Kaieteur News

BBC grills Exxon over Guyana’s lopsided oil contract

- tells company 10% royalty is the standard while Guyana handed 2%

PresidentofExxonMobil risk very early in the organization, is robbing monthtowardscostrecovery Guyana Limited (EMGL), exploration of this basin and Guyana of tens of billions of or repaying the investments Alistair Routledge recently indeed, risks are not just dollars.” by the company The foundhimselfinthehotseat, geologic risks, when you However,Routledgesaid remaining 25% is then trying to convince a BBC operate in a new and this was not the case. “No, shared with Guyana as News Journalist that Guyana developing country or no It’s not robbing the profit, meaning the country is not being robbed through different parts of the world, country What it’s doing is receives 12.5% along with a the lopsided Production so all of that needs to be delivering the investment 2%royalty Sharing Agreement (PSA) it takenintoaccount.” that the country is looking

To date, ExxonMobil has signed with the country back T h e B B C N e w s for in a frontier development recoveredUS$19Boutofthe in2016. Journalist then pointed out locationwherethereremains US$29Bitsaidithasspentin R o u t l e d g e w a s that Exxon was only paying high risk (and) is competing Guyana. Oil was discovered Guyana’s4thQuarterReport ‘sacred’. In the absence of a interviewed by the BBC and 2% royalty to the country, forcapitalglobally.” in the country in 2015 while for 2023- last updated on key provision, known as featured in its Hard Talk when the norm in other

The Country Manager production only commenced December5,2023. ring-fencing, ExxonMobil is Programme, during the countries where the told the BBC that Exxon at the Liza Destiny Floating Activists for a better oil allowed to deduct Guyana’s recently concluded Energy companyexploitsfossilfuel, takes all of the exploration Production Storage and deal in Guyana as well as oil money to fund projects Conference and Supply a 10% royalty is paid. Exxon risks up front, investing Offloading vessel (FPSO) in reputable international that are yet to come on Chain Expo, hosted at the was also told, “The cost money in the country which 2019. Notably, the Natural organizations have criticized stream. Had Guyana ringGuyana Marriott between sharing agreement with then benefits Guyana, not Resource Fund (NRF) that the Exxon deal for favouring fenced the projects in the February 19 and February Guyanameansyoucanclaim just through royalty but was set up to manage the the oil company above the Stabroek Block, it would 22,2024. literally billions and billions through the profit sharing country’oilrevenuehasonly country. Despite calls for the have been receiving greater The Country Manager ofcostbeforeyouevengetto arrangement. The provisions received approximately government to engage the profitsfromeachofthethree forEMGLexplained,“When the profit sharing. That kind o f t h e P S A a l l o w US$3.5B since production companyforarenegotiation, projects currently producing we signed the agreements of deal according to Global ExxonMobil to deduct 75% activities commenced, the administration maintains oil at more than 600,000 here there was still a lot of Witness, an anti-corruption of the revenues earned each according to the Bank of thatthecontractmustremain barrelsperday.

ExxonMobil to commence pipeline connections for

project

Project

ExxonMobil’s

By Davina Bagot two lines connect together according to Krispin is per FPSO where you are andconnectontothepipeline expected to be completed in completelydown,”hesaid. OilproductionattheLiza that’s gonna bring the gas the first half of August The Safety during operations OneandLizaTwoprojectsin onshore,”hesaid. Project Manager said oil Meanwhile, Krispin told the Stabroek Block will be E x x o n M o b i l i s production will continue for Kaieteur News that the oil halted for about 10 days for responsible for the mostoftheconnectionphase, company will employ the that the chance of such an then you can work on top of ExxonMobil Guyana construction of the offshore however the facilities will be best technology to ensure event would be significantly thefacilities...thechanceofa Limited (EMGL) to connect and onshore pipelines, while shutdownforabout10days there is no spill or disaster lower spill is significantly limited the pipelines to transport gas the government will be “What happens is, you duringthisperiod. Krispin said, “When you w h e n y o u h a v e n o to the Wales development building a Natural Gas take some time to kind of According to him, “We asked about oil spills, productiongoingthroughthe site,WestBankDemerara. Liquids (NGL) facility and a bring down production and run all our operations in an actuallywhenyoushutdown pipesontopofanFPSO,”the This is according to 300-megawattpowerplant. then there’s a period, a short overall umbrella programe an FPSO that’s when you are ProjectManageradded. EMGL’s Gas-to-Energy The offshore works, period,usuallyabout10days called Operations Integrity really safe because there is Presently, ExxonMobil (GTE) Project Manager, Management System. We no production coming up h a s c o m p l e t e d FriedrichKrispin. ruleeveryactivitythatwedo throughtheFPSO,sowewill approximately 50% of the In an exclusive interview based under this umbrella make sure that the tanks are pipeline works. The with this newspaper last system that allows us to properly leveled to the point company received an week, Krispin explained that understand the risk that you shut down oil Environmental Permit for the connection activities will associated with every production and then you do the project back in begininJuly activity and how we manage yourworkontheplatform.” November 25, 2022. Exxon

Project Manager, Friedrich Krispin

“We are starting that it properly So, we have put “The reason that you’re has hired SICIM and Gaico process at the beginning of through all our procedures, shutting production is to conduct the onshore July, that’s a process that every activity that we are becauseyoudon’twantoilin pipeline works, while the takes about a couple weeks gonna do through the litmus the pipes when you are contract for the offshore per FPSO and there’s a test of this process and working around them cause works was awarded to Van period in between that you therefore be able to get our you are doing some hot Oord. are moving all of your crewsreadytobeabletodoit work, you are welding- Thepipelineaspectofthe equipmentfromoneFPSOto properly”. things like that. So in those GTE project is pegged at the other In the meantime, Hewasaskedthereforeif cases, you actually take the US$1B,andwillberepaidby we are also building subsea Exxon can assure there will pressure down on the Guyanaviaannualpayments structures on the bottom of be no spills during the facilities and make sure of US$55 million for 20 the FPSOs where all these activity To this end, he said everythingisinthetanksand years.

President of ExxonMobil Guyana Limited, Alistair Routledge

Publisher:GLENNLALL-TEL:624-6456

Editor:NIGELWILLIAMS

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

Too much darkness has flourished in Guyana

Yesterday was Phagwah- it was a time of celebration, of anticipation, and of joy So muchofthosethreeingredientsshouldbepart of the blessing that belongs to Guyanese not just on PhagwahDay,buteveryday

We, the Guyanese people, are owners of great blessings, and we must do our best, put our best foot forward,toensurethatwegetthebestoutofthebountiesof ourpatrimony Forustoextractthemostandthebestoutof national gifts, we must have goodness in our hearts, gladnessinourminds,forourfellowcitizens,andwithout exception.ThisistheessenceofPhagwah:theconquestof goodoverevil.

Becausetheonlywaythatevilcanbemasterediswhen we start out with goodness in our own hearts, and bless thosewhocomeintoourpresence.Fortoolong,toomany decades, we have held hate in our hearts, and we are the worstoflosersforit.

Wehaveweakenedourselvestosuchanextentthatthe best we can do is allowing ourselves to be scattered to wherever the wind blows us, whatever direction pulled. Too much darkness has flourished in Guyana, and all are moreshortsightedforit.

Weseeonlyenemies,whenweshouldbebrothers;we perceive evils everywhere and in everyone because the good in us has been banished, and selfishness and all its woeshaveovertakenus,nowconsumeus.Thesimplejoys ofPhagwaharelessened.

Inacountrythatisadazzlinglightintheeyesofothers, wherevertheymaybe,weareachronicblighttoeachother As far away as China and now India, more and more are interested in being a participant and a beneficiary in our great riches, yet we ourselves are so unlearning that we remaindoggedly,wretchedlypoor

We are too poor in too many material things, which is the tough lot of too many Guyanese in this time of great developments,andgreaterpromise.

ThelightandcolourofPhagwahmustempowerusto seethelightinothers,andthatitknowsnocolor,nolimits. Let us for once be this bright, so that we can see past the smallnessofourexistence,inthatnoneisallowedtodivide andthendominateus,andlast,enslaveus.

Wehavegrowntoopreoccupiedwithsensingtheworst in our fellow citizens, and concluding that there are only enemiespresent.

Thisissuretobringsmilestotheexploiterswhoevilly andcallouslypitusoneagainsttheother Astheyhavedone before elsewhere, and right here before, they do again in orderthattheycanrichlygainatourexpense.

Thisistheunendingcontextofexploitedandbrutalized Guyanese:aswestaypoor,wecontinuetobehungryand angry, while the cunning and crooked make utter fools of us,theordinarycitizensofthiscountry

Phagwahisacelebrationofgoodoverevil,andthiswe mustallsee,forthisisneitherreligionorculture,butwhat must become our way of life: good triumphing over the powerful,evil,localandforeignforcesthatrule.

Itisthosesameevilforcesthatdriveustouninterrupted quarrelingandjabbingateachother

In this time of great national light, there is that other aspectofPhagwah,theoneaboutanticipationofafruitful harvest.

Asapeople,Guyanesehavemanyanticipationsabout theoffshoreharveststhatareduetothem.

Tothispoint,theiranticipationshavenotbeenmet,not even fractionally, with one leadership failure, and feeble excuse,afteranother

The offshore and on land harvests belong to the Guyanese people, but so far they have not reaped what is theirdue.ThisisPhagwahbeyondthechantingandcolour This is the light and delight of Phagwah that every Guyaneseshouldbelivingwithdaily

DEAREDITOR

, I refer to S/N editorial ‘Irrationality’ published in theeditionof24.3’24.

Itisnotsomuchacaseof irrationality on the part of Venezuela but more a c o m b i n a t i o n o f electioneering, desperation, weaknessandtiming.

Less than twenty-four hours after the visit of the CIA head to Guyana, Venezuela announced the creation of a ‘new state’ in Essequibo.

Thisappearstobetheset modus operandi of Venezuela as established in thelightofremarksmadeby GeneralLauraRichardsonof the US Southern Command, the visit of a British patrol vessel here as well as the visit by David Rutley, the Parliamentary UnderSecretary of State for Americas and Caribbean, as agestureofsolidarity

Further belligerent salvoes and ‘irrational’ movescanbeexpectedfrom across the border with the impending visits to Guyana by a former US President, a

former British Prime Minister and the French Foreign Minister when they landonourshores.

Observers have easily concluded that Venezuela is playing ‘Follow Pattern’ in the light of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands having observedandconcludedthat t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l community’s ‘bark is worse thanitsbite’andthattheUN SecurityCouncilisinastate of rigor-mortis is so far as territorial disputes based on national security interests, real or imagined are concerned.

Irrationality is a specific weakness in human cognition, the habits and processesthatleadpeopleto falseconclusions.

In other words, people believing what they want or whattheyarepredisposedto believe.

This precisely the case with Venezuela’s latest move.

To understand the irrationality of Venezuela’s

decision, it is necessary to understand what is rational. Forexample,whendeciding an important matter, we should take into account all relevantconsiderations.

Insomecases,wemight decidethatit’snotworththe cost in time or money to pursue a certain course of action nevertheless, we are rationally obliged to give each element of the course contemplated at least a brief inspection.

If it looks like it will supply substantial guidance tosolvingtheproblem–then we ought to follow it up, as farasispracticallypossible. To do otherwise is to act irrationally, to breach the principle of total evidence.

In other words, the very impossibility of a implementing an irrational act becomes a kind of motivationforbeliefinit.

By acting in this irrational manner the Maduro administration appears to have convinced itselfthatithasgoodreasons to believe in what is highly improbable but which in

essenceisnothingmorethan anabsurdity

President Maduro appearstobeonthehuntfor an elusive objective; his dilemmalayinnotaccepting the truth about Essequibo and to whom the territory legally and historically belongs, that is proving difficultforhimaccept,thus bysimplytrustinghisbeliefs he has become trapped in misapprehending what the world holds as a ‘March Of Folly.’

Clearly, Maduro’s obsession with the Essequibo has impacted his susceptibility to a host of fallacies resulting in calculative errors that are to b e f o u n d i n h i s administrationbeingblindto hemisphericrealpolitik.

Inthecircumstances,his irrationality should not escapeourrationalscrutiny

Venezuela’sfalsestepsin its actions towards Guyana reveal errors in reasoning, hubris and arrogance, but aboveall,modesty

Yoursfaithfully,

ClementJ.Rohee

Destroying our Ecosystem to develop the Country

DEAREDITOR, I am constantly shocked by how much land this countryisblessedwith.Iam equally shocked that there are certain people in a particular ministry or ministries that believe destroying the trees and greenery in the name of development for housing estates, or whatever else-is therightthingtodo.

That is nothing short of ignorance. We say we want to become Dubai, (which will never happen, if we don’t pay attention to why

some countries are “developed”) So, while other countries have programs in place to encourage their citizens to plant as many trees as they can-to replace those that have been destroyed, and placing a lot of emphasis on greenery, and climate change - This government seems to be going backwards, in the area of retainingasmuchvegetation and existing trees as possible. Let’s just destroy thoseareas.

D r i v i n g u p t o

Berbice/New Amsterdam is aperfectexample.Acresand Acres of land are being cleared as far as the eye can see. Guyana is so lucky to have these existing areas of historical greenery and vegetation, but instead of INCORPORATING a large portion of this existing vegetation with trees that have been there before most of us were even born, the strategyofthegovernmentis to just totally flatten these areasout.

Whatisthereasoningfor nothavingtheseareasaspart

o f t h e c o u n t r y ’s developmentplan?

Other countries are taking a more progressive approach, while we go backwards.

It seems that it’s preferable that we just build concrete structure after concrete structure, and totallywipeoutthetreesand green vegetation that play not just a huge part in the landscapeofthecountry,but inclimatechange.

Whothinksthisisagood idea?

ChiKansi

Police in Guyana

DEAREDITOR,

OvertheHoliweekend,I hadoccasiontoreflectonthe recent flurry of news and views about the police and policing in Guyana The Commissioner offered statistics a couple of weeks ago,andtheEUAmbassador recently declared Guyana safe for investment – but then we have recently heard of the tragic demise of a police officer, killed accidentally by the weapon carried by a colleague in a

party of officers hunting a wanted killer That same week the media reported the incredulous story that a fusilladeofbulletswasfired by police officers at a car driven by a police officer, without hitting anyone – a story properly rubbished though not completely dismissedbytheMinisterof Home Affairs Speaking about his unit, the CANU head told TV News that his officers execute their duties in a manner that prioritizes

transparency for the benefit ofallparties.

Iamtrulyhappywiththe endorsement by the EU Ambassador Heiscorrectto dosoforGuyanaiscertainly not an inherently dangerous country and we are open for business Guyana is, however, a country where persons can be easily corrupted –police officers too – so there’s always the possibility of a dangerous situation emerging quite randomlyatanygiventime.

Wherepoliceofficersare concerned, the corruption is not always financial Sometimes it manifests in dereliction of duty or taking short cuts – corruption of theirroleinotherwords.The root cause of those behavioursislowmoraledue to inadequate wages and inadequatetraining.

Drivers especially of mini busses and taxis, and motor cyclists too, often breachroadtrafficlawswith

(Continuedonpage05)

Police in Guyana...

From page 04 make a living. I recall, I’d foranyincentive. impunity – even in the written it down back then, Don’t police forces presence of traffic ranks, as listening to a clearly worldwide have important theyknowtherewouldbeno appalled Magistrate tell a investigatory duties to carry consequences Often the detective after he had out as a matter of course, police will not investigate completed his evidence: within a reasonable time, unless someone is murdered “What you did was not part following a report of serious orraped. of any SOP of the Police crime?

They might more easily Force”.

It seems clear that there investigate other types of A businessman lodged needs to be significant cases if incentivised by a a complaint at Parika improvement in the service party – and one wonders Police Station several delivered by the Guyana about the transparency of months ago It was a Police Force for Guyana to specialist departments of the r e p o r t o f l a r c e n y b e t r u l y s a f e f o r police force. I recall the amounting to several investment.

September 2021 visit by a hundred thousand dollars Editor, it is my view SWAT team around 0440hrs It took some 2 months for that police training should to the home of Dartmouth the police to visit the emphasize the literal businessman, Orin Boston, scene andspeaktoanyone. meaning of the GPF motto who was shot dead in his One of the officers in “Service and Protection” bedroom.Theofficersinthat that party was armed – so The impact of low morale specialist team were not looking back on what upon police discipline and wearingbodycams! unfortunately happened what is ultimately delivered

I know of a police recently to Sgt Vaughn, to the public by police outpost in the interior R I P , the businessman’s officers should not be through which unlicensed life, unknowingly to him underestimated. truck drivers heading deep at the time, was in real Today’s GPF is a into the Backdam, are danger as he accompanied service that has not yet allowedtodrivethroughthis thepolicepartytravellingby demonstrated that it has the mandatory checkpoint upon speedboat. capacity to provide the payment of $10,000 each A further four months Guyanese public with roundtrip. on, there have been reliable “Service and

The drivers, many quite personnel changes at Protection” young, are highly proficient Parika Police Station but We now have the off-road – but they acquire apparently nothing at all financial resources to make those skills by practical done by the police to thenecessarychanges.What experience whilst risking progress the matter – not we still need is the genuine others’lives, equipment and even the interviewing of will to take the bold goods. the known sole suspect! measures that will be

They are fine with Itistruethatnobodywas necessary to facilitate any paying the police for each murderedorraped–andthat meaningful adjustment to trip, sometimes for three the police having limited how the GPF projects itself trips in a month, rather than vehicular resources have not to the Guyanese public do the test and acquire a been incentivised by the firstly and importantly also drivinglicense. businessman – but is that all to potential international

The police meanwhile there is to it? Should that be investors whom we do are happy to facilitate guys allthereistoit? warmlywelcome. w h o o n l y w a n t a n Thebusinessmanhasnot Yours truly opportunity to work and indicated that he was asked

Ronald Bostwick

18-year-old boy dies after motorcycle runs off trail in Rupununi

Police are investigating a ‘fatal incident’ fast rate when he lost control of the whichoccurredbetween03:40and06:00hrs motorcycle and ‘ran off’ the Trail. In the Monday morning on Wowetta Main Trail, process, he fell off his motorcycle and North Rupununi, Region Nine, involving a receivedinjuriesonhisbody motorcycle (#CL 5760) driven by Azeez The noise awoke the nearby villagers, Gulab, an 18-year-old Labourer of Wowetta and they later went outside, where they Village. The father of the deceased alleges discoveredamotionlessbodylyingnexttoa thathisson(AzeezGulab)wasatAranaputa motorcycle. A doctor subsequently visited Ground, liming with his friends as they the scene and pronounced the body dead. watchedfootballanddrankalcohol. The Police and public-spirited citizens

The father claimed that his son then left picked up the body and escorted it to the the ground at about 03:00hrs on his Lethem Regional Hospital Mortuary; on motorcycle, proceeding east along the arrival, the body was placed in a freezer northern side of Wowetta Trail at an alleged awaitingapost-mortemexamination.

Ecuador’s youngest mayor Brigitte García shot dead

(BBC)

Police said the shots

Ecuador’s youngest which killed them had been mayor, Brigitte García, has fired from inside the car they beenshotdead. hadrented.

The 27-year-old and her Ms García, a nurse, had pressofficerwerefounddead been elected mayor of San inacaronSundayinthetown Vicente for the opposition ofSanVicente,whereshehad Citizens’ Revolution party won the mayoral election last lastyearattheageof26. year SanVicente,thetownshe

No arrests have been governed, is located in the madesofaranditisnotclear provinceofManabí. whatthemotivemaybe.

Ms García is the latest politician to be killed in the Andean country, which last year was rocked by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

The bodies of Ms García and communications director Jairo Loor were found in the early hours of Sunday, local time

Brigitte García’s

Destruction, lawlessness and red tape hobble aid as Gazans go hungry

CAIRO, March 25

(Reuters)-Inmid-March,a lineoftrucksstretchedfor3 kilometers along a desert road near a crossing point from Israel into the Gaza Strip. On the same day, another line of trucks, some 1 5 kilometers long, sometimes two or three across,wasbackedupneara crossing from Egypt into Gaza.

The trucks were filled withaid,muchofitfood,for the more than 2 million Palestinians in the warravaged enclave. About 50 kilometers from Gaza, more aid trucks – some 2,400 in total – were sitting idle this monthintheEgyptiancityof Al Arish, according to an Egyptian Red Crescent official.

These motionless foodfilled trucks, the main lifelineforGazans,areatthe heart of the escalating humanitarian crisis gripping the enclave. More than five monthsintoIsrael’swarwith Hamas, a report by a global authority on food security has warned that famine is

Palestinians gather to receive aid outside an UNRWA warehouse in Gaza City, March 18, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

approved at one stage of the processcanlaterberejected, according to 18 aid workers and U.N. officials involved intheaideffort.

imminentinpartsofGaza,as more than three-quarters of the population have been forcedfromtheirhomesand swathesoftheterritoryarein ruins.Advertisement·Scroll tocontinue

Galvanized by reports and images of starving children, the international community, led by the United States, has been

pressuringIsraeltofacilitate the transfer of more aid into Gaza Washington has airdropped food into the Mediterranean enclave and recentlyannounceditwould build a pier off the Gaza coast to help ferry in more aid U N officials have accused Israel of blocking humanitarian supplies to Gaza.TheEuropeanUnion’s

foreign policy chief alleged Israel was using starvation as a “weapon of war.” And aid agency officials say Israeliredtapeisslowingthe flowoftruckscarryingfood supplies Israeli officials reject these accusations and say they have increased aid access to Gaza. Israel isn’t responsiblefordelaysinaid getting into Gaza, they say, and the delivery of aid once inside the territory is the responsibility of the U.N. and humanitarian agencies. Israel has also accused Hamasofstealingaid.

Reuters interviewed morethantwodozenpeople, including humanitarian workers, Israeli military officialsandtruckdrivers,in tracing the tortuous route thataidtakesintoGazainan effort to identify the chokepoints and reasons for delaysofsupplies.

Reuters also reviewed U.N. and Israeli military statistics on aid shipments, aswellassatelliteimagesof the border crossing areas, whichrevealedthelonglines of trucks. Before the aid shipments enter Gaza, they undergo a series of Israeli checks, and a shipment

At one crossing from Israel into Gaza, goods are twice loaded off trucks and then reloaded onto other trucksthatthencarrytheaid to warehouses in Gaza. The aiddeliveryprocesscanalso be complicated by competing international demands, with some countries wanting their contributions to be prioritized. Aid that does make it into Gaza can be ransacked by desperate civilians, sometimes fall prey to armed gangs, or get held up by Israeli army checkpoints Half the warehouses storing aid in Gaza are no longer operational after having beenhitinthefighting.

“It’s upsetting watching these aid trucks go nowhere and vast humanitarian supplies sit in warehouses whenyouthinkaboutwhat’s happening, right now, to the peoplewhoneedthem,”said Paolo Pezzati, an Oxfam worker who recently visited the queue of aid trucks near theEgypt-Gazaborder

Beforethewarbegan,an average of 200 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza each day, according to U.N. figures.

A further 300 trucks laden with commercial imports, including food, agricultural supplies and industrial materials, also entered each day via Israel. Sincethestartofthewar,an averageofaround100trucks have entered Gaza daily, according to a review of U.N. and Israeli military statisticsonaidshipments.

Whilethetrucksstruggle togetintoGaza,theneedfor aid has risen dramatically, both because of the vast number of displaced people

and the devastation of key infrastructure in Israel’s assault. This includes the destruction of bakeries, markets, and farmland whose crops met some of Gaza’sfoodneeds.

“Previous wars weren’t likethis,”saidAlaaal-Atar,a municipal official, referring to conflicts in Gaza. “There wasn’t the destruction of all sources of subsistence –h o m e s , f a r m l a n d , infrastructure There’s nothinglefttosurviveon,just aid,” said Atar, who was displacedfromthenorthtothe southofGazaearlyinthewar To meet its minimum needs, aidagenciesandUN officials say Gaza currently requires 500 to 600 trucks a day, including humanitarian aid andthecommercialsupplies that were coming in before the war That’s about four times the number of trucks getting in now In March there has been an uptick, with an average of 150 trucks entering Gaza each day Some deliveries are being made by international air drops and via sea, but they aren’t making up for shortfalls on the land routes In the first three weeks of March,theequivalentofsome 50 truckloads of aid was airdropped and brought in by sea, a Reuters tally based on Israeli military statistics showed

The recent food security report, known as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), found that a lack of aid meansalmostallhouseholds in Gaza are skipping meals every day and adults are cutting back on meals so theirchildrencaneat.

The situation is particularly dire in northern Gaza,itsaid,whereinnearly two-thirds of households, “peoplewententiredaysand nightswithouteatingatleast 10timesinthelast30days.”

Jagdeo must be the laughing stock at Exxon’s Headquarters

“Assessing reserves and producing oil are not mutually exclusive processes. Decisions to produce oil depend on the quantity, quality, and accessibility of reserves. To know these and other parameters about reserves- and the oil reservoirs that contain them, requires appraisal. Companies do not make massive investments in oil production based only on wildcat wells. So, for Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo to try to encourage Exxon to bypass the appraisal stage must be the butt of jokes in the Headquarter of the oil company both in Georgetown and in Houston.” - Opposition

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

Construction of Charity, Wisroc fire stations to cost $283 million

The new fire stations set for Charity in mandate. More recent times have, however, Region Two and Wisroc in Region 10 would reiteratedhowimportantitisforGFStobein cost the government approximately astateofconstantreadinesstorespondtoany $283,168,626toconstruct. threat of loss of property or endangerment of

Following the bidding process through person.

the National Procurement and Tender Hence, the government has been Administration Board (NPTAB), upgrading the physical facilities the agency revealed Fire Service. Singh website that contra went onto to state that Gavko Construction and 45 million was Supplies Inc. have been expended in 2023 for a w a r d e d t h e infrastructural and $ 1

contract to build the

station in Charity,

Guyana projected as crucial growth hub for CNOOC’s reserves and production expansion

IChina’s CNOOC

(bpd) – with Exxon having

the Liza 1, Liza 2 and the

Payaraprojectsonline.

w h i l e O r i n ’ s Leonora, Ogle Supreme Enterprise and Wales as well has won the contract as the Fire Service to build the station at Headquarters at W i s r o c f o r DurbanPark.

$138,281,094.

Kaieteur News

T h i s y e a r t h understands that this government noted that , infrastructural plans on building a number ments include the new fire stations across various completionof theDiamondFire areas in the country Senior Minister in the Station, construction of additional fire OfficeofthePresidentwithresponsibilityfor stations at Charity, Parika, Soesdyke and Finance, Dr Ashni Singh had said in this Wisburg as well as the extension and year’s budget presentation that the rehabilitation of fire stations in Linden, Rose government has always been committed to Hall and Timehri. A total of $572.8 million building the capacity of the Guyana Fire has been allocated for this among other Service (GFS) to discharge their important projects.

The oil companies have outlined Guyana’s pivotal embarked on an aggressive role as a significant source drilling campaign in the o f r e s e r

s a

d S t a b r o e k production growth for B l o c k thecompany targeting three

Situated in the o t h e r northeastern offshore d e v e l o p m e n t s : region of Guyana, the Yellowtail, Uaru and Stabroek Block boasts Whiptailprojects. water depths ranging from It should be noted that 1,600 to 2,000 meters Yellowtail and Uaru have CNOOC holds a 25% equity already been approved, interest in this asset, while Whiptail is under alongside ExxonMobil bytheoperator,theblockhas review awaiting government Guyana, the operator with a accumulated over 30 new approvalanydaynow 45% interest, and Hess discoveries, with a total On Thursday, CNOOC Guyana Exploration Ltd estimated recoverable disclosed that the Bohai with30%. resource volume of oilfields offshore China

Stabroek Block is one of approximately 11 billion remained the largest crude the largest exploration barrelsofoilequivalent. oil production base in China, discoveries globally in ItwasstatedthattheLiza while Guyana and Brazil recent years. Last week, the PhaseOneandPhaseTwooil continued to serve as the company announced it fieldsintheblockarealready main drivers of the recorded US$17 2 billion inproduction. company’s overseas (124 billion Yuan) in net Bytheendof2023,these productiongrowth. income 2023, a dip in profits projects were producing In a recent development, compared to 142 billion steadily above their design ExxonMobil and its block Yuanin2022–withearnings peak daily output, with a net partner CNOOC have both included from profits made daily production of movedtoarbitrationtoassert from Guyana’s Stabroek approximately 81,000 their rights over Guyana’s Block. barrels of oil equivalent goldenoilfield,theStabroek

The Stabroek Block Additionally, the Payara Block. witnessed a remarkable project in the block This is as a result of discovery in 2023 with the commenced production in Chevron’s US$53 billion unveiling of the Lancetfish 2023. takeover of Hess. Buying field, located in ultra- ExxonMobil Guyana over Hess Corporation deepwater and deep-sea announced the discovery of would give Chevron access layers.Lancetfishfieldisone oil in 2015 and swiftly to Hess’ most valuable asset oftheeightdiscoveriesmade moved to commence inGuyana.

by Exxon in the Stabroek production activities by The case was filed at the Block, since 2022, and December2019. International Chamber of according to CNOOC holds Production from the Commerce in Paris, arguing an estimated reserve of 746 S t a b r o e k B l o c k that Exxon and CNOOC millionbarrelsofoil. developments sits above have a right of first refusal

According to disclosures 600,000 barrels per day overHess’stake.

Jagdeo’s idea of Amerindian land rights is flawed

At his last press conference, Bharrat Jagdeo sought to portray the PPPC as a champion of Amerindian land rights. He laid claim to the PPPC’s superior management of indigenouslandsrightsover that of the APNU+AFC pointing to the PPPC’s record of increasing the amount of titled lands to Amerindians and the granting of subsurface rightsundertheAmerindian Act.

Tothatcanbeaddedthe PPPC’s boast of allocating revenues to Amerindian communitiesfromrevenues derived from the proceeds of the LCDS and from the sale of carbon credits However, a closer examination reveals that these claims are not only misleading but also fail to address the major shortcomings inherent in the policies touted by the PPP/Cregime.

Jagdeo’s assertion, that indigenous communities have benefitted more under the PPP/C’s governance thanundertheAPNU+AFC duetoincreasedlandtitling, warrants critical scrutiny While it is true, Amerindians enjoyed titles to more lands under the PPPC’s, the PPPC had 23 unbroken years in office to doso,comparedtoamere5 years of the APNU+AFC coalition.

Despite the increase in landtitlingunderthePPPC, therehasbeenaplethoraof complaints about this

process. Many indigenous communities have voiced dissatisfaction with the limitations of titled lands and continue to demand extensions of their boundaries. One key aspect overlookedbyJagdeoisthe culturalsignificanceofland boundaries within indigenous communities The concept of fixed boundaries is often at odds with traditional practices that prioritize free movement for sustenance and livelihood By imposing rigid land demarcations, the government risks impeding indigenous autonomy and perpetuating colonial notionsoflandownership.

Jagdeo’s emphasis on subsurface rights under the Amerindian Act fails to acknowledge the inherent limitations surrounding these rights. While he touts these rights as a significant advancement, they are circumscribed by provisions within the State Lands Act and the Mining Act. Rather than granting indigenous communities full autonomy over their resources, these laws perpetuatestatecontroland exploitation of mineral wealth.

Contrary to Jagdeo’s portrayal, these rights do not afford indigenous communities the full spectrum of ownership and control over their land’s resources. Instead, they are subject to a convoluted processwhereintheGuyana Geology and Mines

Commission (GGMC) retains significant authority over mining activities on indigenouslands.

Under the Mining Act, thestatereservesownership of minerals on all lands, including those belonging toindigenouscommunities. This provision effectively undermines any semblance ofgenuineautonomy,asthe state retains the power to grant licenses and permits formineralextraction.

The subsurface rights, under the Amerindian Act, doesnotgranttheautonomy which Amerindian communities should enjoy to mineral rights The requirement for consent for small and medium scale mining does not guarantee meaningful participation or decision-making power for indigenous peoples, further perpetuating a system of e x p l o i t a t i o n a n d marginalization.

Therefore, Jagdeo’s portrayal of increased land titlingandsubsurfacerights as triumphs for indigenous communities is misleading at best and disingenuous at worst. Rather than genuine empowerment, these measures serve to entrench statecontrolandundermine indigenous autonomy, selfdetermination and economicempowerment.

The PPPC’s idea of economic empowerment was to allocate annual Presidential Grants, donate afewtractorsandATVsand other equipment and, to seektomanipulatethework of the National Toshaos’

DEM BOYS SEH

Welcome to Guyana Bill!

Well, well, well, look whodecidedtodropinpon we likkle piece a paradise!

Bill, yuh finally make it to Guyana, eh? De Chronic seh you come fuh “learn about de country.” Bwoy, we bin didn’t know we had to teach people ‘bout Guyana in person now But hey, better late than never, right?

Demboysbeennoticing someting funny lately Seems like every world leader and people of importance suddenly wan’ tek a trip down to Guyana. Islikewestartservinggold nuggets with we pepperpot or someting. But yuh know wah? Dem only start noticing we since we strike oil. It’s like we bin deh waving ‘round here all dis time, and nobody ain’t pay

we no mind till de oil start gushin’.Imaginedis,wehad one big shot non-resident ambassador from some faroffland.Dismanain’teven know how Guyana spell till we hit de jackpot wid oil. Den guess wah happen? He suddenly decide he need fi seedisplaceforheself And yuhknowwhohedecidefuh talk to first? None odda dan demanwhocontrolwhoask question at press conferences Talk ‘bout selectivehearing,eh?

So, Bill, we hope yuh ready fi dive into de deep end‘causeGuyanagotnuff tales to tell. We got leaders who sell we patrimony like it’s goin’ outta style. Dem could write a textbook on how to hustle de country’s resourcesfasterdanyuhcan seh“oilboom.”

Council rather working with the indigenous people towards the creation of a plan for economic empowerment.ThePPPC’s idea of economic e m p o w e r m e n t o f Amerindiancommunitiesis to keep indigenous people dependent on the government,givingenough to achieve some amount of development but keeping themtiedtodependenceon the government. From the sale of carbon credits, indigenous communities receive only 15% of the benefits Criticisms have arisen regarding the consultations for this program, which are said to fall short of ensuring free, prior,andinformedconsent. Moreover, the scheme fails to provide indigenous communities with autonomy over the allocation of funds. Village plans and projects still require central approval,

limiting community control Whatever criticisms can be made about the APNU+AFC government, it was the APNU+AFC that proposed a comprehensive ten-point developmentframeworkfor consideration by the National Toshaos’Council. The PPPC has had no comparable plan for indigenousempowerment. It was the APNU+AFC that began the process of building a proper Secretariat for the National Toshaos’Council.Itwasthe APNU+AFC that replaced the PPPC’s controversial Community Support Officers (CSO) scheme with the Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS). It was the APNU+AFC that launched income generating economicventuressuchasa cassava processing facility, a sun-dried tomato facility, coffeeproductionandacrab

and a fish processing facility

If Jagdeo truly prioritizes the development of indigenous peoples, he s h o u l d s h i f t h i s government’s approach from one that fosters dependence and control to one focused on greater empowerment and autonomyforAmerindians. But please do not dare mention that to him before wegetanotherrehashofthe sameolddiatribe.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaper and its affiliates.)

Asyuhstepoffdeplane, Bill, get ready fi a crash course in Guyanese politics. We got more drama in one day than some soap operas see in a season. And don’t worry ‘bout de press conferences – we got dem covered too Who needs real journalists when yuh can have a friendly chat wid de manwhoplaypuppeteerwid dequestions?

So,welcometoGuyana, Bill! Hope yuh packed a sense a humor ‘cause yuh gon’ need it And who knows, maybe when yuh leave, yuh’ll carry back more than just memories –maybe yuh’ll take home a newfound respect fi de hustle and bustle of life in dislikklecorneradeworld. Enjoyyuhstay,Bill. Talkhalf.Leffhalf

Gail Teixeira on the hot seat - she cooked herself

PPP Government MP, when she was forced to give has to do with private thisbecausewhattheveteran that a PPP minister, a its answer Ms. Teixeira has Ms. Gail Teixeira, found straight and persuasive business, and that her MPputouttotheUNHuman lawmaker-a hustler and been around forever She herself on the hot seat last answers to one of the most government, viz’, her Rights Committee (CCPR) abuser and dirty tricks has learnt the tricks of the week. She almost cooked recognizable world bodies. handlers, was ‘unable and was not just insanity but operator all rolled into one- political trade well, and is a herself stirring around and It had to do with the PPP unwilling’ just to deal with insipidity A member of the for the government is among master (sorry, diva) of the jumping about and bubbling Government’s abuse of the such matters alone. I have Fourth Estate, a female one thosefingeredforhisalleged bobandweavegame. When overwithwhatsheprofessed media, its targeting of seen and heard copouts; for that matter, is isolated involvement in the Davina to skim (not a correct to know The problem for journalists, and efforts at well,thatwasacrawloutand and viciously attacked in the Bagotabhorrence. Herswas representation of what took the MP is that the public intimidating them from a slink out. It was obvious p u b l i c d o m a i n b y not an isolated case, as other place); when to string along recorddoesnothelpanystep doingtheirjob. that Ms. Teixeira would be empowered government mediacontributorshavealso (waiting for an answer); and oftheway Now,Isingleout In the matter of Kaieteur more at home in the friendly functionaries, and Ms been vilified and victimized. when to shrug off (private one of the pressure cooker News’SeniorJournalist,Ms. c o n f i n e s o f t h e Teixeira response was that In response, Ms. Teixeira business). This old PPP items that the venerable Ms. Davina Bagot and the parliamentary Public the PPP Government managed to hold on to a ray hand, which is no reference Teixeira found too hot to vilification poured on her, Accounts Committee, where interprets that to fall within ofthefadinglightinhereyes to time or season, may have handle. She danced around the best that Ms. Teixeira shehasawholepossetohold thefenceofprivatebusiness. and sputtered that the fooled herself into thinking and passed sharp questions could haul out of her bag of herhandandsupplyherwith All Guyana knows, and government is not ready to that she made rings around from one hand to the next, cannedanswerswasthatthat verbal walking sticks. I say the rest of the world knows, address matters like those. the CCPR with her cute Will it ever be ready? Is the answers. Thebrutalfactthat government about freedom is closer to home is that Ms. of thought and freedom of Teixeira did exceedingly expression? Or is it about well in drawing a noose abusing women found to be around the necks of her too pushy, especially when government and its leaders. their hard questions have to The truth is that people like do with oil? Is the PPP this remarkable practitioner Governmentaboutafreeand of the fine art of Guyanese unfettered media? Or is it politics have grown too moreconcernedaboutaiding accustomed to being queens a n d a b e t t i n g ( a n d of domestic castles. So, consorting) with criminals when they set foot out such heldclosetoitsbosom? And shadows, they come across protecting revolting as puny and pathetic comrades by any means and peasants. whateveritcosts?

The CCPR’S public

Because the PPP stripping and the resulting Government and its leading humiliations are not all of lights have dug huge craters Ms. Teixeira’s making. The all over the place, it was MP fact remains that she has Teixeira’s grim task to do been around too many low continued damage control. and unethical people so long Locally, she passes muster that their scents accompany due to her special status; in her wherever she shows her the international domain face. She just cannot shake however, she is seen as off those cloying smells, simply another camouflage even if she wanted to, which artist who must be carefully I believe that she doesn’t. watchedandabsorbedwitha Thisiswhatspendingalarge stiffslugofthehardstuff. In part of one’s lifetime in bad the instance of Leonora and company could do to good ensnaring no less a people. The odds multiply luminosity than His Likethemafia,oncein,there Excellency, the president, is no way out, other than feet Sister Gail went to London first The independent and Lagos before returning media will have its own to her linguistic sparring moment, abused pros their w i t h t h e C C P R day interrogators The (The views expressed in government was asked by this article are those of the the Inter-American Human a u t h o r a n d d o n o t Rights Commission for an necessarily reflect the answer and the government opinions and beliefs of this answered and on which it is n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s nowwaitingforananswerto affiliates.)

Grim

Talks for petro chemical plant still on the table - DR Ambassador

One dead, four homeless after fire destroys Linden restaurant

A Chinese national lost his life on tragically, one occupant, identified as Zang, Monday in an early morning fire which perishedinthefire,”thefireservicesaid. destroyed a restaurant located at the The building which housed the restaurant intersection Dageraad Avenue and wascompletelydestroyedbythefire. Greenheart Street, MacKenzie, Linden, “Aninvestigationintothecauseofthefire RegionTen.Fourpersonsarealsohomeless. is currently underway, with authorities Reports are that the fire erupted around working diligently to determine the origin 01:41 hrs and firefighters arrived eight and circumstances surrounding this minutes later “Despite their efforts, incident,”thefireservicestated.

Aftermath of the fire

Negotiation talks between Guyana and the Dominican Republic for the settingupofaPetrochemical a majority 51 percent stake, Plant here are still on the while the Guyanese table, as the nations look at government indicated it every aspect of the project to would not participate as a be able to fine-tune things shareholder Another MoU before giving it the green focuses on the potential for light. Ambassador of the setting up a petrochemical Dominican Republic to plant, seeing it as an avenue Guyana Ernesto Torres- for economic growth, job Pereyra told the media on creation, and fortifying the Saturday, that the talks are industrial infrastructure for ongoing and due to the size both nations and the region and nature of the project it exploration, agriculture, Recognizing the importance will take some time to come t o u r i s m , b i l a t e r a l of the petrochemical industry toapointwherethegoahead investments, as well as the in transforming crude oil and is given. He was speaking at establishment of an oil natural gas into vital products apressconferencetoaddress refinery and petrochemicals like urea, asphalt, and former US President Bill plant, following President fertilizers as well as the Clinton’svisittoGuyana. Irfaan Ali’s visit to the potentialtosatisfythecurrent

Dominican Republic Ambassador to Guyana, Ernesto Torres-Pereyra

The ambassador said Spanish-speakingcountry demand for these products that, “Of course I would like In one MoU, the two regionally, both have to see an even more dynamic nations have agreed to seek committed to identifying exercise but building the investors from both countries qualified companies capable partnerships that also takes to collaborate on the of constructing this plant, time. With regards to the establishmentofa50,000bpd with the Dominican p e t r o c h e m i c a l s t h e refinery in Guyana government holding at least conversations are ongoing, Dominicanpartnerswillhave 51%oftheshares but the agreements were signed in August and this typesofprojects,theyarenot only massive in terms of the amount of investment that they (require) but also in termsofplanning.”

He explained that the project goes beyond architecture and engineering and that there is also an environmental aspect which will address the impacts it will have. The Governments of Guyana and The Dominican Republic in August 2023 signed six M e m o r a n d a o f Understanding (MoUs) which concerned oil

Govt.approvesrecruitmentof500Bangladeshinurses

At a time when it is Corporation (GPHC) the collapse of the health sector refusing to raise the salaries country’s main referral h e r e , n o t i n g t h e of local nurses, forcing hospital, had a deficit of “disrespectful” treatment of hundreds of them to take up about 600 nurses to meet its public servants by what it lucrative jobs in the United needs and achieve industry described as “pretensive Kingdom and elsewhere, the standard Director of administration.” The GPSU Guyana Government last Nursing Services, Leslyn had said the “evasiveness of month approved the Holder had said that there Government to engage the recruitment of 500 were 896 nursing staff at the union since the last Bangladeshi nurses to work start of January 2023 of encounter through the here. which 116 were from the collective bargaining Government in recent Ministry of Health. She said p r o c e s s i s v e r y times have been recruiting that at the end of November, discomforting. nurses from Cuba and other there were 881 staff This is so particularly countries and reportedly remaining. The Director of because it was the people paying them more than their Nursing Services said too that elected the members of local counterparts. Sigma that during 2023, 86 G o v e r n m e n t , w h o EngineersLtd.Incwasgiven personnel were hired and individually took an oath to the approval as the

Poorly paid Guyanese nurses have staged many protests over the years calling for increased salaries

two rehired while 146 uphold the law, the union recruitmentagencyinaletter persons resign. Holder said stated. “Instead, they are dated February 5, 2024. In based on the numbers, the committingwantonbreaches Bangladesh filled by personnel from the letter which was signed Ministry of Foreign Affairs hospitalisfacingchallenges. of the law in full public view It is within this context that Cuba. “The Government of by Minister of Foreign said that in response to a “There are gaps in the andwithnoconsequences.It the authorization letter was Guyana remains open to the Affairs and International request from Sigma following areas as it relates tells the populace that the issued by the Ministry to recruitment of specialized Cooperation,HughTodd,the Engineers Ltd., it issued the to patient care; daily staffing institutions that were preventissuessuchashuman skills which do not currently government confirmed that letter to confirm that the of various wards and units formulated to keep trafficking or any abuse of exist in Guyana from any Sigma Engineers Ltd as the agency was authorised to and this can result in key Government in check are this process,” the statement partoftheglobe,forboththe agenttodotherecruitmentof recruit healthcare workers, components in care that can either not working as they read. The ministry said to public and private sectors,” 500 Bangladeshi healthcare with the view to addressing be affected such as activities should or have been date no one has been thestatementconcluded. workers for employment concerns raised both by the ofdailyliving,”shesaid. politically hijacked or is recruited through Sigma GPHC shortage and liaise with the relevant public and private sectors on

In light of this the devoid of appropriate Engineers Ltd Inc as At the end of 2023 the authorities. the severe skills shortage in Guyana Public Service mechanismstoensuregood shortagesarecurrentlybeing Georgetown Public Hospital

Theapprovalletterfound the health sector “The Union had predicted a (Continued on page 16) its way on social media, Private Sector Commission raising alarm about the deal, has on numerous occasions given that the government requested the Government’s has been refusing to engage assistance in addressing the the Guyana Public Service need to fill the skills Union in collective shortages not only in the bargaining to address the health sector but also in the issue of increase pay for c r i t i c a l s e c t o r s o f nurses and other categories construction, engineering, of healthcare workers and services given the Persons have also raised expansion and growth of concerns about the language Guyana’s economy In this barrier and question the regard, the recruitment competence of the nurses to agency was appointed to berecruited. liaise with relevant Recruiting from Cuba too authorities from various

In response to the countries to recruit circulation of the approval h e a l t h c a r e w o r k e r s letter on social media, the including, but not limited to

35,000 died from TB in the Americas last year

- PAHO urges adoption of innovative technologies, treatments to eliminate disease

The Pan American a n d w e h a v e n e w reach the threshold for Health Organization technologies and strategies diseaseelimination. (PAHO) is calling countries that could bring us closer to “Despite the strong to intensify the fight against realizing this vision,” he impact of the pandemic and Tuberculosis, noting that the stressed. the significant heterogeneity disease is preventable and A m o n g t h e in incidence, the Americas curable. advancements that can help are uniquely positioned to

Tuberculosis, or TB, is countries eliminate becomethefirstregioninthe the leading cause of death tuberculosis by 2030, Dr world to eliminate TB,” Dr from a single infectious Barbosa highlighted AI- Sylvain Aldighieri, Director agent worldwide, surpassed assisted radiography for of PAHO’s Department for only by COVID-19 active case finding within the Prevention, Control and Yesterday was World communities, rapid E l i m i n a t i o n o f Tuberculosis Day In a molecular tests to detect the Communicable Diseases, statement PAHO said in the disease at the primary said. Aldighieri stressed that Americas, about 325,000 healthcare level and oral and the Organization’s Disease people fell ill from TB in shortertreatments. EliminationInitiative,which 2023 and 35,000 died from In addition, the PAHO w a s r e l a u n c h e d i n the disease, according to the Director stressed the September 2023 and World Health Organization’s importance of increasing addresses TB, is central to (WHO) Global Tuberculosis investment, multisectoral achieving this goal. PAHO Report. These figures collaboration, and adoption works in partnership with represent an increase of 14% o f l a t e s t W H O countries in the Americas to and 41%, respectively, recommendations to reverse end TB and ensure equitable compared to 2015, a surge the trend of increasing TB access to prevention, exacerbated by the cases The burden of diagnosis and treatment pandemic. In addition, an t u b e r c u l o s i s v a r i e s services. estimated 83,000 people significantly among T o m a r k W o r l d went undiagnosed and countries in the region. In Tuberculosis Day, PAHO untreatedforTB. 2022, while three countries will held a high-level event “It is time to redouble recorded a high incidence of on Monday 25 March at efforts and work toward a tuberculosis – with over 100 w h e r e l e a d e r s , future where TB is no longer casesper100,000population representatives from civil a public health threat,” – 14 countries and territories society, and health experts PAHO Director Dr Jarbas managed to reduce TB from the region discussed Barbosa said. “Countries in incidence to low levels, opportunities and challenges t h e A m e r i c a s h a v e especially in the Caribbean towards TB elimination in committedtoTBelimination region, and some are close to theAmericas.

Teen dies after crashing into utility pole

A17-year-oldpainterdiedearlyMonday when the driver lost control of his morning, after he lost control of the motorcycle and collided with a GPL utility motorcycle he was riding and crashed into a pole,situatedonthesoutherngrassparapet. Guyana Power and Light (GPL) utility pole, Due to the impact, Dhuman was tossed along the Bushlot Farm Public Road, offhismotorcycleandfellontotheroad. Corentyne,Berbice. He received injuries about his body He

Dead is Karan Dhuman, of Lot 332 was subsequently picked up by police and School Street Bushlot Village, Corentyne, public spirited citizens in an unconscious Berbice. According to police, the fatal condition, and taken to the Port Mourant accident occurred on Monday at 01:50hrs PublicHospital. and involved motor cycle #CL 9018 owned Dhumanwaspronounceddeadonarrival anddrivenbyDhuman. atthehosptial.

Investigations disclosed that the His body was taken to the Ramoo speeding motorcyclist was proceeding west Funeral Home where it awaits a Postalong the southern drive lane on the Bushlot MortemExamination(PME). Farm Public Road, Corentyne, Berbice, Investigationsareongoing.

Third suspect in Patentia teen murder arrested

The third suspect in the understands that the three murder of 17-year-old suspects are to be charged Patentia, West Bank thisweek. Demerara (WBD) teen was

Meanwhile, Police captured on Friday, police disclosed that on March 20, said. 2024 at about 21:30h, while

The teen, Aron Bess was on his way to a shop, Bess killed by a group of was attacked by the suspects teenagers who reportedly who pelted him with bottles lashed and stabbed him andbricks. severaltimesabout his body

Dead: Aron Bess

Policesaidthattheattack Bess had just left a relative’s stemmed from an old birthday party in Patentia misunderstanding. “As Bess and was headed to a shop to continued his journey, the buy a drink when tragedy suspects approached him, struck. and one of the teens dealt News that the suspect was

Police Commander him two lashes with a piece apprehended on Friday Region Three, Mahendra ofsteelwhiletheotherteen afternoon. Siwnarine told Kaieteur

(Continued on page 16) K a i e t e u r N e w s

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Bike rider dies after car crash

A man died on Monday morning after his motorcycle collided with a car, at the intersection of Cummings and Church Streets.

Dead is Conal Anthony Husbands. The accident occurred around 06:15hrs. The motorcar which is owned by Ezraleen McLean was at the time being driven by Lee Lawrence Holder while Hus-

bands was riding the motorcycle.

Police said that, “investigations revealed that Motorcar # PAF 3166 was proceeding north along the western drive lane of Cummings Street while Motorcycle # CM 2986 was proceeding east along the northern drive lane of Church Street, when as both vehicles approached the in-

tersection of Cummings and Church Street, Motorcar # PAF 3166 failed to stop at the stop sign and collided with the motorcycle.”

Both vehicles sustained damage from the impact of the collision and the motorcyclist was flung some distance on the northern parapet of Church Street and received injuries about his body. The

man was picked up by EMT personnel in a semi-conscious condition and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was seen and examined by the doctors on duty. At about 13:00hrs he succumbed to his injuries. The body was later escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Mortuary, awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Third suspect in Patentia teen murder arrested...

From page 15 took out a knife from his waist and dealt him several stabs about his body,” the police reported. After committing the attack, the suspects fled the scene.

It was reported by the police that after Bess was attacked, he was picked up by

residents in the area and rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police said upon examination of his body, wounds were discovered to his left upper chest, left lower stomach area and right-side neck (jugular

vein). His body was later taken to the Ezekiel Funeral Home where a post-mortem was conducted.

This publication was informed that a 17-year-old school dropout and another teen were the first to be apprehended and it was a 16year-old student from Skull

City, Patentia who went into hiding.

Kaieteur News was told by a relative that Bess had lost both of his parents at a young age and that he was residing with his grandfather before he met his demise. He leaves to mourn a sibling and other relatives.a

Govt. approves recruitment of 500 Bangladeshi...

From page 14 governance.” The union said rather than resolving industrial relation issues in collaboration with the GPSU, which will ultimately result in retention of locally trained staff, the GOG has decided to import Cuban nurses in the short term. “There are already serious concerns being raised by local staff about not only the qualifications of these nurses, but also the impact on morbidity and mortality of patients. The language barrier

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poses a serious challenge to effective communication between professionals and more importantly between patient and nurse.”

Steal nurses

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo back in January this year when told about nurses leaving Guyana to ply their trade in other countries owing to the low salaries they receive said that the Government of Guyana may very well have to ‘steal’ nurses with attractive recruitment packages to be able to adequately staff the new hospitals that are to be built in the future.

At a news conference Jagdeo was asked by the media if he thought “the government would be able to reverse the tide with respect to the bleeding of nurses that we have been seeing over the years?” In response, the Vice President said, “The same way our nurses are being stolen, I think we may have to do some of this policy ourselves. You have some registered nurses around the world, that’s how we may be able to recruit too, at pretty competitive rates.

Nearly competitive with what we pay a nurse now here and we have to explore all sorts of things to keep our hospitals going.” The VP explained that the government would have to “bring in people”. “We have some people now from other parts (of the world but), we should in the outer years, when our income levels go up significantly when you can sustain it from a predictable flow, we should be able to do that,” Jagdeo explained.

Further, President Irfaan Ali last year had also acknowledged the shortage of nurses in the local health system and indicated that his government is engaging Cuba on having nurses from there come into Guyana’s workforce.

While answering questions from the media, the Head of State said that one of the main issues facing the Caribbean region is the outward movement of nurses and health workers. According to him places such as Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Europe are facing the same shortages, hence now the world is on an active drive of recruiting nurses all over. “…When I spoke to the administration of the Georgetown Public Hospital, it was said they now have hundreds of nurses short of their full complement,” he related. In dealing with the issue, the President said his government is moving decisively on a number of training programmes for nurses and bringing more nurses into the system.

“So we have to find the immediate measure, the medium term and long term. The medium and long term is to train and retrain and train more than the capacity that you need but the immediate term for example for nurses is to have nurses come into the system from external sources,” he explained. In terms of the medium- and long-term approach, President Ali said in his statement that they have a programme now for anyone with the entry requirement to pursue nursing.

“We are developing a hybrid nursing programme to increase training of nurses from about 150 to 200 per year to now enable us to train between 1000 to 1500 nurses per year.

This programme has already started and not only the training of nurses, we are also working on specialized areas for nurses,” he disclosed. While training is being offered to get nurses in the system, the President said they are also looking at the

present situation where there is a shortage. At that time, the President disclosed that he had discussions with the Cuban Ambassador to have nurses come into the country. Salary adjustments Ali back in December 2022 had announced adjustments to salaries of several categories of healthcare workers, which he said then, demonstrated his administration’s commitment to the professionals in the sector. According to Ali, Medical Interns will now have a minimum salary of $200,000, Medical Officers will now have minimum salary of $300,000, Medical Officers of 1 year of post-employment will now earn a minimum of $351,204, while Medical Officers with two-year post employment will receive a minimum of $414,032. Regarding Medical Officers, Ali said those with three years, their minimum salary will be adjusted to $446,160, while Specialist Doctors will now earn $450,000 minimum. For Nurses, President Ali said Nurse Aides and Patient Care Assistants will now earn a minimum of $100,000, while Nursing Assistants will now earn $115,000.

Midwives will now earn a minimum salary of $169,438, Staff Nurses will now earn $169,438 and Staff Nurses Midwives will now earn $195,000, according to President Ali. The Guyanese Leader also addressed Allied Health Workers, announcing that Pharmacy Assistants will now earn a minimum of $100,000, Dental Aides and Lab Aides and Community Health Workers will now earn a minimum of $100,000. The President said Medex will now earn $200,000 minimum and Pharmacists will now earn $215,000. President Ali said over 5000 persons in the public health sector will benefit from the salary increases.

wheel drive, fully Ac etc ideal for interior (Bush) work. Price$2.2M. Call:

UN Security Council adopts resolution demanding immediate ceasefire in Gaza

UNSC calls for a ‘lasting, sustainable ceasefire’ in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza and the release of all captives.

Aljazeera - The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) demands an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the release of all captives as the United States abstains from thevote.

The remaining 14 council members voted in favour of the resolution, which was proposed by the 10 elected members of the council. There was a round of applause in the council chamber after the vote on Monday

The resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire for theMuslimfastingmonthof Ramadan,whichendsintwo weeks, and also demands that Hamas free captives seized on October 7 when it ledattacksonIsrael.

“The bloodbath has continued for far too long,” said Amar Bendjama, the ambassador from Algeria, the Arab bloc’s current Security Council member and a sponsor of the resolution “Finally, the Security Council is s h o u l d e r i n g i t s responsibility.”

The US had repeatedly blocked Security Council resolutions that put pressure onIsraelbuthasincreasingly shown frustration with its ally as civilian casualties mount and the UN warns of impendingfamineinGaza.

Speaking after the vote, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield blamed Hamas for the delay in passing a ceasefire resolution.

“We did not agree with everything with the resolution,” which she said was the reason why the US abstained.

“Certain key edits were ignored, including our r e q u e s t t o a d d a condemnation of Hamas,” Thomas-Greenfield said. She stressed that the release of Israeli captives would lead to an increase in humanitarian aid supplies going into the besieged coastalenclave.

The White House said the final resolution did not have language the US

considers essential and its abstentiondoesnotrepresent ashiftin

policy

But Israeli Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the US failure to veto the resolutionisa“clearretreat” from its previous position and would hurt war efforts against Hamas as well as efforts to release Israeli captivesheldinGaza.

His office also said Netanyahu will not be sending a high-level delegation to Washington, DC, in light of the new US position.

US President Joe Biden hadrequestedtomeetIsraeli officials to discuss Israeli plans for a ground invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, where more than 1 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering.

W h i t e H o u s e spokesperson John Kirby s a i d t h e U S w a s “disappointed” by Netanyahu’sdecision.

“ W e ’ r e v e r y disappointedthattheywon’t be coming to Washington, DC, to allow us to have a fulsome conversation with them about viable alternativestothemgoingin on the ground in Rafah,”

Kirbytoldreporters.

He said senior US officialswouldstillmeetfor separate talks with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who is currently in Washington, on issues including the captives, humanitarian aid and protectingciviliansinRafah.

Last week, Netanyahu promisedtodefyUSappeals and expand Israel’s military campaign to Rafah even withoutitsally’ssupport.

‘Crisisnotover’

Al Jazeera’s diplomatic editor James Bays said the vote is still a “very, very significant”development.

“After almost six months, … the vote, almost unanimous,” has demanded a lasting and immediate ceasefireinGaza.

“TheUShasuseditsveto three times,” Bays said “This time, the US let this pass.”

“Resolutions of the Security Council are international law They are alwaysseenasbindingonall the member states of the UnitedNations,”headded.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a postonXthattheresolution “must be implemented”, addingthat“failurewouldbe

unforgivable” The vote came amid international calls to bring the nearly sixmonth-long conflict to an endasIsraeliforcespummel Gaza and humanitarian conditions in the besieged stripreachcriticallevels.

More than 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, and conditions under Israeli siege and bombardment have pushed Gaza to the brinkoffamine,theUNsaid.

More than 32,000 Palestinianshavebeenkilled in the Israeli assault since October 7, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israel began its military offensive in Gaza after Hamas led an attack on southernIsraelonOctober7, killingatleast1,139people, mostlycivilians,andseizing about250othersashostages, accordingtoIsraelitallies.

“This must be a turning point, ” Palestinian AmbassadorRiyadMansour toldtheUNSC,holdingback tears. “This must signal the end of this assault, of atrocities against our people.”

In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of

Foreign Affairs called on UNSC member states to fulfill their legal responsibilities to implement the resolution immediately ‘Voteinfavourofpeace’

The ministry also stressed the importance of intensifying efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire that extends beyondRamadan,securethe entry of aid, work on the release Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails and prevent forced displacement ofPalestinians.

Hamas welcomed the resolution and said in a statement it “affirms readiness to engage in immediate prisoner swaps onbothsides”.

France called for more work on securing a permanent ceasefire betweenIsraelandHamas.

“This crisis is not over Our council will have to remain mobilised and immediately get back to work.

After Ramadan, which ends in two weeks, it will have to establish a permanent ceasefire,” FrenchAmbassador Nicolas deRivieresaid.

The latest vote was held

after Russia and China vetoed a US-sponsored resolution on Friday that would have supported “an immediate and sustained ceasefire”.

Russian Ambassador Vasily Alekseyevich Nebenzya said his country hopes Monday’s resolution willbeusedinthe“interests of peace” rather than advancing the “inhumane Israeli operation against Palestinians”.

“It is of fundamental importance that the UN SecurityCouncil,forthefirst time, is demanding the parties observe an immediate ceasefire, even if it is limited to the month of Ramadan, ” he said. “Unfortunately, what happens after that ends remainsunclear.”

Russia tried to push for the use of the word “permanent” in regards to theceasefire.

It had complained that dropping the word could allow Israel “to resume its military operation in the Gaza Strip at any moment” after Ramadan, which ends onApril9.

“We are disappointed that it did not make it through,”Nebenzyasaid.

Palestinian Ambassador, Riyad Mansour addresses the UN Security Council [Andrew Kelly/Reuters]

NBA roundup: Lakers score season-best 150 vs. Pacers

Reuters - Anthony Davis posted 36 points and 16 rebounds and LeBron James added 26 points and 10 assists as the Los Angeles Lakers held off the visiting Indiana Pacers 150-145 on Sunday.

Spencer Dinwiddie had 26 points and Austin Reaves added 25 points and eight assists as the Lakers reached a season high in points despite not having D’Angelo Russell (illness). Los Angeles, which has won three games in a row, now faces a challenging six-game road trip that begins today, Tuesday.

Though the Lakers also earned a victory over the Pacers during the in-season tournament title game, that contest did not count in the regu-

lar-season standings. The teams meet again Friday in Indianapolis.

Pascal Siakam had 36 points and 12 rebounds and Myles Turner added 20 points for the Pacers, who entered with five victories in their past seven games. Indiana is now 2-1 on a five-game road trip and remains in Los Angeles to meet the Clippers on Monday.

Pelicans 114, Pistons 101 Zion Williamson powered his way to 36 points, seven rebounds and six assists as New Orleans defeated host Detroit.

CJ McCollum had 23 points and seven assists, while Naji Marshall supplied 14 points and eight rebounds. Jonas Valanciunas added 13

points for the Pelicans.

Chimezie Metu and Malachi Flynn led the Pistons with 17 points apiece. Jaden Ivey, the lone healthy starter, had 16 points.

Major League Baseball launched a probe into Shohei Ohtani, one of the biggest names in baseball, and his long-time interpreter Ippei Mizuhara on Friday.

76ers 121, Clippers 107

Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey scored 24 points apiece as visiting Philadelphia opened the fourth quarter on a 20-4 run and pulled away to beat Los Angeles.

Cameron Payne had a season-high 23 points for the 76ers, who led wire-to-wire and snapped a two-game skid. Kelly Oubre Jr. finished

with 12 points and a seasonhigh six assists, and Paul Reed had 10 points.

Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell led the Clippers with 20 points apiece.

Paul George scored 18 points, Ivica Zubac had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and James Harden finished with 12 points and 14 assists.

Heat 121, Cavaliers 84

Bam Adebayo posted 15 points, 16 rebounds, five steals and three assists in just 28 minutes to lead host Miami to a runaway win over Cleveland.

The Heat, who led by as many as 45 points, nearly set a franchise record for the largest margin of victory. The record is 43 points in December 1994 against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Tuesday March 26, 20234

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19)

Today you could hold a group meeting of some kind in your home, Aries. The guests will probably include people in such interesting fields as astrology, metaphysics.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

Have you been reading romantic novels or watching romantic films lately, Taurus? This is probably because love is very much on your mind now.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

Money earned through involvement in the arts, perhaps those combining creativity with computer technology, could come your way, Gemini. Financially.

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

Have love matters been causing you excessive strain for a while, Cancer? If so, you can expect that to end now. Someone you love deeply reciprocates your feelings.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

If you're single and looking for love, Leo, you may find it today in an ephemeral way. You could find yourself falling hard for the proverbial stranger across the crowded room.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22)

Love certainly seems to make the world go round today, Virgo. Is everyone around you deeply involved in a new or revitalized romance.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

Has the perfect career suddenly materialized out of nowhere, Libra? If so, don't write it off as being too good to be true. It's very, very real! Take a few days to consider all your options.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

A website or TV documentary could put you in touch with a promising educational or spiritual organization whose goals and aims seem to jibe perfectly with your own, Scorpio.

SAGIT (Nov.22–Dec.21)

You could have some strange, mystical dreams tonight,Sagittarius, possibly involving angels or other spiritual beings. Their messages could well shed light on a romantic relationship that you might not understand well.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

Social events today could put you in touch with people in the arts, Capricorn, particularly ones such as film, television, recording.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

You could spend much of your day advancing the interests of an organization dedicated to a cause that means a lot to you, Aquarius.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

If you're single, Pisces, a new love could appear right there in your neighborhood. The person should be attractive, intelligent, free spirited.

added 16 points off the bench, and Andrew Wiggins scored 15.

Miami fell six points short of that mark. Miami got a team-high 18 points from reserve Haywood Highsmith. Starter Jimmy Butler had 15 points and six assists in 24 minutes.

Cleveland, which has lost three straight games, was led by Evan Mobley, who scored 15 points in 21 minutes. He had missed the previous nine games due to an ankle injury.

Timberwolves 114, Warriors 110

Anthony Edwards had 23 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and Minnesota held on to beat Golden State in Minneapolis.

Naz Reid registered a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who finished a three-game regular-season series sweep against the Warriors. Rudy Gobert also notched a double-double with 17 points and 12 boards.

Stephen Curry scored 31 points and shot 5-for-11 from beyond the arc to pace the Warriors. Klay Thompson

From page 22 convicted on Feb. 22 of raping the woman in a Barcelona nightclub’s restroom and ordered to pay her 150,000 euros. He has appealed against the conviction, which was not final.

Prison staff at Brians 2 took advantage of the high media interest to protest outside the jail over what they described as insufficient security conditions and urged regional officials to resign.

Corrections officers in Catalonia have been protesting since last week, after a kitchen employee at a different prison was stabbed to death by an inmate.

($1 = 0.9161 euros)

Bucks 118, Thunder 93

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and grabbed a season-high 19 rebounds to lead Milwaukee past visiting Oklahoma City.

Khris Middleton notched his second career tripledouble with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the

Bucks.

Josh Giddey led the Thunder with 19 points.

After a hot start, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with just 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting, and Chet Holmgren finished with six points, going 1-for-10 from the floor. It snapped a 29-game streak for Gilgeous-Alexander scoring at least 20 points.

(Field Level Media)

Dani Alves, convicted over...

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and forward Anthony Davis (3) high-five after a play in the first half against the Indiana Pacers at Crypto.com Arena. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)A

Lembikisa’s strike secures third place for Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz in CONCACAF Nations League

SportsMax - Jamaica’s

Reggae Boyz clinched third place in the CONCACAF Nations League on Sunday with a hard-fought victory againstPanamaatArlington StadiuminVirginia

The Boyz, under the guidance of coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, secured their triumph thanks to a 41stminute strike from Dexter Lembikisa Lembikisa, operating as a fullback, received a well-timed through pass from Hector near the edge of the 18-yard box before unleashing a powerfulshotintothetopleft corner of Oscar Mosquera’s goal The goal, Lembikisa’sfirst for Jamaica, sparked jubilant celebrationsfortheReggaeBoyz, whohadsufferedaheartbreaking 3-1lossinextratimeagainstthe UnitedStatesintheirsemi-final matchjustdaysearlier

Jamaica welcomed back Demarai Gray and Shamar Nicholson, who had missed the previous match due to suspensions. Their return provided a boost to the team’sattackingprowess.

Infrontofasparsecrowd at Arlington Stadium, Panama initially dominated

possession in the scrappy affair However, it was Jamaica who had the best chance to score early on when Shamar Nicholson’s right-footed shot on goal was deflected into his path His subsequentleft-footedstrikewas cleared off the line by Mosquera.

Despite Panama’s early dominance, Jamaica managed to create opportunitiesoftheirown.A build-up along the left flank saw Kasey Palmer squander a chance from Gray’s cross intothebox.

In the second half, Jamaica came close to doubling their lead when Damion Lowe’s attempted

lob overthegoalkeeperstruck the crossbar and stayed out of thenet Lowe,oncemore,had anoutstanding game playing in midfield for Jamaica breaking up attacks and initiatingattackingplays.

As time passed, Panama launched relentless attacks againsttheJamaicandefense in search of an equalizer However,theBoyzstoodfirm, thwartingPanama’seffortsand holdingontotheirleaduntilthe finalwhistle.

Thevictorysecuredthird place for Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League, capping off their campaign with a welldeserved win against Panama.

USA secures third straight Concacaf Nations League title with 2-0 victory over Mexico

SportsMax-TheUnited States clinched their third consecutive Concacaf Nations League title with a commanding 2-0 victory over Mexico in the final of the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League Finals at AT&TStadiuminArlington, Texas.

Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna were the heroes for the USA, each finding the back of the net to secure the historic win against their arch-rivals.

The match kicked off with an electrifying atmosphere, and the intensity was palpable from thestart.

Christian Pulisic had an early opportunity to put the USA ahead but was denied by Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa in the 5th minute.

Mexico responded by applying pressure in the USA’s half, and their best chanceofthefirsthalfcame in the 22nd minute when Luis Chavez’s shot was saved by USA goalkeeper Matt Turner after a flickedonheader

As the first half

progressed, the USA began to test Mexico’s defence from distance. Sergino Dest came close with a shot that sailed just over the crossbar inthe38thminute.

However, it was Tyler Adams who broke the deadlock just before halftime with a stunning long-range strike from 35 yards out, giving the USAa 1-0 lead

In the second half, Mexico looked to mount a response, but they struggled to break down the resolute USA defence

Instead, it was the USA who extended their

lead in the 63rd minute w h e n G i o R e y n a capitalized on an initial clearance from the Mexican defense and fired a shot past Ochoa at the near post, making it 2-0 for the USA

Despite Mexico’s efforts to get back into the game, the USA defense held firm, denying their opponents any clear-cut opportunities.

As the final whistle blew, the USA celebrated their third consecutive Concacaf Nations League title, reaffirming their dominance in the region onceagain.

Prolific Glasgow surprised by Nations League double award

Golden Jaguars forward OmariGlasgowhascopped the Top Goalscorer and Young Player awards following the conclusion of the Concacaf Nations League, which ended on Sunday night with USA beating Mexico 2-0 in the final.

The 20-year-old from Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara, netted seven goals in five games for Guyana in League B of the 2023-24 Concacaf NationsLeague.

“It’s surprising you know I didn’t know there wererewards,butI’mreally happy about it and really enjoying it,” Glasgow said inaninterviewyesterday

Presidentof the Guyana Football Federation Wayne Forde was present at the presentationceremonyafter

the final to collect the awards on behalf of Glasgow, who is currently with the Golden Jaguars side in Saudi Arabia participating in the firsteverFIFASeries.

“Congrats to Omari, the GFF and Guyana for being judged the best young player for the 2023 Nations Leagueandthehighestgoal scorer It was truly an emotional moment receiving these awards on his behalf. God is good all the time,” President Forde said.

Golden Jaguars Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz said the accolades that have come Glasgow’s way are welldeserved.

“He’s worked hard for theteamandhe’scombined well. His work ethic is second to none. He’s very

committed to the training and is one of the best examples for youth players comingupintheCaribbean, notjustinGuyana.”

Notably, Glasgow had been part of the Guyana Football Federation’s AcademyTraining Centreprogrammesince in inception, working his way through the ranks to thispoint.

He was also part of Guyana’s Under-15 Jaguars squadthatcreatedhistoryin 2017,winningallsixoftheir games on their to title success in the SOULIGA tournamentinSt.Martin.

‘Itmeansalot’

FortheprolificGlasgow being recognised for his performance is a big deal not just for him personally, butfortheGuyanaFootball Federation, his family,

teammates and wellwishers. “I couldn’t have done it without them,” he asserted. “I must say thank you to them for guiding me throughit.”

The exploits of the Chicago Fire FC player propelled Guyana to top of the group, thereby gaining promotion to League A of the Concacaf Nations League.Age 19 at the time, Glasgow scored in every one of Guyana’s five matches in League B, including a hat-trick in the opening 5-1 victory at AntiguaandBarbuda.

“Everybody got to do their part, and I think I did myparttohelp.”

Just last Sunday before joining his Golden Jaguars teammates in SaudiArabia, GlasgownettedforChicago Fire FC against Cincinnati

FC in the MLS Next Pro, and at 20, he has already racked up an impressive resume. However, Glasgow is firm on pushing the boundaries, and in his own words,“thisisjustthetipof theiceberg.”

“I don’t think I have achieved everything in life yet. I still to help Guyana propeltotheWorldCupand alsostillhelpcountryinany other way like win the Concacaffinallikewhatthe USdidlastnight.”

“Thisisjustthetipofthe iceberg.”

To date, Glasgow has scored 14 times for Guyana in 21 games, spread across the Concacaf Nations League, World Cup qualifier,GoldCupqualifier andInternationalFriendlies.

To p g o a l s c o r e r calculation

AxelRagaofSt.Martin actually scored the most goals(8)inthecompetition, withGlasgow’ssevenbeing second, however, a points system was used to determinethewinner

According to Concacaf, as per the competition’s regulations,apointssystem was used to determine the winner of the Top Scorer Award In order to determine the Top Scorer Award winner, the three leagues are weighed as follows:

League A = 2 pts per goalscored

League B = 1.5 pts per goalscored

LeagueC=1ptpergoal scored

With his seven goals in LeagueB,Glasgowfinished withthehighestpointstotal of10.5toclaimtheaward.

Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna were the heroes for the USA. (Concacaf.com)

CONCACAF urges fans to stop homophobic chants

( R e u t e r s )CONCACAF,thegoverning body of North, Central America and Caribbean soccer, has condemned discriminatory homophobic chanting by fans during Sunday’s Nations League final between the U.S. and MexicoinArlington,Texas.

The match, which the U.S. won 2-0, was delayed for close to five minutes in the 88th minute and again briefly in the 96th minute duetohomophobicchants.

“Security staff in the stadium identified and ejectedasignificantnumber of fans, and the referee and matchofficialsactivatedthe FIFA protocol, ” the

governing body said in a statement. “It is extremely disappointing that this matter continues to be an issue at some matches, particularlyinthecontextof the next two years presenting such a tremendous opportunity to growthesportinourregion.

“We will continue to urge fans to support their teams positively and with respect for the opposition and all participants in the game.”U.S.managerGregg Berhalter and players were hit by objects thrown on to the pitch while celebrating Gio Reyna’s 63rd-minute goal. “That was unfortunate because we want a really

competitivegame,wewanta great atmosphere but we don’t want to get things thrownatus,”Berhaltertold reporters. “It’s unsafe and someonecangethurt.”

Last year’s Nations League semi-final between the U.S and Mexico in Las Vegas was also stopped due to discriminatory chants by spectators World soccer’s governing body FIFA sanctioned the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) 100,000 Swiss francs ($111,000) for offensive chants made by Mexican fans at two games in the 2022WorldCupinQatar ($1 = 0 8976 Swiss francs)

Adams having fruitful stint in T and T

Essequibo all-rounder Ricardo Adamsishavingafruitfulseason inTrinidad andTobago where he is representing Endeavours CC in the Premier 2 Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board2-daychampionship.

Adamshassofaramassed471runsfrom seven innings and has taken 39 wickets, helping his team to four wins from five matches.

Adams,whoalsoplaysforZeelandiaSC in Wakenaam, struck an unbeaten 243 againstWoodlandandgrabbed4-73and5-40 ashedeliveredhisteamacomfortablewin.

Against MYO, Adams who represented Guyana at both the junior and senior levels, managed only six in the first innings, but picked up 4-29. In his team’s second turn at crease, he top scored with 75 and then returnedwiththeballtobag6-92,earninghis teamanotherwin.

Adams made six in their first innings versus Comets, but showed his all-round abilitybypickingup8-49.

When his team batted a second time he struck 51 while taking 2-67 in yet another victory

The left-handed Adams who has a century at the U19 level for Guyana, scored 38 and grabbed 6-138 in the first innings of their game against Cosmos, while in the secondinningshemade51andsnared4-28, earningthissideanothercrucialwin.

Over the years, the 29- year old Adams has represented Essequibo with distinction scoringanumberofcenturiesandpickingup several five-wicket hauls. He continues to

excelonthefieldandisdeterminedtoreturn tonationalcolours.

Swiatek keeps nerve to fight past Noskova, Gauff advances in Miami

AFP - World number one Iga Swiatek kept her nerve to beat 26th-ranked LindaNoskovaoftheCzech Republic6-7(7-9),6-4,6-4 attheWTAMiamiOpenon Sunday

A day after Swiatek’s closest challenger, Aryna Sabalenka,wasknockedout of the tournament, the Pole faced a real test from Noskova.

The Czech had upset Swiatekinthethirdroundof the Australian Open before the four-time Grand Slam winner gained revenge at IndianWells.

The third meeting this year between the pair was, not surprisingly, a tight affair.

“It wasn’t easy There were just many ups and downs, Swiatek said. “I’m happy that after first set I had better idea on what to do,andIjusttriedtodothat in important moments Sometimes we have matches like that and we need to figure out how to closethemanyway.”

Swiatek,whoislooking to become just the second woman to win the “Sunshine Double” of Indian Wells and Miami, will face 14th seed

Ekaterina Alexandrova in theroundof16onMonday. Alexandrova went through witha6-4,3-6,6-3winover fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

France’s Caroline Garcia progressed to a fourth-round match against world number three Coco Gauff with a 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 win Sunday over Naomi Osaka.

Having worked hard to recover from her opening set tie-break loss and taken the match into a deciding frame, Swiatek found herself facing three break points when serving for the matchup5-4. But she stepped up her game to win the next five pointsandcelebratedwitha fist-pumping gesture to her box.

It was a hard-hitting match with the pair sharing 28 aces and Osaka had to fighttotakethefirstsettoa tie-break, saving three set points.

Garcia secured the tiebreakwithforehandwinner, but found herself trailing Osaka 4-2 in the second beforebreakingback. WithOsakaservingat5all,Garciaforcedtwobreak points, converting the second.

Reigning US Open champion Gauff was down

4-2 in the first set to France’s Oceane Dodin before winning 10 straight games and running out a 64,6-0winner Gauff said she expected a difficult game against Garcia.

“She’s tough. We all know how she plays. Takes the ball super early, plays veryaggressive,”shesaid.

Fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula beat Canada’sLeylahFernandez 7-5, 6-4 to set up a fourth round clash with in-form

compatriotEmmaNavarro.

Fernandezbroketotake a5-3leadinthefirstsetbut Pegula responded perfectly, winningfourstraightgames totaketheset.

Both players struggled to hold serve in the second set, with the first seven games going against serve, butPegulafinallyheldtogo 5-3upandsheheldthefinal game to love to secure the win - Pegula to play Navarro -Pegula, the highest-ranked American woman, will play against the rising star of USA women’s tennis in Navarro, who upset 12th-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 3-6,6-0.

Paolini, who won the WTA 1000 Series event in Dubai earlier this year, faded after fighting back in the second set while Navarro confirmed her status as one of the most improvedplayersonthetor

Withher20thmatchwin of the season, a record bettered only by Swiatek,

Navarro is enjoying the most successful campaign of her career, having won herfirstWTAtitleinHobart inJanuary

Pegula said the belief that comes from such a run of results will make her a difficultopponent.

“Thatfeelingofwinning a lot of matches, it’s really tough to beat people like thatandevenifyoudobeat them it’s never easy,” she said.

“It will be a really good testformetoseewhereI’m at considering she is probably one of the hottest playersontourrightnow.”

The 20th seed’s rise has impressedGauff.

“I’m not surprised by herbeingtop20,honestly.

I would say (more) maybe how fast,” Gauff said.

“She’s a great athlete. She’s a very smart player, she’s giving the top players trouble.She’snotsomebody you want to see early in the tournament.”

World number one Iga Swiatek of Poland beat Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic to progress in the Miami Open on Sunday. (Brennan Asplen)

Ricardo Adams

United States forward Christian Pulisic (10) makes a corner kick during the first half against Mexico at AT&T Stadium. (Jerome Miron-USATODAY Sports/File Photo)

Kohli

fifty, Karthik finishing act help RCB beat PBKS by 4 wickets

Hindustan Times - Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) got off to a quick start almost entirely thanks to Virat Kohli in the powerplay Kohli smashed 35 in 21 balls afterbeingdroppedoffthesecondballofthe innings by Jonny Bairstow and RCB were 50/2 at the end of the powerplay while chasingatargetof177.

While Kohli continued to bat aggressively and power RCB’s chase, he hardly received sustained support from the other end as Kagiso Rabada and Harpreet BrardidmostofthedamagefortheKingsin the middle overs. Eventually though, Kohli himselfperishedafterhavingscored77in49 balls.Whilethestadiumfellquietforawhile after that, Dinesh Karthik and Mahipal LomrorbroughtBengalururoaringbackina matchthathasnowturnedouttobeathriller Thepairendedupseeingthehoststhroughto the end. Karthik hit the winning runs with a four, finishing unbeaten on 28 off 10 balls whileLomrorscored16ineightballs.

Jockey Hernandez hoping for glory with Soca Harmony at Easter Cup horse race

The Trinidadian connection will take center stageonSundayMarch31at the Port Mourant Turf Club when Rico Hernandez and newly imported horse, Soca Harmony compete at the EasterCuphorseracemeet.

The KP Jagdeo racing stables- owned horse, Soca Harmony will be eying a solid debut and according to jockeyHernandez,thehorse iseagertogetgoing.

Earlier,ShashankSinghsmashed20runs offthelastovertopushPunjabKings’score to 176/6 in what was otherwise a rather subdued batting performance. Yash Dayal andMohammedSirajwerethestarsforRCB withtheball.Dayalreturnedfiguresof1/23 while Siraj returned 2/26. RCB captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and chose to bowl first Punjab Kings lost opener Jonny Bairstow early to Mohammed Siraj. While captainShikharDhawantriedtogetamove on,RCBdidwelltokeepthebattersincheck and put pressure on PBKS in the first 10 overs.Dhawanwaseventuallydismissedfor 44 off 37 while the dangerous Liam Livingstone fell for just 17 runs in 13 balls. Shashank then came in and made the differenceinthelastover

Scores: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 178for6(Kohli77,Karthik28*,Brar2-13, Rabada 2-23) beat Punjab Kings 176 for 6 (Dhawan 45, Jitesh 27, Siraj 2-26, Maxwell 2-29)byfourwickets.

Dani Alves, convicted over rape, leaves Spanish prison after posting bail

B A R C E L O N A , (Reuters) - Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves was released from a Barcelona prison yesterday after postingbailof1millioneuro ($1.09 million) bail over his conviction for the rape of a woman in a nightclub’s restroomin2022.

Last Wednesday, a local court ruled thatAlves could be conditionally freed on bailwhileheappealshisrape conviction. He has served about a quarter of his fourand-a-half-year prison sentence.

Flanked by his lawyer,

AlveslefttheBrians2prison northwest of Barcelona at 4 25 p m (1525 GMT) wearing a gray jacket over a white turtleneck, a Reuters videographersaid. He did not address reporters at the entrance of the prison before climbing intoawhitevehicle.

ThecaseofAlves,oneof the most successful soccer players in history, has attracted significant attention not only due to the Brazilian’s profile but because gender-based violence has become an increasingly dominant topic

inSpain’spublicdiscourse.

Alves’ attorney surrendered both his Brazilian and Spanish passportstocomplywiththe conditionsofhisrelease.He cannotleaveSpainandmust appearbeforethecourtevery Friday or whenever summoned. The court also imposed a restraining order barring him from coming within 1,000 metres (3,300 feet)ofthevictim.

The former Barcelona, Juventus and PSG defender had been held at Brians 2 sinceJanuary2023.Hewas

(Continuedonpage19)

“SocaHarmonyisavery nice horse. She is learning the experience and Port Mourant is a new home for her We are taking it day by day She was quite comfortable.We had to give her some breeze and she came back good and that is themostimportantthing.We arelookingforwardtoEaster Sunday.”“Sheisaveryclass horseinTrinidad.Shewona lot of races; she is a very goodfilly Wearetakingour time with her, and hope for the best on Sunday,” Hernandezsaid.

As it relates to Hernandez personal form ahead of the Easter Cup, he said: “I am feeling very confident. I am learning the processonhowracesarerun inGuyana,andIamtakingit day by day and learning the process and wish for a good

dayofracingonSunday.”

More than 10 million dollars in cash and prizes will be up for grabs, and eightracesareonthecards.

The feature event is the Easter Cup which will be open to all horses and the distancewillbe1700metres, alongwithatopcashprizeof G$1,500,000 Additional races include the three-yearoldGuyanaandWestIndianbred, H3 & Lower nonwinner in Guyana five years and over, the ‘E’ Class, ‘L’ Class&J3maiden.The‘G’ &Lowerandfirst-timeWest Indies starters, J & Lower fouryearsandaboveandthe four-year-old West Indies and Guyana-bred races will completetheday’sevent.

All races are run under the guidance of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority rulesandracesaresubjectto change. Only jockeys with less than five (5) wins for year2023willbeallowedto ride in the ‘L’ Class and J3 maiden All non-Guyana jockeys will not be allowed tocompete.

Entries for the Easter Sunday race closed on March25,2024.

Anyinfoorquerieshorse owners are asked to contact Ginjo on telephone 6187278.

TheEasterSundayhorse race is sponsored by KP Jagdeo General Contractors, Jumbo Jet and Old Broom Longue.

Japan to advance in World Cup qualifying after N. Korea game cancelled

AFP - Japan look poised to reach the final stage of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup without kicking a ball after FIFA said their match at North Korea will not be rescheduled.

North Korea were supposed to stage the qualifier today in the capital Pyongyang but five days before the game officials abruptly said the isolated country could not play host without giving a reason.OnFridaytheAsian Football Confederation said the match was off and attheweekendFIFAsaidit “shallneitherbeplayednor rescheduled”,citinglackof

space in the international football calendar “The matter and match outcome willbereferredtotheFIFA disciplinary committee,” football’s world governing bodyadded.

North Korea could suffer a 3-0 forfeit as a result, which would send Japanintothethirdstageof qualifying for the World Cup in the United States, CanadaandMexico.

JapanbeatNorthKorea 1-0 in Tokyo on Thursday to make it three wins from three in Asian qualifying GroupB.

C o a c h H a j i m e Moriyasu, who took Japan to the last 16 of the Qatar

World Cup after wins over Spain and Germany, had been eyeing the North Korea game as an opportunity to make improvementsfollowingan unconvincingdisplayinthe homeleg.

“It’s unfortunate that we lost the opportunity to correct areas of concern and potential areas for improvement that came to light,”hesaidonFriday “We will aim to improveasateambasedon whatwehavebuiltsofar.” Japanweredumpedout of the Asian Cup quarterfinals2-1byIranlastmonth after entering the tournamentasfavourites.

Jockey Rico Hernandez

Dinesh Karthik lived up to his billing as a cool finisher. (BCCI)

Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves leaves the Brians 2 prison on bail along with his lawyer Ines Guardiola while he appeals his rape conviction. (REUTERS/Nacho Doce)

Bartica Easter Regatta receives support from EKAA HRIM Earth Resource Management Inc.

Wi t h t h e ExxonMobil Football Cup up and running and the historic Dominoes competition with a top prize ofamilliondollarsdoneand dusted, the Bartica Easter Regatta Committee (BERC) has been further boosted with a timely financial donation, from the EKAA HRIM Earth Resource ManagementInc.

Thecompany,whichhas a gold mining operation in the village of Batavia where ithasleasedover1000acres of land, thus providing hundreds of jobs, has stepped up to lend tangible support towards the successful hosting of the 2024 edition of the Bartica Easter Regatta which has already commenced with severalactivities.

I n m a k i n g t h e presentation to BERC Treasurer, Ms Natalie Tilbury Bobb, Mr Sajubhaskar, the Chairman and Founder of EKAA HRIM Earth Resource Management Inc., he shared thedelightofhiscompanyto be of support to the organisers of the annual EasterRegatta.

”Asacompanyoperating in Region 7, we feel

obligated to support this eventthathasbecomeamain staple in the sports calendar of the Region 7 community over many decades We applaud Chairman Williams andhisteamforkeepingthis traditiongoingwhichserves asaplatformtoshowcasethe

talent of the youths in many areas This is very commendable and as a company, we would like to be associated with such activities that empower people and build positive self-esteem, among our youths,whichisvitaltotheir

holisticdevelopment.”

Also present at the handing over were Mr Jesvin Pradeep Kumar, Director of EKAA HRIM E a r t h R e s o u r c e Management Inc , and A s s i s t a n t Secretary/Treasurer of the

BERC,Ms.ShondelGilkes.

Ms Tilbury Bobb extended thanks to Mr Sajubhaskar, Mr Kumar, and EKAA HRIM Earth Resource Management Inc. for partnering with them for the first time assuring that their partnership has

s t r e n g t h e n e d t h e Committee’s ability to pull off another successful Regatta Meanwhile, Saturday will see the grand m a l e a n d f e m a l e ExxonMobil Football Cup finals. Thepowerboatracers are fine-tuning their engines as they set eyes on Easter Sunday’s big powerboat racing competition at Golden Beach where thousands of patrons and fans are expected to be present to absorb the day’s actionwhichwillalsoseefor the first-time, remotecontrolledboatracing.

There will also be the annual river swim and athletics road race on Sunday morning while Mongrippa Hill will on Easter Monday host the annual Grass Track competition, this activity will bring the curtains down onthisyear’sEasterRegatta, activities.

The BERC is also o ff e r i n g f a n s t h e opportunity to enjoy numerous tours on Easter Sunday; Tiperu Falls, Baracara Falls, and Mary’s Sunset Resort, all on Sunday,March30th

Interested persons can call 674-2963 for more details.

Mr. Sajubhaskar, Chairman and Founder of EKAA HRIM Earth Resource Management Inc. (2nd left) hands over the cheque BERC Treasurer Ms. Natalie Tilbury Bobb and other officials.

Kohli fifty, Karthik Karthik finishing act help RCB beat PBKS by 4 wickets