Kaieteur News

Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly

Israel using in Gaza as at least 65 killed

starvation as weapon of war; UN declares famine

CAR RAMS INTO

BALLOT BOX CONVOY

...several injured including police, polling agents

...GECOM says ballot boxes safe and secure

objects to polling

Photo of ballot media raises concerns about GECOM’s efforts to safeguard secrecy of vote shared on social booths obscuring vision of party agents ...asUSdeployswarshipstoCaribbean Region Govt. concerned about narco-terrorism threat

lawmen say prepared for any eventuality on E-Day

‘No coercion, no influence, soldiers free to vote for party of their choice’

- GDF Chief of Staff

Scenes from Base Camp Ayanganna, August 22, 2025

ChiefofDefenceStaff,BrigadierOmarKhan,wasthefirst to cast his ballot when polls opened at 06:00 hours at Base CampAyangannaonFriday

August 22 was designated the day for members of the disciplinedforcestovote,10daysaheadofthe2025general andregionalelections.

Followinghisvote,BrigadierKhantoldreportersoutside one of three polling stations at CampAyanganna, that there wereapproximately24pollingstationsacrossthecountryto facilitatevotingbysoldiers.

“My experience just now, was a very organised and smoothoneandIwanttothankallthosewhoareresponsible for ensuring that this was done successfully, at least when I wasinthere,”hesaid.

TheGDFChiefaddedthathedidnotanticipateanyissues. “All soldiers are expressing and exercising their democratic righttoparticipateinthisbeautifulandimportantprocess.As you know, traditionally, the joint services would vote before the general public vote, and that is scheduled for the first of September.”

Hestressedthatsoldierswilldecidewithoutcoercionand voteforthepoliticalpartyoftheirchoice.“Everyoneisgiven the opportunity to emphasise that in your own individual assessment and how they vote, and I’m happy that we are going to be doing just that, like we’ve been doing over the years,”Khansaid.

Pressedonwhetherthearmymadeitcleartoofficersprior tovotingthattheyareallowedtochooseanyparty,orwhether the GDF was pushing one party’s agenda, Brigadier Khan responded, “There’s no particular agenda. Every day, every officeraroundgetsup,putontheirbootsandclothesandready toservethepeople...Everysoldierhasarighttoexercisetheir voteastheyseefit.There’snocoercion.Thereisnoinfluence, andallthesoldiersareherearedoingjustthat,andacrossthe forceandacrossthecountry.”Onthelogisticsofvotingin

Continued on page 5

Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan

Alideniesusingstateresources

…says local banks don’t operate in isolation

Pr e s i d e n t i a l candidate for the P e o p l e ’ s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C)IrfaanAlionFriday declared that his party has not used any state resources to fund its 2025 election campaign.

“First of all, let me say, state resources absolutely not true. We are incumbent, all right, and these accusationsarealwaysthere, but our party, as you know, might have been the only partythatwouldhavehadso many fundraisers,” Ali told reporters gathered outside oneofthepollingstationsat BaseCampAyanganna.

He outlined that the PPP has held fund raisers all across the country “So, we have been able to raise enough resources with the love and support of our supporters and members, and we have been able to raise enough resources to efficiently carry out our campaign and our work for theseelections,sothereisno needforstateresources,and state resources not being deployed to support our campaign,”Alimadeitclear.

His response comes in light of a damning report by the Carter Center on government’s alleged abuse ofstateresourcestocarryout itselectionscampaign.

The center said earlier this week that it has been observing key activities, including nomination day

and a series of campaign launches and events, as part of its effort to assess electoral preparations and the political environment in Guyana ahead of the September1polls.

The mission said it has receivedmultipleallegations from political parties and civil society that the ruling party has misused state resources.“Socialmediaand news reports are also rife withphotographssuggestive of this problem. The use of state resources for party campaigning runs contrary to Guyana’s international obligations with respect to campaign finance,” the organisationoutlined.

The center underscored allegations against the governmentabouttheuseof state-owned vehicles to campaign, as well as the advantage taken of “10-day workers” in campaign activities The body also slammed the government’s widespread spending, which it explained puts competing political parties at a disadvantage.

“Official government statementsabouttheopening of schools and other public buildings regularly feature publicofficialsinfullrulingparty regalia, blurring the linebetweenthestateandthe party Since July 30, the president has announced he would promote over 2,800 Guyana Police Force officers On Aug 1, the

Car rams into ballot box convoy

...severalinjuredincludingpolice,pollingagents ...GECOMsaysballot

government announced that bridge crossings would now be free. These and similar measures can be seen to afford the ruling party an unfair advantage While Guyana’s laws do not prohibit new government spending after an election is called, such spending runs contrary to international standards and best practices intended to ensure a level playingfield.

And while the entity is not conducting systematic media monitoring, it said it has noted and received reports indicating the bias state media coverage in favour of the ruling party The mission has received complaints from several political parties reporting limitedaccesstostatemedia, with their events receiving little or no coverage. One party has also alleged that it w

advertisements in state media.

“In the absence of specific legal provisions regulating media conduct during the electoral period, The Carter Center encourages state media to provideequaltreatmenttoall politicalparties.”

FivepersonswereinjuredonFridaynight whenthreevehiclestransportingballotboxes to the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) headquarters collided, after an unknown vehicle drove into the path of a police escort along the East Coast Demerara Public Road, in the vicinity of La Bonne Intention(LBI).

The injured have been identified as 39year-old Nattel Stanley, an APNU polling agent from Lancaster Village, 28-year-old EvrisHarte,aDeputySupervisoryReturning Officer from Corriverton, Police Corporal AnvinashBhiro(#23966)stationedatWhim Police Station, 37-year-old Andrea Cort, a WIN party polling agent from Rose Hall Town, and 38-year-old GECOM agent AnascicaHindsfromGlasgowPark,Berbice.

Police in a statement said the convoy consisted of three minibuses (#BAB/6899, #BAL/2180and#PXX/7899)carryingballot boxes from the Central Police Station and WhimPoliceStationinRegion6,Berbice.

Police reported that minibus #BAB 6899 washeadingwestalongtheLBIPublicRoad, East Coast Demerara, carrying ballot box #DF048 under police escort Following closelybehindwasminibus#PXX7898with ballotbox#DF047.Bothvehiclesoriginated fromtheCentralPoliceStation.Trailingthem was minibus #BAL 2180, that was transporting ballot box #DF050 from the WhimPoliceStation.

“All of the vehicles were being escorted by Force Motorcar #PAB 8212, when an unknown motorcar drove north-west out of LBI Access Road into the pathway of the

escort, causing the Police vehicle to apply brakes. In doing so, Minibus #BAB 6899 applied brakes, which led to Minibus #PXX 7898 colliding with the rear of Minibus #BAB6899, and then Minibus #BAL 2180 collided with the rear of Minibus #PXX 7899,”policesaid.

As a result of the collision, the five persons sustained injuries and were immediately transported by police to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC)fortreatment.

Meanwhile, the ballot boxes were transportedsafelyandsecurelytoGECOM’s headquarters, Public Relations Officer YolandaWardtoldKaieteurNews.

“All the election materials were intact. TheyhavealreadybeendeliveredtoGECOM headquarters. They are in secure custody,” shestated.

An investigation has been launched into theaccident.

Presidential candidate for the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic, Irfaan Ali

Three of the vehicles involved in the accident.

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

Six in the mix

st Thefieldfor thisyear's September1 generalelections remainsatsix. Thoughtricky,wehopethattherewillbea transparent process that gives this country a truly free and fair election result. Guyanese can do without the endless wrangling about who cheated, who took advantage of the electoral system before, during, or after the voting commenced. Citizensneedothernarrativestoinspirethem, tohelpthemthroughtoughtimes. Wewisheachofthesix parties left in the race the best, and call on all of them to contribute as much as they can for a voting and tabulating processonwhichallcanagree,allareproud.

Thesixincludesthe'bigthree'ofthePPPC,theAPNU, theAFC,andthethreenewcomers,AssemblyofLibertyand Prosperity(ALP),ForwardGuyanaMovement(FGM),and We Invest in Nationhood (WIN). Four parties, the PPPC, APNU, AFC, and WIN will be competing in all ten of Guyana'sregions,whileFGMchallengesinsevenregions, andALPiscontestinginsixregions. Theyareallin,except thatFGMhasinitiatedacourtchallenge.

Elections in Guyana now stand in a category without compare. For action and excitement, passions and mob scenes, nothing is able to compete with national elections. Cricket is the national sport, but it is doubtful that it generatesasmanypassions,convictions,anddifferencesas elections. It may draw a huge crowd for a final, when GuyanaortheWestIndieshasachancetocomeoutontop. But for sheer sustained interest and following, elections stand head and shoulders above cricket. The excitement aroundelectionsisnowbeginning,andhas10daystogetto peak acceleration, to the frenzies that are now part and parcelofthesefive-yearcontests,wheresomuchisatstake. Thebattleforthereinsofgovernmentandpowerdrivesmen andwomentoextremesinGuyana. Wewishthattheusual uglinessthatcharacterizesGuyana'selectionsdoesnotenter this year's campaign. The PPPC Government has tainted the democratic process with mudslinging and blatant misuseofstateresources,sothatitcantriumphandcontinue wreaking havoc with Guyanese patrimonies, starting with oil.

All the six political parties want to put their hands around it, for government power means control over this rich patrimony. Every Guyanese want the political group that they support to ascend to win, for the thinking is that theywillshareinthespoils. Althoughtheoilisinaclassby itself, and demanding the best from Guyana's political groups and leaders, they have turned out to be duds. This hasbeenaboneofcontentionacrossmanydomesticcrosssections, with national leaders competing for the prize of whosayslessaboutit. Politicianscompetingwithvigorand skill for national office, but anemic and pathetic when promptedtospeakinspiringlyaboutoil.

st ThecompetitorsintheSeptember1 electionsareinthe gameforpower Yetnotasingleoneofthemcanfindthe personalpowertostandandspeakwithgenuinepassionand visiononhowtheywillrepresentcountryandpeopleintheir needtogetmorefromtheirinheritance. Electionsprospects generatemoreinterestandmoreenergythanoil. Oilalone hasthepowertotransformthiscountry,andthelivesofall citizens. Afterfiveyears,therecordofthemajorpolitical partiesandtheirleadershavebeenlessthanimpressive. In fact, the record has been of fear and retreating when the issueisoil. Oilisthetransformer,butthosefightingtolead Guyana into a new era manifest more of what is cowardly thantherequiredbraverytomakeoilthemainplankoftheir individualplatforms.

In the manner of elections campaign everywhere, they say, they promise, how much they will deliver, how much more they will do than their competitors. But no one is being completely honest, or constructive, about how they aregoingtomaketheirpromisesarealityforallGuyanese. Where is the money, what choices made, what sacrificed, and with what results, those are the burning questions? Electionsarealmosthere,mayallGuyanesewin.

I will not allow Granger to call me a liar

DearEditor,

I refer to a letter published in your Thursday, August 21 edition in which you published a letter emanatingfromtheOfficeof Former President David Granger, captioned “Fredrick McWilfred was not an Advisor to the President”.

In response, I wish to statethatinmyinterviewfor employment within the MinistryofthePresidencyin June 2015, Minister of State JosephHarmontoldmethatI would be required to functionasanAdvisortothe President as well as a General Assistant to the MinisterofState.Weagreed

thatthedesignation“Headof the Political Division” wouldcoverbothpositions. In my interview with Kiana Wilburg on her program Political Insights, when responding to a questionaboutmyfunctions as Head of the Political Division, I stated the President Granger never sought my political advice nordidIofferany President Grangermadeitclearthathe did not need Advisors and later fired Aubrey Norton –Advisor on Empowerment and Youth Development, Gary Best – Advisor on Environmental Matters and Edward Collins as National Security Advisor, who were

all appointed at the same time that I was employed. I went on to describe some of the functions which I was asked to perform and referredtomyamusementat being described as a Public Servant by President Granger I, however, find it strange that President Grangerwouldnowtakethe positionthathehasaboutmy Designation in his Office when,towardstheendofhis Presidency,heleanedonme heavily to help to resolve politicalissues.

For example, I was required, when no one else could-to“….getRamjattan to sign off on the Cummingsburg Accord II”,

which I did, and complete the Coalition's Manifesto when his Manifesto Committeewasunabletodo so, which I also did. I also was asked to “….be in the room”whenthenegotiations with the PPP were deadlocked for a new Chairman of the Elections Commission. Clearly, these were not tasks to be undertaken by a “Public Servant”. Editor, I regret having to respond to President Granger's letter in this manner, but I will not allow him to, while nit picking about my designation,callmealiar

Sincerely,

FrederickMcWilfred

If Mohamed becomes president Exxon likely to pull out from Guyana

DearEditor,

We have all read the news over the past few days of the Trump government mobilizing a significant presence of US Naval fire power and with troops on board,intheCaribbeanseas, closebytoVenezuela.

The US President has alsoputabountyofUS$50M on Nicholas Maduro's head, whichisabouttobedoubled by legislation in the US Congress The Trump government has also declared that they do not recognize Maduro as the President of Venezuela, nor his party as the legitimate governmentofVenezuela.

With typical bravado, Maduro, has announced a creation of “a new people's militia”, which he claims to be one million four hundred thousand (1.4M) people, for the purpose of defending against any American military attempt to enter Venezuela and arrest him. AccordingtoMaduro,hehas also armed the People's

Militia with missiles and guns.

Madurohasalsoclaimed to have mobilized some 4.5M troops to fight any American invasion, though there has been no detectable evidence of any such mobilization.

All at the same time, US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has stated that “Maduro's government” is, in fact, a “masquerade” and is, nothing but, the Venezuelan Cartel de los soles also called the “Cartel of the sun”, a criminal enterprise which now threatens“USoilcompanies thatareoperatinglawfullyin Guyana”.

Mr Rubio, of course, is referring to EXXON. He further announced at the State Department, that the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Control (OFAC),on25THJuly2025, hasdesignatedtheCartelasa “specially designated global terrorist” headed by NicholasMaduro.

We are all very familiar with OFAC which has sanctioned Presidential Candidate Azruddin Mohammed, along with his father Nazar Mohamed, and alloftheirbusinesses.

Therehasbeenanumber of misleading stories and headlinesintheStabroekand Kaieteur News about this matter OFAC has in fact stated unequivocally, in response to the Mohameds lawyers, that “non-US persons”, Guyanese for instance, could “face sanctioned risk for certain activities involving sanctioned persons, such as providing material support to them” The OFAC statementgoesontodefine” material support” as “including any property, tangible or intangible or service”.

Toreturn,however,tothe actionbeingtakenbytheUS government against Venezuela's Maduro. When we vote on 1st September, weneedtoaskourselvesthis question: “which of the contesting parties and contesting Presidential candidates command the unreservedrespectoftheUS government and which does not”? Theanswer,ofcourse, isstaringusintheface.

The Trump government, for which US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, spoke, when he visited Guyana, manifestly demonstrated the respect it has for President Mohammed Ali and his government. We can, on the otherhand,takeitasagiven thatthesupportoftheUS (Continuedonpage5)

Highlyrespectedlawyer, Sanjeev Datadin, in a recent post by him, underlines the fact that those persons who support Mohamed and his partyWIN“believewrongly, that this path would somehow free them of offering material support”. Putsimplyandpractically,if you join and support a political party you are offering it “material support”.

Little Diamond without water, 8 days and counting

DearEditor,

I write as a concerned resident of Plantation, Little Diamond, East Bank Demerara (ECD) regarding theongoingwatercrisisthat has been affecting our community for more than a week.

During this time, no water has been coming through the main pipes

From my understanding, the issuearosewhenroadworks in the area allegedly caused damage to the pipelines, leading to this prolonged disruption.

Forhouseholdsequipped with black water tanks, the s i t u a t i o n , t h o u g h inconvenient, has been somewhat manageable However, for residents without such storage facilities, daily life has become a tremendous struggle.

Even for those with tanks, the water supply has since been depleted. In an attempttoproviderelief,the fireservicedistributedwater in the area last evening, but residents were subjected to strict limitations on the

amount they could collect.

Even after 1 a.m., residents were still out on the streets, trying to secure whatever water they could from the truck.Itwasheartbreakingto witness families with no tanksrunningwithjustafew buckets in hand, desperate for something as basic as water

WhileIacknowledgethe efforts being made to assist, the uncertainty remains troubling.Howlongwillthis situation persist? In this day and age, is it not possible to address such an issue more

swiftly and effectively? Surely,contractorsshouldbe required to follow established procedures and protocols to prevent incidents like these from occurring in the first place. Thecurrentstateofaffairsis not only inconvenient but also unsustainable for the residentsofPlantationLittle Diamond. We urgently need clarity, accountability, and a reliable timeline as to when normal water supply will be restored.

Sincerely, Aconcernedresident

We must oppose use private residences and places of worship as polling stations

DearEditor,

The use of private residences and places of worship as polling places

must be opposed International observer

missions, and other watchdog organizations,

certainly provide a frameworkandstandardsfor elections, but they cannot control the broader political processes that invariably affecttheelectoralprocess.

Elections fraud is a socially and culturally embedded practice in Guyana Since the 1997 elections, rigging was planned and executed at polling stations in private residences and places of worship within certain strongholds which are less likely to be monitored by opposition party agents and pollobservers.

Opposition party agents did not turn up at private residencesforthedaydueto the known political sympathies and or affiliationsoftheowners.

Some party agents did notturnupatpollingstations in the compounds of places of worship because they wererestrictedfromeatinga meal containing pork. Some Opposition party agents did notturnupatpollingstations in the compounds of places of worship because they wererestrictedfromeatinga meal containing fish, chicken, beef, etc. There were instances where the opposition party agents left the polling station private residences and places of worship before the close of polls and some left after the polls were closed but before the ballot were counted

citing reasons of having to travel, getting a meal because their party did not bringthemlunch,etc.

Worthy of review is the 2020 elections, 2023 is the voter turnout percentages in privateresidencesandplaces of worship in Kitty, North, Central and South

Subryanville and Bel Air Gardens, Bel Air Springs, Prashad Nagar, North East andNorthWest.

Recall that in the 2020 elections, 29 ballot boxes from polling stations in Montrose, La Bonne Intention(LBI),andChateau Margot communities on the East Coast of Demerara had missingstatutorydocuments – the marked register of voters, counterfoils, folios, spoiled ballots, damaged ballots, and proxies. These have been big giveaways from2020andawarningfor 2025.

Younevergetan80%or 90% turnout in a credible election in Guyana. Even where the turnout is within the bounds of mathematical possibility, if the figure is wildly different from the turnoutinprivateresidences, places of worship within certainstrongholds,itserves asawarning.

Why have these particular polling stations at privateresidencesandplaces of worship? Polling stations at private residences and placesofworshiphavea9095% turnout, while polling stations in public places registered less than 70%? Something strange was almost certainly going on, especially when the high turnout is an area which favours one party over

another One possible explanation is that in the absence of opposition party agents, those who operated the polling station voted out thelistinfavourofoneparty and counted votes cast for otherpartiesinfavourofthat onepartyandcheckedoffon the official register There wereother,moresubtleways that riggers increase votes ‒or reduced them. Keep an eye on the number of votes excludedasinvalid.

Even in countries with lower literacy rates than Guyana this isn't normally above 3%. High numbers of invalidvotesmeanthatthose who operated the polling station are disqualifying ballots for the slightest imperfection,evenwhenthe voter's intention is perfectly clear, in an attempt to suppress votes for Oppositionparties.

Despite the challenges leadinguptotheMarch2020 elections, GECOM has not shown any willingness for removingthenamesofthose whohavedied,andovertime the number of these nonexistent voters increased

concerns about the size of the OLE at 757,690 when Guyana's last census results from 2012 estimated the country's total population as 746,955 people. The World HealthOrganization(WHO) estimated the population at 826,353 in 2023. A bloated list at each polling station coupled with the absence of opposition party agents and observerscreatestheperfect opportunity for rigging the 2025elections.

DavendraPersaud

DDL launches 13-Yr-Old El Dorado Master Blender Special Edition

Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), through its El Dorado brand, has unveiled its latest limitededition release: the El Dorado Master Blender 13Year-Old Rum, celebrating 13 remarkable years as the Official Spirit of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Inastatement,DDLsaid that the “commemorative rum” is a unique blend of marques from DDL's heritagestills—theUitvlugt French Savalle Still, Diamond Coffey Still, and the Port Mourant Double WoodenPotStill.

“Agedforaleast13years in American oak casks previously used to mature bourbon,the2025ElDorado Master Blender's Special Edition Rum is one of notabledepthandcharacter.

(Continuedonpage7)

El Dorado Master Blender's Special Edition 13-Year-Old Rum

‘No coercion, no influence...

Frompage2 outlyingandborderregions, the chief of staff said there are systems in place. He explained that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) completed the necessary work, including transportation and the prepositioning of material and equipment and the ballots wereescortedbytheGuyana PoliceForce(GPF).

Moreover, Khan also

noted that some officers currently overseas on training courses will not be abletovoteonAugust22.He explained that while some will return home to vote on September 1, others may have the possibility of casting their ballots from overseas.

Further,atabriefingheld at Base Camp Ayanganna, GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward,

If Mohamed becomes...

Frompage4 government for and the protection it offers Guyana against Venezuela, would disappear overnight if, by some miracle, the likes of Azruddin Mohamed were to become President of

Guyana. We can also take it as a given, that if Mohamed weretobecomePresident,it would not be long before Exxon would also disappear fromGuyana.

Yourssincerely KitNascimento

explainedthatthelawallows members of the disciplined forces to vote before electionsdayastheywillbe deployed across the country to provide security on September1.

“So today, 10,481 were one ranks across the respective discipline forces will be voting across the country in all ten districts,” Ward said She detailed those 6,909 ranks from the GPF, 3,106 from the GDF, and 466 from the Guyana Prison Service are expected tovote.

She added that members of the disciplined forces are permitted to vote in the district where they are assignedtowork,ratherthan the district where they are registered.

President Ali announces plans to introduce robotics surgeries … as new $6.6B Lima Regional Hospital opens

President Irfaan Ali and MinisterofHealth,Dr Frank Anthony on Friday joined residents of Region Two to officially commission the newly constructed $6 6 billion Lima Regional Hospitals.

The state-of-the-art health facility which was constructed by China CAMC Engineering Co , Ltd. (CAMCE), and China

National Machinery

Industry Corporation (SINOMACH), is one of 12

new hospitals the government has committed to construct. It is one of the six new regional facilities beingestablishedinRegions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six.

Delivering the featured address on Friday, President Alistatedthatthehospitalis part of building the holistic ecosystemtosupportworldclass healthcare and education.

“Thefutureofhealthcare in Essequibo begins now This afternoon we are making a statement about thatfuture.Wearedeclaring that we have chosen transformation as the objective of our public healthcare reform. We are here to commission a hospital,buttherealpurpose here is that choice in ensuring an institution in Essequibo Coast that is better and fitter for purpose. We are inaugurating today yet another installment in our health revolution, a revolution in healthcare, a revolution in service and a revolution in how we value life in this country,” the presidentsaid.

Speaking on their decision to build a new hospital in the region, the president stated that it is to meet the new modern era of healthcare that the old structurescannotprovide.

The new $6.6B Lima Regional Hospital which was commissioned in Region Two.

“Some have asked why buildanewhospitalinLima when existing hospitals could have been upgraded. My friends if you only wanted to improve what we already have then yes, upgrade would have been enough, but we are not talking about incremental change,wearetalkingabout aquantumleapinhealthcare and when you walk through thisfacilityyouwillseewhat Imean,”hementioned.

He continued that, “You cannot put world-class service into old structures designed for another era. These are two completely different designs, completely designed for different era. This is an era for modern healthcare, different standard, different regulations, different specifications and that is what the new facility is designedfor

Thenewhospitalswhich are part of building a strong impregnable foundation for the future, he disclosed that

thegovernment'sobjectiveis to lead the way in the CARICOMregion,andthen have CARICOM integrated in the local healthcare system “because our prosperity must be the prosperityoftheregion.“

Hefurtherstatedthatthe Lima Hospital and the 11 others facilities they are building will be widening the range of services so that the referral is no longer the rulebuttherareexception.

Speaking on the improved services these facilitieswilloffer,President Ali said he told Minister Anthony that the country must move towards conducting robotics surgeries.

“Because we want to be able to connect to doctors and specialists in Georgetown and anywhere else in the world and have robotsassignedtotheatresso that we can direct those surgerieswhereevertheyare needed. This is where the world is going and this is

where healthcare is going and there is no shortcut. We have to get there tomorrow andnot10yearsand15years fromnow,”hestated.

Meanwhile, in his remarks, Minister Anthony revealed that the opening of the Lima Regional Hospital is a symbol of equity and a concrete step towards a world class healthcare systemforGuyanese.

“ T h i s h o s p i t a l exemplifiestheleadershipof

His Excellency, President Mohamed Irfaan Ali who believes that quality healthcare is a right for everyone,notaprivilegefor selectedfew,”hesaid.

According to the minister,inRegionTwo,the main facility for healthcare has been Suddie Regional Hospital which has been complemented by a smaller hospital at Charity and several health centres along thecoast.

Sections of the Lima Hospital.

TheoldSuddieHospital, he noted, is incapable of delivering modern healthcare. The old facility was limited by open wards, poor facilities and a lack of specialised diagnostic equipment.

No longer will persons havetotraveltoGeorgetown for specialised care, as the newhospitalisoutfittedwith improved services to serve theregion.

(Continuedonpage13)

The Party becomes the Government and the Government becomes the Party

There are two types of countriesintheworld.There are those where you can tell the difference between the government and the ruling party, and those where you can’t. In Guyana, the lines areblurred.

The Carter Center, in its saintly role as democracy’s hall monitor, recently wagged its finger at the PPPC for misusing state resources in its campaign. The examples are many

Government vehicles ferrying party officials to rallies. Workers on the state payroll allegedly being drafted into heckling Opposition supporters

(because apparently heckling is now a civil service duty And the pièce de résistance: public servants moonlighting as candidates.

But let’s be honest Expecting the President to hop onto a minibus to his own rally would be absurd. Imagine him, squashed betweenavendorwiththree chickens in a cardboard box and a man arguing with himself about the cost of eggs. And security? If he takes a special hire, should the police follow behind in theirownyellowminibuses? No, of course the President must use state vehicles That’s not misuse. That’s commonsense.

Donald Trump does not ditch his Secret Service convoy and protective services when campaigning. SowhyshouldthePresident,

the Vice President of MinistersinGuyana?

Wherethingsgetfishyis when these government vehicles start transporting not Presidents or Ministers, but Auntie from Canal NumberTwowhojustwants to wave a flag and collect a free jersey. That’s not security That’sUber The Carter Center also sniffedatthesightofpeople in party colours attending government events You can’t exactly blame the CarterCenterhere.Aschool opening begins to look less like an educational milestone and more like a campaignrally Oneminute, the Minister is cutting the ribbon; the next, he’s promising free internet for all and a bridge over every puddle.It’sthekindofthing that makes you wonder whether the government is really opening a school or opening a constituency office. The Carter Center mentioned the use of the blurringofthelinesbetween party and government at these evcnts. But the PPPC does not give a hoots. The opening of the Tuschen Secondary School, one day after the Carter Center report,wasswarmedbyflagraising PPPC supporters, showing that these supportersdonotappreciate theneedtoavoidconverting government events into partisanaffairs.

But the Carter Center missed the crown jewel of party-government blur: the

weeklypressconferencesof the General Secretary of the PPPC Imagine a party functionary using this platform to discuss national policy, crime statistics, and oil revenues. No wonder voters are confused. “Wait,” they ask, “is this the government, the party, or justanelaborateskit?”

And then there’s

Facebook.Onceuponatime, the official page of the President might feature the occasionalhandshakewitha diplomat or a photo of him frowning meaningfully at a pothole. Today? You’re just as likely to find campaign flyers, rally speeches, and reports and photographs of partisan cheerleading. The Office of the President has becomelessaninstitutionof stateandmoreapromotional page for upcoming events: “This Friday live in RegionFive!Don’tmissit!”

Ofcourse,noneofthisis new ThePPPCdidn’tinvent party-government fusion Forbes Burnham practically wrote the manual

Remember the Declaration ofSophia,whereheelevated the party above the government? Paramountcy, he called it. A word so Orwellianitcouldhavebeen lifted straight from 1984. And then he went one step further: and made the party

the government The

General Secretary’s Office was inside the Ministry of National Development which is like saying the referee gets to play striker

DEM BOYS SEH

People traveling from near and far fuh political meeting

Demboyssehwhenyuhseecrowdata politicalrallynowadays,don’tfoolyuhself and believe is all de people from de same villageordesameward.Nobai,dePPPgat a special import-export system fuh supporters. Is like CARICOM Single Market and Economy—supporters free to move from Berbice to Bartica, Essequibo toEastRuimveldt.

Whileparamountcyhaslong gone in name, Guyana has been living with this congenitaldefecteversince. The Carter Center also complained about preelection giveaways: free b r i d g e c r o s s i n g s , promotions of 2,800 police ranks and the usual sweetmeats Th Carter Center says this gives the ruling party an unfair advantage. Unfair? Hardly Thisistheoldesttrickinthe incumbency playbook Governments everywhere turnintoSantaClausaround election time The only difference is the Guyanese version doesn’t stop at toys. It throws in a bridge, a school, and a reduced electricity rates if you clap loudly enough. So, what’s really the problem? It isn’t

the misuse of cars or the Facebook live-streams or even the party jerseys at school openings. The real issue is that the PPPC has inherited a political culture thatdoesn’tjustblurtheline between party and state; it erasesitwiththeenthusiasm of a toddler finding the eraserendofapencilforthe first time. For them, the line is not a boundary; it’s a suggestion.

A n d m a y b e t h e tragicomedy of Guyanese politics is that everyone pretends there’s a line, but nobody believes in it. The government pretends it governs;thepartypretendsit campaigns, and the people pretend they can tell the difference.Intheend,weare left with a spectacle where t h e P r e

simultaneously Head of State,partycampaigner,and social media influencer, whiletheCarterCentertries desperatelytorefereeagame where the players keep switchingjerseys.

The question is not whetherthelinesareblurred. The question is whether therewaseveralineatall.Or just a doodle Burnham sketched in Sophia one night, which successive governments have been smudgingeversince.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)

One man tell dem boys he see he neighbour at three different rallies. First nighthewasinAlbionwavingflaglikehe born and bred Berbician. Next night, de samemaninBathlikeheisaWestBerbice. By Friday, de man deh in Linden bawling “One Guyana!” louder than de DJ. De crowdgetrecyclefasterthanplasticbottle. Dem PPP strategists smarter than people think. Dem don’t wait pun local turnout. Dem busload supporters from everydirection.Aminibuslineuplooklike Route 42, 44, 45 and 48 join together fuh one destination—de rally ground. Some people get transport, t-shirt, lil food box, and a cool drink. Dem boys seh it sound morelikeadaytourpackagethanpolitics. Now,oppositiondehcrying.Demsehis unfair fuh bring supporters from all over Butdemboysseh,sincewhenpoliticsfair? If you lef it to just local turnout, half dem meetings gon look like domino match underastreetlight. Thatiswhyishardtojudgewhoreally got support where. You see a big rally in Parika,yuhcan’tsureifisParikapeople,or if is minibus full of Canje, Bush Lot, and Mahaica Yuh see a sea of red in Georgetown, you got to ask if de crowd come from de city or if dem just drop off fromTimehriAirport.

Dem boys seh is election season—crowdpoliticsiscrowdbusiness. And de PPP always know how fuh fetch crowd. Whether is real love or real transport,datisanotherstory Talkhalf,Leffhalf

H@RD TRUTHS

Carter Center makes Jagdeo see RED

The people from the Carter Center came to Guyana to observe the 2025 elections at the invitation of the Bharrat JagdeocontrolledPPPGovernment. The Carter Center came, observed, issued a preelectionsreport. Itisnotthe first time that it has done so here, I now understand. To put it mildly, it was a scathing report, one that e x p o s e d t h e P P P Government as a pretender about democracy All doubts about whether PPP strongman is a jester where fair and balanced elections areconcernedvanishedinan instant. He now rails at the CarterCenter:itisapolitical organization. Fromatrusted friendandallyinthefightfor free and fair elections in Guyana since 1991-92 (and to the PPP's advantage), the Carter Center is now a 'political organization ' HowlowcanBharratJagdeo go? How frazzled is he to dive that deeply? How reckless and dangerous is this-the most powerful man in the PPP Government, national leader-now that he hashisbacktothewall,and isstrippedofallpretenses?

I think that as pointedly relevant as those three questions are, there is a still another that fits the vice president more closely How desperate he has become,nowthathedoesn't have the numbers, now that hisonlyweaponisabuseand vitriol? Thereisahistoryto this outburst, one in a long string, from the chief PPP enforcer, the government's most senior reviler When he is challenged, when his skimpy narratives fragment, when his contortions are discovered and exposed, he loses control, gives a damn about civility or standards. TheCarterCenterpeopleare guests of his government, but when they don't follow thegovernment'sscript,then hell hath no fury like Dr Jagdeo He is more maddenedthanabullbefore whomaredflagiswaved. Jagdeohasbeentakento task before by civil society members and journalists, and he reacted in the only way he knew With a battering ram spiked with nails dripping with his special brand of venom Women journalists have been verbally assaulted for

exposing the PPP Government's weaknesses, its nakedness, and the uglinessofitscorruptnature. Myselfandothershavebeen vilified via a scabbard of poisoned arrows, because the national criminal enterprise that is the PPP Governmenthasnostomach for truth, no tolerance for t r u t h - s e e k e r s a n d truthtellers. From who is a predatortowhoisatraitorto whoisastealthoperator,the PPP Government and its agents have dug deep into theirarsenalsforweaponsto conduct cold-blooded character assassinations

From my own personal experience,IcanattesttoDr BharratJagdeo'sroleinsuch attempts at character assassination to intimidate intosilence. Nowhehasset hissightsonaforeigngroup thatwasupuntilrecently,the darling of the PPP establishment. The Carter Centerisit,hisnewfavorite whipping post, made into a scapegoat, for he and his government'sfailures. What is the Carter Center's cardinal sin?

Speaking the truth about electoral conditions in this

...asUSdeployswarshipstoCaribbeanRegion Govt. concerned about narco - terrorism threat

The Government of Guyana has expressed concern about the threat to peace and security posed by transnational organised crime and narco- terrorism intheregion.Thisdisclosure

follows the recent announcement that the D o n a l d T r u m padministration has ordered the deployment of air and naval forces to the Western Hemisphere to address threatsfromLatinAmerican drugcartels.

The government said it notes threats to regional peace involving criminal networks such as the Cartel de los Soles of Venezuela, designated as a terrorist organisation by some countriesintheregion.

“Suchcriminalnetworks have the capacity to o v e r w h e l m s t a t e institutions, undermine democracy, pervert the rule of law and threaten human dignityanddevelopment,”it states.

so-called democracy in Guyana. The Carter Center isapoliticalorganization. It wasn't when it helped the PPP to get back into government in 1992. It wasn't when it was among thosefightingtooth-and-nail to push the PPP back into power in 2020. But today when the Carter Center speaksandwritesaboutPPP ambushes on an elections competitor that transforms the Yanks into a political organization When the Carter Center points to the overreaction and overkill of localbanks,alliesofthePPP, the foreign observers are now a sworn enemy When the Carter Center points to themisuseofstateresources and State media used

unfairly, it is now persona non grata. I caution Dr Jagdeo not to get so unhinged that he ends up on thewrongsideoftheYanks. On each occasion that the PPP flexed its muscles and upset the Americans, it ended up on its head or behind The choice is Jagdeo's, and neither he nor his people cannot say that I gavehimfairwarning,early warning.

He can vent his anger more, or even expel, the Carter Center Now that wouldleavetheentirecohort of international elections observers in Guyana in a mostdifficultplace. Tostay or to go also, that would be the question The US Embassy and the US

Ambassador, Excellency Theriot would be on the hornsofadilemma:whatthe hell is this? How to shut downthisoutrage?

Vice President Jagdeo overstepped, lost his balance. He threatens to takedown the whole shaky PPP edifice with him Manage oneself right, and thereisnoneedtofight. Be about democracy's truths andlights,andalltheblights that now hang on the PPP's headwouldneverexist.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)

Voter turnout for disciplinary services noteworthy -GECOMcommissioners

The participation of the jointservicesduringFriday's voting was noteworthy, according to commissioners attached to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

Opposition nominated commissioner; Vincent

organisedcrime.

Further, the government of Guyana reaffirmed its support for a collaborative and integrated approach to

“We are committed to working with our bilateral partners to find meaningful solutions and will support

networks to safeguard

It underscored the necessity for strengthened cooperation and concerted efforts at the national, regional, hemispheric and global levels to effectively combatthismenace.

confronting transnational organised crime and narcoterrorism with unity, we reaffirm our dedication to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that the region remainsaZoneofPeace,”it said.

Last week, U S Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a short clip shared on the U.S. Department of State'sFacebookpagestated that there are designated narco-terrorist groups operating in the region. He noted that some have been utilizing international airspaceandwaterstotransit drugs that he labeled as “poison” into the United States.

“Those groups will be confronted. The president hasmadethatclearfromthe time he had operated and specific the question was abouttheCarteloftheSuns, CarteldelosSoles,whichis a criminal organisation that happens to masquerade as a government,”hesaid.

(Continuedonpage13)

Alexander told this publication that the turnout of the joint services voters could be above 70 percent. He asserted “Based on the numbers I observed today it is nothing outside of the ordinary I would say about 70percent.”

Similarly, government nominated commissioner, SaseGunrajsaidthenumber wasnoteworthy.Gunrajsaid “I can't put a percentage or figure,butIwouldsayitwas agoodturnout.”

Meanwhile, while speaking to reporters on the ground, GECOM's Public Relations Officer, Yolanda

Ward explained that

GECOM extracted and sorted the 10,481 ballots in the presence of political party agents to facilitate votingprocessforranks.

Shesaidthatmembersof the disciplines forces were expected to vote across the 10 regions. “We have, the Guyana Police Force with 6,999ranksexpectedtovote, the Guyana Defence Force with 3106 ranks and the Guyana Prison Service with 466 members voting today Now I want to clarify that theseofficers,wereafforded theopportunitytovoteinthe

district where they are assigned to work and not in the district where they are registeredtovote.“

Shenotedthattheballots were carefully sorted and extracted for the joint servicesvotingprocess.

Ward explained “So when the ballots arrived in country, we have gone through a process of extraction and sorting those 10,481ballots.Wehavegone through a process of enveloping those ballots usingtwoenvelopeswiththe name and ID number of the elector on the outside and inner envelope contained in that ballot with just the region, where that officer is assignedorregisteredonthe officiallistofelectors.”

Further,shestated“Upon the close of poll today when those ballots are returned, those ballots will be sorted bytherespectivedistrict,and theywillbeplacedinsecure custody…”

Askedaboutturnoutrate, Ward said GECOM will b e g i n p r o c e s s i n g immediately after the polls close, and by Sunday, that exercise should be completed.

She further clarified an issue raised during Friday's vote about ballots not being stamped.

“I want to particularly clarify that on discipline services balloting day, the ballots are not stamped with the six-digit number, but when they're being intermixed at that polling station on election day, it is stamped with that six-digit number of that polling station and placed into that ballotboxandintermixedfor counting. That is what the legal process that is allowed foris,”Wardexplained.

“We have gazetted the list of pollingstations where those ballots will be intermixed on election day, st which is 1 September So thoseballotswillbecounted in the respective district where the officers are registeredtovote.”

Government appointed Commissioner, Sase Gunraj

Opposition appointed Commissioner Vincent Alexander

Political parties livid over GECOM's secrecy about lawyer retained for legal matters

Several political parties contesting the September 1 general and regional elections have voiced serious concerns over the G u y a n a E l e c t i o n s Commission (GECOM) withholding the identity of thelegalrepresentativeithas retained to act in place of a legalofficer

Theyarguethatthislack of transparency undermines confidence in the electoral process.

Adressing the media on Friday, Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) Anneal Giddings reiterated that GECOM had not formally discussed or approved the hiring of any legalofficer “Istillmaintain thepositionthatwehavenot gotten any premature [decision] to discuss any employment or retention of a n y o n e f r o m t h e commission,soIwillnotbe commentingonthat,”hetold reporters.

Whenquestionedfurther on whether there is a legal

officer currently in place, Giddingsresponded,“There is no legal officer GECOM doesnothavealegalofficer I can say one has been retained.”

This response has triggered alarm among political stakeholders

Speaking during a press conference, chairman of the Alliance for Change (AFC), David Patterson, described the situation as “very troubling,” particularly given that the commission has yet to disclose the identity of the retained l a w y e r P a t t e r s o n emphasised that political parties, as key stakeholders, should be involved in such decisionsandmadeawareof who is providing legal guidancetoGECOM.

“We have complained from the very outset about GECOM using the attorney generalastheirlegaladvisor and representative Now, we've heard that they retained an external counsel and it is baffling to know

This is just for the integrity oftheprocess,thattheyhave not revealed who it is Partieswouldliketoknow,” Pattersonsaid.

“I'm not trying to impugn any lawyers' integrity We'llbeonitifIdo that.Buthowever,weshould know, because we are stakeholders, they could have appointed somebody who is equally entwined as Anil Nandlall is to the PPP And there must be some process. Should have been some process whereby everybodywouldhavetobe able to voice their opinion, p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e commissioners on who they'regoingtoappoint.So, itistroubling,”heexplained.

Patterson added that if the retained legal officer is not someone who is viewed as neutral and acceptable to all sides, it could place the election on a “very rough track.”

APNU's leader Aubrey Norton also condemned the commission's silence,

calling it yet another sign of G E C O M ' s l a c k o f transparency and growing partisanship.

“Itisthemanifestationof the usual lack of t r a n s p a r e n c y a n d accountabilityonthepartof GECOM,”Nortonsaid.

“We are well aware that GECOM by now is considered a partisan institutionthatisdirectedby the People's Progressive Party and the rationale I would say is essentially, we

Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) Anneal Giddings speaking with the media

pointed out before that the chairman of GECOM votes with the PPP, a lot of the decisions made are not rational decisions, some of themarenoteveninkeeping withthelawandsowehave to continue to battle so we can ensure that we can get freeandfairelections.”

Odessa Primus, General SecretaryoftheWeInvestin Nationhood (WIN) party, sharedsimilarconcerns.She stressed that such decisions should never be kept secret

in a process that affects all stakeholders.

“All parties should be concerned because in this process there should be no secrets particularly one that would affect all of us,” she said.

“I cannot understand what would be the rationale behindkeepingthisasecret, and so many of us, giving that the party had some concernsduringthisprocess intermsofitbeingonethatis

(Continuedonpage13)

President Ali says joint services prepared for any unrest during election period

President Irfaan Ali on Friday has assured that members of the joint servicesarepreparedtodeal with any eventuality of unrest during the election period. The head-of-state

made the comment following his visit to the polling station at the Police Headquarters, Eve Leary, where members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF)

voted ahead of the September 1, general and regionalelections.

Questionedbythemedia about the joint services' preparedness to deal with any unrest given what occurredfollowingthedeath of Adriana Younge back in April, the president responded, “We have activatedtheirmechanismin anumberofweeksnow,they are having their joint meetings and they have assured me that they have every system in place. They assured me that they have every equipment, the manpower and they have well laid out system to deal withanyissuesiftheyarise.”

The president said the forces do not expect any such incidences, but are however prepared for any

eventuality

Similarly,Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken speaking with the media after casting his vote, noted that before elections, the forcehasbeenworkingwith other members of the joint services especially in the areaoftraining.

“In addition to that, we havehadourunitsprepared, we have the training that is ongoing now, and so we are adequately prepared. Remember nomination day we were quiet, we expect that this day would be quiet andsimilarly,forthegeneral and regional elections we expect it to be quiet,” he related. Accordingtothetop cop, the police will be prepared.Hesaidthereisan increased number of ranks voting this year who will be availableacrossthecountry

“We have Guyanese that are good people and so we don't expect anything to happen,”headded.

On Friday, over 10,000 members of the Guyana PoliceForce,GuyanaPrison ServiceandGuyanaDefence Force cast their votes all across the country ahead of the general and regional elections.

President Irfaan Ali speaking with the media at the Police Headquarters, Eve Leary on Friday.

GECOM faces accreditation issues with party agents on joint services polling day

Th e G u y a n a

E l e c t i o n s

Commission

(GECOM) has confirmed that it encountered issues with the accreditation of politicalpartypollingagents assigned to observe the voting process for members ofthedisciplinedservices.

Deputy Chief Election Officer (DCEO), Aneal Giddings, speaking to the media outside the Police Officers Mess Annex, Eve Learywheremembersofthe Guyana Police Force cast their ballots, explained that whilethevotingprocesshad largely proceeded smoothly, there were some initial issuesinvolvingagents.

“We had some issues

with agents, but I think we havebeenresolvingthemas wegoalong.Idon'thaveany major issues that would hamper the opening of polls across the spectrum,” Giddingssaid.

Whenpressedfurtheron the issues surrounding polling agents, Giddings confirmed that some political party agents appointed to observe the balloting process were not properly accredited, which led to delays at certain pollingstations.

“Some of the parties would not have issued their accreditation letters or appointment letters to their agents, yes he did have communication from the

agents informing us that these are the person that are appointed Unfortunately, they didn't have their letters soourballotattendancewas trainedtoaskfortheseletters of appointments,” he explained.

He emphasised that the commission had worked with the parties and the attendancetoensurethatthe agents were participating in theprocess.

S p e a k i n g w i t h representatives of various political parties, PPP's presidentialcandidateIrfaan Ali confirmed that his party experienced no issues with the accreditation of its pollingagents.

“Our team is tested and

well-oiled machinery with strong internal checks and balances,”hestated.

APNU's leader Aubrey Norton also addressed the matter, noting that while therewereinitialchallenges, they were eventually resolved.

“Earlier they (GECOM) attempted to discredit or discreditsomeofthepeople thathavebeenaccreditedbut they have rectified that, so all of our agents are accredited,”hesaid.

ChairmanofAFCDavid Patterson, said his party did not experience major issues with accreditation letters However, he recounted isolated incidents where party agents were temporarilydeniedaccess.

“We had no difficulties. Thereweresomechallenges, and I do think that's always entirely the expectation of GECOM. In Anna Regina,

the base camp, our agents were not allowed to go in becausesecretaryatthegate said that the base is on lockdown, people are voting. However, so we had to call GECOM and have that resolved. There was a couple of agents who, we would have sent our documentsbeforehandtothe presiding officer (PO), but the PO would not have received it, but that was easily resolved,” Patterson said.

Forward Guyana

Movement leader Amanza Walton-Desir said her party had been advised by GECOM that submitting agents' names would suffice in place of physical accreditationletters.

“We were advised by GECOMthattheywouldnot issue accreditation letters, butthatsubmissionofnames tothecommissionwouldbe sufficient,”shenoted.

Odessa Primus, General SecretaryoftheWeInvestin Nationhood (WIN) party, confirmed that her party experienced no problems. “WIN had no difficulties with accreditation letters We had no issues with that today(Friday),”shesaid.

Efforts to reach Assembly of Liberty and Prosperity (ALP) leader Simona Broomes and PPP elections agent to GECOM, Zulfikar Mustapha, for c o m m e n t s w e r e unsuccessful. According to GECOM's manual for polling day officials, polling day agents appointedbytheirrespective electionagentsmustpresent a letter of accreditation to gainentrytopollingstations. Themanualstates:

“LettersofAccreditation areissuedtoPollingAgents (Continuedonpage13)

GECOMfacesaccreditation...

Frompage12

are issued to PollingAgents andAlternatePollingAgents (appointedbytheirrespective Election Agents) and Duly AppointedCandidatesbythe ReturningOfficer Each Presiding Officer willbeprovidedwithalistof

Election Agents, Assistant Election Agents, and Counting Agents for each party contesting the elections at his/her polling station, as well as a list of Polling Agents, Alternate Polling Agents, and Duly Appointed Candidates

authorized for that station Each of these persons will berequiredtopresenttheir Letter of Accreditation to the Presiding Officer to be allowed entry, after it is verified against the list provided by the Returning Officer.”

PoliticalpartieslividoverGECOM...

Frompage11 that the party had some concernsduringthisprocess intermsofitbeingonethatis there,andifwenowgoingto have secrets in the process then it lends a more concern,”Primusexplained. Presidential Candidate of the Forward Guyana

Movement, Amanza

W a l t o n - D e s i r , acknowledgedconcern. Nofurthercommentwas made.

Efforts to get comments from PPP elections agent to G E C O M , Z u l f i k a r Mustapha,andtheAssembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP) on the issue were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, in its recently released preelection report, the Carter Center noted the ongoing absence of a legal officer at G E C O M a n d t h e complications that come withit.

The report warned that GECOM'spreviousreliance on the attorney general's officeforlegaladvice,given that the AG is a political appointee and candidate in the elections, serious concerns have been raised aboutconflictofinterest.

“Intheabsenceofalegal officer,GECOMhasattimes sought advice from the

attorney general, which in some interlocutors' eyes

u n d e r m i n e s t h e commission's impartiality,” thereportstated.

“While there may be instances where consulting theMinistryofLegalAffairs is appropriate, because the AG is a candidate, it raises questions.

The Carter Center welcomed GECOM's recent action to recruit a new legal officer and urged commissioners to act promptlytoensureadequate legal representation is in place, particularly in the event of election-related legalchallenges.”

Govt.concernedabout...

Frompage10

Secretary Rubio added, “The [Nicolas] Maduro regime is not a government, it's not a legitimate government, we have never recognisedthemassuch. They are a criminal enterprise that basically has taken control of national territory of a country and who by the way are also threatening U S oil companiesthatareoperating

lawfullyinGuyana.”

Rubio noted that

President Trump has been clear, that “anything that's a threattothenationalsecurity of the Unites states he's gonnaconfront.”

Notably, American oil giant ExxonMobil is the operator of Guyana's Stabroek block which is estimatedtohold11.6billion barrels of oil equivalent. Exxon controls 45% of the

block, while Hess, another American oil company controls 30%. The third partnerisCNOOCwith25% shares.

Guyana and Venezuela have a case pending before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ove

Guyana'sEssequiboregion–whichmakesuptwo-thirdof Guyana's territory and is a resourcericharea.

PresidentAliannouncesplansto...

Frompage8

Among the new features and services of the Lima Hospital are are two operating theatres, a specialised birthing suite, an ICU with three beds, an HDU with two beds, a NICU, a dialysis section with two chairs, a blood banking facility, a modern laboratory providing more than 150 different tests, 24hour pharmacy, a 24-hour Accident and Emergency department, two ultras soundmachines,modernX-

ray machine, the first ever CTmachinefortheregion,a dental department, an ophthalmology department, andaudiologydepartment.

There is also an oxygen plant, a mortuary and other amenities

“With this facility equipped with all of these modern diagnostic tools,

specializedcareyouwillbe able to get faster diagnosis, we'll be able to treat you muchquickerandweintend

to have better outcomes at thishospital.

This hospital has been abletocreatejobsduringits construction but it is also going to create many more jobs for people who will work here,” the Minister added I n h e r b r i e f presentation, Regional Chairwoman, Vilma DeSilva noted that “This hospitalwillbethehospital ofservicetoourpeople;we will have quality service at thishospital ”

APNU objects to polling booths obscuring vision of party agents

APartnership for National Unity

(APNU) on Friday objected to the position of polling boxes at polling booth during the voting of members of the disciplinedservices.

Chief Scrutineer for the political party Carol SmithJosephinavideocirculating on social media was heard objectingtoamemberofthe disciplined services voting until the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)

fixed the position of the ballotpapers.

“[It needs to be situated] sothattheagentscanseethat nobody is using any other thing other than the pencil,” shesaidwhileonatelephone callwithaGECOMofficial.

“Sir, I'm having some difficulties here, and these peoplearebeingtoldthatthe DCO is on his way So, voting will stop, because I will not allow the voting to take place, because it is my interest and my party's

interest.

T h e v o t i n g compartments are away fromtheagents.Theycannot see if anything other than a pencilisbeingused,”SmithJosephsaid.

At the close of poll, Smith-Joseph told Kaieteur News that the position of ballotwasanissueacrossthe board and she objected at every polling station she visited.

According to the APNU representative, the matter

was resolved after speaking with senior GECOM officials.

“Whatever I raised, resolutions were found WhatIhavetodonowistry toensure[itdoesn'toccuron E-day] …This first round of voting with the disciplined services,weactuallyhad…I callitatestruntotheactual day to see all of GECOM's short comings and so on. Through our commissioners wewillraiseissuesandbring it to GECOM's attention so

thatwecanmakesurethaton E-daywedon'thavearepeat of some of the issues we encounteredtoday

Like Smith-Joseph, opposition leader Aubrey Nortoninalivebroadcaston his party's Facebook page said that the concerns raised by the party's chief scrutineer were addressed. He said contact was made with the chief elections officer Vishnu Persaud and thematterremedied.

“He'schangingit,andwe have been moving around saying it needs to be changed, because once you havetheboxlikethat,people still find the means of doing irregularities, and as we pursue free and fair elections,wewanttoseethis done properly Additionally, we are saying to our agents, they should not encourage any voting if we cannot see the person in the box. It is done in a way that you can't see where they're marking theirX,butyoumustseethe person so that you know the rightthingishappening,”he stated.

The opposition leader disclosed that the party's agents were present at all pollingstations.

Meanwhile, the other political parties contesting this year's general and regional election have all reportedthatthesystemsput in place for voting by members of the disciplined servicesworkedwelldespite minorhiccups.

President Irfaan Ali, presidential candidate for the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), during avisittotheheadquartersof the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Base Camp Ayanganna, told journalists that the process appeared smoothandefficient.

He observed GECOM staff and polling agents carrying out their duties at justabout07:00hrs.

“So, I think that things are moving very smoothly, very efficiently at the moment, given what you've seen at the police and what you've just seen here at CampAyanganna,”hesaid.

Ali, who is seeking a second term in office, said while the system used by GECOMwasefficient,there wereafewminorissuesthat needed ironing out while referencingthenon-issuance of accreditation letters to somepartyagents.

The president assured that the matter was reported to the chief elections officer

whoindicatedthatthenames of the agents that did not receive the accreditation letterswereonamasterlist.

Presidential Candidate for the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party Azruddin Mohammed told journalistsoutsidethePolice Officers' Mess, Eve Leary that the process was smooth while noting that he and his teamwhichincludedTabitha Sarabo-Halley and Dawn Hastings-Williams were visiting various polling stationstoensurethatvoters didnotexperiencehiccups.

M o h a m e d t o l d journalists that he was not informed of any challenges withthevotingprocess.

“No complaint as yet,” hesaidaround11:00h.

Meanwhile, theAlliance for Change (AFC) also reported a smooth voting process. Chairman of the party David Patterson commendedGECOMforan efficientsystem.

“ T h e s y s t e m i s functioning efficiently Therearesomequeuesinthe highly populated polling stations, but that's expected,” he said Friday morning.

Patterson, who at the time of the interview had only visited a few polling stations,saidthattherewasa need for there to be more staff from GECOM at the pollingstations.

“I was at the police officers' mess and a few others.I thinkitwould have been more efficient if you had more personnel from GECOM available. I would like to think this is an oversight.Iwouldnotliketo put it down that GECOM may be short staffed, but obviously on E-Day, on st September 1 , will be we hopethattherewillbeafull complement of GECOM workers,”hesaid.

At the close of polls, Patterson explained that becausetherewereonlytwo persons working at some polling stations, the process for some members of the disciplined forces took longer than expected. He said he is hopeful that on September 1, there will be a full complement of staff at eachpollingstation.

Similarly, leader of the ForwardGuyanaMovement (FGM) Amanza WaltonDesir in a brief interview publishedonFacebookafter visiting some polling stations reported that the voting process was smooth andefficient.

Disciplinedservicessawsmoothvotingprocess

- Top Cop, GECOM

Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken showing his stained finger as proof that he has voted

The voting process of the discipline services on Friday was smooth, according to Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken, and officials of the Guyana Election Commission (GECOM).

Members of the Guyana Defense Force (GDF), Guyana PoliceForce(GPF)andtheGuyanaPrisonService(GPS)cast theirvotesatvariouspollingstationscountrywide.

Thepollingstationdoorsatofficers’messannexe,police headquarters, Eve Leary, were open promptly at 6:00am, where, Commissioner Hicken’s voted followed by other officers. Crime Chief, Wendell Blanum was also at officers’ mess. Hesharedsimilarsentimentsaftercastinghisvotesand observingtheprocess.

“BasedonwhatIwouldhaveobservedjustnow,theyare ontimeandeverythingisgoingsmoothly,”Hickenssaid.

He added that he planned to visit as much locations as possibletoobservethevotingprocess,andmakesureitwas done smoothly He said commanders and senior officers for outlyingstationswoulddothesame.

DeputyChiefElectionsOfficer(DCEO)AnnealGiddings confirmed that all polling stations were opened on time and the aircraft for the hinterland regions were on their way He saideverythingwassmoothandtherewasnomayorissuethat hamperedtheopeningofpollingplaces.

Meanwhile, Crime Chief and Deputy Commissioner of Police, Wendell Blanum said “I am happy to report that the votingprocesswasseamlessandefficient.Inotherwords,the processwassimple,accurateandverifiable.”Hecommended GECOManditsstafffortheworkexecutedsofar

Duringthevotingperiod,PresidentIrfaanAli,presidential candidate for theAPartnership for National Unity (APNU), Aubrey Norton, along with presidential candidate of the We InvestinNationhood(WIN)AzruddinMohamedalsovisited theofficers’mess.

Kaieteur News reporters while at the polling station, observedthetimelyarrivalofballotboxesandpoliceofficers. Therewasalsoasmoothandorderlytransitionforthevoters whostoodinasinglefilelineawaitingtheirturn.However,an officerwhosefootwasbrokenwasadvisedthatshehadtovote at the officer mess but upon her arrival her name was not on thelist,shewasfurtheradvisedtovisittheBrickdampolling station.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum displays his stained finger after casting his vote on Friday.

'I am voting for the betterment of my hometown'

–prisonofficersaysasshevotesforthefirsttime

Director of Prisons (ag)

Elliot shows off his inked index finger

A 20-year-old first-time voter and member of the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) on Friday expressed that her vote will help to bring about positive change inherRegion9community

Stephanie Opi, who joined the GPS just four months ago, cast her vote at the Georgetown Prison's Administrative Building Speaking with Kaieteur NewsonFriday,shesaidher decision to vote was driven by her desire to see better development in her hometown,despitenotbeing deeplyinvolvedinpolitics.

“I'm not really used to politics,butIvotedbecauseI hopeforbetterdevelopment, e s p e c i a l l y i n m y hometown,”Opishared.

She also revealed that she had made the difficult decision to leave her family behind in Region 9 and relocate to the prison service's living quarters to pursue a better future for

Members of the Guyana Prison Service who cast their vote.

herselfandherlovedones.

Though she admitted to being nervous, Opi said the voting process was straight forward. “It was a smooth processforme.Itdidn'tgive me a hard time, but I had to makeachoice,”shesaid.

Meanwhile, Director of Prisons (ag) Nicklon Elliot wasthefirsttocasthisvote, arriving just before 06:00 hrs.Theotherprisonofficers followedthereafter

Speaking to the media after voting, Elliot said, “I am very honoured and pleased to have fulfilled my constitutional responsibility as the head of the Guyana Prison Service My colleagueshavejoinedmein this process, and we expect all prison officers to cast their votes within the next two hours. We're a small team with just about 500 officers.”

Elliot commended the G u y a n a E l e c t i o n s Commission (GECOM)

efficiency “The voting process was very simple. I wanttocommendthestaffof GECOM they were very much professional in terms of explaining the process to me.”

He also explained that specialprotocolswereputin place to ensure that the prison'soperationsremained unaffectedduringthevoting period. “Today (Friday), we have all staff on duty We have a special detail where staff will be staggered so it would not affect the operations of the prison, so everyone will be given the opportunitytocasttheirvote at Lusignan, Georgetown, Timehri and all the other location,”Elliotnoted.

Elliot assured that he respects all prison officers who cast their votes, regardless of which party they chose to support. He stated, “All officers will be

giventheopportunitytocast their vote They have a choice, and whatever that choiceis,Irespectit.It'sfree and voluntary and it's their constitutionalright.”

Additionally, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Guyana Prison Service, RajivBisnauth,reportedthat thevotingprocessproceeded smoothly across all locations.Heconfirmedthat a significant number of officers had already voted within two hours after the opening of polls and that communications with the commanders at the Mazaruni, NewAmsterdam, and Timehri prisons indicated no issues during the process “So far everythingwent smoothly, a number of officers have casted their ballots,” he told KaieteurNewsonFriday.

Voting took place at five designated polling stations across the country,

Prison officers waiting to cast their vote at Camp Street prison administrative building.

including: the Georgetown Prison Administrative Building at Camp and Durban Streets, Timehri Prison Officers Sports Club, New Amsterdam Prison Officers Sports Club, Mazaruni Prison Officers Sports Club, and the Lusignan Prison's AdministrativeBuilding.

Each station had one polling place where officers casttheirballots.

Throughout the day, as officers cast their votes, no disruptions were reported. Officers spent no more than 15 minutes at the polling stationsduetothestaggered voting schedule and the limitednumberofofficers.

Aftercastingtheirvotes, several prison officers shared their experience with KaieteurNews.

Prison Officer Oxford said, “The process was smooth. I'm hoping that peace and prosperity prevail

duringthistime.”

Reflecting on her momentattheballotbox,she added,“Iwasthinkingabout which party to vote for.” Whenaskedaboutherhopes for leadership and improvements for herself, her family, and the country asawhole,shesaid,“Ihope that they continue to do the workthattheyaredoing.”

PrisonOfficerLancaster, who is voting for the third time,saidheapproachedthe polling station confidently knowing who to vote for “The voting process today was smooth. Nothing much went through my mind becauseIalreadyknowwho I'm voting for,” he said. On his expectations, he added, “What I think is that even thoughweaspublicservants are putting in our vote, whosoever becomes leader, we must do the right thing becauseattheendoftheday ourvotesmatter,”hesaid.

Photo of ballot shared on social media raises concerns about GECOM's efforts to safeguard secrecy of the vote

Aphotograph purported toshowhowamemberofthe Guyana Police Force voted hasraisedconcernsaboutthe mechanism in place by the G u y a n a E l e c t i o n s Commission (GECOM) to protect the secrecy of the ballots and eliminate the possibility of vote selling amongtheelectorate.

The issue was raised after a member of the joint services voted, posted a photograph of it on social media; the post which was shared several times.

GECOM had taken a decisiontohavevoterslodge their phones as a measure to ensure they are not used to photographtheirballots.

The decision was aimed atprotectingthesanctityand secrecy of the ballot; particularly to address existing concerns regarding the potential for vote selling

that is directly linked to photographing of ballots

The prohibition on cell phone use and the penalties forvotesellingarerootedin the Representation of the PeopleAct,Cap.1:03. Opposition-nominated GECOM commissioner, Vincent Alexander noted that while the commission announced that the use of cell phones at voting sites is prohibited, polling day staff for the joint services on Friday failed to enforce the rule.

Alexandersuggestedthat the commission made an oversight in introducing the mechanism.

“There were public notices placed at the sites telling people that they should turn off the phones when they enter the polling station, but the staff, based on my observation, I didn't

PRO of GECOM, Yolanda Ward speaking to reporters outside a polling site in Friday

witness any polling station expect for one telling the people that they needed to place their phones on the tables outside the polling boothsbeforetheyvote. So, I can tell you that the staff was not enforcing this measure.”

“Theydidn'tputinplace what I believe would have beenabetteroptionthatwas lodging the phones before enteringtheboothsonowwe

have these issues,” the commissionerrelayed.

When contacted, GECOM's PRO Yolanda Ward said she believes the mechanismissufficient.

“There is a table side of the voting compartment for peopletolodgetheirphones and then place their ballots. We are not going to pad search anyone. The rule is simple and anyone violates knows that it is a breach of the law and it has consequences,” Ms Ward said.

In addition to the photograph which was shared,partyagentsfortheA Partnership for National Unity (APNU) on Friday raised objection how voting compartments were position which did not allow them to observe if a voter is attemptingtousehis/her

(Continuedonpage22)

The ballot that was posted on social media by a police rank

Nicklon

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WithnoUkrainepeacedeal,Trump againthreatensRussiasanctions

(Reuters)- U.S.President Donald Trump renewed a threat to impose sanctions on RussiaonFridayifthereisno progress toward a peaceful settlement in Ukraine in two weeks,showingfrustrationat Moscow a week after his meeting with Russian PresidentVladimirPutininAlaska.

“I’m going to make a decision as to what we do and it’s going to be, it’s going to be a very important decision, and that’s whether or not it’s massivesanctionsormassive

LEGALNOTICE

tariffsorboth,orwedonothing and say it’s your fight,” Trumpsaid.

He was unhappy about Russia’s deadly strike on a factory in Ukraine this week, he said.

“I’m not happy about it, andI’mnothappyaboutanything having to do with that war,”Trump told reporters at the White House.

added.RussianForeignMinisterSergeiLavrovtoldNBC there was no agenda for such asummit.

“Putin is ready to meet with Zelenskiy when the agenda would be ready for a summit. And this agenda is not ready at all,” he said.

The statement echoed Moscow’s established rhetoric about a leaders’ meeting being impossible unless certain conditions were met.

LEGALNOTICE

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TAKENOTICEthatonthe 15thdayofApril,2025a PetitionforDivorcewas filed against you by BIBI SAFEYSINGHneeKHAN the Petitioner/Applicant in theFamilyDivisionofthe HighCourtinGeorgetown, Demerara.ANDFURTHER TAKENOTICEthataspart of an Order made on the 12THdayofMay,2025,the Petitioner/Applicant was directed to effect service of her Petition on you by publication of this Notice in two (2) consecutive Saturday issues of the KaieteurNews,adaily newspaper printed, published and circulated in and around Guyana.AND FURTHERTAKENOTICE that if you desire you may appear or attend in person of by your duly authorized agent orAttorney-at-Law at the Registry of of the High CourtatGeorgetown, Demerarawhereyouwillbe OFTHESUPREMECOURT OF issued with a certified copy of the Petition

together with related documents.AND FURTHERTAKENOTICE that if you desire to Defend this Divorce, then upon receipt of the certified copy of the Petition, you must file an Acknowledgementof Service,Noticeof Intention to Defend (Forms are available at the Registry),Answer and/or Cross Petition via the online portal, https:// ejudiciary.supremecourt.gy within35(Thirty-Five) days from the date of the final publication of this Notice. Your access code is iyoTat

TAKENOTICEthatthe divorce is scheduled for DirectionsHearingon Thursday the 16th day of September,2025at11:00 am before the Honourable MadamJusticeJacqueline Josiah-GrahamviaZoom MeetingID:2931896521 andPassword:Court10. INDEFAULTofyour filingan Acknowledgementof Service/Noticeof Intention to Defend, Answer and/or Cross PetitiontheCourtmay proceed in your absence andmaymakeanyOrderit considers appropriate, including granting the Divorce.TheRegistryof theFamilyDivisionofthe High Court is located at the Law Courts [Georgetown,Demerara]. The office is open to the publicbetween8:00am and 3:30pm Mondays to Thursdays and 8:00am to 2:30pmonFridaysexcept on public Holidays and on such other days as the Registry is closed.

Dated the 19th day of May,2025

Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelenskiy,meanwhile, said on Friday that Russia was doing everything it could to prevent a meeting betweenhimandPutin,while Russia’sforeignministersaid the agenda for such a meeting was not ready

Zelenskiy has repeatedly called for Putin to meet him, saying it is the only way to negotiate an end to the war

Trump had said he had begun the arrangements for a Putin-Zelenskiymeetingafter acallwiththeRussianleader on Monday that followed their Alaska meeting on August 15.

ZelenskiyaccusedRussia ofstalling.

“The Russians are doing everything they can to prevent the meeting from taking place,” he said on Friday at a pressconferenceinKyivwith NATO Secretary General MarkRutte.

“Themeetingisoneofthe componentsofhowtoendthe war And since they don’t want to end it, they will look for space to (avoid it),” he

Asked for his response to Lavrov’scommentsandwhat thenextstepsare,Trumptold reporters earlier on Friday: “Well,we’llsee.We’regoing to see if Putin and Zelenskiy will be working together. It’s likeoilandvinegaralittlebit.”

Trump had taken sanctions off the table in preparationforhissummitinAnchorage with Putin. But at the same White House event wherehementionedpossible sanctions, he reached into a drawer to pull out a photograph of his meeting with Putin on the red carpet in Alaska, saying Putin wanted toattendtheWorldCup2026 soccer tournament in the United States.

“I’mgoingtosignthisfor him.ButIwassentone,andI thoughtyouwouldliketosee it, it’samannamedVladimir Putin, who I believe will be coming, depending on what happens. He may be coming, and he may not, depending on what happens,” Trump said.

Photoofballotsharedon socialmediaraisesconcerns...

From page 21 phone to take a photo of his/ herballot.

Party leader, Aubrey Norton said his party will be takinglegalactionagainstthe officerwhopostedhisballot.

GECOMhadwarnedthat in the event a voter is observed attempting to photographhis/herballot,staffand/ or party agents will immediatelyraiseanalarmtoprevent the action. “Any voter observed taking a photograph ofhis/herballotpaperwillresult in a formal note being made of the incident, and a report will be immediately submitted to the Guyana PoliceForceforinvestigation.

Adesignateddeskortable will be placed next to each voting compartment where voters will be instructed to placetheircellphonesbefore using the voting compartment to cast their vote.

Thiswillprovideavisible

location for phones, by all concerned, during the voting process,” the statement read. AccordingtoGECOM,it is imperative to understand that the selling of a vote constitutes a serious electoral offencewhichcarriessignificant penalties. “Offenders found guilty of selling their vote are liable to a fine of sixty-five thousand Guyana Dollars(G$65,000)andimprisonment for a term of six (6) months.

Thecommissionurgesall voters to cooperate with the new measures, specifically because they are crucial for upholding the integrity and transparency of the electoral process.

GECOM is committed to upholding the principles of freeandfairelectionsandwill take all necessary steps to prosecute those who attempt to undermine the democratic process.”

Israel using starvation as weapon of war; UN declares famine in Gaza as atleast 65 killed atleast

(AL-JAZEERA)-Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, and it will likely spread across the enclave, a United Nations-backed global hunger monitor has said.

OnFriday,theIntegrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system said514,000people,closeto a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza, are experiencing famine,withthenumberdue toriseto641,000bytheend ofSeptember

This comes after 22 monthsofwar,duringwhich Israeliforceshavedestroyed infrastructure and bakeries, blockedtheentryofaidinto the besieged Strip, and targetedandkilleddesperate Palestiniansseekingfood.

This is the first time the IPC has recorded famine outside of Africa, and the global group has predicted that famine conditions would spread to the central and southern areas of Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis bytheendofnextmonth.

Here’s how global leaders and NGOs are reactingtotheIPCreport:

UnitedNations

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Gaza’s famine was a “manmade disaster, a moral indictment, and a failure of humanityitself”.

“Famine is not only about food; it is the deliberate collapse of the systems needed for human survival,” Guterres said “People are starving Children are dying And thosewiththedutytoactare failing.”

TheUNchiefsaidIsrael, as the occupying power, has “unequivocal obligations” under international law, including the duty to unsure that food and medical supplies are made available tothepopulationofGaza.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, has highlighted that “months of warningshavefallenondeaf ears”, but now the famine is nowconfirmedinGazaCity andthesurroundingareas,it is“timeforpoliticalwill”to endit.

“We cannot allow this situation to continue with impunity,” he said “No more excuses. The time for actionisnottomorrow–itis now.”

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said the famine has been “openly promoted by some Israeli leaders as a weapon of war” and called on Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahuto“end the retribution” and open Gaza’s crossings for unrestrictedaccess.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the UN-backed declaration that famine was presentinpartsofGaza.

“The IPC report is an outrightlie,”Netanyahusaid inastatementreleasedbyhis office.

He added that “Israel does not have a policy of starvation”, citing the deliveryofhumanitarianaid into the Gaza Strip during thewar

The controversial Israeland US-backed GHF took

overallfoodaiddistribution inGazafromtheUNinMay Since then, Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 2,000 aid seekers have been killed.

Hamas

PalestiniangroupHamas called for an immediate end to the war and the lifting of the Israeli siege on the territory after the UN declaredafamineinpartsof Gaza.

In a statement published online, the group called for “immediate action by the UN and the security council to stop the war and lift the siege” and demanded that crossings be opened “without restrictions to allow the urgent and continuous entry of food, medicine,waterandfuel”.

Thegroupwentontosay that the declaration by the UN has confirmed the “humanitarian catastrophe” inGazaandaccusedIsraelof usingstarvationasa“toolof war”.

Meanwhile, at least 65 Palestinianshavebeenkilled in Israeli attacks on Gaza sincedawn,medicalsources toldAlJazeera,including36 killed in Gaza City where Israel was escalatingattacks in the lead-up to a broader plannedoffensive.

An Israeli air strike hit a school in Sheikh Radwan, a Gaza City neighbourhood where tens of Palestinians were seeking shelter in makeshift tents in the schoolyard At least 12 civilians were killed in the attack, Gaza’s Ministry of HealthsaidonFriday Footage circulating on

socialmediaandverifiedby Al Jazeera show an Israeli quadcopter hovering over a building in Sheikh Radwan as neighbours watch anxiously,beforeitdropsan explosive on its target. The videothencutstofootageof smoke rising from the targetedbuilding.

Another person was killedbyIsraeliforcesinthe Tuffah neighbourhood in Gaza City, a medical source at al-Ahli Hospital told Al Jazeera.

Earlier, Israel’s defence minister warned that Gaza’s largest city would be destroyed unless Hamas yielded to Israel’s terms for endingthewar

“The gates of hell will soon open on the heads of Hamas’ murderers and rapists in Gaza – until they agree to Israel’s conditions for ending the war,” Israel KatzwroteinapostonX.

Katz restated Israel’s ceasefire demands, which include the release of all captives and Hamas’s complete disarmament Hamas has said it would releasecaptivesinexchange for ending the war, but rejectsdisarmamentwithout the creation of a Palestinian state.

In response to the latest ceasefire proposal, accepted by Hamas and brokered by Qatar and Egypt, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuonThursdaysaid he had instructed officials “to begin immediate negotiations” to release remaining captives and end thewar

Yet Netanyahu also confirmed that he would authorise the military to mount a major operation to seizeGazaCity,whichcould startwithindays.

While many Israelis fear

anassaultcoulddoomabout 20 captives deemed to be alive, Netanyahu maintains the offensive is the surest way to free captives and achieve the war objective of destroyingHamas.

Two Palestinians have starved to death in Gaza in thepast24hours,whichalso saw 71 people killed in Israeli attacks across the enclave, according to the territory’sHealthMinistry

A UN classification system used to determine access to food has officially declared famine in Gaza, saying more than half a million Palestinians are facing catastrophic famine conditions, which include starvation, destitution and death.

Israel’sForeignMinistry has rejected the findings, saying there is no famine in Gaza and the findings are basedon“Hamaslies”.

RSF attacks kill 89 people in 10 days in Sudan’s Darfur, UN says

(AL-JAZEERA) - Ten days of “brutal” attacks by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have leftatleast89peopledeadin thewesternregionofDarfur, the United Nations High commissioner for human rightssays.

SinceApril 2023, Sudan has been torn apart by a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah alBurhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, commander oftherivalRSF Thefighting haskilledtensofthousands.

North Darfur’s besieged capital, el-Fasher, has been

undersiegebytheRSFsince Maylastyear

The recent RSF attacks occurredbetweenAugust11 and August 20 in el-Fasher and the nearby Abu Shouk displacement camp, Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for commissioner Volker Turk,saidinaGenevapress briefingonFriday

“Brutal attacks by the RSF resultedinthekilling ofatleast89civiliansovera 10-day period up to August 20,” the UN human rights officesaid.

“We fear the actual number of civilians killed is

likely higher,” Laurence added. He said such attacks were unacceptable and had toceaseimmediately

Thedeadincludeatleast 57peoplewhowerekilledin attacks on August 11 and another 32 killed between August 16-20, Laurence said.

“We are particularly horrified that among the most recent spate of civilian killings, 16 appear to have been cases of summary executions,”headded.

Among the dead were civilians from the African Zaghawatribeandonefrom

theAfricanBertitribe.

“This pattern of attacks on civilians and wilful killings, which are serious violations of international humanitarian law, deepens our concerns about ethnically motivated violence,”Laurencesaid.

El-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur province, is the military’s last stronghold in the sprawling region of Darfur

The RSF has bombed the cityformorethanayear,and lastmonth,itimposedatotal blockade on its hundreds of thousandsofpeople

Palestinian children wait with others for food at a distribution point in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip [File: Eyad Baba/AFP]

PPP not worried FGM's legal challenge

could stall elections - Pres. Ali

PresidentIrfaanAli has said that the ruling People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is not worried the

general and regional electionscouldbedelayedas a result of legal proceeding being filed by Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) againsttheGuyanaElections Commission(GECOM).

The party is challenging the elections body over its omission from the national ballot in three regions. The case is slated to come up before Chief Justice (ag) NavindraSinghonMonday

Speaking with reporters

at the joint services polling stationatCampAyanganaon Friday, President Ali essentially shrugged off the notionthatthelawsuitcould possibly stall the September 1polls.

“Thisisnotaconcernfor the PPP I think that they have sought recourse on a matterthattheybelievethey should.

They have gone to the courts and the courts will dealwiththat.

Ourpartyiscontestingin all of the regions and the geographic seats and we are contesting in all of the regions.”

President Ali continued “I am not concerned that it wouldstalltheelections.

I think that some may have the belief or they may have the desire for that and that may be the root or genesis of what they are attempting However, I don't have any concerns of the stalling of the elections I think our courts are meant todealwiththeseissues ” “ W e a r e j u s t concentrating now on these polls I know the joint services are well prepared. They have given me a full briefoftheirpreparednessto ensure that we have

FGM says Govt misusing cash grant data for political advantage

The Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) has slammed the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration for using citizen's personal information collected under the government's 2024 cash grant programme for politicalpurposes.

The party said over the past several days, its offices have been inundated with callsfrompersonsacrossthe country reporting that they have received unsolicited

political calls from

telephone numbers including +592-761-8532 and +592-761-9361. Callers have allegedly referenced the government's cash grant

initiative and asked recipients whether they intend to vote for the ruling PPP/C. In some instances, citizens reported being told

outright that their information was obtained

from the cash grant registrationlist.

“This practice is deeply troubling. It constitutes a blatant misuse of state resources, a violation of citizens'privacyrightsunder the Data Protection Act 2023,andanunlawfulactof undue influence as defined in the Representation of the PeopleAct.Theexploitation of government-held data for partisangainunderminesthe principle of a level playing field and erodes public trust in the electoral process,” FGM relayed in a release Friday

T h e p a r t y s a i d i n t e r n a t i o n a l standards including the

OAS Inter-American

Dem

r, OSCE/Venice Commission Guidelines, and Carter

Standards—all prohibit the use of public resources or administrative data for political advantage By leveraging citizens' private information for campaign purposes, the ruling party compromisestheintegrityof the democratic process and places citizens under undue pressure.

“The Forward Guyana Movement calls upon all electoral observer missions, civil society, and the international community to take no

monitor closely the use of government resources duringthiselectionperiod.”

It said the credibility of the upcoming elections depends on urgent action to safeguardcitizens'rightsand prevent the abuse of state resources. Earlier this week, international elections observer mission Carter Center condemned the PPP/C for misusing state resourcesincludingthestate media in its ongoing campaign to conjure up support for Guyana's upcoming general and regionalelections.

The mission said it had receivedmultipleallegations from political parties and civil society that the ruling party has misused state resources.“Socialmediaand news reports are also rife withphotographssuggestive of this problem. The use of state resources for party campaigning runs contrary to Guyana's international obligations with respect to campaign finance,” the organisationoutlined.

The center underscored allegations against the

peaceful elections and to ensurethattheelectionsare conducted and people conduct themselves within theconfinesofthelaw”

Inthesamevein,Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Aneal Giddings said GECOMhasnotbeenserved anydocumentsregardingthe courtcase.

governmentabouttheuseof state-owned vehicles to campaign, as well as the advantage taken of “10-day workers” in campaign activities The body also slammed the government's widespreadspending,which it explained puts competing political parties at a disadvantage.

“Official government statementsabouttheopening of schools and other public buildings regularly feature publicofficialsinfullrulingparty regalia, blurring the linebetweenthestateandthe party Since July 30, the president has announced he would promote over 2,800 Guyana Police Force officers. On Aug. 1, the government announced that bridge crossings would now be free. These and similar measures can be seen to afford the ruling party an unfair advantage While Guyana's laws do not prohibit new government spending after an election is called, such spending runs contrary to international standards and best practices intended to ensure a level playingfield.

And while the entity is not conducting systematic media monitoring, it said it has noted and received reports indicating the bias state media coverage in favour of the ruling party The mission has received complaints from several political parties reporting limitedaccesstostatemedia, with their events receiving little or no coverage. One party has also alleged that it was even denied the opportunity to place advertisements in state media.

electoralregions.

In response, FGM has petitioned the high court, seekinganimmediatehaltto theelectoralprocessuntilthe party's candidates are properly included in the national ballots for the affectedregions

Walton-Desir also revealed that another new party the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP), led by Simona Broomes,hassimilarlybeen omitted from the national ballots in Regions One, Two, Seven, Eight, and Nine

violateArticles 59, 149, and 160 of the constitution, as well as provisions of the RepresentationofthePeople Act(ROPA).

“I don't want to comment on that because, what I can tell you, is that I have read in the media of a purported filing I say purported because as of this point and time, I don't believe we have been served with regards to this matter,”Giddingssaidashe assuredthatthecommission remains focused on ensuring transparency and efficiency in the ongoing electoral process, despite thelegalchallenge

Meanwhile, FMG's presidential candidate Amanza Walton Desir told the media on Friday that the caseissettocomeupincourt onMonday

Walton Desir filed legal proceedings against the c o m m i s s i o n a f t e r discovering that the party was omitted from the national ballot in Regions Seven,Eight,andNine

According to WaltonDesir, the party met all requirements and was duly approved to contest the nationalelections.

While the party is not contesting these regions at thegeographicallevel,itwas approved to appear on the national list across all 10

Frompage5

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DDL's Chairman Komal Samaroo noted: “We're proud to celebrate 13 years

As such, the legal motion, filed by Dr Vivan Williams of VMW Law on behalf of FGM, seeks inter alia a declaration that any elections held without full party inclusion are null and void; an order restraining GECOM from excluding any duly qualified party from national ballots; a directive requiring GECOM to immediately include the FGM national listinRegionsSeven,Eight, and Nine; an assurance that votersinRegionsOne,Two, Seven, Eight, and Nine are not restricted in their electoral participation, an order restraining GECOM whetherbyitself,itsofficer, servants or agents from proceeding with the conduct of the upcoming regional a general election unless or until the FGM list of candidates is included in all the ballots in all 10 electoral regions, in accordance with the constitutionandROPA.

FGMhasarguedthatthe omissions not only disenfranchise voters in those regions, but also impact the party's ability to securevotesandseatsinthe nationalassembly Reading from a prepared statement, Walton-Desir stated that the court application seeks constitutional relief under Part 56 of the Civil Procedure Rules, claiming that GECOM's actions

as the Official Spirit of CPL T20 with the launch of this special edition rum. This rumnotonlycommemorates ourjourneywithCPL,butit reflects our dedication to heritage, tradition, and the sharedjoyofcricket.

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The affidavit outlines four key arguments in relation to the omission of approved parties. WaltonDesir related that one of the party's FGM national candidates in Region Nine, andregisteredvoter,Krystal Hadassah Fisher, is now unable to vote for her own party

“The plaintiff is arguing thatGECOM'sballotdesign is unconstitutional, discriminatory, and silences thevoicesofindigenousand rural communities,” she said.

Walton-Desir sighted GECOM inconsistencies with the requirements stating, “What is the use of providing a minimum standard if you are going to then retract that and tell people you have to abide by themaximum?

Whatistheuseofsaying totheelectorate,thatinorder to qualify to participate in the general elections, you must meet the threshold of being able to compete in six districts, and then you exclude them from the generalelections?”

She further added, “All of these matters are matters that we want clarified, becauseourgiantmovement is not intent to proceed just beingdraggedalong.

Wewantclarity,wewant thecourtstopronounce,and we want GECOM to get its acttogether.”

Caribbean pride and craftsmanship We look forward to continuing this spirited journey with CPL and the fans who make it unforgettable year after year.”

The El Dorado Master Blender's Special Edition 13-Year-Old Rum is now available for sale at local retail outlets countrywide andallDuty-FreeShops.

President Irfaan Ali Presidential Candidate of Forward Guyana

ICCWOMEN’SCWC2025–ALOSTOPPORTUNITY...

Frompage32

Women won by a massive 114 runs Ms Marissa Aguilera, then WI-W wicket-keeper-battercaptain, actually top scored with 23 WI Women’s battingimplodedbadlythen.

Over10yearslater,there has been no obvious progress with WI-Women’s W-ODIteams,justthesame idiocy from insipid male cricket leaders and mostly male know-nothing politicians.

Australia Women have

since won yet another such tournament, in 2022, while WI-Women could only manage a semi-final appearance;aseriouslypoor, veryunacceptablesituation.

THENEXTSTEPSFOR WIWOMENTONEXT YEAR2026&BEYOND Next year, 2026, there will be another big ICC women’s event, in United Kingdom-ICCWomen’sT20 World Cup 2026 Thankfully,WIWomenhave qualified for that tournament.

Situations should have alreadybeenputintoplaceto ensure that WI Women not only do very well, but to almost guarantee winning that specific competitionfor the 2nd time, after that wonderful victory in 2016, beating nemeses Australia Womenbyeightwickets.

HavinghostedICCW-T20-IWCin2010and2018in theCaribbean,WIWomenin 2

Women’s 148-5 (20 overs), making149-2(19overs).

Ms. King, Ms.Aguilera, captain Ms. Matthews, and another WI Women’s stalworth, Jamaican Allrounder & Former Captain Ms. Stephanie Taylor, all featured heavily in that victoryandtournament. More W

needed.2026 is as good a year as any to start.Many moreplayersoftheircaliber named above are needed right now if those successes are to become reality regularly Stopwastingtime! Enjoy!Cheers!

Colin E H Croft –Former Guyana, Lancashire CCCandWICricketer E

il add

Saturday August 23, 2025

ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19)

Recent overindulgence may haveyoutofeelabitunderthe weather this morning, Aries. Avoid coffee and other stimulants. Try to sleep in if you can. Too much stress in your life certainly isn't helping.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

Feelings of love for a romantic partner could be so overwhelming today you might be moved to tears, Taurus.Youwillexperiencea lotofsensualpassion.

GEMINI(May21–June20)

Today the walls may seem to beclosinginaroundyou,and you'reanxioustogetoutfora while, Gemini. Your significant other could want nothingmorethantostayin.

CANCER(June21–July22)

Some wonderful news may come to you today, Cancer, and this could send you into such excitement that it's difficulttoconcentrateonthe situation at hand. This is OK forawhile.

LEO(July23–Aug.22)

Afriendorcolleaguemaypay you back a small sum of money that's owed to you, Leo.You'llbethrilled,butyou might feel a little guilty that you plan to spend it on something frivolous instead ofputtingittowardyourbills.

VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22)

Your home may seem lonely today, Virgo, and love may seem to be absent. A family member, perhaps your love partner,couldbeawayforthe night, making the place seem far colder and emptier than it is.

LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)

Are you preoccupied today, Libra?Somethingthatmeansa lot to you could require some careful consideration so you might be quieter than usual. Loved ones may think that you'reill,upset,orevenangry

SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov.21)

Money worries may plague you today, Scorpio There might not be any real reason. You may just be fretting over possible troubles that could come up. This is a pointless exercise. Cross that bridge whenyoucometoit.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21)

A friend could seem distant today, Sagittarius, and p r o b a b l y w o n ' t b e communicating with you much Don't jump to the conclusion that your friend is upsetwithyou.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19)

Are you picking up on some unsettling feelings from a friend who lives far away, Capricorn?Youmaywonderif there'ssomethingwronginthis person'slife.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)Isthestockmarkettakinga nosedive again, Aquarius? Is this causing you to worry about your investments? Relax! The situation is likely temporary,andyourstocksand bonds will probably regain theirformervalue.

PISCES(Feb.19–Mar 20)

Your love partner may be experiencing some minor conflicts with colleagues today, Pisces, and may seem distant and preoccupied. The problem could well pass by tomorrow,

Premier League: Chelsea thrash...

Frompage35

Chalobah both scored from corners after two weak attempts to claim crosses from goalkeeper Mads Hermansen on his home debut.

The stands emptied after those fourth and fifth goals in the space of four minutesasangryHammers fans showed their dissent

in the club’s first home game of the season, which followed a 3-0 loss at n e w l y p r o m o t e d Sunderland on the opening day

West Ham are now without a win in six home matches and eight goals is themosttheyhaveconceded across their two opening gamesofatop-flightseason.

m

ss: c.e.h.croft@gmail.com Mobile telephone & Whats App Number: +1 (347)8854411

Slingerz FC inches closer to second league title

…Elite

League leaders will be looking to extend their lead this weekend

League resumes

this

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Elite

League resumes this weekend at the National

T r a i n i n g C e n t r e , Providence, with four crucial fixtures that will shape the final points standings. At the heart of it all is

league leaders Slingerz FootballClub,whostandon the cusp of reclaiming their throne as the country’s top side. The action kicks off

weekend

Defending

champions

Guyana Defence Force FC occupy fourth on 22 points, whileSantosFC,whowillbe eyeing an upset against Slingerz, round out the top fivewith16points.

In the bottom half, Monedderlust (15 points) andAnn’sGroveUnited(12 points)haveshownfight,but inconsistency has cost them dearly Den Amstel (11 points) and F

u

a Conquerors (8 points) are in thedangerzone,flirtingwith r

, remain rooted to the basement, still pointless after12straightlosses,while conceding a staggering 126 goals, the worst defensive record in Elite League history

today at 6:30 pm when Den Amstel face Monedderlust FC in what promises to be a gritty encounter Both sides aredesperateforpointsafter coming off defeats in their lastoutings.

Followingthatclash,the once-mighty but now struggling Fruta Conquerors FCwilltakeonAnn’sGrove United.All four teams enter the round with losses hangingoverthem,andwith relegation spots looming dangerously near, three pointstonightcouldproveto bealifeline.

Sunday’s double-header is set to provide even more drama. WesternTigers,still within striking distance of Slingerz FC, will lock horns with Mainstay Goldstar at 6:30 pm. The Essequibobased outfit has endured a torrid campaign, shipping double-digit goals almost everytimethey’vetakenthe field. The Tigers will view this as a must-win fixture to keep their faint title hopes alive.

The marquee matchup follows, with table-toppers Slingerz FC facing fifthplaced Santos FC.Awin for the West Demerara giants wouldextendtheirunbeaten run and all but seal their secondEliteLeaguetitle.

Slingerz FC’s campaign has been nothing short of spectacular From 12 matches, they’ve recorded 11 victories and a single draw, the only team yet to tastedefeatthisseason.

Theirfree-flowingattack has plundered 69 goals, while their watertight

defence has conceded just three, giving them a jawdropping goal difference of +66.With34points,theyare comfortably perched at the summit of the table. Their nearest challengers, Guyana Police Force FC, sit seven points adrift on 27. The lawmen have shown steel at the back, conceding only 11 goals, and remain mathematically in the hunt witheightwins,threedraws, andasolitaryloss.

Western Tigers also share27pointsbutslippedto third after 13 matches, their record of eight wins, three draws, and two defeats not enough to keep pace with Slingerz.

With just a handful of fixtures remaining, the mathematics may leave room for permutations, but the football tells its own story,SlingerzFChavebeen untouchable.

Their organisation, thanks to Coach Jamaal Shabazz, ruthlessness in front of goal, and nearperfect defensive line have set a standard that few in Guyanacanmatch.

Barring an extraordinary collapse,theWestDemerara powerhouseissettolifttheir second GFF Elite League title, something that will underlinetheirresurgenceas the country’s undisputed footballingforce.

RepublicBankCaribbeanPremierLeague… Hope (82), Hetmyer (65*) clobber Falcons, as Warriors surge to 83-run win

Scorching half-centuries from Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer, backed by 5 wickets from captain ImranTahir,setupamonster winfortheGuyanaAmazon Warriors last night as they steamrolled home team Antigua and Barbuda Falcons by a whopping 83run margin at the Sir Viv RichardsStadium.

Taking first strike paid off for the Warriors who were piloted to 211-3 in 20 overs, after a tremendous century partnership with Hope stroking a classy yet aggressive54-ball82with6 foursand5sixes.

H e t m y e r w a s devastating, smashing five sixes and as many fours to finish unbeaten on 65 from 26 balls, as the Falcon

bowlers each claimed a wicket.

Falcons replying to a monstertargetwereknocked overfor128withafewovers remaining, with Karima Gore (31), Bevon Jacobs (26)beingtheFalcons’main scorers.

The ageless leg-spinner Tahir starred with magical figures of 5-21, along with frontline pacers Dwaine Pretorius (2-44) and Romario Shepherd (2-16) helped pick apart the Falconsbattingorder Warriors lost openers Ben McDermott (8) and Kevlon Anderson (22), despite crossing the team’s half-century mark when the latter was dismissed in the 11thover.

Hope and Hetmyer

consolidated for the minor setbacks as they pair dug into the Falcons bowling which was the backbone of theinnings.

Not before after, Hope raised his bat to celebrate anotherfiftyintheLeagueas Hetmyer played a more aggressiveroleonhiswayto a much-deserved halfcentury

Pacer Jayden Seals’ (134) removal of Hope paved thewayforShepherdtopick the bones off the final few overs.

The all-rounder sped his way to 25* off a mere 8 deliverieswithtwofoursand two sixes, forging a solid backend partnership with Hetmyer to help push Guyana over the 200-run mark.(CliftonRoss)

Djokovic calls for further rise in Grand Slam prize money

is looking to win an Open era record-equalling fifth US Open men’s singles title (Getty Images)

(BBC Sport) - Novak Djokovic believes there is “room for improvement” regarding the prize money available to players at the fourGrandSlams.

Tournamentprizemoney has been a contentious issue this year, after the top 20 men’s and women’s players signed a letter asking for a greater share of revenue from the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon andUSOpen.

Earlier this month, the United States Tennis Association announced a 20%increaseinprizemoney

for the US Open - creating whatisclaimsis“thelargest purseintennishistory’-with $90m (£67.4m) in total up forgrabs.

“Look, it’s a step in the right direction,” Djokovic, 38, said on Friday when askediftheincreasemirrors whatplayershadinmind.

“Obviously it’s always nice and positive to see that Grand Slams are willing to improve the prize money overall across the board for theplayers.

“Whether it’s an ideal situation for us, I think overall I don’t think so. I

thinkthereisstillalotmore room for improvement in thatsense.”

Djokovic explained that hedoesn’twantincreasesfor himself, but for players lower in the rankings who relyonGrandSlams.

“I see that in the past when I talk about this topic, peopleliketosay,‘well,look athim,wantingmoremoney for himself’. It’s not about that,”saidthe24-timeGrand Slamwinner

“I’m just talking about overall. Not many tennis players live out of this sport

globally That’s not somethingthatIseehasbeen talkedaboutenough.

“It’s also important to understand that we live in a very commercial world Entertainment and sports businessareverybig.

“And for Grand Slams, they are doing very well as well So the US Open increased the prize money Otherslamsaredoingittoo. But they also have a bigger revenue than the previous year

“Then there is the inflation part, which is a completely different topic, but important to take in consideration when you talk

aboutthesethings.

“Overall it’s definitely a positivestep.”

Earlier this year, the Professional Tennis Players’

Association (PTPA) launchedlegalactionagainst tennis’ governing bodies, citing “anti-competitive practices and a blatant disregard for player welfare”.

The lawsuit by the players’ group, which was co-founded by Djokovic, sought an end to what it describes as “monopolistic control”ofthetennistour,as w e l l a s f i n a n c i a l compensationfromtheATP, the WTA, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the International Tennis IntegrityAgency(ITIA).

Djokovic subsequently said that “there are things that I agree with in the lawsuit, and then there are alsothingsthatIdon’tagree with”.

Djokovic will begin his US Open campaign on Sunday against American Learner Tien atArthurAshe Stadium in Queens, New YorkCity

Djokovic

Romario Shepherd (C) of Guyana Amazon Warriors celebrates with teammates after getting the wicket of Bevon Jacobs of Antigua & Barbuda Falcons (Getty Images)

“ICC

WOMEN’SCWC2025–ALOST OPPORTUNITYFORWESTINDIESWOMEN!”

BY: Colin Croft –

F o r m e r G u y a n a , Lancashire CCC & West IndiesCricketer

O n Tu e s d a y 3 0

September 2025, just over a month from now, the International Cricket Council’s premier, marquee women’s event, similarly so for men’s teams - ICC WOMEN’S CRICKET

WORLD CUP 2025 - will begin.

50-overs cricket is the hardest format to play well. While Test cricket is the pinnacle of one’s career, it lasts five days, with appropriate rest. T-20-Is; slash, bang, wallop; last threehours.

W-ODIs last over six hours. Focus, nuances and vagaries, for an entire WODI’s day’s play, would confuse even “Uncle Al”, late uber-scientist Albert Einstein, had he been a cricketer

Co-host India will play co-host Sri Lanka in that first, expectedly very explosive game. What a very heated, ultra-important tournament overall this one promisestobe! Lookout!!

That first game, IND v SL,willbeinacricketcrazy city, relatively small 40,000

arena, for India, M Chinnaswami Stadium, Bengaluru, one of five venues, plus Vizag, Indore, Guwahati and Colombo, to be used in 2025’s competition, the 13th ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Defending 2022

Champions Australia Women will try to win their eightW-ODIagainstwomen representing India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, PakistanandSouthAfrica.

The entire wide world will be watching these wonderful, extremely talented women duke it out for seriously eye-watering, for women’s cricket, financialwinningrewards!

This is the last time that eight teams will play in an ICC Women’s CWC. Ten teams will contest the next stanza in 2029.Hopefully, West Indies Women will

make 2029’s roster Three teams; England, Australia and New Zealand; had contested all 13 editions of ICCWomen’sCWC. MASSIVE DISAPPOINTMENT FORWESTINDIES WOMEN’S CRICKETERS

WI Women should be frothingatthemouth,crying in their beverages with inconsolable anger and absolute incomprehension, at not being involved, a tremendous, missed opportunity to enhance careers, and especially collective and individual coffers What a lost opportunity!

The rest of the world’s women cricketers will entertainandhavebillionsof eyes on their tournament, to the final on Sunday 02

N o v e m b e r 2 0 2 5 Tournament winners will receive nearly US$2 5 m i l l i o n , p a r t o f unprecedented nearly 8 million US Dollars in total prizemoney

Whither goes WI Women’s cricket right now? Where is the Caribbean’s comprehensive plan for development of women’s cricket, from primary schools through all levels to W-ODIs, preparing for 2029? Stop trying to spin tops in mud. Do something usefulforachange!

Stupidthree-weekcamps will never bring required improvements necessary for renewal and better performances. Tough yearround cricket at all regional levelsinvolvingthousands,a filtrating, sifting out plan to gettheverybest,mustbeput

intoprogressnow,notunlike how most young aviators elevate through the ranks. Thecreamwillgenerallyrise tothetop!

INVOLVEMENTOF PASTWIWOMEN’S PLAYERS&PRESENT WOMENPRIME MINISTERS

In my travels around cricket,Ihadcommunicated well with two recent better WI Women’s players, both Trinidad &Tobago’s former WI Women’s All-rounder Ms. Stacy-Ann King and former WI Women’s Teams Captain, Batter & Wicketkeeper Ms Marissa Aguilera.

Those ladies had put theircareers,theirverylives and existence; blood, sweat, family, injuries, pains and tears; into WI’s Women’s cricket,continuingwellafter playing careers had ended, as well-received Mentors, Coaches and Broadcasters; real-life“LadyLeaders.”

Ms King’s WI-W’s international career; 2008 –2019;75W-ODI’sand86WT-20-Is. Ms.Aguilera’sWIW’s international career; also 2008 – 2019; 112 WODI’sand95W-T-20-Is.

Theirfantastic,extensive experiences must not be wasted by stupid island politics, men’s ‘jack-assedness’, small-mindedness and self-serving, infantile, self-aggrandizinginsularity

The Caribbean presently hastwoquiteprominentand dominant, wonderfully dynamic and very powerful political leaders - Prime Ministers in Barbados and Trinidad&Tobago.

Ms. Mia Amor Mottley and Ms Kamla Persad-

Bissessar, respectively; paraphrasing Ms. Margaret Thatcher,lateformerBritish Prime Minister; must now “have the balls” to shake up puerile, asinine men’s cricket establishments of acute non-leadership and non-achievements.

Past women WI cricketerslikeMs.Kingand Ms. Aguilera must be fully actioned to influence young ladies now in primary and high schools across the Caribbean. We need them badly!

WI Women players like Ms. King and Ms. Aguilera have always shown that great passion, full commitment, determination and100%effortintomaking WI Women’s cricket much better

Cricket West Indies (CWI) and respective Caribbean Governments must now do much more than just talk so much unadulterateddrivel,alathat glitzy but absolutely useless symposium called recently by several Caribbean Prime Ministers,inPOS,T&T;just more meaningless meetings than parliaments or United Nations; similarly achieving absolutelynothing.

Having not spoken to them recently, Ms. Aguilera

and Ms King must be seriously disappointed; Ms. Mottley and Ms. PersadBissessar too; that WI Womenwillnotbeinvolved inICCW-CWC2025. Eight million Caribbean people should similarly feel that waytoo!

Surely, regional programs can be properly established ASAP, using visitingcoachesandmentors

etc Let CARICOM somehow overcome its unbelievable uselessness to activate these ladies, and others, to bring WI’s Women’s cricket back to levels of proper recognition and high achievements

What has CARICOM achieved since its official inceptionin1973?

All should be focused and concerned as to what happens next, as to how do WI Women’s teams emerge fromthismorasstoprogress upwardly from the depths thattheyareinnow WISUPER-WOMAN CAPTAIN–HAYLEY MATTHEWS

Ihadwrittenmuchinthe past about WI Women’s present, absolute “SuperWoman” Captain, Ms Hayley Matthews Her statistics since her international debut in 2014

have been astounding, almost always ranked in the topfiveofallICCWomen’s rankings.

The 27 year old Barbadian(yetanothersmart Pisces), has already played 99 W-ODI’s, 3,074 runs, avg. 33.78. Additionally, 125 W-ODI wickets, 24.08 RPWavg.,RPO4.12.112WT-20-I’s: 2,975 runs, avg. 28 88 113 W-T-20-I wickets, 18.72 RPW avg., RPO6.08.

WI Women’s cricket needs many more like Ms. Hayley Matthews One excellent player does not make a good team However, new, emerging players will not come from patch-work, ‘jump-up-andkiss-me’idiotic three-weeks tournaments and waste-ofmoneycamps. Since its inception in 1973;WIWomendebutedin ICC W-CWC 1993; it had beenONLYONCE;ICCWCWC2013; that WI Women ever even made an ICC WCWC Final Australia Women simply blew them out of Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, for Australia Women’s6thwin. Australia Women 259-7 (50 overs); WI Women 145 (43.1overs). Australia (Continuedonpage29)

Ms. Marissa Aguilera - Former West Indies Women’s Wicket-Keeper & Captain

Ms. Hayley MatthewsPresent West Indies Women’s T-20 & ODI Captain

Ms. Stacy-Ann King - Former West Indies Women’s All-Rounder

Steven Smith anchors Fire chase in major blow to Phoenix play-off hopes

(ESPN Cricinfo) -

Steven Smith steered Welsh Fire to a comfortable eightwicket victory at Edgbaston to leave Birmingham Phoenix with a mountain to climb to qualify for the Eliminator and keep their ownslimhopesalive.

Set 139 for victory, Fire, who started the evening bottom of the table, reached their target with 11 balls to spare, Steve Eskinazi breaking the back of the chase with a 29-ball 42 before Smith (47 not out from 36) scripted a comprehensivewin.

The Australian legend hasstruggledforforminhis

first season of the Hundred, making a top score of 29 in his first five knocks, but he played sensibly while Eskinazi and Jonny Bairstow (35 from 21) providedthepyrotechnicsat theotherend.

Bairstow dispatched AdamMilneintotheHollies Stand with an almighty six, only to be bowled by the Kiwi’s next delivery, but skipper Tom Abell took his sideoverthelinewithplenty tospare.

Phoenix’s innings was a disjointed affair, with severalbattersmakingstarts but no one able to grab the game by the scruff of the

neck. After Aussie quick Riley Meredith cleaned up Ben Duckett for 5 via an insideedge,WillSmeed(23 from 17), Joe Clarke (24 from 12) and Liam

Livingstone (16 from 9) all played eye-catching strokes butfailedtokickon.

Jacob Bethell hit three

sixes in his stylish knock of 38 from 28 but Fire’s fingerspinners never let Phoenix cut loose, Chris Green taking 3 for 27 including the scalp of Bethell,caughtatlong-onin the final set, while Ben Kellawayreturnedfiguresof 2 for 10 from 15 deliveries,

alsotakingthreecatchesand effecting a run-out on a memorable debut in the Hundred.

Phoenix’s final total of 138 for 9 felt under par and so it proved as Fire went on to claim their second win of thecampaignandmoveupto seventh in the table, eight

pointsbehindthirdwithtwo matches still to play. Phoenix remain in fifth, aheadofFireonnetrunrate. Match details: Welsh Fire 140 for 2 (Smith 47*, Eskinazi 42, Bairstow 35) beat Birmingham Phoenix 138for9(Bethell38,Green 3-27)byeightwickets

Steve Smith and Jonny Bairstow added 50 for the second wicket (Nick Potts/PAImages via Getty Images)

ICCWomen’sCricketWorldCup2025…

DY Patil Stadium replaces M. Chinnaswamy Stadium as one of the five venues

A graphic of the tournament schedule is available in the Online MediaZoneforfreeeditorial use

A revised schedule for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 was announced today with Navi Mumbai replacing Bengaluruasoneofthefive venues for the eight-team tournament.

TheDYPatilStadiumin NaviMumbaiwillhostupto five fixtures comprising three league matches, a semifinalandpotentiallythe final after a rejig was necessitated because of the

u n a v a i l a b i l i t y o f

B e n g a l u r u ’ s M ChinnaswamyStadium.

The tournament dates remain the same – 30 September to 2 November –asdotheothervenues,which are the ACA Stadium (Guwahati),HolkarStadium (Indore), ACA-VDCA Stadium (Visakhapatnam) and R. Premadasa Stadium (Colombo,SriLanka).

ICC Chairman Mr Jay Shah expressed satisfaction at the announcement of the newvenue,whichhefeltwas an ideal one for women’s cricket.

Mr JayShahsaid:“Navi Mumbai has emerged as a genuine home for women’s cricket in recent years. The support it has received during international fixtures and the Women’s Premier

L e a g u e h a s b e e n remarkable, creating an atmosphere that elevates the players and inspires fans. I am certain that the same

energy will define the big matchesoftheICCWomen’s Cricket World Cup as it returns to India after 12 years.

“We stand at a pivotal momentinthejourneyofthe women’s game. This World Cup has the potential to be remembered as one of those defining milestones that shapedthesport’sfuture,not only in India but across the cricketingworld.

“While unforeseen circumstancesrequiredusto adjust the schedule and replace a venue, we are pleased to now have a lineup of five world-class venues that will showcase theverybestofthewomen’s game.Thestageisset,andI am confident this

IPL victory celebrations (Associated Press)

tournament will capture imaginations and inspire a newgenerationoffans.”

The final of the tournament will be held either in Colombo or Navi Mumbaion2November;the firstsemifinalwilltakeplace in Guwahati or Colombo on 29 October and the second semifinal in Navi Mumbai on30October

Tournament fixtures (matchesstartat15h00local time unless specified otherwise):

Tuesday, 30 Sept: India vsSriLanka,Guwahati

Wednesday, 1 Oct: Australia vs New Zealand, Indore

Thursday, 2 Oct: Bangladesh vs Pakistan, Colombo

Friday,3Oct:Englandvs SouthAfrica,Guwahati

Saturday, 4 Oct: Australia vs Sri Lanka, Colombo

Sunday, 5 Oct: India vs Pakistan,Colombo

Monday, 6 Oct: New Zealand vs South Africa, Indore

Tuesday, 7 Oct: England vsBangladesh,Guwahati

Wednesday, 8 Oct: Australia vs Pakistan, Colombo

Thursday,9Oct:Indiavs S o u t h A f r i c a , Visakhapatnam

Friday, 10 Oct: New Zealand vs Bangladesh, Guwahati

Saturday, 11 Oct: England vs Sri Lanka, Colombo

Sunday, 12 Oct: India vs Australia,Visakhapatnam

Monday, 13 Oct: South Africa vs Bangladesh, Visakhapatnam

Tuesday, 14 Oct: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, Colombo

Wednesday, 15 Oct: England vs Pakistan, Colombo

Thursday, 16 Oct: Australia vs Bangladesh, Visakhapatnam

Friday, 17 Oct: South Africa vs Sri Lanka, Colombo

Saturday, 18 Oct: New Zealand vs Pakistan, Colombo

Sunday, 19 Oct: India vs England,Indore

Monday, 20 Oct: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, Navi

Mumbai

Tuesday, 21 Oct: South AfricavsPakistan,Colombo

Wednesday, 22 Oct: AustraliavsEngland,Indore

Thursday, 23 Oct: India vs New Zealand, Navi

Mumbai

Friday,24Oct:SriLanka vsPakistan,Colombo

Saturday, 25 Oct: Australia vs South Africa, Indore

Sunday,26Oct:England v s N e w Z e a l a n d , Visakhapatnam(11h00)

Sunday, 26 Oct: India vs Bangladesh,NaviMumbai

Wednesday, 29 Oct: S e m i f i n a l 1 , Guwahati/Colombo

Thursday, 30 Oct: Semifinal2,NaviMumbai

Sunday, 2 Nov: Final, NaviMumbai

Warm-upmatches:

Thursday,25Sept

Bengaluru:NewZealand vsIndia‘A’,BCCICentreof Excellence2ground,09h30; India vs England, BCCI CentreofExcellenceground

Colombo:Bangladeshvs South Africa, Colombo Cricket Club, 15h00; Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, R PremadasaStadium

Saturday,27Sept: Bengaluru:IndiavsNew Zealand, BCCI Centre of Excellence

Colombo: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, R. Premadasa Stadium

Sunday,28Sept: Bengaluru: England vs Australia, BCCI Centre of Excellenceground

Colombo: South Africa vs Pakistan, Colombo CricketClub

Former Guyana youth player Pooran delighted with his performance in Canada

Former Guyana youth player Raja Pooran is delighted with his performance in Canada representing Reliance Lions in the 2025 edition of the Ontario Masters Softball Cricket Clubs Over-40, T20 competition.

Reliance Lions have progressed to the semi-final segment which is billed for thisSunday TheLionsteam willtakeonCarrTecCricket

Club at Littles ground in Scarborough Pooran scored animpressive52lastSunday when Reliance Lions defeatedUnitedCricketClub inaquarter-finalencounter

Theright-handedPooran also making a steady impression with the ball having grabbed one wicket but was economical by conceding only 7 runs from his maximum three overs, inclusiveofamaiden-over

In the final preliminary round match, Pooran claimed threewicketstohelphisteam registeracomfortablevictory, too Heratedhisperformance sofarexcellentandstatedthat hishard-workhaspaidoff He isveryconfidentthathisteam will come out victorious on Sunday and advance to the final which is slated for Sunday, September 7 at Sr Bedes ground also in Scarborough.Pooran,whois

set to represent West Indies Masters team at the 2025 International Masters Cricket T20, Over-40 World Cup in Pakistan later this year, mentioned that he will continue to play positive cricket as well. Two weeks ago, he also churned out a brilliant, all-round performance by scoring 57 andbaggingthreewickets Eight teams began participationlastJune. Raja Pooran

Bengaluru, and the Chinnaswamy Stadium, have been under scrutiny since the stampede during RCB’s

JuniorLadyJaguars bowoutafterPenalty Heartbreaker

TheGuyanaJuniorLady Jaguarssawtheirhistoricrun at the CFU U14 Challenge Series come to a dramatic endyesterday,falling7-6on penaltiestoFrenchGuianaat theLarryGomesStadiumin Trinidad.

The young Jaguars s h o w e d g r i t a n d determination from the opening whistle, keeping their French counterparts at bayinatense,goallessdraw throughregulationandextra time Both defenses held firm,withneithersideableto break the deadlock despite flashes of attacking intent andafewnearmisses.

With nothing separating

the two after extra time, the semifinal was decided from the spot. Guyana converted crucial penalties under pressure, but French Guiana provedjustassharpandone kick better, edging the Jaguars 7-6 in a nail-biting shootout.

Though the result was bittersweet, the Junior Lady Jaguars exit the tournament as Tier II Group C champions, having shown remarkable progress and resilience throughout the campaign.

“This is an experience these girls will carry with themforyears,”ateamstaff member reflected. “They

Premier League: Chelsea thrash sorry West Ham after Palmer ruled out

There were a smattering of boos at half-time from the Hammers faithful, but it got worse for manager Graham Potter against his former club. (Getty Images)

(BBC Sport) - Chelsea overcame Cole Palmer’s injuryinthewarm-upandan early goal to thrash West HamattheLondonStadium.

Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Trevoh

Chalobah were on target as the Blues claimed their first winoftheseason-andmade it successive losses for their hosts in a largely one-sided derby. England forward Palmer was replaced by teenager Estevao Willian as aprecautionafterpullingup inthebuild-uptothegame.

And Chelsea suffered another blow when the 18year-old Brazilian’s backheel was cut out in the sixth minute and Lucas Paqueta strode forward before smashing home a stunning, swerving effort into the net But Estevao

fought for every ball, matched a strong opponent, and proved they belong on thisstage.” While their journey ended just short of the final,

settled down to sparkle as compatriot Joao Pedro levelled nine minutes later through a close-range header

Avideo assistant referee (VAR) check then ruled out West Ham’s last positive action in the game as defender Jean-Clair Todibo wasjudgedtobemarginally offsidebeforecrossingtoset upNiclasFullkrugtofinish. Neto volleyed Chelsea aheadinthe23rdminuteand Fernandez tapped home Estevao’s cross 11 minutes later There were a smattering of boos at halftime from the Hammers faithful, but it got worse for manager Graham Potter againsthisformerclub.

After Fernandez missed a good chance early in the secondhalf,Caicedoand (Continuedonpage25)

and

the young Jaguars return home with valuable lessons, confidence,

pride in a performance that signals a bright future for women’s footballinGuyana.

The courageous starting eleven for CFU U14 Challenge Series Tier II semi-final match against French Guiana at the Larry Gomes Stadium

Imran Tahir regained control for GAW with a double wicket maiden. (Getty Images)

Slingerz FC inches closer to second FC league title

Darron Niles has been outstanding for Slingerz FC this season

Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer featured in a destructive 106-run partnership (Getty Images)