Kaieteur News

Govt.’s defence of Exxon seems like oil money more important than environmental laws Justice Kissoon's ruling…

International Financial Analyst, Tom Sanzillo

b e l i e v e s t h a t t h e intervention by the Government of Guyana (GoG) to be part of the appeal case challenging the ruling which ordered that ExxonMobil provide Guyana with unlimited parent company guarantee appears to underscore the point that the revenue Guyana expects from oil production takes priority over the nation'senvironmentallaw

Sanzillo is the Director of Financial Analysis for the Institute for Energy Economics and FinancialAnalysis (IEEFA), which examines issues related to energy markets, trends and policies

IEEFA'smissionistoacceleratethe transition to a diverse, sustainable andprofitableenergyeconomy

In an analysis published on Wednesday, Sanzillo underscored that among several controversies involving ExxonMobil Esso Exploration and Product Limited (EEPGL),HessandChinaNational Offshore Oil Corporation's (CNOOC) offshore oil drilling project and the oil spill cleanup insurance litigation in Guyana has takencenterstage.

Sanzillo explained that the High Court here excoriated ExxonMobil and the Guyana

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its lax enforcement of permit provisions that protected Guyana in the event of an oil spill, making it clear that the company would be responsible for the costs ofacleanup.

“The oil giant's environmental permit issued by Guyana required two forms of financial assurance industry standard environmental liability insurance for a stated amount, and a separate p a r e n t c o m p a n y guarantee/indemnity from ExxonMobil to cover everything not paid by its local affiliate and to indemnify the government of Guyana and the regulator for all costs in the event of a spill,” Sanzilloadded.

Hepointedoutthatalthoughthe government had the right under the permit to demand insurance coverageprovidingafullguarantee of all costs in the event of a spill, it didnotenforcethatright.

Kaieteur News had reported that an application was filed in the High Court on September 13 by Attorneys Seenath Jairam, SC, Melinda Janki, and Abiola WongInniss In the case, Guyanese activists, Godfrey Whyte and Frederick Collins said that their resort to the court is to make sure

Int'l Financial Analyst

operations, pending compliance withthecourtorder.”

that the company takes full financial responsibility in case of harm, loss, and damage to the environment. As a result, Sanzillo related the High Court found that Guyana's residents were left financially exposed to the costs of such an oil spill cleanup and to potential costs in neighbouring countries. He added, “The lower court ruling insisted that the law be appliedandthatExxonMobilasthe parent company provide the i n s u r a n c e a n d f u l l guarantee/indemnity or the permit would be suspended. Suspension wouldmeanahalttoExxonMobil's

However, ExxonMobil and the EPA appealed the lower court ruling. Pending a decision on the merits of the appeal, the judge recently issued a stay of the lower court's decision, allowing the drilling to continue, on the condition that ExxonMobil put up US$2billioninaffiliateguarantees. Hesaidtheappealcourt'srulingfor the oil company to post a bond of US$2 billion has, “shifted the rest of the liability for any potential oil spill back onto the people of Guyana.”

Sanzillonotedthat,newspapers and lawyers described the interim decision as a loss for the plaintiffs, since it allows drilling to continue, and it raises the concern that the people of Guyana would bear any cleanup costs that exceed US$2 billion The Financial Analyst explainedthatinanunusualstepby an environmental regulator, the attorney for EPA, hailed the fact

that the government had successfully compromised the unlimited guarantee. He also pointed out that the country's Attorney General Anil Nandlall,

SC,appliedtothecourttorepresent the interests of the Guyanese government. Sanzillo said such move by the government appears that the country's environmental laws are not as important as the expected oil revenues the country wouldreceive.

To this, he underscored that, “Arguing for the erosion of contractual rights in court and failing to enforce existing ones are extraordinary actions being taken by public agencies charged with protectingthepublicinterest.”

Sanzillo added that Guyana's agreements with ExxonMobil are contractsandasmanyhavepointed out, the profit-sharing agreement gave away many rights to ExxonMobil.“Akeyelementofthe contract is to clearly define what happens in the event of an oil spill, but the government of Guyana has apparently chosen to ignore this responsibility The industry, and ExxonMobil in particular, has addressed the issue of liability in other settings many times in the past The lawsuit and appeal demonstrate that the terms of the contract related to oil spill cleanup of Guyana and its neighbors is shrouded in in secrecy and confusion,” the Financial Analyst said.

International Financial Analyst, Tom Sanzillo

ExxonMobil has two accounting books for Guyana reflecting different profits for 2022

...One says $578Binprofitsandtheother$106B; Exxon says Guyana should focus on the $106B

The 2022 financial statements for ExxonMobil's affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) show that it made a jaw-dropping profit totalling $577B However, officials at the company are saying that this figure is not reflective of the true picture of expenses, investments, and profits made.

In order to get a holistic picture, one has to apply the accounting rules governing the Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) which wouldshowEEPGL'sprofits for 2022 being roughly US$500M or approximately GY$106B(dependingonthe currency conversion rate used).

E x p l a i n i n g t h e foregoing, and in great detail, was EEPGL's Vice President and Business Service Manager, Phillip Rietema. He stressed that there are two separate accounting standards, one governing the preparation of financial statements and the other for the Stabroek Block PSA.

The two are so distinct thathecalledthem“applesto oranges.”

During a briefing with media operatives yesterday, the official said, “There are really two different accounting standards. For

our accounting books, we follow the International Financial Reporting Standards(IFRS).

It specifies how we are to show our operations.” With IFRS rules, he said the financial statements reflect 100 percent of the revenues achieved in 2022 and 100 percent of expenses incurred hence one might see royalty payments,anon-recoverable expense, reflected in those statements.

Under the Stabroek B l o c k P e t r o l e u m Agreement, he said the accounting standards are different.

The Vice President explained that 75 percent of the revenues made go towards cost oil, a term that refers to the pool of expenses/investments made by the oil companies which they are entitled to recover overtime.

The remaining 25 percent of the revenues is consideredprofitoilwhichis split between the State and theoilcompanies50/50.

Out of its share of profit oil, the companies pay Guyanese authorities a two percentroyalty.

The Vice President said the government therefore gets a 14.5 percent take while the co-venture partners, which include Exxon, Hess and CNOOC, get 10.5 percent. When this formula is applied, the Vice President said EEPGL's profitisroughlyUS$500M.

It was agreed during the press briefing that the US$500M figure, as well as the application of the accounting standards of the Stabroek Block contract, are what provide a more accurate picture of how much EEPGL is getting versus that of the country's

Tuschen resident dies in Greenwich Park accident

Joseph Shako of Tuschen North, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) was on Tuesday killedafterhewasstruckoffhisbicycleby a speeding car along the Greenwich Park PublicRoad,EBE.

According to reports the accident occurredaround20:40hrsonTuesdayand involved motorcar PAC 3849, which is owned and driven by 20-year-old Vashan Dhaniram of Tuschen Housing Scheme, EBE. It was reported to the police that the motorcar was travelling east along the northern side of the road, reportedly at a fastrateofspeedwhenitisallegedthatthe pedal cyclist suddenly rode out from the northernsideoftheroadwayinanattempt tocrosstheroadandendedupintothepath ofthemotorcar

Kaieteur News understands that the car ended up colliding with the bicycle

causing Shako to fall onto the front windscreen ofthecarandthenintoanearbytrenchwherehe becamemotionless.

The police reported that as a result of the impact, Shako's right foot was broken off from the ankle and he received a wound to his head. He was picked up by residents in the area in an unconscious state and placed into a motorcar which took him to the Leonora Cottage Hospital.

There he was examined by a doctor who pronounced him dead on arrival. His body was then taken to the Ezekiel Mortuary for storage awaiting,apostmortemexamination.

The police further revealed that a breathalyzer test was done on Dhaniram and he was found to be above the prescribed limit with .049% micrograms of alcohol. He is in custody at Leonora Police Station, as an investigation is ongoing.

earnings.

A n o t h e r e q u a l l y importantpointhenotedwas that while the company made a profit last year, it is stillcashnegative.

In this regard, the Vice President said the company and its partners have made from 1999 to now, over $4 Trillion in investments. Of that sum, only $2.5 Trillion was recovered with $1.5 Trillionstilloutstanding.

He said: "our (EEPGL) profitstodatecumulativeare around $600B So we (EEPGL)haveinvestedover

$2trillionwithearningsover $600B. The investments are more than three times our cumulativeearnings."

Meanwhile, Guyana has made about $440B in net cashflowsince2020withno

investment.

The EEPG official explained that the partners are making accelerated investments into the block whichhasresultedinanasset baseofover$2.3Trillion.

EEPGL's Vice President and BusinessService Manager, Phillip Rietema

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

Editor-In-Chief: NIGEL WILLIAMS

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

EDITORIAL

THE INVISIBLE PRESIDENT

CallingPresidentAli.CallingPresidentDr.Mohammed IrfaanAli.WhathashappenedtothePresidentofGuyana,the national head? What has been done to him that he finds sanctuaryinsilence,inhistellingprolongedabsence,when therearesomanystirringeventsgoingon? Thiscannotbe goodforGuyanese,notatthepresenttime,norforthefuture.

Whentheissueunderreviewisfinance,itisnotPresident Ali,norisitMinisterwithResponsibilityforFinanceinthe Office of the President, Guyana scholar, Dr Ashni Singh, himselfanotherdisappearingact.

When there are difficulties with the hallowed Fourth Estate, the independent portion of it, the President sees the betterchoiceastakingflight.Whenthesubjectathandisthe central, all-important, paramount management of the nation’s enormous oil wealth, President Ali is again either missing in action and neither seen nor heard. This does not augur well for Guyana, at what looks like his involuntary abdication of responsibility, his forced relinquishment of authority President Ali must resist being reduced to the equivalentofaceremonialheadofstate,aleaderwithachest offirst-classflyingmiles,andlittlemuscularpresence.

Freshfromthepolls,cametheresultsofthemuch-talked aboutLocalGovernmentElections(LGE),andPresidentAli ismysteriouslyoutofthepicture.ThePresidentstandsatthe head of the governance apparatus in Guyana and it is reasonable to assert that LGE results must have some meaning for him. In some respects, LGE is Guyana’s equivalentofamid-termassessment,asgleanedfromvoter reaction to the positives and negatives of his government’s tenure.

Though much can be rightly said about the traditional, mostly inflexible, race-based nature of voting patterns in Guyana,LGEresultsstillhavelinkagestothePresidentand are a measurement of his leadership. For President Ali therefore, to be so conspicuously absent, begs the question aboutwhoisreallyrunningthiscountry Worse,ifasthetalk goes, it is not he himself, to where does that consign him, condemn him to what role? At the very least, it cannot be whatisgood

forGuyana,anditsbabydemocracy

We have much appreciation for the fact that Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, is also the General Secretary of the PPP It falls within his purview to be around LGE activities, and LGE results. But it has gotten to the point where the General Secretary has become the results. Most GuyaneseshouldrecallthatPresidentAlihimselfwasinthe thickofthingsduringtheLGEcampaigns,butattheclimax, when the curtain calls came, he was nowhere to be seen. In identical fashion, other PPPC Government Ministers did much legwork on the East Coast Demerara and elsewhere and they also have been sidelined in this time of selfproclaimed‘massive victory’and leaving the Opposition in thedust.

Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, was among the most conspicuous for his LGE energies.Yet, as has now become thecustomandpractice,justabouteverythingtiersuptoVice President and General Secretary Jagdeo.While this may be understood, and excusable, in the instance of ministers and otherpartymembers,thesamecannotbesaidwhenitisthe national leader, President Ali that is the one pushed to the margins of quiet and seemingly frail existence. From all appearances,thenation’sVicePresident,BharratJagdeo,is nowthe1stcitizenandleaderofGuyana,forallpurposesand intents, considering the range of the duties that he has arrogated onto himself, and the limitless nature of his very obviouspower

WethinkthatPresidentAlihashisplaceandtheprestige of his office, the highest in the land. Though there are significantdifferenceswithhowhehasgovernedsomeareas, we still believe that there are times and places, when the President must be present. LGE developments, especially resultsthathavepowerfulresonanceisonesuchsituations.

Many Guyanese have been concerned about the PPPC Government’s push for total control. When the sitting Presidenthastotakeabackseat,thenitisnotsomuchabout thegovernment’spushanymore,butofoneman’sobsession withpower.

POLLUTER PAYS PRINCIPLE; TRANSBOUNDARYRESPONSIBILITY

DEAREDITOR,

A blogger on the SN website made the following response to my letter ‘Completeliabilitycoverage foroilspillstoindemnifyour C a r i b b e a n I s l a n d neighbours’ which you publishedinKNon13June:

“Ms. Bulkan is fully aware that the Gov’t. of Guyana does not own, operate or is in custody of any offshore oil well in our EEZ.

Also, the GoG, neither owns, operate, control or is in custody of any oil field vessel or oil tanker Therefore, Guyana will not beliabletoanythirdpartyin the event of a well blow-out oranyspillfromtankersand vessels Guyana bears absolutely no vicarious liabilityexposure,here.Iam not sure what this highly educated lady is speaking about.”

The President and VicePresident have repeatedly assertedthatthepetroleumin the deep offshore fields belongstoGuyana.

EEPGL, and its coventurers (Hess Corporation (USA) and CNOOC), have the right under the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement to explore for, extract, and sell the oil and gas, leaving a “small piece” of royalty and shared profit

for the owner Ownership carries responsibilities which cannot be disclaimed becauseofthePSA.

Suppose that you own a house with a garden. You have trees on or near the fence line, which overhang your neighbour’s property. You hire a contractor to p r u n e t h e t r e e s Accidentally, the contractor drops a tree branch onto the neighbour’s house and causes damage to the guest rooms which the neighbour rentsout.

The neighbour demands compensation for the damage to his house and for the loss of income from his rentedrooms.

Acting sensibly, you haveprotectedyourselfwith house insurance and you have required the pruning contractor also to carry insurance. Thedamagewas done but the insurance has coveredthecostofrepairand for the neighbour’s temporary loss of income. This is a parallel with the hazard to the beach-based tourism of the Caribbean Islands, demonstrated graphicallyinEEPGL’sown environmental impact assessments.

This homely example is paralleled internationally The first major case was about the poisonous fumes

from a privately-owned metal smelter in a community named ‘Trail’in British Columbia, Canada. The suphur dioxide fumes drifted south across the border into the State of Washington, USA. In 1935 the USA made a successful legal claim for damages to cropsandtrees.

In 1941, the arbitration Tribunal formulated the seminal Principle of customary international law, that‘NoStatehastherightto use or permit the use of its territoryinsuchamanneras tocauseinjury inortothe territoryofanother[State]or the properties of persons therein, when the case is of serious consequence …’ I can provide examples of international legal cases where this Principle [ t r a n s b o u n d a r y responsibility of the sovereign state; polluter pays] was cited in judgments.

Asecond majorexample is ‘Principle 21’ from the Declarationcomingfromthe United Nations Conference on the Human Environment at Stockholm in June 1972:

‘States have, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, the sovereign right to exploit their own resources

pursuant to their own environmental policies, and the responsibility to ensure that activities within their jurisdictionorcontroldonot cause damage to the environment of other states orofareasbeyondthelimits ofnationaljurisdiction.’

So, in response to the blogger,itisnotrelevantthat theStateofGuyanadoesnot o w n d i r e c t l y t h e infrastructure for oil extraction installed in the Exclusive Economic Zone. Guyana has international responsibility Guyana can be sued by its Caribbean Island neighbours for damages cause by the activities of EEPGL. It is required in the EPA’s environmental (operating) permit that EEPGL and coventurers provide complete liability cover for those damages.

As I quoted in my letter published by KN, EEPGL has provided that assurance orally

The EPApermit requires that assurance in writing. What is the problem for EEPGL, which prides itself onworld-leadingtechnology andsafetyprecautions?-see the impressive short videos on the ExxonMobil Corporation’swebsite.

Regards,

JanetteBulkan

LGE results indicate the good and bad of competing political parties

DEAREDITOR,

Local Government Elections have always been the barometer or benchmark to measure the success of a politicalpartyattheGeneral Elections It is either a harbinger of good or bad news,oreitheratriumphora disaster to that party-a resounding verdict submitted by a large section of the population. Hence, LocalGovernmentElections are the large-scale opinion polls on political parties which will contest the GeneralElections.

In Guyana, the LGE has alwaysbeenagoodindicator howwellorbadlyapolitical party will do at the General Elections It is also an indicatorofhowmuchmore workneedstobedoneandin whichareas.

We have seen that in 2016,thePPP/Cwon48out of the 80 LAAs, in 2018 it won52andin2023itwon66

of the LAAs. It must be recalled that the massive increase in the gap between APNU/AFC from 24,000 votesto50,000votesin2018 despite gerrymandering efforts by the Coalition, and this formed the basis for the No Confidence Motion in December 2018. The LGE Result in 2018 signaled to thePPP/Cthattheirtenureas an Opposition Party was at anend.

OnDecember21st,2018, thesuccessfulpassingofthe NCMsawthecollapseofthe Coalition Government whichpavedthewayforthe 2020GeneralElectionsafter many legal dramas from the High Court, the Appeal Court in Guyana and eventually to the CCJ. The Coalition supporters witnessed a most dastardly attempt to rig the 2020 Elections and thereafter the many lies spun to them.The nasty past of the PNC was

brought live and direct to them and the seed of disappointment, distrust and disillusionwassownintheir minds.

This seed begun to germinate and in 2023, the PPP/C has increased its LAAsfrom52to66.

What does this indicate?

ThesupportforthePPP/Cis increasing massively whilst that for the APNU is dwindling drastically, as is evidenced even in the support of their traditional strongholds.

This is also testimony to thefactthatthePPPhasbeen successful in convincing

APNU members and supporters that the PPP/C is the only multiracial Party which is capable of transforming the lives of each and every Guyanese and that its ONE GUYANA initiative is the way forward in promoting racial and religious harmony across

Guyana regardless of one’s class, gender or political affiliation and so achieve social and economic prosperity for all. We have seen that the PPP/C’s Government and Leaders have reached out to every nook and cranny in this country distributing economic resources in a mostequitablemanner.

Guyanese have seen the true nature of the beast and have moved away and distanced themselves from thedestructiveagendaofthe PNC.

Thisisnotaboutbribery

Thisisaboutmakingrational decisionsbasedonyearsand years of experience as they became helpless spectators to the PNC’s destructive agenda They have also witnessed the fact that the PNC is the party which actually marginalized its ownpeopleformorethan33

PPP/C put in the time, reap the rewards

DEAREDITOR,

I published an article a few days ago on how the PPP/CwillwintheLGEbya wide margin. Here is what I said on June 8 – “The HOW of the victory [will be] because the PPP/C is an exceptionally wellorganized political party, with an extraordinary groundgame.

FreedomHousehasbeen engaged in detailed election planning for months

Considerable time and energyhavebeendevotedto listening to the electorate through scores of outreach meetings Meetings with localcommunitiesacrossthe country provided detailed information on the priorities of citizens, both at the national and local levels”

(GuyanaChronicle)

Well, it turned out to be exactly that, a victory built around exceptional organization, and a brilliant ‘ground-game.’

At the PPP/C press conference on June 13, General Secretary Dr Bharrat Jagdeo expressed thanks to the party activists, the candidates, and their 26,000 ‘backers’. He also thanked street captains, and the thousands of volunteers whowerepartofthelogistics on E—Day, delivering food, transporting elderly voters, the cleaning-up crews, and thelike.

Typical of the PPP/C leadership, they hardly acknowledged their own tireless efforts, at times wading through mud and raintothefarcornersofthis vast land with such a prodigious terrain. President Ali,PrimeMinisterPhillips, andVicePresident(andPPP General Secretary) Bharrat Jagdeo formed an indomitable team and led their cabinet and party

officials in a dizzying country-wide campaign to securethevictorythatisnow evident.

Allow me to offer a few analytical points on LGE 2023. First, I agree with FreddieKissoonthatrace,as talked about by the likes of David Hinds, did not have theswaytheyhadhopedfor Younger Afro-Guyanese voters ignored the “blackpudding approach” to political consciousness and certainly, political behavior Even the late-breaking ‘Trench Crappo’and “CoolAid” rhetoric for ethnic mobilization by APNU did notwork.Instead,thePPP/C made step-level gains in Georgetown, Linden, New Amsterdam, Bartica, and alsoinRegion1.

Oneoftherealstoriesfor this 2023 LGE is the RATE of increase (not only the magnitude) in APNU to PPP/C turnover between 2016 and 2023. The pace of thecross-overisquickening, andthetime-seriesdatamust be of the greatest concern to the languishing APNU, and theAFC which is in now on assistedliving.

On Monday night I remarked on NCN that Professor Stuart Hall’s ‘politicswithoutguarantees’ is likely to take hold in Guyana. Hall,aJamaicanby birth who became a worldrenowned scholar on political sociology (among other things) had warned Afro-centered activists and politicians not to expect “Black”folkstohaveaoneway,one-trackmindwhenit comes to culture, ideology, andpolitics.

Hall advocated for a politics that is democratic and rational, not one that is ‘tribal’.

His key point was that political identities are not

fixed. In the United States, for example, hundreds of thousands of racial minorities are politically conservative Being a minority does not, should not,andhasnot‘guaranteed’ the politics and voting behavior of African Americans, Latinos, and Asians,amongothers.

More often than not, economic modernization facilitatesthetransitionfrom ‘traditionalism’ to ‘modernity’.

In the former, folk cultureisdominant,andhere one can expect great resistance to change. With modernity, people become moreopentoideasotherthan the ones they grew up in. Theytendtobecome‘utility maximizers,’ meaning that they make decisions based onrationalself-interest.

YoungerGuyaneseofall ethnic backgrounds are quickly moving away from embedded traditionalism, towardsformsofmodernity While the former is ‘backward-looking,’ the latter is based on what lies ahead, the future, grounded i n q u e s t i o n s a n d considerations such as upwardsocialmobility

Guyanaisgoingthrough rapid economic, cultural, and social transformation. It is no accident that President Ali’sfavoriteword(actually it is a concept) is ‘transformational’ The PPP/Cwonasbigasitdidin this LGE because its leadership understood well the shifts that have been takingplaceintheGuyanese economy and corresponding shifts in the minds of the electorate.

Throughout the LGE campaign, the PPP/C leadership constantly remindedtheircandidatesto “stay on message.” Well,

whatwasthemessage?

Inanutshell,themessage was that voters should make the most of the new opportunities that are now availableinthecountry The PPP/Cimploredvoterstoput aside past ways of thinking about things and to embrace a new vision based on looking after their own affairs,aswellasthatoftheir families, and their communities It was not aboutstickingtoyour‘own.’

The APNU, by contrast, stuck to its old political technology, sharing out the same cool aid, as Jagdeo labeledit.

The APNU formula and their message was - vote for the same folks your parents votedfor,evenifthosefolks had destroyed the economy and ruled through the rigging. They wanted the people in Georgetown, Linden, Bartica, New Amsterdam, and beyond, to stand still, fixed forever where they have always been,lookingbackatthebad old days and, somehow, miraculously feeling good about that dastardly past. Thousands walked in the other direction, towards change, towards the future, towardsprogress.

The massive victory of the PPP/C at this LGE is remarkable, if for no other reason, then certainly becauseitgavethepoliticsof race a hard kick in the behind.

Sincerely,

Dr RandolphPersaud

Mourning the loss of a Guyana’s “child labourer” on “World DayAgainst Child Labour”

DEAREDITOR,

What sad irony it is that June 12,2023, was observed as“WorldDayagainstChild Labor” and 13 -year -old Guyanese, Rovin Mark Williams, a CHILD

LABOURER, from Adventure, Essequibo, was, allegedly, killed whilst offloading Canter, GHH2322.Thecanterowner apparently, unthinkingly, reversedandcrushedthe13year-old.Now,Iamthinking out aloud. I do not condone child labor and this barely t e e n ’ s l i f e w a s unceremoniously snuffed out.Realistically,apartfrom himbeingirreplaceable,and an irredeemable loss, his future earning potential for himself and family abruptly wascurtailed!

1) A- Will the Child WelfareAgency/Ministryof Education/ Regional Administration and other relevant authorities intercede to ascertain why thischildwasnotinschool?

1)B- Other children are not similarlyexposed?

2) Will the canter owner takeresponsibilityanddothe humane thing by providing weekly or monthly financial help to this now bereaving andbeleagueredfamily?Our children are out greatest assetand“ONEGUYANA” hinges on , among other things, protection of our futureassets.Hopingthatthe relevant authorities and agencies will read this and actaccordingly BestRegards, Subrian,Esq.

DEAREDITOR,

Wasthereawinnerinthe just concluded LGE? Does gaining inroads into your opponent’s strongholds constitute victory? Or, does retaining major townships, some with reduced majority, blocking out the opponent, constitutevictory?

One side labels it a ‘wipeout’, and ‘landslide; while the other side claims it isa‘rejection’. So,wasthere awinner? Dependsonwhich sideyou’reon.

The winner will be the delivery and fulfillment of promises to the towns,

villages and communities The winner will bethe ones working together across the divide for the betterment of thecitizens.

The real winner will be the forging of ties based on mutualrespect.

There was a,winner in these elections but itis not relatedtonumbersorseatsor LAAsormunicipalities. The winner transcends all these things.Nowthattheelections areoveritistimetogetback to business of people and country

Yours,truly, ShamshunMohamed

DEAREDITOR,

The PPP/C must be congratulatedforitsmassive victory in the local government elections. And while the PPP/C was expected to do well, it was thebiginroadsthattheparty made in APNU strongholds in the municipalities of G e o rg e t o w n , N e w Amsterdam, Linden and Bartica that will go down as the defining moments of the 2023elections.

It seems that voting behaviourisbecomingmore

issue-orientedandnotbased on party affiliation as in previous elections. This is indeed a positive development in the democratic evolution of our society

Ethnicvotinghasfortoo longbeenasignificantfactor in our politics and had for decades been a drag on our national developmental efforts.

T h e P P P / C

administrationmustbegiven credit for the even-handed approach to development

which seemingly is paying political dividends This people-oriented approach to development is evident all across the country and is no doubt a major contributory factor to the gains made by the PPP/C in the recent elections.

Congratulations are in order for President Ali, Vice—president Dr Jagdeo, indeed the entire leadership and membership of the PPP/C.

Sincerelyyours, HydarAlly

LGE proves that voters are becoming more issue-oriented

The real winner of LGE will be citizens, when politicians deliver

Movement for Unity and Democracy Celebrates Satisfactory Performance in Local Government Elections 2023

DEAREDITOR,

TheMovementforUnity and Democracy is satisfied withtheofficialresultsofthe recently held local governmentelections(LGE) conducted by the Guyana ElectionsCommission. Despite having limited resources and a low overall voterturnout,ourMovement

has achieved a significant milestone in its quest for changeandunity

T h e M o v e m e n t contestedinthreeprominent local authority areasGeorgetown, La Parfaite Harmonie, and Soesdykeandisproudtoreportthatwe have received 962 Votes in t h e p r o p o r t i o n a l

representation component and 415 votes in the constituency component of the elections with a total of 1,377 votes across these LocalAuthorityAreas.

In particular, we are ecstatic to have secured one seatontheMalgreToutMeer ZorgenNDC-Region3with the support from Parfaite

Time for a new political culture

DEAREDITOR,

This Local Government Election2023,Icastmyfirst evervote.Guyana’spolitical culture has long been chronicled with a myriad of feelings. We are in a time where there is an immense hunger for a new political culture. We deserve more, we DEMAND more. NOW is the time. NOW is the chance,tocarveoutthisnew culture: The one that we’ve beenyearningfor,forusand

for generations yet unborn.

Tomorrow, make your X

based on policies, programmes. Choose your representative with a track recordofprogressandwitha penchant for accountability 2023mustbethefinalnailin thecoffinofApaanJaat.

Any leader who uses their platform for race

baiting, and inciting violence MUST be cast out from our society The darkness of our past MUST

come undone. Emissaries of discord, division and violence will NOT define our new generation of politics. The era of street violence, “slo fyaah” and race hate must and will be buriedinthepast.

The future is on the horizon,andit’swhatwe’ve long been yearning for I knowwhoI’mvotingfor Do you?

Regards,

NikhilSankar

H a r m o n i e . T h i s accomplishment is a testament to the tireless efforts of our dedicated members and supporters who worked diligently to mobilize support for the LGE. TheMovementmade a substantial impact on the election results with little effort when compared to the major parties with a lot of financial and human resources. We consider this a s a r e m a r k a b l e achievement We are immenselygratefultoallour supporters and members

who have demonstrated unwavering dedication to ourcause. Their commitment and contributions towards our collective vision of change and unity have been truly remarkable.

Thissuccess,asweseeit, in the LGE provides us with a strong launching pad for our new movement It reinforces our confidence that, once we effectively convey our message of c h a n g e a n d u n i t y nationwide, we will ultimatelyprevail.Wewould

like to extend our deepest gratitude to all the individuals who have supportedusthroughoutthis journey Your confidence in our movement and your active participation have been instrumental in our accomplishmentsthusfar Together, we have proven that the Movement for Unity and Democracy is heretostay

Regards, DenzelStHill General SecretaryMovement for Unity and Democracy

LGE results indicate the good...

Frompage4 years which they spent in Government, as admitted by DrHinds. People like Ms Barbara Pilgrim, a woman of great integrity,whohavelivedher entirelifeas a PNC member and has seen from both within and without the true nature of the beast, became increasingly suffocated,

decidedtomoveawaytothe PPP so that Guyana could move forward into the promised land-One Guyana.

O t h e r s f e l t t h e s a m e M o r e o v e r , increasingly it is becoming difficultfor the PNC leaders to convince their supporters that they are capable of delivering the ‘good life’ as was evidenced from 2015 to 2020 and these people are now convinced more than everbeforethatthePPPisthe right choice, they are experiencing the good life underthisgovernment.

Furthermore, Dr Jagdeo has pointed out in his Press Conferenceon13thJune‘the peopleisfedupwithracism’

and have now refused to drink the ‘racism kool-aid’ and he summed it up aptly whenhestatedthatthe‘PNC is the only racist party, in Guyana. The PNC has now lostitstrumpcard.The2023 resultshavetestifiedthatthe PPPworksforallthepeople andthatalandslidevictoryis in the making in 2025, since the PPP/C will continue to keepitspromisesanddeliver onthem.

The PPP has definitely changedthecourseofhistory and has been successful in castratingthebeast,thetotal destruction of which is now justamatteroftime.

Yourssincerely, HaseefYusuf

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WHEREISTHEPRESIDENT?

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Three days after the Local Government Elections, Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo has commanded the spotlight, not even giving President IrfaanAli a seat next to him at the party’s press conferences.

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This is unprecedented and shows how much Jagdeo is obsessed with power and control.

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The 2023 LGE is equivalent to the US Mid-Term elections.

It is an examination of PresidentAli’s stewardship of this country and the performance of his government as much as it is a renewal of the local government organs and their performance.

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His party has claimed a ‘massive, landslide victory’at the polls, but he is nowhere to be found to help make these pronouncements.

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This is very bad optics and amounts to punishment for Guyana’s young President.

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CGX's Wei-1 well in Corentyne Block to cost US$195M

Canadian oil explorer, CGX Energy Inc , announced this week that it encountered an aggregate of approximately 71 feet of net oil pay after drilling theWei-1 bypass wellintheCorentyneblock.

In a statement the company said the original or initial Wei-1 wellbore reached a depth of 19,142'. However, bypass explorationandappraisalwellwas drilled from 18,757' to total depth and penetrated the primary Santoniantargets of thewellin the western complex in the northern portionoftheCorentyneblock.

Following the bypass, CGX said data collected from Logging While Drilling and cuttings indicate multiple hydrocarbon shows in the primary target reservoirs in the Santonian interval.

Itsaidresultsfromthewellare encouraging, adding that data acquisitionisongoingviawireline logging and side wall core sampling Kaieteur News

...reaches 71 feet of net oil pay

understands that an update on the well results will be provided when the acquisition and evaluation has beenfinalised.

Furthermore, CGX said results from the well are consistent with pre-drill expectations. It said too that the well has confirmed the company's geologic and geophysical assessment of the block.

As operations continue, CGX and its partner, Frontera Energy Corporation have agreed to revise its total Wei-1BP1 cost estimates to approximately US$190US$195 million to complete the logging runs, finish well operations,andreleasetherig.The additional costs are primarily due to the lost sampling tool and the drilling of the bypass well. The well was drilled by CGX and Frontera Energy Corporation CGXholdsa32.00%participating interest with Frontera holding the remaining 68.00% participating interest in the Corentyne block, in offshoreGuyana.

Army officer's alleged killer captured

The suspect who allegedly shot an army officer dead while stealing his car with an accomplice is cooperating with police, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told K a i e t e u r N e w s o n Wednesday

Police captured the suspect identified as Joshua Parris better known as “Stewie” in Sophia, Greater Georgetown.

According information receivedbythismediahouse, police believe Parris was the person captured on camera shooting Lieutenant Rondel AnthonyDouglasdead.

The 32-year- old army officer attached to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard was killed last Wednesday night while fighting off two carjackers from stealing his car

According to reports Douglas worked part-time as a taxi driver with Alladin's Taxi Service located at La Grange, West Bank Demerara (WBD). On the night in question one of the suspects posed as customer and hired Douglas from the base.

The carjacker reportedly luredhimtotheendof aCulde-Sac at North Ruimveldt, Georgetown where the other emergedfromthebushesand

..saidtobecooperating withpolice-Crimechief

Urgent action required to protect Caribbean states from threat of NCDs, mental health conditions -PAHODirectorsays

PanAmericanHealth

O r g a n i z a t i o n Director (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, has urged small island developing states (SIDS) of the Caribbean to ensure “political leadership at the highest levels” in order to tackle the issue of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health in theRegion.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, “our region faces a looming triple threat posed by NCDs, mental health conditions and climate change.

BarbadosonWednesday

T h e m i n i s t e r i a l conference is “key to amplify the voice and the needs of SIDS,” the PAHO Director added, providing “a unique opportunity to share our learningsandchartaboldpath forward ” During his intervention, Dr Barbosa reiterated PAHO's ongoing commitment to work with the region in supporting the accelerated implementation of NCD and mental health interventions in three priority areas:

pouncedonDouglas.

Douglasfoughtbackwith them but lost the battle after one of the carjackers shot him dead before driving off withhiscar

Douglaswasleftinapool of blood until residents in the areacallpolice.

Police reported that his body bore two wounds-one tothechestandanothertothe head Investigators later found his stolen car abandoned along Stone Avenue, Campbelleville, Georgetown.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) subsequently issued wanted bulletin for two men, Joshua Parris known as “Stewie” and Jamie

S I D S r e m a i n overwhelminglyvulnerableto this triple threat,” Dr Barbosa said at the opening ceremony of the SIDS ministerial conference on NCDs and mental health in Bridgetown,

Firstly,thePAHODirector highlighted that to ensure increased access to screening, diagnosis and treatment for NCDs and mental health, s e r v i c e s m u s t b e mainstreamedwithinthe (Continued on page 16)

Ghanie. Ghanieremainsatlarge.

Still at large, Jamie Ghanie

Murdered army officer, Lieutenant, Royden Anthony Douglas

Lieutenant Douglas's alleged killer, Joshua Parris

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa

ONE-MAN RULE PRESENTS A REAL AND PRESENT DANGER

Guyana’s modern political history saw the emergence of two charismatic and dominant political figures Forbes Burnham and Cheddi Jagan cast their spell across society, each drawing massive support from their r e s p e c t i v e e t h n i c constituencies.

BothCheddiandForbes dominated the politics of theirrespectivepartiesbutin vastly different ways Burnhamwasasingularand unchallenged force within hisparty Hewouldlistenbut thenhavehisway Cheddiwouldlistenalso but be more democratic. He was known to have heated debates in the leadership of hispartywithhiswife,Janet, but would always succumb to the wishes of the overall majority,exceptthatmanyof them would be in such awe of him that they hardly opposedhim.

Guyana is now a modernizing country and one–man leadership has no place in its future development Unless Guyaneseandespeciallythe supportersofthePPPCditch one-man leadership and domination, the so-called transformation which is plannedisgoingtoflop.

The American political systemhasitsflaws.Butone of its strengths that has prevented the descent into a u t h o r i t a r i a n a n d undemocratic rule has been its system of checks and balances.

On the other hand, the British-Westminster system does not have that complexity of checks and

balances. and thus is more vulnerable to being overrun b y a u t o c r a t s a n d

demagogues

One-man leadership is capable of exploiting this vulnerability andunderminingdemocratic institutions, as we saw with the failure to adhere to the constitution concerning the passageoftheno-confidence motion and the appointment of a former Chairman of the G u y a n a E l e c t i o n s Commission.

For a modernizing country,one-manleadership carriesrisks. Itisimportant thatasacountrymodernizes that there is greater decentralizationofdecisionm a k i n g , g r e a t e r accommodation for dissenting views, and end to nepotism and cronyism and greater transparency and accountability

One-man leadership undermines all of these things By consolidating power in a single person, a country risks concentrating decision-making authority, limiting political discourse, and suppressing dissenting voices Such a scenario d i m i n i s h e s t h e accountability of leaders, making it easier for them to pursue personal agendas or act in an autocratic manner, neglecting the diverse interests and needs of the population.

The neo-liberal institutions have argued for the need for strong institutionsifdevelopmentis to take place. On the other hand, one-man leadership encourages a culture of sycophancy and a lack of critical thinking within

Dem Boys Seh...

institutions When power becomes concentrated, individuals seeking favour with the leader are incentivized to prioritize personal loyalty over competence and integrity This can compromise the e ff e c t i v e n e s s a n d impartiality of key institutions, such as the judiciary, civil service, and regulatory bodies The erosion of institutional integrityweakenstheruleof law, hampers transparency, and fosters an environment where corruption can flourish, further hindering themodernizationprocess.

We hear a lot about the needforinclusionifnooneis tobeleftbehindandifthere istobeasystemofideational pluralism – a marketplace wherepersonswillbefreeto expressandadvocatediverse viewpoints without fear of beingattackedandridiculed.

Whendissentisseenasa threat to the leader’s authority, fundamental rights and liberties are often curtailed This not only hampers the creativity and innovation required for modernization but also fosters a climate of fear and oppression, hindering social progressandstability

We also hear a lot about the need for sustainable developmentandtheneedto protect the environment However, the concentration ofpowerinthehandsofone individual can lead to shortsighted decisionmaking, prioritizing immediate gains over longterm sustainability Without the input of diverse stakeholders, including civil

A Requiem for Small Parties and Individual Candidates

De two political Goliaths squared off in de local government elections. And now dem quarreling about who win and who lose. But de biggest losers were de smaller parties and de individual candidates Was a total blowout for these small parties and de independents. And that is why instead of worrying who win and who lose we shouldbeholdingapolitical wake for the demise of de small parties and independentcandidates.

How disappointed dem must be. Most of dem was not hoping to win any local authority area. Like de man wahatonetimewasbegging deelectoratefuhgiveheone

seat in parliament, nuff of dem small parties and independent candidates werelookingforaseatatde tableindemNDCsandtown councils.

Butdemocracyanddem own idealism failed them. Decontestwasturnedintoa two-party race. Dem small partiesandindependentsget trampled by the political establishment And all Guyana should weep not only for dem but for the futureofdecountry

With de blanking out of dem small parties and independent candidates, citizensareleftconsignedto the grip of a two-party system at the national, regional and now local

society and expert opinions, leadersmayoverlookcritical issues, neglecting environmental concerns, social inequalities, and the need for inclusive economic policies. As a result, the pursuit of modernization becomes unbalanced and unsustainable, potentially exacerbating societal divisions and leaving future generationswithaninherited legacyofproblems.

In Guyana today, development is imbalanced because of the excessive focus on infrastructural development and the crass inequalities that are being created because of lopsided development policies.One man-leadership creates a crisis of succession and is now obvious within the PPPC. Whenpersonswield power from behind the

scenes when one man can dictate the outcome of a party’s deliberations on its presidential candidate and whenthatonemancanexert a controlling and domineering influence behindthescenes,thenthere isaseriousthreattopolitical successionandstability

Guyana is showing the signs and symptoms of oneman rule. It is now fast approaching three years since the PPPC assumed office and onto now major diplomatic appointments havenotbeenmade.Almost three weeks ago, we were told that there would be a Commission of Inquiry into thefireatMadhia.Nofurther announcement has been made. Is there a decisionmaking gridlock within the government?Whataboutthe outstanding constitutional

appointments? Why is more progress being made in this front?

Guyanese have suffered inthepastbecauseofstrongmanpolitics.Nowwithmore resources to modernize the economy, it must ditch oneman rule, and this has to begin within our political parties.

(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.)

levels De small man association should be protesting. De civil society should be concerned Instead of expanding, de political space is shrinking.

When it comes to administering the nation’s affairs,itisachoicebetween either the PNCR or the PPPC.Thereisnothirdway

Aswemournthedemise of the third parties, let us t h i n k a b o u t t h e consequencesofouractions lastMonday Wemighthave avoided a one-party domination only to find ourselves in the coming crossfire between the country’s two political behemoths.

Talkhalf.Leffhalf!

H@RD TRUTHS

GHK LALL

UNCONCERNED EXXON SHAREHOLDERS

The Exxon lobbying machine sprang into action, andtherestishistory Greed takesover,thingsfallinline.

D e e p - p o c k e t e d , heavyweight stakeholders and shareholders in Exxon did their own fact-checking and liked the results. No need to worry, Guyana is golden, there is no threat.

Not from those people over there.

Even if there is an oil spill of considerable volume, what is Guyana going to do? Who is it capable of conquering?

CertainlynotExxon,andits combined strengths in politics, legal legions, oil

smarts, and financial firepower?

I t i s w h y t h e shareholdersofExxonvoted so overwhelmingly against two proposals that sought insights into oil spill risks and related litigation; even an actuarial assessment proposalwasshotdown.

Guyanesemaybeasking themselveswhythislevelof unconcern? Iofferaninside viewfromactualexperience as to how these things unfold, conclude. Absorb this scenario that I share (again).

There is a product and activitythatisrisky,causing concern. The questions are

fastandfurious. ‘Howisthe risk rated? What is the probability of regulatory discovery? If discovered, whatisthedamage/penalty? What about other fallouts? How much is this product estimatedtomake?

The last question is crucial because it incorporates the most relevant,mostsensitive,and most vital interest? It is of risks versus rewards. A US$25-50M fine will always be trumped by US$100M in projected revenues, especially when risktakers and revenue enhancershavethefinalsay; the name of the game is

makingmoney InGuyana’s instance,theriskofaspillis real, particularly with increased production, and a tight cluster of wells in a smalloperatingspace.

The risk is neither remote nor imminent, but it is practical to slow down with a bow to the conservative, and Guyana havingthekindofprotection that insulates its citizens from carrying any burdens due to Exxon’s “gross negligence” and possible recklessness.

The investors in Exxon, who are mostly fiercely vigilant about, and protective of, the monies entrusted to them, would have also factor into their risk analysis, what I call the Guyanacondition.

There is a PPP Government that is so proE x x o n a s t o b e indistinguishable from the company itself, its senior officers, its top lobbyists, anditsleadingcheerleaders.

Though there are some pockets of local concern about an oil spill, the environment is favorable to Exxon because the kind of compulsory insurance that shouldbeobtainedisfought againstbyamajorityblocin Guyana’sparliament.

T h e n a t i o n a l governmentitselfhasjoined arms with Exxon to fight against the country and its own citizens and prevent them getting the proper coverage (company guarantee). Allthisishighly favorable to Exxon and its n o w u n c o n c e r n e d shareholders. But there is another reason, one of even

moreconsiderable weight, which

i n d u c e s t h e

shareholders of Exxontobecausalwith theirconcerns. Ithastodo withthelaw

Guyana is heavily handicapped in mounting the kind of legal challenge, orembarkingonaprolonged war footing, in the various court systems that a case could reach in the event of an actual oil spill of cataclysmicproportions. In

more nuts-and-bolts language, Guyana does not havewhatittakestoemerge victorious in a vicious court fightofjunkyarddogflavor Whateverlegalskillsmaybe recruited, Exxon could outlast and outfight such, evenifithastocalluponits deep stable of far-flung relationships and lean on golfcoursepartnerstosway mattersitsway

Why endorse any payment to a set of backwardpeopleofacertain stripe? Whatwouldtheydo with all that money? Who cares about them, once the cash registers ring constantly? I take the liberty of reminding my fellow Guyanese (again) of Union Carbide and Bhopal, India Some lives are cheaper than some, and because some standards of living are lower than that of others, then pittances for compensation close out all arguments, condemnations, and fallouts. This is why thatUS$2billionmaximum is bandied about, as being a mostattractiveproposition.

Further, it is now common knowledge that

there is little leadership and political will to confront Exxonandforceitshandon this coverage guarantee issue Guyana’s Vice President Jagdeo has asserted that he would take Exxon to court should circumstances necessitate Good luck with a 20-year battleinthatrealm.

Revisit the Exxon Valdezcourttravels,andthis is what Guyana faces, with the odds of compensation commensurate to the wastages inflicted by a bad oilspillgrowingsmallerand smaller as Exxon extends andextendsthecalendar

It is because of all these considerations, and lengthy familiarity with how the sophisticates operate, that a clear picture emerges regarding why Exxon’s shareholders are so unconcerned. In their eyes, thereisminisculedownside, nomajorlossstaredat,even if there is big blowout Exxon leaned on enough players of influence, whispered in enough ears, and twisted enough arms. Here is the fast and nasty: Exxon can’t lose. And Guyana can’t win Goodbye.

(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.)

Residents in a stand-off with police along the Linden Soesdyke Highway

activities in jurisdiction do not damage environment of other states

Guyana has responsibility to ensure - UN

…Bulkhan says Govt. will be held liable for US-billions in damage without parent guarantee from ExxonMobil

Ag o v e r n i n g principle of the United Nations (UN), of which Guyana became a member in September 1966 states that while countries have a sovereign right to develop their resources, they have a responsibility to ensure that these activities, within their jurisdiction, do not cause damage to the environment ofotherstates.

This point has been restated by prominent environmental activist, Dr Janette Bulkhan in a letter to this publication Bulkan holds a doctorate from Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She is also member of the Oil and Gas

Governance Network (OGGN) and has been advocating for good managementofthecountry's newfoundoilresources.

In her missive, Bulkhan said she observed an opinion piece published by Stabroek News in which the author attempted to persuade the public that the government will not be held liable for an oil spill disaster, since it is not the owner of the assets operatingoffshore.

The blogger wrote, “Ms. Bulkanisfullyawarethatthe Gov't. of Guyana does not own, operate or is in custody

of any offshore oil well in our EEZ. Also, the GoG, neither owns, operate, control or is in custody of any oil field vessel or oil tanker

Therefore, Guyana will not be liable to any third party in the event of a well blow-out or any spill from tankers and vessels. Guyana bearsabsolutelynovicarious liability exposure, here. I am not sure what this highly educated lady is speaking about.”

T h a t w r i t e r w a s responding to Dr Bulkhan's letter, published on June 13, 2023, in which she warned that Guyana could foot costs close to US$29 billion to compensate 10 Caribbean states for losses accrued as a result of oiled beaches and therefore a severe hit to their tourism industry She was keen to note that further costs may be required for damages to the fisheries' sectors of these affected islandsaswell.

In a bid to shed light on G u y a n a ' s t r u e responsibilities, the activist quoted 'Principle 21' from Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment at Stockholm in June 1972. It notes, “States have, in accordance with the Charter oftheUnitedNationsandthe

principles of international law, the sovereign right to exploit their own resources pursuant to their own environmental policies, and the responsibility to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to the environment of other states or of areas beyond the limits ofnationaljurisdiction.”

Dr Bulkhan therefore made the point that it is Guyana who is mandated to ensure its activities do not c a u s e h a r m t o t h e environment of others, rather than an operator. She explained, “It is not relevant thattheStateofGuyanadoes not own directly the infrastructure for oil extraction installed in the Exclusive Economic Zone. Guyana has international responsibility.”

Tothisend,sheindicated that Guyana can be sued by its Caribbean neighbours for damages caused by the a c t i v i t i e s o f E s s o Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL)the operator of the Stabroek Block. For this reason, she has been lobbying for the company to provide a parent company guarantee that compensates for any damages caused by an oil spill.

In further making her

point, Bulkhan pointed out that internationally, countrieswereheldliablefor environmental damage caused to other states. She explained, “The first major case was about the poisonous fumes from a privately-owned metal smelter in a community named 'Trail' in British Columbia, Canada. The sulphur dioxide fumes drifted south across the border into the State of Washington, USA. In 1935 the USA made a successful legal claim for damages to crops and trees. In 1941, the arbitration Tribunal formulated the seminal Principle of customary international law, that 'No State has the right to use or permit the use of its territory in such a manner as to cause injury inortotheterritory of another [State] or the properties of persons therein, when the case is of seriousconsequence…”.

T h e a d v o c a t e highlighted that both the President and Vice President of Guyana have repeatedly asserted that the petroleum indiscoveredinthecountry's offshore basin belongs to Guyana She noted that whileExxonMobilanditsits c o - v e n t u r e r s , H e s s Corporation and CNOOC, havetherightunderthe2016

Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) to explore for, extract, and sell the oil and gas, Guyana has ownership responsibilities which cannot be disclaimed bythePSA.Shewaskeento, “It is required in the EPA's environmental operating permit that EEPGL and coventurers provide complete liability cover for those damages EEPGL has provided that assurance orally The EPA permit requires that assurance in writing.”

The activist is adamant that ExxonMobil must provide unlimited liability coverageforitsoperationsin Guyana.

Unlimited parent companyguarantee

ExxonMobil Guyana, the Government of Guyana ( G o G ) a n d t h e Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has appealed a ruling by the High Court for the oil company to provide an unlimited parent company guarantee to cover the costs associated with an oilspill.

The ruling came months after President of the Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc (TIGI), Frederick Collins and another citizen, Godfrey Whyte,tooktheEPAtocourt to enforce a critical clause in

the Liza Phase One renewed permit,issuedtoEEPGL.

The citizens had filed the matter and won the case through their Lawyers, SeenathJairam,SC,Melinda Janki, and Abiola WongInniss.

Mr. Collins, a former insurance professional said, “an oil spill would be devastating for our country and Region as many Guyanese and Caribbean peoples depend on the ocean for their livelihoods. That is why we have decided that the time has come to take matters to the court for relief.” The litigants said thattheirresorttothecourtis to make sure that the company takes full financial responsibility in case of harm,lossanddamagetothe environment.

High Court Judge, Justice Sandil Kissoon, had ordered the company to provide the parent guarantee by June 10, 2023 however the Appeal Court granted a stay of the order and has in the meantime directed Exxon to supply the EPA with the US$2 billion parent guarantee. The matter is still ongoingintheAppealCourt.

Exxon uses subsidiary to stand US$2B oil spill guarantee for Stabroek Block

ExxonMobil Corporation's affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) lodged a US$2B affiliate company guarantee for oil spills in the Stabroek Block This was confirmed by EEPGL's Vice President and Business Service Manager,PhillipRietema.

During a press briefing yesterday at the company's Kingstownoffice,Rietemasaidthe guarantee was lodged last Friday with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This was done in keeping with an order from Appellate Court Judge, Justice RishiPersaud.

Justice Persaud had issued an order for a US$2B parent and/or affiliate company guarantee from

EEPGLto be

lodged as a condition to a stay of execution granted on a lowercourt'sorder

That order, originally issued by High Court Judge, Justice Sandil Kissoon called for an unlimited parent and/or affiliate company guaranteetobeprovidedtotheEPA by June 10 or the Liza Phase One Project Permit would be suspended.

The case which saw such a landmark ruling was initially filed by two Guyanese, Godfrey Whyte and Frederick Collins who were of theviewthatEEPGLwasinbreach of its financial assurance obligations under the Liza One Permit Attorneys-at-Law

Seenauth Jairam SC and Melinda Jankirepresentedbothgentlemen.

The EPA and EEPGL subsequently filed appeals for Justice Kissoon's entire judgment to be thrown out. Pending the hearing of that case before the Full Bench of the Appellate Court, a stay of execution was granted as it was believed that the company as well as the country would suffer graveeconomicconsequences.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall has alsofiledanapplicationtojoinboth entitiesonthematter

He too intends to argue that if theenvironmentalpermitfortheoil project is suspended then Guyana would suffer grave economic loss. His application will be heard June 22beforeJusticeRishiPersaud.

The Liza Phase One Project is

currently producing 151,000 barrels of oil. Its gas is also one of the key resources to be used in the gas-to-energy project set for start upnextyear

EEPGL has argued that it has severalmeasuresinplacetoprotect Guyana. It has said that there is a US$600Mperoccurrencecoverage in place and now the US$2B affiliateguarantee.EEPGLalsohas about US$20B in assets against which it can immediately borrow cashifneedbe.

It therefore means that the company has about US$22.6B in financial coverage for an oil spill along with other preventative measures in place which include subscriptions to a capping stack. This equipment is of significance

Environmental Activist, Dr. Janette Bulkhan

EEPGL's Vice President and Business Service Manager, Phillip Rietema

Victoria Nursery School compound overrun with bushes

Aparent of a child who attends the VictoriaNursery School, located on the East Coast of Demerara, has penned his frustration about theuntidyyardattheschool.

In a letter to the editor, with pictures attached depicting the overgrown bushes in the nursery school compound, Mr. Samuel Gillis said that it is his observation that on multiple occasions when he visits the

...frustrated parents lament untidy condition of schoolyard

school to pick up his daughter, he noticed the unkemptschoolyard.

The parent explained: “the grass is so high that it overtakes the playing equipment and would literally hide some of the kids if they stand in it.” He said as a result the children are prevented from going outsidetoplay “EvenasIam typing this letter the grass in theyardatsomepartsisover 3 feet and it seems that there

is a lack of concern on the part of those responsible to weedtheyard.”

Gillis outlined the importance of having c h i l d r e n i n a s a f e environment and explained his concern of the schoolyard being in a condition that can lead to the possibility of snakes and other animals making the bushes their home. “It is a basic 16 thousand dollars to keep this yard clean every

Hit-and-rundrivernabbed afterinjuringwoman'sleg

Thedriverofacarwason Wednesday afternoon nabbed by police in Region Three after he struck down a woman severely damaging her leg at Parika, East Bank Essequibo(EBE).

Police Commander of Region Three, Mahendra Siwnarineconfirmedthatthe “hit and run” driver was arrested around after 16:00hrs. Security cameras captured the speeding driver almost killing the woman as he undertook a car along the Parika Public Road The womanwasstandinginfront of a store beside the road waiting on transportation

when a black car HD 2750 drove straight in to her In a matter of seconds she was quickly able to get most of her body out of the car's way butthevehicleclippedherby the left leg and the impact threw the woman face forwardontotheroad.

Two men rushed to assist t h e i n j u r e d w o m a n immediately while the car stopped a short distance away after almost colliding with another woman and her baby. Security cameras captured the driver stepping out of his vehicle and

The hit and run driver moments after he was arrested.

walking back towards to where he had struck down the woman to see if she was okay Afterexchangingafew words with the victim and the men who were assisting

four weeks, is that too much for the authorities to do for the nation's children?” he asked.

According to the Gillis, he was informed that it is the responsibility of the Regional Democratic Council(RDC)RegionFour, toensurethattheschoolyard is kept clean. To this he questioned why the RDC is not doing its work in an effectivemanner

He pointed out: “it's obvious to me that toilets that could not have been flushed at the Victoria Nursery School was fixed sometime around last Saturday June 11th for the polling day staff to use and

the pipes outside were securedwithsome$200pipe heads so they can wash their hands, are we saying to our childrenandteachersthatthe elections staff are more importantthanthem?”

Gillis added that it raises concern that the authority did not see it fit to fix basic inexpensive needs for the children at the Victoria NurserySchool.

Moreover, Gillis explainedthathereachedout to the RDC but was transferred to the Education Department extension 231. He shared that a staff there who gave her name as 'Miss Hoppi', hang-up the phone on him twice. “When I first

calledIwasyetspeakingand before I could ask her name she put the phone down, I called back and ask for her name and I was yet speaking she put the phone down on me again, this letter is not aboutthetastelessbehaviour of that staff but it would do well for the citizens of Guyana that persons with that disposition be gotten rid of with much more urgency than the grass in the yard at VictoriaNurserySchool,”he added.

Gillis is calling on the relevant authorities to look into the situation and put measures in place to ensure that the current condition of theschoolyardisfixed.

Suspect being investigated for illegal firearm nabbed during high-speed chase

matter was on Monday nabbed

her,thedriverwalkedbackto his car, entered it and drove away The woman was notably unable to walk from the injury to her leg and had to carried by one of the men whotookhertoahospitalfor medicalattention.

A report was made and police began looking for the suspect. Luckily someone had video-recorded him driving recklessly and pushing other drivers off the road He was quickly identified as resident of Golden Grove known as “Gaza” and police tracked h i m d o w n . H e w a s reportedlynabbedinParika.

shots being fired during

t remains in custody as the investigations continue.

The reckless driver crashing into the woman

The condition of the Victoria Nursery School presently.

The two cars involved in the high-speed chase.

CARICOM's food market can become “high value, specialised”- Pres. Ali ...says

highly integrated food production system

needed

President Dr Irfaan Ali said that the CARICOM Region has the competitive advantagetopositionitsfood market as high-value and specialised.

The President said that with a consensus across the regionontheneedtoenhance foodsecurity,effortscouldbe made to overhaul the system and revolutionise food production. He told investors at the Caribbean Agri-Food Investors Conference that countries need to create a structure, where agriculture production is one component of a “highly integrated food productionsystem”.

The region, he noted, needs to think big and envision an ecosystem of development, which will amplify the production of traditionalcrops,enhancethe growth of non-traditional crops and facilitate their rapid movement while lowering their overall production cost. He listed the proximity of the region to

the North American market and highlighted the potential of the production of fish and shrimp (via aquaculture), honey, spices, cocoa, coffee, barley, corn, and soya, among local fruits and vegetables and nontraditionalcrops.

“How do we use these opportunities to create value, expand the market and produce high-value crops?

Because it must be targeted, high-value crops that we're looking at, whether it's the very strawberries that you're importing, the grapes that you'reimporting,whetherit's the spices, green leafy vegetables, broccoli or cauliflower,” Ali said in his addressvirtually The President explained that historically there has been “a very narrow view of agriculture that limits it to people working in a field”. He said that agriculture has changed and the opportunity is available to invest, modernise and transform

“We're speaking about creating a business and economic model that works; that works for the investor, works for the people and works for the country in the context of what we want to achieve, and that context is food security and to create a high-valuemarket.”

CRITICALISSUES

The President explained that one of the critical issues in creating the integrated system and high-value market is transport and logistics. This, he said, has been the “greatest bugbear of interregional trade” “So there are tremendous

CXC exam papers stolen from school in Jamaica

T h e C a r i b b e a n Examinations Council (CXC) on Wednesday announced that examination papers stored at a high school in Jamaica have been stolen.

CXC in a statement said thattheyhavebeeninformed that fireproof cabinets containing the exams sheets for nine subjects scheduled tobeadministeredthisweek, werestolenfromtheschool.

“Thisisofgraveconcern to CXC and the matter is being investigated by the Ministry of National Security and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). CXC is in constant contact with the Ministry of Education and Youth in Jamaica and an update was shared with the Ministries of Education from across the region at a meeting earlier today (Wednesday),” CXC reported.

CXCfurtherstatedthatit is determining the course of actionandwillcommunicate with the different ministries and that further information on the matter will be shared asitbecomesavailable.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Minister of E d u c a t i o n , P r i y a Manickchand appealed to thestudentswritingthe2023 examination to remain calm and to continue prepare for

CXC statement on the stolen examination papers.

theirexams.

“To the children writing CXC and their parents and teachers Please remain calm and continue to prepare for yourexams.

We will keep you promptly informed and will act only in your best interest,”theMinistersaid. Kaieteur News had

opportunities in the transport and logistics aspect of the food production system, beginning from primary production to highly specialised value-added production.”

To address this, the President suggested that agricultural opportunities available in northern Brazil be examined and that the food production system be re-engineered to utilise the potential of the Portuguesespeaking nation, which can be moved through Guyana and into the Caribbean and North America. With this option, the President said, food would be able to get to the Caribbean and further up north through Guyana in less than 72 hours This, he explained, is only possible if t h e r e a r e t a n g i b l e i n v e s t m e n t s i n t h e transportation, logistics and food hub ecosystem that are part of an integrated system. Theexistingtransportsystem

for food moving from northern Brazil to North America takes almost three weeks.

“That is the first positioning I want to put to you, what constitutes the regional food hub, the infrastructurethatmustcome in supporting that food hub, supporting the transport and logistics opportunity, the distribution opportunity, the value-added opportunity that willcome.”

The President also spoke oftheneedforinvestmentsin technology and modernised agriculture, training and development, infrastructure, and sustainable and resilient systems “The integrated food production system is changing. With technology, you can now produce the same amount of potatoes that younormallyproduceon100 acresofland,onlessthanfive acresofland.”

NECESSARY INVESTMENTS

Food production, the President explained, is integral to the growth and development of the region and critical to our financial development.

He said that the region's food import bill stands at more than US$6b and all efforts must be made to reduce that amount “Recently, as a region and

here in Guyana, we are investing heavily in technology and examining the viability for other crops, for example, wheat and barley. We have a lot of land thatcanhavehighproduction of barley that can satisfy the entire regional demand and go all the way up north and take a big share of that market.”

The President also pointed to the massive transformation of Guyana's feed production, which started in 2021 with the planting of corn and soya. “By the time we get up to 2025-2026, we will not only be nationally secured, but we willbeinapositionwherewe can produce all the corn and soya for feed production throughout the region ” Other substantial changes were also highlighted, including larger investments in Guyana's brackish water for aquaculture, movements towards more women and youths becoming involved in agricultureandplansinplace to enhance production with advanced technology and through the use of cheaper electricity Guyana holds lead responsibility for agriculture, agricultural diversification and food security in the CARICOM Quasi-Cabinet (Office of thePresident)

reported last month that the 2023 examination was also breached after CXC found that the Mathematics Paper 02 was leaked before the exam was written. CXC had confirmedthattheleakingof the paper had occurred in Jamaica.

That matter is still under investigation.

President Irfaan Ali

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.

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

Wanted Diesel Mechanic, attractive salary offered. Call: 223-5273/74, 688-0417.

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.

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.

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.

Full time Babysitter needed at Farm, East Bank. For more info call: 656-4131.

Skilled Carpenters needed to work on sheet rock ceiling. Call: 713-1515.

Security Guards needed! Military background will be an asset. Contact: 641-8230.

One live in Housekeeper needed to work in Virginia, USA. Ages 30-50 yrs. Call: 592-615-5476/ 845-325-8241.

One Security needed. Call: 619-0898.

Farm Workers needed to work in Timerhi. Living accommodation provided. Call: 617-2032 / 661-1585.

Reputable transportation service is seeking experienced Chauffeur with mini bus and hire car licence. Call: 645-0025.

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.

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

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

Experience Accounts Clerk. Must have passes in maths, english & accounts. Apply in person to Alabama Trading.

Male Porter, Janitor, Butcher, Counter Service, Kitchen & Pastry Assistants needed. Salary $20,000 weekly. Call: 2311368/ 223-1938.

One Clerk needed for TSI Eccles office. Must have English and Mathematics. Email application:techserigy @yahoo.com or Call:6159132.

Cleaner, Maintaining Worker & Supervisor, Labourers, Office Assistant and Semiskilled Workers required. Call: 621-6969, 615-7784.

Cleaner and Porters needed. Apply at Lens, 136 Sheriff Street next to Buddys/ Pizzahut. Call: 227-2486/ 2271511.

Hick's Ville Hotel is now hiring Receptionist and Hotel Attendant. Required to work shifts. Call: 6400673, 227-7714. Email: info@vegeworld.net

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

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.

Businessman found dead in apartment was beaten to death - autopsy finds

An autopsy conducted on the body of young city businessman, Nakema Dimitri Deonauth, revealed that he was beaten to death.

According to the autopsy results, Deonauth died from brain hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain) due to blunt force trauma to the head. The fatal hit to the head was further compounded by compression injuries to the neck meaning that his killer might have choked or attempted to strangle him.

Police told Kaieteur News that the doctor who performed the autopsy opined that his “fatal injuries were caused by either cuffs or a hit with a hard object”. Deonauth was found dead on Monday in his Regent and Cummings Street, Georgetown apartment.

Kaieteur News understands that Deonauth was found dead by his father who visited his apartment with the intent of taking him to breakfast, a frequent practice. Re-

ports are that Deonauth was unreachable and his father, Rajindra Deonauth solicited the spare keys to the apartment from the landlord. Upon entry to the apartment he found his son’s lifeless body in the apartment and he summoned the police.Upon seeing the young businessman’s dead body,

the elder Deonauth behaved disorderly causing police to detain him. The 39-year-old was his father’s only son. Deonauth’s body reportedly bore multiple marks of violence. He was last seen alive on Sunday evening after closing up one of the family’s businesses. Investigations are ongoing.

FOR RENT

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

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

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

Urgent action required to protect Caribbean...

From page 8 primary health care system. This means “reorienting our health systems towards community-based care.

FOR SALE

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

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: 6214273.

And it means reducing the geographic, financial, and knowledge barriers to ensuring more people can appropriately manage their chronic conditions,” he said. Secondly, the Director called for multisectoral collaboration including lawmakers, civil society, professional associations and people with lived experiences, to develop policies that address the underlying socio-economic factors driving NCDs and mental health challenges.

Finally, countries must build on the guidance provided in the Port of Spain Declaration and Samoa Pathway, to reinforce NCD risk factor policies, strengthen primary care services for NCDs and mental health, and improve surveillance, Dr. Barbosa added. The PAHO

Director underscored that while progress has been made towards reducing NCDs and mental health in SIDS, countries are not on track to reach the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of a onethird reduction in NCD premature mortality by 2030.

“This is an ambitious, but feasible goal.

That’s why this meeting is above all an invitation for us to embrace this agenda with all our might and go above and beyond what we’ve done up to now.”

The SIDS ministerial con-

ference on NCDs and mental health, convened by the World Health Organization (WHO), PAHO and the Government of Barbados, will take place from 14-16 June, in Barbados.

Taking place ahead of the UN General Assembly Highlevel meeting on Universal Health Coverage in September 2023, the conference will also feed into preparatory processes leading to the fourth High-level meeting on NCDs in 2025 and to future global summits on mental health.

VEHICLES FOR SALE

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

TOURS

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

Murdered: Nakema Deonauth

Police to seek legal advice on killing of soldier by colleague at Timehri base

Police are to seek legal advice today on the way forward regarding their investigation into the killing of a soldier by his colleague at the Guyana Defence

F o r c e ' s B a s e C a m p Stephenson, Timehri, on Monday

This publication had reported that 24-year-old Tevon Daymon a Private attachedto21Artilleryandof Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara (WCD) was on Monday shot dead by a colleague during a fight at Base Camp Stephenson, Timehri. It was reported that he had allegedly lashed his colleague to his head causing severe injuries before he was shot down in a hail of bullets fromanAK-47rifle.

According to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the 25year-old suspect was armed with the AK rifle and 30 matching rounds and had discharged 27 rounds in Daymon's direction In a statement, the GDF had expressed condolences to the family of Daymon who died at 07:45hrs at the Diamond Hospital. The GDF said the incident occurred at approximately 04:51hrs at Base Camp Stephenson, Timehri.

K a i e t e u r N e w s understands that the two

City Hall acquires two compactors to enhance waste management

The Mayor and Councillors of t h e C i t y o f Georgetown have recently approved the purchase of two state-of-the-art compactors as part of their ongoing efforts to enhance waste management and improve sustainability withintheCitymarkets.

soldiers had an argument whichledtohimbeinglashed to his head by Daymon. Reacting to the assault, the rank opened fire on Daymon, hitting him several times as he tried to flee the bullets. Video recording which appeared online showed several bullet holes in a wall atthearmybase.

A photograph also appeared with a gaping wound at the middle of the shooter'shead.

TheGDFhadnotedthata Board of Inquiry will be convened to investigate the circumstances that led to the fatal shooting of Private Daymon.

The acquisition of these compactor units marks a significant step forward in the city's commitment to e n v i r o n m e n t a l responsibility and efficient waste disposal, the Council said in a press release. The decision to invest in these compactor units was made after careful consideration of various factors, including the growing population, w a s t e m a n a g e m e n t challenges, and the need to streamline the collection p r o c e s s T h e n e w compactors will be strategically placed at key locations, ensuring a c c e s s i b i l i t y a n d convenience for vendors, citizens, businesses, and w a s t e m a n a g e m e n t personnel.

According to City Hall thecompactorsareequipped with advanced technology that maximizes compaction ratios, allowing for increased waste storage capacity Thisefficiencywill

reduce the frequency of waste collection and, consequently, the number of collection vehicles on the road, leading to reduced traffic congestion and lower carbonemissions.

Additionally, the

compactor units are designed to handle different types of waste, including general waste, recyclables, and organic matter. Their versatility will enable more effective waste separation, leading to better recycling outcomes and reduced landfillusage.

The compactors are equipped with odor control mechanisms that will mitigate unpleasant odors typically associated with waste disposal areas Additionally, their sleek and

modern design will contribute to the overall aestheticsofthecityscape.

Georgetown Mayor, Ubraj Narine expressed enthusiasm about the purchase, stating:"the

acquisition of these compactor units aligns with ourcity'svisionofcreatinga cleaner and greener environment for our citizens.

B y i n v e s t i n g i n a d v a n c e d w a s t e management infrastructure, we are taking a proactive approach to tackle the challenges of waste disposal w h i l e p r o m o t i n g sustainability."

The compactor units are expected to be operational within the next few months, following the necessary

Eureka Lab's driver, two others charged for stealing company's money safe

installation and training procedures.

The City Council is committed to ensuring a seamless transition and will work closely with waste management personnel to e n s u r e a s m o o t h implementation process CityHallsaidtheinvestment in these compactor units is partofabroaderinitiativeby theCityCounciltoprioritise environmentalsustainability and improve the overall quality of life for residents. Throughcollaborationswith l o c a l c o m m u n i t y organizations, educational institutions, and businesses, the council aims to raise awareness about waste reduction, recycling practices, and responsible wastemanagementhabits.

Charged, Cephyl Drepaul Charged, Rueben Hopkinson

Adriver attached to the Eureka M e d i c a l Laboratory was among three persons who were on Tuesday charged for carting off with the company's safe lastweekTuesday

Making their first court a p p e a r a n c e s a t t h e Georgetown Magistrates' Court were Rueben Hopkinson, 30, (the company's driver) of Farm, East Bank Demerara (EBD),

Kacey John,36, of BB Eccles, EBD; and Cephyl Drepaul Saul,37, a taxi driver of East La Penitence.

They all appeared before Acting-Chief Magistrate Sherdel-Isaacs Marcus where the charge of robbery underarmswasreadtothem. According to the particulars of the offence, on June 6, 2023 at Eureka Medical Laboratory,Thomas S t r e e t , N o r t h C u m m i n g s b u r g ,

Charged, Kacey John

Georgetown, while being armed with a dangerous weapon, the defendants robbed Stephan Dickson and Tevin Danny of a safe containing cash and other items amounting to $4,660,000.

They all pleaded not guilty to the charge and bail wasrefused.

Hopkinson, John and Drepaul were then remanded to prison and are expected to make another court

appearanceonJuly12,2023.

Kaieteur News had reported that the armed robbery took place at around 23:45hrs that day by two unidentifiablemen.

One of the guards of the company had reported to the investigators that he was in a guard hut located at the front of the lab while the another guard was in a guard hut on the eastern side of the building.

Thatguardrelatedthathe wasapproachedbyoneofthe suspectswhopointedagunat

himandinstructedhimnotto pressthepanicbutton.

He was then taken out of his hut and the same was done to the second guard after which they were both forcedtoopenthebuilding.

It was reported to the police that on entrance of the building the perpetrators ordered the guards to take them to the boss o ff i c e , w h e r e t h e y were ordered to lay f a c e d o w n o n the ground, and the suspects tied their hands behind their

backwithplasticzipcuffs.

After this, the suspects then carted off with a metal safe and making good their escape in a white Toyota IST motorcar PPP 4592, which was parked on the eastern side of Thomas Street facing north.

S u b s e q u e n t l y a n investigation was launched into the matter and John, Drepaul and Hopkinson were arrested between June 7 and 10 by ranks of the Alberttown Police Station.

Eureka Medical Laboratory

Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Private, Tevon Daymon

Georgetown Mayor, Ubraj Narine inspects the two compactors

Najmul ton guides Bangladesh to 362-5 against Afghanistan

AFP - Najmul Hossain struck his third Test century as Bangladesh dominated a hapless Afghanistan to score 362-5 on the first day of the one-off Test in Dhaka yesterday.

Najmul made 146 off 175 balls and set up an imposing total in his 212-run secondwicket partnership with Mahmudul Hasan, who hit 76 to make his third Test fifty.

Mushfiqur Rahim was not out on 41 alongside Mehidy

Hasan Miraz on 43 when bad light forced stumps with 11

overs left on the opening day.

Afghanistan, who are without talismanic all-rounder Rashid Khan, were on the back foot for most of the day after electing to bowl first on a rare green-top wicket at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Debutant medium pacer Nijat Masood was the most successful Afghan bowler with 2-67, removing Zakir Hasan for one on his very first Test delivery in the second over.

The sharp catch from

wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai had to be confirmed by the television umpire after an initial decision of not out.

But Najmul and Mahmudul immediately forged a strong partnership to take control of the proceedings and deny the visitors further momentum.

Najmul hit back-to-back fours off Yamin Ahmadzai in the first over he came to bat and brought up his fifty off 58 balls with a boundary off leg-spinner Zahir.

Occasional spinner

Australia dominate Test batting rankings ahead of Ashes

Rahmat Shah broke their partnership when Mahumdul attempted a cut shot only to edge a catch to Ibrahim Zadran at slip.

Mahmudul hit nine boundaries in his sedate 137ball innings.

Afghanistan enjoyed a brief spell of success in the post-tea session when Nijat dismissed Mominul Haque, caught behind down the leg side, for 15.

Najmul fell soon after, heaving a catch to Nasir Jamal at deep midwicket off left-arm spinner Amir Hamza in his attempt for his third six in the innings.

Thursday June 15, 2023

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19)

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

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

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

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

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

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

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

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

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

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22)

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

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

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

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

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

SAGIT (Nov.22–Dec.21)

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

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) = It

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

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

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

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

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

AFP - Australia will head into the Ashes series with their batters occupying the top three spots in the men’s Test rankings.

In the latest weekly update from the International Cricket Council published yesterday, Marnus Labuschagne retains top spot with team-mates Steve Smith and Travis Head just below him.

The last time batsmen from the same side occupied the top three places was in 1984, when West Indies players Gordon Greenidge, Clive Lloyd and Larry Gomes filled

the slots. Smith scored a century in Australia’s World Test Championship final win over India last week, while Head rises from sixth after scoring 163 in the same game at The Oval.

Joe Root is the highest England batter at sixth in the list. Australia spinner Nathan Lyon has moved up to sixth in the bowling rankings after taking five wickets in the match against India.

His captain Pat Cummins remains third, with England’s James Anderson second.

The first Ashes Test begins at Edgbaston on Friday.

Carlos Petterson-Griffith...

The 24-year-old lefthander smashed 23 fours in his sizzling innings.

From page 21 but failed to land the 24-yearold, who signed a contract extension with PSG in May last year.

However, the Spanish club are rebuilding their team after losing several attacking players, including Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, and could turn their eye to Mbappe who has finished top scorer in Ligue 1 for the last five seasons.

PSG will also want to avoid a complete rebuild of their forward line after losing Lionel Messi on a free transfer when the Argentine World Cup winner opted not to extend his contract at the end of the season.

Messi had been booed and jeered by PSG fans towards the end of the season after their Champions League last-16 exit and Mbappe said the seventimes Ballon d’Or winner did not get the respect he deserved in France.

“We’re talking about potentially the best player in the history of footb all.

It’s never good news when someone like Messi leaves,” Mbappe said.

“Personally, I don’t quite understand why so many people were so relieved that he was gone... It’s a shame, but that’s how it went. We will have to do what we can to replace him.”

($1 = 0.9257 euros)

From page 20 who have helped me in and out of Suriname to get the Schengen visa, MVP Sports, Fitness Express, Superior Concrete, Space Gym and the other private supporters. Thank you all for your continued backing, let’s go and break some records, together.”

Persons desirous of following the championship can do so via the following link, https://www.youtube.com/ @Olympics/. The GAPLF Facebook page will also be hosing the link, so fans and followers can also tune in to follow Petterson-Griffith from around 07:00hrs, Friday morning.

I didn’t ask to...

Hamilton Green’s Cup now set to commence

July 9

The excitement is building up for the highly anticipated 2023 Hamilton Green’s Cup. As the tournament draws near, LennoxArthur,theorganizer and former National Coach, extendsawarminvitationto everyone to witness the thrilling Nine-a-side Inter Ward/Village Knockout Football tournament, an event named after the esteemed former Mayor of Georgetown and Prime Minister, Hamilton Green.

The event is scheduled to commence on Sunday, July 9th at the Golden Grove ground The tournament kicks off with eight exhilarating matches

Matches will also be played every Sunday thereafter, into the month of August With thefirsteliminationstagesset forJuly30thandAugust6th

Thewinnersofthesematches will secure their place in the quarter-finals.

Teams hailing from various regions, including East Coast Demerara, East Bank, West Bank, Georgetown, and Berbice, will battle it out for the prestigious title. The firstplacewinnerwillwalkaway with an impressive prize of

$500,000, while the runnerup will settle for $250,000. The third and fourth place finishers will also be rewardedwith$150,000and $100,000,respectively

The tournament will follow a knockout format, where the winners of each match will advance to the next round Nonetheless, while the off-side rule will not be implemented in this tournament, all other rules applicablebyFIFAwillbein effect.

Expect to see renowned teams such as Victoria, Timehri, Beterverwagting, Buxton, Bourda All Stars, Road Warriors, Dynamics, Stewartville, Back Circle, Stabroek Ballers, Festival City Ballers, Sparta Boss,

Amsterdam hammers 167 for Black Panthers in New York National Cricket League 40-overs

FormerUSAplayer

Alex Amsterdam

s t r u c k a belligerent 167 to guide BlackPanthersCricketClub to a convincing 69-run win againstEmpireCricketClub inanotherroundmatchofthe 2023 New York National Cricket League 40-overs round-robincompetition.

BentStreet,andmanyothers participating in this exciting event.

There is no entrance fee required to take part in this competition However, teamsarerequestedtoarrive at least one hour before the scheduled playtime to avoid disqualification.

Each match will have a duration of forty minutes, with half-time intervals lasting no more than seven minutes. The matches will takeplaceattheGeorgetown FootballClub(GFC)andthe Golden Grove Community Centregrounds.

For further information regarding the tournament, contact the event coordinator, Lennox Arthur at666-9667or626-9351.

Debidayalslamsunbeaten113for kaieteurInternationalSportsClubA

Frontline batsman Kumar Debidayal scoredanaccomplished113notoutinspiring Kaieteur International Sports Club A to a resounding112-runwinoverHighlandCreek Cricket Club in the continuation of the Scarborough Cricket Association Elite 50overs competition last Sunday at Ellesmere Park.

The right-handed, Canada-based Guyanese Debidayal struck nine fours and three sixes to help his team reach a formidable 278-4 from the allotment of 50overs while Highland Creek Cricket Club onlyrepliedwith166alloutinthe43rdover

Debidayalalsogotgoodsupportfromhis sibling Julian Debidayal who scored 44 and 33fromMarcusNandu.

Eshan Dass and Nikhil Ponugati contributed 30 and 29 respectively Kumar, whoarrivedatthepivotalnumber3,occupied the crease for 107 balls and would have featuredinseveral,impressivepartnerships.

When Highland Creek Cricket Club batted,ArshanKhanhitafighting46tobethe leading scorer while Kush Yadav made 31. Seamer Kishan Anandjit and off-spinner Kevin Ramchand grabbed three wickets apieceandTyronePersaudwassupportiveby taking 2 to be the chief wicket-takers on a responsivepitch.

Kaieteur International had won the toss and without hesitation decided to take first

Kumar Debidayal

Playing at Baisley Park last Sunday, the left-handed Amsterdam clobbered 17 sixesand11fourstohelphis team reach a commanding 336-9 from the 40-overs. Empire Cricket Club, in reply,wasdismissedfor267 inthe36thover Amsterdam, who represented his native Guyanaattheregionalyouth level too before his migrationtoNorthAmerica, faced only 90 balls and stitched together several rapid partnerships. Renwick Batson also showed batting aggression with 50 as legspinnerandskipperBrandon Cabose claimed 3-61 from

eight overs and left-arm orthodox spinner Emanuel Seecharran also accounted for three victims but conceded80runsinhiseight expensive overs on a placid pitch.

In Empire’s chase, Seecharran proved his allround capabilities with a composed 57 and Avinash Sookraj added 34 but both wereonlyfightingknocksin thecontextofthings.

Seamer Utam Mouroe was the star-bowler for the victorious combination by snatching 4-57 off his maximumeightovers. The 14-team tournament issettocontinuethisSunday withanumberofmatches. BlackPantherswillmeet up with Queens United Sports Club, while debutant sideEmpireCricketClub,do battle with Team United Fighters.

Carlos Petterson-Griffith off to the IPF World Classic Open Powerlifting Championship

Confident of doing well for himself and the nation, G u y a n a ’s l e a d i n g strongman, Carlos Petterson-Griffith has left these shores to compete at thisyear’seditionoftheIPF W o r l d C l a s s i c O p e n P o w e r l i f t i n g Championship which is taking place in St Julians, MaltafromJune,11thtothe 18th.

Alltheactionwillunfold attheIntercontinentalArena Conference Centre, Intercontinental Hotel, St George’s, Bay, St Julians with the Guyanese set to compete early on Friday morning (June 16th) from around07:00hrs.

the squat at 310kgs, he is about 7th (330.0kg) in the deadlift and 12th overall basedonhistotalof880.0kg.

While acknowledging that this is the pinnacle of competitivenessonecanaim forinthesportatthehighest possible level, PettersonGriffithnotesthatheiseager toseetheGoldenArrowhead fly with pride amongst the bestathletesintheworldand the 33 nations in his category

along with the nation when you are on the platform. You’llbecarryingthisnation with you and we wish you nothing but the best. We are assured you’re a fierce competitor and we expect nothinglessthatehbestfrom you.”

knock. So far, they have got two wins from threeoutingssincethecommencementofthis year’sedition.

The other encounter was abandoned owingtorain.Meanwhile,theactionisslated to continue on Sunday with a series of matches in the eight-team, round-robin tournament. Kaieteur International A will confront Island Warriors at Ashtonbee Park also in Scarborough, while Highland Creek will resume things until June 18th against defending champion Naseeb Cricket Club withTerryFoxPark,thevenue.

The competition will be of the highest caliber and is attracting athletes from 65 nations,withover400lifters, 37 referees, and 257 other officials, making it the largest and most diverse participation in any Open C l a s s i c W o r l d Championshipever

Peterson-Griffith will contest the 93kg category which has a total of 42 nominated lifters with the Guyaneseplottedasfourthin

Petterson-Griffith met with Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF)PresidentFranklin Wilson on Tuesday evening just before his departure for New York Wilson encouraged the leading strongman to pull on all his experience and was assured that the powerlifting fraternity and by extension all Guyana was behind him, 100%.

”Also know that the Honourable Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, CharlesRamsonJr.,Director of Sport, Steven Ninvalle and the Government of Guyana is fully behind you andwouldbereppingforyou

Petterson-Griffith, who istheonlyCaribbeanathlete in this category posited that oneofhismainaimsbesides placingamongstthetopguns intheworld,isbeingableto make a mark and break throughformanyotherlocal athletes and those in the Caribbean.

”Iwantthemtoseewhat hard work is all about and moreso,workthesameway and even harder to fulfill their dreams and even surpass what I’ve done and take the bar higher I must say thank you to the Honourable Minister Charles Ramson Jr, the Ministry of Sport, the N a t i o n a l S p o r t s Commission, Guyana Olympic Association, GAPLF for working tirelessly to get me to these championships,thefolks (Continuedonpage19)

Alex Amsterdam

Lennox Arthur the Tournament’s Coordinator Hamilton Green

Deonarain named skipper of DCB U-17 ahead of GCB U-17 Inter-county

Port Mourant defeat Tain UG Elites to lift title

The Port Mourant Cricket Club (PMCC) has producedatotalofseventest cricketers and has a rich history in Berbice and Sundaylast,PMCCreceived a major boost when they defeated theTain University of Guyana Elites Cricket Teamby4wicketstoliftthe Berbice Cricket Board/ Arjune Nandu Grassroots Title.

The Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) named an Under-17 squad which will compete in the upcoming Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Under-17 50-Overs and 2-Days Inter-County Tournament.

The team will be led by nationalyouthplayerRomeo Deonarain who will have some experience with exGuyana youth spinner RichieLooknauthmanaging the side, while Yeuraj

Khemraj will coach the team.Outside of the talented Deonarain,theteamfeatures young stars like; Jonathan Van Lange who was named

Vice-captain, spinner

Stephon Sankar, Alex Datterdeen, Deonarain Dindyal among other rising stars.

Demerara Under-17 team 2023 reads: Romeo

Deonarain (Captain), Jonathan Van Lange (Vice-

Captain), Deonarine

Dindyal , Vikash Wilkson , Nicholas Shieopersaud, Zahid Mohamed, Dravid Manohar, Nityanand Mathura, Neeran Bani, Hemraj Harripersaud, Alex Datterdeen,StephonSankar, Sayed Lakeram and Shane Prince Reserve Players; Suresh Sugrim, Frahan Hussain,WavellAllen,Ryan Latiff,RonaldoGrenville Manager: Richie Looknauth

Coach:YeurajKhemraj

Harvey Glance, former Olympic gold medalist who coached Kirani James, passes away at 66

SportsMax - Olympic gold medalist and World Championships men’s head coach Harvey Glance died June 12th after suffering a heart attack earlier in the week.Hewas66.

As an athlete, Glance won Olympic 4x100m relay gold at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where he also finished fourth in the 100m witha10.19clocking.

Hewasalsoamemberof the USA’s gold medal winning quartet in the 4x100m at the 1987 World ChampionshipsinRome.

Moving into coaching after his retirement from competition, Glance took over as head men’s and women’s coach at his alma mater from 1991-96, and then moved to archrival Alabama in 1997, heading the men’s program until his retirement in 2011. He led the Crimson Tide to an N C A A I n d o o r Championships runner-up team finish in 2002 and produced a slew of allAmericans and SEC contendersduringhistenure. Along the way, Glance

spected international coach and

administrator, serving as head men’s coach for Team USATF at the 1999 Pan AmericanGamesandthenas headmen’scoachatthe2009 World Championships in Berlin.

Healsoservedasamen’s assistant coach for the 2008 Olympic team covering the sprints and hurdles and was an assistant men’s coach at the2006WorldJunior(U20)

UGElitesscored128for 9fromtheirallotted15overs inthefinal.Topscorerforthe UG team was Dharmesh Seenarine with 48 and he received support from Naeem Khan 29 and Abdul Ramsammy15.Bowlingfor Port Mourant, Parsram Tilkaram claimed 2 for 33, JoshuaRamsammy2-12and Madhan Budram 3-21 for 3 overs.

Needing to score 129 from90balls,toliftthetitle the home team squeezed homewithWestIndiesyouth playerRampertabRamnauth hitting a classy 66. He was supported by Joshua Ramsammy with 16 and AndyMohan14.

The UG Elites seeking their first BCB title, fought totheveryendbeforePMCC skipper Raju Singh hit the fifthballofthefinaloverfor two runs to herald the celebrations of his fellow teammates and supporters. Abdul Ramsammy 2 for 27 andZeynulRamsammy2for 32 were the successful bowlers for UG. Rampertab Ramnauth was named Man of the Final for his brutal knock of 66 which included sixboundariesandtwohuge sixes.

Earlierintheday,PMCC defeatedTainBlockFourby

86 runs. Batting first they amassed 130 for 1 with Ramnauth hitting 55 not out a n d w h i l e J o s h u a Ramsammyretiredhurtona well played 65. Tain Block Four in reply were bowled out for 44 in 8 overs with Samuel Kistasammy top scoringwith22.SalimKhan 3 for 12, Madan Budram 3 for 9 and George Hughes were the best bowlers for PMCC.

In the other semifinal, UG Elites led by a majestic 92 not out from National Under-19 Vice-Captain Jonathan Rampersaud amassed 126 for 2 versus Whim off 10 overs Yogendra Harrinarine 2 for 16wasWhimbestbowleras Rampersaud tore into their bowling attack. Whim in return, was restricted to 91 for 8 from their allotted ten overs. Harrinarine returned withthebattoscore32.The winningteam,runnerupand Man of the Final, received trophiesandcashprizes.

BCB President Hilbert Foster hailed the one day tournament as another successfulonefortheboard. He explained that the main aims of the grassroots tournaments are to give Villageclubsanopportunity towinaBCBtournament.

Foster explained that his administration in 2023 wouldbehostingjuniorinter clubandschooltournaments for the first half of the year while the second half of the yearwouldseethehostingof tournaments for females, second division and first divisionteams.

He also outlined a long list of developmental projectsincludingtheannual Berbice Cricket Academy, Coaching Programme, assistancetoclubs,coaching manual, the distribution of batting cages and bowling machines among others Foster expressed thanks to Arjune Nandu, a former national player for his supportofthetournament.

hisgreatestAlabamaathletes after retiring from the university, Glance guided KiraniJamesofGrenadato Olympic gold in the 400m in 2012 after winning the World Championships in 2011 James also earned silver in the 400m at the 2016 Games and bronze at Tokyo in 2021 and was the silvermedalistlastsummer a

d ChampionshipsinEugene

(Reuters) - Kylian

Mbappe said he never asked Paris St Germain to allow himtomovetoRealMadrid in the close season, confirming that he is happy to play in the French capital next season but will not extend his contract with the Ligue1champions.

Mbappe caused a stir when he sent a letter to the club stating that he had no intention to extend his PSG contract, which expires in 2024 if he does not activate theclausethatwillextendhis

dealbyafurther12months.

PSGfindthemselvesina fix as they risk losing Mbappe for free in June 2024.Hewillalsobefreeto sign a pre-contract agreement with a new club from January should he decide to see out the remainingyearofhisdealat PSG.

“I didn’t ask either to be sold or to go to Real Madrid,” Mbappe told Italian publication Gazzetta delloSport.

“I just confirmed that I

don’t want to activate the extra year foreseen in the contract We have never talked about a renewal with PSG, but I’m happy to stay herenextseason.”

However, if Mbappe stays until the end of the 2023-24 season, the French clubwillbeunabletorecoup any of the 180 million euros ($194.45million)theyspent in 2017 to sign the forward fromASMonaco.

Real Madrid have courtedMbappeinthepast

(Continuedonpage19)

Harvey Glance

Ididn’t ask to be sold to Real Madrid, says Mbappe

Man of the final - Rampertab Ramnauth.

Vikash Wilkinson Alex Datterdeen

Romeo Deonarain (Captain)

BCB/RLConstructionU15Tournament...

RHT Farfan and Mendes advance to final, Rose Hall Canje to semis

The Rose Hall Town Farfan and Mendes Ltd Under15 team has advanced to the final of the Berbice Cricket Board Under15 RL ConstructionTournament.

They defeated Bath Sports Club of West Coast Berbiceby10wicketsinthe first semifinal at theArea H Ground.

Rose Hall Canje easily defeated defending champions Port Mourant by 9wicketsatJaiHindCricket Club Ground to advance to thesecondsemifinal.

Bath batting first could only muster 38 all out on 16 overs with Christopher Baldeo(14)andChrisSansar (10)reachingdoublefigures.

Rose HallTown bowlers bowled well in very heated condition, led by Berbice U13playerDevSewpersaud

who took 4-10 and Munesh Rampersaud2-8.

Inreply,RoseHallTown FarfanandMendesachieved victory in 12 overs as Balraj Narine (10) and Munesh Rampersaud (25*) singlehandedly won the match for histeam.

At Jai Hind Ground, R o s e H a l l C a n j e Arborsmarts gained sweet revenge over Port Mourant, whodefeatedtheminthelast yearBCBfinal.

Batting first, Port Mourantwerebowledoutfor a disappointing 60 from 23 overs as only A. Paracha reached double figures with 10.

National youth player

Romario Ramdeholl 3 for 2 from 7 overs, Adrian Hetymer 3 for 5 and Ahil Hemraj2for5werethebest bowlersforCanje.

In reply, RHCC Arborsmartreached61for1 intheninthoverasLakeram Singhhitanattractive31not out with three boundaries and two sixes. Adrian Hetymer was also unbeaten on 21 when victory was achieved. Hetymer struck two massive sixes in his innings.

The tournament continues with Tucber Park facing Edinburgh to decide the runner up spot for the New Amsterdam/ Canje area.

Thewinnerofthatmatch would then play West BerbiceZonewinnerCotton Tree for the rights to play RoseHallCanjeArborsmart inthesemifinals.

Meanwhile, BCB president Hilbert Foster is advisingCricketclubsinthe countytoentertheirteamsto

play in the upcoming tournamentsattheUnder11 and Under 13 levels. The cutoffdateofbirthwouldbe the 1st of January 2012 for

U11 and 1st of September 2010forU13.

The board hopes to play off all junior cricket tournaments by the end of

July/early August before using the rest of the year to concentrate on female, second division and first divisiontournaments.

to step down as FIFA Secretary General

Samoura

(Reuters) - Senegal’s Fatma Samoura will step down from her role as FIFA Secretary General at the end of the year, world soccer’s governing body said yesterday

Samoura, who was a United Nations veteran, became the first woman to be named FIFA secretary general and was tasked with its day-to-day running as the body looked to fix its reputation after being embroiled in corruption scandals.

Her predecessor Jerome Valcke was fired in 2016 and banned for ethics violations

Advertisement Scroll to continue “FIFA today is a better governed, more open, more reliable and more transparent organisation I will leave FIFA with a high sense of pride and fulfilment,” Samoura said in a statement

“I had intended to share my news first withtheFIFACouncilmembersnextweek,

but I am aware there has been growing speculation about my position in recent months.

“For now, I am fully focused on the preparationanddeliveryoftheupcoming Women’sWorldCupinAustraliaandNew Zealand.”

Samoura, who began her U N career with the World Food Programme in 1995 and served as country representative or director in six African countries, was heavily involved in improving women’s football.

“Fatma was the first woman, and the first African, to be appointed to such an important position at FIFA,” FIFA PresidentGianniInfantinosaid.

“We respect Fatma’s decision and I would like to thank her for such dedicationandcommitmenttofootball ”

Samoura oversaw the restructuring of FIFAwhichincludedappointingtwodeputy secretary generals and creating a new women’sfootballdivision.

Munesh Rampersaud and Dev Sewpersaud of the RHT Farfan and Mendes Ltd.

GuyananamessquadsforXXIVCentral American&CaribbeanGames(CAC)2023

TheCentralAmerican& Caribbean Games were initiallyscheduledtobeheld in Panama. Due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, Panama was unabletohosttheGamesand (withabouteighteenmonths to prepare) El Salvador

offeredtohost.

The Games will include thirty seven (37) sports, comprising a total of fifty threedisciplines.

The Opening Ceremony willbeonJune23rdandthe Closing Ceremony on July 8th Team Guyana will

competeintensports;onein Santo Domingo and nine in SanSalvador

Thevaryingassociations or federations have named their squads that will travel tocompeteinthesegames. Scheduled for the SANTO DOMINGO SUB-

VENUE: 1. HOCKEY –June28-July6

•ATHLETES

1)DominicAlleyne

2)JamarjAssanah

3)EdmondChinian

4)PaulD’Andrade

5)ShakeemFausette

6)ShaquonFavorite

7)RobertFrance

8)TahreaGarnett

9)JaelGaskin

10)TroyHodge

11)KareemMcKenzie

12)SimeonMoore

13)Me’ShachSargeant

14)OshazaySavory

15)OrlandSemple

16)AndrewStewart

•OFFICIALS

•JohnAbrahams

•RobertFernandes

•TheodoreHenry

• DEPUTY CHEF DE MISSION: Marisha Fernandes InSANSALVADOR

2.ARCHERY–July2-7

•ATHLETE

17) Wayne DeAbreu –

Men’sIndividualRecurveat 70m

3.ATHLETICS–July38•ATHLETES

18)EmanuelArchibald–

Men’s 100m, Men’s long jump,Men’s4x100mRelay

19) Domon Williams –

Men’striplejump

20) Akeem Stewart –

Men’s4x100mRelay

21) Natrena Hooper –

Women’striplejump

22) Kenisha Phillips –

Women’s 200m, Women’s 400m

23) Keliza Smith

Women’s100m

24) Quamel Prince

Men’s800m

25) Leslain Baird

Men’sjavelinthrow

26) Noelex Holder

Men’s4x100mRelay

27) Ezekiel Newton –

Men’s4x100mRelay

28) Aaliyah Moore –

Women’s800m

29) Andrea Foster –Women’s400mhurdles

•OFFICIALS

•JulianEdmonds

•NiallStanton

4.BADMINTON–July

1-7•ATHLETES

30) Priyanna Ramdhani

– Women’s Singles, Mixed Doubles

31)NarayanRamdhani–Men’s Singles, Mixed Doubles

•OFFICIAL

•NaeemHaque

5. BASKETBALL 3X3 –June30-July2

•ATHLETES

32)RuthAdams

33)KirstyThomas

34)ShaniaSears

35)KenneshaLeacock

•OFFICIAL

•SileenaArjune

6.BOXING–June22-28

•ATHLETES

36) Keevin Allicock –Men’s57kg

3 7 ) D e s m o n d Amsterdam–Men’s80kg

38)EmmanuelPompey–Men’s92kg

39) Joel Williamson –Men’s63.5kg

•OFFICIALS

•TerrencePoole

•LennoxDaniels

7.FENCING–July2-7

•ATHLETE

40) Avinash Somir –

Men’sIndividualÉpée

8. SWIMMING – June

24-29•ATHLETES

41) Sekhel Tzedeq –

Men’s 50m freestyle, Men’s 100m freestyle, Men’s 50m backstroke, Men’s 100m backstroke

42) Latisha Blair –Women’s 50m freestyle, Women’s 50m backstroke, Women’s100mbackstroke

•OFFICIAL

•ShykaGonsalves

9. TABLE TENNIS –June21-27

•ATHLETES

43) Natalie Cummings –Women’s Team, Women’s Singles, Women’s Doubles, MixedDoubles

44) Priscilla Greaves –Women’s Team, Women’s Singles

45)ChristopherFranklin – Men’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles, Men’s Team, Men’sSingles

46) Jonathan van Lange – Men’s Team, Men’s Singles

47) Jasmine Billingy –Women’s Team, Women’s Singles

48) Elishaba Johnson –Men’sTeam,Men’sSingles

49) Chelsea Edghill –Women’s Team, Mixed Doubles,Women’sDoubles, Women’sSingles

50) Shemar Britton –Men’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles, Men’s Team, Men’sSingles

•OFFICIALS

•IdiLewis

•JoelAlleyne

10.WEIGHTLIFTING–June23-27

•ATHLETES

51) Delice Adonis –Women’s64kg

52) Shammah Noel –Men’s81kg

•OFFICIAL

•SeanCozier

•MEDICAL

•DrRichieVyphuis

•MsVanessaWickham

• CHEF DE MISSION: KarenPilgrim

Carlos Petterson-Griffith off to the IPF World Classic Open

Powerlifting Championship

Australia dominate Test batting rankings ahead of Ashes

FIFA General Secretary Fatma Samoura addresses delegates at the Integrated Polytechnic Regional Center (IPRC) Kigali stadium, during the inauguration of a FIFA football programme for all schools, in Kigali, Rwanda March 14, 2023. (REUTERS/ Jean Bizimana/File Photo)

Samoura to step down as FIFA Secretary General

Paris St Germain’s Kylian Mbappe during the press conference. (REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo)

Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne is the top-ranked batsman inTest cricket. (Glyn KIRK)

GAPLF President, Franklin Wilson extending best wishes toCarlos Petterson-Griffith.