Kaieteur News

TotalEnergies VP declares, as company inks exploration and production license govt. secures

Brazilian medical team in Guyana to rescue organ transplant system

On M o n d a y, Minister of

HealthDr Frank Anthony met with senior officials from Brazil’s Ministry of Health and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) as part of a

two-day Prospective Mission on Organ Donation and Transplantation, now underwayinGeorgetown.

T h e B r a z i l i a n delegation, made up of top transplant specialists from the country’s National Transplant Programme, is conducting a rapid assessment of Guyana’s system, from laboratories to surgical units to pinpoint where the country’s transplant process is failing andhowitcanbefixed.

The visiting delegation, comprising highly skilled technical experts from Brazil’s National Transplant Programme, will conduct a

rapid assessment of Guyana’s current transplant system.Theevaluationaims to identify priority areas for collaboration, capacity building, and system

also

Brazilian medical team.

enhancement to further s

G

programme, the Ministry of Helathhassaid.

During the meeting, M

r A n t h o n y underscored the importance

operationalisation of the Human Leukocyte Antigen

(HLA) Laboratory He highlighted the need for comprehensive training of laboratory personnel, the implementation of quality assuranceprotocolsforHLA t e s t i n g , a n d t h e strengthening of the entire transplant continuum, from organ retrieval and surgical transplantationtechniquesto system-widereadiness.

As part of their mission, the Brazilian team will visit key health facilities, including the Nephrology and Transplantation DepartmentsandtheCentral Medical Laboratory at the GeorgetownPublicHospital Corporation (GPHC). They will also hold technical discussions with local clinicians to define critical

areas for joint action and support.

F o l l o w i n g t h e assessment, the delegation will develop a detailed Action Plan outlining specific activities and t

p s Implementation of the plan is expected to commence immediately following the

mission Among those present at the meeting were: Maria Cristina de Castro Martins, Ambassador of BraziltoGuyana;Dr Shanti S i n g h - A n t h o n y , Chairperson of the Human OrganandTissueTransplant Agency(HOATTA);andDr Sondia Gordon, Chief Executive Officer of the HOATTASecretariat.

Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony (left) and his wife Dr. Shanti Singh-Anthony, who is

Chairperson of the Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Agency (HOATTA) meeting with the

“We want to go fast”

-TotalEnergiesVPdeclares,ascompanyinksexplorationandproductionlicense

TotalEnergieshasmadea powerful return to Guyana’s oil frontier, this time in command of Block S4, a shallow-water concession off the country’s coast, where the energy giant and itspartnersQatarEnergyand Petronas are racing to strike oilwithinthenextfiveyears.

The bold pledge came Tuesday from Daniel Larranaga,VicePresidentof TotalEnergies, as the

Petroleum Exploration License and Petroleum AgreementwiththeMinistry of Natural Resources during a signing ceremony at the

, Georgetown.

“We want to go fast, we wanttoexplorethisbasinas soonaswecan.Wehavefive years to do it. We are very aware of the penalties; we

willnotneedthosepenalties. We are here to explore,” Larranagadeclared.

TotalEnergies has been awardedblockS4,locatedin shallow water, offshore

consortium with a 40% interest in the block, along with its partners, Qatar Energy and Petronas with 35% and 25% respectively Block S4 spans an area of approximately 1,788 square kilometres,located50to100 kilometres off Guyana’s coastinwaterdepthsranging between30and100metres.

The company said it is targeting the latter half of 2026 to commence seismic acquisition. This Larranaga said would be “extremely fast for industry standards and will inform the next stage of exploration drilling activities.

Theagreementisthefirst to be signed since government introduced a revised Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with greater fiscal benefits to the country Amidthepackageis 10% royalty, 10% taxes and

$10.5millionstillmissing

Region One Yet to Recover Overpayment for Abandoned School Project

Nearly three years

later, the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region One has yet to recover more than $10 5 million in overpaymentsmadeforthe Oronoque Primary School projectatPortKaituma a failure once again flagged by Auditor General (AG) Deodat Sharma in his 2024Report.

The auditor stated that an award for the constructionoftheprimary schoolwasmadeinsumof $24668 million by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board(NPTAB),andatthe endofDecember2022,the sum of $19734 million waspaidtothecontractor

The Report detailed thataphysicalverification conductedonJuly14,2023 revealed that the site was abandoned and the works were incomplete and an overpaymentinthesumof $10 557 million was discovered

“At the time of reporting in September 2025, the overpaid sum wasstillnotrecovered,”he highlighted in his 2024 Report

T h e R e g i o n a l Administrationresponded Continuedonpage6

costrecoverycappedat65% monthly with profits to be split50/50.

Notably, the government of Guyana (GoG) secured a US$15M signing bonus as part of the successful negotiations that were held with the consortium, as highlighted by Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat Itisimportanttonote thatshallowwaterblocksare subjected to a signing bonus ofUS$10M,whiledeepwater areaswillattractahighersum ofUS$20M

The signing bonus, according to Bharrat will be deposited in about two weeks’ time to the Natural ResourceFund(NRF),orthe oil account, with receipts published in the National Assembly

In the meantime, minister Bharrat welcomed the group as “giants in the industry” to the exciting Guyana basin which has not only unlocked the largest resourcesgloballyinthelast decadebutisalsopoisedfor significant growth over the nextfewyears.Hewaskeen topointoutthecapabilityof

the powerful conglomerate, highlighting the joint experience of the firms through current exploration and production activities globally

Bharrat also shared brief insights into the tedious negotiations phase with the c o m p a n i e s a n d congratulated the Petroleum UnitoftheMinistryfortheir effortsasa“youngteam”.

He said, “I want to also thank the three companies that have worked with us over a prolonged period to ensurethatwegetitright...so that we can have an ideal petroleum agreement that is acceptable by both parties andthatwouldbringbenefits to Guyana and Guyanese.” With the Petroleum ActivitiesActoutliningstrict penaltiesforcontractorsand operators, the minister told thegroupthatgovernment’s Continuedonpage6

From left: QatarEnergy, Manager, Int’l Upstream and Exploration Subsurface Development and Exploration, Ali Abdulla Al-Mana, Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, TotalEnergies EP Guyana Shallow SAS, Daniel Larranaga and Petronas Energy Guyana, Head Americas Ventures, Exploration International Ventures, Harris Saifi Bin Hakimi signing the Petroleum Exploration License and Petroleum Agreement.

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

ThemysteryofMaeThomas

ThePPPCGovernmenthassucceededinwavingitsmagic wand and getting the same result Its Central Executive member, MaeToussiant Jr,Thomas has vanished from sight HerroleaspermanentsecretaryoftheMinistryofHomeAffairs, onewhoallegedlyhelpedtheMohamedsfamilyintheiralleged corruptactivities,madeheadlines

WhenevertheMohamedsnamewerementionedincertain contexts,thenameMaeThomasalsoappeared NowthePPPC Government has miraculously wiped the slate clean of the formerpermanentsecretaryasifshedidn'texist,asifshenever hadonedealingwiththeMohamedsonanything WhentheUS Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) sanctions were announcedinJune2024,Thomaswasinthethickofthem,with somedetailssharedabouthowsheallegedlyusedthepowerof her office to aid and help the Mohameds in their criminal enterprises.

By even the most lenient consideration, serious developments involving the most senior public servant in a ministry, one who sits just below the political head of that ministry, the minister As alleged,Thomas betrayed the high officethatsheheld,andinwhichsignificanttrustisplaced The sanctionscame,andpushedthePPPCGovernmentintoatight corner

Thegovernment'sshiftingfromonefoottotheotherstarted aroundthen Shewasmoved,thenshewassentonleave,then she resigned from the much-coveted position that she held withthePPP,thatofCentralExecutivemember Guyanese allowed themselves to be lulled into a state of comfortable reassurance.Thegovernmentwasshowingitsstrengthand applying the whip, no matter who it was that had to be disciplined. What time has introduced to Guyanese is how smooththeleadershipofthePPPCGovernmentcanbe.

There was no addressing head-on the alleged criminal activityofThomas ThePPPCGovernmentwasplayingagame and playing for time, and it has won the final rounds so far Because when the indictments and 11 charges against the Mohamedswereannouncedalmostayearandfourmonthsafter theOFACsanctionsagainsttheMohamedsandThomas,former PSThomaswasn'tinthem

WhathappenedtoThomas,andhowwasitthatshefellout theUSlawenforcementnet? HowcouldtheUSGovernment attorneyshave fouled up matters with Thomas so much, or were they just following what came down? If so, how did that mystery come about, and who on Guyana plotted that development, piloted it to where matters stand now: no Thomas mentioned anywhere for anything. The OFAC sanctions wrapped Thomas with the Mohameds in their many different criminal activities, and all as alleged. It wouldtakealotofconversationstocutThomasloose,where onlytwoarecharged,andthethirdwhosefingerprintswere gatheredbyUSinvestigatorsiscoddledandtakencareof. It could be that she has agreed to be in some governmentarrangedWitnessProtectionProgram,onebasedhere.

We think that it is less of that, and more of the PPPC Government protecting one of its assets, and signaling something else at the same time to its nervous and watching comrades ThemessagefromthePPPCGovernmentisthat'we lookoutforourown,takecareofthem,protectsecrets' Thathas to be comforting to the legions of its corrupt agents in the government Whateverhastobedoneisdone,andinthecaseof Thomas,thefallenpermanentsecretary,therewasn'tevenany nuanceinhowthegovernmentwentaboutgettinghersprung. Ifitwasaregularcriminalsetupinvolvingstreetcriminals,it wouldbecalledanofficialpardonatbest,oraget-out-of-jail card,atworst.

Where'sthefairnessinthis? TheMohamedsareforcedto walk through a ring of fire, and hauled before the courts It shouldn'tbeotherwise,becausewhoeverdidacrimemustpay the time Does not that exact same standard also apply to Thomas,orhasshebeengrantedimmunity,exceptthatnoonein thePPPCGovernmentbotheredtosharethatwiththepublic? ThesearethedoublestandardsthatnowflourishunderthePPPC Government,andtheyarecalledlaw,justice,anddemocracy's principles

Dismantled Progress, Repackaged as Innovation

DearEditor, W h e n t h e P P P government shut down the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service in 2021, they did more than close a building,theydismantledan institution that symbolised national investment in professionalexcellence

Established under the A P N U + A F C administration, the College was a forward-thinking initiative designed to train young Guyanese for meaningful public service careers through structured, accredited coursework delivered by qualified local educators. It was a serious step toward a competent, merit-basedcivilservice.

Yet in a fit of political spite, the PPPterminated its staff, abandoned its campus, and reduced years of planning and curriculum development to rubble. The d e c

s i o n w a s n o t administrative; it was ideological, a reckless a

predecessor's achievement, even at the cost of national progress.

Now,inastunningtwistof hypocrisy, the same government has relaunched publicservicetrainingunder the banner of a Coursera partnership, dressing political vandalism in the garb of modernisation. But let's be honest, Coursera is not a national training programme.

It is an open, foreignbased digital platform that offersgenericonlinecourses to anyone with a credit card and a strong Wi-Fi signal. It has no tailored curriculum for Guyana's public service, no contextual understanding of our governance frameworks, and no faculty accountabletothepublic.

Replacing a physical institution, where young professionals were mentored, evaluated, and molded for national service, with an imported online catalogue is short-sighted, lazy, and deeply unserious.

You cannot build a disciplined, people-centred bureaucracy by outsourcing civiceducationtoawebsite.

Public administration

demands m

d immersion in national context—not YouTube-style lectures and auto-graded quizzes.

What the PPP calls modernisation is in fact abdication of responsibility

It is the outsourcing of national development to a platform that neither knows norcaresaboutGuyana.

The Bertram Collins

Col

investmentinlocalcapacity; Coursera represents withdrawal from it. In short, the PPPhas shown that they will dismantle anything associated with the previous administration, label it as bad, tear it down, and then relaunch something essentiallysimilar,marketed a s c u t t i n g - e d g e modernisation.

The public service

college? Gone. The promise of training young people for public service careers? Repackaged.

The investment already made in that college? Abandoned. The sense of national purpose in building a professional public service? Certainly weaker forhavingtakenthisroute.

If the PPP government truly wishes to demonstrate that it is serious about improving, modernising, and professionalising the public service, then it must have the courage to restore whatitdestroyed.

Bring back a real public service college, one that develops human capacity, nurtures leadership, and builds institutions rooted in Guyanese values and expertise.

Only then can we speak c r e d i b l y a b o u t modernisation Until that happens, all we have is a hollowimitationofprogress.

Sincerely RandolphCritchlow

About envy, bitterness and rivalry

DearEditor,

The opening of parliament and sitting of the National Assembly on Monday November 3 was a landmark. It revealed the APNU'senvy,bitternessand rivalry towards its political rivals.

Roughly two months ago, theAPNU was given a sound trashing beating them down to third place in the annals of Guyana's electoral history

Iforeseemoretocomeof thisthree-prongedfeelingof resentment by APNU towards its opponents havinglostsoterriblyeverin itshistory

In retrospect, it took the PNC's leadership sometime 'to'catchitself'andtorealise that some of its leaders and many of its supporters had discreetly embraced WIN. By the time they 'caught themselves'toolate!toolate! wasthecry

To supporters of the APNU at home and abroad, the elections' results were a blow of monumental proportions.

They felt betrayed, swindled, even mocked Anger exploded at the rankand-file levels of the party only to settle into a simmering mess of bitterness, confusion and disbelief.

Actually, the APNU's bitterness is not because of

the walloping it got from PPP/C, it's old political archenemy; apparently the PNC had grown so accustomed to being beaten atthepollsbythePPPthatit had grown numb, tired and wornout.

Bythetimeadateforthe election was announced, rather than fighting its political opponents, the APNUwasengagedin'nasty and brutish' infighting resultinginthemigrationby many in its leadership to its opponents.

Because the bitterness was still flowing at the time of the Assembly's first sitting, the irreparable separation,andhurtsuffered by the APNU was divulged byitsmembers.

And as though the bitterness displayed by its members during the sitting was insufficient, later in the evening of the same day, through certain well known social media outlets, there wasnosignofremorseofthe behaviourearlierthatday

I view the APNU's rivalry with others not dissimilar from the daily occurrences at the Berbice car park or the Linden minibus park where competition for passengers is driven by mutualobsession.

In other words, the APNU is driven by d e s p e r a t i o n f o r organisational recovery

while WIN is driven by the need to deliver on undeliverable promises it made to its supporters. Ironically, both appear to be investing more mental and emotional resources in each other than circumstances dictate.

Prior to the election, the PNC, being almost as old as the PPP/C sought to use its size and strength as advantage to uphold its political status With the PPP/C, it sought dominance overintellectualterritorybut lost miserably Meanwhile, WIN using its own twisted versionof'cashgrant'sought todisruptthepoliticalstatus quo.

By the end of the election, Norton had almost become a shrinking wallflower, had it not been for party loyalists who rescued him he would have disappeared completely fromthepoliticalarena.

Practically, true political rivals like the PPPand PNC knoweachother

They have long, enmeshedhistories.Thetwo partieswereonceconsidered evenly matched – but with c o n t r o v e r s y a f t e r controversy following each election within the loser/winner syndrome, the more they propelled each otheron.

But that dynamic changed somewhat when

WIN entered the political hustings. Rivalry between the PNC and WIN became the focus of attention. Competition between the two was characterised by unethical behaviour such as lyingorcheating.ThePPP/C had done its homework between 2020 to 2025 and was already at the homestretch only with attentive and focused wrapping-up left to be done beforegoingtothepolls.

Political rivalry can be good for a democracy It proved to be so for the PPP but not so for the PNC. RivalryhelpedthePPPupits game and gain more insight about what was needed for greater success at the elections.

Apparently, the inadequacies of WIN aroused the hostility demonstrated by the PNC, but mistakenly, very late in the day The bitterness and rudeness displayed by the APNU parliamentarians at the first sitting of the Assembly was obvious for alltosee.T he APNU should shed itself of the envy and bitterness,shoulditfailtodo sotheflockthatmovedover to others will be lost forever andcangrowevenbiggerto the benefit especially of the PPP/C.

Yoursfaithfully, ClementJ.Rohee

Exceptional regional achievements of students from Queen's College at CAPE and CSEC

DearEditor,

The recent article of

November 7, 2025, highlighting the exceptional regional achievements of students from Queen's CollegeatCAPEandCSEC, is on its face, a cause for national celebration I theref

opportunity to extend my genuine congratulations to these scholars and their familiesfortheirremarkable dedicationandsuccess.

re take this

However,thesubsequent narrative advanced by the MinistryofEducationunder Minister Sonya Parag and her predecessor minister

Priya Manickchand, which frames these individual accomplish

nts as evidence of systemic excellence, demands to be rigorously challenged When all of the propaganda isclearedandtherealtruthis unear

h

he more troublingrealitywillreveala

,

system that is profoundly and persistently unequal between a handful of elite institutions and the vast majority of Guyana's secondaryschools.

With 214 public and 57 private secondary schools constituting the bulk of our national secondary school

When justice becomes a transaction: How the PPP sold out Guyana's sovereignty

DearEditor,

A leaked memorandum from the Ministry of Home Affairs has detonated yet another scandal at the heart of the People's Progressive Party government The document confirms that for the month of October alone, Guyanese taxpayers were charged US$62,58878 to pay a Jamaican legal team representing the United States of America in the extradition case against businessmen Nazar “Shell” Mohamed and his son, AzruddinMohamed. Thisshockingdisclosure isnotaclericaloversight—it isamajorbreachoffinancial accountability and a brazen insult to national sovereignty Since when does a sovereign nation use its public funds to finance a foreign government's prosecution? The United States, endowed with vast

resources and its own legal apparatus, surely does not needGuyanatosubsidiseits courtroombattles.Sowhyis it happening now, and why inthisparticularcase?

Guyana has managed numerousextraditionsinthe past without involving foreign lawyers or secret payments.Yetsuddenly,ina case

,

h e government sidesteps established procedures and quietly transfers public f u n d s t o s u p p o r t Washington's cause The

i s unmistakable This has every appearance of a quid proquo—onewherethePPP gainsinternationalfavorand neutralises a potential political challenger under the guise of legal cooperation.

Equally troubling is the AttorneyGeneral'sdenialof these payments, even as internal documentation proves otherwise Such deceptiontransformsalegal matter into a political conspiracy

The AG should do the honorable thing and remit office as he would certainly lose all integrity, in misleadingthenation. The govern

ent's c o n d u c t n o t o n l y undermines public trust but also exposes a growing pattern: secrecy first, accountabilitynever

Beyond the immediate scandal lies a deeper national danger When a governmentallowsaforeign power to dictate judicial process and then pays to make it happen, the line between partnership and subservience vanishes Justice ceases to be

Guyana is hijacked by noise nuisance

DearEditor, Guyana is hijacked by noisenuisanceandthepolice doesnotresponse.Iftheydo, they are afraid to issue summons for disturbing the peaceMajorProblem: Cannot reach Diamond, Grove or Timehri police by phone – no answer or dead line. 911 gave me some cell numbersbutsameissue. Pleaseinvestigate.Ihave people who contacted me and ask me how to contact the police. Since no number works,Itoldthemtocall911

The don't even respond because there is no accountability – they do not have to Cannot reach

minister of home affairs –emailboxisfull

Sincerely SammyNarine

sovereign; it becomes transactional.Thissurrender ofautonomyerodesthevery essence of democracy, leaving citizens to question whether their government answers to them or to someoneelse'sagenda.

The people of Guyana deserve leaders who defend theirindependence,notones who mortgage it in secret. Every cent spent on foreign legal representation in this case is a cent stolen from schools, hospitals, and national dignity The PPP must be held to account. Because if justice can be rented out, then sovereignty itselfisalready

Sincerely, HemduttKumar

system, the exclusive celebration of one school raisesacriticalquestion:are we acknowledging genuine nationwide progress, or merely using isolated successes to camouflage systemicfailure?Therecord of the former Minister of Education, Ms Priya Manickchand, must be evaluated on the latter metric, which reveals a legacy of inadequate progress in elevating educationaloutcomesforthe average Guyanese student. ThecurrentMinisterParagis new, she cannot be saddled withthisburdensosoon,she is still on honeymoon. So, this fairytale and misrepresentation is on Minister Priya and if there wasanyreasontogetherout of the education sector; this wasit.

Thenotionthat"Guyana continues to excel on the regional stage" is a misleading half-truth Queen's College is not representative of the Guyanese educational system. Empirical evidence fromRegion9illustratesthe point: between 2023 and 2025, matriculation rates at Aishalton, Annai, Sand Creek, and St Ignatius Secondary Schools have declined from 67%, 58%, 66%, and 52% respectively toapproximately56%,48%, 49%,and45%,respectively This regression in the Rupununioccursagainstthe backdrop of nearly 12,000 students sitting national examinations in this nation at the CSEC and CAPE level.Thedatacompellingly demonstrates a system in distress, one that cannot be redeemed by a few exemplaryresults. Let us be unequivocal in ouranalysis:

1. IsolatedExcellence (Continued onpage6)

T h e M i n i s t r y ' s communiqué,whilepraising top performers, functions as a public relations exercise that insults the intelligence ofcitizens.Tocelebrateelite achievements while the foundation of our education system erodes for the majority is not merely disingenuous;itrepresentsa fundamental abdication of the government's duty to provideequitableeducation. ThisisthelegacyofMinister PriyaManickchand.

Urgent action needed to restore reliable emergency communication to the St. John's Ambulance Brigade in Linden

DearEditor,

As an activist of the United Workers Party (UWP) and a concerned resident of Region 10, I feel compelled to raise an issue that affects every man, woman, and child in our community, the inability to reliably reach the St. John's Ambulance Brigade at the LindenHospitalComplexin timesofemergency

For too long, the Brigade's landline has been out of service. They have

beenforcedtodependsolely on a cellular phone as their o n l y m e a n s o f communication. While we deeply appreciate the dedication of the team that continues to serve under these challenging conditions, this situation is b o t h u n s a f e a n d unacceptable.

Emergenciesdonotwait. When someone is gasping for breath, when a child is injured,orwhenanaccident occurs late at night, a

working phone line could meanthedifferencebetween life and death. It breaks my hearttoknowthataresident in distress might struggle to reach help simply because a landline,somethingsobasic and essential, has been left unfixedformonths.

I am pleading with the relevant authorities, partic

ose responsibleforpublichealth and emergency services, to treat this matter with the urgency it deserves. Please,

Double jeopardy?

do not wait until tragedy strikes to act. The people of Linden deserve a reliable and functioning emergency communicationsystem.This isnotapoliticalissue;itisa humanone.Everylifeinthis community matters. Let us fix this before it costs someonetheirtomorrow

Respectfully,

Lorenzo

Joseph United Workers Party (UWP)

Activist Region10

Exceptional regional achievements of...

Frompage5 isNotSystemicHealth.

The success of students from premier schools, while commendable, is often facilitated by significant private investment from their parents and private tutoring that has nothing to do with the offering of the school system Their achievements are a testament to personal merit and privilege, not validation oftheMinistry'sefficacy To leverage these results as proof of a thriving national system is a cynical misrepresentation and a patentfalsehood.

2. TheLegacyis DeepeningInequity.

The true, "distinguished legacy" of recent administrations in the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Local

Government (which administer the affairs in the outlyingareas)istheneglect ofstudentsinRegions1,4,5, 6,7,8,9,and10.Whatofthe chronic shortages of qualified and present teachers, functional laboratories and other criticalpedagogicalassetsto allow for enhanced performance? The Ministry'sstated"firmfocus onexpandingopportunities" remainsanemptysloganfor children in "primary tops" and under-resourced regional secondary schools, who face a vastly different reality from their QC counterparts.

propaganda, they are only serving to destroy the future ofthisnationsinceourfuture is our children and how functionallyliterateandwell matriculated,theyare. Therefore,wemuststate clearly:

3. SelectiveCelebration AmidstWidespread ChallengeisIndefensible. It is the height of incongruity for the Ministry topubliciseregionaltoppers while remaining silent on abysmal pass rates in core subjects across the country. Where is the accountability for the schools where not a single student passes five CSEC subjects? This is not leadership; it is the management of perception at the expense of genuine educational development SoastheMinistryspreadsits

· We condemn the stanceoftheformerMinister of Education, Ms Priya Manickchand, for presiding over a system of extreme educational disparity while claiming success based on the performance of a privileged minority Let us hope the current Minister Ms.SonyaParagwillfixthis mess.

· We condemn the chronic institutional failure oftheMinistryofEducation to resolve core issues of quality teacher recruitment, infrastructure decay, and equitable curriculum

delivery One only has to look at the WIN Team Page on Facebook to see how many cases Mr Azarrudin Mohamed and his team has exposed for lack of timely

attention especially is the forgotten Hinterland Schools.

· We condemn the political strategy of using exceptional students as a shield to deflect from decadesofsystemicneglect. This is wickedness and evil on the part of the Education Authorities.

Thegovernmentappears tobecultivatingatwo-tiered education system: one for a select elite and another for the masses Until the Ministry can demonstrate tangible improvement in national pass rates and the average student's learning e n v i r o n m e n t , i t s celebrations will remain a hollow spectacle. The peopleofGuyanadeservean educationsystemthatserves every child, not just a fortunate few. They can do welltostudyandimplement the Barbados and Jamaica system of learning in Guyana.

Regards LancelotHyman

“We want to go fast...

Frompage3

aimistoencourageexplorationactivities to streamline production of oil and gas outsideoftheStabroekBlockby2030

Meanwhile, Larranaga thanked the teamattheministryfortheirhardwork leading up to the signing of the deal, as wellasthecompany'sco-venturers Hepointedoutthatjustover35years ago TotalEnergies spud the Arapaima wellinGuyana “Ithastaken35yearsto come back as operators of this basin Exploration is about perseverance, it's about technical excellence, it's about strategic partnerships We have all of thoseevidenceheretoday”

The VP assured that among core values for the consortium are mutual respect and safety Speaking with reporters at the conclusion of the event, the TotalEnergies VP noted that the

company's budget for the exploration activityisinthetensofmillionsofUSdollars The company will be able to recover those expenses should a commercial discovery be made in the block and production activities commence

Heexplained,“Whatwearechasing isnotexactlythesamegeologicalplayas inthedeep-waterbutwebelieveitcanbe veryprospective it'sbasicallyaround3D seismic, geological and geophysical studies Wewillalsodosocialprojectsas partofourcommitments”

In response to a question from this newspaper,theVPsaidtheoilcompany is comfortable with the terms of the agreement, describing the contract as “fair”anda“win-win”Larranagaadded that while there may not be room for substantialjobopportunitiesintheearly

DearEditor, The Attorney General's recent explanation of the dismissal of the charges against the future leader of the opposition and his reference to the extradition treaty and double jeopardy (non bis in idem) was very informative. On the surface it appears to be a very solid reason, but after reviewing Article4andArticle7ofthe treaty (signed December 1931 between the UK and the U S , Reference MoHA.gov.gy) which state, “the extradition shall not take place if the person claimed has already been triedandpunished,orisstill under trial..." and "a person surrenderedcaninnocasebe keptincustodyorbebrought totrial...foranyothercrime or offense until he has b e e n r e s t o r e d " respectively,donotplacethe charges against the accused inGuyanaatriskifatrialhas notcommenced.

Extradition can occur andthechargesplacedonthe accused in Guyana may stand if no trial occurs until aftertheproceedingsrelated to the extradition have been

completed and the accused returnedtoGuyana.

This approach removes the risk of double jeopardy preventing extradition It shouldalsobenotedthatthe U S Supreme Court has ruled that dual sovereignty, which refers to being prosecuted by two different governments, does not violatedoublejeopardy.

This doctrine was first applied in 1922 (United States v Lanza. Reference ballotpedia.org). However, as previously mentioned the risk of double jeopardy occurringinthiscaseisvery remote if a trial is initially delayed,andthedismissalof anychargesthatwouldresult in such a situation can be easily accomplished after the trial in the U.S. Thus, reducing the risk of no recourse for the recovery of the lost tax revenue However, the learned Attorney General was confident in his discussion that those funds can be recovered without the charges remaining in place duringextradition.

Bestregards, Mr JamilChanglee

Show the clause from the Extradition Treaty that states we must pay the prosecutors fees

DearEditor, It must be a matter of concern A third world country and the world's fastest growing economy, payingprosecutors'feesfora casebeingprosecutedbythe country making the extradition request of our citizens

days, the company will be focused on prioritisinglocalcontent,inkeepingwith thecountry'slegislation

Tuesday'ssigningstemsfromGoG's maiden bid round of 14 oil blocks, launched by PresidentAli in December 2022 Bids were later opened on September 10, 2023 where it was disclosed that six companies submitted bidsforeightoftheblocks

In February this year, the MNR revealed that four Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) with various companieswereonthetabletobesigned thisyearfromtheauction Inadditionto theagreementwiththeTotalEnergies-led consortium, three other contracts were also to be signed for the blocks S5 –InternationalGroupInvestmentInc;S7–Cybele Energy; and S10 – International GroupInvestmentInc

End of matter.

Inthemeantime,itwould be seen as something clandestine, shrouded in all sortsofunethicalclamour In the past extradition requests were not given the high attention this one is being given.

Ofcoursethentherewas no social media So, everything good, bad and indifferent about this case willbeexposed.

Regards

It is not adding up. If as is being alluded to, the country to whom the request for extradition of its citizen is made, pays the prosecutors' fees, instead of appearing daily on tv to dispel the narrative regarding this payment, just present the clause from the Treaty which states the countrytowhomtherequest ismadepaystheprosecutors' fees.

ShamshunMohamed

$10.5M still missing....

Frompage3 to the Auditor, by acknowledgingthisfinding Further, the Audit Office recommendedthattheHead of Budget Agency take steps to recover the overpayments and put proper systems in place to avoidrecurrences Kaieteur News had reported that in his 2022 Report, the AG first h i g h l i g h t e d t h e overpayment in works Based on the Audit Office inspections, measurements and calculations on the works at the time, Sharma

documented 17 works relating to walls, floor, painting and finishes, and sanitary facilities that the Regional Administration overpaid for In addition to that,inthat2022Report,the AG detailed that during the verification of the project, sub-standard works were observedontheconstruction ofthe6-inchkerbwall,with “blocks not being laid leveled”, while the block work to accommodate the fill material and floor slab was“poorlydoneandoutof line” and will require adjustments.

‘He was my whole life’

…Granny weeps for justice for teen boy stabbed to death at Loo Creek

“He promised me he would come home Saturday gone,” cried 56-year-old Champadai'Pamela'Deolall, the grandmother of 17-yearold Gaurav Bhagwan, who wasbrutallystabbedtodeath ataworkcampalongtheLoo Creek, Soesdyke-Linden Highwayearlierthismonth.

Bhagwan, a labourer fromCaneGrove,EastCoast Demerara, was killed on November 1, 2025, reportedly by a 36-year-old co-worker from La Belle Alliance, Essequibo Coast, during a dispute. According to police reports, a 36-yearold labourer from La Belle Alliance, Essequibo Coast, is currently in custody in connectionwiththeincident.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Bhagwan and several co-workers were engaged in a road and drainageprojectwhenoneof themreportedlyheardaloud scream. Upon investigating, the teen was discovered

Dead:

17-year-old Gaurav Bhagwan

lying motionless with apparentstabwounds.

“The suspect was seen nearbyandwasrestrainedby his colleagues until the arrival of the police,” investigators reported Bhagwan was rushed to the DiamondRegionalHospital, where he was pronounced deadonarrival.

However, ten days have

passed since the incident, and Bhagwan's family says they are deeply frustrated thatnoonehasbeenformally charged. His grandmother, 56-year-old Champadai Deolall, also known as “Pamela,” who raised Bhagwan from infancy, expressed her grief and appealedforjustice.

Speaking with Kaieteur News on Monday, Deolall described Bhagwan as the sole breadwinner of their household. She said he had started working on the rehabilitation project along the highway only about a monthago.

Despitethedistance,she often checked on him and worriedabouthissafety.Her last conversation with him was a video call around 17:08 hrs. on the day of his death. “We talked, and then aroundquartertonine,Igota message saying my grandson got stab up. He promisedmehewouldcome

home Saturday gone,” she saidtearfully

Upon receiving the devastating news, Deolall rushed from her home in Cane Grove to the Diamond Regional Hospital, where shefoundhergrandsonlying lifeless on a hospital bed. She later learned that the dispute leading to his death reportedly began when the suspectreturnedtothecamp intoxicated and could not find his phone. “He was saying that someone hid his phone in the camp, and they had an argument about it, that's all I know,” she recounted.

When asked about the progressoftheinvestigation, Deolall said the police assured her they would provide updates once inquiries were complete. However, more than a week later, she says she has received no meaningful response What worries Deolall even more is learningthatthesuspectwas granted station bail and was expected to report to the station the following Monday “Iwastherefrom9 to after 4 p.m., but he never showed up,” she said. “At first, they said his bail was $500,000, and then it was reduced to $200,000. The

CID told me if he doesn't show up by tomorrow, they willdosomething.”

Deolall says she now fearsforhersafety,knowing that the man accused of killing her grandson is walking freely “A week finish and we don't feel comfortable with him walkingoutthere.I'mdeeply sadaboutitandIneedjustice for this. He was a good person and since he was 2 days old I was looking after him. I used to take him schooltakehimtotheclinic.

Meandmygrandsonarethe closest” she said

Through tears, she recalled their final conversation

“Last Saturday, I called

Krishna, that's what I call him,andtoldhim,'Ifanyone tellsyouanything,don'ttalk backbecauseyou'refarfrom home.'EverytimeIcalled,I would encourage him and tell he don't get involved in certain things. He told me, 'No, Granny,' and he ask me ifIbuyanewphonebecause my phone not working and the Saturday when he come home he'll buy a phone for meandthat'sthelastIheard from him,” the grandmother saidtearfully AsofTuesday the latest update Deolall received is that the investigationfilewassentto thechambersoftheDirector of Public Prosecutions for advice.

Bhagwan's grandmother Champadai Deolall

Guyana's battle with the clock

Itusedtobesaidthatthe onlythingsthatstartontime in Guyana are banks and cricket. Well, not anymore. These days, even the umpires seem to be on “Guyanesetime.”I'veseena few matches recently where the officials strolled out ten minutes past the scheduled start, as if time itself was waiting for them to arrive. Somewhere in the heavens, the ghost of Sir Frank Worrellisshakinghishead.

Someone once said punctuality is a sign of excellence. If that's true, thenstandardsofexcellence are dropping faster than the Guyana dollar did in the 1980s It's not just us either apparently the whole world has gone soft on time. A survey in the United Kingdom found that managers are pulling their hair out because their youngeremployeesshowup late for work. The British may have given us the conceptofafternoontea,but it looks like the new generation is extending it to morningsleep.

HereinGuyana,lateness is no respecter of age, position, or profession. It's democratic.Mostbusinesses startworkat8a.m.—atleast on paper Try calling any officeatthathourandaskfor theboss.You'lllikelygetno answer Notbecausetheboss is too busy—but because bothheandhissecretaryare still somewhere between their front gate and the nearesttrafficlight.

The few who actually arrive on time go unrecognized, like unsung heroesinalandofsnoozers. Someone once said that the problemwithbeingpunctual is that there's no one around to appreciate it. Take old

Jack, for instance. For over twenty years, Jack clocked in at 8 a.m. sharp—never late, never absent.Then one day, he didn't show Panic rippled through the office. Theboss,whohadn'tlefthis air-conditioned sanctuary in years, even emerged to investigate Finally, at precisely 9 a m , Jack stumbled in—clothes torn, face bruised, spectacles cracked, dragging himself like a man who had fought off a small army He punched the time clock and muttered, “I fell down the stairs.Nearlykilledmyself.”

His boss, without missingabeat,replied,“And thattookyouawholehour?”

Nowtellme,withbosses likethat,whywouldanyone risktheirlifetobepunctual?

Still, there was once a managerinGuyana—oneof t h

ook punctuality seriously He madeithismissiontoarrive early,justtocatchwhocame on time and who didn't. He believed that lateness was notmerelyahabit—itwasa statement.

Under his watch, latecomers didn't last long. No matter how brilliant or talented,ifyoucouldn'tbeat the clock, you were gone. But if you were always on time even if your productivitywasaslowasa p o w e r o u t a g e i n Lethem you were safe Some even got promoted. Thismanagerhadapeculiar philosophy:“Ifmystaffidle, that's the supervisor's fault. But if they're late, that's theirs.” He didn't mind long bathroom breaks, frequent coffeepauses,ormysterious “urgent errands ” But lateness? That was unforgivable To him,

showing up late meant you lacked self-discipline, and without discipline, you couldn't be an excellent worker no matter how long you stayed after hours pretendingto“catchup.”

For him, being on time wasn't just a courtesy—it was a culture A moral compass The difference betweenaprofessionalanda p r o c r a s t i n a t o r

Unfortunately, some people seembornwithanallergyto alarm clocks. Take Fanny, for example. Fanny was a sweet girl, but she could never, ever make it to work ontime.Nomatterhowearly shesetheralarm,howmany times her boss scolded her, or how many times she swore “from Monday I go startright,”shestillrolledin late.

Finally, her boss had enough.“Fanny,”hesaid,“if you can't come to work on time,I'llhavetoletyougo.”

Thewritingwasonthewall, andthistime,shecouldread it.Desperate,shevisitedher doctor, who prescribed her some medication and told her to take one pill before bed The next morning, Fannywokeupbright-eyed, fresh, and early for the first time in years She got dressed, caught the bus, and made it to work before the clock even struck eight Ecstatic, she marched into her boss's office and exclaimed, “Sir! The doctor's medicine worked! I took one pill, slept like a baby, and woke up right on time!”

Her boss looked at her calmly and said, “That's wonderful, Fanny But wherewereyouyesterday?”

And there it is the tragedy and comedy of time

DEM BOYS SEH

Shine rice good fuh rainy weather

Delawofdemandandsupplydon'twuk inGuyana.Delawstatesdatifyuhincrease de supply of goods and de demand nah increase,depricessupposedtodrop.Andit also seh de more prices rise, de less people gandemand.

Deh had a time when plenty livestock farmers complaining how dem losing birds becauseofdefloods.Butwhywhendemsee dewaterraising,demnahselloutdembirds cheapandcutdemlosses.Instead,someah demraisedempricesandcryinghowmuch demlosebecauseofdefloods.

in Guyana. We know the value of punctuality, but somewhere between setting the alarm and reaching the office, time loses its grip on us. Maybe it's the traffic, maybe it's habit, or maybe it's the national philosophy that everything except cricket and banks can wait.Butastheoldmanager would say, being late isn't

just about missing a start time—it's about missing an opportunity to show discipline, respect, and professionalism. Because in the end, clocks don't lie.

T h e y j u s t k e e p ticking—waitingfortherest of us to catch up.And if we don't start soon, even the banks might begin opening late.Thenheavenhelpusall.

(The

Dem boys nah tekkin' worries. Who wantraisedempricedehpundemown.Dem boysganeat'shinerice'tilldemsellerslearn senseanddropdemprices.

Because during de coronavirus pandemic, dem shipping companies raise demfreight.Depriceofshippingacontainer almosttriple.Andsofuhsomeitemsyuhgan gat fuh pay more. But de way some people behaving,yuhwouldbelievedatpricesgone throughderoofpuneverything.

But yuh know in Guyana some people gantekadvantage.Butdemboysgatdecure fuhduh.Wheneverpriceincreasetoomuch punoneitem,demboysdon'tbuyitandby denextweek,depredatorsdoesbeforcedto dropdemprices. Talkhalf.Leffhalf!

Is de same thing with dem greens. Dem sellers increase de prices pun de greens. Now if yuh gat flood and yuh hustling fuh sell out yuh stock, it means dat de supply plenty and prices should drop. But de oppositehappening.Assoonasderainstart, de price jump. And next week, when dem gangatashortageofgreenspundemarket, depricesganraisemohigh.

H@RD TRUTHS

Jagdeo-a circus rider atop several tigers

Hear Bharrat Jagdeo holding his own court

Grinding his teeth, complaining.

“So it wasn't the seriousness of the offense that determined bail, it was a convenience to the Mohameds. So, they could pay $150,000 in cash People don't get bail for that. You can imagine the world looking on at Guyana

and saying what is happening in that country,

what's happening from the US and everywhere else. Whatishappening?”

The lamenter was

Guyana's most conflicted, most cunning citizen, Dr Dodger,BharratJagdeo. Itis at times like these that I am left in awe at not just the brassy-faced nature of the man, but his slickness at separating PPP fingerprints from a set of circumstances that has the party's and leadership's names written

everywhere. I see Jagdeo, thecircusriderstrugglingto straddle several tigers simultaneously “People don't get bail for that.” Howcantheynot when imported State counsels claimed to have evidence in hand, but when they opened their hands, there was no evidence in them, or anything close to suchinthem? Theevidence in their hands couldn't backup the claims of their

mouths I urge fellow Guyanese to return to the 2020 elections, and those court petitions filed by the PNC. The courts couldn't sustainthem. Becauseother than contentions, there was nothing; no evidence. Like the PNC, so the Jamaicans standing as legal proxies for thisState. Inshort:getoutof here.

Dr Jagdeo said that “People don't get bail for that ” For sure, an extraditionrequestisserious business, puts the Government of Guyana between a rock and a hard place.

But serious people in seriousleadershippositionsrangingfromjuniorminister to chief minister-do not connect well with people who are under serious internationalscrutiny

Theygotogreatlengths, so that they don't get connectedatall. Isaythisto Guyana's new Master Lamenter:peopledon'thave (get) relationships like that; not even passing ones, save forhi,andright,andthat'sit. Ordinary Guyanese may have to engage in such relationships,duetoforceof circumstances; but not any national leader who is serious about his or her own reputation, credibility No leaders-incumbent or aspiring-getintothosekinds of binds. Not through the actual happening alone, as did for the inaugural. But also, the damning appearance of what took placeonthatoccasion.

And, while people don't get bail for that,Dr.Jagdeo,

I present this for his consideration.

The same people thatdon'tgetbailfor that, also don't get invitedtoattendanational moment of majestic grandeur Like when the president gave his inaugural address at the National Cultural Center in late August 2020. To aid in jogging Mr Jagdeo's sometimes convenient memory, I didn't get invited tothatoccasion.

But the gold dealer communitydidgetinvitedto that celebration of the dawn afterlengthynationaltrauma and heavy national uncertainty

If one and a slip of the planning people, I could understand. But how could so many of them get an invitation to share in the inauguraljoy,whenmanyof those same law-abiding citizenswereontheFBIand U S Department of Homeland Security radars? Thereisgettingontheinside ofthePPPtightcircle,which few can do; and there is a need for all Guyanese to get some sense, which only a few can achieve. There is getting, and then there is anotherkindofgettinginthe political ghetto that is Guyana.

“It was a convenience to the Mohamed.” So opined Master Jagdeo. It is a convenience now for the Vice President and PPPkith and kin to put as much distanceastheycanfromthe Mohameds The U S Department of Treasury (OFAC)didn'tspillthebeans

on the PPP Government's permanent secretary and the Mohameds family, and it is highly likely that the same Bharrat Jagdeo would have been saying that gold smuggling is a product of Guyanese imagination. His own words from 2021 have nowcomebacktohaunthim. Furthermore, Bharrat “the Prevaricator” Jagdeo would never have had a problem with bail, nor speaking of what is a “convenience.” Bail could be granted to a murder accused, shaved down to manslaughter, and neitherhenorhispartydidn't have objection to that; word isthatbigpeoplehadahand inthatdevelopment. History and the archives don't lie Anti-money laundering efforts were laffed at when the PPP returned to office. Gold smuggling was fun and fullin' pockets Which Customs Chief or Tax Chief at the GRA would have the nerve, take it upon themselves, to waive all those billions due? What came down from political heights then is going down now Jagdeo shifts defensively His pants split revealingly A circus rider clawing at air (The views expressedinthisarticleare those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the o p i n i o n s o f t h i s newspaper.)

Govt. launches consultations on city drainage overhaul

The multi-agency

National Drainage Task Force, established under the direction of President Dr IrfaanAli,kickedoffitsfirst

r o u n d o f p u b l i c consultationsonMondayfor the Georgetown Drainage ImprovementProject,abold initiative to modernise the city's aging drainage system andbolsterfloodresilience.

Residents and business owners from Constituency One (Kingston, Eve Leary, Albertown, Queenstown,

Cummingsburg) and ConstituencyTwo(Kittyand Subryanville)participatedin the inaugural sessions, held at Kingston Secondary School and FE Pollard

P r i m a r y S c h o o l , respectively

​Leading the consultation team were Minister of Housing, Collin Croal; MinisterwithintheMinistry, Vanessa Benn; Head of the National Drainage and IrrigationAuthority(NDIA), Mr.LionelWordsworth;and Director General of the

Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr Anand Persaud They were supported by key agencies ontheTaskForce,including the Central Housing and Planning Autho

y (CH&PA), the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), the Sea and River Defence, and the Guyana L

Commission.

AccordingtoMinistryof Housing press release, Wordsworth presented a t

hn

overview, highlightingthattheexisting network, developed years ago, is severely strained and inadequate for present-day demands. Mr Wordsworth noted that increased urban expansion, higher percentages of impermeable s

compounding effects of c

have exacerbated the problem Data indicates a significant increase in average rainfall, which has moved from

A section of the gathering at the consultation

approximately three inches 50-60 years ago to between sixandeightinchestoday

To combat these issues, thegovernmentispursuinga

strategy focused on a c o m b i n a t i o n o f rehabilitation works, new drainage infrastructure, increased maintenance

Residents and business owners from Constituency One (Kingston, Eve Leary, Albertown, Queenstown, Cummingsburg) and Constituency Two (Kitty and Subryanville) participated in the inaugural sessions,

protocols, and the deployment of additional pumps to improve overall efficiency This project is a core component of the Low Carbon Development Strategy(LCDS)2030.

​Minister Croal said the consultation marks phase one of a broader national effort. He underscored that

t h e g o

m

n t ' s commitmenttotransforming the capital extends beyond drainage to include the holistic enhancement of roads, parapets, and parking facilities Minister Benn used the opportunity to encourage residents to actively participate in the (Continuedonpage20)

‘Every dollar lost to corruption is a road or school stolen’

In a decisive move to fortify Guyana's integrity systems, government and private sector leaders convened an advanced anticorruption roundtable on Tuesday at the Pegasus Hotel,Kingston.

The high-level one-day

engagement brought together officials from over 30privatesectorentitiesand

k e y g o v e r n m e n t representativestostrengthen the fight against corruption. The discussions, themed

“P

d Resilient Public and Private Institutions in Guyana's Fight Against Corruption,”

focused on implementing recommendations from the Inter-American Convention againstCorruption(IACAC) and the United Nations C

Corruption (UNCAC) P

strategies to enhance ethical

a

enterprises, raise integrity

s

institutional resilience, and

corruption tool Private

S

Chairman Captain Gerry Gouveia Jr emphasised the

...saysTeixeiraasgov't,privatesectoruniteinanti-graftdrive

A section of the roundtable discussion hosted by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs at the Pegasus Hotel, Kingston Georgetown on Tuesday

significanceofcollaboration between the public and privatesectors.“Wemetlast

year to discuss anticorruption framework. This meetingistobuildonthatto

havemadeenormousstrides

a s a c o u n t r y i n administrativeinfrastructure which is allowing us to do things would've been impossibleyearsago.”

The minister of parliamentary affairs noted that while there have been significant development in the country's physical infrastructure, strengthening

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, addressing the conference

further sensitise all of us, strengthen laws and policy, and strengthen institutions, help government fight againstcorruptionbyfinding solutions.Thisframeworkis not only important just for but it increases business competitiveness because companies feel safe operatinghere…”

M i n i s t e r o f Parliamentary Affairs, Gail Teixeirainheraddresstothe stakeholders highlighted the importance of anticorruption systems to the nation'sdemocracy Shetold participants that democracy can only survive if there's a foundation Teixeira said “Developing countries start at a different baseline than countries in democracy for two three hundred years. To buildanationdoesn'thappen overnight, when we look at Guyana, where we come from and where we are, we

institutionsisthenextmajor goal. “When we started out we had many challenges. There's context in where we come from and where we are. A lot of work has gone into strengthening institutions.

We have now more resources than we ever had before.” “Some things were dreamsbutwebuiltthenew Demerara Harbour Bridge, we built the Lethem road, strengthening institutions is another goal. We just ask necessary questions to see what we can make more effective, need more training.” Speaking about the impact of acts of corruption, the minister stressed that every corrupt act, means money that could'vebeenused,hasbeen siphoned off. “It could've built roads schools, etc. The qualityofoversightto

(Continuedonpage22)

Linden man killed in late night row with lover

A30-year-old carpenter, identified as Kevin Alexander of Block 22, Wismar,Linden,wasfatally stabbed on Monday night during a violent domestic disputewithhis28-year-old girlfriendattheirhome.

Police said the incident occurred around 9:45 p.m., after an argument between the couple reportedly escalated During the confrontation, the woman allegedlystabbedAlexander once in the left of his abdomen.

The injured man was assisted by relatives and public-spirited citizens and takentotheLindenHospital Complex where he was pronounced dead on arrival

by a doctor on duty The suspect was subsequently arrested and placed in custody The body of Alexanderispresentlyatthe Gjetsco Funeral Parlour awaiting a post-mortem examination. Investigation isongoing.

KevinAlexander

WIN pushes for Opposition Leader vote

The We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) political party, led by businessman and Member of Parliament (MP)AzruddinMohamed,is callingontheSpeakerofthe National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, to convene theelectionoftheLeaderof theOpposition.

men face an 11-count indictment in a U.S. federal court in Miami related to alleged financial crimes

They were each granted $150,000bail.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the WIN party called on the Speaker to “fulfil the constitutional duty of his office by convening and chairing the meeting required for the electionoftheLeaderofthe Opposition, as set out in Article 184(1) of the ConstitutionofGuyana.”

Annette Ferguson, who explainedthattheelectionof theOppositionLeaderisnot dependent on the Order Paper or a sitting of the Assembly “It is a separate constitutional process: the

non-government Members of Parliament must be convened by the Speaker, and a Leader elected by show of

nds The procedure is simple, direct,

The party explained that after the November 3 opening of Parliament and theswearing-inofallMPs,it

The call comes just over th a week after the 13 Parliament was convened following the September 1 General and Regional Elections. At the elections the People's Progressive Party/Civic(PPP/C)secured the majority of votes nationwide, winning 36 seats,WIN16;APartnership for National Unity (APNU) 12 and Forward Guyana Movement1.

Last Monday the MPs weresworn-in,however,the sitting ended without any announcement regarding when the Speaker would convene a meeting for the election of the Opposition Leader AzruddinMohamed, who was among 16 WIN MPs sworn in, is widely regarded as the presumptive OppositionLeader Mohamed's swearing-in came just days after he and his father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, were brought before the Georgetown Magistrates' Court to begin extradition proceedings requested by the United States Government. Both

hadsubmittedaformalletter totheSpeaker,signedbyall WIN parliamentarians, designating its nominee for Opposition Leader However, the party said it

response from the National Assembly “As of today, November 10, WIN has not received even a formal acknowledgment of receipt from the Office of the Speaker,” the statement read. The party followed up with an email, but said that toowentunanswered.

WIN expressed concern that the Speaker's silence calls into question the impartiality of the parliamentary process “This unexplained silence stands in contrast to the Speaker's public oath to execute the functions of his office 'without fear or favour, affection or ill will,' and raises legitimate concerns regarding the impartial administration of parliamentary processes,” thepartysaid.

To seek clarity, WIN reached out to former Minister and APNU MP

As such, the WIN party

deliberately stalling the

mandated.Thereisnolawful basisforwithholdingit,”the statementwrote.WINnoted that while the President was swiftly sworn in following the elections, the same urgencyhasnotbeenapplied to the election of the OppositionLeader

(Continuedonpage22)

Speakerofthe NationalAssembly, Manzoor Nadir

Leader of WIN party, Azruddin Mohamed

Govt. cracks down on overweight trucks

The Ministry of Public Works has announced a nationwide crackdown on overweight trucks, warning operators that the government will adopt a zero-tolerance approach to protect Guyana's expanding roadnetwork.

MinisterofPublicWorks Juan Edghill on Thursday declared that a national weight restriction of 15 tons per axle is now in effect, following widespread findings of overloaded vehicles causing severe and costlyroaddamage. On Thursday, Edghill, MinisterwithintheMinistry Madanlall Ramraj, along with Commissioner of Guyana Geology and Mines

…new 15-ton axle limit, clamping to begin

Commission (GGMC) Newell Dennison and Deputy Commissioner,

Jimmy Reece, met with quarry owners in the ministry's boardroom. The meeting follows a countrywide weight testing exercise by the Ministry's Traffic and Maintenance Department.

At the meeting Edghill made it clear; the ministry

will also be implementing clamping of overweight trucks exercise. He stated thisissettocommenceafter the procurement of 1,000 clamps The minister charged the operators to collaboratewithgovernment to ensure the road infrastructure remains in

goodcondition.“Roadshave lives, and those lives are being cut short not just by trafficvolume,butbyweight overload Most of these roads have a 20 years lifespan; however, these can be cut to seven due to these challenges. So, you have to help us by only loading the trucks with the material to match their weight limit. Andyoucandosobyhaving on-site scales at your quarries. Don't let trucks l

Edghillemphasised.

The meeting also discussed the importance of enforcing the respective weight limits per axle of trucks that carry aggregate a

roadways.Theyagreedthata nationalweightrestrictionof 15tonsperaxleisineffectto

deterioration to the road surfaces.Thesand,loamand stone quarry owners were r

responsibility in ensuring compliance as failure to do so will result in the owners losingeconomicactivityand earnings. Minister Edghill reminded all present at the meeting, their partnership with government is not meant to be punitive but ratheracorrectivesystemfor a new culture on the roadways.

“We don't want to use these clamps, we want everyone to comply We're guided by principles, and everyone must follow the rules. Non-compliance will not be tolerated ” He reiterated.

The establishment of weighing sites along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway and the Linden to Mabura Trailwillalsobeexploredby the Ministries of Public Works and Natural Resources.Thisalsointends toaddresslogginghaulersto

MinisterofPublic Works, Juan Edghill

ensure weight compliance. Sincetherollout,over1000 truckshavebeentested,with many surpassing the limit and revealing the growing non-compliance among truckoperators.

Minister Ramraj echoed similar sentiments, noting that government is on an aggressive transformational agenda, noting that the financial impact of reassigning monies to road repairs means that those m o n e y s f o r n e w infrastructure, will be diverted thus slowing down the development of the country “It's very costly to repair roads, and especially when those repairs could be prevented,” he said. “If we don't protect what we have, the money set aside for new development will go into fixing existing damage.” He stated.

He further stated, the ministry remains cognizant of the importance of partnerships with the construction sector, particularly the stone, sand and loam are essential to progress but they must be transportedresponsibly

T h e m i n i s t r y ' s compliance efforts are also being compounded by other initiatives including the recently launched WhatsApp hotline numbers. These were established for citizens and contractors to raise grievances and make reports about all related i s s u e s S i n c e i t s establishment, over 100 reports about various issues were lodged within the first 24hrs.

Chinese medical team holds outreach at Mahaica

The 21st Chinese Medical Team recently conducted a health outreach at Mahaica, East Coast Demeraradelivering healthcare to scores ofresidents.

Theoutreachwasorgansied by the Mahaica Seventh-day Adventist Church Health M

Shacquelle Wilson Health

Ministries Director of the church said that during the outreach with the assistance of the Chinese Medical team and other healthcare professionals includingDr KarenCummings they were able provide free medical services to individuals from diverse backgroundswithinthecommunity Lauding the effort of the Chinese team Wilson said “We believe that the team’s presence and expertisegreatlyenhancedthequalityofcare and strengthened our shared goal of improvingcommunityhealth.”

Leader of the Chinese Medical team, Li Huansong shares a light moment with Head Elder of the

said.

LeaderoftheChineseMedicalTeam,Dr Li Huansong in brief remarks said that they werehappytopartnerwiththechurchonthe outreach,notingthattheirmissionistoserve.

“Thisisourfirstoutingsincewearrivedandit wasaverygoodoutreachtobepartof,”Dr Li

At the commencement of their tour of duty here Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony commended the team for their commitment to service and reaffirmed Guyana’s appreciation for China’s ongoing support in strengthening the national health system.

He said: “for decades, Chinese medical teams have worked hand-in-hand with our local professionals, improving healthcare outcomesandbuildingcapacitywithinour

Continued on page 22

28patientswalkawaypain-free

…asGPHC’sholdsthree-day jointreplacementdrive

The Orthopaedic Department of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has marked a remarkable achievement, successfully performing 28 jointreplacementsurgeriesoveranintensive three-day initiative from November 7–10, 2025.

LedbyDr KaaleshwarRamcharrananda dedicated team of orthopaedic surgeons, anesthetists, physiotherapists, nurses, and operating theatre staff, the department surpassed its target of 27 surgeries, completing18kneereplacementsand10hip replacements.Atotalof22femaleand6male patients benefited, gaining restored mobility andrelieffromseverejointpain.

In a statement the GPHC said joint replacement surgeries are among the most transformative orthopaedic procedures, significantly improving quality of life for patients. In private facilities, these surgeries

Some

can cost around GYD $2.5 million each, highlighting the immense value of GPHC’s initiative for patients who received care free ofcost.

“The successful completion of this intensivesurgicalscheduledemonstratesthe department’s growing capacity, efficiency, and commitment to delivering world-class orthopaedic care in Guyana. It also reflects GPHC’s ongoing investment in advancing surgical services, enhancing patient outcomes, and reducing waiting lists for essentialprocedures.Todate,allpatientswho benefited from the replacement surgeries havebeendischarged,”GPHCsaid.

“The management of GPHC extends heartfeltappreciationtotheorthopaedicteam for their dedication, teamwork, and continued service in improving the lives of citizens through compassionate and expert care,”thereleaseconcluded.

A total of 22 female and 6 male patients benefited, gaining restored mobility and relief from severe joint pain

of the doctors who helped perform the surgeries

The Chinese doctors attending to patients during the outreach

Mahaica Seventh-day Adventist Church, Celeste Sobers

‘It’s Our Duty’

…Nandlall

defends Gov’t’s US$62,000 payout to Jamaican lawyers in Mohameds extradition case

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, has defended the Government of Guyana’s US$62,558 payment to Jamaican King’s CounselTerrenceF Williams and his legal team for their role in the extradition

proceedings against prominent businessmen

Nazar Mohamed and his son

Azruddin Mohamed Nandlall said the payment is standard international procedure, explaining that under extradition treaties, therequestedcountryinthis case, Guyana must bear the cost of legal representation, even when the case is broughtbyanotherstate.

The extradition case involvingtheprominentgold dealerscontinuedonMonday before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’

Court During the proceedings, the legal team representing the U S Government, comprising Williams, KC, Celine Deidrick,HerbertMcKenzie, and local attorney Glenn Hanoman submitted several documents to the court, including a diplomatic note and warrants from U S authorities However, the prosecution sought additionaltimetoobtainand disclose the full set of documents from the United States.

Following the hearing, Azruddin Mohamed took to Facebook to criticise the prosecution, accusing the government of using taxpayers’moneytocoverthe legal fees of the Jamaican attorneys He also alleged bias in the appointment of attorney Glenn Hanoman.

“This corrupt and incompetentcabalisblatantly lyingtotheGuyanesepeople that they are not paying for their legal services,” Mohamed wrote. “Nandlall is telling Guyanese that the U S appointed these Jamaican prosecutors. This is another blatant lie Taxpayers are fully footing all the bills for their hefty legalfees.”

Later that evening, KaieteurNewsreportedthata leaked memorandum from

theMinistryofHomeAffairs confirmed the payment approval of US$62,55878 (over GY$13 million) to Williams and his team for legal services provided on behalf of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) The memo, datedNovember3,2025,and titled “Justification for Legal Services Provided by Terrence F Williams KC & Team Attorneys at Law for CaseofGuyanaPoliceForce vs Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed for Extradition Proceedings for theperiodofOctober2025,” bears the signature and stamp of Permanent

Secretary Andre Ally It authorises the Bank of Guyanatofacilitatethewire transfer of funds to the Jamaicanattorneys.

The document explicitly

states that the payment was madeforlegalrepresentation in the case of the Guyana Police Force vs Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed, confirming that taxpayers are indeed funding the services of the USappointedlegalteam

Further, according the US Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), it pointed out that most extradition treaties requiretherequestedcountry to bear the costs of the proceedings, except for translationandtransportation expenses The manual notes: “Most extradition treaties require the costs of extradition proceedings (other than translation of documents and costs associated with the transfer of the fugitive) to be borne bytherequestedcountry.”

However,speakingonthe NCN television programme “Unpacking Fact with Fiction” on Monday night, Nandlall explained the legal framework governing such payments. He emphasised that while the lawyers represent the interests of the U S Government the requestingstate Guyana,as the requested state, is obligated to cover the legal expenses

“The lawyers who are prosecuting this request are representing the interest of the United States government The requesting stateiswhoseinterestisbeing prosecuted Somostnaturally they have a say in who will represent their interest under international extradition law andpracticeundercommittee andreciprocitywhichgovern extradition processes across the globe The country to whom the request is made discharges the obligation of providing that legal counsel that legal representation obviously with the approval oftheUSAuthority,”hesaid.

Nandlall added that, to avoid any perception of politicalinterference,theUS Government requested that lawyers from outside of Guyana handle the proceedings “In this case, because we wanted to avoid andinsulatetheprocessfrom any allegation of political interference, lawyers from outside of Guyana were brought in with the approval of the US government And yes, the government of Guyana has to pay for that. Anybody can challenge me

and call around the Caribbean or anywhere else andfindoutifthatisnotthe usual practice. And so, the government of Guyana is paying, that is our duty in expedition law,” he explained.

The Attorney General drew parallels to a previous extradition case involving Marcus Bisram, in which GuyanarequestedtheUS to extraditeBisramtostandtrial for murder “Guyana requestedBishraminGuyana from the United States to stand trial for murder in Guyana TheUSgovernment provided legal services and paid for those services and then send Bisram back here That is the reciprocal responsibility and arrangement,” Nandlall explained.

CONFLICTOF INTEREST

R e s p o n d i n g t o Mohamed’s allegation of a conflict of interest involving attorney Glenn Hanoman, who has previously represented one of Mohamed’s business rivals, Nandlall clarified that Hanoman’sappointmentwas alsoattherequestoftheU.S. Government. He revealed that Hanoman, though wellknown locally, is no longer residentinGuyana

“First of all, Glenn Hanoman lives in Portugal Hedoesn’tliveinGuyana So that satisfies the very requirement None of the lawyers are ordinarily residentinGuyana,including Glen Hanoman. Hanoman migrated from this country severalyearsagoandlivesin Portugal And the US government also requested Glen Hanoman to represent their interest What do you want Guyana to do? Reject them?“Nandlallasked. HeaddedthatHanoman’s extensive experience in criminal and extradition law made him a suitable choice for the proceedings “Glenn Hanomanisveryexperienced in extradition matters Glenn Hanomanisadefencecouncil ofprominenceinthiscountry

andhasappearedparticularly in the criminal arena and has done several extradition proceedings in Guyana So, he’s very experienced in the area Nobody’s questioning their lawyers. You can’t tell the American government who you want to prosecute you,”Nandlallasserted.

OPPOSITION CONCERNS

Meanwhile, opposition parties have voiced concerns about the government’s decisiontopaythelegalteam Alliance For Change (AFC) Chairman David Patterson, speakingwithKaieteurNews on Tuesday, described the arrangement as “a strange development,” questioning why the requesting country shouldnotbearitsowncosts “I am unaware of this being done previously,” Patterson said “It either means the governmenthasamoreactive hand in this affair, or something is fundamentally wrong with that principle These matters normally take years, are you saying that Guyana will bear all those costs?”

Efforts to contact other opposition figures, including Amanza Walton-Desir of the Forward Guyana Movement andAubreyNorton,leaderof theAPartnershipforNational Unity (APNU), proved unsuccessful The Mohameds, owners of Mohamed’s Enterprise, were arrestedonOctober31,2025, followingawarrantissuedby a Georgetown magistrate in response to a formal extradition request from the UnitedStatesGovernment. Their arrest came weeks afteraUS GrandJuryinthe Southern District of Florida unsealed an indictment on October 6, 2025, charging them with wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, aiding and abetting,andcustoms-related offences linked to a US$50 million gold export and tax evasion scheme The businessmen were each granted$150,000bailattheir initialcourtappearance

Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed

Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC

Govt. to revise Local Content Law

...as Jagdeo, Bharrat clash with Exxon over 'no change' stance

The government of Guyana (GoG) has commenced the process to revisetheLocalContentAct of 2021, with a view of increasing Guyanese participation in the oil and gassector

This was announced by Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat during a signing ceremony held at the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Center, Georgetown.

Bharrat explained,

“Already, the Local Content Secretariat has started the consultation process. Many

The Local Content Act was passed in the National Assembly in December, 2021 It is intended to regulate the way companies operate in Guyana's oil and gas sector; employ persons, buyservicesandthewaythat theyprocuregoods.

According to the Act, Guyanesemustprovide90% ofofficespacerental;90%of accommodation services (rental of houses and apartments;25% pipe welding onshore; 75% nonh a z a r d o u s w a s t e management;90%janitorial and laundry services; 90%

companies, many business entities would have already received a correspondence from Michael (Munroe), Director of the Local Content Secretariat for

submission towards

Schedule One of the Local Contentlegislation.”

TheFirstScheduleofthe Actsetsout40areasofwork for Guyanese participation via the supply of goods and the provision of services. The government intends to increase these areas and adjusttargetsfortheexisting categoriesofworkthathave been carved out for local participation.

F o l l o w i n g t h e submission process by key players, the minister indicated that a consultation among all stakeholders will be convened to address the recommendations before amendmentsarefinalised.

Hepointedoutthatupon the passage of the legislation, government was advisedthattheActcanshut down the petroleum industry

“TheysaidthattheLocal Content Legislation will close down the oil and gas sector in Guyana, will not attract the big players in the oilandgassector,welltoday again we are defying that odd again because we are attracting major players while at the same time rolling out benefits to Guyanese and Guyanese businesses,” the minister boasted.

position.Infact,hesignalled thatchangeswillbemadeto thelegislationinthatregard.

“Well,webelieveithastobe changed.Idisagreewithhim on that. We are going to be

having that conference and that will require, either through the regulations or if

the core Act has to be changed, we'll change it,” Jagdeosaid.

catering; 75% food supply; 100% immigration services and 100% local insurance servicestonameafew

Recently, President of ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL), Alistair Routledge said he does not believe there is need to increase the local content targets, citing demand issues.

Accordingtohim,“Asit is always, the question is, is itagoodthingornottohave, you know, those fixed targets. They can be both motivational, but they can also tend to lead to over investment because people rush in saying, well, I'm guaranteed to get work if I investinthatkindofskillor whether product or service offering.”

Routledge added, “But of course, there is only a certain amount of demand. So, I think what has been happening pragmatically over the last several years is that because as an industry, we'vecommittedtoworking so proactively with the government on building up the capacity in the industry, matching the demand with the supply, encouraging other foreign direct investments through these smart partnerships, for now, at least we haven't seen a needfromthegovernmentto pushadditionaltargets.”

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeosubsequentlymadeit clear that government disagreeswiththeoperator's

NaturalResources Minister, Vickram Bharrat

(at right) Minister of Local Government Priya Manickchand holds a disposal bin as a vendor disposes of waste in the vicinity of Stabroek Market

‘Bins Every 40 Feet’ ...Manickchand leads clean-up push at Stabroek Square

The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development on Monday evening rolled out a major community engagement at the Stabroek Market Square, aimed at transforming the historic commercial hub into a cleaner, safer, and more vibrantpublicspace.

Theevent,dubbed“Going Forward,” formed part of the government's continued effortstoupliftGeorgetown's environment and strengthen tieswithvendorswhodepend on the market for their daily livelihoods.

During the meeting, M i n i s t e r o f L o c a l Government and Regional Development Priya Manickchand called on vendors to take pride in maintaining the market square, describing Stabroek as “not just a place of business, but a living symbol of Guyanese culture, history, andresilience.”Aspartofthe clean-up drive, the Ministry has installed garbage bins every 40 feet around the market.Thebinsstretchfrom Brickdam and Avenue of the Republic to the Stabroek Stelling, extend along Lombard Street near the market, and continue up Water Street to America Street,coveringtheperimeter ofthebusyarea.

T

provided a platform for open dialogue between the Ministry and vendors, focusing on improving cleanliness, waste management, and shared pride in the Stabroek Market surroundings Minister Manickchand emphasised that Stabroek Market is not only a commercial hub, but a living symbol of the nation's culture, history, and resilience. The vendors who earn their livelihoods are a mainpartofthecity,andtheir cooperation is central to sustaining a thriving and environmentally healthy marketenvironment. Thesebinsareintendedto provide consistent and convenient waste disposal points, reducing littering and ensuring that waste is contained rather than scattered throughout the market space. To maintain a cleanenvironment,collection will take place twice daily, between 1:00PM and 3:00PM, and again between 4:00AM and 6:00AM. These targeted collection windows are designed to align with market hours and waste buildup patterns, ensuring that the surroundings remain clean and accessible for vendors, customers, and passersby

Speaking to the vendors

(Continuedonpage22)

Govt. launches...

Frompage11

development process by adhering to environmental regulations and avoiding littering, stressing the importance of community pride and cooperation in maintaininginfrastructure.

The Minister within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Steven Jacobs, who was present at the Constituency Two meeting, urged residents to lend their fullcooperation.

The National Drainage Task Force will continue its consultation over the coming days, engaging private sector

bodies and other key stakeholders across the capital to ensure a truly collaborative and resultsdriven approach to flood mitigation.

Upcoming Consultation Schedule: Available on the officialsocialmediapagesof the Ministry of Housing, CH&PA, Department of Public Information, and Task Force partner agencies Stakeholders and residents are encouraged to share their feedback via e m a i l a t nationaldrainagetaskforce gy @gmail.com.

Daniels takes GGMC to court over Toroparu mining block

The battle between local miner Wallace Daniels and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) over a mining property locatedparalleltothePuruniRiver in the Toroparu Backdam, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), has onceagainlandedbeforeajudge.

Thepropertyinquestionlieson the fringes of a 5.4-million-ounce gold deposit being developed by Canadian company Aris Mining and near property owned by Guyanesegold-magnatefamily,the Alphonsos. The case was on Tuesday called before Justice Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus at the Demerara High Court

Representing Daniels were attorneys-at-law Eusi Anderson and Ronald Daniels, while GGMC wasrepresentedbyattorney-at-law MichaelJagnananofCameronand Shepherd.

In 2012, Daniels discovered that a strip of land was available and applied to GGMC for a Prospecting Permit Medium Scale (PPMS).Atthattime,therewereno legal challenges or objections.

Subsequently, GGMC's Commissioner Newell Dennison invited Daniels to a meeting attended byAndronAlphonso and hislawyersinanattempttomediate a compromise after Alphonso complained that he would have appliedforthelandhadheknownit was available That mediation attemptfailed.

In February 2016, Alphonso formallyobjectedtoDanielsbeing grantedthePPMS,arguingthathis 2009riverclaimsincluded300feet inland While the dispute continued, Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat issued aretroactiveorderonMay3,2023, closing the disputed area from December 6, 2012, one day before Daniels'applicationwasmade.

However, on May 20, 2024, a tribunalchairedbyGGMChearing officer Magistrate Allan Wilson ruledinDaniels'favour

The tribunal held that under Guyana's mining regulations, river claims cannot by law include 300 feet inland from the low-water mark, meaning Alphonso's claims did not cover the disputed strip. In his decision, the hearing officer ruled that GGMC, “ought to grant and approve the application of Mr Wallace Edgar Daniels dated 7th December 2012.” He also ruled to strike out Minister Bharrat's retroactiveorder

Following the tribunal's ruling, GGMCmovedtotheHighCourtin November 2024 seeking a judicial review of its hearing officer decision However, Justice Jacqueline Josiah-Graham dismissed GGMC's case. A month later, GGMC approached the High Court this time seeking to quash MagistrateWilson's ruling arguing that the permits overlapped with land reserved by the 2023

…GGMC appealing dismissal of judicial review of tribunal ruling in favour of miner

contendedthatthetribunal'sruling was “unlawful, unreasonable, unfair,andanabuseofpower,”and asked the court to quash it unless Magistrate Wilson could show cause This case was also dismissed.

Despitethosesetbacks,GGMC has now moved to the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn the High Court's dismissal of its judicial review In the midst of the legal wrangling, Daniels' operations was recently shut down by GGMC mines officers and police. Daniels has now moved to the High Court seeking several remedies, including an injunction againstGGMC.

When the matter was called before Justice Isaacs-Marcus, attorney Anderson informed the court that they were served with GGMC's affidavit in response to theapplicationbeforethecourt.He contended that GGMC affidavit is without merit, and sought permission to file an affidavit in reply

Intheinterim,Andersonsought an injunction restraining GGMC fromawardinganyminingpermits to any individual in relation to the disputedarea.

Theattorneytoldthecourtthat theessenceofGGMC'saffidavitis thatthereisapendingappealatthe Court of Appeal. He agreed and noted that the Court of Appeal proceedingswhicharesuperiorand noted that whatever remedies are sought from the high court if grantedwillberenderednugatory

However, he pointed out that the GGMC application before the

appellate court is not astay “Thatiswhytherespondent is asking for a stay They cannot have it both ways, they cannot say there is nothing to appeal, yet they are appealing exactly that at the Court of Appeal and in this court contending that the effect of the minister's order was to cancel the grant and the hearing officer's ruling altogether You can't have it bothways,”Andersonargued.

For her part, Justice IsaacsMarcus instructed both parties to address a number of issues in their written submissions, including: whetherallofthepartiesarebefore the court in order to secure any or all of the reliefs being sought; whether the minister's order is lawful, both prospectively and retrospectively; whether the proceedings should be stayed or struck out; and whether the applicant is entitled to any of the reliefsbeingsoughtanduponwhat basis.

Moreover, Anderson further asked the court to order that if GGMC is at the Court of Appeal seeking to reverse the hearing officer'sgrantofatitleandlicence to his client, it should at the same timegiveanundertakingthatitwill not be granting or awarding any interestinthepropertytoanyother thirdparty

In response, attorney Jagnanan noted that the minister's order explicitlystatesthatthereshouldbe no prospecting or mining for any mineral within the area, and only the minister can approve mining operations there. “GGMC, so long as this order remains lawful and

valid,asitcurrentlyisbecauseitis gazetted, cannot issue any prospecting or mining permits in thearea.Thesolejurisdictiongiven to that by way of this order rests with the minister of natural resources,”Jagnanansaid.

He further told the court that since the minister's order was granted,GGMChasnotissuedany mining or prospecting licence for thatarea.

However,attorneyDanielssaid that there has been mining in the area recently by a third party, despitetheminister'sorder Healso highlighted that there is no appeal asthereproperlyshouldhavebeen against the ruling of the hearing officer appointed by GGMC Instead,hehighlightedthatGGMC is seeking an appeal of the judicial review application that was previously dismissed in the High CourtbyJusticeJosiah-Graham.

Further, Anderson stated that GGMC should be prohibited from allowing mining or locating of claimsinthearea.

He argued that in the interim, GGMC should not be allowed to alienate the subject matter while simultaneouslytryingtosecureitin at the appellate court. Jagnanan counteredthattheapplicanthadnot provided any evidence of mining bythirdpartiesintheiraffidavit.He again referenced the minister's order, pointing out that it speaks specifically to prospecting or mining, but not to the grant of licencesorpermits.“Bythisorder, GGMC cannot in essence grant a prospecting permit or a mining licence, they cannot grant this

because… unless it's permitted by the minister of natural resources,” hesaid.

Addressing the request for an interim order, Jagnanan stated that such a ruling would require the minister of natural resources to be added as a respondent to the case. He added that any move to quash the minister's order can only be properly ventilated by the addition oftheministerthroughtheAttorney GeneralandnotbyGGMC.

He reminded the court that GGMC is a statutory body bound by the laws of Guyana and by orders lawfully gazetted. He argued, “It cannot confer a power whichitselfdoesnothave.GGMC could not grant a prospecting permit and a mining permit in circumstances where there is an order saying that there is no prospectingorminingtobedonein this area unless the Minister approves.Soanybodyappointedby themtoresolveadisputecouldnot have that to disregard such an order.”

“GGMCisboundtofollowthis order The decision of Justice Grahamdidnotorderthatthisorder be quashed; it dismissed the judicial review proceedings which is currently under appeal, and we have sought a stay of that decision along with a stay of the hearing officer'sdecision.

But at no time has it ever been declared that this order of the Honourable Minister that has been duly gazetted has ever been quashed or rendered unlawful Therefore, it remains valid and lawful,”Jagnananadded.

For her part, Justice IsaacsMarcusnotedthattheissuesraised orally should be fully ventilated in writtensubmissions.Shealsonoted that she will not grant the order at this stage and preferred to have submissionsbeforeaddressingany oftheissuesraised.

Thejudgealsopointedoutthat withregardtotheallegationofthird partiesmininginthearea,therewas no evidence before the court Justice Isaacs-Marcus has since orderedthatwrittensubmissionsbe exchanged on December 3, replies filed by December 15, and the matter will resume on January 23, 2026.

Attorney-at-law Michael Jagnanan

Attorney-at-law Eusi Anderson

Attorney-at-law

Ronald Daniels

Local miner, Wallace Daniels

GGMC Commissioner, Newell Dennison

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'Every dollar lost to corruption is a road or school stolen’

From page 12 reduce corruption is important, and we've come a long way…When we look at successes, and it's important to takenoteofwhatprogresshas takenplace…”

Shehighlightedimprovementsinaccountability,citing the latest report from the Auditor General's Office, which recordedahighercompliance rateandtherecoveryofoverpayments.“We'reveryhappy thatfullrecoveryofoverpayments for three consecutive years, 2022, 2023, and 2024, was achieved, and that is setting a new benchmark for accountability. So, the Auditor General'sreportthisyear,you cannow,bydata,measurethe progress Guyana has made,” Teixeirasaid.

Shehighlightedtheimportance of strengthening oversight systems and creating legal frameworks that underpin accountability The ministermentionedkeylegislative reforms, including the Pro-

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curement Act (2003) and the AuditAct(2004),aselements of Guyana's broader governancestructure.Highlighting theimportanceofdigitisation as an anti-corruption tool, Minister Teixeira stated that the government is modernising systems to improve efficiency and transparency. She mentioned examples such as digitising applications for the Public Service Commission and the Single Window Platform for housing and land applications.“Theaccesstoservices for the public, equitable access, easy access, and the reduction of long delays, is a critical part of reducing and preventingcorruptioningovernment circles,” she said.

MinisterTeixeiraacknowledged that while digitisation hasalreadybegunacrossministries, some challenges remain at the local government level.

However, she noted that training continues to assist public officers with transitioning from paperbased to digital systems. The ministeralsocommendedthe Private Sector Commission and other business organisations for their active involvement in governance reform, emphasising that in-

tegrity and ethical practices withinprivateenterprisesare equally crucial to national progress.

State capture Transparency International in its 2025 Corruption PerceptionIndexreportnoted that the state of Guyana has been captured by the economicandpoliticalelites,fosteringmisappropriationofresources,illicitenrichmentand environmental crimes. The body also stated that Guyana has lost ground in the fight against corruption moving from40pointslastyearto39 this year, ranking it 92 out of 180 countries on the CorruptionPerceptionIndex.

“InGuyana,statecapture by economic and political elites fosters misappropriationofresources,illicitenrichment and an environmental crime,”theTransparencyInternational report said. It added: “Although the country has created anti-corruption institutions and laws, transparency and law enforcement are very low, and attacks on dissenting voices, activists and journalists increasingly common,” the body stated in its report.

Back in March 2024, the United Nations Human RightsCommittee(UNHRC)

‘BinsEvery40Feet’

had released its findings on Guyana,expressingconcerns overthenation'sinstitutional frameworktocombatcorruption. The report acknowledged Guyana's adoption of lawsandregulationstotackle corruption, including the establishment of a Special OrganizedCrimeUnit(S.O.C.U) within the Guyana Police Force(GPF).However,ithighlights lingering concerns regarding the effectiveness of the institutional setup to prevent and prosecute corruption, particularly within the policeforceandamonghighlevelpublicofficials.Specific concerns outlined in the report include instances where theCommissionerofInformation failed to address public requests and the delayed enforcement of the Protected DisclosuresandWitnessProtection Act.

To address these issues, theCommittee urgedGuyana to intensify its efforts to promote good governance and combat corruption at all levels of government. This includes addressing the root causes of corruption as a pri-

ority, ensuring impartial investigation and prosecution of all corruption cases, enhancing the independence, transparency, and accountabilityofanti-corruptionbodies, guaranteeing effective accesstoinformationheldby relevant authorities, and expediting the implementation of measures to protect whistleblowers and witnesses. Additionally, the Committeecallsforthorough investigations into allegations of corruption in the management of natural resources, particularly within the oil and gas sector, highlighting the importance of transparency and accountability measures in this criticalarea.

Moreover,theCommittee had expressed concern over reportsofcorruptionandlack of transparency in the managementofnaturalresources, particularlywithintheoiland gas sector. It calls for thorough investigations into allegationsofcorruptioninthis sector and emphasises the importance of transparency andaccountabilitymeasures.

Chinese medical team...

and flourish.

She said, “Let us go first and show this country how we can cooperate once we have the facilities to keep Guyana clean. I promise you that in me you have a friend, and in the government you have a government, a President,andaCabinetwhowant to see you thrive. We want to see your business do well. We want to see you make sales, build your house, buy assets.

From page 15 system,” Dr Anthony said. “This partnership has touched countless lives and continues to demonstrate the power of international collaborationinachievinghealth forall.”Sincethearrivalofthe first Chinese medical team in 1993,hundredsofdoctorsand specialists from China have servedinGuyana.Theirwork hasincludedperformingcriticalsurgeries,introducingnew medical techniques, and conductinghealthoutreachinitia-

From page 13

tives in both urban centers andremotecommunities. Dr Anthony noted that the continued collaboration reflectstheMinistry’sdedication to expanding access to qualitycareandensuringthat specialised medical services reacheveryregion.“Welook forwardtoseeingthepositive impact of this new team as theysharetheirskills,trainour young doctors, and contributetoourmissionofbuilding a healthier Guyana,” he added.

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From page 20 gathered, Minister Manickchandexpressedconfidence in their role as partners in preserving the space. She stated, “We’ve put bins all across this square. Every 40ft.youhaveabin.Wewere told that if we placed bins around the market square, they’d be stolen, and I said no because of my faith in the vendors; because these bins are making your work home clean.So,weputthebinsand twiceaday,fromonetothree in the afternoon and four to six in the morning, we’re cleaning these bins. A truck willcomethroughandporters willpickupthebins.”

TheMinistermadeitclear that the Ministry’s approach is one rooted in partnership ratherthanpunishmentatthis stage.

She shared, “At this point, we will not bring enforcements.Wewilltalktoour brothers and sisters, to the people using this square; we will talk to the passengers. We’regoingtoworkwitheach other and work on each other to change out the bad habits we have come to know; the bad habits of littering.” This sentiment reflects a national call for civic responsibility supported by enabling infrastructure. The Minister highlighted that the government sees value in supporting vendors, not only by keeping theirworkplacesclean,butby fostering conditions that allow their businesses to grow

We want to see you do well, and we want to create an environment where your businesses can thrive. And this is a beginning.”

Theengagementwasalso attended by the Ministry’s DeputyPermanentSecretary (Administration), Dr. Josh Kanhai,thePermanentSecretary,Mr.MiguelChoo-Kang, the Mayor of Georgetown, Mr Alfred Mentor, councillors, technical officers, and staff from the Ministry The ministry encourages all vendors and market users to utilise the bins provided, observe proper waste disposal practices, and continue to work together as this effort unfolds. The Stabroek MarketSquare,likethecityitself, reflects the habits and pride of its people. Maintaining it as a clean and vibrant space isasharedresponsibility;one that benefits livelihoods, strengthens community wellness, and enhances the national image of Georgetown.

process. “The Leader of the Opposition is not symbolic; the Constitution requires that the holder of this office be consulted on major appointments, including the Police Commissioner,Chancellor,ChiefJustice,andmembersoftheJudicial ServiceCommission.Delayingthisofficeunderminesthebalance of power and signals a disregard for constitutional governance,” the statement added.

WIN urged that the laws and institutions of the country be applied evenly, transparently, and without political bias.

OnNovember8,aftertheopeningofparliament,Kaieteur News reported that Clerk of the NationalAssembly Sherlock Isaacs commented on the issue, noting that while the ConstitutionoutlinestheprocessforelectingtheOppositionLeader, it does not specify when the meeting must be held. “The constitution doesn't say when the meeting is to be held, if it's at the first sitting or the second sitting or third sitting it's at the discretion of the speaker,” Isaacs said.

He confirmed that the Speaker had received Mohamed's letter and acknowledged it was under consideration. “What happened in this case, Mr. Mohamed wrote the speaker, the speaker sent the letter to me to acknowledge to say we are in receipt of the letter and to inform Mr. Mohamed that his request is receiving attention or being considered, the speaker used the word considered. So, I think it is receiving the attention of the speaker,” Isaacs said.

However,asofnow,theelectionoftheOppositionLeader remains pending, with no formal response from the Speaker's office.MembersofAPNUhavealsoquestionedtheprolonged delay APNU leader Aubrey Norton stressed that the Constitution mandates the existence of an Opposition Leader. “The Constitution provides for an Opposition Leader and therefore, logically, there must be one. The question of when he will be elected should be directed to the Speaker and the government,”Nortonsaid.

Pres. Ali vows gas boom by 2030

…pledges mega projects to transform Berbice

President Dr Irfaan Ali has set an uncompromising deadline for Guyana to monetise its vast gas resources, insisting that the StabroekBlock,estimatedat 17 trillion cubic feet (tcf), must fuel a series of mega projects aimed at transforming Berbice into a regional hub for innovation andindustry

Speaking to a packed audience of local and international investors, technical experts, and global industrial leaders at the inaugural Berbice Development Summit 2025 held at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, PresidentAli declared, “I am not willing to push monetisation beyond 2030 Constitutionally, I have an electionin2031,andIcan'trun again. I'm not leaving this decisionforanyoneafterme. Any option that does not allow this country to monetise gas before 2030 will not have the type of support that I would like to give.” The two-day summit focuses on unlocking Berbice's potential as Guyana's logistical backbone for future industrialisation and energy distribution, positioning the region as a critical link for national and regional development.

liquifyanyofthegasneither the Longtail or any of the other developments We continue to hold that as an option but what we've been w o r k i n g w i t h t h

Only recently Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo echoed similar sentiments saying that the government has made it clear that its energy partner, ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) will not determine the country'sprioritieswherethe utilisation of its resources is concerned Assuch,henoted that revenue flow from the developmentofGuyana'sgas in the prolific Stabroek blockmustcomeinasearly as possible He made the comments in response to President of EMGL, Alistair Routledge who has saidthattheliquificationof natural gas was not a priority for the company Routledge told reporters at a recent media briefing that whileliquificationofnatural gas was an option, Exxon is actively considering other options to bring value to the country “Currently we are not progressing plans to

government on is prioritise availability of gas and supply of gas onshore into thecountrywherewe'dhave the highest value to the countrytosupportadditional

centres alumina These kinds of projects and probably many others that will grow other parts of Guyana's economy and provide other business opportunities.”

He added that these options would be “more attractive”comparedtoLNG But Jagdeo noted that government remains focused on its plans to monetise the country's gas resources and exploring all feasible options to do so “When we said we want to monetise the gas and that we were going to go out foranexpressionofinterestto get a company that would work with us in a tripartite way,andwithus,andExxon

As construction progresses on t h e n e w Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) headquarters along Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown, the next phase of development is now underway

Bids have officially opened for the furnishing of the new facility and

modification works to the s t o r a g e b o n d a n d administrative building

According to minutes released by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), four contractors havesubmittedproposalsfor theproject. While no engineer's estimate was disclosed, bids

MinistryofEducation

Reviewofthequalityandrelevancefortheprogramming inareaofHospitalityandTourismStudies-Guyana.

Bidder AmountTendered Colleg eoftheNorthAtlanticDunnPierreBarnett&CompanyCanadaLimited

NiagaraCollegeCanada

Alistair Routledge, making his presentation

in a tripartite way, we are serious about it, and we madeitclearthatwewantto do this earlier, rather than later,” he said The VP further pointed out that should Exxon not be interested in developing the resourcesintheHaimaraand Pluma discoveries, then government is prepared to seek another contractor He pointedoutthatgovernment does not intend to put the project on the back burner; and is in fact willing to examine all options for the monetisation of the resources, that would return the most benefit to Guyana and prove feasible for the privateinvestors.

Bids open for furnishing of new CANU HQ

ranged between $88 million and$150million. In 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs awarded a $421 million contract for the construction of the

located adjacent to the new Guyana Fire Service (GFS) building on Homestretch Avenue Since then, the Ministry has been rolling

out a series of supporting projectstobringthestate-of-

completion.

Oncecompleted,thenew headquarters will provide

improving its ability to combat drug trafficking and strengthen national security efforts.

Jagdeo had expressed disappointment that Exxon has seemingly dismissed the potentialofaLiquifiedNatural Gas (LNG) project, since he believes that option has great potential He explained, “So wehavenottakenanyoption off the table in the pursuit of thisprojectasyetandLNGis one of those very feasible optionsandthatcouldbedone faster,becauseyoucandoit throughafloatingplatform.I hope Exxon doesn't think thatbytryingtotakethisoff the table, which it seems as though they're doing by sayingit'snotapriority,that theywoulddelaythisproject that they were not initially interested in ” The VP pointedoutthatinfrastructure to support another option to develop the gas may take longer,comparedtoafloating LNGplatform.

The GoG had engaged Fulcrum LNG to explore options to develop the country'sgas,howeverJagdeo couldnotprovideanupdateon the discussions with the company He nevertheless urged, “This project has to happen, and it has to happen soon Itmustbecomeapriority for everyone, for Exxon, for the government and the other partners that we want a revenuestreamtoflowfrom thegasearlytoGuyana.”VP Jagdeo said that in determining the feasibility of a future project, every option must be explored which includes bringing the gas to shore for industrial purposes,utilisingafloating platformtoproduceLNGsor exporting the gas to Trinidad.

Berbice growth

Meanwhile, the president emphasisedtheneedtocreate aplatformformomentumand unity by partnering with the governmentandprivatesector investors,andcommunitiesto expandnetworksandestablish theBerbiceecosystem

President Ali emphasised thatBerbice'sgrowthmustbe viewed as part of Guyana's wider integration with Brazil andtherestofSouthAmerica, particularly through major

projects such as the deepwater port, which will enable fastertradeandtransportation He said that while Guyana is currently focused on developing its own gas potential, its infrastructure will also help neighbouring countries like Suriname shorten their time to monetisation and benefit fromsharedopportunities.

“This, for us, is a low hanging fruit and any development in Berbice must openuptheopportunities,”the president noted To complement this massive development,thegovernment hascommittedtoinvestingina newBerbiceRiverBridge,the Moleson Creek to New Amsterdam four-lane highway, two Hope-like canalsandaCorentyneRiver Bridge linking Guyana and Suriname.

“This infrastructure plan thatI'veoutlinedhere,weare pursuing to have it all completed within five years Anditwillgetdone Thereis no choice,” the president affirmed AccordingtoDrAli, the ideas from the Berbice Development Summit will feed directly into the Guyana Energy Conference in February, where final investment decisions are expected to be made President Ali thanked investors and partners for theirsupportandconfidence in Guyana's growth trajectory He reiterated that the government's focus is to ensurethatgasdevelopment c r e a t e s t a n g i b l e opportunities for people, jobs, and strengthens Guyana's position as a key playerintheregion.

Attending the ceremony weretheSeniorMinisterinthe Office of the President with ResponsibilityforFinanceDr Ashni Singh, Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat, Minister of Public Service, Government E f f i c i e n c y a n d Implementation, Zulfikar Ally, and ExxonMobil Guyana's President Alistair Routledge, among other officials

President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali delivering the feature address

Hamas fighters trapped in tunnels present new obstacle to Gaza ceasefire progress

(BBC NEWS) US

President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, returned to Israel on Monday, as mediators face a new obstacle in their efforts to advance negotiations on the fragile Gaza ceasefire deal to the next and more complex phase. Key sticking points

international security force totheterritory

reconstruction and future governanceofGaza,andthe

Without a timeline for the discussions, which are likely to require significant concessionsfrombothIsrael andHamas,therearedoubts that any progress can be achieved.

Another challenge has emerged recently, involving scores of Hamas fighters believed to be in tunnels beneath the southern city of Rafah behind the so-called "YellowLine",whichmarks theareaunderIsraelicontrol. Lastweek,USspecialenvoy

Steve Witkoff said an amnestycouldbeofferedfor fighterswholaiddowntheir arms,andthatthiscouldbea "

h a t Washington hoped to apply intherestofGaza.

Witkoffsaid200fighters were trapped, although this number has not been confirmed According to media reports, Kushner and the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, discussed the issue during a meeting in Jerusalem on Monday

Hamas has previously said the fighters will not surrenderanddemandedthat they are given safe passage,

whowerebeingheldwithout chargeortrial.

It has also handed over the remains of 315 PalestiniansfromGaza.

Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the truce, with Israel saying Hamas has deliberately delayed the return of the remains of hostages and Hamas saying that Israel has killed at least 240 Palestinians and is restricting the entry of aid supplies.

Hamas has previously rejected disarmament, saying it would only do so once a Palestinian state has been established Israel

Hamas wants its fighters in Rafah to be given safe passage, which has so far been rejected by Israel (file photo)

which has so far been rejectedby Israel.An Israeli government spokeswoman saidNetanyahuandKushner had "discussed phase one, which we are currently still in, to bring our remaining hostages, and the future of phasetwoofthisplan,which includes the disarming of Hamas,demilitarisingGaza, and ensuring Hamas will have no role in the future of Gazaeveragain".

The war in Gaza was triggered by the Hamas-led attackonsouthernIsraelon7 October 2023, when about 1,200peoplewerekilledand 251 others were taken hostage. Since then, more than 69,000 people have beenkilledbyIsraeliattacks in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures the UN considers reliable. The first phaseoftheceasefire,which came into force last month, focused on halting the war, returning all hostages, and securing a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza. Twenty living hostages and the remains of 24 deceased captiveshavebeenreleased, with four bodies remaining inGaza.Inreturn,Israelhas freed 250 Palestinian prisoners from its jails and 1,718 detainees from Gaza

refuses any involvement in the governance of Gaza by the Western-backed PalestinianAuthority,which isthebodythatgovernsparts of the occupied West Bank. Countries are reluctant to commit troops to the multinational force without clear goals, concerned that their soldiers might end up confronting fighters from HamasandotherPalestinian factions.

The Israeli military currently occupies 53% of Gaza's territory and is expectedtowithdrawfurther inthenextstageoftheplan. With no indication of imminent advances in the negotiations, a de-facto partition of Gaza between the area controlled by Israel and another ruled by Hamas was increasingly likely, sources told the Reuters news agency, with talks about reconstruction apparently likely to be limited to the Israelcontrolledterritory

Arab countries have already expressed concerns that the current separation could become a permanent partitionofGaza.

TheTrumpplandoesnot include a pathway to Palestinian statehood - a conceptwhichIsraelrejects.

BLUNT BLUNT BLUNT BLUNT

Manybarrels,many brokenpromises

Guyana now pumps almost a million barrels of oil a day, a breathtaking achievement for a small nation. The figures dazzle, the wells roar, and the headlines glow with promise.

Yet, beneath that glittering surface lies a brutal truth: the more the oil gushes, the deeper our people sink into poverty.

What does it mean when a country so rich in black gold leaves its citizens scraping by on $60,000 a month, battling rising prices and hopelessness? When the government boasts of billion-dollar projects, but ordinary families can barely afford food?

This is not development it is betrayal. Oil was supposed to lift Guyana; instead, it exposes the widening gulf between promise and performance. Every extra barrel produced should represent a step out of poverty, not another drop of despair. If this continues, history will remember it not as an economic miracle, but as a moral failure written in oil.

Webb backs officials over disallowed Liverpool goal

BBC Sport - Premier Leaguereferees'chiefHoward Webb says it was "not unreasonable" for Virgil van Dijk's goal to be disallowed for offside against ManchesterCityonSunday Van Dijk thought he had equalisedforLiverpoolinthe 38thminute,butrefereeChris Kavanagh and his assistant Stuart Burt decidedAndrew Robertsonhadcommittedan offside offence by ducking under the flight of the ball, wh

Donnarumma.

Wednesday November 12, 2025

ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19)

In a philosophical or political conversation,youdon'thesitate to offer your thoughts Your examplesmaybeextreme,but yourprinciplesaresound

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

Youshouldbeinagoodmood, although you might have a hard time fully expressing yourself.Perhapsyoufeellike there is someone keeping an eyeonyoureverymove.

GEMINI(May21–June20)

You may get the feeling that despite all the hard work you've accomplished, something is still missing, Gemini. There's still a long road ahead, regardless of the goalsyou'veattainedsofar.

CANCER(June21–July22)

Freedom may be a theme for youtoday You'rebeginningto question what it is you're tryingtofreeyourselffrom.A person? Job? Commitment? These may be the very things youstarttosearchforassoon asyou'refreeofthem.

LEO(July23–Aug.22)

You'retheliquidthattakesthe shape of its container, Leo. Even though this may seem like the most nonconfrontational way to do things, you may find that it's actually a cause of great frustrationforyouandothers

VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22)

Youmayfeellikeapuppythat has been let outside for the first time, Virgo. The air is warm and you're full of energy You're ready to run over the fields and hills Unfortunately,you'retiedtoa stake and you can't move beyondaten-footradius.

LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)

Youmayfeelastrangetension. Itseemsthatnothingyousayor do is quite right, Libra. As much as you may try to do the correct thing, you can't make thingsclickthewayyou'dlike.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov 21)

It may be hard for you to maintain your self-discipline. Your childlike nature wants to go out and play Emotionally, you're anxious to let loose and followyourplayful,instinctual nature.

SAGITTARIUS(Nov22–Dec21)

Ifyou'reunclearaboutthetopic of discussion, say so Asking questionsisanimportantpartof learning You shouldn't be afraid to ask. Communication maytakeonaserioustone,and intellectual discussions are likelytogetheated.

CAPRICORN(Dec22–Jan19)

Youmaybeshywhenitcomes to expressing your emotions today,Capricorn.Thiscouldbe a rare thing for you. Other people may wonder if somethingiswrong.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

Youmaynotknowwhichway to turn,Aquarius. You may be emotionally weighed down by sentimental feelings and memories that bind you to the past You may also feel restrictedbyauthorityfigures.

PISCES(Feb.19–Mar.20)

Your mind may be going in manydifferentdirections,with fantastic ideas about how things should be done, Pisces. T h e d i f f i c u l t y i s communicatingtheseideasina way that makes sense. Others mayseeyouasathreattotheir authority

"Weknowhedoesn'ttouch the ball but what does he do?

Well, as the ball moves towards him, three yards out fromgoal,rightinthemiddle ofthesix-yardbox,hemakes that clear action to duck belowtheball.

"Theballgoesjustoverhis head, and the ball finds the goalinthehalfofthesix-yard box where he is. Then, the officials have to make a judgment - did that clear

The Video Assistant Referee, Michael Oliver, checked the incident and supported the on-field call, with Manchester City going ontowinthegame3-0.

On Monday, Liverpool contacted Professional Game MatchOfficials(PGMO)-the bodythatoverseesrefereeing in English professional football - to raise their concerns,astheybelievethe relevant criteria for the offencewerenotmetandthe goal should have been allowed.

Offsidedecision'notclearly andobviouslywrong'

Webb, speaking on the Match Officials Mic'd Up show, said that while he accepted there would be a difference of opinion, there were valid reasons for the goaltoberuledout.

"Interfering with an opponent where the offside positionplayerdoesn'tplaythe ballandthe officials have to make a judgment whether the actions of that player impact an opponent, are some of the most subjective decisions that we have to make,"saidWebb.

"Therefore,it'snosurprise that some people believe this goal should have stood, so I think it's important that we look at the facts of what actually happened in this situation.

"We know the corner comesinandtheballreaches VanDijk Astheball'scoming across the penalty area, the Manchester City players move out, they leave Robertson in that offside position in the heart of the six-yardbox.

"WhenVanDijkheadsthe ballforward,that'sthemoment when we have to make an offside judgment about Robertson and about what he'sdoingthere.

the goalkeeper, the ball's comingrighttowardshimand hehastoducktogetoutofthe way of the ball - and they formtheconclusionthatthat impacts Donnarumma's ability just to dive towards theballandmakethatsave.

a c t i o n i m p a c t o n D o n n a r u m m a , t h e goalkeeper,andhisabilityto save the ball? And that's wherethesubjectivitycomes intoplay

"Obviously that's the conclusiontheydrewonthat They looked at that position, theylookedat that action, so close to the goalkeeper, and theyformedthatopinion.

"I know that's not a view heldbyeverybodybutIthink it's not unreasonable to understand why they would formthatconclusion.

"The player is so close to

"Andthen,ofcourse,once they've made that on-field decision,thejoboftheVARis to look at that and decide, was the outcome of offside clearly and obviously wrong?

"Only Donnarumma truly knows if he was impacted by thisand,ofcourse,wehaveto look at the factual evidence, andwhenweseethatfactual evidence of that position of theplayerduckingbelowthe ball, so close to the goalkeeper, the VAR determines that the outcome of offside is not clearly and obviously wrong, and they stayoutofit."

Webbexplainedthatthere were a number of issues that had to be weighed up by the officials

Liverpool thought they had equalised at Etihad Stadium but went on to lose the game 3-0. (Getty Images)

Agha,Rauf upstage Hasaranga as Pakistan win thriller to go 1-0 up

Wanindu Hasaranga led the lower-order charge.

(Associated Press)

ESPNcricinfo-Pakistan withstoodavaliantall-round display from Wanindu Hasaranga to come away with a six-run victory in the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, and with it take a 1-0 lead in the three matchseries.

Chasing 300 to win, a target that would have constituted the secondhighest successful chase in Rawalpindi, Sri Lanka were set up well courtesy an 80run opening stand, but then lost wickets in clusters through the middle overs to fallbehindtherequiredrate. A few stands through the middle overs still provided Sri Lanka the control they mighthavebeenlookingfor

butnoneoftheirbatterswere able to capitalise on their starts.

It meant Hasaranga was left batting with the tail during a 52-ball 59 to take thechaseintothefinalovers, but with 21 needed from 10 hetoowouldfall.Eventhen, two boundaries from Maheesh Theekshana in the final over gave Sri Lanka hopeofanunlikelyheist,but HussainTalatheldhisnerve withtheball.

This though was a hardfoughtwinsetupbySalman Agha's second ODI century, which helped Pakistan recoverfromasluggishstart toposeacompetitivetarget. Itwasthenbroughthomeby what was an eventually

stellar d

m Pakistan's bowlers, but not onewithoutsomesignificant blemishes - the innings saw 26 wides and two dropped catches.

Igniting the game was fiery spell from Haris Rauf, whoendedwithfiguresof4 for 61. Rauf's intervention came at a point when Sri Lanka were coasting along with Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara, on ODI debut,inthemidstofan85runopeningstandoffjust70 deliveries.

During that period, Sri Lankawererollickingalong - though much of that early brisk scoring was of Pakistan'sowndoing.Ofthe 26 wides across the Sri

Lankan innings, roughly 70% came inside the openingpowerplay

That provided Sri Lanka's chase the impetus it needed, shortly after which both Nissanka and Mishara also began to find their range.

At that point it was hard to look past a comfortable SriLankanchase,butallthat changed when Mishara spliced an attempted flatbatted slap straight to midoffofRauf.

Thistriggeredthefirstof two mini-collapses in the innings, as Kusal Mendis chopped on the very next delivery, before Nissanka edged behind in Haris' next over From 85 for 0, Sri

Australia's Starc wants spicy Ashes wickets, not five-day tests

M E L B O U R N E , (Reuters) - Australia

paceman Mitchell Starc has urged curators to prepare bowler-friendly pitches for the Ashes, warning against flattening surfaces to maximise five-day revenue as England's aggressive "Bazball"approachlooms.

Australia defeated India 3-1 in the last home summer on pitches that offered encouragement for batters and bowlers alike, and Starc said he hoped that would continue in the five-test seriesagainstEngland.

"I hope the groundsmen sticktotheirgunsandprepare thewicketstheywant,"Starc toldAustralianmedia

"If we are worried about five days of revenue then there's bigger problems at hand"Left-armerStarctook a four-wicket haul for New South Wales on a tepid SydneyCricketGroundpitch on Monday in the Sheffield Shield match against Victoria.

Though encouraged by his bowling in his first firstclass match since July, Starc said the wicket would have playedrightintotheEngland batters'hands.

"Yeah no doubt Especially if they're pretty docile wickets like this," he said "Weknowthewaythey're trying to play their cricket

We'll worry about that next week"

Starc, who recently quit T20I cricket to extend his career in tests, said his bowling rhythm was back after a long layoff from redball cricket and he was buildingnicelyfortheAshes series-opener in Perth startingonNovember21.

"I think the break was a good thing, but I just tend to be someone who continuous bowling keeps in rhythm," saidthe35-year-old

"I'vejustbeenspeakingto (head coach) Ronnie (Andrew McDonald) then, I think I've sorted it out and now it's just getting the enginegoingagain”

Lanka had stumbled to 90 for 3.But even at that point, with Sri Lanka playing seven specialist batters, the chaseseemedwellinhand.A view reinforced by the 57run stand between Charith Asalanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama that followed.

After Pakistan were asked to bat first, they lost early wickets but a century from Agha and a maiden ODI fifty from Talat helped revivetheirflagginginnings to 299 for 5. The pair came together at 95 for 4 in the 24th over, but by the time their 138-run partnership came to an end, they had takenPakistanto233for5in the44thover

Agha then turned on the afterburners alongside Nawaz, as Pakistan managed 104 runs off the last10overstosetSriLanka 300. Agha brought up his secondODItonwithagentle dabbehindpointforasingle offhis83rddelivery,butthe ballpriortothathighlighted the confidence with which hewasbatting-sweepingan attempted Chameera yorker forfour

PriortoAghaandTalat's stand, however, Sri Lanka had choked the Pakistan innings for large parts Miserlyopeningspellsfrom Asitha Fernando and Chameera ensured just 28 runs were scored inside the openingpowerplay,and

Australia's Mitchell Starc, in the 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final, in June 2025. (Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers/File Photo)

Hussain Talat and Salman Agha added a century partnership. (AFP/Getty Images)

FIBA Caribbean Championships bounces off today …Guyana to face The Bahamas

The2025FIBAWomen's Caribbean Championships will officially bounce off today at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, marking the tournament's long-awaited return to Guyana for the first timesince1994

Makingacomebackafter atwo-yearbreak,theregional championship opens with Jamaica facing Suriname at 4:30 pm, followed by the homeside,Guyana,takingon The Bahamas in the feature gameat8:30pm

T h e w e e k - l o n g tournament runs daily from 4:30pm throughNovember 16 and will see five countries Guyana, The Bahamas, Virgin Islands, S u r i n a m e , a n d Jamaica competeinasingle round-robinformat

The top three teams will advance to the 2026 Centrobasket Women's Championship

Leading the charge for

Guyana is Spain-based professionalJoyAdams,who hasbeennamedteamcaptain Adams, a forward for Lointek Gernika Bizkaia in Spain's top-tier women's league, Liga Femenina Endesa, brings international experience and a strong leadership presence to the nationallineup

She is joined by fellow overseasprofessionalsAnaya Clemons and Ruth Adams, bothofwhomhavecompeted inEurope

The roster also includes the talented Ramlall sisters Amisha,Arshia,and Ashna along with locally based players Jamaicy Ogle, Kean Andrews, Keisha Copperfield, Rehacia Romain,BreannRitchie,and JunellyPaddy

Following their opening clash with The Bahamas tonight, Guyana will meet the Virgin Islands on November 13, face Suriname on November 15, andcloseoutthetournament with a highly anticipated matchup against Jamaica on November16at8:30pm.

Ahead of their opening game, the national team met

with Minister within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Steven Jacobs, who urged the players to represent the nation with prideandpassion.

Jacobs reaffirmed the Government's support for both the team and the championship, expressing confidence that the local women will make the countryproud.

Basketball fans are expected to turn out in full force at the Cliff Anderson SportsHallasGuyanalooks to make a strong statement on home soil in the region's premier women's basketball competition.

The Bahamas will be Guyana's first challenge for the tournament tonight.

3rd Annual President's Futsal Championship officially launched - New

TheKashifandShanghai Organisation has officially launched the third Annual President's Futsal Championship, which is set tokickoffonDecember9to January 2 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH).

The highly anticipated tournament has grown into a staple on Guyana's futsal calendar, and this year promises to be the biggest yet, featuring 48 teams, includinginternationalsides fromBrazilandTrinidadand Tobago.

According to organisers, the top 16 senior teams will receive automatic byes into the second round, while the remaining 32 teams will battleforqualification.

This year's event comes with several exciting upgrades Co-DirectorKashif Muhammad announced the addition of a schoolboys' segment to run concurrently

with the senior men's and women'scompetitions.

Prize money has also been significantly increased

Men's Senior Championship willseefirst-placecartingoff with $3,000,000 in cash, while second to fourth will receive $1,000,000, $500,000 and $250,000, respectively Meanwhile in the Women's segment; $500,000

willgotothewinners,second place $250,000, third $150,000 and fourth place $100,000. The schoolboys' segment will feature prizes (in kind) of $500,000, $250,000, $150,000, and $100,000,respectively

In partnership with MVP Sports, which contributed $500,000, the total prize pool has increased to $1 5 milliontobesharedamong

Schoolboy's segment, featuring 20 schools added

thetopfourfinishers

Speaking at the launch, Muhammad emphasized the organisation's commitment to football development: “We think football is extremely important, and this is what we believe embracing it and trying to make it something really, reallyspectacular.”

He added that the inclusion of international teamshas already begun to raise the level of local futsal “With the inclusion of the Brazilian team, our football has elevated It tests our players, and we are impressed with how theyperform

We just hope they maintainthatlevelevenwhen theBrazilteamisaway”

Muhammad also h i g h l i g h t e d t h e developmental goals of the newschoolboys'component: “ Wi t h g r o w i n g participation in futsal both

Kashif and Shanghai Organisation hands over futsal-type balls to the 20 participating schools during yesterday's launch. Assistant DoS Franklin Wilson (right) assisting with the ball distribution.

here and overseas, we decided to get the schools involved and make this a serious developmental programme.Sohopefullyby nextyearwecanseeamore developedteamfortheInter GuianaGames.”

The tournament has received endorsements from theMinistryofCultureYouth and Sports under the One Guyana initiative It is also sanctioned by the Guyana FootballFederation. All matches will be playedattheCASH,withthe traditionalMarchPastforthe School's scheduled for 2:00 pm onopeningday

Co-Director of the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation, Kashif Muhammad speaking at yesterday's launch.

Guyana's Chelsea Edghill advances to quarterfinals at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

- Impressive performances from Edghill, Johnson, and Britton highlight Guyana's campaign

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

— Guyana's leading table tennis star Chelsea Edghill, OLY has advanced to the Wo m e n ' s S i n g l e s Quarterfinals at the 6th Islamic Solidarity Sports Association (ISSA) Games,

after producing two outstanding performances marked by grit, experience, anddetermination.

In earlier rounds, Guyana's contingent made a strong start to their campaign: Elishaba Johnson defeated El Hacen Ahmed Salem (Mauritania) 4–0 in the Men's Singles Round of 64tomoveintotheRoundof 32.

N a t i o n a l M e n ' s Champion Shemar Britton received a bye directly into theRoundof32.

Chelsea Edghill, OLY came through a 7th-game

thriller, defeating Nazim Aisthan Rafa(Maldives)4–3(13–11, 6–11, 6–11, 11–3, 10–12, 11–9,11–9)toadvancetothe Round of 16, where she facedUganda'sJudithParvin Nangozi for a place in the quarterfinals.

Later in the day, Edghill onceagaindemonstratedher composure under pressure, edging past Nangozi a World Championships qualifier—withanothertight 4–3 victory, securing her spot among the top eight women at the Games. She now faces World No. 81, SibelAltinkayaofTurkey,in Wednesday's Quarterfinal for a chance to reach the semifinals and contend for a medal.

In other matches, Jasmine Billingy, Guyana's emerging women's talent,

wasdefeatedbyEceHaracof Turkey(4–0)intheRoundof 16 On the men's side, ShemarBrittonlosttoAliAlKhadrawi of Saudi Arabia, while Elishaba Johnson exitedthecompetitionaftera spirited showing against SeyedamirhosseinHodaeiof Iran.

Guyanaremainsactivein the doubles events, with key matchups ahead: Men's Doubles: Shemar Britton & NigelBryanvs.Uganda

Women's Doubles:

Chelsea Edghill & Jasmine Billingyvs.No.1seedIran

Mixed Doubles: Shemar Britton & Chelsea Edghill vs.Bangladesh

The Women's Singles Quarterfinals are scheduled fortoday,Wednesday,where Edghill will seek to secure a historic medal for Team Guyana.

Ronaldo confirms 2026 World Cup will be his last

BBC Sport - Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed the 2026 WorldCupwillbehislast.

The 40-year-old, who hasscored953goalsforclub and country, also said he wouldretirefromfootballin "oneortwoyears".

Next year's World Cup, taking place in Canada, Mexico and the United States, would be Ronaldo's sixth. In an interview with CNN, when asked whether 2026 would be his last World Cup Ronaldo said: "Definitely,yes.Iwillbe41 years old and I think [this] willbethemomentinthebig competition."

Ronaldo, who plays his clubfootballinSaudiArabia

Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for most caps in men's international football with 225 for Portugal. (Getty Images)

withAl-Nassr,istheall-time leading men's international goalscorer with 143 - while he continues to pursue a milestone 1,000 career goals.

The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus player said last weekhewouldretire"soon" butconfirmedonTuesdayit would likely be in the next coupleofyears.

"Let's be honest, when I meansoon,it'sprobablyone ortwoyearsI'llstillbeatthe game,"hesaid.

RonaldohelpedPortugal totheEuro2016title,butthe World Cup is one of few majortrophiesmissingfrom the five-time Ballon d'Or winner'scabinet.

Roberto Martinez's side have yet to qualify for next year's tournament but will securetheirspotiftheybeat Republic of Ireland on Thursday

Chelsea Edghill

Elishaba Johnson

ExxonMobil Guyana Futsal resumes tonight at Retrieve Tarmac

More exciting Futsal action billed for this evening at the Retrieve Tarmac in Linden.

The ExxonMobil Guyana Futsal Championship, coordinated by New Era Entertainment, resumes this evening at the Retrieve Tarmac with an actionpacked slate of five groupstageencounters.

Kicking off the night's proceedings at 18:30 hrs, BomberswilltakeonYMCA B. The second clash sees Foundation Family facing Westside Ballers at 19:30 hrs, followed by Figgy FC squaring off against YMCA Aat20:30hrs.

At 21:30 hrs, Hardknocks will battle Hardball Management, before the evening concludes with a highly anticipated showdown between Team Salah and Stabroek at 22:30 hrs.

Tournament Coordinator and New Era Co-Director AndrewMajorexpressedhis satisfactionwiththeopening round, noting the competition's strong start: “The ExxonMobil Guyana

Futsal kicked off with a bang; plenty of goals, fantastic fan support, and an electric atmosphere Dominant performances camefromfavouritessuchas Hard-knocks, DC Ballers, Silver Bullets, and YMCA. Newcomers like Stabroek got a real taste of the tournament'sintensity,while developing teams such as Fearless, Westside Ballers, andYMCABweresentback tothedrawingboard.”

The championship continuesFridayatthesame venue, featuring a 16-team groupstagedividedintofour groups. The top two teams from each group will progresstothequarterfinals.

In Group A: Hardk n o c k s , H a r d b a l l Management, Bomberz, YMCA B, Group B: Spaniards, YMCA A, HH Ballers,FiggyFC,GroupC: Young Gunners, Silver Bullets, Foundation Family, Westside Ballers and Group D:DCBallers,SalahFamily, Stabroek,Fearless.

A total prize purse of $2.8 million is up for grabs. The champions will take home $1.5 million, while second, third, and fourth place will receive $750,000, $350,000, and $200,000, respectively, along with trophies.

On the individual front, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) will be rewarded with a brand-new motorcycle Additionally, organizers announced a $300,000 academic grant, which will be awarded to a playerorfantosupporttheir educational pursuits. Each teamisrequiredtonominate a candidate for the scholarship.

CompleteFixtures

18:30hrs: Bomberz vs. YMCAB

19:30hrs: Foundation Familyvs.WestsideBallers

20:30hrs: Figgy FC vs. YMCAA

21:30hrs: Hard-knocks vs.HardballManagement

22:30hrs:TeamSalahvs. Stabroek

Blairmont CC Doomsday Cricket Tournament

Brilliant Kevin Sinclair leads RHT Namilco Thunderbolt to championship honours

Twomagnificentinnings from West Indies player Kevin Sinclair spearheaded the powerful Rose Hall Town Namilco Thunderbolt Flour team to championship honours in the Blairmont CricketClubDoomsdayone day tournament. Despite poorweatherinthemorning session, the fair size crowd was treated to cricket of a high standard at the BlairmontgroundasSinclair tore into the opposition bowlerswithtotaldisregard, hitting several huge sixes anddelightfulfours.

Seventeamsparticipated in the day's tournament

T h e y w e r e R H T Thunderbolt Flour, Albion, Young Warriors, Tucber Park, Blairmont, West Berbice and Cotton Tree. In thefirstround,WestBerbice edged past Cotton Tree by four runs, Rose Hall Town Namilco Thunderbolt defeated arch rivals Young Warriors by eight wickets,

whil

ing allrounders Damon Vantull and Leon Swammy led Tucber Park to a sevenw

Gudakesh Motie led Albion Community Centre Cricket Club.

Thetwosemifinalswere contested between BlairmontandWestBerbice, while RHT Nam

o

Thunderbolt Flour clashed with a strong Tucber Park Cricket Club. Tucber Park wereofftoaflyingstartwith Vantull being his usual destructive self, but his dismissalbyleftarmspinner Keith Simpson was the key turning point. Tucber Park wererestrictedto53for8off their reduced quota of five overs. Vantull fell for a top

score of 20 and left arm pacer Javed Karim then claimed a helmet-trick removing four wickets in four balls as Tucber Park collapsed.Karimendedwith 4for5fromoneover

In reply, RHT lost Jonathan Rampersaud (06) and Javed Karim to be at 16 for 2 in the second over Sinclair, who was strangely

leftouttheGuyanaSuper50 team,thentook29runsfrom the helpless Jamin La Fleur a s R H T N a m i l c o Thunderbolt romped home to victory with an over to spare Sinclair was unbeaten on 42 and skipper ClintonPestanoon3notout. West Berbice defeated host Blairmont by 20 runs in the secondsemifinals. Due to fading light, the organisers were forced to reducethefinalto2overper side RHT Namilco Thunderbolt won the toss and elected to bat with Sinclairhittingthefirstthree balls of spinner Andrew Dutchin for huge sixes,

DelroyTyrrell advances to Semifinals in Riyadh

After his welldocumented administrative hurdles,Guyaneseswimmer

D e l r o y Ty

i s representing Guyana at the Islamic Solidarity Games currently taking place in Riyadh, SaudiArabia where he has advanced to the

semifinal of the men's 50 metersbackstrokeevent. Tyrrell, who represents the Dorado Speed Swim Club, became one of three Guyanese swimmers who have made semifinals at theseGames. TheotherswereAndrew

the qualifiers

Fowlerwhocompetedinthe 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku, Azerbaijan and made the semifinals of the men's 50m freestyle and Onan Thom who won a bronze medal in the 50m backstroke at the 2005 Islamic Solidarity Games in

Jeddah. Tyrrellrecordedthe15th of 16 qualifying times of 27.97 in his Heat and will look to lower that time for a chance to medal. Homer Abbasi of Iran was the leadingqualifierwith25.92. Tyrrell has been a

Sinclair receives his award.

while Pestano also struck VivekLalsaforthreefoursin the second over as RHT reached 45 for 1 from their twoovers.Inresponse,West Berbicewererestrictedto25 for3toloseby22runs.

President of the Blairmont CC, Shabeer Bakshexpressedgratitudeto the teams for playing in the well-organized tournament, despite the early morning showers.KevinSinclairwas named player of the tournament and Man of the final The championship st honourwasthe131 onefor the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club since its formationin1990.

Delroy Tyrell has advance to the semifinals in Riyadh. (Dorado Speed Swim Club Facebook)

standout performer at both US collegiate and regional levels His selection to represent Guyana marks a significant moment for the localswimmingprogramme, whichhasstruggledinrecent years to maintain consistent athlete participation at internationalcompetitions.

The Islamic Solidarity Games, for Tyrrell presents not only an opportunity to competeagainstworld-class athletes from across the worldbutalsotoreaffirmhis commitment to elevating Guyana'snameinthepool.

Kevin

The winning Namilco Thunderbolt Flour team.

3rd Annual President's Futsal Championship

officially launched

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Guyana's Chelsea Edghill advances to quarterfinals at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

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Shemar Britton

Asegment of team representative gathered for a photo-op, following the launch of the 2025 President's Futsal Championship slated for Dec 9 – Jan 2.

Team Guyana with Minister Steven Jacobs.