Kaieteur News

OGGN demands int'l certificates allowing

ExxonMobil to produce above safe operating limits

The unprecedented production statistics recorded in recent days by oil and gas giant, ExxonMobil hasnotslippedtheattentionofthe Oil and Gas Governance Network (OGGN), an advocacy arm dedicatedtobettermanagementof Guyana'spetroleumsector

In a recent missive, members of the group, including Alfred Bhulai,Dr VincentAdams,Andre Brandli, Janette Bulkan and DarshanandKhusial,reasonedthat citizens have been assured on multiple occasions by the petroleum companies that their operations are in keeping with international standards These standards however require inspectors to certify compliance, theOGGNmemberspointedout.

In laying the foundation for their argument, the OGGN representatives highlighted that the two Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels- Liza Destiny and Liza Unity- have been both operating above the prescribed safe operating limits outlined in the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) submitted by the operator This document formedthebasisforeachPermitto be granted and is often times referred to as the 'Bible' of a project, simply meaning that the established protocols must guide theprojectactivities.

Bethatasitmay,thesaidEIAs for the Liza One and Liza Two projects each specifically outline 120,000and220,000barrelsofoil

per day (bpd), respectively, as the safe operating limit In the meantime, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), the operator of the Stabroek Block has pushed production to as much as 156,000 and 246,000 bpd at the Liza One andLizaTwoprojectsrespectively on February 24, 2023 This “brazen disregard of safety” the OGGNsaidhasbeenwelcomedby theGovernmentasanachievement ofreaching400,000bpd.

To this end, the Network said, “Many knowledgeable people in GuyanaandthoseinCaribbeanare concerned that such blind faith in the adherence of these companies tosafetyproceduresmayleadtoan oil spill especially as the Guyana Government is afraid of requiring these petroleum companies, of limited liability, to sign a parent company guarantee that any damage over and above theinsuredfigurewillbepaid.”

Presently, Guyana has been assured of a US$600 million insurancepolicyperoilspillevent intheStabroekBlock,whereover 11billionbarrelsofresourceshave alreadybeendiscovered.

The citizens inquired, “Isn't this continuous exceeding of the design safety limit a much greater risk? Or does our government not understandthis?

A competent Petroleum Commission should have been in place to insist on adherence to standards.”

Therepresentativesarguedthat the government is elected to

represent the people; as such it mustinsisttheoilcompaniesback up their claim of safety by taking one obvious step in good governance and show the international certificates that permit production above the prescribed safety limits at the FPSOs.

“Publish the international certifications that allow the oil companies to operate over the safetylimits!Itisnosecretthatthe oil companies award themselves and their executives big bonuses and salary increases based upon production numbers which naturally incentivize this type of irresponsible behaviour. Good governments, who care for their country, should therefore ensure no expense is spared in being transparent towards the people in these grave matters and in implementing competent oversight, to ensure the health, safety and environment of the nation are not superseded by

greed,”theyreasoned.

In February, Kaieteur News reported that Guyana's two oil ships—the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity reached their highest production mark in January at 400,160 barrels, according to data from the Ministry of Natural Resources. This was attained on January12,2023.Abreakdownof the data indicated that the Liza Destinyproduced153,890barrels on that day while Unity was 246,270barrels.

This “achievement” was later mirrored on February 24, 2023. According to statistics produced by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Liza Destiny produced 156,080 barrels while Liza Unity produced 246,000 barrels, bringing the total productionlevelto402,080.

EPAassessment Regulator for the oil and gas sector, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assured in the past that any changes to

activities must be vetted by the body

ExecutiveDirectoroftheEPA, Kemraj Parsram had said in a previous interview, “In all of the environmental permits, one of the key requirements is that if there is anychangetowhatwasapproved, they (Exxon and partners) must seekapprovalfromtheEPAandin so doing, we will require informationthatwillhelpassessif it will cause significant impacts beforeapprovingsame.”

Head of the Oil and Gas Department, Joel Gravesande also confirmed this, noting that ExxonMobil's subsidiary; EEPGL did seek permission before pumping more oil at its Stabroek Blockoperations.

Gravesande said the consideration of impacts from a worst-case scenario of an unmitigated oil spill is also considered in the EIAfor the Liza Destiny at 200,000 to 300,000 barrelsofoilperday

Guyana's first FPSO: the Liza Destiny

Charlestown,Georgetown,Guyana.

Publisher:GLENNLALL-TEL:624-6456

Editor:NIGELWILLIAMS

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

EDITORIAL

Workers Day

Officially,GuyaneseworkerscelebrateanotherLabour Day,andwewishallofthem,ajoyfulday Unfortunately, thecelebrationsoflocalworkers,onthisthedayoftributeto theirtoilandtheirgifts,areseveralshadesonthemutedside. Our workers should be on top of the world, but they find themselvesfrequentlyhustlingalongthemargins,scraping thebottomofthebarrel,justtogetalong.

Workers from around the regions cast an eye on developments in Guyana, compare to their domestic circumstances,andforthemGuyanaistheplaceforthemto be. Likemigrantworkersfromtimeimmemorial,theywill takewhattheyget,foritwillstillbemorethanfromwhere they came. Thus, there are some alternatives to those Guyanesedemandingawagethatisfair,whatcorresponds totheireducation,experience,andskills. Therehavebeen complaints, and with too much of what is troubling about themtolooktheotherway

RepresentativesofGuyana’sworkforceshouldbeupin arms, in the face, even outside the growing number of foreignbusinesscomplexesoperatingdomestically Tothe detriment of Guyanese workers, too many of their unions and associated leaders have been converted to nothing but mouthpieces for political manipulators, dice to be rolled aroundatwill.TheGuyaneseworkerhassufferedfromthe lack of intensity, and as is perceived in some circles, an absenceofauthenticity,inthetypeofstrongrepresentation that should be automatically theirs. The losses of the Guyaneseworkerinatimeofhighcorporateprosperityare particularly galling, and should be denounced across Guyana. Lossoftherightlevelofpay,lossoftheessentials, whataretakenasthenorm,insuchareasascomprehensive coverage,equitabletreatment,andthelossofthedegreeof dignitythatisdue. Theirunionshavebeenpacified,orput out to pasture, or pushed over into ineffectual corners. Theseareafewoftheconsequencesofpoliticsandbusiness mixing in the wrong way for the wrong objectives: the workers pay harsh prices, bear the burdens of leaders who havelosttheirguts,theirfeet,andtheirpride.

The Ministry of Labor has not been that official sanctuary to which Guyanese workers and local union leaders can bring their grievances and get the kinds of resolutions they deserve. There is too much pussyfooting around what is beneficial to the visions of foreign commercial enterprises. There is the deep and spreading sense that instead of the Ministry of Labour being there to give a much-needed hand to distressed Guyanese, there is more an inclination to hand them over to the exploits and excesses of those who come here to grab every dollar that theycangetfromourboomingwealthsectors. Ifandwhen Guyaneseworkershavetobetheoneslosingoutonadollar properly earned, and rightfully due, then it is too bad that theirshavetobetheranksofcollateraldamage.

Toaddtothisalreadyunhealthy,unhappy,andpathetic environment,thereisagovernmentandleadershipthatare notjustinbedwithforeignbusinessinterests,butarepartof thebed. Thatis,thetopforeigngroupsdoingbusinesshere have seized every opportunity to jump all over them, and render both leaders and government into nothing but putty undertheirfeet. Guyanesebusinesseswerefirstlefttofight on their own, but are slowly coming into their own. Meanwhile,therank-and-fileGuyaneseworkerisstillleftto fend on his own. He is an ignored and inconsequential casualtyofGuyana’sresourcewars.

Whyisitthatinacountryendowedwiththeseresource giftsthatworkersendurewithaminimumwagethathasno relation to reality? How come in a nation with such quantities of nature’s bounty that the quantity of food on Guyaneseworkerstablesisofthescratchandsnatchvariety Meaning,thepickingsarebare,andwhograbsfirstgets. On this Labour Day, Guyanese workers should be walking on the world. Instead, it is the world that comes here to join with locals to take advantage of them, and with that, they mustlearntomanage,tosurvive.

Expanding our tourism offering

DEAREDITOR, I w a s r e c e n t l y remembering the last time I visitedourbotanicalgardens and seeing the lack of diversity in the garden’s plants. Guyana has a very rich variety of plants and flowers that only the tropics canoffer.Itwouldbeniceto

see this diversity on display throughout the gardens and parks. The work that the First Lady is doing should be applauded as she has broughtrenewedjoyviaher beautification project. His Excellency has found an excellent match, which the

nation also cherishes. An undertakingthatmayalsobe worthwhile would be the establishment of a larger garden in Iwokrama with a library It would be a great addition to our tourism offerings and make for an attractive tourist destination for intellectuals and those

interested in environmental sustainability and botany We as a nation do have the advantage of being a part of the Amazon We should capitalizeonitinsupportof our quest for environmental sustainability.

Bestregards, Mr.

JamilChanglee

DEAREDITOR, It is very heartening to read in the local press that “More than 600 residents of Regions One and Two have graduated recently, while another 254 graduated from various courses last month

Further, approximately 169 residents along the East Coast corridor graduated through BIT.” We must not take this lightly, and credits must be heaped on the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government for this ongoing initiative and drive.

Ithinkwecannotdispute the fact that the rapid technological developments we are witnessing in the early years of the twentyfirst century, together with the forces of globalization, areindeedleadingtoradical changes in the world of work. In fact, the changing nature of work is already perceptible in both urban centres and in rural communities It follows therefore that human development, of which educationissuchavitalpart, mustkeepinstepwiththese societal changes if people

DEAREDITOR

We have been assured manytimesbythepetroleum companiesherethattheyare operating according to international standards These standards require inspectors to certify compliance with the standards.

The Liza Destiny and Liza Unity have for some time now been operating over their safe design operating limits of 120 000 and 220 000 barrels per day (bpd) prescribed in their Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). E.g., on Feb 24, 2023, they produced 156 000 and 246 000 barrels respectively, while Esso Exploration and

are to lead productive, peacefulandsatisfyinglives. This is really the bedrock of humanexistence.

We all know that Board of Industrial Training has been pushing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Guyana and rightly so. This really referstoallformsandlevels of education and training which provide knowledge and skills related to occupations in various sectors of economic and social life through formal, non-formal and informal learning methods in both school-based and workbased learning contexts

TVET focuses on the learning and mastery of specialized techniques and the scientific principles underlyingthosetechniques, as well as general knowledge,skillsandvalues In brief, apart from bringing valuesofself-worthtoaperson, TVET makes ‘earnability’ a reality I note that last year, some $448.5 million was allocatedforBITtofacilitate training, and this resulted in some 4000 persons reaping employability benefits. In

fact, the stats record that in 2022, 2000 citizens were trainedandcertifiedwhilein 2021, 3086 persons were trained. This translates to productivity,familyupkeep, and is, for sure, a crimenegating factor May we be reminded that gone are the days of things like manual tailoring,massemployments at estates and factories etc. I

was told that many Guyanese, now empowered bytheprogrammes,arenow earning an income or are entrepreneurs What was quite commendable is that the thrust is quite national andthetrainingprogrammes were expanded to interior

regions and riverine

communities for the residents therein to be upskilled According to Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton, the PPP/C Government’s commitment “… is that the activities and the opportunities being offeredtopeopleonthecoast and in Region Four, will (also be afforded to the Hinterland areas), thus they will have those same benefits.” Editor, it is not ‘rocket science’to appreciate

that development must be holistic,andwithBIT,thereis a noticeable movement ensuring“ everyGuyanese, regardless of location, having equitable access to opportunitiestoimprovetheir livelihoodsandthecountryat large” I reiterate that “BIT offers more than 80 technical and vocational training coursesfreeofcost,including block making, heavy-duty equipment operation, electrical installation, upholstery,craftmaking,solar installationandrepairs,motor vehicle servicing and repairs, commercial food preparation, welding and fabrication, auto electrical and AC repair, and heavy-dutymechanics.”

AsImentionedbefore,this BIT is really huge No one should miss out The truth is that“Technicalandvocational education and training/is essential to life-long learning and plays a crucial role in providing opportunities for people from all backgrounds, includingthosewhohavebeen marginalised in the labour market”Iadvisethatwe‘grab ouropportunities.’

Yourstruly, H.Singh.

BIT-more than a mere ‘piece’for many Guyanese Government must publish international safety certificates for the overproduction

Production Guyana Ltd

( E E P G L ) a n d t h e Government narrate this brazendisregardofsafetyas the achievement of reaching 400000bpd.

Many knowledgeable people in Guyana and the in Caribbean are concerned that such blind faith in the adherence of these companies to safety proceduresmayleadtoanoil spill ¯ especially as the Guyana Government is afraid of requiring these petroleum companies of limited liability to sign parent company guarantee that any damage over and abovetheinsuredfigurewill bepaid.Isn’tthiscontinuous exceeding of the design

safety limit a much greater risk? Or does our government not understand this?AcompetentPetroleum Commission should have been in place to insist on adherencetostandards.

Since it is elected to represent the people, the government must insist the oil companies back up their claimofsafetybytakingone obvious step in good governance Publish the international certifications that allow the oil companies to operate over the safety limits!

Itisnosecretthattheoil c o m p a n i e s a w a r d themselves and their executives big bonuses and salary increases based upon

production numbers which naturally incentivize this type of irresponsible b e h a v i o u r G o o d governments, who care for their country, should therefore ensure no expense issparedinbeingtransparent towards the people in these grave matters and in implementing competent oversight, to ensure the health, safety and environment of the nation arenotsupersededbygreed.

Yourssincerely,

VincentAdams

AlfredBhulai AndreBrandli

JanetteBulkan DarshanandKhusial Oil & Gas Governance Network(OGGN)

Indian Indentureship and its causes Elections COI failed to address causes of electoral problems

DEAREDITOR, This Friday’s Indian ArrivalDayholidayreminds us that between 1838 and 1917, 239,000 Indians were brought as “indentured labourers” for the sugar plantations of Guyana. The question arises as to why they left their country when their custom forbade “crossing the “Black Waters”(KalaPani)”onpain of “social death”. The short answer is that for most, it was a choice between life anddeath.

While indentured labour mightbeseenasatransitory episode of human labour from chattel slavery to the so-called modern “free labour”, the conditions that herded Indians into that option were man-made. For the so-called “pull factors”, the Guyanese sugar planters were convinced the freed Africanswouldnotselltheir labourataratetomakesugar profitable.

Unlike islands such as Antigua and Barbados, availablelandcouldprovide them with alternative sources of sustenance than thesitesoftheirdegradation.

That the planters would soon lose the preferential tariffs that made WI sugar more profitable than beet and slave-produced sugar from countries like Brazil, was the clinching argument. They therefore actively sought new supplies of labour that would guarantee cheapanddisciplinedbodies on demand, even before full freedomarrivedwiththeend of Apprenticeship in 1838.

They resuscitated indentureship, the form of labour that had preceded slavery,whereworkerswere contractually bound for a number of years to work under specified conditions and low wages. But where would such rates – which

could not even attract freed slaves–bea“pullfactor”for indentureship?

The answer was faminestruck Madeira starting in 1835 (30,685), the smaller WI Islands especially Barbados, 1835 (42,512), “Liberated Africans”, 1838 (13,355),BritishIndia,1838 (239,909) and China, 1853 (14,189). India provided the most indentured labour due to enormous numbers of Indians thrown into destitutionunderBritishrule and, as in Barbados, the wages and conditions unacceptable to our freed slaves, were attractive to them.

The story of Indian immigration actually begins in 1757, when the troops of the British East India Company captured Bengal from the Moguls, and inexorable completed their conquest of the legendarily rich India within 50 years.

Less than a decade later, between 1768 and 1771, in Bengal and Eastern Bihar (fromwheremostGuyanese immigrants originated), morethan10millionpersons –onethirdofthepopulation – died from a “famine”.

Why? Two reasons: Firstly, thefarmerswhosuppliedthe bulk of the population with foodstuffwereforcedbythe British into producing cash cropsforexport–evenwhile they were forced to pay oneroustaxesatthethreatof death and violence that left thempenniless.

Of the food staples produced,attheheightofthe famine grain merchants exported a record 800,000 tonsofwheatand1.9million tonsofrice.

As peasants starved and perished, officials were ordered“todiscouragerelief works in every possible way”.

BritishGovernorWarren

Hastings, boasted to the H o m e O f f i c e : “Notwithstandingthelossof at least one-third of the inhabitants of the province, andtheconsequentdecrease of the cultivation, the net collections of the year 1771 exceeded even those of I768…Itwasnaturallytobe expectedthatthediminution of the revenue should have kept an equal pace with the other consequences of so great a calamity That it did not was owing to it being violently kept up to its former standard.” Between the Bengal famine of 1768 andtheendofIndentureship in1917,conservatively,over 54 million Indians perished fromfamine.

The cash crops the farmerswereforcedtogrow included cotton, poppy (for opium), and indigo and, as describedabove,stapleslike riceandwheat.

This simply sufficed to pay the extortionate British tax demands or lose their lands, which many did Millionsalsobecamejobless when the British forbade Indian weavers from producing cotton yarn and the cotton fabrics that had enthralledEurope.

Henceforth, only cotton woven by British looms could be sold in India! Where were unemployed weavers to get the money to buyfood,muchlessclothes? Incidentally, Britain became thelargestdrugdealersupto the present, with up to 800 tons of opium shipped to China annually so that the British could buy Chinese tea.

Even before the start of indentureship, millions of Indians were migrants looking jobs within India: British Guiana and other coloniesprovidedavent.

Sincerely

RaviDev

DEAREDITOR, President Irfaan Ali’s Commission of Inquiry (COI)intothe2020General and Regional Elections has failedtoaddressthecause(s) of our electoral problems. Further, it was deficient in intent and Terms of Reference, and sought to justify the allegations of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), demonise and criminalisesomepeopleand a section of society Below are some of the highlights gleaned from reading the report:- 1.Thereportskirted the conduct of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson Justice Claudette Singh S.C whoplayedaday-to-dayrole in the electoral operations. The report was kind to the Chairperson in spite of the blunders that occurred in those elections and the evidenceledattheCOI.

2 The information presented to the COI by one of the heads of security was dismissed by his principal. This COI gave this no consideration.

3The people who were targeted never gave evidence, given that they were charged on issues related to the elections and are before the court. Yet the report presented damning statementsagainstthem.

4TheCOIignoredopinions expressed in society, surveyed and otherwise, of important elements of the elections. One such is the eroding confidence in the e l e c t o r a l s y s t e m , particularly after the 2020 Recount and the revelations unearthed.5TheCOIpaid no attention #4 in spite of the plethora of public information on this, including a survey conducted by the United States-based International Republican Institute (IRI) thatfound81%ofGuyanese

feel electoral reforms are necessary This information wasreadilyaccessibletothe COI because it is in the publicdomain.

6. TheCOIignoredthe c l a m o u r f o r t h e implementation of biometrics to safeguard the integrity of the vote GECOMshotthisdownwith the casting vote of Chairperson Singh who supported the PPPnominatedCommissioners.

7. TheCOIsoughttogive the impression the report emerged out of the views solicited or widely available whenitfailedtotrulyrepresent all sides For instance, in the 1965 International Commission of Jurist (ICJ) inquiry on the ethnic composition of the Public Service/Disciplined Services, whereas the PPP boycotted presentingevidencebeforethe commission, the commission initsreportmadeitclearthey took into consideration the party’s public statements in arrivingatitsfindings

8 The recommendations intheReportarevacuous Itis clear the COI was never intendedtounearththetruthor proceed in a deliberative manner, but merely established for the sole purpose to protect the PPP

regime Ali’s COI was no different from the one established for the 1992 Elections by Cheddie Jagan TheintentofJagan’sCOIwas tocornerHamiltonGreenand other black leaders but ended upbeingadampsquib Also instructiveisthetimingofthe release of the report when evidence is circulating of the PPP engaging in electoral malpractices in the Local Government Elections even before a ballot is cast This is typical PPP custom and practice which can no longer fooltheGuyanesesociety The releaseofthereportwastimed to shift the public’s attention away from matters of great importance and that would create embarrassment for the regimeandparty Thereport appeared rushed and lacked t h e b e n e f i t o f a representative cross-section of commissioners and others.

The COI has not only fallen short in the quality of its report but has wasted taxpayers’ money and produced nothing that could help society have free, fair and credible elections, and declarations that would reflect the true will of the people.

Sincerely

LincolnLewis

MPs wasting our time

DEAREDITOR

InoneofGlennLall’sTic Tok videos, he talked about time being wasted by politicians hurling insults and reminiscing on the past. Agreed that whenever the media is around, that’s what we have to witness, and sadly, it’s more blatant in Parliament.

It is taxpayers’ money funding them with their salaries, travelling allowances, fancy meals, drinks,etc.

One only watches the recording for the comic reliefinparliament.

These people are just collectingmoneyunderfalse pretense, especially the opposition.

There’s nothing meaningful arising from theirpresentations.

Editor, not only is it sad, it’s also shameful to see the opposition members still talking about rigging and dead voters.

The whole world saw what was happening and even though there’s new leadership, instead of doing the honourable thing by apologising and moving forward, they prefer to foolishly sit in a sinking ship and wonder aimlessly

When the APNU+AFC took over governance of Guyana, immediately every ministry/agencies that came

under the government was flooded with ex-military personnel in some of the mostseniorpositions.

If there was any form of corruption not in the then government’s favour,withoutadoubt,it w o u l d h a v e b e e n highlighted.

I don’t know when they will step out of their cloud 9 and do something meaningful for the Guyanese people, instead of wasting time and disappointing their supporters

Some already expressed their resentment by abandoningthesinkingship.

Regards

SahadeoBates

Let conscience be the guide

DEAREDITOR

The Hercules family is expecting compensation for the untimely and unfortunate death of Neptrid Hercules However, the investigation into his death foundnooneculpableanditseemstheonly recommendations emanated are those to preventasimilarmishaprecurring(SNApril 29).

So what is the family to do and where

Guyana and the region should pursue closer economic ties with India

doesthisleavethem?

File a civil lawsuit? That is costly and timeconsuming.

Itmustberememberedthatalifewaslost in the execution and performance of work duties.

Conscienceshouldguidehowthismatter isdealtwithgoingforward.

Regards

ShamshunMohamed

DEAREDITOR, Guyana historically has benefitted from India’s generosity and kindness in spite of our country’s cold shoulder towards India by succeeding governments The Irfaan Ali government has wised up and opted to pursue closer economic relationswithIndiaresulting in several economic delegations visiting Guyana andsigningmemorandumof agreementsinvariousareas. The President and Vice President also visited India in separate trips bolstering economic and political relations The Indian ForeignMinister(MEA)Dr S. Jaishankar also visited Guyana last week to strengthen relations. He is oneofthemosttalkedabout Foreign Minister of any country by experts in Washingtonwhereheserved as Ambassador some years ago.

Dr Jaishankar has been highly rated by intellectuals in International Relations. Jaishankar, a scholar in internationalrelationsandan expert on Russia, China, USA, and Japan has been conducting India’s foreign policywithgreatfinesse.His diplomacy has resulted in positive benefits to the Indian economy He has been traveling the globe to pursue economic tie-ups between India and other countries So it is no accident that he has visited Guyanaandheldroundtable business discussions with captains of industries A Guyana-India Chamber of Commerce was launched in Georgetown. The MEA Dr

Jaishankar announced there will be annual IndiaGuyana-Caricom business summits from next year alternating between India and the Caribbean. Guyana and the region stand to benefit enormously from economic ties with India which is the fastest growing majoreconomythatissetto become number three in GDP by the end of this decade. Currently, India is number 6 just nipping the UK last year Western economies, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are courting India for closer trade and political (security) ties.

The state of the Indian economy and western security has been a major talkingpointtoday Indiahas managed its economy well. While other major economies are on the brink ofarecession,Indiahasbeen growing The economy contracted in 2020 because of Covid but has bounced back over the last two years recovering to pre-Covid levels in terms of output. Unlike in other countries, inflation is relatively low in India. The Reserve Bank of Indiahasdoneagreatjobin managing monetary policy

Interest rates were raised judiciously as in the USA, puttingahandleoninflation. ButunlikeinUSAwherethe economyhasstalled,India’s economy has grown Foreign exchange reserves werereleasedstrategicallyin India, buying and selling dollars to prevent the rupee exchange rate from wide fluctuation. Westerners see opportunities in India which

has a stable economy and huge foreign exchange reserves.

As the war in Ukraine continues and hostility deepened in relations between the west,Australia, Japan and China, major Western companies are now looking at India as a potential investment destination This will provide greater economic opportunities for India and increased trading between GuyanaandIndia.Itcanalso potentially lead to Indian companies investing in Guyana especially in food production to meet Western demands. Guyana can be an attractiontoIndianinvestors in oil and gas, energy, agriculture,andeducation.It is important, therefore, that Guyana deepens ties with India. Greater benefits will follow

ItisrecalledthatGuyana and the Caribbean have benefited tremendously from India’s aid programme overthelastsixty-fiveyears. Indiadoledoutthousandsof scholarships to students in the region valued hundreds of millions in American dollars as well as billions more ofAmerican dollars in non-repayable grants, soft loans, vaccines, technical assistance, training, and otherformsofaidtoGuyana andtheregion.

Guyana can further benefitfromIndia’sprogress andexpertiseinthefieldsof science, engineering, data and economic strategy to consolidateGuyana’spathto development.

Yourstruly,

VishnuBisram

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

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Number 5 done, number 6 to come

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Guyana should just rubberstamp all these oil projects at the same time!

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Jagdeo should do away with the trickery and just make it official…

Oil project number 6, number 7, and number whatever!

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

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Just cease with the merry go round, and approve the projects!

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Like the Japanese CEO said, it's just a formality,Guyanese should stop fooling themselves that Jagdeo fighting for them!

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In rush to empty Guyana basin, Exxon testing limits of safe oil production

Exxon is pushing the limits of safe oil production withtheirLizaPhase1and2 projects. Kaieteur News had reported that Exxon managed to produce over 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) in recent months

These projects were designed to safely produce oilat340,000barrelsperday (bpd) together With the latest production numbers o n t h e P e t r o l e u m Management Programme for March, Exxon continues to surpass 400,000 bpd on multipledays.

Originally designed to produceat100,000bpdwith safe sustainment at peaks of 120,000bpd,theLizaPhase 1 environmental impact

assessment said oil productioncangoashighas 144,000bpd.However,Liza Phase 1's production since debottlenecking in 2022 has surpassed this, producing over 150,000 bpd. For the sake of emphasis, this project is ACTIVELY PRODUCING oil at levels higher than was stated as safe in documents Exxon itself submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA).

Exxon also plans to undertake similar debottlenecking work for Liza Phase 2 in the second half of 2023. According to the EIA, this project has a design rate of 220,000 bpd, but a safe operating limit of

250,000bpd.HessPresident Greg Hill said in the last earningscallthattheaimfor LizaPhase2is250,000bpd. While Liza Unity has produced above its original design rate recently, it has not gone past the safe operating limit. However, the continued push for increased production in these projects may pose potential risks to safe operations Vice President Dr.BharratJagdeo'sposition is that the country's oil resources should be produced as quickly as possible. Jagdeo's personal depletion policy, aptly encapsulated by the phrase "drill baby drill!" has become the guiding p r i n c i p l e o f t h e government's management of the petroleum sector.The Vice President has said that demand for fossil fuels is either going to be static or declininginthenext15to20 yearsduetotheimplications of climate change and the global transition to cleaner energysources.However,he

believes that Guyana has a window of opportunity to extract its oil resources before demand starts to decline, and this is why he wants to extract the oil as quicklyaspossible.

According to Jagdeo, Guyana's low breakeven costs and sweet, light crude give it an advantage over other countries The government's strategy is to use portions of the oil to build world-class infrastructureandeducation, whileputtingsomeasidefor inter-generational equity. Jagdeo believes that is the best course of action for Guyana's economic development.

There is an alternative view that Guyana should encourage production at a slower pace so the government can build capacity to regulate the sector properly However, Jagdeo has refused this perspective, arguing that Guyanacannotwaituntilits capacity is perfect to developitsresource.

Handyman killed at Vreed-en-Hoop

Police in the

Region Three

district are investigatingthekillingofa handyman on Saturday afternoon, at New Road Vreed-en-Hoop,WestCoast Demerara(WCD).

The man was identified as Wafab Wahab age 45, called “Ricky” of Lot 6 H a r l e m , W C D

Investigators learnt

t h a t R i c k y w a s attacked and stabbed multiple times to his body by suspects on bicycles, shortly after leaving his aunt's house around 18:00hrs at New Road,Vreed-en-Hoop.

She told police that she had sent him away because hewasdrunk.

An eyewitness told the copsthathewaswalkingout of New Road when his killers pounced on him in thevicinityofStrikey'sBar

After stabbing the man,

the killer rode off into Evergreen Street and escaped. Rickey reportedly felltogroundbutgotupand managed to stagger into the bar where patron raised an alarmthathewasbleeding.

Seeing his wounds, the bar owner called the police immediately

Ranks arrived quickly and tried to stop him from bleeding out by ripping off his shirt and tying his arm before rushing him to the West Demerara Regional Hospital.

Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead on arrival atthehospital.

Ricky was brutally stabbed at least seven times and detectives are treating the case as cold-blooded murder, because his cell phone and the little cash he had, were found in his pockets.

Investigations are ongoing.

The moral choices facing the electorate

The forthcoming electionswillbea test of morality

The electorate will be faced with a question: do they support a party which has attempted to benefit from rigged elections, brought this nation into dispute, showed utter contempt for the will of the people and now want to be the people’s representatives in municipalities and neighbourhood democratic councils.

The elections will NOT be a referendum of the PNCR’sleadership.

It will be a test of the people’s sense of political morality If the PNCR does well,itwouldmeanthatthey are either forgiven for attempting to benefit from rigged elections or their supporters endorse those actions The PNC brought this country to its knees. It established a political dictatorship between 1968 and 1992 and it destroyed a onceflourishingeconomy It wasaccusedofgravehuman rights violations as well as politicalassassinations.

The people of the country endured almost twenty years of grinding hardshipsunderthemodelof cooperativesocialism.

As the 1992 elections drew near, the Working People’s Alliance was so confident that the PNC wouldpayahighpriceforits pastmisdeedthatsomeofits activists predicted that the PNC would not gain more than 10% of the votes cast.

Andwhenyoulookedatthe record of the PNC in government, particularly between1976and1992,you would have said that 10% wasbeinggenerous.

In the 1992 elections –the first free and fair elections in almost a quarter of a century- instead of the PNC being relegated to a 10% party, it secured 42.31%ofthevotes.

The PPP/C won by a landslidewith53.45%ofthe total votes cast The subsequent elections of 1997, 2001 and 2006, more orlessmirroredtheresultsof the1992elections.

In 1997, the PPP/C gained 55.25% of the total votescastascomparedtothe PNC 40.55%. In 2001, the results were 52.96% for the PPP/C and 41.83% for the PNC. In 2006, the PPP/C snared 54.67% while the PNC saw a disastrous decline of its support to 34.67%dueinlargemeasure to the performance of the Alliance For Change. How does one explain this performance of the PNC given its disastrous terms in office? The explanation proffered, and which remains credible, was becauseofethnicinsecurity This theory posits that the supporters of the country’s two main political parties clingtothembecauseoffear of their economic and personal security. That theory was used to explain the continuing ethnic polarization of the country But that theory is no longer

Dem boys seh...

relevant. The demographics of the country had begun to change.

Indianswerenolongera majority of the population and thus the PPP/C would needtowooothersectionsof thepopulationtomaintainits majority TheAFC emerged as a credible third force. In the2011elections,itheldthe balance of power in the National Assembly thereby deny the PPP/C, for the first time since 1992, a majority in the House. It was now possible for the PPP/C to be defeated as it was in 2015 when the AFC joined with theAPNU–apartnershipof the PNCR and a number of small inconsequential parties. The ethnic security dilemmanolongerexists.As such, this theory can no longer be used to explain ethnicpolarization.

Thefailedattemptbythe APNU+AFCtobenefitfrom rigged elections in 2020 has led to moral crisis in the country’s politics. Will the supportersoftheAPNU(the AFC is not contesting this year’s local government elections) vote for a party which was complicit in attempting to benefit from riggedelections?

Or will they use these elections to reject the discredited narratives peddled by the APNU and the AFC? This is the moral choicefacingtheelectorate.

TheoutcomeoftheJune 12th local government elections will decide the futureofpoliticsinGuyana. IfthePNCRdoeswellandif

Dem picknee writing dem Common Entrance examinations dis week. Dem does call it NGSA. Dem boys wish dem luck.

At one school one ah dem teacher decide fuh put he students through a trial test. One of de questions required de students to fill indeblanks…

“Old MacDonald had a ___?” One of de children thinkfuhwanlangtimeand denwrite,”OldMacDonald hadafarm.”

He friend wah sit down next to be ask he quietly, “Howdoyouspellfarm?”

De first student seh, “Man, that’s easy It’s EIEIO.”

It mek dem boys remember de story of de three recruits who bin trying to get into de police force. Dem had to do a specialexamination.

Deexaminertekdefuss applicant into a room and show he a photograph for 10 seconds, and den ask de

applicant, “If this was your suspect, how would you rememberhim?”

“Easy,” de first applicantsay “Heonlyhas one eye!” “You idiot!” de examiner yell. “Of course not!Hehastwoeyes!It’sa side profile picture. You’re toostupidtobeapolice.Get outofhere!”

De examiner show de secondapplicantdepicture andaskhe,“Ifthiswasyour suspect, how would you rememberhim?”

De second applicant answered,“Heonlyhasone ear!” “You moron!” shout de examiner, “Of course not! He has two ears! It’s a side profile picture. You’re asdumbasthelastpersonI tested.Getoutofhere!”

Itwasnowdeturnofde third applicant

e examiner show he de

retains most of its strongholds, then a new theory would have to be developed to explain why the PNCR, after what it put this country through for 5 months between March 2nd 2020 and August 2nd 2020, was not relegated into the politicalwilderness.

Thechoice is before the people. Do you support a party that was dishonest to the point of wanting to benefit from rigged elections? Or do you stand on the side of morality and use the local government elections as a referendum to reject the shenanigans of

those 5 months and reject those who peddled and continue to peddle discreditednarratives?

There is also a moral choice facing the supporters of the PPP/C Do you support a party which has breached its promise to renegotiate the oil contract and which continues to operate in the same manner as in 2011 when it lost its parliamentarymajority?

Do you support a party which has a flawed understanding and a poor track record of local democracy?

Morality is about right

and wrong. The electorate will face a moral choice come July 12th 2023.(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s affiliates.)

photographandask,“Ifthis was your suspect, how would you remember him?”

De third applicant was deep in thought but after a fewminutessay,“Ihaveit! Hewearscontactlenses!”

De examiner is bewildered, but leaves the room to go check. He find out dat de person in de picture does indeed wear contacts.“That’samazing!” hesaytodethirdapplicant, “I’venevermetsomeoneas brilliantasyou.Welcometo the team! Out of curiosity, howcouldyoutelltheman in the picture had on contacts?”

“Well he couldn’t wear REGULAR glasses,” de third applicant reply “He only has one ear and one eye! Talkhalf.Leffhalf.

H@RD TRUTHS

GHK LALL

A mystery wrapped in a riddle

The phone gone away, the visa gone,butthestory is not going away. As much as the PPP Government wishesittofadeintothemists of amnesia, the magical mysteriessurroundingthePS and her phone are still here withus.

Even the little that the Government-President, Minister, Ministry, and the PS herself - has confirmed thatnothingofsubstancehas been said, that some kind of fix is in to keep this shaky business under close arrest. That is, no movement

allowed, no genuine enlightenment forthcoming.

And now, SN's sprawling editorialofFriday,April28th titled “PS Mae Toussaint Jr Thomas phone” has only introduced more snakes and scorpionsintothemix.

It was thoughtful of His Excellency to decide on a timely cocktail mix to ease troubled nerves, and put the best face on a rough set of circumstances,inclusiveofa mystery wrapped in a riddle…

F r o m A s s i s t a n t Accountant to the unlikely height of Permanent

Secretary in one fell swoop, to China for undisclosed training, and an official passport for an unofficial jaunt,areelementsworthyof a murder mystery novel. Murder, because that is exactly what the PPP Government, the President, and Minister(s) are doing to theintelligenceofGuyanese. The mysteries keep mounting: first, it was this terse business about travel interception, then phone incarceration, followed by visa revocation, and last, watch list inclusion. The sequenceisjumbled,because

other than the few deep within the recesses (and the highest heights) of the secretive PPP Government, no Guyanese actually know the real facts and circumstances in this PS saga, this phone farce Because Guyanese don't know that doesn't mean that they can't think. And the more that the Government slides and scoots around this slippery story, the more citizensseethelight. Thisis not about some expensive, top of the line device; it is about what is inside of it. Think the damning, the worst.

I had repeatedly and respectfully cautioned His Excellency: when coverups become the culture, then therearetheseconvictionsof property, person, and practices that inevitably come to light. They may be belated, and housed behind an Iron Curtain (how is that foragoldenoldie?),butthey stillhitwithalltheforceofa blastfurnace. Thisisneither cleannoruprightgovernance norleadership. Somethingis rotten in Guyana, and it cannot be contained. It stinks all the way to Beijing andback.

What do I make of all of this? The PS is radioactive. Touch her and the risk of contamination expands exponentially Nobody is makingaseriousefforttodo any touching, not even the Teflonhead-of-state. Onthis one, he comes across as gropingfortongue,tone,and persuasive truth. I regret to report that he has lost on all three counts Next, the

Yanks are having a field day with that phone; after all, nobody bothers sendingpostcardsthese days. In times past, PPPsupportersandPPPbrass chased away the Chinese fellow with his accusations and connections. Presently, the word is damage control, and the best approach is to muffle the sound system: nobody says anything Nobody knows anything When the Oriental fellow came out of the woodwork, loud were the shrill cries aboutevidence.

I don't hear any of my fine-feathered friends in the media speaking about sovereignty, or 'grave intrusion' (in their best imitation of Ambassador Lynch or Henry Kissinger), or American overreach Suddenly, China looks like a real perilous place to be doing business with, having anykindofinteraction.

Regarding the PS's own statement, I must say it is a masterpiece of saying something, without saying anything. This has become quite the norm for the government and its leading spokespeople.Regardingthe Hon Vice President's extraordinary ditty about people having “multiple existences”, it possesses a Jekyll and Hyde nature. In this context of the PS, it comes across as split existences, stealth existences, and still other existences that are better left unaddressed.

To take the Vice President's “multiple

existences”termofchoiceto its natural habitat, then Guyana has a population littered with many Houdinilike figures. ExcellencyAli h i m s e l f s p o k e t o 'misunderstanding'andthisis between sets of Englishspeaking bodies and their people. Considering this, onehastowonderwhatkind of'understanding'therecould be between the PS and the Chinese.

Last, I am hearing this verbalgimmickryof“routine secondary inspection” and say as follows. No one on any US Watch List being culled from the crowds and conversed with in a corner can be said to be undergoing either what is a 'routine' or something indicative of a 'secondary' situation Something smells in all of this,anditisnotoneofthose passing garbage trucks Thereisacorpsesomewhere, most likely more than a few ofthem.

Recall: lie down with cats, and only meows result whentryingtospeak. Igive thePresident,VicePresident, the Minister, and the PS all meowing in curiouser and curiouser falsettos. Nothing melodious results Not straightbusiness.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the a u t h o r a n d d o n o t necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaperanditsaffiliates.)

Consumers faced 94 power outages, 96

hours

of blackout last year

… Says GPL continuously fail to achieve targets that are way below industry norm

The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has reported that the Guyana Power & Light Inc. (GPL) has continuously failed to achieve majority of its Operating Standards and Performance Targets (OSPTs) – despite those targets being way below industry norms and 'nearly met'theothertargets.

According to the document seen by this publication, PUC Order 1 of 2023 which is a review of GPL's performance in 2022, painted the agency in a grim light for only achieving four

of the eight standards and targets.

While the PUC is empowered to levy a monetary penalty on the company for the failure to achieve its OSPTs in an amount that does not exceed 25% of the total value of the dividends, payable to the company's shareholders, the Commission stated that despite GPL's nonachievement for 2022, the penalty is not warranted at this time although the nonattainment negatively impacts the company's operations.

Following a revision by the Commission, it was revealed that GPL failed to meet its standard and targets for: Customer Interruptions, Voltage Regulation, Meter Reading and Average Availability On the other hand, the agency met the standards and targets for: Issuing of Bills, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and System Losses.

The review by the PUC was conducted every year in accordancetoGPL'sLicence which mandates the agency toreportonitsOSPTsbefore

March30thofeachyear

C u s t o m e r

Interruptions For System Average Interruption Frequency

Index (SAIFI) the Commission stated that this standard is to limit the average number of outages which consumers received duringthereportingyear For the year 2022, the target was setat90outages.GPLfailed this standard as it was revealed that for last year there were a total of 94 outages.

Itwasexplainedthatfrom data collected by the

company,itwasrevealedthat the main reason for the high number of customer outages wereasaresultoffeederand transmission line trips and increased planned maintenance.

AsitrelatestotheSystem Average Interruption

Duration Index (SAIDI), the intent of this standard is to limit the duration of outages experienced by consumers during the year For the year 2022, the target set was 95 hours; however, the average duration of outages experienced by consumers duringtheyearwas96hours. As such, this standard was notmetbyGPL.

GPL indicated to the Commissionthatthereasons forthenon-attainmentofthis standard were the same for thepreviousstandardsuchas transmission lines and feeders' trips which can be attributed to fallen branches thatmakecontactwithpower lines resulting in electrical short circuits GPL also explained that the frequency of motor vehicles hitting poles is a cause for concern and as such, the company is exploring the possibility of the use of concrete poles in the future to mitigate this frequentoccurrence.

VoltageRegulation

This standard requires that GPL “shall seek to maintaininstableconditions, voltages of 5% of the nominal voltage and 10% following a system disturbance.”

The Commission explained that GPL has maintained that it is difficult to monitor and report on the voltage supplied to each customer In 2022 the company had set a target of 98% of complaints to be resolved within 25-days However, GPL reported that it resolved 96% of voltage complaintswithinthe25-day period for last year As such, thetargetsetbythecompany wasnotachieved.

MeterReading

For 2022, GPL was required to read 97% of the meters of maximum demand consumers (industrial consumers) and 90% of the meters of the non-maximum demand consumers (residences). The company reportedthatitonlymanaged toread92%industrialmeters and 88% residence meters. As such, GPL failed to meet yetanothertarget. GPL's explanations for

failing the aforementioned target in respect to the industrial and residence, respectively, is as a result of faulty meters and signal interruptions between the meters and handheld devices which prevents the meter reader from recording the readings on the industrial consumer meters and the delay in the transmission of consumers'informationfrom the old meters to the new AMImeters.

AverageAvailability

For the year 2022, GPL was required to achieve an average generation availability of 85% The company reported that the average generation availability was 84%. As such, this standard was not met.

GPL reported that the unavailability of generators plaguedwithelectricalfaults a n d p r e v e n t a t i v e maintenance such as oil changes, engine filters replacements at different power plants negatively impacted their availability target.

Moreover, GPL was able to beat the target of issuing theirmaximumdemandbills within seven days and their non-maximum demand bills within 10 days upon completion of its meter reading exercises The second and third target the companymanagedtoreachis to satisfy the 26 days indebtedness to its creditors within21days;andwasable to meet the target of the 30dayscashcollectioncycle.In fact, the company reported thatitsactualcashcollection cyclewas14days.

GPL indicated that in 2022,theGovernmentof (Continuedonpage13)

GPL's CEO, Bharrat Dindyal

Two more journalists killed in Haiti as gang violence continues to rage

TheGuardian-Twomore journalistshavebeenkilledin Haiti in the past month as rampant gang violence has grippedthecapitalofPort-auPrinceandsurroundingareas.

Ricot Jean, who worked forRadio-TeleEvolutionInter wasfounddeadonTuesday,a day after he was reportedly kidnapped by men wearing policeuniforms.

Jean was a prominent cultural activist in the Haitian capital and hosted a weekly radioshow

M e a n w h i l e , t h e Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement that radio reporter Dumesky Kersaint was fatally shot in mid-April.

Kersaint was reportedly killed by a stray bullet “betweentheeveningofApril 15 and the morning of April 16” in the Mahotiere 83 neighborhood in the municipalityofCarrefour

“The security crisis in the country is putting journalists at a constant risk of extreme violence. It is the authorities' responsibility to make sure reporters can do their jobs withoutfearofviolence,”said Carlos Martínez de la Serna, CPJ'sprogramdirector

The National Association of Haitian Media also condemned the killings, adding that the “climate of toleratedandfueledviolence” ledtoKersaint'sdeath.

Hewasanonlinejournalist for Radio Tele Inurep, according to local media

reports.

At least two other journalistshavebeenkilledin the troubled Caribbean country this year amid an unprecedented surge in gang violence.

John Wesley Amady and Wilguens Louissaint were killedbygangmemberswhile reporting in a conflictive area south of Port-au-Prince in January.

At least nine journalists were killed in Haiti last year, the deadliest year for Haitian journalism in recent history, accordingtoUnesco.

Between January and March the UN human rights office counted 531 killings, 300 injuries and 277 kidnappings in gang-related incidents, mostly in Haiti's gang-dominatedcapital.

Haiti's predicament is rootedinhundredsofyearsof foreign exploitation, decades of dictatorial rule under the Duvalier dynasty, and a string ofnaturaldisastersincludinga 2010 earthquake that levelled Haiti'scapitalandkilledmore than200,000people.

But the current crisis intensified in 2021 when Haiti's president, Jovenel Moïse,wasassassinatedinhis Port-au-Princemansion.Since then, politically powerful gangs have commandeered more than 60% of the capital, elements of the resourcestarvedpoliceforcehavegone into open revolt, and Haitian politicshasbeenconsumedby infighting.

Consumers faced 94...

Frompage12

Guyana and the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) had settled all indebtedness to the company thereby resulting in the decline in numberofaccountsreceivabledaysforthereportingyear.

The fourth target GPL met for the year 2022 is for system losses.Thistargetsetsthesystemlosseswhichincludetechnical andnon-technicallossesat25%ofdispatchedpowerfortheyear 2022. GPL reported that the total system losses last year was 24.92%ofdispatchedpower

The Commission outlined in its decision that, while GPL continuallyfailstoattainthemajorityofitsoperatingstandards andperformancetargets(targetsthatarebelowindustrynorms), the company continues to implement and explore innovative measurestobolsteritscommitmenttoitsconsumers.

However,thePUCnoteswithgraveconcernthatGPLinsists on using the failure of handheld devices as a shield in the achievementofmeterreadingsforindustrialconsumers.

Another grave concern was the high percentage of system losses. The PUC stated that this continues to be a bane on the financialstabilityofGPL.“GPLneedstomakeagreatereffortto reducetheselossesasitwillcontinuetohampereffortstoreduce thepriceofelectricitytoconsumers,”theCommissionstated.

The Commission emphasizes that it will continue to vigorously monitor the electricity sector so that GPL would be properlypositionedtoreachitscontractualobligationsandlegal mandatetotheconsumersofGuyana.

Police officers patrol a street amid widespread insecurity, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Photograph: Dorcin Lesly/EPA

Attorney-at-Law: Govt. must inform nation what provisions in Exxon deal are bound by ‘sanctity of contracts’

…asbothpartiesdeviatefromsignedterms

Attorney-at-Law and civil rights

a c t i v i s t , Elizabeth Deane-Hughes is callingontheGovernmentof Guyana(GoG)totellcitizens which provisions in the lopsided Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), it signed with US oil giant ExxonMobil, will be subjected to the 'sanctity of

contracts'principle.

Her comments come on the heels of a statement recently made by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who threatened that 'bricks would fall' on Exxon's head, if it refuses to allow Guyana to audit beyond the timeline stipulatedintheagreement.

Given the deviationfrom the contract and the sudden

apparent disregard for the sanctityofcontractprinciple, theLawyerbelievestheGoG must be prepared to say which terms will remain bound by this feature and whichwillnotbe.

In fact, theAttorney said this question is most necessary as the oil and gas activities in the Stabroek Block,continuetoscaleup.

In an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News, DeaneHughesnoted,“Inthiseraof Guyana's burgeoning oil and gas sector with its voracious acquisition of social license to operate (SLO) in tandem, we the alleged beneficiaries of the PSAwonder what are the current, valid articles or terms of the PSA to which sanctitymustapply.”

The Lawyer pointed out that in the last year, both parties to the agreement knowingly waived the need to adhere to its stated provisions.Thisshesaidwas seen in the pursuit of the “transformative and transformational” Gas-toEnergy (GTE) project, as thereisstillnoevidenceofa feasibilitystudyfromExxon, for the utilization of the excess gas in the Stabroek Block, as required under the contract.

More recently, DeaneHughes highlighted that citizens are now being told thattherehasbeenawaiving o f a n o t h e r s e t o f requirements in the PSA, to allow for the conduct of belated cost oil audits, this timebytheGoG.

To this end, she queried,

“Would these precedent settingsignatoriesofthePSA kindlyinformus,thealleged beneficiaries of the PSA, what are the exact articles to which sanctity must apply and which are "waive-able" terms. Will we be informed before or after the fact of terms of PSA being varied while we get buried in obfuscation, or will we just besimplyignored?”

The government has often used the 'sanctity of contracts' principle as its excusetoavoidrenegotiating the terms of the Stabroek Block deal. Though it said that the terms must remain intact to uphold this principle,ithasnowdeviated fromthecontractandiseven prepared to 'rain bricks' on theoperator'sheadforfailing

(Continuedonpage19)

Attorney-at-Law, Elizabeth Deane-Hughes

Toygunbanditcaughtin trenchafterrobberyat ChineseSupermarket

A toy gun bandit was on Saturday caught hiding in a trench after he and three others who were reportedly armedwithrealgunsinvaded a Chinese Supermarket at Good Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD) and robbed the owners of cash, cell phones,andphonecards.

Police identified the banditasa21-year-oldmanof Benn Street, Wortmanville, Georgetown.

According to police, he and three accomplices armed with handguns pulled up in a grey car and invaded the supermarketaround12:20hrs.

They held the three Chinese nationals who were there at the time at gunpoint and “beat them up” before grabbing a number of phone cards,cashandcellphones.

As the gunmen were leaving in their car, one of them became trigger happy

and decided to fire off shots butitonlygainedtheattention of a licensed firearm holder whotookouthisshotgunand begantoreturnfire.

One of his bullets struck their car slowing them down andthepolicewerealerted.A police motorcycle patrol responded quickly and engagedtheminahigh-speed chase.Thebanditscouldonly getasfarMonRepos.

As the police gave chase, twoofthemengagedthecops inashootoutandescaped,but the toy gun bandit had no choice but to jump into a trenchandseekcover

With nowhere else to run, he was forced to surrender Policefoundthestolenphone cards and some cash in his possession before seizing his weapon which turned out to beametaltoygun.

Investigations are ongoing.

Govt.mustinform...

Frompage16 toagreetothechanges.

While the government has decided to use the cards in its favour to get ExxonMobil to agree to extend the time limit for auditstobecompleted,itrefusestoactsimilarlyandexerciseits authority,tomendotherlopsidedtermsdefinedbythecontract. Once amended, these provisions would earn more revenue for the country from the petroleum sector and would still be profitablefortheoilgiant.

For instance, Guyanese have been calling on the leaders to up the mere two percent royalties the country receives on its resourcesandsubjecttheoilcompanyanditsaffiliatestothetax lawsofthecountry

Other abusive provisions in the agreement allow Exxon to hold hundreds of US-millions for the state in clean-up and restorationfundsthatwouldbeneededuntilproductionceases offshore.

Inthemeantime,Guyanamustpaywhateverinterestrateis attachedtothecostofdevelopingtheresourcesintheStabroek Block.Thecountryhasbeenadvisedtoputacaponthiscostto prevent further exploitationof its wealth. In addition, citizens havebeencallingforaring-fencingprovisiontobeaddedtothe agreement, which would allow for each oil project to pay for itself.Importantly,Guyanaisyettosecurefullliabilitycoverage fromtheoilcompanyfortheStabroekBlockoperations,evenas productionandexplorationactivitiescontinuetoincrease.

Stolen phone cards from the Chinese supermarket

The arrested bandit's toy gun

Guyana delegation in Houston, Texas for 2023 Offshore Technology Conference

AG u y a n e s e delegation led b y C h i e f Investment Officer of GuyanaandAgencyHeadof the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest), Dr Peter Ramsaroop are in Houston, Texas to participate in the 2023 Offshore Technology Conference(OTC).

According to a press statement, the delegation comprises of 40 private sector companies such as GKB, Guyana Logistics & Support Services, Friedlander, GTT, Swiss Machinery along with s e v e r a l G u y a n e s e Associations AMCHAM, GCCI, PSC, GOGEC and approximately 100 participants.

The four-day event, starting May 1st, marks Guyana's fourth time participating in the Conference. Guyanese businesses aim to attract investments,primarilyinthe oil, gas, and service sectors, while establishing key partnerships.

On the first day of the event, Dr Ramsaroop along with the Honorary Consul General of Guyana, Lutfi

Hassan will officially lead theribbon-cuttingceremony tocelebratetheinauguration of the grand opening of the GuyanaPavilion.

This year's feature presentation will be on the Investment outlook of Guyana.Apresentation will alsobemadeonaccelerating offshore development while maintaining an ecological balance, focusing on the country's carbon credit tradingandcommitmenttoa low-carboneconomy

According to the statement, Dr Ramsaroop statedthatOTCprovidesthe ability for companies to d e v e l o p b u s i n e s s relationships and tap into emerging regions that are v i t a l t o o ff s h o r e development. He added that Guyana has unmatched success with more than 11 percentoftheworld'srecent oil discoveries. He also highlighted that the country'spresencewillaidin marketing the traditional sectors,suchasAgriculture, T o u r i s m , I C T , Manufacturing, Services, Mining,andForestry

“This year, we have a few new companies on board representing an array

of diversified sectors, we have the banking sector, insurance, logistics, and support services. We are all here to market our beautiful Guyana in support of our President's One Guyana initiative,” Dr Ramsaroop said.Participation at OTC allowsGuyanesebusinesses tolearnandseekpartnersin pursuit of emerging opportunitiesandalsoaidin bringing more supply chain opportunities to Guyana's shores.

A major importance of this mission is education, connection,andnetworking. The conference has the attendance of energy professionals, engineers, executives, operators, scientists, and managers fromacrosstheworldandall fieldsintheoffshoreenergy

sector Industry leaders will discuss licensing and business opportunities as well as recently introduced newtechnologies.

Moreover, Guyana's investment opportunities will be presented at the 2nd AnnualBoardroomSession: Guyana Executive Roundtable A Guyana Evening of Information Sharing and Networking hosted by ExxonMobil Guyana will give attendees the opportunity to connect with key individuals from various international and l o c a l c o m p a n i e s Presentations will be made by representatives from ExxonMobil, the US EmbassyinGuyana,andthe Agency Head of Go-Invest is expected to headline the event.

drowns in Linden

Thebodyofayoungboy was Sunday afternoon recovered from a creek in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).Deadis 13-year-old Anthony Gordon of One Mile, Linden.

According to reports, Gordonwasswimmingwith a group of friends in the Bucktown Creek,locatedin Wismar, Linden, when he wentunderthewateranddid notresurface.

After an alarm was raised, a search was immediately launched to locate Gordon. His body was subsequently found in the creek and taken to the Linden Hospital Complex, where he was pronounced deadbyadoctoronduty His remains are currently at the Pensioners'mortuary Anthony Gordon was a student of the Wismar Christianburg Secondary School.

WANTED VACANCY

Wanted: Experienced Cashier, Cooks, Counter Person, Supervisor and Labourer. Apply @ Shanta's, 225 Camp and New Market Sts. or WhatsApp: +592-6541361.

Canter/ pick up Drivers needed. Call: 223-5273/ 223-5274.

Cook needed. Call: 2235273/ 223-5274.

DIESEL Mechanic needed. Call: 223-5273/ 688-0417/ 687-5814.

3 Receptionist, ages 25-35 yrs & Security Guards 40 yrs & older. Experience working in the Interior will be an asset. Call: 688-9506.

Female factory workers needed. $3500 per day. Must have a valid id or passport. Call: 611-7839.

One Female able-bodied Staff required. Call: 225-2313, 658-8559.

GWI to spend $108.8M to drill more water wells in Region One

Delivery Clerk and Porters needed. Apply at Lens 136 Sheriff Street C/Ville. Call: 227-2486/227-1511. Email: lensgy@outlook.com

Kitchen Assistant, Supervisor, Chef and Salesperson needed. Call: 659-5559.

Excavator & Skid Steer Operators, canter & truck Drivers, Civil Engineer & Foreman needed. Call/ WhatsApp: 613-0855/ 611-0350. Email: rbinvestmentinc@gmail.com

Vacancy exists for 1 Sales Clerk. Apply at Lens 136 Sheriff Street next to Buddys/ Pizzahut. Call: 227-2486. Email: lensgy@outlook.com

Driver must be able to assist in workshop at Eccles, ages 23-50 yrs, . Call: 615-9132 or 645-8443.

Vacancy exists for two experienced Dispatcher at Confidential Cabs. Call: 695-1961 / 231-5784.

One Hair Dresser and Nail Tech needed at DC's Beauty Salon. Call: 636-2310/ 6936617.

With its $17.7 bil lion budgetary allocation this year, the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is looking to spend approximately $108,850,000 out of its allocation to facilitate the drilling of potable water wells in five villages located in Region One.

This information was disclosed during the recent opening of tenders at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB). According to the tender documents, GWI intends to drill water wells at Haimacabra, Kamwatta, Waramuri, Mabaruma Settle-

Guyana Water Inc.

Drilling of potable water well in Haimacabra, Kamwatta and Waramuri, Region One – Lot 1.

ment and Black Water Savannah, all villages located in Region One.

It was reported in the media that this year, that the government intends to drill some 17 water wells to benefit the people of Region One.

Kaieteur News understands that the aim of drilling

these wells is to achieve 100 per cent access to water services in all hinterland and riverain communities by 2025, which is in keeping with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number six.

Below are the companies and their bids:

Consultancy services for the construction of pump station at Letter Kenny/ Bloomfield.

Drilling of potable water well in Mabaruma Settlement, Region One.

Consultancy services for the construction of pump station at Meten Mere Zord area, West Coast Demerara.

Drilling of potable water well in Black Water Savannah, region One.

Ministry of Agriculture – National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA)

Rehabilitation of 200 CUSEC Drainage pump at Montrose Pump Station, East Coast Demerara

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Supply and delivery of branded items for the EPA.

Supply and delivery of safety gears/ personal protective equipment for the EPA.

FOR RENT

2 and 3 bedroom fully furnished luxury apartments for long and short term rental. Call: 682-2585, 691-1432.

Large 3 bedrooms apartment in Hutsonville, E.B.D. Ac, wifi and parking available. $ 150,000 per month. Call: 6450200/ 694-0462.

3 bedrooms, two 1 bedrooms furnished & unfurnished apt in Diamond, Providence & Vreed-en-Hoop. Call: 6826238, 216-2299/ 604-6664.

One Handyman/ Porter and general Domestic needed to cook & clean, 3 days per week. Apply at Keyfood Mc Doom village next to the post office.

Time keeping Clerk, Welder/ Fabricator, Office Assistant, Driver, Labourers, Maintenance Worker & Cleaner. Call: 621-6969/ 615-7784.

Kitchen Assistant and Counter Clerk needed. Call: 697-8160.

Room Attendant, Receptionist and Desk Staff & Security Guard needed at 233, South Road Lacytown, ages 25-50 years old. Call: 2250198.

SERVICES

Rehabilitation of 200 CUSEC Drainage pump station at Ankerville Corentyne, Region Six.

Ministry of Healths

Modification of roofing at Central Supplies Unit.

Remaining works to North East La Penitence Health Centre.

VEHICLES FOR SALE

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

FOR SALE

Pure breed Rottweiler puppies for sale. Call: 692-0126, 613-2809.

Pure honey, wholesale and retail quantity. Call: 621-4273.

Visa Application to Canada and U.S.A, graphics design, advertisements,USA passport application forms & i130 application. Call: 6267040.

Elevate your brand with our professional Graphic design services. Call: 619-0007, 6295526.

Global Trade & Logistics Inc, we offer imports & exports worldwide at a reasonable fee. Daily flight, MonFri. Call: 690-8886/ 650-2084.

Civil Defence Commission Supply and delivery of one 4x4 general utility truck.

Consultancy service for the construction of pump station at Jimbo, Grove, East Bank Demerara.

Consultancy services for the construction of sluice/ pump station at Bell Vue Area, West Bank Demerara.

GuyanaPublicServiceUnion Labour Day Message 2023

Message from the President /CEO, Mr Patrick M. Yarde, on the Occasion of Labour Day 2023

For those who are not familiar with “International Workers’ Day”. In Guyana, this day is a public holiday that is also be known as “Labour Day” or “May Day”. It is a day devoted to the celebration of the working class, which is endorsedbytheinternational labourmovementandoccurs every year on 1 May The first International Workers Day was celebrated 133 years ago on May 1, 1890.

InternationalDayinGuyana i s c e l e b r a t e d i n “remembrance of the great exploits and stirring sacrifices made by fellow workers in Guyana’s ungenerous industrial relationshistory.”Thetheme for celebration of International Workers’ Day 2023inGuyanais“Building

Strong Progressive Unions to Respond to New Challenges”.

Trade union rights of workers, as well as, their freedom of association are guaranteed under the Constitution of Guyana

However,theGovernmentof Guyana shows glaring doublestandardsasitrelates to these constitutional entitlements Persons are often treated with jaundiced eyesbasedontheirperceived political affiliation and e t h n i c i t y ; s o m e organisations are ostracized based on perceptions of political allegiances or opinions.Asaresult,theyare subjected to various acts of discrimination and victimization and unlawful abuses. Similar treatment is metedout,ifpersonsorfirms are opposed to acts of executive lawlessness and unlawful political conduct thatisclearlyandfrequently displayed by Government Officials.

Itiswellestablishedthat t h e G P S U i s a n APOLITICAL organisation thathavebeenoutspokenon issuesrelatedtoGovernment abuses/excesses, which include, but are not limited to,thefollowing:

(a) Thefailureto appoint constitutional and other institutions, such as,

the Public Service CommissionandtheJudicial Services Commission that were formulated to enable good governance These institutions seems to be politicallyhijacked

(b) Breachesofthe Constitution and Laws of Guyana, International Labour Organisation Core Conventionsthatareinforce and the ILO Declaration of Fundamental Rights and Principles of Workers and the legally binding

Collective Labour Agreement between the Government of Guyana and GPSU.

(c) Acting in conflict with all grounding principles of Trade Unionismandworking-class credentialsthatitpretendsto have.

(d) Thedeliberate, blatant, and discriminatory ignoring of the astronomical increase in cost of living; current inadequate earnings of workers, who provided and continue to provide quality public services; and the displeasure displayed by so many workers, particularly those in the health sector and teaching services, who choose migrationratherthanremain inthishostile,political,racecharged environment, ineptly managed by an ungrateful, uncaring, and insensitiveemployer

(e) Manifestly undervaluing employees’ servicesandcontributionsto t h e p r o g r e s s a n d development of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

(f Unsympathetic, unenlightened, and backward approach to modern industrial relations, including provocation, discrimination,andtheactof challenging workers to be confrontational,whichcould ultimately lead to the creation of further ethic divisionsinthesociety

(g) Political intimidation of workers, through Ministerial interventionsatworkplaces.

(h) Facilitating political involvement in the Public Service through the implantation of political operatives under specialized contracts within the Public Serviceandtheinvolvement of Ministers of Government

in the responsibility of the Administrative arm of Government, contrary to the prescription of the ConstitutionofGuyana.The GPSUhashadtobringtothe attention of PresidentAli its concerns and displeasure with the unconstitutional political interference, particularlyinthecaseofthe Minister of the Public Service, and other political appointees in the administration of the Public Service.

(i) The lack of genuine interactionwiththeworkers’ representative and the perennial breaches of Collective Labour Agreements.

(j) Failure to pursue a path of good governance through respect for the rule of law and to resolve issues through the legitimate processes of collective bargaining.

(k) As the largest employer nationally, the Governmentsetsnoexample forotheremployersonissues ofworkers’rights,collective bargaining, and good faith negotiations.

(l) Propagating a myth withinthePublicSectorthat contractemploymentismore desirableandsecurethanthe permanent establishment status, to maintain political control over employment within the sector. This diatribe was espoused by Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton in an interview with Globespan on March 22, 2022, even though his professional responsibilities include: protecting workingpeoplebyenforcing labour legislation; the maintenance of industrial peace, through advisory or conciliatory measures between trade unions and employers;and

·facilitatingaccesstothe labour market (m) IgnoringtheGPSU’srequest toratifyInternationalLabour Organisation Convention C190 on “Violence and Harassment”, together with its related “Violence and H a r a s s m e n t ” Recommendation206.

Most disturbing to the Guyana Public Service Union are the challenges facedtogettheGovernment to respect labour rights that h a s s i g n i f i c a n t l y deteriorated since 1992, when the PPP/C came back intoGovernment.

The return to power of thePPP/Cin1992resultedin

very serious confrontations, even though in 1997, before the death of President Dr Cheddie B Jagan, it appeared as if the situation wouldbereconciledwiththe appointment by President Jagan of a bilateral joint committee comprised of six Government stalwarts and s i x G P S U / T U C representatives, to consider the question of Wages and Salaries in the Public Service.

This belief was short lived with the death of PresidentJaganonMarch6, 1997 before the completion andtablingoftheunanimous decision of the committee that was considered a brilliant beginning to addressing the woes of PublicServants.

Therecommendationsof the committee were nonetheless scuttled under the leadership of President Janet Jagan and this was followed by the 57 days Public Service strike in the year1999.

Again, a legally binding agreement was entered into that brought the strike to an end.Theagreementincluded features on how the relationship should proceed, but these have been reneged onformorethantwodecades and are now at a stage that could be considered disastrous.

There were legitimate expectations based on commitments given by the APNU/AFC opposition which formed the government in 2015. These expectations surrounded mainly the Collective Labour Agreements and Agency Fees Agreement, among other things The undertakings given were not fulfilled or honoured over the five years of that Government and, of course, the PPP/C returned to Government in 2020, creating a more precarious industrial relations environment. The GPSU

has made repeated efforts to engage the government and to have issues resolved through mature and professionalengagementsin keeping with the spirit and intent of legally binding Collective Labour Agreements. This approach seems to be rejected by the Government functionaries whose displayed conduct is veryfrustratingtotheextent of non-engagements and at the same time arbitrarily taking actions in these matters, even abusing rights ofworkersandfloutingtheir constitutional obligations to appointconstitutionalbodies to discharge functions that are critical and essential to g o o d g o v e r n a n c e . Confrontedwiththisdisplay ofexecutivelawlessnessand unconstitutional abusive conduct the GPSU has resortedtothejudiciary

This resort was chosen againstthebackgroundthat:

The members made significant sacrifices in takingIndustrialAction.

The COVID-19 pandemic was deadly and very risky for members to engage in further Industrial Action,coupledwiththefact that they are tasked with the responsibility of delivering essentialservices.

Now, timely justice in these matters is curtailed by Government’sslothorabject failuretoappointtheJudicial ServiceCommissionandthe Public Service Commission. Thereisalsothedilemmato properly staff the Judiciary to take care of the extensive case overburden, due to an insufficient number of Judges to address the situation.

The high cost of living exacerbates the pressures on people to survive in this economic environment –undoubtedly, this situation cannot be allowed to continueindefinitely

As a result of the GPSU stance on these and other matters, Government has,

over the years subjected the Union to a litany of abuses, including:

· The suspension of the AgencyShopAgreement. Reregistration of membership.

· Union busting and dec e r t i f i c a t i o n o f representationatanumberof agencies, including the G u y a n a F o r e s t r y Commission.

·Scantregardforlegally enforceable Collective Labour Agreements with GPSUandlackofrespectfor the legally enshrined collective bargaining processes.

T h e s e f o r m s o f discrimination and victimization are meant to weakentheUnionandrobit ofitssupportbase.Thereare also active intentions to weaken militant Public Service Workers, through a processofselectivelypaying higher wages, salaries, and allowancestoachosenfew

As a Union, we must continue to demand that Government respect the rule of law, be inclusive, desist from its discriminatory posture and involve all stakeholdersinthedecisionmaking processes and subscribe to the precepts of good governance, through which national goals could be achieved and wealth equitablydistributedtoall.

Onthisnote,Iwouldlike to wish workers, past and present, a happy, enjoyable, safe, unified and militant International Workers’ Day, whilethankingallofyoufor t h e s t r e n g t h a n d understanding displayed in the face of Government’s discriminatorytactics.

I entreat you to buttress yourselves to meet the vile challengesbeingunveiledby Government and remain unified for a better tomorrow

Solidarity for Ever, for the Union Makes us Strong! May God bless and keep us all.

Stephen Curry leads Warriors to Western Conference Semifinals with historic performance over Kings

Yahoo Sports - It was win or go home on Sunday in Sacramento and Stephen Curry decided the Golden State Warriors’ season wasn’t ending yet. Advancing to the Western Conference semifinals, Curry made basketball magic with a historic performance in a 120-100 win.

Scoring a playoff careerhigh 50 points, Curry broke the Game 7 record Kevin Durant set in 2021.

Draymond Green was first to score with a quick dunk, but Kings’ Kevin Huerter quickly responded with a three on the other end. Such was the first half, a back-andforth battle.

Sacramento led by five 90

seconds into the game. The Warriors went on to take an 18-12 lead as the Kings shot 5 for 13 from the field and 1 of 5 from 3-point range across the opening six minutes.

Monday May 01, 2023

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19)

There's an extra spark in your eye that people won't be able to ignore. Today's a good day to get your point across, because you'll find people more open and receptive to new things than usual.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

Take yourself on a mental adventure today in which you explore new aspects of your world. Discuss philosophy and religion. Get to the core of a matter that seriously interests you.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

Today is your day, Gemini, so live it up! If it seems like things have been rather intense lately, don't worry, they're apt to lighten up quite a bit today. Feel free to be your usual jolly self,

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

Be careful that you aren't acting in a way that you dislike in others, Cancer. You could find that you're slowly taking on the traits of the people you despise.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

The day's general mood should fit quite well with your agenda, Leo. There's no need to fixate on the negative. Keep things light and upbeat and worry about the consequences later.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22)

You may need a translator to get through to people today, Virgo. It could be hard to make decisions, but not impossible. Today's tip is to err on the side of adventure.

The first quarter was all about the Kings’ bench, which went 3-for-7 from three with no turnovers. Terence Davis hit two 3-pointers to tie the game 25-25 with less than two minutes remaining in the first.

De’Aaron Fox and Trey Lyles followed with 3s of their own to give the Kings a 31-30 lead at the end of the first quarter.

With the Warriors down 45-42 halfway through the second, Curry notably missed two consecutive free throws. Shocking as it may have been, he still posted a whopping 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists by halftime. The most notable outlier

at the half was the other Splash Brother, Klay Thompson. He posted 7 points after shooting 1-10 from the field and missing all four of his 3point attempts. Tough first half aside, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr stuck with him into the third quarter.

Kickstarted by a deep 3 from Stephen Curry to give the Warriors a lead in the third quarter, Golden State opened with a 13-4 run in just a little over four minutes. Curry kept cooking well into the fourth and Sacramento’s defence wasn’t able to slow him down.

While the Kings’ Clutch Player of Year De’Aaron Fox was limited to 16 points in the season-ending loss, Domantas Sabonis led with the 22 points despite a black eye and broken thumb.

Next, the Warriors face the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James.

Sir Curtly praises Roach as he reaches magical 500th First Class Wicket

(CWI) - Another huge landmark in his already outstanding career - Kemar Roach on Saturday took his 500th first-class wicket! The West Indies fast bowling legend reached the magical milestone when he had Will Rhodes trapped leg-before wicket while playing for Surrey against Warwickshire at Edgbaston in the English County Championship Division 1.

He ended with the excellent figures of 5-34 off 13 overs – his 22nd five-wicket haul at this level as Surrey won by nine wickets.

Sir Curtly Ambrose, an icon of the game, lauded Roach for his amazing

achievement and urged him to keep on going.

“I’m a huge Kemar Roach fan and I enjoy seeing him bowl. I want to congratulate him on his milestone of 500 first-class wicket. That’s a huge achievement for a fast bowler,” Sir Curtly said.

“He is one of the standout fast bowlers in world cricket and has always been a top-class performers. He should be proud of the accomplishment, and I urge him to stay fit and look to get more wickets under his belt.”

Roach is ranked in the top wicket takers in West Indies Test history with 261 wickets in 77 matches which ranks him fifth on the all-time list.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

Use your power resources today, Libra, as you have a great deal of dynamic energy at your dispo sal. You have the ability to transform and conquer anything now.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

You could be asked to make some spontaneous decisions today that you might not feel entirely comfortable making, Scorpio. You could feel you don't have enough facts.

SAGIT (Nov.22–Dec.21)

Emotionally, you may feel as if you're running up against a brick wall, Sagittarius. It could be that your first reaction is to drown your sorrows in drink. Escapism is only a temporary remedy.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) The

Your emo tions could be extra powerful today, Capricorn, although something may not feel as if it's sitting right. It could be a feeling of manipulation.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

Take hold of this day as if it's your own and use it to grow your dreams, Aquarius. You'll find a great deal of power and dynamism in the air urging you to take the adventurous route.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

There's a fiery tone to the day that can't be ignored, Pisces. You may find that adjustments need to be made in your own plan of attack in order to get on the same page with other people.

Stephen Curry

Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks fined $25k for skipping media after losses to Lakers

Yahoo Sports -

After failing to make himself available to reporters on multiple occasions during thefirst-roundserieswiththe Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillion Brooks adds another fine to his tally for the season.

The27-year-oldwillpay $25,000 because of his “failuretoparticipateinteam postgame media availability during the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs,” the NBAannouncedyesterday

Brooks has no shortage ofthingstosay He levied plenty of trash talk toward LeBron James during the series, but he eventually told reporters he feelsthemediaandfanshave given him an inaccurate “villain”reputation.

Unfortunately for him, theNBA’scurrentcollective bargaining agreement requires players to “consent

to and make himself available for interviews by representatives of the media conducted at reasonable times.”

Following the Lakers’ dominant 125-85 Game 6 win, Brooks likely did not wanttorespondtoquestions about his attempted rivalry with Lakers star LeBron James.

Brooks called out James following the Grizzlies’win inGame2.Afterthatcontest, Brooks said James was “old.”

Brooks added, “I don’t respectnoone‘tiltheycome andgiveme40.”

The Lakers won Game 6 by40points.

Brooks apparently left the locker room before media was allowed to speak withplayers.

Brooks also dodged media after Game 3. He attemptedto“pokethebear” in James, but got himself ejected instead He was

assessed a flagrant two foul forhittingJamesinthegroin, roasted on the internet and outperformed.

He exited the game with

7pointson3-of-13shooting, while James put up 25 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in the Lakers’ 111101win.

“I’m good,” he told reporters, who attempted to speakwithhimaftertheloss.

Mostly refusing to acknowledge Brooks’ comments and actions duringhismediaavailability throughout the series, James appearedrespondwithsome Jay-Z lyrics on Twitter after Game6:

LeBronJames @KingJames

Unlike you little >,I’m a grownassman

Big shoes to fill > ,, grownasspants

Prolly hustled with your pops,goaskyourparents

Its apparent you’re staringatalegend

Who,putafewlittle>,in thetheyplacebefore Trying to eat without saying they grace before!

>+=Q

1:35PM·Apr29,2023

Brooks finished the sixgame series with just 63 pointsand20personalfouls. Even worse, his actions

through the regular season and playoffs cost him a significant amount of money On March 21 it was reported he had lost $248,242 through fines and suspensions.

He was subject to s u s p e n s i o n s a f t e r becoming the league leader for regular season technicalfouls(18)

He was also suspended for instigating an on-court altercation with Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell by striking him in thegroinareainFebruary

A month later, Brooks was fined $35,000 for shovingaphotographer

A s t h e L a k e r s advance to the second round against whichever team wins first-round series between the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors, Brooks will have on opportunity to reflect on it all

Indian Premier League’s 1,000th game won by Mumbai

MUMBAI,India(AP)—

Rajasthan Royals opener

Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 124 runs off 62 deliveries in the Indian Premier League’s 1,000th game yesterday but it wasn’t enough as Tim David smacked a 14-ball 45 not out to give Mumbai

Indiansasix-wicketvictory

With his team still needing 61 runs off 26 balls when he came out to bat, David proceeded to light up the Wankhede stadium with five sixes as he led Mumbai toawinningtotalof214-4in 19.3overs.

Earlier, Jaiswal hit 16 fours and eight sixes as his first IPL century helped Rajasthan to 212-7 after winningthetoss.

Such was Jaiswal’s dominance on the landmark nightthathesingle-handedly helped Rajasthan go past 200,withJosButtler’s18the second-highest individual scorefortheteam.

Jaiswal reached his first IPLhundredoff53ballsand now tops the IPL runs chart this season with 428 in nine matches. Royal Challengers

Bangalore’s Faf du Plessis (422 in eight games) and Chennai’s Devon Conway (414 in nine) trail him after Sunday’smatches.

Mumbai’s response saw SuryakumarYadavhit55off 29 balls, which included eight fours and two sixes.A stupendous flying catch by Sandeep Sharma ended Yadav’s onslaught and broughtDavidtothemiddle.

Ishan Kishan (28) and Cameron Green (44) earlier added 62 off 38 after birthday boy Rohit Sharma fellforthreeruns,bowledby Sharma.

Tilak Varma scored 29 off21tokeepMumbaiinthe huntbeforeDavidarrived.

Mumbaiisseventhinthe standings with eight points, and Rajasthan slipped to thirdwith10.

BATTLE OF THE

KINGS

Sikandar Raza’s last-ball heroicshelpedPunjabKings beatChennaiSuperKingsby fourwickets.

Needing three runs off the final ball, the Zimbabwe batter pulled to the vacant squarelegareaandranthree withShahrukhKhantoreach 201-6 as Punjab won the “BattleoftheKings.”

Choosing to bat first, Chennai had scored 200-4 thanks to Conway’s 92 not out off 52 balls. Punjab’s chase was propelled by 42 from opener Prabhsimran

S i n g h a n d L i a m Livingstone’s40off24balls.

Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad (37) gave Chennai anothergoodstart,adding86 off 58 balls. It was a slower start compared to their earlier partnerships but provided a platform for the otherbatters.

Gaikwad was out stumped at the halfway mark and big-hitting ShivamDubewasthensent inatNo 3 Hehittwosixes off 17 balls to score 28 and put on 44 off 26 balls with Conway

The Kiwi opener reached 50 off 30, including nine fours and a six Conway then accelerated with another seven fours off the next 22 balls, adding 42 in the second half of his knock It was his fifth half century in ninematches.

Chennai didn’t get the desiredmomentumfromits middle order Moeen Ali fell for 10 and Ravindra Jadeja was out for 12, leaving much to do for crowd favorite MS Dhoni The Chennai skipper smashed two sixes off the last over, scoring 13 not out off four balls, as Conway was stranded eight short of

hishundred.

In reply, Prabhsimran gave Punjab a rollicking start as he smacked two sixes and four fours off the 24 balls he faced Shikhar Dhawan contributed 28 as the duo put on 50 off 26 ballsfortheopeningstand.

Tushar Deshpande took 3-49 in four overs. Dhawan washisfirstdismissalbefore Atharva Taide fell to RavindraJadejafor13.

Jadeja had Prabhsiman stumped to help reduce Punjabto94-3in10.2overs. Just when the chase looked like fading away, Livingstone regained his scoring touch with four sixes. He put on 57 off 33 b a l l s w i t h f e l l o w Englishman Sam Curran, whoscored29off20.

Despite Livingstone fallingtoDeshpande,Punjab continued on its path with a

10-ball 21 from Jitesh S h a r m a H e w a s Deshpande’s third wicket, while Matheesha Pathirana bowledCurran.

Both fifth-place Punjab and fourth-place Chennai have10points.

Scores: Mumbai Indians 214 for 4 (Suryakumar 55, David 45*, Ashwin 2-27) beat Rajasthan Royals 212 for7(Jaiswal124,Arshad339)bysixwickets.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks racked up some fines this season.(AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

Tilak Varma rushes to congratulate Tim David after the win. (BCCI)

Chess-China’s Ding Liren defies odds to become world champion

(Reuters) - China’s Ding

Liren was crowned yesterday as the 17th world chess champion in a tense match against Russian-born Ian Nepomniachtchi in Astana, Kazakhstan, in the last chapter of an oddsdefyingsequenceofevents.

Thirty-year-old Ding won the rapid chess playoff by 2.5 points to 1.5, c a p i t a l i z i n g o n Nepomniachtchi’s mistakes in time trouble in the last of the shorter-format games, followingthepair’s7-7tiein apsychologicalbattleacross 14longer“classical”games.

“One Ding to rule em all,” fellow grandmaster Anish Giri wrote on Twitter in honour of the new champion.

Ding’s triumph means China holds both the men’s and women’s world titles, with current women’s champion Ju Wenjun set to defend her title against compatriot Lei Tingjie in July “The moment Ian resignedthegamewasavery

emotional moment, I cannot control my feelings,” the new world champion said in apressconference.Dinghad leveled the score in the regular portion of the match withadramaticwiningame 12, despite several critical moments - including a purported leak of his own preparation.

T h e C h i n e s e grandmastertakesthecrown from five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen

Russell throws CWI/JCA under the bus in Star Sports interview; “No

SportsMax - Andre Russell has thrown Cricket WestIndiesunderthebossin a recent interview claiming his Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riderstreatshimbetter

The 35-year-old allrounderhasplayedforKKR since 2014, when he helped themwintheIPLtitle.

of Norway, who defeated Nepomniachtchiin2021but announced in July he would notdefendthetitleagainthis year

Carlsen said he was not motivated to play shortly after Nepomniachtchi won the Candidates tournament, the prestigious qualifier to thematch.

Ding, runner-up in the Candidates thanks to an incrediblesecond half of the event,wasnextinline.

Since that time, Russell, wholastplayedfortheWest Indies during the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021, has d e c l i n e d s e v e r a l opportunities to represent the regional team often citing health issues relating tolong-termkneeinjuries.

During a recent interview on Star Sports in India, Russell said KKR makes him feel special for everything that Kolkatabased franchise did for him to get treatment done on his

knees. “Where I was, a few years ago, KKR actually make things happen for me where they send me to get proper treatments on my knees,”Russellsaid.

“That’s something special to me to be honest. No other franchise or even my country never really investthatmuchonme.”

Russell added that he feelsathomeatKKR.

“I’m happy here. I don’t see any other franchise I wouldlovetobeapartofin thistournamentbecauseI’ve been here for about nine years now Been here for so many years, I meet these guys, get closer to them everyyear,”hesaid.

Fakhar Zaman hits third successive ton as Pakistan beat New Zealand

AFP - Fakhar Zaman smashed a third consecutive centurytoguidePakistantoa seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in the second one-day international on Saturday

The 33-year-old lefthanded opener hit an undefeated180off144balls forhistenthODIhundred.

Itfollowedhis117inthe first match and 101 against the same opponents in JanuaryasPakistanchaseda stiff 337-run target in 48.2 overs.

ThewingivesPakistana 2-0 lead in the five-match series with the last three matches in Karachi on May 3,5and7.

Along with Zaman, skipper Babar Azam hit a brisk 66-ball 65 and Mohammad Rizwan a 41ball 54 not out as Pakistan achieved their second highest successful ODI chase behind 349 against AustraliainLahorelastyear

New Zealand were guided to 336-5 by a second successive hundred for Daryl Mitchell, who made 129, Tom Latham’s 98 and

51byChadBowes.

Zaman is the 12th batsman to score three or more hundreds in consecutive ODIs with Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara the only man to hit four on the trot. Azam has achieved thefeattwice.

When on 98, Zaman joined West Indian Shai Hopeasthesecondfastestto 3,000 ODI runs in 67 innings South African HashimAmlaisthefastestto themilestonein57.

Once Imam-ul-Haq fell for24withtheteam’stotalat 66, Zaman andAzam added 135 for the second wicket and even the fall of Azam and Abdullah Shafique (seven) did not derail Pakistan’schase.

Azamhitfiveboundaries and a six in his 25th ODI fifty

“It was my lucky day to score again against New Zealand as I got chances,” saidZaman.

“I try to take my time at the start and then with five players in the circle it becomeseasiertoscore.”

Visiting skipper Latham

described Zaman as “outstanding”.

“We were very happy at the halfway mark,” said Latham. “Fakhar played an outstanding knock. They were able to build partnerships and that was a big tick in the batting department.”

-Mitchellintheruns-

Zaman, who smoked six sixes and 17 fours, completed the chase with Rizwan in an unbroken fourthwicketstandof119.

New Zealand rued droppingZamanon55when Mark Chapman grassed a catchoffJamesNeesham.

Earlier, Mitchell improved on his 113 in the

firstODIonThursdaywitha 119-ball knock after New Zealandweresentintobat.

Mitchell smashed three sixes and eight boundaries andconsolidatedtheinnings through a third-wicket stand of183withskipperLatham, as the pair took full advantageofaflatpitch.

Mitchell was finally

caught brilliantly by Mohammad Nawaz off pacer Naseem Shah in the 46thover,whileLathamwas caughtbehindoffHarisRauf anoverlater

ItwasNaseemwhogave Mitchell an extra life four shortofhishundredwhenhe dropped a simple catch off spinner Usama Mir at midon.

ThatallowedMitchellto completehishundredoff102 balls — the third of his ODI career

Latham hit eight boundaries and a six off 85 balls.

Bowes and Will Young gave New Zealand a 33-run start before pacer Rauf had Young caught behind for 19 inthesixthover Bowes, who hit seven boundaries in his maiden ODI half century, steadied the innings with Mitchell as the pair added 86 for the secondwicket.

It was Rauf again who broke the stand when he trapped Bowes leg before wicketinthe19thover Rauf wasthepickofbowlerswith 4-78.

Andre Russell claims KKR treats him better than CWI.

other franchise or even my country never really invest that much on me.”

Ding Liren of China competes against Ian Nepomniachtchi of International Chess Federation. (REUTERS/Vladislav Vodnev)

Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Sergio Perez closes on Max Verstappen in F1 title race with victory

BBCSport-SergioPerez drove a consummate race withhelpfromthesafetycar to beat Red Bull team-mate MaxVerstappenandwinthe AzerbaijanGrandPrix.

Perez and Verstappen fought a long, flat out battle after the Mexican leapfrogged ahead by being able to save time by making his pit stop under the safety car.

Perez had Verstappen’s measure,holdinghimatjust over a second behind for a long time before beginning to edge further ahead in the closing stages, and his second win of the year reduced the Dutchman’s championship lead to six points.

Ferrari’sCharlesLeclerc - who started the race from pole,wassoondispatchedby bothRedBullsafterthestart, and by Verstappen for a second time after the safetycarperiod-wonatightbattle with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso for the finalpodiumposition.

It was a much-needed fillip for Leclerc and Ferrari after a disappointing and difficultstarttotheseason.

TheMonegasque’steammateCarlosSainztookfifth, succeeding in holding off LewisHamilton’sMercedes, whichdroppedoutofthetop 10afterthesafetycar Safety car helps the spectacle again The race resultmayhaveturnedonthe timing of the safety car periodandhowitintersected with the pit strategies of the leading teams. Verstappen

had passed Leclerc for the lead at the start of lap three, as soon as the DRS overtaking aid was made available.

Perez followed him past a couple of laps later and began to close in on Verstappen, reducing the lead from a second, to 0.8secs, to 0.6secs on consecutivelapsastheworld champion began to struggle withtyrewear.

Verstappen pitted for fresh tyres on lap 10, just before Alpha Tauri driver Nyck de Vries clouted the inside wall at Turn Five, breaking his front suspension and bringing his car to a halt in the run-off areaatTurnSix.

The safety car was deployed and that enabled the rest of the front-runners to pit - a stop under caution takes about half the 21 seconds of one under racing conditions - and Perez emerged in the lead, with Leclerc also jumping back aheadofVerstappen.

The Dutchman passed Leclercwithinthreecornersof therestartbutPerezwasableto holdhimatjustoverasecond behind,preventingVerstappen benefiting from the lap-time advantageoftheDRS Itwasa tense fight as they circulated like that until just after half distance,whenPerezbeganto creep further ahead, extending his lead to three seconds or so, and again holding it there. Verstappen triedtocomebackathim,but Perezhadthepaceheneeded and the win - arguably the

best of his career - was secured.Thesafetycarhelped Perez on his way, but even beforethathehadappearedas if he might have an edge on Verstappen, putting big pressure on his team-mate, forcing him to pit early for fresh tyres, and thereby creating the chance to benefit fromtheopportunitythatthen fellintohislap

Once in the lead, he managedtheracebeautifully to keep Verstappen at bay and finally break his challenge. Behind the Red BullsLeclercwasleftbehind

bytheRedBullsasheplayed a similar cat-and-mouse game with Alonso The veteran Spaniard tired his usual tactic of holding back, saving his tyres, in the hope the Ferrari’s usually high tyre degradation would play into his hands. But Leclerc has been in consummate formaroundoneofhisfavourite circuits,andhewaswisetothe game. And when Alonso tried to push and close in during the closing stages, Leclerc did the same, underlining he was managinghispacebysetting

the fastest lap of the race, although his mark was later beaten by Verstappen, Alonso and then, with the help of a fresh set of tyres, Mercedes’GeorgeRussell.

Behind them, Hamilton had,likeVerstappen,lostout becauseofthesafetycar He dropped out of the top 10 because he stopped a lap before Verstappen But Hamilton was able to pass his team-mate Russell with an audacious dive down the inside at Turn One, then the AstonMartinofLanceStroll before closing in on Sainz.

However,theMercedes’lack of pace on the straight, even with DRS open, meant he couldnotpasstheFerrariand hefoundhimselfstuckinsixth place Stroll, Russell, McLaren’sLandoNorrisand Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda took the final points positions.There was a scary incidentattheendoftherace when Esteban Ocon made a pitstopfortyresonthefinal lap only to find personnel milling about in the pit lane asheacceleratedtowardshis garage.

Jota seals thrilling win for Liverpool after Tottenham fightback

LIVERPOOL, England,

(Reuters)-DiogoJotascored deep in stoppage-time as Liverpool clinched a 4-3 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in a barelybelievable Premier League thrilleratAnfieldyesterday

T h e P o r t u g u e s e substitutestruckinthefourth minute of added time, one minute after Tottenham substitute Richarlison thought he had earned his sideanunlikelypoint.

Goals by Curtis Jones, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah put Liverpool 3-0 ahead inside the opening 15 minutes as Tottenham suffered a horrible case of deja-vu having conceded five in the opening 21

minutes of a 6-1 rout at Newcastle United a week ago.

But Tottenham hit back before halftime through Harry Kane and hit the woodwork three times beforeSonHeung-minsetup a nerve-jangling finale and Richarlison flicked a downward header past Alissoninthethirdminuteof stoppagetime.

Therewasonefinaltwist thoughasJotalatchedontoa mistakebyLucasMouraand fired low past Fraser Forster to spark pandemonium on thetouchline.

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp appeared to pull his hamstring as he celebrated manically and

was also shown a yellow card in the most bizarre of climaxes.

To make matters worse for Tottenham they felt Jota shouldhavebeenred-carded for an earlier high boot that caught Oliver Skipp’s head that was only punished with a yellow When heart rates returned to normal the table shows Liverpool now above Tottenhaminfifthplacewith 56 points from 33 games, to Tottenham’s54from34, Liverpool, who have wonfourgamesinarow,are notoutofthebattleforatopfour finish but are seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United who haveagameinhandandnine points behind third-placed

Newcastle United who have played 33. “Crazy What a game. These are the games welovetoplayin.Afantastic ending to a game. Stuff you love to see to be honest,” Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold told Sky Sports. “It’s not so much reliefit’sjustcelebration.It’s pushing to get the winner again We go from disappointment to sheer joy in a matter of minutes Outstanding way to win a game.” For Tottenham the mood was despair although after last week’s diabolical display at Newcastle which cost interim manager Cristian Stellini his job, this timetherewaspride.“Toget back in the game and give

them a goal is difficult to take,” a devastated Ryan Mason, Tottenham’s second stand-in manager since Antonio Conte was sacked, said.

“Wewerethebetterteam byanabsolutecountrymile. TogiftateamlikeLiverpool four goals makes it difficult. It’stoughtoputitintowords, absolutelygutted.”Achaotic first half was only three minutes old when Curtis Jones put the hosts in front from Alexander-Arnold’s cross and two minutes later Diaz, making his first start since knee surgery, volleyed inCodyGakpo’scutback.

When Cristian Romero needlessly fouled Gakpo in the 13th minute and Salah

blasted a penalty high into the net Tottenham were on course for another horror show With some Spurs supporters leaving early and otherschanting“wewantour money back” the visitors came alive when Kane volleyed past Alisson from an Ivan Perisic cross in the 39th minute before Son curledaleft-footedefforton tothepost.

Tottenham cursed their badluckafterthebreakwhen SonandRomerosawefforts bounce off posts within the spaceofacoupleofminutes but Son then glided on to Romero’s pass in the 77th minutetofinishwithaplomb to set up the barnstorming finale.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez celebrates on the podium after winning the race along with second placed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and third placed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. (REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov)

Andreeva through in Madrid Open on 16th birthday, Gauff crashes

AFP - Mirra Andreeva celebrated her 16th birthday by continuing her sensationalrunintheMadrid Openwitha6-3,6-3victory overMagdaLinettetoreach thefourthroundonSaturday

World number six Coco Gauff, however, suffered a surprisethirdrounddefeatat the hands of Spaniard Paula Badosa,losing6-3,6-0.

Russian teenager Andreeva, ranked at a lowly 194, and who ousted 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and world number 14 Beatriz Haddad Maia earlier in the tournament, will face world number two Aryna Sabalenkainthelast16.

Andreeva broke Polish player Linette, world number19,for2-0inthefirst set, and although the 17th seedbrokeback,theRussian diditagainfora4-2leadand serveditout.

The youngster broke againinthefirstgameofthe secondsetandconvertedher second match point to break Linette again and clinch victory Andreeva, a wildcard, became only the third 15-year-old to win a WTA1000maindrawmatch whenshebeatFernandezon Wednesday She finished as runner-up at the junior Australian Open in January, while her next opponent Sabalenkawonthewomen’s title for her breakthrough GrandSlam.

The Belarusian beat resilient wildcard Camila Osorio 6-4, 7-5 earlier Saturday “It was another tough battle, I expected it, it

Shaw scores 19th

league

goal

as

men’s competition Vavassori battled his way pastAndyMurrayinthefirst round but could not oust another former world number one in the Spanish capital. The Italian, ranked 164th, held his own against the second seed but eventually succumbed, even though his serve and volley gametroubledMedvedev

“I think I played a very goodmatch,solid,andsaved some break points,” said Medvedev after his first matchatthetournament.

Manchester City drub Reading 4-1 to go second in league

Shaw has scored a league-leading 19 goals this season.

was a really great win, I’m really happy with the tennis today and this win,” said Sabalenka.

Gauff, one of the two players who achieved the samefeatasAndreevaat15, was erratic in her defeat by SpanishnumberoneBadosa.

The 19-year-old American, who was runnerup at the French Open last year, broke Badosa in the first game, but the Spaniard battled back immediately to get back on serve, before breakingGauffagainfora32 lead. Gauff’s forehand betrayed her as Badosa broketolovetowinthefirst set 6-3. The second was a

routwithBadosawinning75 percentofpoints.

“I think I served very well, I was playing very aggressively from the baseline, tactically I think I played perfectly and I’m very happy to beat a player likeCoco,”saidBadosa.

“I’m working very hard and it’s moments like these whichmakeitworthit.”

Badosa will face world number nine Maria Sakkari or compatriot Rebeka Masarova in the fourth round.-MedvedevthroughWorld number three Daniil Medvedev saw off AndreaVavassori6-4,6-3to reach the third round of the

“I managed to use my opportunities,Ifeltgoodand I’m looking forward to my next matches ” Dusan Lajovic earned a surprise winoverworldnumbernine Felix Auger-Aliassime, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5). The Serbian stunned22-timeGrandSlam winner and world number one Novak Djokovic on the way to winning the Banja Luka title last week, as well asbeatingworldnumbersix AndreyRublevinthefinal.

“Today in the match I reallyfeltlikeIwasgoingin to show my game,” said Lajovic,ranked40th.

“I knew I would have chances if I played my best tennis. It’s really a good feeling to have this much confidence, but I need to be alsoverycarefulbecauseitis so easy to lose confidence, especiallyintennis.”

SportsMax - Khadija

‘Bunny’ Shaw scored her 19th league goal of the season as Manchester City WomendrubbedReading41 to go second in the Women’s Super League yetserday

ManchesterCityarenow just three points behind Manchester City with three games to go before the season ends However, Chelsea, with 40 points are third, four points behind Manchester City but with threegamesinhand.

In what was yet another dominating performance from City, it was Reading who took the early lead when Sanne Troelsgaard’s

strike on the turn put the visitors ahead in the very firstminuteofplay

Chloe Kelly would level the score, bundling the ball overinthe15thminute.

Shaw’s header from a corner put City ahead in the 24thminute,aleadtheytook intothehalf-timebreak. Manchester City would extend their lead shortly after the resumption when LaurenHemptappedinfrom a sizzling cross from Kelly to the far post in the 47th. City’s fourth and final goal came from a Steph Houghton free kick into the bottom corner of the Reading goal to secure all threepoints.

Knocked out: Coco Gauff on her way to a third round loss against Paula Badosa.

Headley/Weekes Tri-Series...

West Indies Academy dominates batting /bowling charts following 2 matches played

-Mckenzie,Andersonleading run-scorers,Youngleadingwicket-taker

West Indies Academy batsmen Kirk Mckenzie and Kevlon Anderson headline the batting charts following two matches in the Headley/Weekes Tri-Series played at the Coolidge CricketGround,Antigua.

Mckenzie,whosmacked the tournament’s highest scoreofthetournamentthus faramaiden221,leadingthe battingstatswith271runs.

With 2 games under his belt,theJamaicanaveragesa staggering 90, with a halfcentury and a century under his belt Anderson, the G u y a n e s e i s t h e competition’s next best runscorer with 195 runs from

two games, including a careerbest153.

Team Headley skipper Joshua DaSilva (139 runs, 1 game) comes in at the 3rd spot while WI-A’s Kevin Wickham, who scored 121 alongside Mckenzie’s doubletontohelptheirteam pull off a draw, finishes in 4thspotwithanaggregateof 126 runs from a pair of games.

Number 5 spot and the only other batsman to cross the 100-run mark following the two opening games, is occupied by Zachary McCaskie (124 runs, 1 game), making the race for tournament’s leading run-

scorermoreintriguing.

Their435intheprevious game was also the highest team total of the Tri-Series, further buffing their stats as arguably the top team thus far.

West Indies Academy again steal the shine as the top three bowling spots all belong to them Seamer Nyeem Young (6 wickets), spinner Joshua Bishop (6 wickets) and pacer Johann Layne (5 wickets), are the only players with 5 or more wicketstodate.

Layne’s match best figures of 5-81 is also the tournament’s best bowling figures following the pair of gamesplayed. Withagameleft,amatch between Team Headley and

Team Weekes, WIA is the team to beat, while their individual stats will also be

Nyeem Young

Kirk Mckenzie

Kevlon Anderson

Lethem re-launches Cricket Club for first time in decades decades

ARegion nine visionary has broken barriers to relaunch Lethem’s first ever cricket club with the hopes of promoting recreation, unearthing talent and bring the community together through capacity building, skill training and social development.

K a i e t e u r N e w s understands that, there were cricket clubs in Lethem (Annai,andAishalton)inthe 1970s, but it has been decades since they went out ofoperation.

According to the FounderandPresidentofthe LethemCricketClub(LCC) Kenrick McDonald, “Many residents of Region nine are fluent in Portuguese as well as English, they travel to Brazil frequently, and are huge fans of Brazilian music, and they have adopted Brazil’s national game,football.Onthisnote, Region nine has numerous male and female football clubs but prior to this venture, no cricket club had beeninoperationforatleast threedecades.”

For several years, M c D o n a l d t r i e d unsuccessfully to get the sport of cricket going in region nine area, but he facedtoomanybureaucratic barriers, too much discouragement,andlackof enthusiasm but he didn’t give up. In 2022, Mayor of Lethem, Mr John Macedo, helpedhimcutthroughsome red tapes to finally form Lethem’s first ever Cricket Club.

AccordingtoMcDonald, “It’s also heartening to hear

that the Mayor of Lethem, Macedo and I sharing the samepassionforthegame Macedo, who represented thecountyofBerbiceinhis earlier days of cricket, has been instrumental in helping to establish the LCC.NowthatLCChasjust beenlaunched.

Itisstillatitsembryonic stages of development, and it has a far way to go. How fast and successfully the LCC kicks off now depends a lot on the business community of Guyana, governmental support, and the support of o t h e r i n f l u e n t i a l individuals.”

McDonald, who is employed with the Ministry of Health in region nine explained,He always had a passion for cricket and during his service in the Guyana Defence Force, he represented his team in s e v e r a l c r i c k e t tournaments across

Guyana

But then, it was time to return to his hometown –whichhedidin2015.

He says, “I’m baffled as towhyregionnineresidents don’t get involved in the sportofcricket

Cricket is considered to be the national game of Guyana, but unfortunately, the residents here have been missing out a lot on thecricketculture ”

Meanwhile, McDonald lamented,“Theclubhasjust a few of the required items. Allwehaveatthismoment areapairofbattinggloves, one bat, a pair of batting pad and two cricket balls

Some of the items still needed are: cricket balls, bats, batting and keeping pads, batting and keeping gloves, thigh and side pads, helmets, stumps, training cones and markers (disc coneandsportscone),speed agility ladder, agility hurdle poles, abdominal guards, fundingtopreparethesports ground,etc.”

The LCC welcomes any support from cooperative Guyanainanyformthatwill assist in this worthy endeavor

Ifyouwouldliketobea part of this historical undertaking and give support to the Lethem Cricket Club, contact 6707208.

Lethem’s Mayor John Macedo is seen interacting with members of the LCC.