Kaieteur news

…MahipaulsaysPrimeMinister hadtoldParliamentcontractwas awardedtoMethod4company, butcabinetclearedcontractforIEG

must come contract’

‘PPP bad for Guyana’- Norton tells massive NArally …vowstoridcountryof corruption, nepotism

Jagdeo eyes flipping Reg. 10 from green to red

…urgessupporterstohaveconversations intheirhomes,aboutPPP'sachievements

APNU Vice Presidential Candidate, Ganesh Mahipaul

The Buxton Steel Orchestra was among the several steel bands that participated in the annualAmity Schools Steelband Festival organised by the Ministry of Education's Unit of AlliedArts Unit. The event was held at the Seawall Esplanade in Kingston, Georgetown.

Dead: Ryan Thomas

Govt. open to final meeting with CGX-Frontera

…but maintains joint venture licence expired on Corentyne block

The Government of Guyana has reaffirmed its position that the joint venture (JV) between CGX Energy Inc. and Frontera Energy Corporation no longer holds rights to the Corentyne Block located offshore Guyana. However, it noted that it is open to a final discussion on a “withoutprejudice”basis.

The JV has maintained that its interest in the Corentyne Block remains valid, even after receiving a formal communication from the government stating that the Petroleum Prospecting

nce (PPL) and Petroleum Agreement had ended.

On March 26, CGX and Frontera sent a notice of intent to the government, alleging breaches of the United Kingdom–Guyana Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and the Guyana

vestment Act As previously reported, this notice initiated a three-

negotiations between the partiesinanefforttoresolve thedisputeamicably InastatementonFriday, FronteraandCGXdisclosed thatthegovernment,through its legal counsel, responded

government rejected the oil companies'claimsregarding the Corentyne Block and reaffirmed its position that the JV's interest had expired onJune28,2024.

However,theJVsaidthe government also stated that it “may consider a final meeting with the Investors, onawithoutprejudicebasis, in October 2025, and the Joint Venture would be informedastowhethersuch a meeting will occur in September2025.”

For their part, Frontera and CGX remain firmly of the view that its interests in, and the licence for, the Corentyne Block remain in

place and in good standing and that the Petroleum Agreement has not been terminated.

Moreover, even though thethree-monthconsultation period has now expired, the JVsaiditcontinuestoinvite the government to amicably resolve the issues, which it said, are “affecting the Joint Venture's investments in the Corentyne Block.” Notably, the JV warned, “Should the parties not reach a mutually agreeable solution, the Joint Venture and its stakeholders are prepared to assert their legalrights.”

After more than two decades of exploration, the JV finally struck oil at the Kawa-1 well in January 2022.

JustaheadoftheJune28, 2024deadlinefortheblock's appraisalprogramme,theJV submitted a Notice of Potential Commercial Interest to government for the Wei-1 well, on June 26. The government later said

The platform located on the Corentyne Block

stringent conditions would need to be met to retain the block. In March 2025, the government issued a 30-day notice and gave the oil companiesachancetomake r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s Government was open to good-faith negotiations within the specified timeframe.

However, government eventually cut ties with the JV in relation to the Corentyne Block and said thatitisoftheviewthatthere arenoreasonablegroundsto grant an extension to CGX and Frontera for their exploration and appraisal obligations.

APNU promises to lower land application age to 18

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has announcedplanstolowerthe age requirement for land applications from 21 to 18 yearsifelectedtooffice.

This proposal was made publiconSaturdaybyAPNU vice presidential candidate, Ganesh Mahipaul, during a party rally held in New Amsterdam,RegionSix.

Addressing a crowd of supporters, Mahipaul said this policy shift is part of APNU's broader vision to improve access to housing for young people He explained that in the party's upcoming manifesto, persons aged 18 and older wouldnotonlybeeligibleto apply for land, but would also benefit from APNU's proposed rent-to-own housinginitiative.

“In the housing sector right now, if you are not 21 years old, you cannot put in an application,” Mahipaul stated. “I am saying to you, with the confidence of our president Aubrey Norton, that one of the first actions wewilltakeonSeptember1 willbetoremovethatageto 21andtakeit18yearsold.”

He added that 18-yearoldsshouldbeentrustedwith homeownership, especially sincetheyarealreadylegally

allowedtovoteanddrive.“If at 18 you are old enough to vote, then you are old enough to own your own home. And the policies that wehavefortherenttoown,it means that when you finish payingoffwhatisthecostof the home, it will be yours, thatiswhatwehaveinstore foryou,”Mahipaulstated.

Hefurtherstatedthatthe policies inAPNU's soon-tobe-released manifesto are designed with ordinary c i t i z e n s i n m i n d

“Everything that we have in ourmanifestothatwewillbe releasing to the public soon caters for me and you, it caters for the ordinary,” Mahipaulasserted. The current policy requiringapplicantstobe21 years or older was reintroduced in 2020 by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).

Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, announced the change duringaninterviewwiththe Department of Public Information (DPI), noting that although the previous APNU+AFC government hadloweredtheageto18in 2017, such an initiative was not practical. “The last government did reduce the

policy to 18 years, but in all practicality, if you are approaching the bank for a loan, there are certain requirements that they seek,”Croalsaid. Hefurther explained that the requirements included having an employment historyuptothreeyearsand many18-year-oldapplicants could not produce this and o t h e r n e c e s s a r y requirements to banks and other institutions, leaving the CH&PA system with voidlots.

Under the previous A P N U + A F C administration, thenMinister of Housing Valerie Patterson introduced a compromise that allowed 18-year-olds to apply for house lots, but actual allocations would only be made once the applicants turned21.

However,MinisterCroal later argued that, despite the opportunity to apply early, many young applicants lackedthefinancialmeansto completetheprocess.

Duringthatperiod,many young Guyanese were outragedwiththenewpolicy and took to social media to raisetheirconcerns.Mostof them contended that applyingforahouselotat18

years old is a wise decision since there is a lengthy processing time and, adding to that, an allocation is only done once the applicant reaches21.Itwasstatedthat if they apply at 18, they would have the timeto raise the necessary finances so

that they would be able to pay for the house lot once it isallocated.

The youths also raised the point that at 18, young people can get their driver's licence and be eligible to determine who leads them by voting so there was no

reason why they should not be able to access a plot of land.

If put into action, APNU's plan could make it much easier for young people to own land, promoting development amongtheyouthco

KaieteurNews

PrintedandPublishedbyNationalMedia& PublishingCompanyLtd 24SaffonStreet, Charlestown,Georgetown,Guyana.

Publisher:GLENNLALL-Tel:624-6456

Editor-in-Chief:NigelWilliams

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

EDITORIAL

On the campaign trail

As Guyana prepares for yet another election, what shouldbeamomentofcivicrenewalandnationaldialogue hasinsteaddevolvedonceagainintoatiresomespectacleof emptyrhetoric,personalattacks,andrecycledpromises.

The campaign trail is riddled not with transformative ideas but with familiar invectives and political “cuss downs,”asifpublicofficeweretheprizeinashoutingmatch rather than a platform for change. Since this country attained political independence in May 1966, successive political parties, namely the People's Progressive Party (PPP) and the People's National Congress (PNC) have in their own respective ways perfected the art of practicing divisivepoliticsinordertowinelections.

Bothpartieshavecreatedapermanentdivideamongthe people along racial lines. But regrettably, they have both failed so far to provide effective governance and despite a marked decrease in political violence over the years, the country is still racially divided.The economy is struggling andeffortstodevelopanddiversifyevenwiththeadventof oilhavenotmaterialised.

The declared mission of our founding leaders was the acquisition of political independence which has been accomplished, therefore the mission of succeeding generations was to attain economic independence However,basedonthestateoftheeconomytoday,itisfairto say that the unanimous grade for this generation is an “F.” Sadly, no leader or party has so far been able to say with certitude that they have succeeded in developing and diversifying the economy If the economy is to make a quantumleap,ourleadersmustchangethewaytheyconduct politicsandmanagetheeconomy Aftermorethan50years of independence, that mission has not been accomplished. Our political leadership has been transactional, rather than transformative, a term coined by theAmerican sociologist JamesVDowntontoillustrateamarkeddifferencebetween poortoaverageandexcellentleadership.

This country stands at a critical juncture, blessed with natural resources, a youthful population, and untapped potential. However, what passes for political engagement todayofferslittlehopetothisnation.Thetwomajorparties, thoughtheyhavenotyetlaunchedtheirmanifestoofferlittle in the way of bold, people-centered policies to address the realissuesconfrontingordinaryGuyanese.Notclearpolicy on dealing with income inequality, youth unemployment, corruption, health care decay, and an underperforming education system. Instead, what we have been fed with on the campaign trail are worn-out narratives, mixed with finger-pointingthatalienatesratherthaninspires.

Attheralliesheldsofarvotersaresubjectedtoonstage bluster and social media vitriol rather than meaningful conversation about what a just, prosperous, and inclusive Guyanamightlooklike.

There are, however, from time to time, flickers of somethingdifferent,somethingbetter OnSaturdaynightat theAPNUrallyinNewAmsterdam,BusinessmanTerrence Campbellemergedasarefreshingexception,articulatinga vision that places people above party and ideas above ego. He spoke about how the PPP government has been nonchalantlyrequestingmoneyfromthatNaturalResources Fund, spending out 95 per cent of the money that Guyana earns from oil every year, while promising that under an APNUgovernmenttheywillsaveaminimumof25percent of the money the country receives each year from its oil resources. His platform, while still developing will add depth to theAPNU's campaign, even as he seeks to bridge divides rather than widen them. Campbell's tone, although notcompletelyfreeofpersonalattacks,atleastfocusedon practical,solution-orientedproposals.

Also on the campaign trail, the upstart political movementWeInvestinNationhoodhasinjectedadegreeof energy and urgency into an otherwise staid contest. Attractinglargegatheringsattheirmostlypublicmeetings, theyspeakingthelanguageofchange,whilegroundingwith the marginalised and poor Though, face steep odds, with

You have the power to stop this march to dictatorship

DearEditor, No political party must ever be allowed to gain a two-thirds majority in Guyana's National

Assembly That kind of power would be the beginning of the end for democracy, the rule of law, andeveryrightandfreedom the Guyanese people have fought for over generations. It would legalise the illegal, legitimise the abuse of power, and turn oppression intopolicy

We are standing at the edge of a dangerous cliff. The electoral system we have today, bloated voters' list and no biometric safeguards, cannot guarantee free, fair or credibleelections.Thisisno technical glitch It is deliberate The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is under the thumb of the People's Progressive Party (PPP), aided and abetted by an international community thatcontinuestoprioritiseits economic interests over the

rights and dignity of the Guyanesepeople.

Now the PPPis boasting it will win a two-thirds majority That should send alarm bells ringing across every village, mission, town and region. Such a victory would give them the power tochangetheConstitutionof Guyana unilaterally They would no longer need the opposition. They would no longerneedthepeople.They wouldnolongerneedyou.

A two-thirds majority is notjustapoliticalwin.Itisa national crisis. It would mean the end of checks and balances. It would mean government by force, not consent. The consequences forworkingpeople,forcivil society, for every Guyanese who values freedom and fairness would be devastating.

Thisisnotjustpolitics.It isawarondemocracy

Wemustrememberthese elections are the most consequential since 1953 when for the first time Guyanese won the right to

'Realpolitik

DearEditor

Icannotrememberatime in Guyanese history when the West, particularly the United States of America, have not been deeply involved in Guyanese internal affairs. The recent statement by the current US ambassador to Guyana that Mr Azruddin Mohamed of theWeInvestinNationhood (WIN) party is not fit to be

al governance, pales in comparisontowhathasgone before.

Immediately after the West engineered Cheddi Jagan out of office in the 1960s and before Forbes Burnham began to show similar soc

a received the highest United States per capita aid in the world - even more than

universal adult suffrage, the right to vote and determine their future. That right was not handed to us. It was fought for.TheTrade Union Movement, under the leadership of Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, began that struggle in 1926. In the 1940sitwascarriedforward by Cheddi Jagan, Forbes Burnham, Jane Phillips-Gay and others who demanded a Guyana where power would be shared, not hoarded by onegroup.

This government, with just 50 69 percent parliamentary majority, has already done massive damage. Give them twothirds and you are giving them a blank cheque to rewrite the Constitution in their image, to extend Bharrat Jagdeo's political life into a third term or infinite, and to codify exclusion, oppression and discrimination under the guiseoflegalreform.

Letusnotpretendwedo notknowwhatthisis.Atwothirdsmajoritywouldkillthe spirit of the Constitution w h i c h d e m a n d s collaboration between G o v e r n m e n t a n d Opp

Parliament and Civil Society Thatprincipleof (Continuedonpage6)

Thefightthenwasforthe right to vote and internal self-government. The fight nowistostopthatvotefrom being stolen, smothered or rendered meaningless under theweightofaparliamentary dictatorship We already know what this government is doing with a simple parliamentary majority Imagine what they will do with two-thirds. There is already fear to speak, to dissent, to associate. The Cybercrime Act is being weaponised to silence critics The courts are compromised. Transparency Internationalsayscorruption is rampant.TheWorld Bank says poverty remains entrenched The United Nations Human Rights Committee says violations areongoing.

: the limits of state sovereignty'

Israel. Only last week, I noted that the People's ProgressiveParty(PPP)was banished from government for three decades because it failed to grasp the limits of state sovereignty and democracy, so please let us not again make a similar mistake.

Two of the most important issues facing Guyana today have to do with the establishment of inclusive democratic governance and the border dispute with Venezuela These issues have been festering since the 1950s/1960s and require the a s s i s t a n c e o f t h e international community, and particularly the USA, if theyaretoberesolvedand/or contained.

Where governance is concerned,afewweeksago,

theirleaderunderUSsanctionsforallegedgoldsmuggling, theirverypresencechallengesthestatusquoandopensthe doorforbroaderpoliticalrenewalifthenumbersthatshow upfortheirmeetingsremainintactonelectionsday.

Wehavesaidhereonmanyoccasionsthatthiscountry deserves better than what it is being offered by the two majorparties.Webelievedemocracyshouldbeaplatform forpolicy,notposturing,forprogress,notpersonalitiesand if the PPP/C and the PNCR refuse to elevate the national conversation,theywillcontinuetoalienatetheverypeople they seek to govern. Voters, especially the younger generation,arewatchingandwaitingforsomeonetospeak totheirhopes,nottheirfears.

the case of Northern Ireland and the establishment of the GoodFridayAgreementthat putanendtodecadesofcivil war after the Irish diaspora persuaded the US government to become involved, was given some prominence in the national media, and this column has consistently argued that the Guyanese diaspora should make a similar effort. Partly because of his Irish heritage President Joe Biden was intricately involved in the GoodFridayprocessandhis presidency become so involved in attempting to makegovernanceinGuyana inclusiveandmoreequitable that the recalcitrant PPP celebrated its demise with large billboards welcoming thenewUSgovernment!

Realpolitik dictates that individualstatescandowhat they want once what they want is not seriously out of step with what the powerful globalactorswant. Inother words, individual states can onlyachieveandsecuretheir goals if they have sufficient individual or collective soft andhardpower Thepresent situationinUkraineisagood example of this general position.

That country voted for Volodymyr Zelenskyy's party'ServantofthePeople',

which wishes to join North AtlanticTreatyOrganisation (NATO).TheRussiansclaim the Ukraine's joining NATO would constitute an existential threat. It labelled the Ukraine regime Nazioriented and invaded, in the view of some with the sole intention of annexing the entire country Alone, Ukraine does not have the military power to stop the Russians and is only being saved by the economic and military strength of NATO, which, with the coming to theUSpresidencyofDonald Trump, has become less certain. Apartfromthetotal defeat of Russiam, which is very unlikely, unfortunately it does appear that a final agreement will have to include a condition that negates the will of the UkrainianstojoinNATO.

The 1648 Treaty of Westphalia ended the 30 Years War in Europe between the Catholics and Protestants, gave birth to a moderninternationalsystem and the principle of state sovereign equality by which states are not to intervene in each other's internal affairs. But while the treaty brought contemporary peace to Europe it could not prevent someofthemostdevasting (Continuedonpage5)

Neck-and-neck race! 'Realpolitik: the limits of state...

DearEditor

A neck-and-neck race!

The vibrancy of youths is undeniable.JereneRichards, a formidable anchor runner from Trinidad and Tobago, has rewritten history at the Commonwealth Games, showcasing relentless determination Her teammate, Dwight Hillaire, created waves with his explosive start, leaving contenders from Botswana, Kenya, and Jamaica in the dust.Today's champions are undeniably faster than those f r o m 1 5 y e a r s ago—previous generations of runners are now deemed slow Athletes are evolving, reaching new heights and breakingrecords.Ouryoung nation is undergoing rapid changes The upcoming election showcases all firsttime candidates: Mohamed, Hughes, Walton-Dezir, Norton, and Broomes. Take note of the noteworthy representationfrom women. The political landscape is shifting, with a new mix of parties including WIN, FGM, ALP, and APNU minustheAFC.With45,000 new voters in play, and new candidates like Sufeena Supaul, Ravoldo Birbal, Odessa Primus and Eden Corbin stepping up, a transformation is underway, voters are not only seeing a presidential candidate – it seesalltheothersbesidehim or her! This new generation istech-savvy,informed,and desiresfairness.Witharound 55,000 disenchanted voters and 200,000 educated women seeking equitable representation, the trend is clear: the 2025 race is not just about the PPP or PNC; fresh challengers are rising totheoccasion!

The WIN slate is bolsteredbysixexperienced women politicians and two

seasoned regional candidates A critical question arises: why would over a thousand individuals, including seasoned politicians, abandon a longestablished camp in Tokyo for a relatively new one in Port-au-Prince? This

indicates that WIN is set to leave a lasting mark on electoral outcomes, and the evidence will emerge well beforeSeptember2,2025. Moreover, many Guyanese voters are increasingly distrustful of American politicians and reject the influence of foreign conglomerates

EnterAzruddin—a dynamic force reshaping the political narrative His party and candidates are positioned as disruptors, challenging the PPP, APNU, and other

entrenched interests Azruddin is viewed as a significant thorn or "PIMPLA"—in their side. The WIN leader enjoys immensegrassrootssupport, especially from that critical blocofover200,000women voters. Guyanese from all walks of life are eager to connect with leaders like him, Nigel, Simona and Amanza The Guyanese tsunami is poised to hit on September 1, 2025—a force determined to cleanse the politicallandscape.

As we approach the election, around 275,000 public servants are ready to consider any party (PPP, WIN, AFC, FGM, ALP) rather than simply siding with APNU. Union leadership, including GPSU and GTU, is on record encouraging members to vote according to their preferences. This shift is echoedbymanyGAWUand GMSA members who are rallyingbehindWIN. Political allegiances are transforming; this election willnotbedefinedbyethnic voting or old familial ties. Candidates understand they cannot rely on outdated narratives.Apresidentofthe GTU is now a candidate on the PPP slate, signaling a rejection of the old guard. Leaders like Juretha, Laura, Odessa, Amanza, and Simona will not tolerate outdated mindsets; they demand accountability and are focused on the immediate challenges faced by their constituents. These leadersareprojectingagood

narrative: that today, over 100,000 women are struggling to provide for their families and are activelyseekingleaderswho won'tsiphonresourcesfrom the public

s Politicians like Nigel are clearly objective, willing to invite diverse perspectives even from rival candidates. This approach appeals with voters, aligning with the s

n

n

s of the challengers who share common grievances against theincumbent'sattitude.The status quo cannot continue where only a select few benefit Teachers, nurses, police officers, and soldiers are still among society's m o s t v u l n e r a b l e , demonstrating that the old systems are failing. These are the backbone of society Therejectionofcommunism and socialism is palpable; people are moving toward populism, liberalism, and egalitarianism. Why would ANUG, a progressive, multi-ethnic,andmulti-class party formed with integrity in its small leadership Group, choose to ally with WINjustfiveyearslater?

The reality is startling: thousands of police officers are engaged in criminal behavior, exploiting their positions to prey on the populace This rampant corruption speaks volumes. Candidates are promising to initiate a Commission of Inquiry within 100 days against a senior official implicated in corrupt dealings with a Chinese intermediary, as exposed by Vice News. This is a severe drawback for the incumbent during election time—trust iseverything.

Let's make one thing clear: underestimating the potential of Amanza, Aubrey,Azruddin, Nigel, or Simona is a mistake. The political landscape is shifting, and change seems imminent! Electioneering is not an exact science Knocking on doors usually bringsresults!!

BestRegards, ShabeerZafar

Frompage4 later conflicts Even the establishmentofothermajor international organisations such as the United Nations has not been able to put an end to destructive global conflicts.

Indeed, in our times, the situation has become more complicated. Various forms of communications, migration and the need to properly manage the global commons have become sufficientlyimportanttocall intoquestiontheprincipleof sovereigntythathasallowed states, particularly large and powerful ones, to do as they please.

‘Today,wearelivingina world that is more interconnected and in which we have a lot of shared problems that need a collective responsible approach on the part of states. (T)heWestphalian model, especially in the shapeofsovereignty won't help us resolve collective issues of today's world. We need to reinvigorate the current international system with norms that prefer collectivityoverexclusivity.'

The USA is the world's most powerful country and certainly so in our neighbourhood,evenputting aside its on and off dance withtheMonroedoctrine.

Thus, when a US ambassador makes such a public statement about one's national governance, quite apart from theorising about sovereignty and democracy, one needs to quickly get to realpolitik and seriously consider the actual needs of Guyana and the context and meaning of the intervention. ItiscertainlynotthattheUS, with all its resources and global access, is always conceptually or practically correct.

An aspect of its association with Hamas, whichinonedimensionruns counter to what the ambassador is now suggesting about Mr Mohammed, provides a useful insight into the context of US decisionmaking.

In brief, in about 2005, Israelwaswithdrawingfrom theGazaStripfromwhichit had already evicted some 8,000 Jewish settlers who had been paid to resettle in the West Bank. President George Bush Jr and his secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, imbued with the democratising zeal of Natan Sharansky, a charismatic human-rights activist and former Soviet dissident who spent nine years as a gulag political prisoner, supported new elections in Gaza in 2006 to fillthispowervacuum.

The radical Palestinian groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which supported the destructionofIsrael,decided t o t a k e p a r t (https://slate.com/news-andpolitics/2023/10/washamas-elected-to-governgaza-george-w-bush-2006palestinian-election.html).

The more liberal Palestinian Fatah that accepted the two-state solution, was fearful that Hamas might win and like Israel advised Bush against the holding of the election. Even Sharansky had doubts, and others thought that if an election was to be held, the radicalpartiesthatsoughtthe destruction of Israel, should bebanned.

Western democracies have regularly banned radicalcommunistandother parties, but the US government rejected the views and even refused to become involved in tipping thescalesinfavourofFatah.

So that while 'Fatah and Israel were against holding the elections; Hamas and

President Bush were in favour'(Ibid)?

In January 2006, elections were held in the Palestinian territories and Hamas won a decisive victory, taking 45 of the 74 available seats, with 44% of the votes to Fatah's 41%. Neither party was keen on sharing power and fighting brokeoutbetweenthetwo.

Aunity government was finally formed in mid 2007 but collapsed and fighting between Hamas and Fatah resumed and ended with Hamas taking control of the entireGazaStrip,continuing its war with Israel which decided to reoccupy the Strip, its exit from which Sharansky had originally criticised.

Sharansky had arguedand the case of Guyana, where democratic aspects of governance have totally collapsed, substantiates the point – but in his quite understandable eagerness to export democracy, President Bushignoredoneofthemain points in Sharansky's 2004 book 'The Case for Democracy' in which he insistedthatelections'arenot atruetestofademocracy [They] 'are never the beginning of the democratic process.Onlywhenthebasic institutionsthatprotectafree society-afreepress,therule of law, independent courts, political parties, etc - are firmly in place can free elections be held. [Until then] elections are just as likely to weaken efforts to build democracy as they are tostrengthenthem'(Ibid)!

Regards

Dr.HenryJeffrey

Chevron beats Wall Street profit estimates with record output

(Reuters) - Chevronbeat analystestimatesforsecondquarter profit on Friday last as record oil and gas productionandlowercapital expenditure helped to offset the impact of lower crude prices.

TheNo.2U.S.oilmajor lastmonthheadedoffalegal challenge from the biggest U.S. producer Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), opens new tab enabling it to close its $55 billionacquisitionofHess.

Thedealincludesastake in the Stabroek Block oilfield, offshore Guyana that Exxon operates, and should provide Chevron with a source of long-term growth to help to fund dividendsintothe2030sand make Chevron's earnings more resilient to oil price volatility

International crude prices declined by 11% during the quarter as OPEC+,theOrganizationof the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied producers, increased output. Exxon Mobil also beat Wall Street estimates for secondquarterprofitonFriday

“We had strong execution,recordproduction and exceptional cash generation," said Chevron Chief Financial Officer Eimear Bonner in an interview. "The financial performance was really underpinned by the stellar operational performance fromacrossthecompany."

Adjustedearningsforthe quarter ended June 30 were $3.1 billion, or $1.77 per share, beating consensus analyst estimates of $1.70 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG. Global production totaled 3 4 million barrels of oil

equivalent per day, up from 3.3millionboedinthesame period last year Production from the Permian Basin, the biggestU.S.oilfield,reached 1 million boed during the quarter

Third-quarterproduction is expected to be lower by 60,000 boed due to maintenance."Followingthe clouds of uncertainty being lifted around the Hess deal, Chevron has hit the ground running with a strong set of results and beat versus market expectations," said BirajBorkhataria,ananalyst with RBC Capital Markets, inaresearchnote.

Capital expenditure declined7.5%fromthesame period last year, as the company spent less on its downstream operations Chevron raised its free cash flow guidance for 2026 to $12.5billion.

The company paid $2.9 billion in dividends and repurchased $2 6 billion worth of shares during the quarter

Although Chevron has saidtheHessacquisitionwill allowittoincreasedividends and repurchases over the long term, at least for this year,CFOBonnersaiditdid not expect to change its guidance of between $10 billion and $20 billion in full-yearsharerepurchases.

"We're still in the range and we've got a strong program, and we wouldn't seeachangeunlesswesawa sustained and significant shiftinwherethecommodity prices are today," she said. Earnings from oil and gas production, which make up the bulk of Chevron's profit, were$2.7billion,downfrom $4.5 billion in the year-ago quarter

You have the power...

Frompage4 inclusionary democracy is what trade unions and democrats the world over is wedded to. This is what we mustdefend.

When the working people and the Trade Union Movement launched the struggle for one-man-onevote and self-government, it was never to hand absolute power to one group to rule overtherest.Itwastobuilda just society where every Guyanese, regardless of race, class or party, had a voice.

So today I say to you, wake up Mobilise Organise.Vote.

Come September 1, six partiesandgroupswillbeon theballot.Notonemustwalk away with a two-thirds majority

This is no game. This is about your future, your children, and generations to come.Itisaboutwhetherwe remain free citizens or become subjects. Whether weliveinlibertyorunderthe whip of a new plantation class.

You have the power to stop this march to dictatorship. Your vote is your voice. Use it wisely or preparetolivewithoutit.

Regards LincolnLewis

BLUNT BLUNT

Thecorruptionproblem

Our country has been so ravaged by corruption that when revelations- the likes of the secretive GPL consultancy deal or Mr. Azruddin Mohamed releasing traces of whatsapp conversations with someone in high office on the matter of tax evasion or even the infamous Su-gate happen, citizens react by saying “this is nothing new.”

Guyanese are so seasoned to corruption that they can smell it and the people who are engaged in it from a distance. Yet very little is done about the local epidemic of corruption, and this is despite the bright promises and stirring claims of leaders in this PPP/C Government to be thoroughly and powerfully against corrupt practices, and those who are part of such.

In its Corruption Perception Index (CPI) report this year published by Transparency International, it was noted that Guyana's score fell slightly from 40 points in 2023 to 39 in 2024, placing the country at 92 out of 180 nations. But what was significant in the report is that it states that the state of Guyana had been captured by the economic and political elites, fostering misappropriation of resources, illicit enrichment and environmental crimes. When Guyanese vote on September 1, they must remember these things

Roysdale Forde slams Govt’s sudden police promotions

Former Member of Parliament and Shadow Attorney General, Roysdale Fordehasstronglycriticised the government's sudden mass promotion of police officers within the Guyana Police Force (GPF), labellingitablatantpolitical stuntintendedtomanipulate voters and improve the public image of what he describes as a "badly tarnishedadministration."

Thepromotions,ordered byPresidentIrfaanAli,were announced on Wednesday andtookeffectonAugust1. Over 2,000 ranks were promoted, many of whom had reportedly been overlooked and side-lined fordecades.

The announcement was made during a presidential address to officers at police headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown. The president stated that ranks who have completed the requisite yearsofserviceandhaveno disciplinary actions against them will be eligible for promotion This mass

promotion includes officers moving from constable to lance corporal, lance corporal to corporal, corporal to sergeant, and sergeant to inspector Notably, some officers who have served in the force for over 15 years will be receivingpromotionsforthe firsttimeintheircareers.

In his column published in the Village Voice on Saturday, Forde emphasised that promotions within the lawenforcementcommunity shou

professionalism, and a commitment to public safety

However, he described the government's recent actionasapoliticalshow

“Thisisnotacelebration of service but a grotesque political ploy, under the guise of benevolence, designed to manipulate voters and polish a badly tarnished administration,” F o r d e s t a t e d

Acknowledging that the officers were indeed deserving of promotion, he

President Irfaan Ali

condemned the timing and process “Instead of honouring these officers with the dignity of a transparent, merit-based process, the PPP/C has hijacked their moment of triumph, turning it into a crass electioneering spectacle.

They are unimaginably shameless,” the former MP stated.

Forde highlighted the poor working conditions many police officers endure while serving the public. Many of them have worked

tirelessly and showed unwavering dedication to theirduties.

“For years, many have served with unparalleled dedication, risking their lives to protect our communitieswhileenduring systemic neglect under very harsh work conditions, all u n d e r t h i s v e r y government,”hesaid.

He stressed that these promotionsarenotgifts,but long-overdue recognition of sacrificeandduty

The former shadow AG questioned the timing of the

promotions, pointing out that the officers had long been under immense pressure and routinely sidelined by the government.

“For years, the PPP/C has presided over a police force plagued by institutional stagnation, political interference, and chronic demoralisation,” Forde stated. “Officers have been side lined, under-resourced, ignored, their pleas for reform drowned out by the regime's indifference... But now, as the election looms, this same administration miraculously discovers a newfound passion for the welfare of our police force?

This is not about justice or service. It is about votes, a nakedattempttobuyloyalty with promotions that should have been granted years ago,”Fordeasserted. He further criticised what he described as the government's use of police officers as political props.

“Why the sudden, choreographed outpouring of gratitude for a government that has consistently undermined the independence and morale of oursecurityservices?

Thisisnotgovernance;it isacalculatedassaultonthe integrityofourinstitutions,a desperate bid to prop up a regimeteeteringontheedge ofpublicdisapproval.”

Forde further questioned the government's sudden display of appreciation for the police force, calling it deceitful. “Why the sudden, choreographed outpouring

of gratitude for a government that has consistently undermined the independence and morale of our security services?” he asked.

“Thisisnotgovernance; it is a calculated assault on the integrity of our institutions, a desperate bid topropuparegimeteetering on the edge of public disapproval,”Fordestated.

“The promoted officers deserve better than to be reduced to props in Ali's electoraltheatre. Their service speaks louder than any coerced social media post, and their loyaltybelongstothepeople ofGuyana,nottoapresident whohasspentyearsdenying themtheirdue,”hesaid.

Inamostrecentincident of the government distancing itself from the police force, came in the wake of public outrage over the handling of the

investigation into the death of 11-year-old Adriana Younge, a case that placed the GPF under intense scrutiny During this period, the government notably stepped back from the situation.

Kaieteur News had reported on May 22, that Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Nandlall, SC, stated that the government was not responsible for the police's actions in the case, as the GPF functions as an independent body Speaking during a live discussion on the Caribbean Tea programme alongside attorney Dr Vivian Williams, senior journalist Denis Chabrol, and media specialist Kendol Morgan, Nandlall explained, “Government is always put on a back foot in these situations. Our government, or no government, should defend that which is indefensible We are not defending the police force. We are dealing with a situationasagovernment.” Nandlallemphasisedthat t h e G P F o p e r a t e s independently and is not under the direct control of the government or even the MinisterofHomeAffairs.

“Even the subject minister is prohibited under the Police Act from giving day-to-day directions on operational matters, or giving directions period, on operational matters in the policeforce,”hestated.

He further added, “This t e n d e n c y t o h o l d government responsible for the actions of the police force is not correct. The police force is an independent organisation, andthat'swhythepromotion process and everything else is done through an independentprocess,likethe P o l i c e S e r v i c e Commission.”

FormerMemberofParliament andShadowAttorney General,RoysdaleForde

Oil money in a piggy bank

Everybody talking savings these days. Not just saving the environment, or saving your soul. No. Now it's all about saving the oil money Big, shiny, imaginary numbers tucked neatly into a sovereign wealth fund, like lunch money in a schoolboy's pocket.

Every politician suddenlygotacalculatorand a piggy bank. They telling you how much they will save 25% of the oil money, 60%, maybe even 90% if they feeling brave. They tossing out savings plans like confetti. But ask them what they'll actually spendthemoneyon,andyou get the same blank look you get when you ask a Guyanese taxi driver for change.

It'sastrangething.You'd think a country that poor would be talking about spending—on schools, on better pay for nurses, on fixing drainage so we don't drown in our own yards everyMay-June.

But no. Saving is sexy Spending is too real Everybody want to sound responsible. "We will not waste the oil money!" they sayproudly Meanwhile,we w a s t i n g t h e o i l itself—giving away billions and patting ourselves on the back for getting crumbs. It's like bragging about saving yoursalarywhilesomebody else cashing your cheque. They talk about saving oil revenue, but never mention how small a slice of the oil pieGuyanaactuallygets.It's

like telling a starving man how many calories he consume while only giving himhalfofasandwich.

The campaign trail is filled with noise. One party says he'll raise the public servants' wages by 35%. It says that old-age pension must be $100,000. The minimum wage should be $200,000 and the incometaxthresholdmustbepushed to $400,000. Sounds sweet, no? But none of them say how they'll pay for it.These promises cost real money Buckets of it. Billions of Guyana dollars. And unless thepoliticiansfoundamagic wellfullofgoldbehindState House,theonlywaytomake thesedreamscometrueisto go back to that oil contract. TheonethatgivesGuyanaa measly share while the oil companieslaughalltheway to the offshore bank. But funny enough, that's the one thing they don't want to talk about.

No party is boldly steppingupandsaying:“We willrenegotiatethislopsided contract.” Nobody wants to scare off the oil men Nobody wants to admit that unless we fix the source of the revenue, all these grand promises are just soap bubbles.

So instead, we get this fantasymath.

We will save 25% of oil revenues! But wait—how much revenue are we actuallygetting?

Wewillputawaybillions for future generations! But what about this generation thatcan'tgetproperdialysis,

can't afford housing, and must sell plantain chips to payschoolfees?

We will build highways, free universities, smart cities!Butwewillalsosave! It's the magical oil formula: spend everything and save everything, all at the same time. The very people promising these wonders refuse to say what they'll sacrifice They offer everything to everyone, but never say who will get less, what projects will be delayed,orwhichministries will be squeezed It's a fantasy budget with no line items.And behind it all is a refusaltoconfrontthepitiful share of the oil revenue Guyana actually receives. Until that is renegotiated, these lavish promises are as hollowasacampaignjingle.

But reality always strike If you raise the pension to $100,000,youmighthaveto holdoffonthatnewstadium. Ifyouraisethepublicsector wages by 35%, maybe the free tertiary education will havetowait.Choiceshaveto bemade.Prioritiesset.

But instead of honest plans, we get bedtime stories. In other countries, election campaigns are about hard questions: What will you cut? What will you fund? How will you raise revenue? In Guyana, the only hard thing is figuring outhowwe'llaffordallthese promises with a fraction of theoilwealth.

And the silence on renegotiation is deafening. It's the elephant on the oil rig.Ifapoliticiansaysthey'll

doallthesewonderfulthings and doesn't say how they'll fix the revenue problem, they either believe in oil miraclesorthinkwe'refools. Thisisnotatimeforfantasy. This is a time to talk about renegotiation. Real renegotiation.Notbackroom meetings and polite conversations.We're talking bold, public, unapologetic

renegotiation of a contract that sells out a nation for generations. You can't save what you don't earn. And Guyana earning chump change. So go ahead, put your oil money in a nice, shiny piggy bank. But don't forget—if the piggy bank empty, no amount of saving willfeedthenation.

(The views expressed in

H@RD TRUTHS

Stop the rigging, change the man, or let him compete

A new phenomenon is unfolding before Guyanese; one with a difference. Few Guyanese see or sense the t e n t a c l e s o f t h i s development.

Some prefer not to see; some shrug, continue unconcerned. Thereisanew kind of rigging marching in Guyana. In the array of forces unleased against We InvestinNationhood(WIN), I discern a different kind of rigging. Itisnotofnumbers twisted, but of numbers feared. In the language of the 2020 elections, there's this unfinished spreadsheet unfoldingbeforeawatching nation,world.

Democracy is being hanged. The grand ideals thatmanyloudlysaytheyare ofthem,arehanged. Itisofa man being lynched by an assembledmob.

Mr Azruddin Mohamed is a big boy in a big man's

game. Thebiggamehuntof elections for the biggest prize. He needs no help from me. I can offer none. ButwhatIcandoistostand for a man when the world is against him, costs be damned. As an underdog andoutsider,Icanspeakfor the underdog. For friends and loyalists in the PPP, a tiny reminder When Dr BharratJagdeohadhisVICE News traumas, I said something; it was the same said for Mr Nigel Dharmalall.

They are innocent until proven guilty It was all I could give, and did. This is what I do today for the mobbed, besiegedAzruddin Mohamed Alongside, innocent until proven otherwise, I remember free and fair My fellow Guyanese,whatIremember, I also remind others of its existence. Unless free and

fair died and no one mourned.

TothePPP,totheUnited States, to Guyanese, this is said: let the elections be about a fair fight with fair rules and fair blows. None of these subtle packages, newlyarrived,of“concerns” from Washington, and 'financial exposures and consequences' now running riot in Georgetown Oftentimes, the subtler the packaging, the slier, slicker itappears.

Few are fooled. I cut to the chase Charge Mohamed, let him have his day in court, kangaroo or otherwise; local or foreign. And whatever his fate, let that be. But this bleating piety about “concerns” and the'integrityofthefinancial system' is just a little too rich. For those who are so learned, so inclined, I venture into another area to

ramhomemypositionabout the broad, deep, soaring hypocrisy that now overpowers Guyana with its fetidodors.

There was a man from Mecca who was run out of town. Beforehim,onefrom Galilee, who was also run outoftown,thenhungupon a lamppost. And who were the people instigating the unrestandresistanceagainst whatthecrowdsofcommon people desired to see and hear? They were the establishmentclass,asmade of the merchant aristocracy andthereligiousauthorities.

It is clear that a preponderance of rank-andfile Guyanese behold something different in Azruddin Mohamed. The powers that be here, be they political, commercial, even the spiritual recognize an existentiaal threat. I see a man that holds possibilities.

Probably the Guyanese that citizens think representachangeof pace, an introduction tosomethingnew Butof whattheyknownot.

To Dr Jagdeo, to ExcellencyTheriot(whether acting on orders or her own astuteness), this I respectfully say: let the man compete on a level playing field, and let the Guyanese peoplebegiventheirchance tospeak. Thenletthescore be tallied, recorded. It is in thelastinginterestsoftheUS and the PPP that Guyanese do not believe that another (yet another) election fix is reallywhat'shappening. For atbottom,whoistheprivate sector for, and where is the bankingcomponentresident in Guyana? No question, they are about production and profits, but they are not immune from politics, too. Therecordconfirmsthatthe distance between Guyana's moneymen and political men is akin to the space between Siamese twins

Something more for Guyanesetosavor:foryears

Guyana's banks have processed hundreds of millions (perhaps, billions) in checks from Azruddin Mohamedandtherewasnot

ahiccup,notonewhisperof concern. Up until a year ago, the PPP Government and its leaders counted Mohamed as an ally and assetofincomparableworth. He was a saint then, who is now a sinner worse than evenme.

Time to move on. The fear of Azruddin Mohamed ispalpable,nowundeniable. I urge his political adversaries to fight him the Mohamed Ali way (the American one): face-to-face and mano a mano. No boosters, no musclemen (banking, private sector, foreign contingent) Straight up. Straight count. Cease this booby trapping (rigging) of the elections' territory

The public lynching of Mohamednowinfullswing must stop. Charge him, condemn him. Or, let him competecleanly (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)

Matthews Ridge teen stabs

step-father

A 17-year-old boy stabbed his step-father to death on Thursday night at Mathews Ridge, Region one,afterhe(thestepfather) returned home drunk and beganabusinghismother

The dead man has been identifiedasRyanThomas.

Policeareyettoreleasea statement on the killing, but Kaieteur News learnt that Thomas was stabbed in the neck.

K a i e t e u r N e w s understands that the deceased habitually abused his common-law wife each timeheconsumedalcohol.

Theabusehasreportedly beenoccurringforyearsand Thomas has also been accused of sexually assaulting another female livinginhishome.

On Thursday, he reportedly got drunk and went home. Everyone was asleepwhenhearrived.

to death

Killed by his stepson, Ryan Thomas

He reportedly started behaving disorderly and his c o m m o n - l a w - w i f e confrontedhim. He then began abusing her,whichledtohisstep-son comingtoherdefence.

Things took a deadly turn when the teen armed himself with a knife and stabbedThomastodeath.

‘Govt. must come clean on GPL contract’

…Mahipaul says Prime Minister had told Parliament contract was awarded to Method4 company, but cabinet cleared contract for IEG

Government is coming under further scrutiny over

t h e c o n t r o v e r s i a l consultancy contract which Cabinet gave its noobjectiontoforaDominican Republic company to supervise infrastructure upgrades to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) transmission lines for the WalesGastoEnergyPlant.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday last defendedthemonthlycostof US$650,000 being charged by a Dominican Republic Company -Inter Energy Group (IEG) to provide managementsupervisionfor GPL Inc., although he said thatnodealhasbeenreached as yet with the company

However,formerMemberof Parliament, Ganesh Mahipaul said Prime

Minister Mark Phillips had told the National Assembly ofanothercompanythatwas grantedthecontract.Assuch Mahipaul is calling on the administrationtocomeclean on the matter, saying this issue has exposed the government's contradictions andcorruption.Accordingto bidding documents seen by this newspaper, IEG did not feature as one of several

companies that had responded to a GPL tender fortheworks.

Kaieteur News reported last week that government approved the sole-sourced contractforUS$650,000per month to IEG. Cabinet gave its no-objections to the contract at its meeting on July 7, 2025, according to documents seen by this newspaper Accordingtothe Cabinet paper titled:'

Contractfortheprovisionof consultancy services Guyana Power and Light Inc ' cabinet reviewed a memorandum presented by Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and granted its noobjection. Jagdeolastweeksaidthe US$650,000figureisasmall amount. He explained that the Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) was signed with the company since early last year and it was for the supervision of infrastructure the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) needs. “You want when you build something, a tower, likethosetowersyouwantto build them to international standards. You can't get the GPL staff to supervise it. They don't have time, they werebusytryingtokeepthe power on and fixing the old system, you know, some of the transformers that are going out. So, you have to get a firm to supervise and often a firm to supervise project they come between 5%ofthecontractpriceto58%ofthecontractprice,”the

VPexplained.

The company is well known and has great technical abilities and looking at this supervision cost compared to the scope ofthecivilworkcontractitis small.“…itwasnotsecretly done, you can't secretly hire somebody as Mahipaul has been pushing. Mahipaul has beentryinghardtotalkthey are trying to resurrect this whole thing about

corruption Imagine that coming from Mahipaul,” he stressed.

Jagdeo then went on to clarifythatnoagreementhas been signed as negotiations are still ongoing He disclosed that, “There is a proposalthatwenttocabinet thatspokeofthisbutwenow need to see that they're actually delivering on what is in the proposal. When a company makes an offer,

you get you look at it, compare it with others, but thenyouhavetodiscussand concretise in clear legal language what this is, and that negotiation is still ongoing, and I'm not even sure it will be concluded before the elections.” The VP assured the media that when the agreement is signeditwillbemadepublic but if negations break down

(Continuedonpage16)

APNU Vice Presidential Candidate, Ganesh Mahipaul

VicePresident, Bharrat Jagdeo

Israel kills 119 in Gaza amid rising starvation deaths

Palestinians, driven to the brink of starvation under Israeli army's attacks and blockade, gather at an aid distribution point in Gaza's Netzarim Corridor on July 30, 2025. [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency].

(AL-JAZEERA)Gaza'sHealth Ministry reports that 119 bodies, including15recoveredfromunder therubbleofdestroyedbuildingsor other places, and 866 wounded Palestiniansarrivedattheenclave's hospitalsoverthepast24hours.

At least 65 Palestinians were killed while seeking aid, and 511 morewerewounded.

This has brought the toll from Israeli attacks to 60,839 people killed and 149,588 wounded since October 7, 2023. Since March 18, when Israel violated the ceasefire with Hamas, at least 9,350 people have been killed and 37,547 injured.The ministry noted that it added 290 people to the overall death toll after data gathering was completed and approved by a judicial committee that was followinguponreportsofmissing people.Israeli attacks across Gaza killedatleast92peopleonSunday, including 56 aid seekers, medical sources told Al Jazeera. Among those, 56 were aid seekers, including nine in Rafah and seven atNetzarim,northernGaza.

And in occupied East

Jerusalem,thestormingofAl-Aqsa Mosque compound by far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir draws condemnation from Palestinians and Jordan, which administers the holy site.Gaza's hungercrisisisaccelerating,withat least 175 people, including 93 children, confirmed dead from starvation, according to the Health Ministryinthebesiegedterritory

The situation has worsened sinceIsraelblockedallaidtoGaza on March 2, halting trucks from entering the enclave with muchneededsupplies.

Therolloutofthecontroversial US-andIsraeli-backedGHFgroup in late May has come under heavy criticism.Sincethen,Israeliforces haveroutinelyfiredonPalestinians trying to get food at GHF-run distribution sites in Gaza, with some 1,400 Palestinians killed whileattemptingtoaccessaidatits fourdistributionsites.

UN and other humanitarian officials say Israeli restrictions on humanitarianaiddeliveries,though

partiallyliftedinrecentdays,have left Palestinians starving and struggling to find enough food to feed their families.Amid growing international condemnation of the crisis,Israelhassaiditisincreasing aid deliveries to Palestinians,

includingviaairdrops.

But humanitarian groups say airdrops are dangerous and inefficient,andtheyhavecalledon Israel to open up all the crossings into Gaza to allow assistance to flowfreelytoPalestiniansinneed.

Human rights groups and UN officials accuse Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war, while a global hunger monitor has warned that the “worst-case scenario of famine” is currently unfoldinginGaza.

PPP bad for Guyana

…vows to rid

ByShermonHawker

AsGuyanainchescloser to the 2025 general and regional elections, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) took its campaigneffortstothetown of New Amsterdam on Saturday evening, where citizens were given an emphaticillustrationofwhat the town and the country could become, should the party assume the reins of poweronSeptember1.

Leading the charge was presidential candidate, Aubrey Norton, who, in his impassioned remarks, admonished citizens to use their constitutional right of voting to ensure the expulsion of the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government, maintaining that Guyana cannotendureanexttermof theincumbent.

Norton crafted a large portion of his presentation on beliefs of corruption in the PPP/C administration under President Irfaan Ali, who he accused of facilitating many cover-ups, and at whose feet blame should be laid for what Norton sums up as destructionofGuyana.

"My friends, I come to youthiseveningbecausethe PPP has destroyed this country Therewasatimein Guyana when you could have gone to the police and expect justice, but the PPP has politicised the Guyana Police Force They have destroyedit.Andso,ourtask is to get rid of them and restore law and order," the APNU leader implored before very animated supporters.

Enforcing his point, Norton labelled the recent policeofficers'promotionby President Ali as an overreach, noting that the policecommissionerandthe police service commission bear such responsibilities. That the officers were promoted only in the election phase and not during the earlier part of the PPP/C'stenureisevidenceof political gimmick, the politicianopined.

The presidential candidate swung hard against the government's manipulation of the GPF in the investigation into Adriana Younge's death, whichisstillarawwoundin the minds of many across and beyond Guyana. Norton holds the government culpable. "But when a political cabal could seek to coverupthemurderofan11-

country of corruption, nepotism

year-old child, it is time for themtogo."

In recent months, there has been a massive issuance of contracts for roadwork, drainage, and construction. Nortonreflectedonaperiod where persons were handed contracts on a merit basis, contrasted by the present under the PPP government, where a person only has to signaPPPmembershipform for contract eligibility Were it actually 'One Guyana', all Guyanese would have received contracts in a fair way,hestated.

rape, has been featured on the PPP/C's list of candidates. Expressing his disappointment, Norton regarded that as merely c u l t u r a l o f t h e administration, bent on protecting their own and exploiting authority "The signal they sent there is that if you are powerful, you could do young women anythinginthiscountry,and we must vote against it," he stated.

"Letitbemadeveryclear that a government under the APNU will ensure there is

Norton t

nto government's infrastructure policies, and, centering his point directly on New Amsterdam, quizzed the audience on why the promised athletics track on the outskirts of the town has not yet been completed, althoughitwasbudgetedfor since2019.

New Amsterdam, Guyana's oldest town, is generally recognised as a traditional APNU base Cognisant of this, Norton imploredthatresidentsplace their X next to the palm. He committed his party's plan for a major road project that would see a direct link with New Amsterdam and Linden, as part of a broader national endeavor to link regionsacrossGuyana. The seasoned politician stressedthatforfartoolong, the country's resources have beeninthehandsofthePPP, their family, friends and favorites, but signaled APNU's intention to end that.

He highlighted his party's desire to enact programmes to take the population out of poverty, and make it a place where securityisahallmark.

"We have to make Guyana a place where peopleenjoyabetterlife.We want Guyanese to be safe andsecure.,whilevowingto remove the "misfits" at the helm of the GPF should APNUsecureoffice.

Former government minister, Nigel Dharamlall, who has been accused of

institution. I want the police officerstoknowthatwewill increase the income tax thresholdtoGUY$400,000, promised an upbeat Mahipaul.

Certain of an APNU victory at the polls, he (Continuedonpage16)

APNU'spresidential candidate, Aubrey Norton

ruleoflawandifyoucommit a crime, regardless of your status, you should do the time."

For five years, he highlighted, the PPP has failed Guyana, even as he stressed on the exponential rise in poverty, "while their people,thatelitegroup,they gotextremelywealthy."

He reminded the audience that it was the formercoalitiongovernment that gave a 77 per cent increase to public sector workers between 2015 and 2020withoutfundsfromoil.

An APNU government promises to give the lion's share of any increase to the ones at the lowest level, he assured.

Norton's presentation was preceded by the vicepresidentialhopeful,Ganesh Mahipaul whose views of corruption in the PPP government ran parallel to hisleader Hesignaledtothe incumbent that September 1 is its final day in government, and proceeded to give previews of the immediate measures APNU will implement Taking umbrage with the performance of Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken, Mahipaul assured thatbythestrokeofNorton's presidentialpen,Hickenwill beremoved.

"Heisanembarrassment to the Guyana Police Force. He is neither certified nor qualified for that position. And we will ensure that we return dignity, we return serviceandprotectiontothat

APNU's Ganesh Mahipaul

WANTED VACANCY

Able-bodied Sales Rep needed, ages 18-30 years. Knowledgeofvehiclemodel willbeanasset.Contact:6191237.

Job openings: Truck drivers,ExcavatorOperatorand Skid Steer Operator To apply send applications via Whatsapp: 689-1111 / 6082114.

MaleCookforInterior.Call: 695-6401.

WantedoneMaid.Call:6801282.

Urgently! Young couple, live in ( Husband driving), WifeSale’sService.FreeLivingQuarters.Call:227-1813.

A Wahab Imports: We are hiringTruckDrivers.Please contactusat227-6659.

One general domestic , Apply 21 Seaforth Street Campbellville.Tele:621-5140.

Able bodied security to work , Apply 21 Seaforth Street Campbellville. Tele : 621-5140.

Single Jamaican Male 33 yearsoldlookingforaCompanion.Call:724-3476.

TRUCK TIRES 295/ 75R22.5 $40K EACH. CALL/WHATSAPP:+592688-3201.

TRACTORFOREIGNUSED MASSEYFERGUSON283

$2.6M,MASSEY165$1.8M ,MASSEY 135 $1.2M ,MASSEYLOADERTRACTOR $2.4M #6825230/ 6154414

VEHICLES FOR SALE

1HondaCRV,includesTV, music system, alarm, reverse camera, spoiler, low mileage PTT Series (first owner).Call:649-0956.

Experienced Salesman, knowlege in hardware & stocktaking,etcatKeyfood Mc Doom next to the Post Office.

GeneralDomestic,Applyat Keyfood Mc Doom village nexttothepostoffice.4day work

One clerk for TSI Eccles office English 1, Maths 2 call 615-9132oremailapplication to techserigy@yahoo.com

Driver must be able to assist in workshop at Eccles, age23-50,Car/Vanlicence Call615-9132.

MaidforEastBankareacall 615-9132.

One (1) Male cleaner for Ecclescall615-9132.

One(1)Paintercall615-9132

Ecclesofficecall645-8443

Female domestic $5000 labour $6000-7000,semi skilled worker $70008000,skilledworker$800012,000toworkatVreedEnHoop#6825230,6154414

VacancyHousekeeper/cook Must live in GeorgetownECDParttimeoptional.Visa holder preferred WhatsApp 640-6535

One Unregistered Nissan X-Trail2016model,Mode Premiere.FormoreinformationCall:649-0956.

2008ToyotaPremio,fully loadedwithdarkinterior Excellent condition, 2.1 mil.Formoreinformation Contact:670-1705.

One Volkswagen Tiguan 2014model,PYYSeries,Lady driven, excellnt condition. For more information. Contact:644-4244.

PROPERTYFORSALE

Double lot properties for business and residential at Lot 4 Station Street, Kitty Georgetown. Call/ WhatsApp:332-250-9241.

Location : Independence Street, La Grange, WBD.Landsize:50ftx5500 ft.Buildingsize:30ftx60ft. Contact:609-3777/6974557.

LAND FOR SALE

Buxton Friendship Gas station is hiring Supervisor, Western Union Rep, Cashier & Pump attendant. Contact:646-3117.

SERVICES

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

VISAApplicationforUSA, Canada, UK, ETA, ETC. Natrualisation guidance + applicationfilling,ECT Tel: 626-7040.

Are you looking for a painter.CallOmarat:6332338.

‘Govt.

mustcomecleanonGPL...

From page 11 then they will have to return tothedrawingtable,however it is the hope that this does not occur

Differentcontractor

However,inhisstatement on Sunday, Mahipaul reminded that on Friday, May 23,2025,duringthe104thSitting of the 12th Parliament, Prime Minister Phillips addressed the NationalAssemblyonthematterofthe$28.7 billion allocation under the line-item Power Generation (Gas-to-EnergyProject).

The Prime Minister clearly stated that this sum is designated for enhancing the transmissionanddistribution system and that three contractswereawardedtoPower China and Kalpataru for works across Regions 4, 5, and 6, Mahipaul said.

Mahipaul said Phillips further informed the House that these contracts were signedonApril4,2025.When questioned by former MP VoldaLawrenceregardingthe consultancy services for the project, the Prime Minister responded with unambiguous clarity: “the consultancy contract was awarded to Method4, a Canadian company,tothetuneofUS$7million,”Mahipaulrecalled.

Mahipaul said Jagdeo is now vigorously defending InterEnergy Group, a completelydifferententity,asthe consultancyfirmonthesame transmissionanddistribution project.

“This contradiction strikes at the very heart of truth and transparency. So, we ask the question every Guyanese citizen deserves answered: Who is lying? Jagdeo or Phillips?” Mahipaul questioned.

Primeland@AgricolaPublic road. 275 x 25, fence, sand filled, steel gate, etc. Call:629-7426.

He further asked what happenedtoMethod4;where did InterEnergy Group come from; were two consultancy contracts awarded for the sameworkorisonestorythe

truthandtheotheracarefully concocted deception?

Mahipaul who is vice presidentialcandidateforthe APNUcoalitionsaidthisisno minordiscrepancy

“Thisisablatantexposure of the lies and confusion that plaguethePPP/Cregime.One government,twotop-ranking officials,twocompletelydifferent stories.

Only one can be true, if either is.” Mahipaul said the people of Guyana must not betakenforfools.“This$28.7 billion project is not play money

It is your tax dollars, it is our oil revenues, and it is the future of this country's energy security

When billions are being spent, and the Government can't even get its story straight,alarmbellsmustring. Whatwearewitnessingisnot transparency, it is deception in high definition. It is a corrupt, confused, and chaotic regime speaking from both sides of its mouth.Today, the

PPP/C stands exposed, not justforitslies,butforitsblatant disrespect to the intelligence of the Guyanese people,” Mahipaul stated.

AssuchhesaidtheAPNU Coalitionisdemandingimmediate clarity on the status of the consultancy contract and whether it was it awarded to Method4 or InterEnergy Group, or both.

Secondly, he said the APNU Coalition seeks full disclosure of all consultancy agreementsrelatedtotheGasto-Energy transmission and distribution components.

“ThePPP/Ccannotbeallowed toplaypoliticalfootballwith billions of taxpayers' dollars while pretending to care about accountability The only way to end the lies, the contradictions, and the corruption is to vote them out comeSeptember1,2025.The PPP/Cislying.

The question is how manymorelieshavetheytold that we haven't uncovered yet?”

PPPBAD FOR GUYANA

From page 15 declared to the crowd a fact worthy of note: that Guyana will have its first indigenous prime minister in Juretha Fernandes.

The young politician made contrasts with Norton and his political opponents, considering him as the only one aboveboard in morality and decency as a public official, one whose 50 plus years in public life is exemplar and without blemish of scandals or misdemeanors. "One monthfromnow,wewillelect a clean, lean individual who has been in political life for over 50 years and has no corruption to his name.

And on September 1, we willcallhim'HisExcellency, Aubrey Compton Norton'."

"It is time for us to elect a governmentthatcares,agov-

ernment that has your interests at heart, a government that cares for the ordinary, hardworking, taxpaying Guyanese in this country."

Echoing the party leader, Mahipaulaffirmedthatinorder for the country to flourish,thePPPmustberemoved from office, and by so doing, an Aubrey Norton-led governmentwillguideGuyanaon thepathtogrowthanddevelopment by practical and people-centered policies.

"Comrades,allofourpolicies,allofourdirections,everything that we have in our manifesto that will be released to the public soon caters for me and you. It caters fortheordinary,itisforallof us. It is a people-centered developmentpolicyanditwill drive development in Guyana."

Bank. Contact Ray'sRealty:627-9685. One Two bedroom apartment situated at 51 Pere Street,Kitty.ContactColin: 621-5781 or Maureen: 6508827.

One (1) female cleaner for

Someone to take care of an elderly person in the East Bank,time7amto7pm,call 615-9132.

Jagdeo eyes flipping Region 10 from green to red

…urges supporters to have conversations in their homes, villages about PPP's achievement

General Secretary of the People's Progressive

Party/Civic (PPP/C), Bharrat Jagdeo, on Sunday nightcalledonsupportersin Region10totaketheparty's message directly into their homes and communities if they want to see change in the traditional oppositionstronghold.

SpeakingatwhatthePPP described as its largest rally ever in the region, held in Linden, Jagdeo emphasised that winning the region will requiregrassrootseffortsnot wishfulthinking.

He urged attendees to distributeflyersoutliningthe PPP'sachievementsoverthe last five years and speak “to those being misled.” “If we want to win this region, we need to have conversations inourfamily…,”headded.

The GS noted, “We are not going to win this region by magic. We'd only win it because if people become conscious of the task ahead and I'm relying on every single one of you to carry that message back to your homes and top your neighbourhood.”

Region 10, especially Linden, has long been considered a political strongholdfortheopposition

APNU+AFC Jagdeo admitted that his party has never secured the region at the regional level but stressed that change is possible. “We have never won this region on the regional level and we have had all sorts of disruption fromthepeoplewhomanage thisregion,sabotage.

They don't want Region Tentoprogressbecausethey can then say the PPP discriminates against you,” Jagdeosaid.

As part of the PPP's developmental pitch to residents, Jagdeo outlined plans to invest US-millions in upgrading the Linden Hospital, create betterpayingjobs,andofferhouse lots for young people and also assist with the building ofhouses.

He also spoke about more persons becoming contractors as the government embarks on moreinfrastructureprojects. “We will push the young men who are sitting on the street corners and think that they don't have any future, we will get them trained, give them a skill pay for the training so that they can work in their communities andgetjobshereandcreatea better life for themselves,”

former People's National Congress Reform (PNCR) executive member and opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Jermaine Figueira

Jagdeoadded. Moreover, the General Secretary also used the opportunity to criticise his political opponents Aubrey Norton, the presidential candidate for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) andAzruddinMohamed,the presidential candidate for We Invest in Nationhood (WIN). Jagdeo laid claims that they both lacked plans f o r t h e c o u n t r y ' s d e v e l o p m e n t a n d

economic benefits in the PPP's second term. “I talk a b o u t e c o n o m i c empowerment, many of you arebuildinghomes,manyof you ar

experience “Why would you want to put the future, your future, your children's future in the hands of these people who never ever run anything,”Jagdeonoted. In closing he noted, “I expect all of you to lend a helping hand its your future at stake here and don't risk it takechancesandbebeguiled bysweettalk.”

PrimeMinisterBrigadier (ret'd) Mark Phillips in his address promised more

t time contractors this is the government that made that possible over 550 contractors in Linden building roads, Ituni, Kwakwani,” he noted Additionally, he reminded supporters of the $100,000 cash grant that was distributed to citizens 18 yearsandolder,andpromise that there will be another cash grant distribution in 2026. Additionally,henoted too that as the economy grows, the value of the cash grantwillincrease.

For his part, former People's National Congress Reform (PNCR) executive member and opposition Member of Parliament

(MP), Jermaine Figueira in hisaddressinhishometown opened his speech by underscoring that since he hasjoinedthePPPhehasfelt welcomed and respected “Never before in the history of Linden and Region 10 have we seen and experienced such rapid transformation happen simultaneously,” he added. Figueiraunderscoredthathe has witnessed the massive development across Linden and encouraged supporters to vote for the PPP in order for the development to continue.

HepraisedtheIrfaanAliled administration for the investmentsininfrastructure in Region 10, such as the highway upgrade, a new four-lane bridge, the Linden to Lethem road, and the construction of the McKenziestadium.

General Secretary of the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Bharrat Jagdeo

Prime Minister Brigadier (ret'd) Mark Phillips

Israel kills 119 in Gaza amid rising starvation deaths

(AL-JAZEERA)Gaza's Health Ministry reports that 119 bodies, including 15 recovered from under the rubble of destroyed buildings or other places, a n d 8 6 6 w o u n d e d Palestinians arrived at the enclave's hospitals over the past24hours.

At least 65 Palestinians were killed while seeking aid, and 511 more were wounded.

This has brought the toll fromIsraeliattacksto60,839 people killed and 149,588 wounded since October 7, 2023.SinceMarch18,when Israel violated the ceasefire with Hamas, at least 9,350 people have been killed and 37,547injured.

Theministrynotedthatit added 290 people to the overall death toll after data gathering was completed and approved by a judicial committee that was following up on reports of missingpeople.

Israeli attacks across

Gazakilledatleast92people on Sunday, including 56 aid seekers, medical sources told Al Jazeera Among those, 56 were aid seekers, including nine in Rafah and seven at Netzarim, northern Gaza.

And in occupied East Jerusalem, the storming of Al-AqsaMosquecompound by far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir draws condemnation from Palestinians and Jordan, which administers the holy site. Gaza's hunger crisis is accelerating, with at least 175 people, including 93 children, confirmed dead fromstarvation,accordingto the Health Ministry in the besiegedterritory

The situation has worsened since Israel blocked all aid to Gaza on March2,haltingtrucksfrom entering the enclave with much-neededsupplies.

The rollout of the controversial US- and Israeli-backedGHFgroupin

late May has come under heavy criticism. Since then, Israeli forces have routinely fired on Palestinians trying to get food at GHF-run distribution sites in Gaza, w i t h s o m e 1 , 4 0 0 Palestinians killed while attemptingtoaccessaidatits fourdistributionsites.

Brazil's Bolsonaro supporters protest against Supreme Court, President Lula

(Reuters) - Supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro, accused of plotting a coup after he lost the 2022 general election, gathered on the streets of several Brazilian cities on Sunday to protest against Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes and President Luiz InácioLuladaSilva.

The protesters called for "amnesty"forthoseinvolved in the alleged coup attempt d a y s a f t e r L u l a ' s inauguration in January 2023 Far-right leader Bolsonarodidnotpersonally attend the demonstrations, butwasputonthetelephone by his son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro,duringtheprotest inRiodeJaneiro.Theformer president, who is on house arrest, wears an electronic ankle bracelet and cannot leavehishomeonweekends andholidays,asperanorder fromJusticeMoraes.

In March, a five-judge

STF panel decided

Palestinians, driven to the brink of starvation under Israeli army's attacks and blockade, gather at an aid distribution point in Gaza's Netzarim Corridor on July 30, 2025. [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency].

U N a n d o t h e r humanitarian officials say Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid deliveries, though partially lifted in recent days, have left Palestinians starving and struggling to find enough foodtofeedtheirfamilies.

A m i d g r o w i n g

international condemnation ofthecrisis,Israelhassaidit isincreasingaiddeliveriesto Palestinians, including via airdrops. But humanitarian groups say airdrops are dangerous and inefficient, and they have called on Israel to open up all the crossingsintoGazatoallow

assistance to flow freely to Palestiniansinneed.

Humanrightsgroupsand UNofficialsaccuseIsraelof usingstarvationasaweapon ofwar,whileaglobalhunger monitor has warned that the “worst-case scenario of famine” is currently unfoldinginGaza.

OPEC+ makes another large oil output hike in market share push

(Reuters) - OPEC+ agreedonSundaytoraiseoil production by 547,000 barrels per day for September, the latest in a series of accelerated output hikestoregainmarketshare, as concerns mount over potential supply disruptions linked to Russia. The move marks a full and early reversal of OPEC+'s largest tranche of output cuts plus a separate increase in output fortheUnitedArabEmirates amounting to about 2 5 millionbpd,orabout2.4%of worlddemand.

crude closing near $70 a barrel on Friday, up from a 2025 low of near $58 in April, supported in part by risingseasonaldemand.

"Given fairly strong oil prices at around $70, it does give OPEC+ some confidence about market fundamentals," said Amrita Sen, co-founder of Energy Aspects, adding that the market structure was also indicatingtightstocks.

production. The eight began raisingoutputinAprilwitha modesthikeof138,000bpd, followed by larger-thanplanned hikes of 411,000 bpd in May, June and July, 548,000 bpd in August and now 547,000 bpd for September

unanimously to put Bolsonaro on trial for allegedly conspiring to overthrow Lula. If found guilty in the court proceedings expected later this year, Bolsonaro could facealongprisonsentence. Last month, Moraes imposed precautionary measures against Bolsonaro because he believed he and his son, Eduardo, an elected lawmakerwhoisnowliving intheU.S.,hadcollaborated withU.S.authoritiestotryto interfereinBrazilianaffairs.

sanctions against Moraes under the Magnitsky Act, which allows the U.S. to impose economic penalties against foreigners it considerstohavearecordof corruption or human rights abuses Moraes is the reporting justice in the case in which Jair Bolsonaro is a defendant.

L a s t w e e k , t h e administration of U S President Donald Trump imposeda50%tariffonmost Brazilian goods, citing a "witch hunt" against Bolsonaro. It also imposed financial

In Sunday's protests, Bolsonaro supporters, wearing Brazilian national team jerseys, chanted "Magnitsky" and insulted MoraesandLula. Americanflagsandsigns supporting Trump were also seen.

Eight OPEC+ members held a brief virtual meeting, amid increasing U S pressure on India to halt Russian oil purchases - part of Washington's efforts to bring Moscow to the negotiatingtableforapeace dealwithUkraine.President DonaldTrumpsaidhewants thisbyAugust8.

In a statement following the meeting, OPEC+ cited a healthy economy and low stocks as reasons behind its decision.

Oilpriceshaveremained elevatedevenasOPEC+has raised output, with Brent

The eight countries are scheduled to meet again on Sept. 7, when they may consider reinstating another layerofoutputcutstotalling around1.65millionbpd,two OPEC+ sources said followingSunday'smeeting. Those cuts are currently in place until the end of next year.OPEC+infullincludes 10 non-OPEC oil producing countries, most notably RussiaandKazakhstan.

Thegroup,whichpumps about half of the world's oil, had been curtailing production for several years to support oil prices It reversedcoursethisyearina bid to regain market share, spurredinpartbycallsfrom TrumpforOPECtorampup

"So far the market has beenabletoabsorbverywell those additional barrels also duetostockpilingactivityin China," said Giovanni Staunovo of UBS. "All eyes will now shift on the Trump decision on Russia this Friday" As well as the voluntary cut of about 1.65 million bpd from the eight members, OPEC+ still has a 2-million-bpd cut across all members,whichalsoexpires attheendof2026.

"OPEC+ has passed the firsttest,"saidJorgeLeonof Rystad Energy and a former OPECofficial,asithasfully reversed its largest cut withoutcrashingprices.

“Butthenexttaskwillbe even harder: deciding if and when to unwind the remaining 1 66 million barrels, all while navigating geopolitical tension and preservingcohesion."

Former President Jair Bolsonaro

Norris sees off late Piastri attack to win in Hungary

(BBC Sport) Lando Norris held off a late attack from McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to win the HungarianGrandPrix.

Norris' controlled, defensivedriveinanintense race,withthetwotitlerivals on divergent strategies, reduces his deficit to Piastri in the championship to nine points heading into Formula 1'ssummerbreak.

Mercedes' George Russell took the final podium place, passing Charles Leclerc in the closing stages as the Ferrari fadedfrompoleposition.

Norris fought back after falling to fifth place on the openinglapbyswitchingtoa boldone-stopstrategy

ThatleftPiastrihavingto comebackathimonfresher tyresintheclosinglaps,and with five laps to go the Australian was on his teammate'stail.

Piastri made two bold divesfortheinsideofNorris atTurnOne,butwasjusttoo

far back to make the move stick on a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult.

Fernando Alonso also chose a one-stop strategy andputinamasterfulraceto take his and Aston Martin's bestresultoftheseasonwith fifthplace.

His protege Gabriel Bortoletodidthesameinhis Saubertotakesixth.

Lewis Hamilton, downcast after qualifying 12th in the Ferrari, finished in the same position after a difficult race starting on the hard tyre and trying to go long.Thestrategylefthimin trafficanddidnotpayoff.

How Norris' Hungary win unfolded Norris' hopes of victory appearedtohavefadedwhen he attempted to pass Piastri into the first corner after the start but was forced onto a tight inside line, allowing Russell and Alonso to pass him With overtaking so difficult, that put Norris on

fought back from fifth after the first lap (Getty Images)

thebackfoot.

Meanwhile, Piastri was in second place challenging Leclerc, who had held the lead off the line. Russell ran third, ahead of Norris, who had quickly passedAlonso's AstonMartin.Leclercatthis stagelookedtohavetherace under control, and was 2.5 seconds ahead of Piastri when McLaren pitted the Australian.

The idea was to 'undercut' the Ferrari, but Leclerc responded on the next lap and comfortably managed to retain the position.

At this point, Norris decided to extend to give himselfatyreoffsetandthat planextendedintogoingfor theonestop.

"I didn't think it would getusthewin,"NorrissaidI thought maybe it would get usintosecond,Iknewifhad somecleanairancouldpush I would maybe make it work."

Norris extended his stint tolap31,givinghim39laps to do on a set of hard tyres. Team principal Andrea Stella said that initially McLaren did not know whethertheycouldmakethe strategy work, but that careful balance between pace and tyre management putNorrisinapositiontoget totheend.

Leclerc was at this stage still in the race, second between the two McLarens, and Piastri negotiated with his engineer, saying he would rather bias his strategy to give himself the best chance to beat Norris, saying he didn't care about theFerrari.

Leclerc made his second stop on lap 40, while Piastri waited another five laps for his, to give himself the maximum grip advantage overNorris.

Back on track, Piastri swept around the outside of Leclerctotakesecondplace onlap51,with19lapstogo, and set about closing the nine-second gap to Norris while trying not to take too muchoutofhistyres.

He was within range to be able to use the DRS overtakingaidwithfivelaps to go, but Norris was just abletoholdhimatbay

"I'm dead," Norris said. "It was tough. We weren't really planning on the onestop at the beginning but after the first lap it was kind ofouronlyoptiontogetback intothings.

"The final stint with Oscar catching I was pushing flat out. Rewarding forthatandtheperfectresult today " Piastri said: "I pushed as hard as I could. AfterIsawLandogoingfora one, I knew I would have to overtake on track, which is much easier said than done aroundhere.Todaywe were justonthewrongsideofit.

“He didn't have a lot to lose.Idon'tknowiftryingto undercut Leclerc was the right call in the end but we cangothroughitafter."

‘Thirty-fiverunsorfour...

Frompage20 unglued.Itishardtoseehow England would have won had the weather not intervened Smith and Overton, the only Jamies to play Test cricket for England, were left with the task of resisting the touring pacemen and what felt like everyIndianinLondon.

The home side were the happier to scurry to the dressing room. The boos of the crowd when the close was confirmed probably soundedlikesweetmusic.

What is left is mainly Surrey v India Smith, Overton,thenGusAtkinson. Josh Tongue has not been dismissed in his six Test innings,butit'sprobablybest nottorelyonhisruns.

Woakes, not seen since leavingthefieldwithhisleft arm in a makeshift sling on Thursday, was in his whites and ready to go on Sunday Rootsaidhehadsomethrow downstoworkoutwhatwas possible.

If Woakes emerges on Monday, it will be the biggest act of bravery by an Englishman since James Bond stayed behind on the island in No Time To Die.

India'sbowlerswillhavethe benefitofanight'srestanda secondnewballavailable3.4 overs into the fifth morning. The tourists might not want it, because the old ball has startedtohoop.

ForEngland,35runscan be dented in a couple of big overs.Battingsurelycan'tbe harder than it was when the players were taken off on Sundayevening.

W h a t a r e t h e consequences for less than an hour's cricket on the fifth day?Thedifferencebetween 3-1and2-2.

The chance of a first series win against India in seven years and a first fivematch series win against anyone in the same timeframe.

The difference between heading to Australia as winners, or not.What a way toenditall.

England's run chase at Headingley, Shubman Gill's epic at Edgbaston. Aggro and Stokes at Lord's R e a r g u a r d s a n d handshakegate at Old Trafford.

All down to this. Thirty five runs or four wickets. Restwell,ifyoucan.

PCB issues 'blanket ban' on future participation in WCL

(ESPN Cricinfo) - The PCB has issued a "blanket b a n " f r o m f u t u r e participation in the World Championship of Legends (WCL), citing "biased" conduct by the tournament organisers.This comes after India Champions forfeited two games, including the semi-final, against Pakistan Champions due to strained political relations between thetwocountries.Theboard also criticised WCL's decisiontoawardpointstoa

forfeiting team - the teams sharedpointswhenIndiahad refused to play Pakistan in the group match - saying it was "tainted with hypocrisy and bias". The board also took issue with what it described as a selective use of the "peace through sport" narrative, accusing the organisers of allowing political considerations and commercial interests to in

tournament. The statement comes after the PCB's 79th

boardofgovernorsmeeting, held virtually under the chairmanship of Mohsin Naqvi "The cancellation was not based on cricketing merit but on appeasing a

narrative,"thePCBsaidina statement. "This sends an unacceptablemessagetothe international sporting community. "However, we cannot allow our players to be part of events where the spirit of the game is overshadowed by skewed

politics that undermines the v e r y e s s e n c e o f sportsmanship and the gentleman's game "The WCLhadissuedanapology for "hurting sentiments"

withdrawal.

“TheWCL'sapologyfor 'hurting the sentiments', whilst being farcical, inadvertently acknowledges thatthecancellationwasnot based on cricketing merit, but rather on succumbing to a specific nationalistic

narrative," the statement further said. "This bias, masquerading as sensitivity, sends an unacceptable message to the international sportingcommunity.”

While reaffirming their commitment to global cricketandhealthyrivalries, the board said they would not permit their players to participate in tournaments that"underminethespiritof thegame."

Mohammad Hafeez was the captain of Pakistan Champions (AFP via Getty Images)

Lusignan crowned DCB Independence cr T10 Cup champions

Demerara Cricket Board's Independence T10 Cup on FridayattheLBIGround.

The champions won all three of their games- the quarter-final, semi-final and final- chasing successfully oneveryoccasion.Lusignan got past Helena One and Two, home club LBI and Georgetown side Transport inthefinal,whichconcluded underlights.

For their victory, Lusignan carted off

G$250,000, Transport collected G$150,000, while the losing semi-finalists Enterprise and LBI took homeG$50,000each.

Seebelowasummaryof the matches played at the

fund-raisingevent.

Game One: Transport defeated Better Hope by 39 runs

SUMMARY: Transport

116-4 from 10 overs

(Jeremiah Hohenkirk 39, Myhiem Khan 22, Shamar Apple 20, Emmanuel Lewis 17*; Ravi Singh 2-19) vs Better Hope 77-4 from 10

overs (Christopher

Deonarine 32, Azad Mohamed 22; Myhiem Khan2-21)

Game Two: Lusignan defeated Helena One and Twobyfivewickets

SUMMARY: Helena

One and Two 70-6 from 10 overs (Troy Gonsalves 29; Suresh Dhanai 2-6, Quentin Sampson 2-6, Rajpaul Basdeo 2-20) vs Lusignan

73-5 from 10 overs (Robin Williams 34, Chaitram Balgobin 20; Yeudister Persaud2-9)

Game Three: Enterprise defeated Meten-Meer-Zorg Eastby26runs

SUMMARY: Enterprise

92-4 from 10 overs (Rajendra Chandrika 49*, Veerasammy Permaul 18; ChrisHarry2-13)vsMetenMeer-Zorg East 66 all out from 10 overs (Richie Looknauth28,KelonTracey 18;RajendraChandrika2-4, Anthony Ifill 2-11, VeerasammyPermaul2-15)

Game Four: LBI defeated Herstelling A by ninewickets

SUMMARY:Herstelling A 93-6 from 10 overs (QuazimYusuf 29;Akshaya

‘Thirty-five runs or four wickets - rest well, if you can'

(BBC Sport) - Whatisit about this place? Finales. The Oval. Don Bradman walking off for a duck, Curtly Ambrose and CourtneyWalsharminarm, Stuart Broad denying Australiaonelasttime.

The famous old ground

has delivered again Realistically, England have norighttobeinwithashotof yet another successful run chase,buthereweare.

Harry Brook and Joe Root. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna Kumar Dharmasena and Ahsan Raza.Rainandbadlight.35 runsandfourwickets.Along nightstaringintothesoul.

Monday morning will not be as raucous as Sunday evening, but the stakes will notbediminishedbyhaving to return at the beginning of theworkingweek.

ForEngland,thereare35 runs standing between them andthebiggestserieswinof theBazballera.

If they pull it off, it will be the second highest successful chase in their historyandwillbreaka123year-old record for the best chase by any team on this ground.

They would do it with Ben Stokes not in the team andChrisWoakesabsentfor mostofthematch.England's two best all-rounders of the past 10 years have only two working shoulders between

them.

England have a patched uppaceattackthatismissing Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse andMarkWood.Theirfirstchoice spinner is injured. Jacob Bethell has been a part-time cricketer for the past two months and batted likeit.

England dropped six catches in the India second innings and gave away 38 runs in extras in their first –how important they look now

At 106-3 on Sunday morning, England were toast, only for Yorkshire's finest to find individual inspiration to make the unlikelyseemprobable.

On this ground 20 years ago, another epic series was on a knife edge. On that occasion, it was Kevin Pietersen belting Brett Lee into the stands that secured theAshes for England. Two decades on and Brook, the modern day spirit of KP, decided attack was the only wastogo.

trademarkheadband.

Two contrasting centuries,atiredIndiaattack flogged to all parts. Siraj treading on the boundary rope to reprieve Brook evoked memories of Trent Boult doing the same for Stokes in the 2019 World Cup final – another nerveshreddingSunday

When Root and Brook were together, 200 runs to win seemed like a doddle. After they departed, 35 seemedimpossible.

India must wonder what they have to do to beat this England team. It was India on the wrong end of a chase of378atEdgbastonin2022, then 371 at Headingley in June.

But something stirred in Siraj, Krishna and Akash Deep.Perhapsitwasthebeat of the dhol drum that provided the soundtrack to India'slastpush.

Persaud 3-20) vs LBI 95-1

f r o m s e v e n o v e r s (Tagenarine Chanderpaul 39*, Nizam Khan 26*, KemolSavory22)

SEMI-FINAL ONE: Transport defeated Enterprisebythreewickets

SUMMARY: Enterprise

65-7 from 10 overs (Veerasammy Permaul 26, Rajendra Chandrika 19; Reyaz Latif 3-10) vs Transport 66-7 from nine overs (Shamar Apple 32*; VeerasammyPermaul3-12)

SEMI-FINAL TWO: Lusignan defeated LBI by sixwickets

SUMMARY: LBI 90-2 from 10 overs (Kemol Savory 33, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 29; Rajpaul

Basdeo2-3)vsLusignan914 from 9.4 overs (Tyrell Peters 44; Akshaya Persaud 2-14)

FINAL: Lusignan defeated Transport by six wickets

SUMMARY: Transport

70-8 from 10 overs (Jermaine Dewsbury 16, Ryan Latif 14*; Chaitram Balgobin 2-5, Rajpaul Basdeo 2-10) vs Lusignan

72-4 from 8 5 overs (Quentin Sampson 29*; ReyazLatif2-7)

The tournament was sponsored by Survival

Group Inc , Petama Enteprise, Premier Insurance, CIC Insurance Brokers (Guyana) Inc , President of the Guyana

Cricket Board Bissoondyal Singh, Guyana Cricket Board, Choke's Gas Station, L Mahabeer and Son Cambio, Office Express, Regal Stationery and Computer Centre, Anil Beharry Real Estate, Construction and General Business Services, Naven's Construction, Republic Bank (Guyana) Ltd, Ramchand Auto Spares, Mike's Pharmacy, Steve's Jewelry, 4R Bearings, RidO-Pes, Ariel Enterprise, Doctor's Clinic, Fullworks Party Rental, Anil Beharry Project for Cricket Gears, Luke's General Contractor, AnsaMcAlDistributionand Universal Construction and Contracting.

Agha calls for bowling improvement

(SportsMax) - Pakistan lost by two wickets in the second game of their T20I serieswithWestIndies,with Salman Ali Agha citing wheretheycanimprove.

Pakistan captain Salman AliAghaconcededthatthere is room for improvement fromhisbowlersafterlosing the second match of their T20I series against West Indies.

T20Is.

Salmanwonthetossand electedtobat,butthetourists started poorly at the crease after losing Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan and MuhammadHariswithinthe firstfiveovers.

For Root, this Test was always likely to be emotional, a celebration of the life of his mentor GrahamThorpe.Howfitting that Root would play with Thorpe-likecoolatthehome ofthegreatleft-hander Even a heart of stone would have been moved by Root celebrating his hundred by pulling on Thorpe's

Brook's bat went further than the ball when he was caught at mid-off for 111. Bethell looked like what he is–a21-year-oldinhisfirst home Test with only one first-class match since December – in scratching aroundforfiveoff31balls.A wildhackandmiddlestump removed.

Even the tension got to Root. Play and miss, play and miss, lbw review, edge behind.TheOvalcame

West Indies snapped theirsix-matchlosingrunin theformatwithatwo-wicket triumphatLauderhill,ledby Jason Holder's imperious showing with the bat and ball.

Holder ended with figures of 4-19, becoming WestIndies'all-timewickettaker in the format, while also scoring the winning runs from Shaheen Afridi's bowlingonthefinalball.

A 60-run fifth-wicket partnership between Agha and Hasan Nawaz helped Pakistan reach 133-9, but they were unable to do the damage with the ball in hand.

MohammadNawzended with team-highfigures of 314 after getting the wickets of ripping through West Indies' top order, taking the first three wickets of their innings.

But gutsy efforts from GudakeshMotie,ShaiHope and Holder just got West Indies over the line, though Agha believed Pakistan should have done better in theclosingstages.

wellinthepowerplay,butwe couldn't finish the game," Agha said "We bowled really well, but there is alwaysroomtoimprove.

"I think we can bowl better at death. 130 was never enough, but they fought really well, and I am proudofthem(bowlers).

“The way spinners bowled in both games, we are ready for the Asia Cup, andtheywillcomeintoplay inDubai" L

(Continueonpage19)

For Pakistan, it ended their nine-match winning run against West Indies in

"In this game, we batted

DCB Secretary Davteerth Anandjit presents the runner-up trophy to Transport skipper Riyad Latif

Salman Agha

Holder:

‘I have a burning desire to make a change, so I keep putting in my best effort’ effor

Jason Holder took 4 for 19 (AFP/Getty Images)

(ESPN Cricinfo) - West Indieshadnothinggoingfor them coming into this second T20I on a balmy evening in Lauderhill. They hadwonjusttwooftheirlast 19 completed T20Is, which included the forgettable 5-0 loss to Australia at home. Theyhadputdownmultiple catches in the first T20I. Rovman Powell joined Brandon King, Evin Lewis andShimronHetmyeronthe injurylist,AndreRusselland Nicholas Pooran had recentlysaidtheirgoodbyes, and the three-match series wasontheline.

I f n o t f o r a comprehensive team effort, WestIndieswerelookingfor something,asemblanceofa spark, any individual brilliance to turn things around amid the mounting pressure in the build-up to theT20WorldCupnextyear It came, the individual brilliance, and from one of the oldest members in the squad.

At the age of 33, a body that has been through the rigours of 12 years of international cricket as a pace-bowling allrounder, participation in nine T20 leagues around the world andashoulderrehabnottoo long ago among other injuries, Jason Holder becameWest Indies' highest wicket-taker in the format, tookstunningfiguresof4for 19, pouched two sharp

catches, and hit the winning runs when West Indies had lost all their batting steam and needed three to win off one.

What was Holder going to remember the most from this day? "Just getting over the line, to be honest," he said on being named the Player of the Match. "As I saidbefore,it'sbeenatough couple of weeks for us. We just needed a win We brought it down to the very end, unfortunately But fortunately,westillgotover theline."

The most pressurecooker situation of those musthavebeenwhenhegot the strike back against Shaheen Shah Afridi in the lastoverofthechasewithsix to get from three balls HolderhadShamarJosephat the other end, and still, inexplicably, took a single whenhecouldn'tputawaya lowfulltoss.Shamar,forhis part,gavethestrikebackand itallcamedowntoHolderto hit four runs off the last ball to keep the series alive. He shuffled away to off, Afridi bowledthefulldeliverywell wide of him outside off and the wide signal eased Holder'snervesalittle.Next delivery,Holdercoveredthe stumps and this time when Afridiaimedforthestumps, Holder swiped it away behindsquareforfour

The ball had barely left the 30-yard circle and you

couldhearHolder'sshriekof celebrationonthestumpmic before the camera turned to him with his arms aloft, accompanied by a roar of celebration Holder explainedwhattheirchasing strategy was when he was batting with Romario Shepherd and they needed 36from18.

"ItoldRomariowhenwe were batting, we needed at least four sixes with the scenario that was posed to us. We got three. We fell probably one short, but we still got over the line. That was our target. Just keeping wickets in hand, obviously, but still trying to hit our strong areas and find the boundary

"Wearepowerfulplayers andweknowwecanfindthe boundary But credit to the Pakistani bowlers as well. I thought they bowled really well."

Earlierintheday,Holder had also given West Indies anearlyliftthatalsopegged him higher in the record books. Sharing the new ball with Akeal Hosein, Holder struck with his sixth ball when he had the in-form SaimAyub edge behind and ittookhimlevelwiththeT20 legendDwayneBravoonthe listofmostwicketsforWest IndiesinT20Is.Onhisthird ballafterwhathelatercalled "just a statistic," Holder had Sahibzada Farhan, the other opener,slicingtodeeppoint

for 3. Even when he wasn't bowling, the ball found it hard to stay away from Holder

WhenMohammadHaris went across the line against Hosein in the next over and failedtogetthedistancefora six, Holder ran back from mid-on,asmuchashecould, and stretched his long arms withhisbuckethandstograb the ball in the nick of time. Pakistan were now three down early and Holder had played a hand in each of those wickets. But Pakistan were not done yet, and hardly did they know that neitherwasHolder

Captain Salman Agha and their young basher

Hasan Nawaz had put together a quick stand of 60 in just over six overs to power Pakistan past 100, when Holder was brought back Hasan had just pumped three consecutive sixes in the 15th over, but Holder, who had shown his wares in the middle and deathoversinthePSLafew months ago, got Hasan in a tangle, completed the return catch and followed it with his fourth wicket in his last over

"I love playing for West Indies,tobehonest,"Holder said."Oneofmythingsisto leave West Indies cricket better than they came and foundit.Istillthinkthere'sa

lot of work to be done. We haven't done justice to our potentialoverthelastcouple of weeks, maybe the last coupleofyears.We'vehada fairbitofcriticism,whichat times is warranted, but we know that winning can be a lot better We've just got to put it together more often thannot.

“I think [lack of] consistency has definitely plagued us, but we've seen that over the years that we can do it. For me, it's just to have that burning desire to make a change, to make a difference.SoIkeepputting inmybesteffortwhenIgeta chance with the West Indies."

Bagot dethrones Hooper to win Big Star

Emancipation road race

Jordon Bagot came and conquered the second annual Big Star Sports Club 10k Emancipation Road race

Bagot dethroned the defending champion, Esan Hopper to stop the clock in 31minutesand12secondsto silencethehomecrowd. Under cool conditions along the Corentyne, the racers started at Number 35 Villageandfinishedinfront ofapackedcrowdatSparkle Supermarket, Ulverston Village. Crowd favorite, Hopper was surpassed by Bagot at Wellington Park, and it was only the dust behind Bagot, who finished the race comfortably

After Bagot cruised to victory, Hopper finished three minutes after Asani McKhoy came third while StephonGittinscamefourth. This race was one of luxury, as the top athlete for both male and female category walked away with G$ 50,000 in cash, trophy, medal,andhampers. In the female category, the resilient Faith Davis emerged as the champion while Lisa Luckie came second. Veteran Birty Rahaman was the lone warrior, as he wontheOver-50category Intheunder-20category, where athletes ran across 5KM, Arnus Crawford finished first, while Keron

wereTroyden Park, Joshua Charles,andJarolCampbell. The sponsors Digital Edge, Sparkle Supermarket, Banks DIH, A Allys and Sons, Courts, Junior Barber Shop Rose Hall and the HogstyleLancasterNDC. Some of the individuals who also supported the race are: EonHooper,JewelBess, AlexisWilliams,JelaniSaul, Lynden Marks, Jason Pellew, Kernel Grant, Michael Thorrinton, Cash donations, Orton Semple, Ken Lewis, Shazim Gafoor, Paul Jones, Royston Younge,CarlLewis,Miciah Wilson, Clyde Boscom,

Kevin Rose, Oswayne Wilson, Laurent Marshall, Clint Jardine, Cord Fraser, Otis Whinfield, Royland Goviea, Tyrone Douglas, Jermaine McPhoy, Newton Somersall, Forbes Jones, Eon Martinboroug, Dwight Waldron, Eldon Williams, MarvinMonroe&Company Hire Car and Loring Bennons.

BigStarYouthandSport Club was founded in 1991. The club is known for producing cricketers, with Melroy Barkley being the club's first National youth cricketer, while current Guyana Harpy Eagles selectee, Sylus Tyndall started his career at the Ulverston-basedclub.

Jordan Bagot stormed to a comfortable victory

Hamilton finished second.

Emergency Track Expansion Underway At Rising Sun to Accommodate Record Guyana Cup Entries

- Historic 17 Runners for the 17th edition on August 17

Berbice, Guyana,With a historic influx of imported Thoroughbreds in recent weeks,the2025GuyanaCup isnowoncoursetofeaturea record-breaking 16, and possibly 17, entries in its marqueerace,farsurpassing the traditional limit of 10 to 1 1 r u n n e r s T h i s development has prompted urgent action by event organizers, who have launchedanemergencytrack expansion project at the Rising Sun Turf Club to ensureasafeandfairstartfor allcontenders.

Speaking with promoter Nasrudeen Jr Mohamed, it wasclearthatthisisa“good problem,” albeit one that required swift logistical adaptation.

“We never expected this level of response so soon.

After analyzing the feasibility,werealizedwe're lookingatupto17horsesin the Guyana Cup That's unheard of here,” Mohamed said. “Two of those horses come from stables returning tothesportaftermanyyears, onefromRegion5,theother from Region 6.Their names will be revealed later this week.”

But this surge in entries raised a crucial question among racing fans: Where willtheyallfit?

The standard chute wherethe1-mileracebegins at Rising Sun could not safely accommodate such a large field. The issue wasn't just spacing, it was also about safety, especially with the high speed and tight groupingatthestart.

The solution?Amassive emergency widening of the

homestretch, being carried outatunprecedentedspeed.

“We've mobilized three excavators, and we're moving 150 truckloads of sand to widen the starting chute by 20 feet, over a stretch of approximately 1,000 feet before the track closes back in,” Mohamed explained.“Thisallowsfora longerstraightrunbeforethe turn, giving all horses a better chance to settle, and moreimportantly,improving jockeyandhorsesafety.”

Work is being done aroundtheclock,withcrews working 24 hours a day to complete the expansion in just three days, without interrupting the daily exercise schedule of horses preppingforraceday

“We couldn't halt training. These horses are new, many just arriving in Guyana, and they need to familiarize themselves with thetrack,”Mohamedsaid.

This marks the first time in Guyanese horse racing history that such an infrastructure change has been implemented on such short notice, and with such scale.

“We knew the Guyana Cupwouldbebig,especially with so many international officialsplanningtoattend,” Mohamedsaid.“Butthishas exceeded expectations That's why for 2026, we'll need to establish entry r e q u i r e m e n t s o r qualificationraces.Thiskind ofattentionisablessing,but it also means we need stronger structures moving forward.”

Despite the rush and the logistical challenge,

Mohamed emphasized that safety remains the number onepriority.

“We're only doing this becauseweknowwecando it right. In the past, we cappedtheGuyanaCupat10 or 11 horses to avoid crowding. But we couldn't

say no to some of these returning stables. They're part of our history, and now, they're part of this historic moment.”

The entry deadline for the 2025 Guyana Cup is Thursday, August 7th, and it'sshapinguptobethemost

competitive, most crowded, andmostexciting,editionin therace's17-yearlegacy.

With 17 runners expectedonthe17thrunning of the Guyana Cup, held on August 17th, it truly completes the golden year forGuyaneseracing.

Nasrudeen Jr. Mohamed

Bagot dethrones Hooper to win Big Star Emancipation road race

Lusignan with

The athletes stood proudly with their awards at the Big Star Emancipation Race