EPAdidn’t get until adequate resources to cover all of insurance?”askedtheofficialathis successful implementation of the today to safeguard Guyana and the theliabilitiesassociatedwiththat… pressconference.Hesaid,“Thereis programme.

Fair-oil-deal advocate and region, the same Jagdeo has So we all want this. But we also nothing like that in the world of Despite its oil boom, the businessman, Glenn Lall has called appealed the decision. Man, on can’t be shrill or capricious in our insurance. You can have coverage country has grappled with fiscal on Vice President, Bharrat to step hearing that judge’s decision, dealings, particularly at the level of but even then, there is a defined

ties, down from office or be removed, within hours, Jagdeo instructed the our regulatory agencies to get that risk.” underscoring the importance of accusing the former president of EPAto appeal it. Afew days later, outcome.” Based on the foregoing

t macroeconomic poorly managing the oil and gas hewentfurthertogettheStatealso, Jagdeo said it is critical that the grounds, the Vice President is of management. sector and also constantly to file an appeal to that full government pursues diligently and beliefthattherecentHighCourt

For countries like Guyana, misleadingcitizensaboutsame. protection the court ordered for professionally in its efforts to get (Continued on page 15) which are entering a phase of Mr Lall, who is also publisher Guyana.Nowyoutellme,ifJagdeo

Businessman and Publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo

From page 14 with me for saying that. I am so quest. Stabroek Block to help pay off judgment is therefore flawed and happy that his words and actions He said, “They will tell you someofthecountry’sloans,Jagdeo mustbeappealedbytheEPA. are revealing the nature of who this because you signed, if you now might also be hoping that more Meanwhile, Jagdeo during a man,BharatJagdeoreallyis.” want to get out of the contract, we money can be raked in from better May25,2023pressconferencewas are going to slap you with damages terms his government has placed in asked by this newspaper in the Monday - June 5, 2023 and that kind of thing, we are going newcontractsforoilblocksthatare event of an oil spill offshore to ensure that you are blacklisted, still to be auctioned and explored. Guyana, what will the Government Strong governments will not we are going to ensure (your) oil The government might be hoping of Guyana (GoG) do to ensure that bow to threats against and gas cannot be sold. These are too that the investment it is making Guyanese do not have to foot the renegotiation of bad contracts the threats that they normally use throughloanstodiversifyGuyana’s bill. The Vice President responded, - African anti-corruption legend butifyouhaveastronggovernment economy can bring in profitable “Thethingisthat,you’reaskingme and I saw it as I said with the returns. a hypothetical question ” When countries are saddled governmentoftheUnitedRepublic

With regard to loans being However,heexplainedthatlooking with‘badcontracts’itisnotunusual of Tanzania, if you have a strong borrowed to develop the country at what has happened globally with for their business partners to government, you will discover that Jagdeo at the press conference said othercountrieswhenitcomestooil communicate threats in an effort to there are so many countries in the that his government will be spill, most of the US-billions of prevent the deal from being world that are suffering the same investing in key areas such as dollars that countries get are from changed A strong government fate and they will fight from your infrastructure, health care, taking the oil companies to court however will not allow their hands corner.” education and the social wellbeing and winning the case He to stay tied, but will do what is He went on to say that Guyana ofthecountry continued: “they didn’t come necessary to get more for their is very close to Trinidad and

“So you would agree with me because the companies are people. Tobago, a country whose contract thathealthcareisveryimportantfor voluntary, even in the US (United This was essentially the administration is considered a people and all of our people quality StatesofAmerica) andintheUK message shared by the profound model around the World The health care that is why we are (United Kingdom). So I see figures anti-corruption icon of Africa, modelisinfactbeingusedbysome avenuesmustbepursuedtoachieve investing… Soon you will have quoted (US) $85B and (US) $50B Professor Patrick Loch Otieno countries, including Uganda which thedesiredresults. freeuniversityeducationinGuyana andifyoulookatit,itwasn’tforthe Lumumba when he made his initial is gearing to commence oil which we promise in our manifesto cleaning up of the spill but the appearance on the Glenn Lall productionsoon.

Govt. banking on future oil but we are investing a lot in compensation and a lot of those Show,May27,2023. Lumumba pointed out that money to pay off loans being scholarships…We are investing didn’t originate because of Lumumba is a Kenyan who Uganda’s pipeline, constructed to borrowed to develop country backinchildren.” guarantees they emerge from court served as the Director of the Kenya transport oil was held up by the

“You heard I said so at the cases.” Anti-Corruption Commission from EuropeanUnionandTotalEnergies Firm in its decision to not beginning-over 3000 people have

Jagdeo also said: “whatever September 2010 to August 2011. as they were against a refinery renegotiate a better deal for the seen substantial increases in their guaranteeExxongivesattheendof Since2014,Lumumbahasbeenthe beingbuiltbytheAfricannation. lucrative Stabroek Block with disposable income since we got thedayitcomesbacktowewillpay Director of The Kenya School of It is here that he asserted that ExxonMobil, the government is into office - the pensioners the for it ” The Vice President Law Research also shows that sometimes, leaders sit with their banking on future oil revenues to young kids etc. We are investing in explained that he expects there Lumumba is well respected for his handsandlipstiedastheyareeither pay off loans being burrowed to the long term infrastructure wouldbelitigationsandthatishow attempts “to slay the elusive intimidated into silence or they developthecountry projects’’, Jagdeo explained while he anticipates it would be dealt corruptiondragon.” have been bought into silence. As This was explained by Vice adding that his government’s with. At his press conference, During a live discussion on such, Professor Lumumba stated, President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, borrowing plan is “a combination Jagdeo admitted that oil and gas Kaieteur Radio (99.1 and 99.5 FM) “So it is the duty of organizations during a press conference at of putting in place, the companies are not altruistic. “They with the Publisher of Kaieteur outside of government to act like FreedomHouse. infrastructure for future social are not in this for the good of News, Mr Glenn Lall and one of gadflies. It is you who must force Kaieteur News had asked the services and the economic areas mankind they are here to make the newspaper’s Senior Journalist, the hand of government by way of VP to explain how his government thatwouldcreatefuturewealth. money and it’s as simple as that Kiana Wilburg, the African legend askingthesequestions.” plans to develop Guyana with the As the government takes this they come to make money from the focused his views on the local oil The anti-corruption advocate “meager” revenues it is currently route towards development, country,”hesaid. andgasindustryrapidlydeveloping noted that ExxonMobil has been receiving from its vast oil Guyana should take warning from in Guyana, while referencing the generating massive profits, which resources. Ghana’scurrentsituation. Reacting to the VP’s comments experiences of nations at his end of in some instances can be

greater In his response, the Vice On Sunday Kaieteur News

Lall questioned: “This man head theglobe. thantheGrossDomesticProductof President agreed that indeed the oil reported that despite having a good,shouldthismanstillbesitting As it regards the lopsided deal all the Caribbean countries money is “not much at this time” vibrant oil sector, the country was a day more in that chair? You tell Guyana inked with American oil combined. He said that the skins of before highlighting that the still forced to beg the International me.” major, ExxonMobil, Lumumba these corporations have become government plans to borrow now MonetaryFund (IMF) for a US$3B

Speaking directly to citizens explained that such companies thick overtime; hence the efforts to for development and pay back later bailout. Lall said: “I told you people many would try to send threats to avoid secure better terms for a country whenithasthe“capacitytodoso”. The IMF Executive Board times, I don’t trust a word, much that country from seeking more, must be relentless and “...So it’s a combination of approved a 36-month Extended less a sentence out of Jagdeo’s however a determined government multipronged. Professor Lumumba spending what we have, and a Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement mouth and a few people are upset will not allow this to halt their was also keen to note that all legal judicious set of borrowing, where for Ghana in May, totalling about we know based on future capacity US$3billion. wecanrepay”,Jagdeosaid.

Although the former President Tuesday - June 6, 2023 repeatedly agreed that the contract is not favourable to Guyana, he PresidentAli praises believes that by allowing Saudi Gov’t for swift ExxonMobil to quickly ramp up approval of US$150M loan production, the country will in the …as agreement inked future have a huge spike in oil revenues.

President IrfaanAli on Monday

He anticipates that the spike praised the Kingdom of Saudi couldoccurasearlyas2027.While Arabia for its swift approval of a this may be true, it should be noted US$150 million loan that will be that the anticipated increase in oil channeled to develop the local revenues from the Stabroek Block housingandinfrastructuresectors. isonlybecauseExxonMobilwillbe During a simple ceremony producingmoreoilin2027thanitis hosted at the Office of the producing now In otherwords, President, Finance Minister, Dr Guyana’s take from the Stabroek Ashni Singh signed the two loan Block remains meager if the agreements on behalf of Guyana, contractisnotchanged. whiletheKingdomofSaudiArabia

Apart from banking on the wasrepresentedbyChief future spike in revenues from the (Continued on page 16)

Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh (left) shares a handshake with Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Fund for Development, His Excellency Sultan Al-Marshad, during the signing of the two loan agreements.

From page 15

financials for Exxon’s subsidiary under the taxation provisions, to Executive Officer of the Saudi and operator for the block, Esso pay ExxonMobil’s share of Fund for Development, His Exploration and Production Corporation and Income Tax. As ExcellencySultanAl-Marshad. Guyana Limited (EEPGL), it such, it would mean, that Guyana

AteamfromSaudiisinGuyana earned $577 7B in profits, a foregoes each year, billions of US on a three-day visit for official substantial increase over its 2021 dollars On top of this, business and has been invited by earnings totalling $132B. Hess documentation to this effect is then the President to take advantage of Corporation’s 2022 profit was provided to the US based company the private sector opportunities listed as $322.7B while CNOOC allowing it to not have to pay any available,notonlyintheoilandgas was $329.8B. Even though the taxes in its home country for its sector but in the other industries as contract is lopsided, the deal earningsoverseas. well. remains untouched as the

While delivering remarks at the government continues to approve Wednesday - June 7, 2023 event, the Head-of-State more of Exxon’s US-multi-billion commended the Kingdom of Saudi projectsintheStabroekBlock. Guyana’s contract with Exxon Arabia for “the ease of doing In one of his recent TikTok must be described as theft; business” explaining that the pace messages, Lall said, “June 12th would not have happened in oftheloanapprovalwas“secondto

coming, the PPPand the PNC want USA - Professor PLO Lumumba none”. He said, “I think it is a good something from y’all, a certain example for many international finger.” To this end, he asked Given his understanding of the bodies and agencies, multilateral citizens if it isn’t time for them to 2016 Stabroek Block Production agencies and what the focus should demand “something in return for SharingAgreement (PSA) between be when we are delivering thatfinger?” Guyana and an ExxonMobil-led financing for development. The

Lall said that citizens should consortium, Kenyan Lawyer and focus should be on the project and demand that the leaders sit together Anti-Corruption Legend, Professor the people and not conditions and and correct all foreign contracts, Patrick Loch Otieno (PLO) circumstancesthatseektodelaythe particularly the Exxon deal. The Lumumba believes the deal can delivery of results for the people. address noted, “Today marks an Guyana has inked with the Saudi publisher described the deal as one onlybedescribedas“theft.” This was an excellent example of exciting and bright chapter for both Fund for development. It also “sucking the blood out of our Professor Lumumba made the the focus being on the people, on of our countries, having signed two makes the nation the 88th in the bodies and that of future foregoing comment during an thecountryandontheproject.” development loan agreements World to receive funding for major generations.” appearance on The Glenn Lall He noted that the Kingdom of worth US$150 million.” He said development projects, from this He encouraged citizens to Show There he was asked about Saudi Arabiia has been very that the loan will go towards initiative.It was reportedthatat the ‘wake-up’ and understand the politicians’ constant use of the supportive of the Government of f u n d i n g i n f r a s t r u c t u r e end of 2022, Guyana’s total debt seriousness of what is happening in principle “sanctity of contract” to G u y a n a a t t h e I s l a m i c developmentworksforthehousing surpassed US$3 6 billion, the country “If the PNC and the avoid renegotiating the Stabroek Development Bank (IsDB), where sector and constructing theWismar increasing from the previous year PPP cannot sit together to do what Block deal. Professor Lumumba only a month ago, the country was BridgeinLinden. by16.9percent. TheGoGbelieves is right for you and I, and this was quick to note that the law must abletosignaloanagreementforthe “The funded project was that the sudden tripling of the country,thenstayhome,”Lallsaid, not be used in such a manner that it reconstruction of the Linden provided by the Kingdom of Saudi country’s Gross Domestic Product adding, “let them know you cannot legitimizestheillegitimate. Soesdyke Highway Ali noted that Arabia through the Saudi Fund for (GDP) has positioned the country live on grants, handouts and once- Professor Lumumba said, “…It by September, government is Development It reflects our better to take more loans a-yearbonus,inacountrythatisthe is improper to have a contract aimingtocommencethatproject. commitment to promote https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.c richest per capita per person…” He which legitimizes theft and I have

Meanwhile, the Head-of-State sustainable social economic om/2023/02/17/guyana-in-better- added: “no man, no don’t do this to some idea of the contract that the pointed out that while the loan is development in Guyana and position-to-take-more-loans- y’all children, we all deserve our GovernmentofGuyanahasentered f u n d i n g i n f r a s t r u c t u r a l support local communities through finance-minister/ rightful share of what God into with Exxon Mobil; it is theft development, it is just a temporary enhanced transportation and Almightyhasblesseduswith.” anditmustbedescribedastheft.” endeavor for future growth. He housinginfrastructure,”hesaid. Glenn Lall: “Guyanese

The Chief Executive Officer The lawyer said it is incumbent said, “We are on a trajectory in The first US$100 million is should demand change ( C E O ) o f E x x o n M o b i l upon the people of Guyana to which we are seeking also to build being channeled to fund housing to that lopsided Exxon Corporation,DarrenWoods,earlier invoke the jurisdiction of their new relationships, to enhance and infrastructure to provide Contract before voting June 12” this year at an international courts and if they cannot, they can strengthen old relationships and to approximately 2,500 housing units conferenceboastedaboutthe“story turn to the jurisdiction of other build new relationships…we look in three administrative regions in While the People’s Progressive ofsuccess”Guyana. international tribunals to ensure forward greatly to this continued the country It is understood that Party/ Civic (PPP/C) and the However, while Guyana’s oil that such an unfavorable contract is partnership and the speed at which community roads will also be Opposition, A Partnership for andgasresourceshavegarneredthe nullified. you operate in helping us on this funded through this loan, along National Unity (APNU) are oil giant immense profits, what the Professor Lumumba said in journeytomodernization.” with the establishment of campaigning for next week’s Local country earns on the other hand America,thehomeofExxonMobil, The President also invited the electricity, water and sewer Government Elections (LGE), have caused several persons in such a contract would not have Saudi Kingdom to engage Guyana systems. Kaieteur News’ Publisher and society to call on government to beenallowed. on identifying areas where the two Meanwhile, the second aspect businessman, Glenn Lall is urging renegotiate the contract. The 2016 “ and what must therefore countries can collaborate in the of the loan, pegged at US$50 Guyanese to boycott the polls until deal gives Guyana an industry-low happen is that the government and future to “advance the next tranche millionwillbeusedtoconstructthe the politicians correct the lopsided 2% royalty Presently, Guyana your Parliament must come out of resources for the next phase of Wismar Bridge to improve ExxonMobilGuyanacontract. shares revenue with ExxonMobil clearly, and the people of civic development”. He told the visiting connectivity to relieve traffic jams. In 2016, Guyana signed onto a after the company deducts 75 organizations in Guyana must delegation that Guyana has a “Both projects will contribute to Production Sharing Agreement percenttowardsthecostincurredto come out and send a clear message mountain of private sector seven United Nations Sustainable (PSA)withtheoilmajor,whichhas develop the resources in the toExxonMobil.Ifitcannotbedone opportunities in which it can be Development Goals (SDGs), been heavily criticised for being StabroekBlock. in Guyana, you must also get involved, through partnerships particularly SDG Three, Good lopsided and benefiting the oil This arrangement, with the lack attorneys in the United States of with locals. The cost of financing Health and Wellbeing; SDG Six, companymorethanthecountry of ring-fencing, sees Guyana America to file suits in the United he said is second to none and is cleanwaterandsanitation,SDG11, Recently, Kaieteur News paying for projects that are yet to States so that you enter into an testimony to the will of the s u s t a i n a b l e c i t i e s a n d reportedthatExxonanditspartners commence production activities. arrangement that makes sense…,” Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to communities,”theCEOsaid. made a handsome profit from the Each month bills from future ProfessorLumumbaarticulated. support projects that advance In addition to the Minister of Stabroek Block last year totalling producing developments are added He said if unfavourable humanityglobally Finance, Minister of Public Works, GYD$1 23 trillion (US$5 9B) to the list of expenses to be cost contractsareleftunchallengedthen He explained that the People’s Juan Edghill and Minister within This is more than double what recovered by Exxon. After the 75 countriessuchasGuyanaareatrisk Progressive Party (PPP) the Ministry of Public Works, Guyana has received since the percent is deducted to pay back the of falling into the same state of administration committed to DeodatIndar,alongwiththeSenior creation of its Natural Resource oil company, Guyana then shares plunder as Nigeria, Gabon, and deliver 50,000 house lots in five and Junior Ministers of Housing Fund in 2020. As of April, Guyana 50/50 of the 25 percent remaining Angola. years and the investment by the and Water, Colin Croal and Susan has received some US$2.4B in with Exxon as profits This The lawyer warned that SaudiFundwillensuregovernment Rodrigues respectively were profit oil and royalty from the amounts to 12.5 percent of profits companies,particularlythoseinthe realizethisaspiration. presentattheceremony StabroekBlockoperations. fromtheoperations.Also,underthe oilsector,andbecausethey

Meanwhile, Al-Marshad in his This is the first agreement According to the 2022 signed deal, Guyana has agreed to, (Continued on page 58)

GPHC staff killed in Liliendaal accident, wife critical

Manager of the Institute of Health Science

Education (IHSE) at the Georgetown Public Hospital

(GPHC),

Rabindra Surujdin, was on Friday night killed in a vehicular accident along the Rupert Craig Highway, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara(ECD).

The accident which occurred around 22:30hrs on Fridayalsoinvolvedhiswife, 3 3 - y e a r- o l d S o p h i a MacDougalofLot464Block 8 Mon Repos, ECD who is

said to be in a critical conditionattheGPHC.

According to reports, motorcar PAE 1926, which the couple was in, was proceeding east along the northern carriageway of the Liliendaal Rupert Craig Highwaywheninthevicinity of the COVID-19 Hospital, the driver lost control and collided to the concrete median.

As a result of this, the car spun out of control and further collided to a concrete culvert on the northern side oftheroadandthenwentinto anearbydrain.

Police reported that the driver and the occupant were taken out of the wrecked vehicle in an unconscious condition by public spirited citizens and an ambulance from GPHC arrived on the scene where the driver was seen and examined and later pronounceddeadbyadoctor MacDougal was taken to the hospital where she was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) suffering fromheadinjuries.

Police said an investigation has since been launched into the fatal accident.

Dead: Rabindra Surujdin

Following the news of Surujdin's death, the GPHC inastatementsaiditisdeeply saddened.

“Endearingly known as 'Robin' to all, he was a light among us and touched so many lives with his warmth andhumour

Robin was pleasant and

alwayswilling,andmadeany project he was a part of an enjoyable and easier experience for others: he was an exceptional human being who was respected and loved by all who knew him. This is agreatlossforourinstitution, our country and humanity,” thehospitalsaid.

Man arrested after forgetting toddler in locked car

Police, on Friday, arrested a taxi driver after he forgot a toddler in a locked car in front of his home at Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara(ECD).

The child, a three-yearold boy, was reportedly found in semi-conscious state when the taxi driver returned to his car after leavinghiminthelockedcar forabouthalfanhour.

T h e c h i l d w a s immediately rushed to the MahaiconyCottageHospital

formedicalattention.

Accordingtothedoctors, the toddler was dehydrated and needed oxygen The child was subsequently t r a n s f e r r e d t o t h e Georgetown Public Hospital where he is presently receiving further medical attention.

T h e t a x i d r i v e r reportedly told investigators that he usually picks-up and drops off children to school inhiscar.Hewastaskedwith dropping off the toddler to a

daycare.

The taxi driver alleged that after making several trips on Friday, he went home around 09:15 hrs. He reportedlysecuredhiscaron the road and went into his house.

When he returned 30 minutes later, he observed the child in the back seat of the car in tears and immediatelyrushedthechild tothehospital. Investigations are ongoing.

ByShervinBelgrave

AMatthewsRidge

w o m a n , identified as

AnandyLara,isallegingthat the Chinese owned Guyana Manganese Inc (GMI) played a key role in having her removed from gold mining lands in the community that do not belongtothecompany

K a i e t e u r N e w s understands that GMI reportedly transported a Guyana Geology and Mines Commission(GGMC)Mines Officerononeofitschartered flightstoevictLarainJanuary 2022

Inarecentinterviewwith Kaieteur News,Larasaidthat the lands she occupied

ChineseManganeseCompanyfliesin MinesOfficertoremoveGuyanese womanoffgoldlands

belongstoJamesLoweandis situatedashortdistanceaway from both the Matthews Ridge airstrip and GMI’s operations.

Lara disclosed that Lowe has since died but his daughter who was left in chargeofthepropertyresides overseas

The woman said that she operatedthelandwithverbal permission from close relatives of the alleged propertyowner

She explained that, last year, a four-inch land dredge was set-up to mine the lands butwasreportedlystoppedby GMI after working for only twoweeks

“Ididn’tevengettocuta proper pit, I only work there for two weeks before they

come and stop me,” Lara alleged

The woman claimed that thecompanywantedtothrow itstailingspond(anareathat stores waste materials after extracting minerals) on the landshewasworking

“Theybusacanalstraight throughdeh[partofthelands she was mining],” Lara said claiming that she protested and the company resorted to soliciting the services of a MinesOfficertoremoveher Lara told Kaieteur News that when the Mines Officer arrived, she made it clear to him that the land she was occupying did not belong to company and it is unfair to takeawayherlivelihood.

“The warden [Mines Officer]knowthatthelandsis

not them [GMI] own, he punch it in on the GPS map and see it fuh he self,” the frustrated woman said Notwithstanding, she was unable to produce documentation to prove that shehadpermissionfromthe alleged owner to mine the lands and was forced to vacatethelands.

Larasaidshecomplained to the local government authorities in Matthews Ridge to intervene but receivednosatisfaction

“I had to pack up and wash down all them mat [a material used to trap gold], a barely get a four and a half penny weight gold,” Lara recalled

Unabletominegold,Lara had to find another way to

earnanincometotakecareof herfamily

Kaieteur News has made efforts to contact the company and had even visited its operations in Matthews Ridge to speak with the management team but was told by Security Personnelontheground that an appointment had to be madefirst.

This is not the first time the Manganese Company is being accused of bullying residentsofMatthewsRidge In fact, the company has refused to comply with an

order given by President IrfaanAli in February to fix alldamageddamsandroads so that residents and more particularly schoolchildren and the elderly can traverse. T h e c o m p a n y h a s specificallybeenreluctantto repair a dam it destroyed at Lower Pakera, Matthews Ridge.

However, last Thursday, Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo at a press conference agreed that the company has been failing to fulfill commitments made by the previousownersoftheGMI

An overhead shot of the Chinese Company’s operations in Matthews Ridge

Manganese Company must adhere to commitments in Matthews Ridge - Jagdeo

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo

ByShervinBelgrave

Vice-president (VP) Dr

Bharrat Jagdeo has committed to ensuring that Chinese owned Manganese C o mp an y, G u y an a Manganese Inc (GMI) fulfils all commitments signed on to at the time mining licences were grantedtoit.

Jagdeo made the commitment on Thursday during a press conference

held at his party’s headquartersonRobbStreet, Georgetown.

Guyana Manganese Inc. operatesinMatthewsRidge, North West District, Region One and according to the Vice President, the company’s management believes that it has no obligation to fulfil the commitments made by former owner Reunion Manganese, a Canadian Company

In response to questions posedbytheKaieteurNews, Jagdeosaidthattheresidents havealsocomplainedtohim during an outreach to the community in May The residentstoldKaieteurNews that access to a dam and access road in the Lower

Pakera area have been destroyed by the company and was never rebuilt or repaired.

When asked if he had received any feedback from GMI Jagdeo told Kaieteur News, “…So I undertook to get them to make sure that

they do meet their commitments and it is not just one issue, it is several issues”.

Jagdeoexplainedthatthe licences for manganese mining in the area were granted to Reunion ManganeseInc.,aCanadian

company

The Canadian owner, according to Jagdeo made a lot of promises and commitments that it would upkeep the Mathews Ridge Community “Reunionthensoldoutto theChinese,BOSAI,so

Continuedonpage61

The Broken Dam

Meet this week's beauty Lloydia Savory, a dynamic individual who wears two professional hats with grace and expertise. Lloydia is a registered nurse and a certified professional makeup artist, blending her passions seamlessly As the owner of Spotlight Glamour by Lloydia, she upholds an unwavering commitment to excellence in both fields. Guided by daily mantras, Lloydia surrounds herself with inspirational people that motivate, encourage, and challenge her to be the best version of herself.

Lloydia Savory

Here’s How Often You Should Change Your Toothbrush

(The Healthy) When toothbrush up in front of someone who has been sick, bacteriaandfooddebris.The wasthelasttimeyoucracked your face, with the bristles I recommend replacing it,” bacteria degrade organic open a new toothbrush? facing outwards. If you can saysDr Newgard. food debris, producing Most of us probably don’t see any bristles from the Clever ways to properly acidic biochemicals, which remember But, according to back, they’re bent enough to care for your toothbrush can lead to cavities and gum a November 2022 report warrant the purchase of a “Storeyourtoothbrushin disease.” from the World Health new toothbrush,” Gupta a safe, dry environment to Dr Salim explains that in between teeth produce gums to recede, become red, Organization (WHO), it says. prevent mold,” Graves gum disease occurs when harmful biochemicals swollen, and to bleed,” Dr might be wise to pay closer When to change your suggests “Avoid using certain bacteria around and “These compounds cause Salimsays. attention.“Almosthalfofthe toothbrush toothbrush caps that trap world’s population (45% or You should change your bacteria and moisture. You 3.5 billion people) suffer toothbrush every three to can use boiling water and let from oral diseases,” the four months, or when you yourtoothbrushsoakfortwo report states, adding: see signs that your minutes, occasionally “Global cases of oral toothbrush is dirty and stirringitaround,tocleanit.” diseases have increased by breaking down. If you’re not Leanne Stapf, COO of one billion over the last 30 a heavy brusher, you might The Cleaning Authority, years a clear indication not recommends cleaning your thatmanypeopledonot toothbrush weekly to ensure access to prevention s fresh. “To give it a quick treatment of or clean and help remove diseases.” bacteriaorgerms,simply

So how often soak the toothbrush in should you actually a n t i b a c t e r i a l c h a n g e y o u r mouthwash or a small toothbrush to protect cup of hydrogen yourteeth? peroxide,” Stapf says.

If you want to You might also soak stay on the right side your toothbrush in of these statistics, the distilled vinegar, then first step is knowing let it air-dry in an upright when to replace yo position. (Just be sure to toothbrush, and how to give it a really good rinse foritinbetween.

e r t h e v i n e g a r

Here’s why you need to soaks otherwise, that change your toothbrush notice when you need a new wouldbeapungentflavoron

One of the main reasons toothbrush and, if you yourtoothbrush!) to replace your toothbrush is can’tbetrustedtoremember, Whitney DiFoggio, bacterial build-up, says youcanuseatoothbrushlike registered dental hygienist, Alison Newgard, DDS, P h i l i p s S o n i c a r e ’s offersadditionalmethodsfor dentist at Columbia Doctors Rechargeable Electric keeping your toothbrush and assistant professor of Toothbrush that alerts you clean and bacteria-free clinical dentistry at when it’s time to change the ”Antimicrobial mouthwash Columbia University Irving brushhead. helps kill germs inside and Medical Center “An old How often should you outside of your mouth, so toothbrush can harbor change your toothbrush? you can consider leaving the bacteria that can cause bad The American Dental toothbrush head down in a breath, periodontal disease, Association recommends cup of mouthwash for 30 and dental caries.” (“Dental changing your toothbrush minutes, then setting it up to caries”istheclinicaltermfor everythreetofourmonths,at air dry,” DiFoggio suggests. “toothdecay”or“cavities.”) minimum However, Dr Another idea? “Effervescent

Elizabeth Graves, a Maria Ryan, DDS, Colgate- denture cleaner is great for registered dental hygienist, Palmolive’s Chief Clinical dentures,”shesays,“butyou adds: “When toothbrush Officer, says this year is can also use it to soak your bristles start to break down, different. “This guidance is toothbrush, as well. Let it sit theyaren’tcleaningthefood, even more critical during flu in the cleanser for about half plaque, and bacteria as season, and this year in an hour (or whatever the effectivelyastheyshould.” particular with COVID and directions say), then rinse it Signs it’s time for a RSValsocirculatingatrapid offandallowittoair-dry.” replacement rates,”Dr Ryansays.“Those (Another effective

“Bristles showing dark who don’t dispose of their toothbrush-sanitizing color changes could be toothbrush risk getting sick method used by our senior growingamold,whichcould again.” If you’ve been sick, editor between brushings is lead to oral infections,” says you should change your an ultraviolet-lit toothbrush Dr J. Salim, DMD, founder t o o t h b r u s h sanitizingcase.) of Sutton Place Dental immediately and if you

What happens if you AssociatesinNewYorkCity have gum disease, you don’t change your

In addition, Dr Hitesh should change your toothbrush

Gupta, DMD and founder of toothbrush every four to six “As bristles become the Smile Factory, says that weeks. more fragile and less

if the bristles are bent or “Many families or compact, they become less broken in any way, it’s time couples share a toothbrush effective at removing plaque to replace your toothbrush. holder in the bathroom, so if from teeth and gums,” “Irecommendthismethodto your toothbrush has been explains Dr Salim. “Plaque my patients: hold your close to the toothbrush of is a sticky film infested with

Dentists reveal the healthiest timeline to replace your toothbrush - plus, how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed their recommendations, and clever bristle-santizing methods.

CARIBBEAN’S ROLE AS A VOICE OF REASON IN A FRACTURED OAS

By:Sir.RonaldSanders

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’sAmbassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely hisown.)

On May 31, the Organization of American States (OAS) faced a prolonged and contentious debate that lasted from 2:30 in the afternoon until well past midnight. This episode marked by acrimony and political undercurrents, which was webcast publicly andinstantlytotheworld,is likely to be revisited during the upcoming OAS General Assembly, from June 21 to 23,inWashington,D.C.,the headquartersoftheOAS.

The discussion on May 31 was officially about the Budget of the Organization, but there were many undercurrents in the contentious debate. Among them were antagonistic attitudes by a few countries toward the OAS SecretaryGeneral which were unreasonably morphed into hostility to the OAS as an institution.

At the end of the debate, which was characterized by classic filibustering t e c h n i q u e s b y representatives of 4 countries, a ceiling for the Budget, proposed by Antigua and Barbuda on behalf of all 14 CARICOM countries,wasadoptedby25 of the 32 active member states of the Organization, with 5 countries against and 2 abstentions The 5 countriesthatopposedwere: Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia and Mexico, and the abstaining countries were El Salvador and Honduras.

The current estimated cost for the Organization to fulfilitsmandatesis$115to $120 million, but its real Budget for 2023 is a mere $82.8 million. This had led toaseverereductioninstaff and many of the beneficial p r o g r a m m e s i n development, security, functional cooperation, technical assistance and even in human rights monitoring.Theproposalby

CARICOM countries for a Budget ceiling was $92.1 million,woefullyshortbyas much as $28 million of actualcostsbut,nonetheless, an attempt to keep the Organization from

ineffectiveness and inefficiency Yet, resistance persisted.TheOAShasbeen inafinancialcrisisformany years. Over the last 7 years, therehasbeennoincreasein the contributions of the member states to the Organization, except by 14 countries since 2021. The quota increase for the 14 countrieswasoccasionedby a decision of the U S Congress to limit the U.S. share of the Budget to no more than 49.9 percent. It fellto14countriestofillthe gap; among them were 9 CARICOMcountrieswhose quotas increased by 33.33 percent.Atnotimedidthe14 affected countries threaten or seek to disrupt the functioning of the Organization by refusing to paytheincreasedburdenthat felluponthem.

Yet, a few countries, faced with an increase in their quotas - at the highest end,ofapproximately36per cent – a mere 3 percent higher than the sum that 9 CARICOM countries have been paying for the past 3 years (2021-2023)strenuously objected to the Budget ceiling proposed by CARICOM countries in the contentiousbudgetdebateof May31.

The OAS is the only regional or international organization in which there is no penalty if member states never pay their assessed contributions Hence, there are member states that have not paid for years, affecting both the

actualmoneyavailabletothe Organization and its cash flow The truth is the organization is limping along,ashatteredshadowof itsformerself.

The External Audit Committee of the OAS has officially warned the memberstatesthat“Forover a decade, the in-year budget is dramatically insufficient to meet the programmatic and administrative requirements of the OAS.” I t r e p e a t e d 5 recommendations to improve the dire situation. Butnoactionhasbeentaken astheOASdriftsrelentlessly intoparalysis.

M i n i s t e r s a n d Ambassadors of the 32 active member states of the OAS will gather from June 21to23fortheOASGeneral Assembly with little prospect of revitalizing and rejuvenatingtheOASwhose ancientCharterandoutdated rules desperately require change to save the Organization from being strangled by them The Charter has not been amendedsince1993anditis notfitforpurposeinaworld where events connect every nation. The Organization’s rules also urgently need change.

S o w h y s h o u l d CARICOM countries care?

The answer is that, properly f u n c t i o n i n g , t h e Organization has the capacity to maintain peace and security in the Hemisphere, which is crucial to trade and investment, political stability and economic growth The OAS also provides valuable mechanisms for functional cooperation between states on a range of issues such as

combatingcrime;drugabuse control; advancing the interests of women; and education. Further, the OAS is the only hemispheric organization in which small stateshaveavoiceandavote equaltothelargerstates,like Argentina, Brazil, Canada, MexicoandtheUS.

It is in the OAS that CARICOM countries can

influence decisions andadvanceideasin the Americas that redoundtothebenefitof itsownpeoples.

T h a t i s w h y CARICOM’s role in the work of the OAS, including attheGeneralAssemblyina few days’ time, should be that of an honest broker, providingabridgetonarrow

differences between others, and a voice of reason when reasonablenesscanbeofthe greatestbenefittoall.

Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com

Sir. Ronald Sanders

Court Journal

THE Court finds ‘C’ Island Hotel was legally sold

High Court Judge

J u s t i c e S a n d r a Kurtzious on June 2,

ruled that the ‘C’ Island Hotel located at Princess and High Streets, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, was legally sold and that the signature on the AgreementofSalewasnotforged.

Marlus Hendricks had reportedly purchased the hotel from his friend of six months, Antoine Charles on July 17, 2019 for $50 million. However, on March 18, 2020, Charles died and his son, Royan and Kenwin

By Renay Sambach

contended by the deceased sons, Charles had refused to whose allegations of fraud, is acknowledge the agreement of premised solely on the execution sale between his father and oftheAgreementofSale. Hendricks and also refused to Justice Kurtzious ruled that process the transfer of the she is persuaded that the sum of Hendricks was represented by receive the sum of $50 million; transport. $50millionwaspaidincashtothe

that their father’s signature on the

After becoming close friends, deceased for the property On this Humphrey, Gwendoline Bristol document was forged; the the Agreement of Sale was point, she noted that she took into and Lance Ferreira. Meanwhile, agreementbearsnorevenuestamp preparedbythedeceasedthenight consideration that some Royan was represented by Nigel equivalent to the value of the before they visited the businesses would conduct their Hughes,RexfordJackson,andJed allegedpurchasepriceinteralia. Commissioner of Oaths, at which negotiationsincash. Vasconcellas. According to the court time Hendricks said he paid in

As such, she ruled that the The deceased sons contended document seen, the judge ruled cash the sum of $50 million to hotel was legally sold and ordered that the agreement excites thathandwritingexperts’evidence Antoine Charles. At that time, that the transport be transferred to suspicion since their father was a were divided on whether the Hendrickswasnotinformedabout Hendricks, within three months very shrewd businessman who various signatures on the themortgageontheproperty fromthedateoftheorder never conducted business without agreement were that of the

However, after he found out, to do so. Therefore, he contended

Cost was awarded to disclosing the details and deceased However, from the Hendricks reportedly confronted that he is entitled to the Hendricksinthesumof$150,000. circumstances of the same to naked eyes, the Court accepts that Charles who then assured that “he conveyance of the property to him Justice Kurtzious also ruled that them. the signature on theAgreement of wouldtakecareofit.” bythedeceasedsons. the mortgage owed to the Guyana

Their argument was that the Sale is indeed the signature of the

Hendricks was adamant that After repeated attempts to get Bank for Trade and Industry agreement was fraudulently and deceased. Consequently, the court despite repeated requests by him Royan to have the property (GBTI) must be paid in full to deceitfully executed by ruled that there is no fraud forAntoineCharlestoconveytitle conveyed, Hendricks filed a court clear the way for the passing of Hendricks;thattheirfatherdidnot committed by Hendricks as of the property, Charles neglected action. title.

‘C’ Island Hotel

Marlus Hendricks

AstrudGilberto,bossanovasingerof TheGirlfromIpanema,diesaged83

Singer had no previous recording experience when she sang a defining song of Brazilian culture in 1963

(The Guardian) Astrud energy,”headded. over to a US audience, and huge hit in 1964, reaching Gilberto - whose dreamy Born in 1940, in the Astrud – who had no theUSTop5andtheUKTop interpretation of The Girl Brazilian state of Bahia and p r e v i o u s r e c o r d i n g 30. It won the Grammy from Ipanema became the raised in Rio de Janeiro, experience – was the only award for song of the year, most popular version of the Astrud Weinert married personwhocouldspeakit. and Gilberto was also song-hasdiedaged83. musician João Gilberto in The original version was nominated for best vocal PaulRicci,acollaborator 1959 In 1963, she a duet with her husband – performance by a female. with Gilberto, confirmed the accompaniedhimonatripto Astrud wasn’t even credited That year, she and João news on social media earlier New York where he would ontherecording,wascutout divorced, and she toured the in the week, writing that he record with jazz artist Stan of the royalties and received US with Getz and his band, had been asked to announce Getz and fellow Brazilian only a small session an experience she described it by Gilberto’s son Marcelo. bossa nova star Antônio musician’sfee.ButafterThe later as “very difficult times “She was an important part Carlos Jobim. The session’s Girl from Ipanema was re- being in the midst of a of ALL that is Brazilian producerwantedanEnglish- edited without João’s separation and dealing with music in the world and she language singer to help The Portuguese-language vocals theresponsibilitiesofbeing changed many lives with her Girl from Ipanema cross as a solo single, it became a (Continued on page 36)

Astrud Gilberto

This Day in History - June 11

Race car at Le Mans crashes

Accident

Buddhist immolates himself in protest

June11,1963

Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc publicly burns himself to death in a plea for President Ngo Dinh Diem to s h o w “ c h a r i t y a n d compassion” to all religions. Diem, a Catholic who had been oppressing the Buddhist majority, remained stubborn despite continued Buddhist protests and repeated U.S. requests to liberalize his government’s policies.

More Buddhist monks immolated themselves during ensuing weeks

June11,1955

Prior to the race, Levegh complained

On June 11, 1955, a racing car in Le that the course was too narrow near the pitMans, France, goes out of control and stop area and the grandstand This crashes into stands filled with spectators, observation proved prescient. As Levegh killing82people.Thetragedyinthefamous wasracingfortheleadnearthepit-stoparea, 24-hourraceledtoabanonracinginseveral he swerved to avoid fellow racer Mike nations. Hawthorn’s Jaguar as it moved toward the

The Le Mans race, organized by pits. Levegh’s car, going about 150 miles France’sAutomobile Club de L’Ouest, was per hour, came up too fast on Lance first held in May 1923 and has since been Macklin’s Austin-Healey and was held nearly every June. The race always catapulted upward.The car crashed into the begins at 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon and grandstand and its exploding parts went lasts for the next 24 hours over a 13- straight into the crowd. Levegh and more kilometer course running through the than 80 spectators, packed into the country roads near Le Mans. The winner is grandstand,losttheirlivesinthefierycrash. theracerwhocoversthegreatestdistancein The race continued despite the horrific that time. Before 1970, each car could only accident (Hawthorn won), purportedly have two drivers. Only a single driver was because if the remaining spectators had left allowed in the early years of the race.Three the area, they would have blocked the arerequiredtoday ambulances called to pick up the dead and

In 1952, Pierre Levegh, a Frenchman injured. The rest of the Mercedes team was drivingalone,mighthavewontheraceifnot recalled. for a single mistake in the last hour Three Grand Prix races in Germany and years later, Levegh was invited to join the Switzerland scheduled for later that year Mercedes-Benz team; their 300SLR was to were cancelled. Both Spain and Mexico be outfitted with a new innovation, an air temporarily banned motor racing following brakethatwouldenhancecornering. the1955LeManstragedy

University of Alabama desegregated

June11,1963

Facing federalized Alabama National Guard troops, Alabama Governor George Wallace ends his blockade of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and allows two African American students to enroll on June 11,1963.

M a d a m e N h u , t h e “barbecues” and offered to Vietnamese military officers president’s sister-in-law, supply matches. In assassinated Diem and his referred to the burnings as November 1963, South brotherduringacoup.

John Wayne dies

June11,1979

was a good name for an

On June 11, 1979, John actor playing a tough Wayne, an iconic American western hero. Despite film actor famous for the lead actor’s new starring in countless name, however, the westerns,diesatage72after m o v i e f l o p p e d battling cancer for more Throughout the 1930s, thanadecade.

Wayne made dozens of

The actor was born mediocre westerns In Marion Morrison on May them, he played various 26, 1907, in Winterset, r o u g h - a n d - t u m b l e Iowa, and moved as a child characters and occasionally conservative political to Glendale, California. A appeared as “Singing views He produced, football star at Glendale Sandy,” a musical cowpoke directed and starred in The High School, he attended alaRoyRogers. Alamo (1960) and The the University of Southern In 1939, Wayne finally Green Berets (1968),bothof California on a scholarship had his breakthrough when whichreflectedhispatriotic, but dropped out after two hisoldfriendJohnFordcast conservative leanings In years.After finding work as him as Ringo Kid in the 1969, he won an Oscar for a movie studio laborer, Oscar-winning Stagecoach his role as a drunken, oneWayne befriended director Wayne went on to play eyed federal marshal named John Ford, then a rising larger-than-life heroes in Rooster Cogburn in True talent. dozens of movies and came Grit Wayne’s last film was

John Wayne

Hisfirstactingjobswere to symbolize a type of The Shootist (1976), in bit parts in which he was rugged, strong, straight- whichheplayedalegendary credited as Duke Morrison, shooting American man gunslinger dying of cancer a childhood nickname JohnForddirectedWaynein The role had particular derivedfromthenameofhis some of his best-known meaning, as the actor was belovedpetdog. films, including Fort fighting the disease in real Wayne’s first starring Apache (1948), She Wore a life.

University of Alabama

George Wallace, one of the most controversial politicians in U.S. history, was elected governor of Alabama in 1962 under an ultra-segregationist platform. In his 1963 inaugural address, he promised his white followers: “Segregation now! Segregation tomorrow! Segregation forever!” When and deployed them to the University of African American students attempted to Alabama to force its desegregation.The next desegregate the University of Alabama in day, Governor Wallace yielded to the federal June1963,Alabama’snewgovernor,flanked pressure, and two African American bystatetroopers,literallyblockedthedoorof students—Vivian Malone and James A. the enrollment office. The U.S. Supreme Hood—successfully enrolled. In September Court, however, had declared segregation of the same year, Wallace again attempted to unconstitutional in 1954’s Brown v Board of blockthedesegregationofanAlabamapublic Education, and the executive branch school this time Tuskegee High undertook aggressive tactics to enforce the School—but President Kennedy once again ruling. employed his executive authority and

On June 10, 1963, President John F federalized National Guard troops. Wallace Kennedy federalized National Guard troops hadlittlechoicebuttoyield.

role came in 1930 with The Yellow Ribbon (1949), Rio During four decades of Big Trail, a film directed by Grande (1950), The Quiet acting, Wayne, with his Raoul Walsh. It was during Man (1952) and The Man trademark drawl and good this time that Marion Who Shot Liberty Valance looks, appeared in over 250 Morrison became “John (1962). films. He was married three Wayne,” when director Off-screen,Waynecame times and had seven Walsh didn’t think Marion to be known for his children.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial released

June11,1982

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977),in Then 34-year-old director Steven which Richard Dreyfuss plays a man who Spielberg reportedly drew on his own comesfacetofacewithafearsomealienforce experiences as an unusually imaginative, that eventually proves to be human-friendly often-lonely child of divorce for his science- With E.T , Spielberg would create an even fiction classic E.T the Extra-Terrestrial, more appealing vision of alien life, in the whichisreleasedonJune11,1982. form of a diminutive creature with wrinkled

For Spielberg, E.T marked a return to skinandaglowingbelly Spielbergworked territory he had first visited with the classic (Continued on page 31)

Compiled by Richard Francois. (From history.com)

Health Facts

Body Mass Index (BMI) a good indicator of health and wellness

Body Mass Index (BMI) opportun is universally considered a ities for marker of health and is socializati widely used to measure o n , malnutrition, overweight, networking, and obesity Studies have and cultural shown that an increase in identity Physical BMI increases the risk of activity has a positive traffic congestion, air and cardiovascular disease influence on the community noise pollution and the hypertension, myocardial and society by promoting consumptionoffossilfuels. infarction, lung disease, social interaction and Opting for a balanced, sleepapneasyndrome. cohesion. adequateandvarieddietisan

By Rehanna Ramsay

Also,studieshaveshown

Especially among important step towards a that BMI can effectively children and young people, happyandhealthylifestyle. reflect the physical fitness of sports and other physical Vitamins and minerals in ordinary college students. During childhood and Quetelet during the 19th be done scientifically using activities contribute to the diet are vital to boost Moreover, physical fitness adolescence, the ratio century propertechniques. empowerment and selfimmunity and healthy correlates positively with between weight and height During the 1970s and Benefits of regular confidence.Physicalactivity development, physicalactivity varies with sex and age, so based especially on the data physical activity furthermore helps to prevent Ahealthydietcanprotect

The BMI ranges are the cut-off values that and report from the seven Regular physical activity and control risk behaviour, the human body against basedontheeffectexcessive determine the nutritional c o u n t r i e s s t u d i e d , – such as walking, cycling, such as the use of tobacco, certain types of diseases, in body fat has on disease and status of those aged 0–19 researchersnoticedthatBMI or dancing – has significant a l c o h o l a n d o t h e r p a r t i c u l a r n o n - death and are reasonably years are gender- and age- appeared to be a good proxy benefits for health. For substances, unhealthy diet communicablediseasessuch well related to adiposity. specific. The cut-off points foradiposityandoverweight instance, it can reduce the andviolence. as obesity, diabetes, BMI was developed as a risk of the 2006 BMI-for-age relatedproblems. risk of cardiovascular The promotion of cardiovascular diseases, indicator of disease; as BMI reference for children aged Like any other measure, disease, diabetes and physical activity also has a some types of cancer and increases,sodoestheriskfor 0–5yearsforthediagnosisof it is not perfect because it is osteoporosis, help control positive impact on the skeletalconditions. somediseases. overweightandobesitywere only dependent on height weight, and promote mental environment. For instance,

S o m e c o m m o n set as the 97th and the 99th and weight and it does not well-being. promoting walking and diets can also contribute to conditions related to percentile, respectively For take into consideration Taking part in physical cycling over the use of anadequatebodyweight. overweight and obesity those aged 5–19 years, different levels of adiposity a c t i v i t y i n c r e a s e s motorized transport reduces include: premature death, overweight is defined as a based on age, physical cardiovascular diseases, BMI-for-age value over +1 activity levels and sex. For high blood pressure, SDandobesityasaBMI-for- thisreason,itisexpectedthat osteoarthritis, some cancers agevalueover+2SD. it overestimates adiposity in anddiabetes.

BMI is very easy to s o m e c a s e s a n d

B M I i s a l s o measure and calculate and is underestimatesitinothers. recommended for use in t h e r e f o r e t h e m o s t Other measures, such as children and adolescents. In commonly used tool to waist circumference (WC), children, BMI is calculated correlate risk of health can complement BMI as for adults and then problems with the weight at estimates Association compared with z-scores or population level It was betweenWCandhealthrisks percentiles. developed by Adolphe isnotaneasytaskandshould

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial released This Day in History - June 11

From page 29 closely with the screenwriter, Melissa Mathison (future wife of Harrison Ford, the star of Spielberg’s Indiana Jones films) to captureonfilmthestoryofthewise,kindand cuddly alien botanist who is stranded on Earth and needs the help of a sensitive little boy, Elliott (Henry Thomas) to get back home. Elliott and his siblings, played by Robert MacNaughton and a seven-year-old DrewBarrymore,hideE.T (asthealiendubs himself) in a closet to keep him out of sight from prying adults, including their mother, who is distracted by her painful separation from her husband. Before long, a special link develops between E.T and Elliott, who will eventuallyriskhisownsafetytoreturnE.T to hisplanet.

From the time that E.T had its first film character to receive that honor showing,onclosingnightatthe1982Cannes Nominated in nine categories at the 1983 Film Festival, the film’s buzz was AcademyAwards,includingBestPictureand overwhelmingly positive. Richard Corliss Best Director, the film won four Oscars, for raved in TIME magazine: “[E.T ] is a Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Visual perfectly poised mixture of sweet comedy Effects,BestOriginalScoreandBestSound. and ten-speed melodrama, of death and E.T had stupendous success at the box resurrection, of a friendship so pure and office, eventually raking in some $435 powerful it seems like an idealized love.” million (it was re-released in 1985 and a TIME also included the fictional alien in its special 20th-anniversary edition was issued listofcandidatesforManoftheYear–thefirst in2002).

It is proven that healthy

Turner is the 10th Singer from ‘We Are the World’

All-Star Charity Single to Die

Turner

was the first female voice listeners heard on the record, which raised millions to fight famine in Africa

(Billboard) The late Tina Turner recording, died in 2009, followed by Al accomplished so much in her 50-year career Jarreauin2017,JamesIngramin2019and that her presence on the all-star charity single KennyRogersin2020.Rogerswasmanaged “We Are the World” didn’t get a lot of in his 1980s heyday by Ken Kragen, who attention following her death on Wednesday Belafonte enlisted to bring the vision to life. May24,2023,atage83. Kragendiedin2021.

But she was a featured vocalist on that Anita Pointer ofThe Pointer Sisters died high-profile single, which was recorded at in December 2022, followed by Belafonte on A&MStudiosinHollywoodonJan.28,1985 April25,andnowTurner – right after that year’s American Music Jackson and Richie won Grammys for Awards. song of the year for co-writing the song, but

Turnerwasthefirstfemalevoicelisteners none of the artists on the recording were heard on the recording by a collective of 44 awarded Grammys.The RecordingAcademy singers (21 featured vocalists and 23 elected to give the record of the year prize, additional artists in the chorus) dubbed USA and another the recording won – best pop for Africa (shortforUnitedSupportofArtists performance by a duo or group with vocal –forAfrica). The smash hit logged four weeks only to the single’s producer, Quincy Jones. atop the Billboard Hot 100 in April and May Jones won a third Grammy on the night as 1985. It won the Grammy for record of the video producer of “We Are the World – The year in February 1986, one year after Turner Video Event,” which won best music video, won in that marquee category for her short form (The video director, Tom comeback smash “What’s Love Got to Do Trbovich,alsowoninthatcategory). WithIt.” Jones and Richie are still living, as are

WithTurner’sdeath,justonemonthafter most of the other participants. The other the death of musician and activist Harry singers on the record included: Stevie Belafonte—whowasthemaindrivingforce Wonder, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, behind “We Are the World” — 10 of the Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson, Bruce singersonthesmashhavepassedon.Thefirst Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry, to die was Waylon Jennings in 2002, Cyndi Lauper, Kim Carnes, Bob Dylan, followed by Ray Charles in 2004 and June Lindsey Buckingham, Sheila E., Jeffrey PointerofThePointerSistersin2006. Osborne, Smokey Robinson, Ruth Pointer of MichaelJackson,whoco-wrotethesong The Pointer Sisters and Daryl Hall and John with Lionel Richie and was featured on the Oates.

Tina

Billboard Music Guide: New Music from Sam Smith & Madonna, Rosalia, Niall Horan, BTS and More

Check out the must-hear releases of the week

(Billboard) Billboard’s Weekly Music differenceandachievingconsistency Guideservesasahandyguidetothisweek’s BTS, “Take Two” mostessentialreleases—thekeymusicthat This month marks the 10-year everyone will be talking about today, and anniversary of BTS, a group that that will be dominating playlists this revolutionized the reach and perception weekendandbeyond. ofAsianpopartistsinNorthAmericaand

This week, Sam Smith gets “vulgar” around the world and as their with the Queen of Pop, Rosalía stays active downtime continues and various in the studio, Niall Horan presents his latest members score solo hits, the collective solo vision and BTS salutes ARMY Check has offered fans a reflective new single outallofthisweek’spicksbelow: that hopefully sets the stage for their

Sam Smith with Madonna, “Vulgar” second act. The best moments on “Take

As “Unholy” became the first Hot 100 Two” involve two BTS members chart-topperofSamSmith’scareerlastyear, harmonizing, their voices intertwined as the Kim Petras collaboration doubled as they croon about youth and their shared their most unlikely hit to date, its sweaty gratitude; the solo projects have been electro-pop chants a far cry from the elegant satisfyinginrecentmonths,butthepower vocal showcases that made Smith a ofafullyalignedBTSremainssingular superstar “Vulgar,” then, represents a J Hus feat. Drake, logical next step into that sound, as well as “Who Told You” an exciting proposition as a Smith- If “Search & Rescue” a Madonna team-up: a throbbing, downbeat single, released in purposely provocative bang April, about wanting to be that challenges all haters (“Say saved by a monogamous we’reridiculous,we’lljustgo relationship — served as harder!” Smith and Madge Drake’s springtime declareinunison),thesingle smash, “Who Told uses backlash as fuel, lets You,” a new team-up Madonna flip off the world, with British rapper J and potentially gives Smith Hus, may very well anotherclub-thumpinghit. become his summer hit, Rosalia,

“Tuya”

n upbeat, Afrobeats-

Although Rosalía released adjacenttakeontheideathat acclaimed MOTOMAMI albumalittle too-cool-for-school guys need over a year ago, and has been traveling the to report to the dance floor, too. Drake world in support of the full-length body of changes up his flow to match his work. The Spanish superstar has continued collaborator and beat, but still relies one of the most prolific recording periods of uponhistough-guycharmsandmelodic her career with a handful of one-off tracks, rap skill set, making “Who Told You” a as well as her RR project with Rauw throwbacktohisguestspotdaysofyore, Alejandro. New single “Tuya” crystallizes when he was assisting artists like her sonic aspirations: the slithering track Rihanna, 2 Chainz and French Montana mashes up reggaeton with the Japanese onpartyhits. instrument koto underneath Rosalía’s Janelle Monáe, TheAge of Pleasure trademark vulnerability, showcasing an After spending so much of her artist who continues to expand her profile recording career constructing narratives butrefusestorestonherlaurels. and multilayer concepts, Janelle Monáe

Niall Horan, The Show wants to party on new album The Age of Threequartersofadecaderemovedfrom Pleasure, a well-deserved celebration the last One Direction album and three that may also be the most front-to-back albums into a subsequent solo career, Niall satisfying listen in her catalog.Although Horan has, at long last, settled into himself. the ambition of her previous projects After 2017 debut Flicker kick-started his remains, it’s pointed at straightforward solo artistry with some surefire radio hits R&B grooves and immediate pop hooks: (“This Town,” “Slow Hands”) and 2020’s songs like the boisterous “Champagne Heartbreak Weather featured a handful of Shit,” swaying “Water Slide” and sonic chances (“Nice To Meet Ya,” “Put a sexually charged “Lipstick Lover” invite LittleLoveonMe”), The Show,Horan’sbest the listener to get lost in their sensual albumtodate,tellsuswhattypeoflong-term worlds, while Monáe acts as a tour guide career he wants to fashion by splitting the toherbeautifullymessydesires.

Sam Smith with Madonna

J Hus feat. Drake

BTS

Rosalia

Niall Horan

AmayaMilkisnowonthemarket

By Richard Francois

The Amaya Milk

C o m p a n y i s

p l e a s e d t o announce that Amaya Milk is now on the market

Currently, there are several locations where persons can purchase fresh AmayaMilk withmoretocomeonstream soon.

Amaya Milk can be f o u n d a t M a t t a i ' s Supermarket, Chand's Service Station (Shell Gas Station) Ogle, Massy

Megastores,Cost Cutters, Freshco and Foodmax supermarkets.

“I am extremely pleased that we can finally bring our milk to market. It has been a long but rewarding process and I am excited about the positiveimpactourmilkwill have on the local market and thelocal dairy industry

Amaya's Milk is fresh, creamy and tasty It is the purest and most nutritional milk on the market, filled with essential minerals and vitamins,to deliver a healthy

refreshingdrinktoall,”CEO o f A m a y a M i l k Company,Omkaar Sharma said.

Milk is valued as a complete protein source as it containsallthenineessential amino acids Milk is abundant in minerals like calciumandphosphorus,that arerequiredforstrongbones and teeth. Milk is imbued with essential vitamins includingB12.

Amaya Milk is sold in returnable glass bottles and is ready for immediate

consumption straight from thebottle.

Mr Sharma noted that

the company chose returnable glass bottles because they are more environmentally friendly andsustainable.

“Customer will need to pay a bottle deposit the first time they make a purchase, but for subsequent purchases, they only need to bring back their empty and they will be credited the bottle deposit on that purchase”.

So be sure to pick up a bottle of Amaya Milk from any of the leading supermarkets mentioned, and enjoy the fresh, pure,

wholesome goodness that can only be found in a bottle ofAmayaMilk.

Amaya Milk: Bringing FreshBack!

Astrud Gilberto, bossa...

From page 28

asinglemotherandabrand-newdemandingcareer”. The Girl from Ipanema would be her only major hit –thoughitcreptbackintotheUKchartin1984asbossanova flourished again, popularised by Everything But the Girl, Sade and others – but she retained a fandom for a series of subsequent solo albums on the jazz label Verve, beginning with 1965’s TheAstrud GilbertoAlbum. She also recorded with Chet Baker, and continued to tour until 2002. In 2008, she was given a lifetime achievement award by the Latin Grammys.

Lessons from a Lashpreneur !!! TAKINGA BREAK FROM LASH EXTENSIONS – IS IT REALLY NECESSARY?

So – you love your lash extensions. They make your facelooksofreshandawake, and it’s just so simple to get readyinthemornings…why wouldyoueverstop?

Clientssometimesaskus whentheyshouldbetakinga break for the sake of their lash health. Their biggest worryisthatlashextensions are straining their natural lashes or making them fall fasterthantheyshould. The answer? Properly applied eyelash extensions can be wornindefinitely–aslongas the lash extension applied is the correct length, weight and thickness for your natural lashes, there’s absolutely no reason why they would be damaged. Persons have been wearing lashes for years with zero issues.

Remember, your natural lashes work on a cycle exactly like your hair; there are new itty-bitty baby lashes growing constantly, andolderlashessheddingoff whenit’stheirtimetogo.

I n y o u r i n f i l l

appointment, your lash tech will be on the lookout for new lashes that are strong enoughtoholdanextension, andvoila!You’rebackupto full lash capacity, looking fabulous.

The health of your natural lashes is our first priority. If we think that the extension look that you’re after will damage those lovelynaturallashes,wecan assess them and suggest

simple ways to create a similar look without the weight. We always keep trackofyourlashhealthand if any changes happen we’ll let you know Of course, sometimes you just feel like you need a break from extensions, and that’s okay. sometimesyouneedtobeon abreak.

Hereareourgoldenrules on how to recognise (and dealwith!)alashbreak.

REMOVETHEMINA WAYTHATWORKS FORYOU

You have two options with a break: let the lashes shed gradually over time, or pop into the salon to have t h e m r e m o v e d professionally. It takes aroundfivetosixweeksfora typical lash set to shed completely, and even then you might find a few very determinedstragglers.Ifthis

is easier, we’d say go for it! For those wantingtogocold turkey, a sa removal is best.

ByLatoyaZephyr

It’s a super simpleprocess –a technician applies a removal serum to your lashes and slides off the e x t e n s i o n s We ’ d recommend against home removalsforthesakeofyour natural lashes, as you can never quite be sure how successful/non-damaging they’ll be! Our removal products are fast-working, professional products and none of us here would attemptourownremovals.

TRYASERUM

Lashserumsareaclever way of reviving your lash game – these specially formulated solutions are meant to make your natural lashes grow longer and stronger

Most good lash serums contain conditioning and stimulating ingredients, which can improve your lasheswhenusedonthereg.

These products usually show results after a few weeks, so combining a serum with a break is like a spaholidayforyourlashes!

MAKESURETHE TIMINGISRIGHT

There’s no hard-and-fast rule about how much time you should spend sans extensions, but we’d recommendatleastamonth.

This gives your lash cycle time to reboot itself, with those baby lashes growing through nice and strong.Italsogivesanylash serums a chance to really work their magic! Timing your break right up to the week of big event can be a lovely way to treat yourself, especially if you usually rockaglamlook.

Some clients can spend months without lash extensions, some prefer just one–it’salluptoyou!

HOW TO CONTROL ASTHMA

WHATISASTHMA?

Asthma is a disease that affectsyourlungs.Itisoneof themostcommonlong-term diseases of children, but adults can have asthma, too. Asthma causes wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing at nightorearlyinthemorning.

Ifyouhaveasthma,youhave it all the time, but you will have asthma attacks only when something bothers yourlungs.

We don’t know all the thingsthatcancauseasthma, butwedoknowthatgenetic, environmental, and occupational factors have been linked to developing asthma.

If someone in your immediate family has asthma, you are more likely to have it “Atopy,” the genetic tendency to develop anallergicdisease,canplaya big part in developing allergic asthma. However, not all asthma is allergic asthma.

Being exposed to things in the environment, like mold or dampness, some allergenssuchasdustmites, and secondhand tobacco smoke have been linked to developing asthma Air pollution and viral lung infection may also lead to asthma.

Occupational asthma occurs when someone who neverhadasthmadevelopsit

becauseheorsheisexposed to something at work. This canhappenifyoudevelopan allergytosomethingatwork such as mold or if you are exposed to irritants such as wood dust or chemicals at work over and over at lower levelsorallatonceathigher levels.

HOWCANYOU TELLIFYOUHAVE ASTHMA?

It can be hard to tell if someone has asthma, especially in children under age5.Havingadoctorcheck how well your lungs work and check for allergies can helpyoufindoutifyouhave asthma.

During a checkup, a doctorwillaskifyoucougha lot,especiallyatnight.Heor she will also ask whether your breathing problems are worse after physical activity or at certain times of year The doctor will then ask about chest tightness, wheezing, and colds lasting morethan10days.

He or she will ask whether anyone in your family has or has had asthma, allergies, or other breathing problems. Finally, thedoctorwillaskquestions about your home and whether you have missed school or work or have troubledoingcertainthings.

Thedoctormayalsodoa breathing test, called spirometry, to find out how

well your lungs are working bytestinghowmuchairyou canbreatheoutaftertakinga very deep breath before and after you use asthma medicine.

WHATISAN ASTHMAATTACK?

An asthma attack may include coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, and troublebreathing.Theattack happens in your body’s airways,whicharethepaths that carry air to your lungs. As the air moves through your lungs, the airways become smaller, like the branchesofatreearesmaller thanthetreetrunk.Duringan asthma attack, the sides of the airways in your lungs swellandtheairwaysshrink. Less air gets in and out of your lungs, and mucous that your body makes clogs up theairways.

You can control your asthma by knowing the warning signs of an asthma attack, staying away from things that cause an attack, and following your doctor’s advice. When you control yourasthma:

you won’t have symptomssuchaswheezing orcoughing, you’llsleepbetter, you won’t miss work or school, you can take part in all physicalactivities,and you won’t have to go to thehospital.

What Causes anAsthma Attack?

An asthma attack can happen when you are exposed to “asthma triggers.” Your asthma triggerscanbeverydifferent from someone else’s asthma triggers.

Know your triggers and learn how to avoid them. Watchoutforanattackwhen you can’t avoid your triggers. Some of the most

commontriggersaretobacco smoke, dust mites, outdoor air pollution, cockroach allergen, pets, mold, smoke fromburningwoodorgrass, andinfectionslikeflu.

HOWISASTHMA TREATED?

Take your medicine exactly as your doctor tells you and stay away from things that can trigger an attack to control your asthma.

Everyone with asthma does not take the same medicine.

You can breathe in some medicines and take other medicines as a pill. Asthma medicines come in two types quick-relief and long-term control. Quickrelief medicines control the symptoms of an asthma attack.

If you need to use your quick-relief medicines more

How to treat dandruff yourself

Dandruff occurs, essentially, when small bits ofdryskinareshedfromthe scalp. You might spy these flakesinyourhairoronyour shoulders.

Dandruffmaymakeyour scalp itchy, too It’s a commonproblem,butitisn’t as simple as it seems Dandruff is actually quite tricky to define because it overlaps with seborrheic dermatitis(achronicformof eczema) and other skin conditions that lead to a scalyscalp.

Here’s what you need to know Signs and Symptoms ofDandruff

The big tip-off that an individual may have dandruff are the telltale patches of white flakes on the scalp, made up of dead skin,thatcomelooseinyour hair

According to the Merck Manual,othersignsinclude:

Attimes,thescalpcanbe itchy

GREASYORDRY SCALESONTHE SCALP

Yellowish to reddish scalyraisedbumpsalongthe hairline(inseverecases)

CAUSESANDRISK FACTORSOF DANDRUFF

Dandruff can happen for anumberofreasons.

Seborrheic dermatitis If you have a particularly bad caseofdandruff,it’slikelya mild case of seborrheic dermatitis (SD), according totheAmericanOsteopathic CollegeofDermatology

SD is a chronic form of eczema that affects areas of the body that secrete the mostsebum,oroil,notesthe N a t i o n a l E c z e m a Association.

Peoplewithoilyskinare often more prone to

dandruff The reason: A yeast called Malassezia globosa feeds on oils on the scalp.

Some people’s bodies perceive this breakdown of oilasanirritant,sothescalp reactsbyuppingthespeedat which skin cells renew, causingdandruff,notesAmy McMichael,MD,aprofessor ofdermatologyandthechair of the department of dermatology at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

For those without dandruff, it takes a whole month for new skin cells on the scalp to mature, die, and shed.

But for those with dandruff,thisprocessoccurs inameretwotosevendays, according to a report in the Journal of Medical

Chemistry

Still, it’s important to note that while M. globosa has long been thought to be the main risk factor for dandruff, a causal relationship has yet to be firmly established, noted a July 2019 report in the journal Experimental

Dermatology

and

skin.

Contact dermatitis

Contact dermatitis is skin irritationcausedbyeitheran allergen or an irritant, resultinginanitchy,possibly painfulrash.Andinthecase of dandruff, that reaction is on the scalp. This generally occurs because of hair-care products or dyes, according totheAmericanAcademyof DermatologyAssociation.

Dry skin If cold winter air dries out your skin all over, including your scalp, then dry skin may be the cause of your dandruff

When dry skin causes dandruff, the flakes are usuallysmallerandlessoily thantheflakescausedbySD.

(In addition, cold and dry climates can worsen SD, according to the Cleveland Clinic.)

Almost anyone can have dandruff, but the following factors can make you more susceptible.

Shampooing habits “For thosewhoarealreadyatrisk for dandruff, washing infrequently can worsen the condition, ” says Dr McMichael Taking extendedbreakscanleadtoa buildupofoilthatcanleadto dandruff.

Dry scalp caused by a lack of moisture can cause itching

flaking

Rare egg laying mammal spotted in Australia

By Shervin Belgrave Australian Broadcasting quills like a porcupine. They theworld.

C

n ( A B C ) are normally brown and Raffie albinism is caused

A rare egg laying identified the creature as an black in coloration but the by a genetic condition that mammal has become a albinoshort-beakedechidna. one found inAustralia is of a leads to lower production of celebrity after it was found The individual who found rare species known as the the pigment melanin in the wandering in an Australian the creature has reportedly short-beaked echidna hair,skinandeyes.Normally city, one of the country’s nameditRaffie. “Raffie” is also white short-beaked Echidnas are mediahousereported. Echidnas resemble ant (Albino) in colour, making mostly brown in colour and

The media entity, eaters and are covered with himevenmoreraretofindin haveadistinctivesnoutanda specialized tongue, it uses to catchinsectsatgreatspeed.

Normal Shortbeaked echidnas

These animals live in burrows underground and have the unique ability to tolerate low levels of oxygen Short-beak Echidnas do not sweat and while some might say it’s a goodthing,itputstheanimal at a disadvantage when it comestohotclimate.

However, the most develops on her abdomen are called “puggles” interesting about the and will remain there until Although newborns are echidnas is that it is one of hatched. It takes ten days for semi-translucent and still fewmammalsthatlayeggs. the egg to hatch. For this to surroundedbytheremainsof

Aftermating,thefemales happen, the embryo inside the egg yolk, their eyes are would lay a single rubbery- would develop a sharp tooth stillbarelydeveloped. skinned egg that measures which disappears after To feed, the hatchlings between 13 and 17 hatching to rip itself free attach themselves to their millimetres The egg is fromtheegg. mothers’ milk areolae, formed into a small Hatchlings measure (specialised patches on the backward-facing pouch that about 1.5 centimetres and skinthatsecretemilk).

Giorgio Armani Says Fashion Should Be Less Entertaining

The Godfather of Italian style talks to GQ about his memoir, why he never chases trends, and his legacy as a designer

(GQ) In 1965, a young homegrown talent into Throughout his memoir, u n d e r p i n n i n g s t h e Giorgio Armani was tasked global juggernaut. Even the Armani takes pains to shoulder padding, sure, but withimaginingtheclothesof wiliest Netflix executive acknowledge the team also the unbridled capitalist the future. Fresh out of a would struggle to present a members rotating in and out id they invoked—that they mandatory stint in the Italian morecompellingnarrative. of his orbit, and, above all became sexy, a genuine army, and still unsure of his That trajectory animates else, the respect he has for objectofdesireforguyswho true calling, Armani had Per Amore, Armani’s wide- his customers, the people didn’t have to wear them to landed a job with Nino ranging exploration of the who buy into his vision. But the office. (The scene in Cerruti, one of Italy’s forces that propelled him to the ethos that invigorated American Gigolo when premierfabricwizards. the highest echelons of the him when he was working Richard Gere sifts through a The challenge proved fashion industry First out of a modest studio in closet stuffed with Armani formative.“Cerrutiaskedme published in 2015, it’s part Corso Venezia still guides clothingwasmore“effective tofindsomenewsolutionsto b i o g r a p h y , p a r t his process today: a rigorous than a whole string of ads,” the cultural tailwinds is what crowded with bright new make a man’s suit less rigid manifesto and its re- method of subtraction and the designer writes, keeps him motivated “I things? Keep it real. “I have and more comfortable, less release couldn’t be more streamlining, informed by a jumpstarting his side-hustle know I could rest on my always been more interested industrial and more timely Over the last few healthy skepticism of flash- as Hollywood’s Svengali of laurels at this point in my indressingrealpeoplerather sartorial,” Armani recounts years, appreciation for in-the-pan fads “My swaggeringglamour.) career,” he says, “but I enjoy than creating a sensational in Per Amore, an updated Armani’s early output, contribution to the world of In Per Amore, Armani challenges ” Fashion’s catwalk fantasy,” he says. “I version of his memoir particularly the men’s wear fashion,” he tells GQ over devotes considerable terminal myopia, and the believeinreality,withadash published by Rizzoli last he designed in the late ‘80s email, “is the idea that thought to the inspiration glut of environmental issues of magic.” Therein lies the week. So he concocted a suit and early ‘90s, has reached a classicism and modernism behind his breakthrough it engenders, provides no true secret of the designer’s jacket with “the suppleness fever pitch. Lately, it feels are actually the same thing if silhouette “How was a shortage of them to grapple appeal. of a cardigan and the like every @simplicity city you don’t follow fleeting young, dynamic, and with. Realness is hard to come lightness of a shirt,” and fan hasArmani on the mind, trends.” uninhibited man,” he writes, Since Armani remade by these days, and as revolutionizedmen’swearin and every designer worth It’s fitting, then, that “going to contrast with the men’s wear in his image menswear shakes off the theprocess. their weight in oatmeal- interest in Armani’s seminal old modes of thinking if he almost 50 years ago, the vestiges of its wild-style era

When the Hollywood coloredcashmerehashimon years always returns to his was constrained inside a suit industry has changed in favor of a more subdued bigwigs storyboard the themoodboard. reinterpretation of the suit, t h a t d e n i e d h i s d r a m a t i c a l l y I t ’ s strain of elegance, Armani’s broad strokes of Armani’s Squint a little, and his the most enduring silhouette individuality?” Armani’s increasingly difficult for guiding MO all earthy biopic, they won’t have to influence is impossible to in the menswear canon. solution was “clothes that small brands to find their tones, nubby fabrics, and stray far from the source miss, from the elegant, BeforeArmani got his hands express a tender, knowing footing, let alone chart a l a n g u o r o u s material. His life makes for neutral-toned casual wear on them, suits were masculinity,” a startlingly course to financial viability. silhouettes—feels uniquely prime Oscars fodder: sold by quiet luxury stultifyingly respectable, the prescient notion given the “Entertainment,” Armani suitedtocapturethemoment humble upbringing in powerhouses like The Row de facto uniform of the discourse surrounding what says,“hastakencenterstage, onceagain. northern Italy, swift rise to to the louche tailoring corporate class. It was only itmeanstolook,act,andfeel often to the detriment of After all these years, the acclaim in Milan, gradual conjured by savvy zeitgeist- when he stripped them of l i k e a m a n t o d a y. clothes.” The only way to Armani magic continues to transformation from readerslikeJerryLorenzo. theirliteralandmetaphorical Anticipating the next shift in stay relevant in an industry dazzle.

Raffie, the Albino Short-beaked Echinda foind in Australia

Georgio Armani

ACCREDITATION – SUPPORTING THE FUTURE OF GLOBAL TRADE

Manywouldagreethatit could be challenging when our choices of products and services are primarily limited to those produced only within the country in which we live. This is why international trade exists, as a means of exchanging capital, goods, and services across international borders, which addresses our individual needs and preferences. Research has concluded that global trade is predicted to grow by 70 per cent to almost USD 30 trillion by the end of this decade International accreditationplaysakeyrole b y e n s u r i n g t h a t commodities meet specific standard requirements w h i c h g u a r a n t e e s acceptance of goods and services once exported from one territory to another Having one test, which is accepted everywhere through accreditation is the approach many companies are using to address the current and future demands of completing cross border tradetransactions.

On June 09 annually, Standards and Conformity Assessment Institutions like theGuyanaNationalBureau ofStandards(GNBS)joinin commemorating World Accreditation Day (WAD). The theme for this year’s o b s e r v a n c e s w a s “Supporting the Future of GlobalTrade”.Itfocusedon the recovery of global trade following the COVID-19 pandemic and the expectation that trade merchandisewillcontinueto growtosupporttheongoing

globalsupplychainandmost of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).

World Accreditation Day, established by the International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (ILAC)andtheInternational Accreditation Forum (IAF), gives stakeholders, providers and users, the opportunity to demonstrate howaccreditedserviceshelp to build strong and sustainable global supply chains In simple terms, accreditation is a formal, independentverificationthat a programme or institution meets established quality standards and is competent to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks Conformity assessment tasks may include, but are not limited to, testing, inspection, or certification.

Topushlocalinstitutions providing inspections and testing services towards a c c r e d i t a t i o n f o r international recognition, theGNBSoncespearheaded the National Committee for Conformity Assessment, which comprised of several regulators. Meanwhile, to enhancethecompetitiveness of businesses to support operational improvement and trade efficiency, the Bureauismandatedtoverify all measuring instruments used in trade This contributestotheintegrityof measurements declared by our local manufacturers and exporters.

Today, with the accreditationofitsIndustrial

Metrology and Testing laboratory to the ISO/IEC 17025 Standard, the Bureau proudly offers accredited calibration services. These calibration results are internationally accepted Meanwhile, in the foreseeable future, the GNBS is looking to have its Inspection Services ISO 17020Accreditedaswell.

Further, as the National Accreditation Focal Point, the Bureau, continues to offer support in the form of technical assistance and training to both public and private companies and laboratories that are interested in vying for accreditation With this support, some were successfully accredited to

the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and the ISO 15189:2012 standards, giving their services international recognition Finally, to commemorate WAD 2023, the GNBS conducted a webinar and a radio programme to discuss Accreditation and its effect onGlobalTrade.TheBureau will continue to work with

businesses towards achieving accreditation for globalcompetitiveness.

F o r f u r t h e r information, reach out to the GNBS today on telephone numbers: 2190064 or 219-0065, or visit the GNBS website: www.gnbsgyorg. You can also WhatsApp us on +592 6924627.

WIST Ministries presents 2023 Christian dance conference

Worship in Spirit and in T r u t h

Ministries International (WIST) is delighted to host itssixthannualInternational dance conference, under the theme, “Yarah – To Teach,” fromJuly20-22,2023,atthe Regency Suites Hotel, on H a d f i e l d S t r e e t , Georgetown.

Excitementisintheairas dancers from across the country prepare themselves to attend this highly anticipated conference,

which is known to be empowering, informative, uplifting,andimpactful.

Over the years scores of dancersofvariousageswho attended these dance conferences testified to the effectivenessoftheseevents which equip dancers here in Guyana to better at their craft The sessions are always geared towards the improvement of the skill of dance and the dancer as a person These dance conferences afford our very own people the opportunity

to receive training from international dancers and dance instructors from other partsoftheworldinvarious stylesofdance.

The ministering team at this year’s conference will be, Arrows International which is an International Christian Dance Company and training school based in Oklahoma, U.S.A., and is directed by its founders Jeff andNatalieLewis.

As ordained pastors and master choreographers, these two individuals are

known worldwide for their professional dance expertise andspiritualfoundation.

They have taught, choreographed, and ministered throughout the U S A , India, and many otherdifferentcountries.

A t t h i s y e a r ’ s conference, Arrows International will be having

workshops in various aspects of dance including various genres such as jazz, contemporary, ballet, and more.

Attendeeswillbetrained on how to be passionate about using their gift of dance, engage in intense techniquedanceclasses,and participate in other life-

changingactivities.

The conference caters to dancers three (3) years and older

Early bird registration endsonJune17,2023. For more information or registration, feel free to contact us on 664-WIST (9478) as well as on our socialmediaplatforms.

Team members at WIST dance conference in 2018

Members ofArrows International

The meaning of “spatial computing”

Apple’s Vision Pro is an incredible machine. Now to find out what it is for

(The Economist) No

people appearing on stage. eerily realistic content in all one shows off a new gadget Internet pioneers started off thesecategories,andmore. quite like Apple. But the by sharing files, before The way to speed up this device that Tim Cook spinning the web and much processistogetthehardware unveiled on June 5th was more Apple’s own i n t o t h e h a n d s o f billed as something more smartwatch was a damp developers—and that is the significant.TheVisionPro,a squib until consumers real purpose of the Vision. pair of sleek glass goggles, decided that it was a health Apple will not sell many of represents “an entirely new and fitness device. It now the expensive firsts p a t i a l - c o m p u t i n g sells50mwatchesayear generationunits,anddoesn’t platform”,saidApple’sboss, No one yet knows what care. Its aim is to get the comparing its launch to that spatial computing’s killer product to the people who of the Macintosh and the use-case might be—or if it will work out what spatial iPhone. Apple’s message is even has one, though that computing can do It is clear: after desktop and seems likely It could be uniquely well placed. Meta, mobile computing, the next commercial (surgeons, its chief rival in the headset big tech era will be spatial engineers and architects game, lacks Apple’s links computing—also known as have dabbled in the tech) or with developers, who like augmented reality in e d u c a t i o n a l ( A p p l e making software forApple’s whichcomputergraphicsare previewed a “planetarium” best-in-class hardware (and overlaidontheworldaround in its demo) or in i t s r i c h e s t - i n - c l a s s theuser entertainment (Disney made consumers). The flawed but

The presentation was a cameo with ideas for extraordinary Vision shows both jaw-droppingly interactinginfilmandsport). that the technological impressive and oddly Vision Pros could even struggle to make spatial underwhelming. The Vision not the palm of your hand! and all the other things that shocking).

become high-end porn computing a reality is being is stuffed with innovations Apple’s vision mainly today persuade people to Other platforms have goggles, if Apple relaxes its won. The next race is to that eclipse every other seemed to involve taking 2d spend $1,000 or more on an taken just as long to reach ban on such content discover what it is for Apple headset on the market apps and projecting them iPhone (whose $499 launch their potential Television Artificial intelligence will has just fired the starting Clunky joysticks are out; onto virtual screens (while pricein2007wasconsidered producers began by filming allow programmers to make gun. hand gestures and eyeball charging $3,499 for the tracking are in. Instead of privilege).Isthatit? legless avatars, users get Patience. Mr Cook is photorealistic likenesses, right that spatial computing whose eyes also appear on is a new platform, but it will the outside of the glasses to take time to exploit make wearing them less Consider the iPhone’s antisocial. The product is launch, 16 years ago. Like dusted with Apple’s user- the Vision, its technology friendlydesignmagic. sparkled, but its dull initial Yet the company had uses were inherited from strangely uninspiring earlierplatforms:makecalls, suggestions for what to do write e-mails, browse the with its miraculous device. web, and listen to music. It Look at your photos—but was years before developers bigger! Use Microsoft u n l o c k e d m o b i l e Teams but on a virtual computing’s killer usescreen! Make FaceTime cases: group chats, ridevideo calls—but with your hailing, short video, casual friend’s window in space, gaming, mobile payments

Vision Pro

Father & His Intelligent Son

ByShreyaSharma

This is one of the most inspiring short stories for children.

Onceuponatime,therelivedafatherand a son together They were very rich Whatever his son demanded, the father wouldgetforhimwithoutany hitch. The father wanted that his son should value everything he had and should respect everyone irrespective of caste, religionandcolour

One day, the father decided to take his spoiltsononatrip.Hetookhissononatripto a village. He wanted to show him how poor someonecanbe.Theyspenttimeonthefarm of a poor family. The boy treated the poor people very nicely. His father was very surprisedathisbehaviour.

On their return from the trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip, son?" "It was great, dad!" the son replied. "What did you learn from our trip?" his father asked. The son answered, "We have one dog, they have four! We have a pool at our home, but they have a huge river! We buy food for ourselves,andtheygrowthefood!"

The son continued, "We have so many lights at our house, but they have beautiful

Photo Frame

“WE'RE NUTSABOUT YOU, DAD!” FATHER'S DAY GIFT

IDEA

What You'll Need:

stars! We have walls to protect us, but they havefriends!Allofushavetelevisiontopass our time but they have family to spend the quality time. We have lots of money with us but they have the god with them!" The boy's father was speechless while his son was talking and realized that his son had noticed so well. Then, his son added, "Thank you, fatherforshowingmehowpoorweare!"

MORAL OF THE STORY: IT'S NOT ABOUT MONEYTHAT MAKES US RICH, IT'S SIMPLICITY, LOVE, COMPASSION, FRIENDSHIPS, VALUES, FAMILYAND OUR RELATIONSHIPTO GOD THAT MAKES OUR LIVES RICH.

Unfinished Wood or MDF Photo Frame

Acrylic Craft Paint or Chalk Paint

Glue (I recommend Elmer's Craft Bond)

Vinyl Decals or Alphabet Stickers

Assorted Nuts in various sizes, shapes, and colors

Instructions:

Start by painting the frame a color of your choice and allowing it to dry completely Apply the vinyl decals (I cut mine with my Cricut ExploreAir 2 machine) or alphabet stickers to the frame. Dab dots of glue around the remaining surface area of the frame, and top the glue with a variety of different shaped and

sized nuts.Allow the glue to dry completely

Add your favorite photo, and your Father's Day frame is ready for gifting – super easy peasy and totally adorable! Dad is sure to love this sweet gift!

FUNWITHPOETRY

by Uncle Roy

The truth is

There are times when it happens

That I have to tell others

About something that has happened

To myself or a sister or brother

This thing that I have to tell Can make me look bad or good, And I have to make up my mind

To tell a lie or the truth as I should.

Then I must always remember

There remember

That the truth is at all times the best, As, whenever I cheat and tell a lie, It will always end in a big mess.

We know that honesty is the best policy

In all the things we do and say

So tell the truth at all times, And you will always be in the right way

Enhance your Self Esteem in developing this Sense of Identity is to build a Conscious Value System

The other important step in your effort to enhance your Self Esteem in developing this Sense of Identity is to build a ConsciousValueSystem.

Values are the qualities that we have made a positive attempt to choose and maintain as those that will control ourlives.

They are what we believe in, the things that we stand for or against, the things that give meaning and direction toourlives.

Avalue system is based on:- (a) knowing the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, honesty and dishonesty, (b) choosing to do always thatwhichyoubelievetoberight,good and honest, and (c) showing respect for other people's right to forming and expressing their own opinion, to enjoying their own personal property, to their privacy, to living their lives as they feel is right, and to peaceful coexistencewithothers.

Asayoungperson,atthebrinkof theperiodwhenwhatyoudowillaffect yourentirefuture,youhavetodecidein good time the values which will direct how you will conduct yourself, and deal with the persons and things around, so that you are prepared mentally, psychologically, spiritually and even physically, to withstand the

pressuresthatyouwillmeetthatwillbe acting against your own ambitions, in your achieving the things you want to do,andthewayyouwanttobe.

UNCLEROY Tellitto

Hello,readers, UncleRoyisagainaskingallofyoutotryinsomeway tomakeacontributiontothispage,andthustothewelfareof you and your fellow readers.This contribution can take any formthatyoufeelwouldbevaluable–anaccountofwhatis going on in your community and country, any advice you would like to pass on to your fellow teen readers and, on a broader level, any comment or recommendation you would liketomaketoyourfellowGuyanese.

Please remit same to my email –roypaul2002@yahoo com, and be assured that your worthwhilecontributionwillhaveaprominentplaceonour page.

Without this direction in your life at the outset of your gaining some s o r t o f

independence from your parents and the other guides in your life, you will find yourself as in a boat without a rudder to guide it, and you will find yourself drifting t h r o u g h l i f e subject to all the dangers which the

The finished puzzle should be filled with Xs and Os. Horizontallyandvertically, thereshould never be a continuous run of the

world will undoubtedly thrust in your way

Youhavetodevelopavaluesystem whichwillbeabletodealwithallthese pressures through your attitude, through your behaviour, and through the choices you make as you face the variousexperiences.

You have to realize that you seal your fate with the choices you make on theway

These choices during your younger days will determine the destiny or direction of your entire future, and you can observe all around you m a n y e x a m p l e s o f t h o s e w h o d i d n o t t h i n k i t n e c e s s a r y t o d e t e r m i n e b e f o r e h a n d w h a t t h o s e choices should be, and who as a result drifted throughlifeandfell bythewayside.

same symbol longer than 2. There are anequalnumberof XsandOsineachrowandcolumn. All rows are unique. All columns are unique,too.

At every time and in every place, of whatever people you belong, If you observe life with a clear honest eye, you cannot help but see –Life is cast in two clear moulds, and yours is the freedom to choose; Your choice will determine your fate for now and all eternity

On one hand there is the idle side, with many pleasures that call to you, It is easy as sliding down a hill, but filled later with destruction and sorrow, The other side has its hardships, with discipline and sacrifices to endure, But always resulting in a bright future, full of promise and hope for tomorrow

So he who is preparing to carve his destiny must be sure to pass the test, With care and forethought to choose the path that would lead to his best.

Solutions to last week’s

Challenges are placed in our path to make us stronger when we face them boldly and overcome.

Beauty Hacks You Need to Try

(From last Sunday edition)

11.Puttinglashgluedirectlyonyourlash-line

All my ladies and gents who have applied false lashes know how complicated the application process can be. Fear not, I'm here with the secret to doing it well: instead of applying glue to the false lashes, put lash glue directly on your lash-line and wait forittobealmostdryandjustmildlytacky Then,applylasheson top.Thiswillpreventstickygluefromgushingoutandgettingall over your lids and will make it super easy for you to place your lashesinthecorrectpositiondirectlyonyourlashline.

12.Redlighttherapy

Red LED lights are the ultimate under-the-radar, anti-aging beautysecretasyoucanusethemtooptimizeskinhealthandcell regeneration. Red light is a non-invasive treatment that delivers concentrated light to your skin cells. As someone who uses red light daily, I've noticed improvements in both my appearance, with less hyperpigmentation and a more even skin tone, and in mybehavior,withdeeper,morerestfulsleep.

13.Elevatingyourlegs

Time for another strange beauty hack: Elevating your legs onto the wall in front of you. After a long day of work, putting yourlegsupcansootheswollenorcrampedmusclesandtendons andreduceinflammation.Elevatingyourlegsalsostretchesyour lower back and hamstrings, which promotes proper posture, which in turn relieves lower back tension—and conveys added confidence! Breathe, put your legs up, and be mindful of the benefitstoyourbody

14.Silkandsatinpillowcases

Silk and satin pillowcases aren't just luxurious-feeling, they also help prevent sleep wrinkles and hair damage. We form a lot of fine lines and wrinkles when we sleep because of the uncomfortably smushed positions we're in all night, every night. Additionally,ourhairoftengetstangledfromtossingandturning on cotton sheets. By switching over to a proper pillow and a silk covering,youcanpromoteyounger-lookingskin, healthierhair, andevenlongerlashes.

15.Tonguescrapers

While eating right and investing in a good face cream is essential when it comes to feeling fabulous, taking care of our oral health is just as important.Tongue scraping has become one ofmydailyrituals.Tonguescrapingremovesbacteriathatsitson your tongue and can cause cavities and bad breath. I suggest usingatonguescraperfirstthinginthemorningbeforeyouhave anything to drink because you don't want to swallow all the bacteria and build-up that formed overnight.Astainless steel or copperscraperisquick,easy,andmakesaworldofdifference.

16.Retinolonyourneckandchest

Retinol, a form ofVitaminA, is a common product to use on our face to prevent aging lines and wrinkles, but we too often forget about our necks and décolletages in the process. Retinol promotes collagen production and keeps your skin looking healthy, smooth, and even. Using a retinol product in these areas once a week will help diminish the appearance of fine lines and sunspots. (Reminder: Don't forget to also use sunscreen on these areaswhentheyareexposedtothesun!)

17.Facialmassage

With the right technique, facial massages can be more useful than any skincare tool on the market. Massaging your face and manipulating your facial muscles with alternatingly gentle and firm upward motions will help improve your circulation. Better circulation will then stimulate skin cell turnover and rejuvenation. When you massage your face every day, you are givingyourfacetheultimateworkoutandaugmentingelasticity, glow,andappearance.

18.ToiletBlottingPaper

I'm a huge fan of blotting papers (these oil-absorbing sheets are at the top of my list); they help keep makeup from running, make all the differences in getting just the right glow for photo shoots, and are super portable and easy to carry anywhere. However,onceinawhileIstillendupinapinchwhereblottingis amustbutspecialtypapersarenowheretobefound.WhatdoIdo then?Grabapapertoiletseatcover!Incredibly,thetwoproducts aremadeofverysimilarmaterialsandcanaccomplishasimilarly effectivejob.

https://www.iherb.com/blog/beauty-news/beauty-hacks/1173?gclid= CjwKCAjwyeujBhA5EiwA5WD7_VhTJwQEjJtJyH8fkmw1X4nfV Zw3mr9eeCAnKsIrK6Gwozpf_NneNBoC4uMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

ByAllyiahAllicock

Young Entrepreneur

Everything CRAFTY

...the

place to shop for creative gift items

Whiletheearlystagesof the COVID-19 pandemic period brought its fair share ofchallengestoourlivesand society, it on the other hand also brought about new opportunities for many in differentways.

An example of one such opportunity, is how Reshonah Gordon became anentrepreneurattheageof 16.

How she became an emerging entrepreneur, you may ask? Well, the young woman turned her gifted

whole business venture just afterthepandemicstruckour localshores.

Back in August 2020, Gordon became the proud owner of an arts and crafts business called ‘Everything Crafty’.

How did the idea come about for the business? In a recent interview with this magazine, Gordon shared that growing up, she has

alwaysbeena‘craftperson’.

With a deep interest in craft at a young age, she would be making beaded bracelets, cards and picture framesjusttonameafewfor her family as Christmas gifts. Never letting those skills fade, Gordon said that when the pandemic struck andthecountrywasinsortof a lock down, she was home bored like most people with

notmuchtodo. Then one day, she decided to get back into her creative ways and use the timetomakesomedécorfor her room. Without a clue what this would turnout to be, that moment was certainlyagamechangerfor her Her friends had seen the décorandrecognized

(Continuedonpage63)

“I think young entrepreneurs bring a fresh perspective and new innovations to the business world and society by extension.”

Young entrepreneur and owner of ‘Everything Crafty’, Reshonah Gordon

Some of the amazing gift items you can order from ‘Everything Crafty’.

Citizens must hold Govt., State agencies accountable for failing to enforce crucial petroleum regulations

While modernizing the nation’s petroleum laws is essential, the enforcement of regulations is equally important This view was expressed by President of Transparency International Guyana Inc (TIGI) Mr Frederick Collins who spoke to this newspaper recentlyaboutstrengthening the system meant to govern the multibillion oil and gas industry

While supporting the call for Guyana’s 37-year-

old petroleum laws to be modernized, Collins said that it would not be enough for Guyana’s oil laws to be strengthened

He said that the onus is on the people of Guyana to be vigilant and hold their leaders accountable to enforce the crucial provisions of those regulations

“The people must realize that laws are not enoughifthoseinpowerare allowed to circumvent or

worse, misinterpret those laws So,theproblemisnot so much the age of the laws but [political] will to enforcethelaws Itisnotso much the weakness of the existinglawsasmuchasthe weaknessofthegeneralwill of the people to hold the lawmakers, government and Stateagenciestoaccount.”

Collins continued: “We can have the best of laws and still have a huge problem if politicians are allowed to gaslight the

people – that is, to brazenly tell them that the law is being followed when the exact opposite is true This is the case with all ourlaws.Itisjustthatit isshowingupwherethe shoe pinches most – in thepetroleumindustry.”

He continued “We support modernizing the laws but reiterate that the problem is not so much the laws as the absence of systems to hold lawmakers and other politicians to a c c o u n t f o r misinterpreting, ignoring, or trampling those laws The modernization of our petroleum laws requires the vigilance of the people likeneverbefore.”

The TIGI head’s comments comes weeks after a ruling was handed down in the High Court highlighting the failure of Guyana’s e Environmental ProtectionAgency(EPA)to enforce the regulation of its permit in relation to the conduct of oil operator, Exxon Mobil’s drilling activity in Guyana’s lucrativeStabroekblock.

In the case, it was citizens,TIGI’s Collins and

-TIGIHead

In the ruling, Justice Sandil Kissoon noted that the “EPA had relegated itself to a state of laxity of enforcement and condonation compoundedbyalackof vigilance thereby putting this nation and its people in grave potential danger ofcalamitousdisaster.”

Godfrey Whyte who approached the court to get theEPAtoenforceacritical clause, Condition 14 in the LizaPhase1Environmental Permit(Renewed)issuedon May 31, 2022 to EEPGL

That provision says ExxonMobil Corporation, the parent company for EEPGL,mustcovercostsfor all environmental loss and damage that might result fromawellblowout,oilspill or other failure in the Liza Phase One Development

Project in Guyana’s StabroekBlock.

TheEPA’smandateis to “Promote, facilitate and coordinate effective e n v i r o n m e n t a l management and protection; and the sustainable use of G u y a n a n a t u r a l resources”butwasfound in breach of its duties on a numberofoccasions

The EPA has been the subject of at least three other court cases for breachingitsregulations

In December 2022, the State agency had breached its statutory duty by not publishing reasons why it waived the requirement for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for Schlumberger to build a radioactive facility at Houston, East Bank Demerara(EBD)

PresidentofTIGI,FrederickCollins

Medical Psychology Centre opens in Guyana

- US-trained Guyanese doctor to embark on an awareness campaign about benefits of treatment

Guyana’s premier M e d i c a l Psychology Centre which caters to the psychological impacts of disease and the inherent impact of psychological processes on health, wellbeing,andqualityoflifehas beenlaunched.

Thecentrewasopenedat Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown on May 1, 2023 under the auspices of US-trained Guyanese, Dr. Godfrey Sears.

Dr Sears holds a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), a P o s t - d o c t o r a t e i n N e u r o p s y c h o l o g y (NEPSYP), and the Postdoctoral Master of Psychopharmacology Program(MPP)amongother qualifications and credentials. He is said to be the first-ever Clinical Psychologist with 19 advanced credentials, a multitude of proficiencies, and membership of many highly prestigious professional institutions in the world. He was selected, bytheAmericanAcademyof Neurology (AAN), to be amongneurologiststoattend Capitol Hill, for three consecutive years (20132015).

Inaninterviewwith The Waterfalls, Dr Sears explained that “Many physical illnesses have substantial psychological components that should be taken into account in both assessmentandtreatment.”

Dr Sears said his aim is to address the psychological impacts that Non-

Communicable Diseases as well as Chronic diseases which affect more than half of Guyana’s ailing population.

He explained there is proof that the bio-psychosocialaspectofdiseasesthat is ignored while there is a heavy concentration on the bio-medical aspect of diseases.

The doctor stressed that biomedicine, by itself, cannot address the most significant challenges to improving the public’s healthinthenewcentury

‘He explained that “ P s y c h o l o g i c a l interventions offer great promise to reduce disease morbidity and mortality Although psychological componentsareprominently associated with becoming ill, their assessment and treatmentarenotconfronted in a serious way due to lack of Medical Psychology resources, expertise, skills, andcredentials.”

“The point is that no patient can fully recover without engaging the psychological aspect of the disease. Somyjobistohelp close the gap between the two…”Dr Searsadded.

While the work of the medical psychology centre will be instrumental in the overall treatment and recovery of patients, Dr Sears admits that the Guyanese public will need time and information to adjust and embrace the servicesbeingoffered.

There will be a series of public awareness lectures,

and activities at medical centres, hospitals, and other health facilities to help raise awarenessaboutthebenefits ofmedicalpsychology

He noted that the Centre’smissionistoensure thatMedicalPsychologyisa vital force in modern-day health care, research, and educationalsystemsandthat itisgiventhehighestlevelof recognition, prominence, and priority worldwide, and ensure that it is understood byallandsundrythatthereis no medicine without psychology

“The manifestations of psychological problems and psychopathologyindiseases are varied and numerous. Psychological problems are distinct from medical problems and psychological problems can be risk factors for, can complicate, and can resultfromphysicalillness,” Dr Searsaid.

He noted that the Centre w i l l f o c u s o n Neuropsychology, Epilepsy Psychology, Trauma P s y c h o l o g y, P a i n Psychology, Lifestyle Interventions Psychology, Rehabilitation Psychology, COPD Psychology, Asthma Psychology,Gastrointestinal Psychology, Addiction Psychology, Pediatric and Clinical Child Psychology, Cancer Psychology, Diabetes Psychology, PreSurgical Psychology, and BehavioralCardiology

A d d i t i o n a l k e y institutions being housed in the centre for Consultation, Research, Education, Teaching, and Training are:

Police Surgeon: helping to keep law enforcement functioning, improving the quality of law enforcement services, and ensuring the overall health and wellbeing of law enforcement personnel worldwide; CaribbeanReproductiveand Sexual Health Research

Center: providing a c o n s t e l l a t i o n o f psychological methods, techniques,andservicesthat contribute to good reproductive and sexual healthandwell-being.

US-trained Guyanese Dr. Godfrey Sears

The Premier Medical Psychology Centre is located at Werk en Rust Georgetown.

Chardonnay — A Guide to the Basics

(Food & Wine) The Chardonnay grape variety producessomeoftheworld'smost popular white wines, in styles that range from rich and oaky to crisp, mouthwatering,andmineral.

For many consumers, Chardonnay is synonymous with white wine. Whether it's a rich, butterybottlefromNapaValley,an age-worthy and complex white Burgundy, or one of the thousands of standout examples from around the world, Chardonnay can do it all.

Yet that popularity and widespread recognition has come at a price: Chardonnay's ubiquity makes it easy to forget just how special it can be — often, at an excellentvalue.

To fully appreciate all that the grape is capable of, check out our Chardonnaywineguidebelow

What Is Chardonnay Wine?

Chardonnay is a white grape variety that is widely planted around the world. It has an almost preternatural ability to both express the land in which it's grown and showcase the style of thewinemaker

Because of that, Chardonnay can be a bit of a chameleon, covering the full spectrum from crispandrefreshingtovelvetyand generous.It'sevenoneofthemain grape varieties responsible for Champagne. No matter where your tastes fall, there is a Chardonnay that will likely fit the bill.

Where Does Chardonnay Wine Come From?

Chardonnayhasbeengrownin France's Burgundy region for the better part of a millennium. It's there, especially in the Côte de Beaune (located in the southern portion of the famous Côte d'Or), thatmostwineprofessionalsagree the best of them are made. Grand

Cru vineyards like Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne, and others grow Chardonnay grapes that are crafted into wines that often have the ability to age and evolve for decades.

Further north in Burgundy, the Chardonnay wines of Chablis are produced in the opposite style, with a focus on chalky minerality and mouthwatering acidity In the south of Burgundy, the Chardonnays of the Côte Chalonnaise and throughout the Mâconnais often represent excellent value that's hard to find inotherpartsofBurgundy

In Champagne, Chardonnay is one of the three main grape varieties permitted, along with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier Blanc de Blancs Champagne, in fact,ispureChardonnay

In Napa Valley and Sonoma's RussianRiverValley,Chardonnay tends to be produced in a richer style, often with oak and a certain amountofbutteriness(theresultof a process called malolactic fermentation) that lend it depth andcreaminess.

It's made in a range of styles in Washington State and Oregon, as well as throughout Argentina and Chile, Australia, New Zealand, and beyond. Chardonnay is a true globalgrapevariety

Why Should You Drink Chardonnay Wine?

Few other grape varieties are produced in as wide a range of styles as Chardonnay. When grown in cooler areas or harvested on the early side, its acidity makes it particularly vibrant If it's planted in a warmer climate, or allowed to ripen for a longer period of time, Chardonnay often takes on a delicious sense of decadence. It can be refreshing in the summer and comforting in the cooler weather, depending on

whichstyleyouopen. And it pairs brilliantly food More acidChardonnays, like the ones Chablis, are natural partners fish and seafood; raw sautéed shrimp, and light fish are excellen Chardonnay Richer bottlings Chardonnay stand up to dishes, and are excellent with andmanycheeses. It also works well with whether squeezed onto pasta garlicandoliveoilorwhipped an aioli. Chardonnay even withmacaroniandcheese!

Of course, Chardonnay of the most delicious white to simply drink on its own. consumers often pon question of Sauvignon versus Chardonnay, and between the two is SauvignonBlanctendsto more grapefruit and herb bell pepper aromas a f l a v o r s , w h e r e a Chardonnay falls more on the melon and autumn orchard fruit end of the s p e c t r u m , a n d s o m e t i m e s e v e n t r o p i c a l f r u i t Chardonnay also generally has less acidity thanSauvignonBlanc.

Both can be excellent; just depends what you're in the mood for.And no matter what you want to spend on a bottle of Chardonnay,thereisboundtobea great option available, whether on a restaurant wine list or a retail shelf.

The great Grand Crus of Burgundy can run over US$1000, but there are plenty of delicious ones that can be found for under US$20,too.

What Does Chardonnay Taste Like?

nnays often showcase more tropical fruit, and tasting notes of pineapple, papaya, mango, and guava are common Oakinfluenced Chardonnays typically have flavours and aromas of cinnamon, clove, and vanilla, and if it's gone through malolactic fermentation, hints of butter are likely to be found. Chardonnay runs the gamut in the best possible sense.

FiveGreatChardonnayWines

There are countless great Chardonnay wines on the market today These five producers, listed alphabetically,areaperfectwayto startexploringallthatChardonnay hastooffer

Alain etAdrien Gautherin Chablis Grand Cru

There are seven Grand Crus in Chablis, and the 14th-generation Gautherin produces excellent expressions from Vaudésir and Le Clos.Eitheroneisagreatexample of how delicious Chardonnay is in Chablis.

LouisLatourPouilly-Fuissé

Louis Latour has been producingwineinBurgundysince 1797, and their portfolio ranges from Grand Cru to more affordableexpressions.

This one is in the latter camp, with its flavours of ripe fruit balanced by a hint of nuttiness for lessthan$30.

Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs Champagne

One of the classic examples of the blanc de blancs style, this standout Champagne from Perrier-Jouët is a staple on wine lists and in cellars around the world.

RombauerChardonnay

When fans of rich, oaky, buttery Chardonnay think of a classic example of their preferred style, Rombauer often comes to mind.

Sonoma-CutrerChardonnay

Sonoma-Cutrer produces a number of Chardonnays, including their Russian River Ranches,LesPierres,andSonoma Coastbottlings,amongothers.

From page 16 monopolize technology, they do not care about the impacts of their exploitation.

“They don’t have a conscience. They are there to rape and rape and they must be stopped by clear and unequivocal voices,” Professor Lumumba said while noting that politicians cannot be relied upon to serve in the best interest of the people.Fallingpreytosuchabelief he said, would leave generations upon generations to suffer under the diabolical machinations of multinationals.

The 2016 Stabroek Block PSA has faced years of criticisms since itsreleaseintothepublicdomain.It has been described as being highly unfavourable to the people of Guyana. In the absence of ringfencing provisions for example, billions of US dollars in costs associatedwithfuturedevelopment and exploration projects in the armedwithaknifeandstabbedhim other assets including motor June 29, 1999. ExxonMobil Global two children lost their lives. One of block are charged against profits of tothechest. vehicles, office equipment, non- Holding Investment B.V has a 100 the children, 9-year-old Anamika producing projects. This would Itwasatthatpointthepensioner residential building and IT percentholdinginEEPGL. Hardat, was suffering from a have been avoided had those arrived and saw him on the ground equipment. Hess Guyana Exploration disability which made it difficult to contractual provisions been with Gonsalves over him. The man With respect to intangible Limited-Guyana was registered exit the house. The other child was implemented. claimed that he then grabbed a assets, EEPGL said this represents here as a branch of Hess Guyana her sister, 3-year-old Shameena

Thereisalsoameretwopercent knifefromthekitchen. the acquisition costs for interests in Exploration Limited (HGEL) on Hardat. The children were left at royalty and a tax-free ride for Gonsalves then rushed at him the offshore Stabroek, Canje and October 28, 2014 HGEL is home without adult supervision. ExxonMobil Corporation’s and they ended up in a scuffle Kaieteur deepwater blocks net of incorporated and domiciled in Two jets working from an open affiliatesandpartners. duringwhichhestabbedthealleged depreciation. As of January 2022, Cayman Islands. It is a wholly water source were used to

The PSA also has several intruder several times. Gonsalves EEPGL said it had about $1.3B ownedsubsidiaryofHessBermuda extinguish the fire. “The Guyana loopholeswhichallowforexpenses fell to the floor and remained worth of vehicles, wells and Holdings Limited which is owned Fire Service is saddened over the in the block to be incurred over motionless after which the facilities (work in progress) worth by Hess Corporation, an entity loss of these two young lives and budget and without need for pensionercalledanambulance. $733.6B, producing assets worth incorporatedinDelaware,USA. continues to advise citizens to government’sapproval. Gonsalves was pronounced $265.3B, right of use for drill rigs exercise caution and follow safety

Despite the wave of criticisms deadatthescene. and others totalling $203 1B Mahaica sisters burnt measures to avoid home fires. and even its own members calling Investigationsareongoing. EEPGL financials were signed off to death in house fire Additionally, children should be the contract, the worst on the by the company’s head, Alistair educated on the dangers of fire planet, government has refused to Thursday- June 8, 2023 RoutledgeonMay17,2023. Two sisters lost their lives starters (matches and lighters) and renegotiate the deal. It has argued As for Hess Corporation, the tragically on Wednesday afternoon warned about their use. DO NOT that doing so would kill the In two years… partner with a 30 percent stake in after their Lot 60-61 Belmont, leave children unattended or at momentum of the industry and Exxon, partners took the Stabroek Block said its total Mahaica, East Coast Demerara home without adult supervision. open the administration to a wave out $347B for depreciation assets were worth $679.6B in 2021 homewentupinflames. Keep children away from the oflawsuits. and amortization, while and moved to $904.9B in 2022. In The two children have been cooking area, and ensure matches Guyana for the same terms of depreciation, depletion identified as three-year-old and lighters are out of their reach at Pensioner kills intruder period received the exact and amortization, it recovered Shameena Hardat and nine-year- all times. Equip your homes with amount in royalties, profits $78.8B in 2022 and $20.9B in old Anamika Hardat. Information fire prevention and firefighting

A pensioner on Monday night

—Guyana still to see audit of 2021, giving a total of $99.7B in reaching this publication revealed devices like smoke detectors and reportedly killed a man who companies’asset register twoyears. that the fire started just around fire extinguishers; these will aid in allegedly entered his Chalmers China National Offshore Oil 13:00hrs yesterday and quickly alerting to a fire and putting it out Place and Brickdam, Georgetown ExxonMobil Corporation Corporation (CNOOC) said its gutted the two-storey building quickly,”thestatementconcluded. homewithouthispermission. through its subsidiary, Esso Guyana assets totaled $626.7B in which at the time had only the two Meanwhile, as investigation

The dead man has been Exploration and Production 2021 and 841.3B in 2022 while girls inside.After hearing screams, continues, the children’s mother identified as 31-year-old Guyana Limited (EEPGL) along depreciation, depletion and residents from the area rushed to said that on Wednesday sometime Christopher Gonsalves called with its partners in the Stabroek amortization recovered stood at the scene to help extinguish the around 11:00hrs, she had left home ‘White boy’ of Lot 291 Block, recovered $347B for $18.9B in 2021 and $57.1B in blaze but could not reach the and went to the Cove and John Independence Boulevard, depreciation and the amortization 2022. This gives a total of $76B. children in time as the fire quickly Police Station to uplift child Georgetown. of assets from 2021 to 2022. In the Exxon and partners have therefore spreadthroughthebuilding. support for her children but was

Police are calling his killing an same period, Guyana made just recovered $347B for the 2021 to In a statement, the Guyana Fire toldtoreturnonThursday Shesaid alleged murder and has named the approximately $347B in royalties 2022period.Accordingtothe2016 Service said it received a call at that after that, she went to pensioner and another man as andprofit. StabroekBlockProductionSharing 13:07hrsandwasalertedtothefire. Georgetown to purchase school prime suspects Both the men For a breakdown of the costs Agreement (PSA), Guyanese Water tender #106 and crew from supplies for them, when she got the reportedlysustainedinjuriesduring recovered by Exxon and its authorities have the right to be the Mahaica Fire Station was call that her house was on fire. an alleged knife scuffle with the partners, Kaieteur News reviewed present, at least once annually, immediately dispatched to the According to the grieving woman, intruder and are presently under the financial statements for the wheninventoriesarebeingdoneon location. The building involved she could not believe what she was police guard at the Georgetown companieswhichformpartofcourt the companies’ assets to ensure was a two-storey wooden and told and asked the caller to help out PublicHospitalCorporation. documents recently filed by inflated sums are not being concrete building owned by Ayube thefiresinceshewasinthecityand

One of the men, however, is EEPGL EEPGL recovered recovered. Guyanese are notably in Mohamed Khan and occupied by couldnotreachthereintime. alleging that he was watching $132 7B and $38 8B in the dark about the company’s 79-year-old Zaman Khan and his She related that the two girls television when he heard screams depreciationandamortizationcosts register as well as if authorities family of eleven. According to the were left home alone, but the yard from his bedroom. He got up and for 2022 and 2021 respectively haveutilizedthisinspectionrightin Fire Service, the cause of the fire is had two other apartments - one went to see what had happened bringingthetotalto$171.5Bintwo thecontract. undetermined at this time and housing her brother and his family causing someone to scream and years. Its total assets are valued at According to the financials, investigations are being carried out and the other, her father The was reportedly confronted by $2.3 trillion. This amount includes EEPGL was incorporated in by the Fire Prevention Department. woman said her brother was home Gonsalvesinthekitchen. intangible assets, wells and Bahamas on October 16, 1998. It As a result of the fire, the building andcouldnotsaywhatmighthave

He claimed that the man was facilities, Liza production assets, was then registered in Guyana on anditscontentsweredestroyedand (Continued on page 59)

Three-year-old Shameena Hardat and nine-year-old Anamika Hardat

From page 58 passenger to get off but a caused the fire On gunman emerged from the Wednesday morning, she bushesandattackedDouglas said she had sent her two in the driver’s seat.Ascuffle sons to school. She said one ensued between them ofthetwogirlswhoperished Douglas managed to fight had a disability The woman the gunman off and exited recalled that earlier in the the car, pushing him back day before tragedy struck, towards the bushes but as he she had carried her two girls struggled to do so, gunshots totakeouttheirpassportsize wereheard. photographs since the little Douglas was then seen 3-year-old one was about to retreating and staggered startschoolinSeptember back to his car where he fell to the ground. The gunman

Friday – June 9, 2023 immediately entered Douglas’ car and drove off Exxon ordered to lodge with the passenger still US$2B parent guarantee seated inside. According to within 10 days - but Court the video seen, occupants of of Appeal stays Justice ahouseranoutjustintimeto Kissoon’s order for see the carjackers escaping company to provide theenvironment. heard by the full Court of withDouglas’car an affidavit inter alia said development and also the unlimited guarantee They noted that “an oil Appealpanel. One of them was heard that he was advised that the private sector which for oil spills by Saturday spill would be devastating Initsappeal,theEPAhad saying, “Jesus Christ dem grave disruption to the supports the activities on the for our country and Region said that the trial court erred kill the man” while another national economy coupled saidLiza1and2fields.

Appellate Judge Rishi as many Guyanese and in law in interpretation, added“arobbery,demhijack with the good prospect of Persaud on Thursday Caribbean peoples depend c o n s i d e r a t i o n a n d the car, is two a dem”. They success of the Appeal is Army officer shot dead ordered ExxonMobil to on the ocean for their application of the combined thenproceededtocallpolice. sufficient for the court to fighting off carjackers provide Guyana with a livelihoods. That is why we effect of Clause 14 of the Police stated that grant of a stay of execution

US$2B parent company have decided that the time Environmental Permit Douglas was found in a pool of the order and judgment of An officer of the Guyana guaranteewithinthenextten has come to take matters to issued to EEPGL, and of blood with two wounds theHighCourt. Defence Force (GDF) was days or its operating licence thecourtforrelief.” erroneously concluded that onetohisheadanothertohis Parsram said that the on Wednesday night shot willbesuspended. Kissoon had handed the financial assurance must chest. Detectives have so far court orders are quite dead while trying to fight off

Justice Persaud made the down a strongly worded be provided by EEPGL. The learnt that Douglas worked coercive; including its two carjackers from stealing orderwhenhedecidedputon decision as to why the oil EPA argued that the trial as part time taxi driver with mandatetotheEPAtoservea his car at North Ruimveldt, hold the suspension order subsidiary must provide court erred in law and Alladin Taxi Service located statutory notice on EEPGL, Georgetown. issued by High Court Judge, adequate financial assurance m i s c o n s t r u e d t h e at La Grange and was lured and if no adequate response Dead is Lieutenant Sandil Kissoon against byitsparentcompanyExxon Environmental Protection to his death by the passenger is received then the permit Rondel Anthony Douglas, E x x o n M o b i l ’s E s s o Mobil to cater for all the Act and its Regulations to seen seated in the front seat standssuspended.According 32, Of Bagotsville West Exploration and Product damages to the environment determinethattheAppellant, besidehim. to the EPA Head, the Bank Demerara (WBD), an Limited (EEPGL) to provide in the event of a blowout or a statutory body had specific Police were told that the judgment will have severe officer attached to the GDF Guyana with unlimited massive spill in the Guyana statutory powers which in carjackerhadgonetothetaxi consequences and the Coast Guard. According to parent company guarantee oilfield. factitdidnot. base earlier that evening directionoftheCourthasthe police Douglas was shot by June 10, 2023 or its According to Justice The EPA argued too that posing as a customer He effect of removing entirely dead around 22:30 hrs at licence will be suspended. Kissoon, the EPA as the the trial court erred in law hired Douglas to take him to thediscretionoftheagency Cul-de-Sac Street, North

Theoilmajorhasindicatedit statutory regulatory body and misconstrued the North Ruimveldt where he He noted Guyana as a Ruimveldt,Georgetown. will not be able to provide failed to enforce condition substance and effect and had his accomplice waiting nation now earns billions of Security cameras such a guarantee and the 14 of the permit which it wrongly ascribed to it an at the end of the cul-de-sac dollars annually from the mounted on nearby Environmental Protection granted to the oil subsidiary, interpretation superior to the street to rob Douglas of his petroleum activities buildings showed Douglas Agency (EPA) and the oil Esso which stipulates the Environmental Protection vehicle. conducted on the Liza 1 and turning around his white company appealed the need for an unlimited Act and thereby ascribed Police are currently Liza2fields;botharesubject Fielder Wagon at the end of matter During the appeal liability Parent Company meaning to it which was huntingthetwomen. to the permit suspension or the Cul-de-Sac with a they asked for a stay of the GuaranteeAgreementand/or expressly contrary to the Meanwhile, the GDF in cancellation which will have passenger seated in the front suspension order as it could unlimited liability Affiliate specific provisions of the statement said that it mourns a catastrophic effect on seat beside him. He backed be disastrous to the country Company Guarantee, to saidActanditsRegulations. withDouglas’wife,daughter n a t i o n a l f u n d s f o r up the car probably for the as well as the oil company cover and keep protected Further, the EPA and the rest of his family for After hearing arguments the Government of Guyana submitted that the trial court the tragic loss of his life.The from both sides, Justice and the Agency against all erred in law in directing and soldier reportedly enlisted Persaud delivered his such environmental determining the exact with GDF on February 15, judgment on Thursday The obligations within the manner of the exercise of the 2012 and was a graduate of stay of the suspension order Stabroek block, together discretion of the EPA in a the Standard Officer Course will be in force until the with Environmental liability manner contrary to 44. At the time of his death, hearinganddeterminationof insurance as is customary in established law and practice. he was pursuing a degree in thefullappealcase. international petroleum In effect, the EPA said that computer Science at the

The appeal case is industry, in accordance with the trial court substituted its University of Guyana. GDF premised on the decision of the conditions listed in the own discretion as the describesitfallensoldierasa Justice Kissoon in an permit from an insurance decisionoftheEPAwhenthe dedicated officer who last application filed in the High company standing and Agency at all material times, served as Aide-De-Camp to Court on September 13 by repute that equates to Grade had exercised its discretion Chief of Staff Brigadier, Attorneys Seenath Jairam, A Plus as envisaged by and acted well within it GodfreyBess. SC, Melinda Janki, and Condition 14:05 of the statutory and regulatory

In a Facebook post, the Abiola Wong-Inniss. In the permit. A failure to comply powers. As a result, the EPA officer’s wife, Candace case, Guyanese activists, with the order, the judge said had applied for a stay of Douglas wrote: “For my Godfrey Whyte and would have resulted in the execution of the judgment of friends who know me Frederick Collins said that permit being suspended the Court as it contends that Knows how much a part of their resort to the court is to Thursday’s decision touched irreparable harm would be my life Rondel has been. He make sure that the company onlyonthesuspensionorder, suffered by the nation’s has been my constant takes full financial which has since been put on economy throughout the years, my responsibility in case of hold,butthesubstantivecase Meanwhile, Director of friend,mysoldier,myguy, harm, loss, and damage to will go forward and is to be the EPA, Kemraj Parsram in

Killed while fighting off carjackers, Lieutenant Rondel Anthony Douglas.

(Continued on page 60)

Appeal Judge Rishi Persaud

ExxonMobil’s Guyana Country Manager, Alistair Routledge

From page 59

invest in new and existing projects, dollars On top of this, my love. And even when things securing affordable and reliable documentation to this effect is then weren’tpeachesandpie...he’dlook domestic energy supply and provided to the US based company meinmyeyesandsay...Candy,I’m protecting some of the 215,000 allowing it to not have to pay any not going anywhere. I’m in for the Britishjobsthesectorsupports. taxes in its home country for its long haul, we took a vow and till

The UK government said it is earnings overseas Guyana’s death do us part Bruh bruh! taking concrete steps to accelerate Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres Bruhhhhhhhhhhhh! Don’t let us home-grown sources of energy to (26,800 square kilometers) and has part just yet. We are only now reducetheUK’srelianceonforeign approximately 11 billion proven beginning a new chapter of our imports. barrels of oil. EEPGL holds 45 livestogether.”

Gareth Davies MP, Exchequer percent interest in the Block. Hess Secretary to the Treasury, said: “It Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30

Saturday – June 10, 2023 is right that we recover excess percent interest, and CNOOC profits resulting from Putin’s war Petroleum Guyana Limited holds

US$100M removed from and use the money to help people 25percentinterest.

Treasury for Gas-to-Energy with their energy bills. Thanks to For the third-quarter of 2022, project –VPJagdeo the revenue raised from windfall Exxon announced that its overall taxes on energy profits, we will earnings was a record-shattering

Vice President, Dr Bharrat have helped save the typical US$19.7 billion – whereas Hess Jagdeo revealed this week that household £1,500 on their energy reported that it earned a net income US$100M of taxpayer dollars have billbyJuly.” of US$515 million and CNOOC been withdrawn from the country’s dangerously vulnerable to its that the levy was put in place to tax Yesterday,theGovernmentalso recordingUS$5.1billion. Treasury to finance the Gas-to- shocks,toanextentnotfacedbythe extraordinary profits made by publishedthetermsofreferencefor Recently, Kaieteur News Energyproject. developedworld. industry following record high the oil and gas fiscal regime review reportedthatExxonanditspartners

While addressing questions

Construction on the Gas-to- prices of oil and gas driven by that was announced at the Autumn made a handsome profit from the about the funding for the project, Energy project is set to begin this Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Statement. The review will focus Stabroek Block last year totalling Dr Jagdeo noted that the year, with CH4-Lindsayca levy has raised around £2.8 billion on how the tax regime can support GYD$1 23 trillion (US$5 9B), government is seeking a loan from handling the natural gas-fired (US$3.5 billion) to date, since the the country’s energy security and untaxed. This is more than double the United States Export-Import power plant and natural gas liquids introduction last year and is our net-zero commitments, while whatGuyanahasreceivedsincethe Bank (EXIM) and explicitly plant, and the ExxonMobil expectedtoraisealmost£26billion ensuring the country retains a fair creation of its Natural Resource mentioned that it is not seeking any subsidiary, Esso Exploration and by March 2028 – helping to fund return in exchange for the use of its Fund in 2020. As of April, Guyana grant funding. He said the project Production Guyana Limited themeasurestohelpwiththecostof resources when responding to any has received some US$2.4B in costs about US$760M. Out of this (EEPGL), handling the pipeline. living, such as the Energy Price futurepriceshocks. profit oil and royalty from the amount, US$100M has been The pipeline alone is expected to Guarantee.

On the local front, Guyana has StabroekBlockoperations. disbursed from the Treasury as a cost more than US$1 billion While the levy included an found itself in a conundrum where According to the 2022 down payment, leaving the Guyana will also have to find investment allowance to encourage it is foregoing more than it earns. financials for Exxon’s subsidiary remaining balance government money to pay Exxon back for this firmstocontinuetoinvestinoiland Exxon’s affiliate Esso Exploration and operator for the block, Esso hopeswillcomefromEXIM. investment. It hopes to do this with gas extraction in the UK, industry and Production Guyana Ltd Exploration and Production Theinclusionofthissubstantial revenues from the sale of natural has warned that companies are (EEPGL), is the operator of the Guyana Limited (EEPGL), it loan from EXIM will further gasliquids(NGL). cutting back on investment. This country’s richest oil block earned $577 7B in profits, a burden Guyana’s debt profile KaieteurNewsunderstandsthat puts the long-term future of the (Stabroek Block) and continues to substantial increase over its 2021 However, while discussing the the Gas-to-Energy is a project aims UK’s domestic supply at risk, enjoy tax-free earnings owing to earnings totalling $132B. Hess country’s management of debt, to reduce Guyana’s energy costs meaning we would be forced to the Production Sharing Agreement Corporation’s 2022 profit was Jagdeo made the case that the while increasing competitiveness import more from abroad at a time (PSA)Guyanasignedontowiththe listed as $322.7B while CNOOC country’s current debt-to-GDP inothersectors. when reliable and affordable oilmajor was$329.8B. ratioisverylow energy is a focus for families and According to the 2016 PSA, Even though the contract

While he emphasized that the UK oil and gas tax to remain businesses.

Guyana has agreed to, under the Guyana signed onto with country has historically managed at 75% for the next five years In response to this, the taxation provisions, to pay ExxonMobil is lopsided, the deal its debt prudently and highlighted – Gov’t. …Within a year levy Government on Friday announced E x x o n M o b i l ’s s h a r e o f remains untouched as the the absence of variable interest raised US$3.5B to date an Energy Security Investment Corporation and Income Tax. As government continues to approve loans, it is crucial to consider the Mechanism to give the oil and gas such it would mean, that Guyana more of Exxon’s US-multi billion long-term consequences of such While ExxonMobil Guyana sector certainty to raise capital and foregoes each year, billions of US projectsintheStabroekBlock. significant borrowing While and its partners Hess Corporation investments in infrastructure, such and CNOOC, continue to enjoy as roads and power plants, are tax-free profits in Guyana – the necessary for development, there United Kingdom Government has mustbecarefulconsiderationofthe decided that the energy profits levy capacity to repay these loans that it introduced last year, which without jeopardising the country’s puts a marginal tax rate of 75% on economicwell-being. North Sea oil and gas production,

The Vice President had said willremaininplaceforthenextfive during a previous press conference years while oil and gas prices that government is borrowing with remainhigherthanhistoricnorms. the expectation that it will be However, it was explained that capable of repaying these debts in the rate will fall back to 40% when thefuture. pricesconsistentlyreturntonormal

“…So it’s a combination of levelsforasustainedperiod. spending what we have, and a Kaieteur News had reported judicious set of borrowing, where that the Russia-Ukraine war has we know based on future capacity sent oil prices soaring and wecanrepay”,Jagdeohadsaid. triggering a cost-of-living crisis in Jagdeo noted that, in many countries, including Britain. comparison, European countries Amid the war, oil and gas and the United States have very companies have been seeing high debt-to-GDP ratios, typically record-shattering profits and as around 100% However, the such, many governments have difference between those countries introducedawindfalltaxonthebig and Guyana is that much of profits to alleviate the cost-ofGuyana’s GDPis constituted by oil living crisis and balance their production. The volatility of this economy industry leaves Guyana’s economy The UK Government explained

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo

Bids open for construction of five new secondary schools

Bids have been opened for the construction of five new secondary schools across the country. New Schools are scheduled to be built at Kwebana and Hosororo in Region One, Jawalla in Region Seven, Kopinang in Region Eight and Tuschen in Region Three.

The Ministry of Education has been allocated some $12.4M in the national budget to construct, rehabilitate, extend and maintain educational facilities across the country.

At the opening of the tenders, it was revealed that $2,031,131,740 has been estimated to construct the Kwebana Secondary School while, $1,988,746,793 is estimated to build Kopinag, $2,557,775,186 for Hosororo Secondary, $2,059,401,971 for the Jawalla Secondary School and $978,699,070 for the Tuschen Secondary School.

According to the Ministry’s invitation for bids,

contractors were invited to bid for six lots under each school project. These lots include site development works, superstructure works for the school buildings, dormitories and teachers’ quarter, to execute electrical works, sanitation and plumbing works.

Kaieteur News had reported that the schools are being built as the government seeks to achieve universal secondary education in the country.

Additionally, the schools will be equipped with laboratories, an information technology (IT) lab, and a library among other important amenities. Already sites have been identified where these schools will be built in their respective regions.

The government said it remains committed to increasing access to education across all levels, with $94.4 billion allocated to the education sector this year.

Manganese Company must adhere to commitments....

From page 20 somehow they [Chinese] believe that… BOSAI believes that the commitments no longer hold but the commitments have to be met because they had quite a bit of concessions granted to them,” Jagdeo said.

The VP related that his government is not only going to meet with company on one issue that is affecting the residents but several commitments that it has failed to meet.

In Sept ember 2021, a dam and access road to a community at Lower Pakera, Matthews Ridge was completely washed away.

It was reported back then by media that “a koker blocked by GMI had broken away causing flood-

ing to the main access roads, to a number of nearby farms, and had caused several residents to seek refuge in trees, as they waited for the waters to recede”.

GMI had promised to assess the situat ion but it took them one year to attempt building back the dam.

In August 2022, the company erected a concrete structure and partially re paired the dam but it broke away again.

Since then, the company did no fur ther works on the dam and has simply ab andoned the reservoir and built another one to continue its operations while the residents of Lower Pa kera continue to struggle with a broken dam.

Ministry of Education

Construction of Kopinang Secondary S chool, Region Eight for lots 1 to 6.

Construction of Hosororo Secondary School, Region One, Lots 1 to 6.

Construction of Kwebana Secondary School, Region One for lots 1 to 6.

Construction of Jawalla Secondary School, Region Seven lots 1 to 6.

Construction of modern school building/ complex to house 800 students at Tuschen, West Coast Demerara.

WANTED VACANCY

Canter Drivers needed, must have car, van & lorry license and atleast 3 yrs experience. Call: 644-7088/ 624-7248.

Hauler Drivers required, must have atleast 3 years experience. Call: 644-7088/ 6247248.

One able- bodied male or female to work in a store. Call: 225-2313, 226-1497.

Domestic/ Maid needed.

Preferably living on East Coast, must know to iron. Call: 653-0311 for more info.

Wanted! Male & Female workers for packaging pasta and sweets, required to work shift hours. Call: 611-7839.

Looking for a honest & reliable person for general cleaning, ages 40 years & older. Call: 227-2321.

Wanted Diesel Mechanic, attractive salary offered. Call: 223-5273/74, 6880417.

Driver needed, must have lorry licence. Call: 2235273/ 74, 621-5907.

Domestic and Cook needed. Call: 223-5273/74.

Cook needed to work at restaurant in Charity. Call: 223-5273/ 74, 688-0417.

Lathe Operator, Welder and Handyman needed at Good Hope on the East Coast. Call: 645-9333.

One Domestic worker/ Maid required to work 2 times per week in Kitty. For more info Call: 613-7651/ 649-3783.

Skilled Carpenters, Masons & Labourers needed. Call: 602-9469, 660-6385/ 6257642.

Live-in or live-out Domestic needed. Must be honest & mature. Call: 623-6383.

Labourers needed for wood concession. Call: 626-0936.

One Cook needed to work in the Interior. Call: 684-1030.

Sailor and Operator needed to work on a water dredge. Call: 627-9945, 675-0587.

Night Guard needed to work Hillfoot Soeskdyke and Ogle. Call: 627-9945, 675-0587.

Fully furnished 2 bedrooms apartment in Albert Street, Alberttown. Preferably students, no smoking and no pets allowed. Call 231-5695/ 611-9134.

Vacancy exists for 2 Sales Staff at Innovations America. Call: 226-9416/ 679-7391.

Kitchen Assistant, Supervisor, Chef and Salesperson needed. Call: 659-5559.

One Salesman, cxc subjects, experience in writing bills, stocktaking & cashing. Apply at Keyfood Mc Doom village next to the post office.

Vacancy exists for a Lorry Driver, driver must have a valid licence. Call: 675-9157/ 656-2130.

Vacancy exists for 1 Jr book Clerk to work at Innovations America. Contact Andy: 226-9416/ 679-7391.

Receptionist, Desk Staff, Laundry Attendant & Security Guard needed at 233, South Road Lacytown, ages 25-50 years old. Call: 2252304.

Driver needed, must be able to assist in workshop at Eccles, ages 23-50 years, car/ van licence. Call: 615-9132/ 645-8443.

Stock Clerk, Waiter/ Waitress, Cook & restaurant Supervisor needed. Apply at Regency Suites/ Hotel, 98 Hadfield Street, Werk-enRust G/Town. Call: 683-6471, hotelregency3@yahoo.com

Vacancy for a night Cleaner man. Call: 637-6700.

Now hiring Housekeeper/ Babysitter, ages 25-40 years. Must begreat with kids and can cook. Call: 618-3892.

Vacancy for Cashiers, Sales Clerk, Porters & Cleaners. Apply in person to Alabama Trading at 65 Robb street Bourda.

SERVICES

Visa Application to Canada and U.S.A, graphics design, advertisements,USA passport application forms & i130 application. Call: 6267040.

Elevate your brand with our professional Graphic design services. Call: 619-0007, 629-5526.

For all land clearance (grubbing), sand fill, housing plan and estimates. Call K. Lakeram Building Contractor: 692-8464 or whatsApp: 622-0267.

FOR RENT

Three bedroom furnished apartment & one bedroom in Providence for rent. Call: 6046664, 682- 6238 or 216-2299.

One,1 bedroom apartment for rent in Diamond Housing Scheme. Call: 708-0283.

France warns Iran on drone deliveries to Russia

Reuters - French President Emmanuel Macron warned Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi on Saturday about the consequences of delivering drones to Russia, Macron’s office said on Saturday.

In a phone call, Macron urged Iran to “immediately cease” the support it is giving Russia in the war against Ukraine.

Macron also expressed concerns about the trajectory of the Iranian nuclear programme, the statement said.

Britain, France, Germany, the United States and Ukraine say the supply of Iranianmade drones to Russia violates a 2015 U.N. Security Council resolution enshrining the Iran nuclear deal.

The White House said on Friday that Russia appeared to be deepening its defense cooperation with Iran and had received hundreds of one-way attack drones that it is using to strike Ukraine.

From page 53

that she has talent and skills that can go a far way.

According to her, they were the ones who encouraged her with the idea of starting this venture.

With ‘Everything Crafty’ being in existence for over two years now, Gordon related that “My business al-

mination and creativity.”

She also shared that being in the small business world can sometimes be brutal but the support she has been receiving from family, friends and even strangers has been amazing.

ety by extension,” she commented. She is of the view that a lot can be done locally to help boost small businesses such as supporting these ventures which can help them grow.

FOR SALE

Three land in Rose Hall, Corentyne. Contact Bobby Reality: 679 2497.

Large Seaside Land in New Amsterdam measuring 1000 ft x 211 ft. Contact Bobby Reality: 679 2497.

House and Land for sale in Princetown, New Amsterdam, Berbice. Contact Bobby Reality: 679 2497.

Two storey building with large Concrete bond on two lots in Cumberland East Canje. Contact Bobby Reality: 679 2497.

Mixed breed pups, vaccinated and dewormed. Call: 632-0350.

Ready made school uniform from Timheri to Yarakabra. Call: 669-9258/ 686-0005.

FOR RENT

Business place for rent at Vreed-en-hoop junction. Call: 603-6400.

One bottom flat and storage space available in Vreed-enHoop suitable for clinics, salon/ barber shop, taxi service, office, etc. Call: 683-4281.

One large Upper Flat situated at Cumberland, East Canje Berbice. Ideal for restaurant and other businesses. 65ft x 44 ft. Contact Bobby Reality: 679 2497.

School & lady's bag, pot sets and vinylay, wholesale and retail at Stabroek Brazzar, Bourda. Call: 669-9258/ 6860005.

Pure breed German Shepard puppies for sale. Call: 6153595/ 665-9140.

Pure breed German shepherd pups for sale. Call: 680-1828, 632-9022/ 639-4966.

Pure honey, wholesale and retail quantity. Call: 621-4273.

LAND FOR SALE

Prime land for sale at No. 78, Corriverton, excellent location for business. Call: +1 647-282-4646 / 690-4139.

“What started with wall décor developed into a wide range of customized products,” she related. Now her business offer items such as Polaroid frames and customized game boards just to name a few. When asked about her journey thus far, if there have been any challenges, Gordon related that having to make time for her business, studies and being at a full-time job can be a big challenge at times. But she has managed to overcome this “with the help of her family and friends as they pitch in to help prepare orders and even deliver when I can’t.”

“As a society, we can also give them a little grace as they are now growing and will fall short. We often times are quick to write them off but we stick with these big establishments that fail us multiple times,” she added.

For persons interested in reaching out to Gordon, they can contact her on WhatsApp on telephone number (592) 648 -7032 or on Instagram and Facebook at everything.crafty_

Very soon, persons may visit them at Safe Space which is located at the Courtyard Mall on Robb Street between Camp & Wellington.

VEHICLES FOR SALE

As it relates to the pandemic, she added that with the business started during that period, it influenced her operations in a positive rather than a negative way.

With a lot yet to explore with her business, Gordon revealed that moving forward, she one day hopes to have her very own gift shop and a brand that when persons think gifting, they think “everything crafty”.

TOURS

When asked what responsibilities young entrepreneurs have on society, she mentioned that they bring new ideas and innovations to our local business industry.

“I think young entrepreneurs bring a fresh perspective and new innovations to the business world and soci-

Suriname tour "Bold Caricom weekend trip" to Suriname. June 30th (Fri) - July 3rd (Mon),2023. Call: 639-2663/ 673-2348.

One CRV Honda, $3.3M negotiable and 1 Toyota Allion, $3.350 M, fully loaded immaculate condition, low mileage . Contact: 649-0956.

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during a meeting with rescue forces at the Haute-Savoie prefecture, the day after several children and adults were injured in a knife attack at the Le Paquier park near the lake in Annecy, in the French Alps, France, June 9, 2023. REUTERS/ Denis Balibouse/Pool

‘Everything Crafty’, the place to shop... lows me to express my deter-

President of Brazil interested in Petrobras coming to Guyana - Jagdeo

Recently, Guyana's

Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, revealed that President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who not too long ago took back leadership of the country, is very interested in Petrobras having a place in Guyana'soilsector

"President [Irfaan] Ali spoke with President Lula and he was [in Brazil]. So I didspeakto[Lula]brieflyon thephone.

PresidentAli mentioned to me that the President of Brazil is very much interested in Petrobras' participationhere.

I don't know in what form that will happen, but he's

very interested in it.” said JagdeolastThursday Petrobras, Brazil's staterun oil company, had opted out of bidding for oil blocks in Guyana's auction due to other plans it has, to undertake drilling off the coastofBrazil. When asked whether the decision not to bid here had anything to do with the Venezuela border issue, Jagdeosaidno. Jagdeo stated that during a conversation with Petrobras officials at CERAWeek in Houston,itwasclearthatthe energy giant was deeply engaged in its own exploration efforts in the Atlantic waters, just east of

Guyana.

The officials, he said, conveyed their excitement over their seismic findings and optimism that the same success Exxon has in Guyana,wouldbereplicated intheirterritory

While Petrobras' current focus is on their own offshore drilling, Guyana is seeking closer relations with Brazil, including a road link. With Guyana's definite interest in a stronger energy relationship as well, Petrobras could come to Guyanaoneday

However, Jagdeo is not sure in what capacity There is also the government-togovernment partnerships

JagdeoandPresidentAlihad d i s c u s s e d , f o r t h e development of certain oil blocks.Guyanacouldlearna thing or two from Brazil, good and bad. Guyana is a newcomer, while Brazil, through Petrobras, has decades of experience in deep-waterexploration.

However, the possible entrance of Petrobras into Guyana would require careful oversight given the company's troubled history The Brazilian company was at the center of one of the largest corruption scandals in history, known as the Carwash scandal, which beganin2014.

The Carwash (or "Lava

Jato" in Portuguese) investigation was initially a money-laundering probe but soon morphed into an extensive investigation into high-level corruption at Petrobras.

The scheme involved company executives, government officials, and l e a d i n g B r a z i l i a n companies.

The corruption resulted in billions of dollars in losses for Petrobras and a massive shake-up in Brazilian politics.

In the fallout, several were jailed, the company's reputation was severely tarnished, and the political landscape of Brazil changed

dramatically Petrobras has since worked to regain its status as a reputable company,throughreforms.

Given this history, Guyana, with its burgeoning oil and gas sector, would need to be vigilant should Petrobras begin operations there.

Lessons from the Carwash scandal should underline the importance of strict regulation, transparency, and the enforcement of anticorruptionmeasures. This would be a critical aspect of ensuring the integrity and sustainability of Guyana's growing oil sector

Ireland Women’s Tour of the West Indies 2023…

Five Guyanese among 18-member squad for training camp

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua –

The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Women’s Selection

Panel yesterday announced the preliminary squad of players who will participate in a training camp in preparation for the upcoming six-match Series against Ireland Women.

The training camp will be held at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia from 14 to 21 June, where the players will have training and fitness sessions as well as strategic preparations for the three-match CG United One Day International (ODI) Series. The CG United ODI Series will be played from 26 June to 1 July and is the West Indies Women’s third series in the ICC Women’s Champi-

onship, where the top five teams in the ten-team league qualify automatically for the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.

The preliminary squad includes a mix of experienced players and promising young talents. Cherry-Ann Fraser returns to add depth and experience to the team’s bowling attack after missing the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup due to injury. Left-handed allrounder Qiana Joseph, who last played international cricket in 2021, also returns to the training camp squad. She was among the leading players in the recent Women’s CG United Super50 Cup and the T20 Blaze played in St Kitts.

Several West Indies Rising Stars Under-19 players have been included in the preliminary squad. Zaida James,

Sunday June 11, 2023

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19)

Today your brain is supercharged, Aries. If you've been thinking about doing some writing or have put off analyzing a particularly tricky problem, this would be the perfect day to get started.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

With today's planetary energy, you'll find yourself a little more extraverted than usual, Taurus. You'll finally be able to say what you really think about things.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

Today you're unstoppable! You're a very hard worker by nature, and with the current planetary alignment you'll be able to accomplish even more than usual.

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

Discard those items from the past for which you really no longer have use. As much as you like to surround yourself with objects of sentimental value.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

Intimacy will be in the air over the next few days. Loved ones suddenly want to spend more time with you, and you'll want to invite friends over every night! By all means, do.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22)

Feeling unusually adventurous, Virgo? You're often motivated by your idealistic expectations, and the planetary configurations today .

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

The celestial energy signals a pleasant change for you today, Libra. Finally, the overpowering emotions that have been surging from your relationships will subside. You are now beginning a more contemplative phase.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

This is a good day to devote time and thought to spiritual pursuits, Scorpio. Do something inspirational that instills a sense of wonder deep in your soul.

SAGIT (Nov.22–Dec.21)

A new phase in your life is beginning, Sagittarius. The previous phase could be interpreted as having taught you to be serious and devoted to professional responsibilities.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

Today's aspects might clear up some rather sketchy ideas about your professional future, Capricorn. If you long for a change, such as daring to undertake a more artistic pursuit.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

You have acquired some sound confidence in yourself, Aquarius. Now it is time for you to show everyone else by actually putting it to use in your life.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

Today's planetary energy should compel you to commit certain acts of self-affirmation that are needed to define your territory and protect your rights.

Under-19s captain Ashmini

Munisar have all earned their place in the squad. Their inclusion reflects CWI’s commitment to developing younger talent and expanding the Women’s talent pool by providing opportunities for younger players to showcase their skills at the international level.

CWI’s Lead Selector for Women’s cricket Ann Browne-John said: “The series against Ireland is an important one for the West Indies Women as the team seeks to build points to qualify directly for the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. It also serves as a perfect opportunity to continue to expose younger players to international cricket. This was

a policy that the CWI embarked upon which resulted in Under 19 players being selected to the team for the England Series in December and the ICC T20 World Cup in February.”

Browne-John added:

“This is now being taken one step further and there are five players who participated in the ICC Women’s Under 19 T20 World Cup in January, now in the squad preparing for the series against Ireland. This means that there are some senior players who are not able to get a place in the squad at this time. The Selection Panel however believes that this squad has a good mix of youth and experience as we continue to build the West Indies team of the future.”

The Women’s Selection Panel will announce the official West Indies Women’s squad ahead of the threematch CG United ODI Series, with the T20I squad announced later.

Wi Women Training Squad: Hayley Matthews –Captain, Shemaine Campbelle - Vice Captain, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Chinelle Henry, Afy Fletcher, Cherry Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Jannillea Glasgow, Zaida James, Djenaba Joseph, Qiana Joseph, Mandy Mangru, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Shunelle Sawh, Stafanie Taylor and Rashada Williams

Full match schedule: All matches at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, St. Lucia

Monday 26 June: 1st CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)

Wednesday 28 June: 2nd CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)

Saturday 1 July: 3rd CG United ODI – 3pm (2pm Jamaica Time)

Tuesday 4 July: 1st T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)

Thursday 6 July: 2nd T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)

Saturday 8 July: 3rd T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)

National Racque...

From page 69 programme is what will develop our talents, and turn us into world class players. So I have every confidence that we have the ability, we have the talent, and now we have the facilities.” According to him, “It matters when, we see our athletes internationally or we see our players going to another country to compete. We deserve more. We know we deserve more. We can achieve more and we will because we must.”

Jannillea Glasgow, Djenaba Joseph, Shunelle Sawh, and

West Indies women’s team in training. (CWI Media)

2023 ExxonMobil Boys & Girls U14 Championships…

Finalists to be decided today

Newchampiontobecrownedinbothdivisions

The semifinalists

o f t h e

ExxonMobil Boys and Girls Under-14 Football Championships will spring into action today at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground, to see who advances to the fourth edition of their respective finales.

After yesterday’s quarterfinal round in the Girls’ Division, Tucville, President’s College, Waramuri Top and Bartica claimed their spots in the semifinalround.

FortheBoys,BushLot, Waramuri Top, Bartica and New Central High cemented their spots as semifinalists On Saturday, the most effective win of theGirls’quarterfinalstage wenttoWaramuriTop,who blasted the defending champion out of the competition with a 13 – 0 result They were led by Aaliyah Henry’s helmettrick and Mechalle Williams’ hat-trick as doubles from Mnemosyne Peters and Jada LaCruz

along with Soanna Booker’ssingleandanown goal from the opposition

spelled agony for Charlestown for the entire encounter

Tucville produced an immaculate performance to win 6 – 1 against Ann’s Grove while President’s Collegekeptittidywitha3–

0 triumph over Marian Academy The other finaleightshowdownsawBartica produce a dominant performance to reign supreme against New CentralHigh,9-0. In the Boys’ Division, Bush Lot was the first team into the final four with a commanding 6 – 3 win over Chase’s Academic Foundation,whileWaramuri Top stood firm to defeat Patentiaonpenaltykicks,5–4 Bartica persevered to s u c c e e d a g a i n s t Christianburg/Wismar,1–0, as the other quarterfinal match saw New Central High play well to trounce Westminster,4–0.

Atstakeforthevictorsin the two categories are the championship trophies along with $300,000 towards a school project, while the second, third, and fourth place finishers will have to settlefor$150,000,$75,000, a n d $ 5 0 , 0 0 0 , respectively,allforaschool initiative, along with the respectivetrophy

This tournament is sanctioned by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) with support from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), Guyana Shore Base Inc (GYSBI)andMVPSports.

Kick-off time today is noon(12:00hrs).

Bush Lot Secondary Goal Scorers (from left): Quaency Fraser, Trevor Eastman and Gary Blair

World Test Championship final: India’s Virat Kohli stands between Australia and title

(BBC Sport) - Australia are on course to be crowned world Test champions but mustafindawaypastIndia’s ViratKohliiftheyaretowin thefinalatTheOval.

Setaworld-record444to win, India reached 164-3 at the close on day four, with Kohliinimperioustouchfor his 44 not out and Ajinkya Rahaneunbeatenon20.

India earlier slipped to 91-3 after Cameron Green was controversially adjudged to have caught ShubmanGillandastandof 51 between Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara ended with both falling for theadditionofonerun.

On a glorious evening, with India’s passionate fans delighting at every addition to the scoreboard, Australia ended needing seven more wickets, India another 280 runs.

Australiaearlierdeclared theirsecondinningson2708 an hour after lunch, with wicketkeeperAlexCarey66 notout.

There is a reserve day scheduled for Monday if time is lost to bad weather, but the forecast for Sunday suggeststherewillbeample timetodeterminethesecond world Test champions, after NewZealandtwoyearsago.

Ifthereisnotimelostand the game is drawn on the fifthday,AustraliaandIndia willsharethetitle.

Can King Kohli deny Australia? Australia have formforbeingonthewrong end of epic run chases, both in this country and against India. Four years ago they werestunnedbyBenStokes’ heroicsatHeadingleyandin 2021 Rishabh Pant inspired India to a famous chase in Brisbane that sealed a series win Realistically, India remain huge underdogs, but it is to their credit that they

have kept the contest alive going into the final day, especially after Australia controlled most of the first two.

The India support that dominatesmuchofTheOval grew in excitement during the Rohit-Pujara stand, only forbelieftobepuncturedby the strikes of Nathan Lyon andPatCummins.

WhilethereisKohli,there ishope,andtheformercaptain has the opportunity to add anotherchaptertohisstoried career by leading India to their first world title in any formatsince2011.

But, surely this task is beyondeventhekingofIndian cricket,anditwillbeAustralia who begin the Ashes series on Friday as the world Test champions.

LyonandCumminsstrike crucialblows

One of the most concerning parts of the evening from an Australian point of view was how a previously devilish pitch appeared to have gone to sleep. With little happening, they successfully lobbied to have the ball replaced after justsixovers.

Rohit and Gill had added 41 in only seven overs when GillpokedatScottBolandand Green swooped to take the hotly-debatedcatch.

Undeterred, Rohit continued to pull with authority,whilePujaraplayed withhigh-elbowedclass

Butinoff-spinnerLyon’s first over, Rohit missed a sweep and a review could not reverse the on-field lbw decision. In the next over, Pujara tried to uppercut Cummins and feathered to Carey

Kohlihadfacedonlyone ballonthearrivalofRahane, whodidnotfieldafterbeing repeatedly struck on the handwhilemaking89inthe

firstinnings.

WithRahaneplayingthe supportingrole,Kohlieased into his trademark midwicketclipsand,bytheend, their partnership was worth 71.

DebateoverGreengrab

Green has a reputation for superbgullycatches-hetooka blinder on Friday - but the controversyoverthislatestgrab causedthebiggesttalkingpoint over the day With lightning reactions, Green extended his lefthanddowntoscooptheball awayfromtheturf Gillstoodhis groundandTVumpireRichard Kettleborough was asked to examinereplays

When Kettleborough adjudged that Green had got fingersundertheball,theboosof India’sfansturnedtoachantof “cheat, cheat, cheat” Rohit slapped his pad with his bat as Gilldraggedhimselfoff

It was not the first memorablemomentGreenhad beeninvolvedinonSaturdayHe was earlier bowled in bizarre fashion by left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, trying to kick theballaway,onlyforittodeflect off his gloves on to the stumps.Thatwaspartofsome slow Australia progress in the morning session. From 123-4 overnight,theyadded78before lunch, with Marnus Labuschagneedgingtofirstslip for41.Careywaspositiveafter lunch,adding93in20overswith Starc,whomade41 WhenIndia tookthesecondnewball,Starc edgedtofirstslipandCummins sliced to point, both off Mohammed Shami, and Australiadeclared

Match details: Day 4stumps;Australia469(Head 163,Smith121;Siraj4-108) & 270-8 dec (Carey 66; Jadeja 3-58) versus India 296 (Rahane 89, Thakur 51; Cummins 3-83) & 164-3 (Kohli 44*) -Australia need seven wickets, India need 280runs

Pat Cummins joins Cameron Green and Nathan Lyon in celebrations (Getty Images)

Horseracing fraternity’s legislation can help Sport’s proper administration

BySamuelWhyte

AsItakeanotherswipeat the horse racing fiasco engulfing the nation at the moment, it is the hope of all that the passage of the longawaited Legislation will be donesoon.

Beingprivytoseeacopy of the Drafted Legislation presentedtothegovernment and a copy of the Rules of Racing, I will continue to havemysay

Awell-draughtcopywas compiled decades ago and presented to the Minister of Sport for the necessary action.

That document was draught by imminent legal minds who were also stalwarts in the horse racing industry. It was spearheaded by the late Senior Counsel and Horse Racing stalwart, MarcelCrawford.

There were also inputs from other horse race stalwarts including the late former Chancellor of the Judiciary Justice, Cecil Kennard, and the late Insanally Habibulla, among others.

Whenwillthelegislation beenactedisanyone’sguess.

The passage of the legislationshouldseealegal Guyana Horse Racing Authority(GHRA)beingput inplacetooverseetheproper conductofthesport.

That drafted document which has aspects of racing from other countries charts thewayforward.

Like who could/should beinchargeofthegamebya DemocraticProcess.

It also addresses all

stakeholders’interests.

In those documents, there is something for everyone. Some things that thedraftedlegislationspeaks about include clean racing without the use of banners, drug use, stud books, illegal

Petra’s Upper Mazaruni U-18 Championship kicks off today

ThePetraOrganisation’s Upper Mazaruni InterVillage U-18 Football Championship, which has the support of Trophy Stall andMVPSports,andwasset for its inaugural kick-off on June18,haditsdatebrought forwardtoJune11.

According to the organisingteam,thiswasdone tofacilitateselectionforthetop teams to be a part of the 8th edition of the Digicel’s S c h o o l s F o o t b a l l Championship, which was recentlylaunched.

Initially, the tournament was billed to take place from June 18 – June 25, but the finale has also been brought forward to June 15. The competing teams are Kaikan/Arau, Paruima, Waramadong, Kamarang, Kako,andJewalla.Eachofthe competingteamsreceivedone football, while the coordinating committee collectedfourballsandeight cornerflags.

The tournament will be played at the Edwin United Sports ground with the DC

-

Finale set for June 15

betting and infighting etc. There is also consideration suchasthenumberofweeks before opposing clubs could holdraces.

The GHRA when enacted should not be about race track owners and administrators but should encompass horse owners, Trainers, Jockeys, G r o o m s a n d e v e n spectators

According to some parts of the legislation, persons involved in the sportshouldnotbeapartof the authority Yet one cannot understand why people are placing themselves into conflictof-interestpositions.

Several imminent

persons can help and are willing to administer the sport Many of them are successful businessmen and were involved in the sport in one way or the other Among them are Attorney at LawandSenior Council, Rajendra Poonai, Vic Oudit, Roy Hanoman and Bish Panday, among others. Despite words of assurance over the years from the various ministers that efforts are being made to pass the necessary legislation,many disagree, given the time since the firstdraftwaspresented Oneisforcedtoaskifthe relevant authorities are playingpoliticswithsuchan importantactivity.

GCBCricketAcademybowls...

Frompage70 before”. Essequibo leads thewayinacademiesbeing launched. It has been a historic and important exerciseforECBandGCB. Iknowalotoftalentishere inthecommunitywithalot of talented players”, said Tushao.

Hefurtherpointedoutthat Essequibo has more camps than Demerara and Berbice at the moment, adding that Football and cricket complementeachother,the two main sports of the community He also called on community figures as well as parents and teachers to show support to the academiesandplayers,asit would help tremendously with the expansion of the sport in Essequibo, more specificallyMoruca.

zone in Essequibo is not without cricket gear or an academysetup.

Meanwhile, some studentsandresidentsofthe area thanked both Boards for making such a historic movewhilebringingcricket gear to their community

The turnout by young women in the area was by far the largest of the academies launched, with more than 15 girls present during last Saturday’s launch Closing off the opening,NavikaNarine,the ECB Public Relation Officer, thanked the young women and the community for being involved, more specifically the young ladies who showed huge interest in becoming the next batch of women’s cricketers.

Caesar Fox School serving as the co-ordinating committee.

In today’s fixtures, Kamarang and Jawalla collide at 9:30 hrs then Kaikan and Waramadongfaceoffat15:00 hrs On Monday, Paruima tackleWaramadonginthefirst matchwhileKakomeetJawalla in the second match Tuesday willseeParuimagoupagainst KaikanwhileKakochallenges Kamarang Atthelaunchofthe tournament, Neil Henrito -

coordinatorofthecompetition, statedthattheschooldecidedto stage the event because it is difficulttoacquiresponsorship given the cost associated with participatingincompetitions.

Henrito further said that he is pleased to have the Petra Organization onboard astheyareattheforefrontof the development of youth football especially at the school level. Meanwhile, at thelaunchofthetournament which was done at Spice

Garden, the Petra Organisation Co-Director, Troy Mendonca, stated, “We arehappytobeassociatedwith theevent Wehavedeveloped arelationshipwithschoolover theyearsandIamhappytosee theytooktheinitiativetohave a competition of this nature playedwithintheirrealm.”

Hefurthersaidthatentity will provide any necessary supportandwishthemallthe best for a successful tournament.

Afewofthecoachesfrom the area, both male and female will be tasked with overseeing the weekly progressionoftheacademy and speaking on behalf of their plans, Ernesto DeMattos Head coach of the Region, told his teammates that the task ahead will be grueling but it’suptothemtoensurethat the academy and the player reachtheirpeak.

He thanked the GCB president Bissondyal Singh for ensuring that cricket thrives in a major way acrosssuchisolatedpartsof Guyana DeMattos also thankedECBbossSinghfor reviving cricket in the Regionandensuringthatno

Speaking on the progression of the Academies across Essequibo and those to be launchedinotherzoneslike region 4 and 10, GCB PresidentBissondyalSingh said he was thrilled to see that cricket had been developing rapidly outside ofthecommonareas.

The GCB President believedthattheGCBcould continue to churn out top talents from across these hidden zones as they are more sports oriented and natural athletes with a high drive for cricket. Singh, who too is CWI Director, said the academies in Essequibo will play an integralpartinthefutureof Guyana’scricket.

Digicel Guyana Inc., was once a supporter of the Guyana Horse Racing Fraternity.

Petra Co-Director, Troy Mendonca (left)handsover the Troy sponsorship cheque to Tournament organiser, Neil Henrito.

National Racquet Centre Tennis courts commissioned

The National Racquet CentreonWoolfordAvenue, Georgetown was officially opened on Friday through a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Culture, YouthandSports(MCY&S), the National Sports Commission (NSC), and the Guyana Tennis Association (GTA).

The event drew a significant crowd, comprising sports enthusiasts, former national players and current tennis players, and even a few prospective tennis players and other influential personnel, all witnessed the remarkableachievement.

The inauguration was organized by Christy Campbell,thenewlyelected President of the GTA, also presentatthecommissioning were President of the G u y a n a O l y m p i c Association (GOA) Godfrey Munroe, Minister of Sports Charles Ramson Jr, Director ofSportsSteveNinvalle and Assistant Directors of Sport Melissa Dow-Richardson andFrankieWilson.

During her address, President Campbell gave a brief overview of the GTA, and also warmly welcomed the renovation and revitalization of the facility She expressed her sincere appreciation to the Minister and his ministry for fully

financingtheproject.

Campbell emphasized the joy of witnessing the realization of a promise madebytheMinister,amere fourteen hours after he assumedoffice.

The upgrades to the centre encompassed resurfacing the courts, as well as the addition of new restroom facilities, stands, and lighting, significantly enhancing the venue. This investment also came at an opportune time, particularly with the One Guyana 2023 G TA O p e n Te n n i s tournament scheduled to commenceinjusttwoweeks.

Meanwhile, speaking at the ceremony Minister Ramson mentioned that, he is pleased to see with what they (the Ministry, NSC and GTA) were able to accomplish together, which is also an ethos of his vision for sports. Stating, “I would like to express my gratitude to the GTA, NSC and my team at the MCY&S and all of the other sports associations who have worked faithfully with me.”

Heexplained;hisministryis tasked with the building and transforming all of the areas of sport, which is extremely importantforthewelfareand thewellbeingofourcountry He went on to say, “It is my believethatsports

(Continuedonpage65)

Minister of MCY&S Charles Ramson Jr (2nd left) ahead of the offical opening of the courts at National Racquet Centre on Friday

GCB Cricket Academy bowls off new frontier in Moruca

Morucabecamethelatest addition to the long list of growingcommunitiesacross the country as the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) new frontier Cricket Academy continues to reach newer heights.

T h e G C B t e a m continued to venture into uncharted parts of Guyana, thistimemakingtheprestige Amerindiansettlement.This academy follows those in South Essequibo, North Essequibo, Leguan, Wakeenaam, Pomeroon which bowled off their camps within the past 2 months.

The team also took a different dynamic, adding Guyana Harpy Eagles National Head Coach Ryan Hercules to the core, alongsideEssequiboCricket Board (ECB) President Deleep Singh and his executive crew and coaches fromCinderellaCounty

With the aim being to bring cricket to uncharted parts of Guyana which possesses some of the country’s most hidden talents,Morucawastheideal place as almost 60 students from the Santa Rosa community came out with teachers, parents, coaches, members of the executive regional committee including Tushao Stavros Stanley Moruca Cricket Board

president Earl Richards, ECB Competitions

Chairman Kumar Das, Chairman of Selectors in Essequibo Dinesh Joseph and others also featured in part of the groundbreaking venture, held at the Damion Marvin Recreational Ground.

During his feature remarks, Mr Singh, a Director at Cricket West Indies (CWI) told the residents that this specific visit was geared towards findinganddevelopingsome of the Region 1’s immense talent,somethinghesaidwill be a focal point as Moruca undoubtedly remains one of the premier zones in Essequibo.

He said the uprising of Essequibo cricket is a huge part of the overall structure of building for the future, because a number of top talents the likes of Ronsford Beaton, Keemo Paul, Anthony Adams and other Guyana and West Indies playershailfromEssequibo. As a result, it is crucial to keep producing athletes from what can be described as a premier reservoir for cricket.

Richards, the Moruca Cricket Board president immediately thanked the GCB and president Bissondyal Singh and his teamforputtingMorucaina position to progress as a

community and as a way to keep their youths further engaged in sports but noted that cricket played a huge role in the daily lives of the younger generation of Morucans.

Hercules’ inclusion was part of a new initiative to have Academy members who are primarily between the ages of 7-17, to have early exposure to elite coaching. Young cricketers, although shy, managed to open up and eventually exhibit immense talent on thepitch.

Off-field, although camera-shyduetothelackof exposure and a more familial,rusticwayofliving, most of the students were smart and placed heavy emphasis on school, which played a significant role in

theiroveralldevelopment.

During his interaction withthestudents,Hercules,a Level 3 Coach and former player, acknowledged the naturalathleticbuildandraw physical talent, which is a hallmark of the youths from theregion.

The coach proclaimed that Region 1 has arguably one of the highest concentrations of talent as it relates to cricket and he’s pleased to witness such a massive turnout by the players who hail from the varioussatellitevillageslike Kabukalli, St. Peters Hall andotherareas.

Hercules, who was born in region 2 said that it’s important to have proper coaching for students who are filled with potential but lack the necessary guidance

in order to unlock their true potential.Callingonthelocal coaches to continue their hard work, especially after most of the coaches in Essequibo recently completed their level 1/2 course,whichwasheldatthe Guyana National Stadium, a fewweeksago.

The Eagles coach called ontheinstructorsandplayers tofocusonworkinghand-inhand and practicing discipline when it comes to training, being timely for weekly sessions and being disciplined when on the cricketfield.

Urgingtheyouthstotake full advantage of the GCB and their plans to develop cricket across Guyana, Hercules further told the young Morucans that it was important to remain

dedicated to their craft, regardlessofcoaching.

He noted that honing one’s craft can also be done through work with oneself. Hercules elaborated that cricket must be practiced as often as possible, while strength training and keeping fit alongside Eating correctly are key aspects to being an athlete, more specificallyacricketer

Tushao Stanley called the moment “Groundbreaking day for Santa Rosa’. He asked for a real cricket pitch for the sport while requesting a facility which he said will go a long way

“I know we have potential in Moruca because sportsisthewaytogoandwe haveDevelopedmorethan (Continuedonpage68)

Man City claim Treble with Champions League win

( B B C S p o r t )Manchester City’s long quest to win the Champions League finally ended in triumph against Inter Milan in Istanbul as Pep Guardiola’s side completed theTreble.

After winning the PremierLeagueandFACup, City emulated Manchester United’stripletrophyhaulin 1999astheybecameonlythe second English club to achievethefeatafterRodri’s crisp 68th-minute strike settledanattritionalfinal.

Guardiola’s allconquering side were never at their best against a brilliantly organised Inter andhadtocopewiththeloss ofKevindeBruynetoinjury inthefirsthalf.

But the massed ranks of City fans inside Ataturk

Stadium did not care about that as they joyously celebrated the greatest night - and season - in the club’s history AndforGuardiola,it seals his status as one of the managerialgreatsasheaddeda

thirdChampionsLeaguetothe two he won at Barcelona, the lastcomingin2011 This was never the walkover many predicted and City had to survive a few scares when Federico Dimarco’s header

bounced off the bar and Ederson made a stunning late save to deny Romelu Lukaku but ultimately this wasallaboutthevictory

Now Guardiola and his players can take their

place in history Guardiola & Man City claim holy grail The Champions

League has brought suffering to City and Guardiola - especially when they lost to Premier League rivals Chelsea in the 2021 final - but all the pain disappeared just before midnight on a sultrynightinIstanbul

City survived late anxiety, especially when Inter substitute Lukaku headed straight at Ederson with the goal at his mercy, buttherewasanexplosionof joy on the pitch and in the standsatAtaturkStadiumas theyfinallysecuredthegiant trophy that has remained so elusively beyond their grasp forsolong.

Guardiola said, whether itwasfairornot,thathistime

atManchesterCitywouldbe judged on whether he was able to bring the Champions League to the club Now thatjudgementcanbemade.

The Catalan, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011, willnowbeaniconicfigureat CityaswellasBarcelona

It is a simple fact that many outside theAbuDhabiowned club will always view theirtriumphthroughtheprism ofthechargesof115financial breaches brought against them by the Premier League, chargestheyfiercelydeny

For City’s owners, with Sheikh Mansour attending only his second game since taking control in 2008, this was the night they have planned for and the one when they finally claimed thatholygrail.

It was just Rodri’s second Champions League goal in 48 appearances in the competition. (Getty Images) Rodri’

Guyana Men’s Head Coach Ryan Hercules demonstrates a drill for the youngsters

President of Brazil interested in Petrobras coming to Guyana - Jagdeo

Recently, Guyana's

Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, revealed that President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who not too long ago took back leadership of the country, is very interested in Petrobras having a place in Guyana'soilsector

"President [Irfaan] Ali spoke with President Lula and he was [in Brazil]. So I didspeakto[Lula]brieflyon thephone.

PresidentAli mentioned to me that the President of Brazil is very much interested in Petrobras' participationhere.

I don't know in what form that will happen, but he's

very interested in it.” said JagdeolastThursday Petrobras, Brazil's staterun oil company, had opted out of bidding for oil blocks in Guyana's auction due to other plans it has, to undertake drilling off the coastofBrazil. When asked whether the decision not to bid here had anything to do with the Venezuela border issue, Jagdeosaidno. Jagdeo stated that during a conversation with Petrobras officials at CERAWeek in Houston,itwasclearthatthe energy giant was deeply engaged in its own exploration efforts in the Atlantic waters, just east of

Guyana.

The officials, he said, conveyed their excitement over their seismic findings and optimism that the same success Exxon has in Guyana,wouldbereplicated intheirterritory

While Petrobras' current focus is on their own offshore drilling, Guyana is seeking closer relations with Brazil, including a road link. With Guyana's definite interest in a stronger energy relationship as well, Petrobras could come to Guyanaoneday

However, Jagdeo is not sure in what capacity There is also the government-togovernment partnerships

JagdeoandPresidentAlihad d i s c u s s e d , f o r t h e development of certain oil blocks.Guyanacouldlearna thing or two from Brazil, good and bad. Guyana is a newcomer, while Brazil, through Petrobras, has decades of experience in deep-waterexploration.

However, the possible entrance of Petrobras into Guyana would require careful oversight given the company's troubled history The Brazilian company was at the center of one of the largest corruption scandals in history, known as the Carwash scandal, which beganin2014.

The Carwash (or "Lava

Jato" in Portuguese) investigation was initially a money-laundering probe but soon morphed into an extensive investigation into high-level corruption at Petrobras.

The scheme involved company executives, government officials, and l e a d i n g B r a z i l i a n companies.

The corruption resulted in billions of dollars in losses for Petrobras and a massive shake-up in Brazilian politics.

In the fallout, several were jailed, the company's reputation was severely tarnished, and the political landscape of Brazil changed

dramatically Petrobras has since worked to regain its status as a reputable company,throughreforms.

Given this history, Guyana, with its burgeoning oil and gas sector, would need to be vigilant should Petrobras begin operations there.

Lessons from the Carwash scandal should underline the importance of strict regulation, transparency, and the enforcement of anticorruptionmeasures. This would be a critical aspect of ensuring the integrity and sustainability of Guyana's growing oil sector

Waramuri Top’s Aaliyah Henry (10) crosses to Mechalle Williams (13) who buries one of the seven goals the pair accumulated.