Kaieteur News

CJ dismisses case filed by APNU against voters’list used for LGE

Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George W i l t s h i r e h a s dismissedthecasefiledby Chief ElectionsScrutineer,CarolJoseph to block to the current voters’list from being used during the upcoming Local Government Elections(LGE)

In her ruling, Justice George Wiltshire outlined that many unsubstantiated statements were provided to the court during the hearings The Chief Justice (CJ) said the submissions made by the applicant were not enough to challenge the voters’ list published by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)

“It does appear that by relying on unsubstantiated and inadmissible evidence, the applicantisinvitingthiscourtbya side-wind to impugn the OLE (OriginalListofElectors)thatwas utilised for the 2020 National and Regional Elections. The invitation is unequivocally rejected,” the CJ stated.

TheCJalsodisagreedwiththe Chief Scrutineer that the use of a section of the electoral law would result in the compilation and use

of a list of electors that was not resident or ordinarily resident in Local Authority Areas and constituencies therein or because it deprives the electorate from making claims and objections for thelocalgovernmentelections

She continued: “The document has unsubstantiated

jottingsonitthatspeaktopersons beingdeceasedornotlivinginthe area. This is inadmissible evidence that cannot be relied on by the court Even if the evidence was admissible, its content was unreliable as there is no evidence of the source of the information mentionedinthejottings ” “Litigants must appreciate that courts rely on evidence, not unsubstantiated opinions or conjecture,”theCJadded

TheChiefJusticealsosaidthat based on the submissions; there was no breach of the Constitution whenthevoters’listwascompiled by the elections body She noted too that the court could not determine whether the electoral body failed to provide a credible list for the upcoming elections on June 12 In dismissing the case, the Court said Ms Joseph has to pay $250,000 in costs by June 30, 2023

Joseph had filed a lawsuit against the Guyana Elections Commission(GECOM),theChief Election Officer and theAttorney General, seeking over fourteen declarations and four orders intendedtonullifythepreliminary list of electors and give rise to a

new register of voters, before Local Government Elections (LGE)areheld

TheAPartnershipforNational Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) party has long expressedmajorconcernsoverthe Voters’List on the basis that it is bloated with dead people and

thousands of Guyanese that have migrated.

Joseph had asked the High Courtinteralia,todeclarethatthe Elections Commission acted unlawfully when it opted not to compile the Preliminary List of Voters for the Local Elections in accordance with the Local Authorities (Elections) Act as amendedbyActNo.15of2015.

GECOM is required to act in accordance with Section 11 of the Local Authorities (Election) Act in compiling the Preliminary List of Voters, and further that it is legally required to prepare a Register of Voters for use at Elections for Local Authority AreasinaccordancewithSections 12,13,14,20,22and23 Joseph said failure to comply with the legislation would render the Register of Voters for Local Government Elections (LGE) null, void and of no legal effect ShehadaskedtheCourttodeclare that the Constitutional duty of the Elections Commission, as provided for inArticle 162 of the ConstitutiontocompileaRegister of Voters imposes a duty to compileareasonablyaccurateand credibleRegisterofVoters

Chief Justice (ag), Roxane George Wiltshire

Chief Elections Scrutineer, Carol Joseph

Citizens are duty-bound to ensure elected leaders manage resources for generations to come

Often times, citizens sit back and the lay the blame solely at the feet of their elected leaders for mismanaging their resources;however,theytoo haveadutytoensurethatthe nation’s patrimony is protected for the sake of the nextgeneration.

This is the position of Kenyan anti-corruption legend, Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba who made a special appearance on The Glenn Lall Show on Saturday last Professor Lumumba in prefacing his point about safeguarding a nation’s wealth for future generations explained that baddealscanbeenteredinto by governments who are poorly advised by hired negotiators.Infact,henoted that many countries find themselves in such a dilemma.

He shared that he was recently involved in negotiating a contract for Liberia with a Chinese company The company he said supplied the agreement andincludedaclauseforany disputes between the parties toberesolvedinBeijing.The anti-corruption genius said heobjectedtothisprovision, addingthathadthisnotbeen properly vetted, the country

would have accepted for resolutions to be decided in that company’s home country or “the home of the hyenas” where the people canbe“eatenalive”.

Moving forward, the anti-corruptionlegendurged thatleadersensuresufficient expertise is recruited to negotiate on behalf of the country. Moreover, the Professor said that citizens mustensuretheytooprotect thecountry’sresources.

H e e x p l a i n e d , “Sometimes we blame these multinational (companies) buttheyalsotakeadvantage of our own weaknesses becausewedon’tpresentour best and we don’t put our best foot forward and sometimes governments are also desperate You find yourselves in a situation where you want money and some of these fellows are going to tell you, you must sell us (resources) for the next several years and then we are going to give you money to build roads and to finance your hospitals, finance your agriculture so thatyoulookgoodbeforethe electorate, so that you are elected, and when you are elected, we know that our interests are being protected soitisamyriadofthis”

To this end, Professor

Lumumba noted, “It is our duty therefore to ensure that we safeguard our countries

sothatwearenotbeholdento these individuals because of thenextelectionsbutweare protectingourpatrimonyfor the sake of the next generation.”

Kenyan Anti-corruption Legend, Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba

A mini health check is the first step to donating blood

Publisher: GLENN LALL-TEL: 624-6456

Editor: NIGELWILLIAMS

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

EDITORIAL

Opposition, Norton and oil

It would have been helpful if Opposition Leader Norton had given Guyanese something to grasp at, anything to latch their dwindling hopes on, even a little to cheer Most regrettably, no such lifelines were extended and, once again, Guyanese find themselves in an oil boat to nowhere. It is a boat without oil, and also one without a paddle. To compound the plight of the Guyanese people, there is no shorelineinsight,andtheoilwatersaregettingchoppier

The PPP/C Government, in the person of its Chief Oil Minister, Bharat Jagdeo, has planted its stake in the ground and there can be no mistaking the position: party and government, as led by Dr. Jagdeo, are on the side of Exxon, andtoobadfortheGuyanesepeopleandtheiraspirationsand dreams. As Dr Jagdeo goes, so goes the PPP Government, withAlistairRoutledgeofExxonMobilsmartlycheeringhim onfrombehindthecurtains.

The Guyana judiciary, small sections of it, has signaled that there will be reconciling of the requirements of the law against what ExxonMobil has done and delivered on the ground. Or how it has fallen short in material gaps that could hurt this country beyond calculation. It is likely that more Guyanese are going to approach the courts with their oil and gas grievances, as they seek relief from the combination of a draconian local and foreign regime that runs helter-skelter in the local oil arena. In raw predatory terms, the PPP/C Government and ExxonMobil run amok in the destructions that both wreak in this totally alien landscape called the nation'soilandgassector

The crisis is brought about by the fact that 'totally alien', (in many ways a situation akin to being from outer space), applies only to the Guyana side of this new, sophisticated oil equation. The mandatory knowledge base is not present, they must have a learning curve and has started out on the wrong foot and towards sinister ends, and the comforting familiaritythatshouldinstillconfidenceismoreawishthana reality

Into this roiling and disturbing milieu, Guyana's main Opposition dips the occasional toe, and upon experiencing the heat of the environment, quickly withdraws. One wonders whether it is in fright, or from some form of insecurity, or some constraint known only to itself. The big question on the lips of Guyanese is about where the Opposition is with this huge, rich oil patrimony It is more thanabigquestion;itisthebiggestconcernaroundformany Guyanese. For, if there is not a sturdy enough Opposition at this time in the history of Guyana, then Guyanese are left to the tender mercies of the PPP/C Government, and the still gentler ministrations of American oil superpower, ExxonMobil. Based on past and present experiences, this is theworstnightmareforthecitizensofthiscountry

All circumstances considered, Guyana needs a vibrant Opposition, and it starts with an Opposition Leader of strength,of dogged determination,and of a depthto a degree not seen here to now Considering what came out last week, when Opposition Leader Norton took centerstage, those Guyanese holding their breath in expectation had better let them out. Only the weak, the pitiful, and the forlorn came from Mr Norton in what was a tour de force of obfuscation and artful verbal construction that really did not leave anythingofsignificanceonthetableforGuyanese.

The true local owners and shareholders of this oil were given straws to clutch at (“when we begin to do our election campaign”), and another dirty end of the stick to which to cling(“therighttimetorespond”).

ItisclearthatnotonlyOppositionLeaderNortonismany daysbehindwhereheshouldbe,butheandhisgroupareway shortofwhatisrequired,goingtomakeadifferenceinthisoil sector. Guyanese have a troubling question dangling before them: can they depend on the Opposition to stand for them with this oil? If the Opposition cannot find its feet, then GuyanesewillhavetheirheadshandedtothembythePPP/C GovernmentworkingalongsideExxonMobiltodestroytheir oildreams.

Guyana has fire, safety and building codes but they are not legally binding

DearEditor, The deadly fire which occurred in the dormitory of the Mahdia Secondary School in the early hours of Monday May 22, is reported to have claimed the lives of 20 pupils and injured many others.

I would like to express my condolence and sympathy to the bereaved f a m i l i e s a n d t h e i r communities Much has already been written on this tragedy including a missive by Mr Clement Rohee, a retired senior Govt. official who stated therein that, "he could not help but wonder how in this modern age of technological advancement and where technologies tend to occupy a greater part of our daily lives, fire of this typecannotbeavoided".

This may well be so, but he did not ponder to think that until recently, Guyana was one of the poorest countries in the Americas andthereforethecountryhas had limited resources to spend on education, healthcare, transportation, etc. There was also a lack of qualified engineers, architects, fire and building inspectors to enforce codes of practice for the various t r a d e s H e n c e t h e Government through its

Regional District 8 Administrationhadtodecide how it allocated its scarce resources and it appeared that fire proofing of the dormitoryatMahdiawasnot ontheagenda.

Further, many of the RegionalDistrictsarepoorly managed because they lack qualified personnel to e x e c u t e t h e m a n y programmes they are saddled with Region 8 (Mahdia) is a case in point. Education falls under the Region's Education Officer who reports to the Regional Executive Officer whose duties and responsibilities come under the Ministry of Local Development which has no experience with respect to educational matters The Ministry of Education was largely left out in the cold on education matters in the Districts but apparently conducts e x a m i n a t i o n s a n d curriculum development for theschools.

Almost on a daily basis, there are fires of one kind or another occurring in various parts of the country with deadly consequences Yet theGovernmenthasnotseen it fit to conduct serious intensiveinvestigationsasto their causes and enforce where applicable measures

of compliance in accordance with the relevant codes to prevent them. It is evident thatthestatutesbywhichthe various districts in Guyana are governed need urgent revisions to enable them to betterservethecommunities theyencompass.TheCentral Government has to be more assertive in its oversight of their management and to ensure that their budgetary allocations are spent on approved programs and to theexpectedstandards.

The dormitory at Mahdia Secondarywasdesignedand built without any fire extinguishers, sprinklers, hydrantsontheproperty,fire andalarmsystemswithinthe building Further, the studentshadnotrainingasto how they should exit the Dormitory in case there was afire.

Therefore, it was a tragedy waiting to happen. Equipping the Dormitory to satisfy these requirements would have been costly and was probably the cause why they were left out of the design Interestingly, the school has solar power electricityinstalled.

Guyana has fire, safety and building codes but they are not legally binding These codes should be upgradedandmadeintolaws

of the land and enforced by qualified inspectors. Many erected buildings presently have steel security grills on their windows and doors for obvious reasons but they need not be fire hazards if they are properly designed and the occupants trained to use them as and when the necessityarise.

T h e M i n i s t r y o f Education (MoE) cannot relyontheMinistryofPublic Works (MoPW) nor the Country's Interior Districts to design and construct its educational facilities since they do not have the expertiseandpersonneltodo so.

Therefore, the MoE needs to establish a School Construction Division to design and build its education facilities to the standards necessary to provide an environment whereby students can develop their skills and abilities thereby enabling themtoeffectivelycopewith t h e m o d e r n a g e o f technological advancement so necessary for their communities Finally, the dormitory at Mahdia was designed and built for transients not students as the layoutclearlyindicates.

Yours truly Charles Sohan

DearEditor

The Government would like us to only pray and unite in the aftermath of Guyana'sworstfiretragedysnuffingout the lives of 20 of our Amerindian youths. The Government does not want us to do any “root cause” analysis of who is to be blamed, and how could something like this happen under their watch. It is spinning a story that one youth set a fire, although we have not yet heard any confessions or statements from corroborating witnesses who can attesttotheGovernment'sstory

At this point, we do not know if the student charged did it, but what we know clearly is that this is a poster case that points to Governmental incompetence across several Ministries. This was “systems failure,” governmentalfailureatitsusualbest.In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit the state of New Orleans in the USA and killed many people who could not be rescued, TIME Magazine's cover blared, “Systems Failure: An Investigation into what went wrong in New Orleans.” The TIME subtext was “An American Tragedy / Where the System Broke Down - 4 Places Where TheSystemBrokeDown.”Theydidnot simply blame the hurricane that triggeredthedisaster,theylookedatthe

state responses and how the systems in place failed. Our Government does not want us to do that because it will identify many failures on many fronts that will indict the leadership at the Ministry of Education which has primary responsibility for the Mahdia School and Dorm. It will also indict other Ministries which have related responsibilitiesfortheDorm.

But as the village people will say, this Government “hard mouth.” They will not apologize to the nation for an abundance of governmental failures thatareplainforalltosee.Coverupand deflecting seems to be their first response. It was easier for 'Smallie' to escape from a maximum-security prison than for our students to escape from a School Dorm Isn't that something? And the Government does notwanttoadmititsfailures!Instead,it choreographs a narrative that says, “see how we are a caring Governmentgiving support to grieving families and survivingstudents!”

It was “systems failure” pure and simple. Lack of smoke alarms, lack of fire extinguishers, inadequate fire engines in the Region with inadequate equipment, lack of water sources, failure to follow up on Fire Inspectors'' reports, installation of unsafe grille

work creating a prison-like enclosure, grilled doors, one Dorms' Mother assigned to 60 students, lack of fire drills, lack of safety and security emergency plans, a Dorms' mother located outside of the space where the students reside – these are not best practices. These malpractices show the “dunceness” of our systems and people responsible Some ministers are obsessedwithtakingpictureswithfolks all the time and posting on social media and websites to show niceness and caring, but on the ground, we see glaring incompetence and colossal failure. Where is the Government's Equity Plan for Education to show how theother9RegionswillmatchRegion4 as a minimum? Our Education System needs major restructuring and reform and the Education Ministry should be led by technocrats who are experienced professional educators who know what theyaredoing.

I applaud those protesting for the resignations of Ministers. The buck stops with them. We lost 20 students because of their poor governance, sins of commission, and sins of omission. Our children deserve better Wake up Guyana!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jerry Jailall

Mahdia fire deaths were mainly a “systems failure,” governmental failure – PPP Government must apologise to the nation

Political interference

the potential to hinder the cultural arts industry

DearEditor

The Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports has a profoundandveryimportant national responsibility that h a s f a r - r e a c h i n g implications that can impact the lives of thousands of people by the decisions and actionstaken.

This mandate therefore should not be taken for granted and moreover, used by political actors to settle political scores by targeting and victimised specific individuals or groups that may share a different view from the ones they may subscribe to or supports a different political ideology fromwhichtheyshare.

The allegations being leveled towards the minister at the Ministry of Culture YouthandSportsofpolitical v i c t i m i z a t i o n , d i s c r i m i n a t i o n a n d marginalization towards people based on his perceived views of them and their political leaning is not the first time, for I have heard of such from several artists and the frequency of those allegations are most concerning, for it can have a negative impact on the industry

I am confident that the honourable minister knows that the cultural arts industry playsasignificantroleinthe lives of not just the thousands involved directly but also towards the economic, social, and political developments of every nation, and Guyana should be focal, for it contributes to the cultural identity and heritage of our six peoples and serves as a medium for individual expression and national advancement.

Additionally, the minister must know that those serious allegations he is being accused of will be viewedassomehavealready claimed and rightfully so, as political interference and blatant victimization, which poses a serious threat to the industry, its creative f r e e d o m , g r o w t h , sustainability and the one Guyanaagenda.

Cultural arts are integral t o t h e e c o n o m i c development of any nation. Creative industries such as film, music, theatre, and l i t e r a t u r e g e n e r a t e employment opportunities and contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of countries. The cultural arts industry fosters innovation,

c r e a t i v i t y , a n d entrepreneurship, and here in Guyana, it can be a significant source of foreign exchange earnings The government and corporate Guyana must make deliberate efforts to invest in this industry Cultural events, festivals, and tourismgeneraterevenuefor many economies globally andourcountryneedstoalso benefit from such, but political interference can threaten investments, patronage, and funding, causinganegativeimpacton the industry's economic contributions.

I wish the ministry was ledbysomeonewithpassion a n d f o r e s i g h t w h o understandsthatculturalarts are essential to preserving and promoting a people's heritage and identity

Artifacts and cultural expressions such as music, dance, food, and literature tell the story of a people and theirhistory

These expressions are recognized and celebrated by the world, making a significant contribution to globalculture.

Given those public utterances and allegations, theministermustrealizethat political interference can restrict and manipulate culturalexpressions,leading toalossofauthenticheritage and identity The denial of funding or censorship of creative works can lead to economic disadvantages, social erosion, and the fading away of cultural heritage.

Our cultural arts should serve as a medium for individual expression and freedom of speech. Creative works enable artists to express themselves, their opinions, and their perspectives.Theyserveasa voiceforthepeopleandplay a role in informing and shapingpublicopinion.

Politicalinterferencecan hinder the free expression of ideas and thoughts The censoring of artistic expressions can limit and restrictthediversityofideas, leading to a cultural and creativegap.Thisisnotwhat we need for this industry with tremendous and untapped potential for growth.

With the government's

slogan/agenda, the cultural arts can help to promote social integration, social cohesion, and inclusion,

helping to bring all of our people together as one people Cultural events, festivals, and cultural expressions serve as a m e e t i n g p o i n t f o r individuals from different backgrounds and cultures. Through these events, relationshipsandfriendships arebuilt,andpeopledevelop a mutual appreciation and deep understanding of different cultures. Political interference can hinder social cohesion and integration. It can create divides that cause conflict and limit the growth and development of people and communities.

The Ministry should not, and moreover, none of the key principals should target specific individuals who are talented because they may have said or done something consideredtobeoffensiveto them or because they are supportive of another politicalparty

And if so, so what! Performance art and cultural expressions encourage views and actions that challenge the norm to provoke and rattle the system.

It encourages out of the box thinking. That's what makes the industry evolve by pushing the envelope beyond societal accepted norms and people's feelings andemotions.

Politicalinterferencehas

(Continued on page 6)

DearEditor

The news of the fire at Madhia Secondary School dormitory that gutted the lives of 20 students was flashed on the TV screens of international media giants suchasCNNandCBSbefore Guyanese learnt from their local (Guyana) media of the devastationcreatedbyoneof the deadliest tragedies to have occurred in the nation. The inferno, together with the resulting deaths and injuries struck the nation and the Guyanese psyche more thanatonofbricks.

Shocked and numb by thisheart-wrenchingtragedy, the diaspora in New York quickly joined the national show of solidarity for the victims and their families by holding more than 4 vigils in honour of the victims. What has also been significant about these vigils is that religious and community leaders categorically denounced any attempt at this point to politicize this tragedy Instead, their passionate call has been for prayersandtheexpressionof solidarity with victims' families.

Some victims' families have aptly called for justice. It has been reported that the student who allegedly set off the inferno would be charged with 19 counts of murder so far While this course of justice is moving in one direction, other paths of justice are being pursued. President Dr Irfaan Ali has,

for example, announced the grant to compensation to victims and the providing of counselling to students and parents More important though is the swift, effective, and compassionate response of the President and his team of ministers and support personnel.

Their exceptional caring, empathy, and humane action for the injured, the deceased, and those who have lost loved ones, are evident and second to none The President's message is lucid: “Whatever it takes to bring comfort and justice to these victims and their respective communities,willbedone.”

Sadly, despite the President's as well as community and religious leaders' call not to politicize the tragedy, the PNCR party and other operatives have begun to unleash their uncontrollable salvo of criticisms without having a proper understanding of the situation This is not to suggest that politicians and other operatives should not render criticisms, but they should wait when the murky waterisclear

As usual, I have conductedsomeresearchand can now report on the following. (1) The windows at the Mahdia Secondary School dormitory were indeed grilled. (2) The doors were not grilled. (3) The Ministry of Education does not administer any school dormitory in the country,

except in Georgetown. (4) The Ministry of Education is responsible for education policy and schools' curriculum. (5) The Mahdia dormitory falls under the authority of the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development. (6) Students never drank water fromapondasallegedbythe opposition.

Thegrillsonthewindows were installed by the PNCRled administration (at a time when both the REO and Regional Chair were PNCR members) and not by the PPP/C government. There mustbecompellingreason(s) that caused the PNCR-led government to grill the windows? They should provide an explanation to the Guyanesepeople.

I do not mean to be cynical but while we rightfully focus on building design/code and fire safety measures,wemustnotforget that even with these in place, if an arsonist decides to strike,thesemeasureswill

(Continued on page 6)

has

Why the rush to blame the PPP/C administration for the Mahdia tragedy?

Failure by the government to protect the sanctity of lives

Dear Editor,

The expression 'sanctity of the contract' has become common verbiage by the honcho and de facto president to cover-up his government's failure to renegotiate the oil contract as promised in the PPP campaign during the 2020 elections.

Nowcomesthedireneed for 'sanctity of office' for all ministers and officials of the government. Taking an oath of office to uphold the Constitutionandtoserveand protect the citizens of the country envisages great responsibilities and integrity, which are sadly

lacking in the general gamut of this - and the previousadministration. We are not dealing with building roads, bridges, and stadiums, but with the lives of people, especially the poor and the downtrodden, which this administration cares only aboutatelectiontime. With local government election due in less than two weeks,thedefactopresident is all over the country makingpromisesandbuying votes with the taxpayers' money for the PPP Win or lose,thisPPPregimewillnot fulfill none of those election promises.Soletmebeblunt, only fools will vote for them

Political interference has...

From page 5

the potential to hinder and victimise the cultural arts industry, limiting its ability to make valuable contributions tosociety

Therefore,itisimportantthatsuchinterferenceishaltedand stopped, and the creative freedom, growth, and sustainability of the cultural arts industry be protected. Our talented artists must be allowed the freedom to perform and earnanhonestdollar EveryoneinGuyanadeservesaliving, sobackoffandlettheartistsbreathe.

Yours respectfully,

Hon. Jermaine Figueira.MP

in this election Further, Presidentwhowaselectedto govern the country is hardly inthecountry

Every week he is being sent overseas by the honcho and de facto president to attend conference so that he canrunthecountry Itistime for President Ali to wake up and see what the honcho is doingtohim.

There is existing danger that pervades Guyana: unsafe buildings waiting to claim lives. Look around the Capital and its suburbs, where half the population reside and you will witness (1) overcrowding of dwellings (2) unsafe electric w i r i n g ( 3 ) p a r k i n g encumbrances (4) garbage pile up and rotting (5) poor anduncleanwatersupply(6) traffic bottlenecks that result in hundreds of thousands of lost work hours (7) substandard (Chinese) electric fittings and equipment and a litany of trashy products beingpurchasedfromChina. All electrical products made in China are fire hazards and all Chinese products sold to thiscountryaresub-standard anddonotlastlong.Theyare

inferior and because of that theyarecheap.

Almost every public building such as schools, ministries and offices have pitiful safety standards regardingfiresafety

The Camp Street Prison, where17 prisoners were burnt to death a few years agobearsampletestimonyto t h i s p h e n o m e n o n Extinguishersareeithernonexistent or non-functional while the absence of fire hoses and sand buckets compounds the dangers of the working environment; not to mention that absence of warning alarm systems, like a simple bell, which are conspicuouslymissing!

Itisprudenttoask:When was the last time any m i n i s t r y o r s c h o o l undertakenafiredrill?

Theanswerstaresyouin thefaceassuchexercisesare not deemed necessary because of the lack of fire stations and firemen in the rural areas of the country Not only do they insult the peopleandactastheirbosses when in fact, they are supposed to be their servants, but not even one of them performs with any

c o m p e t e n c e o r a n y semblance of alacrity to educate all persons who work in both public and private sectors to be cognizant with the five primary methods that are employed worldwide in casesoffire.

The acronym RACEE aptly depicts this: R=Rescue anyoneinimmediatedanger, A= Alarm-Call the fire department, C=confine the smoke/fire by closing doors and windows, E=Evacuate all persons, E= Extinguish small fires with portable fire extinguishers. Peoples' lives at stake and this is not negotiable.

The truth is the government has failed to protectthesanctityoflivesin the case of the 20 children whoperishedintheinferno.

Today, we have a pompous set of ministers who are extremely arrogant andboorish,morethanwhen they were in office for 23 years.

The Minister of Local Government is the most arrogant, egotistical, pigheaded, and conceited of the entireCabinet.

He should resign for his

failures of the RDCs and the NDCS in all the regions of the country and for exposing himself to a seventeen-yearold young woman. And if this was not bad enough, he lied when he said he lost his phone.

And although the video was live on social media, not a single female minister in the Cabinet spoke out againsthim.

These same female Cabinet members locked their tails between their legs like what dogs do when he told a female Opposition member in Parliament that she needed a DILDO to pleasureherselfsexually So, in essence, they also are guilty of his abuse against women.

Whereistheirsolidarity?

The saying that those whoareblindtothefactsand deaf to the issues of the day will live to regret it when shunned by the public is true because there are examples; the PPP in 2011 and 2015 andAPNU+AFCin2020.

Regards

L e y l a n d C h i t l a l l

Roopnaraine Real Estate Builder NewYork

Why the rush to blame the PPP/C...

From page 5 not stop him/her It is conceivable however that under such a situation, a proper building code and safety measures could make e v a c u a t i o n / r e s c u e operationseasier The point is that a proper building code and safety m e a s u r e s m u s t b e accompanied by the development among people/students of greater awareness of safety measures and the readiness toobserverelevantrules.

Finally, while other facts would emerge out of the

p r o p o s e d M a h d i a Commission of Inquiry, it is noted that Guyanese community and religious leaders in New York have expressed their deep appreciation for the leadership of President Dr Irfaan Ali in this extremely difficult situation. Major credit goes out to Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret'd) Mark Phillips, Education M i n i s t e r P r i y a Manickchand, HomeAffairs Minister Robeson Benn, Minister of Human Services Dr Vindhya Persaud, the Joint services, the medical

team, counsellors, the pilots, andNGOs.

The leaders also applaud the assistance rendered by Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados,Mt.SinaiHospital in New York, Northwell Health Systems in New York, among others. To the victims and their families, o u r e x p r e s s i o n o f condolence to them is unconditional. While we would never know the magnitude of their pain, we do know that “every cloud hasasilverlining.”

Sincerely

Dr Tara Singh

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Strategic and tactical

The Opposition Leader missed the boat!

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Why is he talking about “strategic and tactical?”

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He is not in the army; he is in politics…

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No wonder the PPP Government and Exxon making rings around Guyana!

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What else can there be, given the Opposition that Guyana has!

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Guyana signs US$350M loan to extend four-lane road to Parika

Duringarecentoutreach in Malgre Tout/MeerZorgen area, Region Three, President Irfaan Ali announced that the government had secured a US$350 million loan from Qatar to extend the Schoonord to Crane fourlane road all the way to Parika.

He told residents that “I just came back from Qatar and we just secured US$350M to continue that road through to Parika and

complete the new four lane roadallthewayontheWest Coast.” Kaieteur News had reported that last year September, the Ministry of Housing and Water, Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) signed $11.8 billion in contracts to build a new four lane highway connecting SchoonordtoCrane.

The new four-lane project as reported on has been divided into eight lots and will measure some

4.1km of dual carriageway reinforced concrete road

Some of the features of the highway include an emergency lane, medians, the rehabilitation of 2.4km

o f r o a d w a y s , t w o roundabouts, 11 reinforced concrete box culverts, 36 pre-stressed bridges, road signageandmarkings.

The Schoonord to Crane four-laneroadisjustthefirst phase of the highway which leads to Parika At the signing of the contracts last

year September, Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal toldthe gatheringthat the construction of the highway will energise the economicactivitywithinthe region.

These activities he said, “will no doubt result in significant improvements in job opportunities and when you have new road networking, opening of new landswillmeanalso,notjust f o r h o u s i n g b u t opportunities for expansion for agriculture and agroprocessing industry, processing facilities in manufacturing and the construction of industrial complexes.”

The Minister further

stated that the four-lane highway will compliment other ongoing projects they have within the region. For example,henotedtheyhave activities such as the preparation works in clearing of lands for new housing areas With that being said, Croal disclosed that in two years, they have

allocated in Region Three over 3200 house lots, and also the region saw the construction of core homes atParfaiteHarmonie. The design of the planned four-lane highway is to reduce traffic congestion along the West Bank and West Coast Demeraracorridor

President Irfaan Ali during his outreach in Region Three.

The President also must bring an end to the tragedy of hinterland existence

The President has shown the art of compromiseinhis response to the Mahdia tragedy

TheOppositioncalledfor Independence Day to be declared a national day of m o u r n i n g A l m o s t immediately, the President declared three days of national mourning. He also dedicated Independence Day events to the memories of the children.

The Opposition now wants the President to appoint an independent Commission of Inquiry and for it to comprise of persons who have the respect of all stakeholders.

On the surface, this is a reasonable demand but in Guyana, it is a mission impossible to find persons who would enjoy the c o n f i d e n c e o f a l l stakeholders.

There have also been calls for a much wider inquiry into the deaths of the 19 children. These calls have echoed sentiments that there aremuchwiderfactorswhich shouldbetakenintoaccount.

The Guyana Human RightsAssociationinarecent statement has raised one of these wider concerns: the impact of mining on Indigenous communities. It is said that mining has created a litany of social woes including sexual molestation, human trafficking and abuse of girls andwomen.

But there are wider social and economic concerns which impact on hinterland education.

A much large study is

therefore needed, one which will also cover hinterland education,whichisoneofthe greatest failures of public education.

It makes no sense for government to spend billions each year to board and lodge children in hinterland dormitories when there is a failure rate of 70% at the CSEC in hinterland communities.

It makes no sense for parents to have to shoulder the financial burdens and emotional stress of sending their children away from home to attend secondary schools, only for these children to return without q u a l i f i c a t i o n s a n d employableskills.

The government therefore has to consider two kinds of inquiries. The first should be into the causes of the fire, the immediate response to the fire and whether the fire and the loss of lives could have been prevented and injuries reduced.

This should be the task of a one-man Commission of Inquiry

It would be much easier tofindonepersonthatenjoys the confidence of all stakeholders.

Someone from the Caribbean can be invited to b e t h i s o n e - p e r s o n Commission of Inquiry But there is a need for a broader study of social and economic conditions of Indigenous communities.

Such a study could zeroin on the effects of mining on Indigenous peoples and specifically on its effects on women and girls Other

Dem Boys Seh...

issues which can be addressed in this broader study would be the state of education, health, security, unemployment and sexual andsubstanceabuse.

I n t h i s w a y, t h e government would be satisfying the two most principal demands that have emerged from the recent tragedy: it would be investigating the causes and response to the fire and it would also be examining wider social and economic concerns of Amerindian communities.

In terms of the latter, the government should consider inviting the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), PAHO/WHO and the UNDP to come together to undertake this study of Indigenouscommunities.

Thestudyshouldserveas the basis for formulating a national programme for Indigenous peoples UNICEF had in 2017 done a situational analysis of Indigenous women and children in Guyana. That study found high rates of malemigration,lowlevelsof formal female employment, pooraccesstohealthservices and deficiencies in the qualityofeducation.

In relation to education, there were extremely damaging findings which pointedtomorethanasimple crisis in hinterland education The UNICEF study found that enrollment was major issue in nursery and secondary education in thehinterland.

That has not been fixed since. It found a high rate of secondary school dropouts

Bookworms on de loose!

Deh gat some people does like show off pon Facebook Social media does generate all manner of types seeking to make an impression. And some of dem want to be perceived as intelligent.

So dem does post up all kinds of books pon dem Facebook page as if dem read out dem book from covertocover F r o m a n c i e n t masterpieces to modern day classics, dem does want we believe dat dem read dem all. Can one person truly digest Dickens, Austen, Hemingway, and King all in

one weekend? The notion seems as plausible as finding a unicorn at a used bookstore.

Dem does want people believe dem is a bookworm. Dem boys does call dem de kings and queens of literary delusion De amount of books dem posting and q u o t i n g f r o m a d nauseam does mek yuh feel dem gat an uncanny ability to devour books at another worldly pace. But behind dis bookish face is another reality Nuff of dem nahgetpastdecoverofdem books wah dem posting up. Dem only trying fuh give

among Indigenous children. Thepoorqualityofeducation enjoyed by Indigenous children helped to perpetuate poverty, low qualifications, limited skills and lowly paid jobs.

This too has not changed in the 6 years since the study wasdone.

President Ali has been badlyshakenbythedeathsof those 19 children It is

obvious from his visage and bearing over the past week that he was struggling to compose himself. The least which he can do in honour of those children is not only to ensure that another such tragedy does not reoccur but also to bring an end to the social and economic tragedy which today constitutes

Indigenous people's existence.

(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 newspaper and its affiliates.)

people de impression dem is intellectualanddemreading books.

But if some of dem read all dem books wah dem posting up, it gat to be dat dem does do speed reading fasterthandeEPA.

To read all dem books means dat one gat to be reading all day and every day Andtododat,yuhgatto be have superhero powers and endurance. A few brave souls have dared asked, “How on earth yuh managingtoreadsomuch?" Dem still awaiting an answer Talk half. Leff half.

America's oil security vs Guyana's prosperity

Ibegin with two little questions with big m e a n i n g s f o r groundwork. First, what does American oil security hold for Guyanese prosperity?Then,whatdothe i m p l i c a t i o n s o f ExxonMobil's prosperity mean for Guyana's democracy? Now,Iproceed tothefactsontheground,as written or said; I weigh their significances for Guyanese, and the continuity of this societyasacountry

In doing so, there is one

eyefocusedonwhatisgoing oninneighbouringTrinidad, a Republic once the envy of this region, and the chills come when there is contemplation of what it has come to, how far degraded. Finally,thereisanearcocked a t t e n t i v e l y ( a n d sympathetically) at what is going on in more distant Haiti,andthechaostowhich that country and its peoples have descended, cope with, mustsurvivesomehow

In terms of securing a

sliver of not insignificant proportions forAmerican oil security,theUSAmbassador weavedhermagicwell. She had history on her side, and thehelpofherCIAhandlers. The former was of the weakness, as compiled, of people in woebegone societieslikeGuyanaviathe special awe in which they behold powerful individuals of Caucasian descent. The natives may curse behind their hands, but in public, they are dutiful and respectful, if not outright

worshipful. In two words: inferiority complex. With reference to the latter, the politicalclassinGuyanaisof the most wretched, villainous,traitorousclassto befoundanywhere. Bluntly, Guyanese politicians wouldn'tbeaproblem;throw them a penny, and they will punish their people. Like Duvalier, Noriegaand Pinochet, they would sell critics and countrymen into slavery (or as ritual sacrifices) Check it out Guyana.

R e g a r d i n g politicians and people, theCaucasianscouldbe taking away their bread, and the locals would stillbegtheexploiterstohelp themselves to some more of that scarce commodity This is what is happening in today'spoorGuyana:theone commodity in sufficient quantity that is almost guaranteed to lead to solid prosperityofGuyanese,they let their ancient acrimonies getthebetterofthem.

The foreigners do not havetoliftafingerindefence of their brigandage; they have battalions of Guyanese ready to do that for them. Does Ms Lynch or Mr Routledge do anything anymore,ordoGuyanesenot crawl all over one another to dowhateverdirtyjobthathas to be done? I give fawners with PhDs, JDs, MDs, DDs, andIwonderiftheyareeither pathologicalfrauds,orsuffer fromthatpeculiardesolation thatvisitsthedepraved.

Zeroing in on the Yanks, it was the Ambassador herself who spoke fealty to the rights of national sovereignty, and the power that it vests in Guyana for contract renegotiation. The honourable one went from somethingtotheeffectabout noninvolvement (several years ago) to clapping daintily about Guyana's kneeling at the altar of 'sanctity of contract' (several monthsback).

The US President wants more from his own oil companies, but the US Ambassador has her own page where Exxon and Guyanaareinvolved. Sheis all for American economic security, but on Guyana's prosperity, the diplomat now has reservations. Guyanese seeherforwhatsheis,which explainsherfallingstar

Whenheusedtobeinhis more John Hessian mode, Alistair Routledge waxed Shakespearean about how

the 2016 contract was the best revenue stream ever for Guyana. Now,wouldamere mortallikemedaretoaccuse an immortal like the man fromExxontobealiar? Not I, Lord. Put differently, what Herr Routledge said boiled downtothis:Guyanesehave neverseensomuchmoneyas this, and for that alone, they should be on their knees in thanksgiving. If that was not aslurwithacuriouscolourful slant, then nothing ever will beone.Therealityisthatfor every billion that Guyana gets from its patrimony, Exxoncollects10or15times more. Andthatisaccounting for only those items on the books.Buttheytellmethatis contract sanctity I call it what it is: thievery, slavery, poverty Look who gets, look how many Guyanese don'tknowwhattheyget.

The beauty for Alistair Routledge is that he lifts an eyelash, and Guyanese strip naked for him: dignity, intellect,integrity

M e n t r o t o u t spreadsheets, Indian supremacists dig up ancient grievances,attorneysmakea show of arguing, and politicians do a 100-meter dash to the court. These can never be democracy in action.

These are the political and national bondages that h a v e a l w a y s b e e n inseparablefromcolonialism and imperialism; and, come to think of it, capitalism and communism,too.

Thinking of all this, I recall where Trinidad was oncepoised.

Today, the gangs run amok, the vulnerable run for cover As always, political players whistle to the bank. This is what Ambassador Lynch sold us, it is what we reap. Toussaint L'Ouverture and Jean Jacques Dessalines oncerearedup,andtheblood flowed.Thebloodstillflows in the streets of Haiti today. Don't mess with the White man's security and prosperity He will take awaydemocracy,sanity,then anatomy

(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.)

CDBAnnualMeetingtoprovideplatform forrobustresponsetogenderequityissues

Afteryearsofchallenge

and crisis which have slowed progress and evenaggravatedgenderinequality in the Caribbean, “a robust response is needed” to counter these setbacks and set the Region onapathtoequityandjustice

To that end, at its upcoming 53rd Annual Board of Governors Meeting in Saint Lucia, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) will be providing a platformforexperts,activists,and policymakers to explore tangible solutions which can be scaled for implementation across the Region.

The discourse is scheduled for June 21, when CDB will stage the Annual Meeting’s flagship seminar, “Solutions on All Sides:

AddressingMultipleCrisestoEnd GenderInequality”.

“We know how challenging the last few years have been, between the COVID-19 pandemic, natural hazards like storms and a volcanic explosion and spiralling food and energy prices brought on by the war in Ukraine,” said Vice-President (Operations) and CDB Gender Champion,Mr IsaacSolomon.

“Any one of these on its own wouldbechallengingenough,but what we’ve experienced in recent years has meant that our Borrowing Member Countries have been severely constrained in their ability to spend on and supporttheirsocialsystems This, plus the psychosocial tollofthese crises, has aggravated gender

inequality with women, girls, persons with disabilities, Indigenous people, and the elderly disproportionatelyaffected. We in the Caribbean need to mount a robust response to counter these setbacks and move the Region more quickly towards thekindoffuturewewant,”stated Solomon

The seminar will feature an expert panel, moderated by the Bank’s Director of Projects, Mr Daniel Best which will focus on highlighting key challenges and gaps currently faced in addressing genderinequalityintheRegion.

Panellists include Dr Halimah Deshong, Head of the Institute of Development and Gender Studies at the University oftheWestIndies,CaveHill,Ms

Nicole Pitter Patterson, international trade and gender expert and Ms Michele Irving, President of the Belize Women’s Commission Ms Judith

Wedderburn, board director of longstanding women’s advocacy organisation WMW Jamaica and Ms Tamara Huggins, Director of WVL Equality Fund Caribbean, willroundouttheexpertpanel

Alongside the team of experts will be a Virtual Solutions Room

featuring key practice professionals who will respond to theissuesraisedbythepanelwith innovative strategies and best practicesthatcanbescaled

The solutions room participants will be Ms Ashlee Burnett, founder of Feminitt Caribbean, Ms. Keithlin Caroo,

Founder of Helen’s Daughter, Mr Amilcar Sanatan, Deputy Director of the Bureau of GenderAffairs in Trinidad and Tobago, Ms. Marissa Hutchinson,EnvironmentalJustice Programme Officer at the International Women’s Rights Action Watch – Asia Pacific and Ms.KavellJoseph,consultantwith the World Bank’s Latin America and Caribbean Gender Equality ActionLab.

The seminar is part of the Bank’s heightened focus on gender equity issues for its 53rd Annual Meeting agenda The forum will align with the 4th edition of the Bank’s President’s Chat,tobeheldonJune16,which will highlight the theme “Innovative Financing for Women”

Gas-to-Energy project could be disastrous for Guyana’s economy - Gaskin

E c o n o m i s t a n d transparency advocate, Ramon Gaskin believes that Guyana’s Gas-to-Energy (GTE) project could be disastrous for the country’s economy

In an interview with Kaieteur News on Tuesday, Gaskin explained that he submitted a number of questions to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, Natural ResourcesMinister,Vickram Bharrat, Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and C o m m i s s i o n e r o f Information, Charles Ramson S.C. sinceApril 25, 2023 but got no response to date.

Gaskin’s questions sought to scrutinize the total cost of the project and owners of the separate components;Guyana’sshare of the total cost; availability of a feasibility studyshowing capital and operation costs, among others - and the proposed rates for resale of the electricity He also queried about who would take responsibility for any environmental issues and

Economist, Ramon Gaskin

available insurance for the project Importantly, the advocate also asked the leaders to clarify whether ExxonMobilwouldenjoytax free activities in the gas project and the role of the Auditor General in the initiative.

Given that all four of the appointed spokespersons on the project have not acknowledgedhisrequestfor information,Gaskinbelieves investing into such a project could spell disaster for the country’s economy He told Kaieteur News that the

government would not be abletojustifythisprojectand have refused to share any information with the public, which would confirm this suspicion.

According to him, “The gas-to-shore project is a big projectwherebillionsofUSdollarsisinvolvedanditmay even be the biggest project ever done in this country It will bankrupt this economy At $600 billion, it will bankrupt the Guyana economy.”

So far, the project is peggedatUS$2.3billionbut other costs are yet to be addedtosupporttheproject.

Gaskinsaidheplanstogo to Court as the leaders have not responded to his questions.Heintendstostop theprojectandwillfocushis arguments on the economic aspect.

He argued, “The real grounds for challenging the project is that a project of such magnitude requires Parliamentary approval but they haven’t approved this thing.TheParliamenthasnot approvedUS$3billionfor

Continuedonpage20

The list of questions submitted by Gaskin

Mechanickilledbyfiancée’suncle

A mechanic’s decision to visit his fiancée’s home on Monday night proved fatal after her irate uncle rushed into her house at 5th Street, Martyr’s Ville, East CoastDemerara(ECD)andkilledhim.

Thedeadmanwasidentifiedas23-yearold Shivram Mohabir called “Vickash” of Lot 40, Triumph Sideline Dam, ECD. According to police, Mohabir was stabbed bythewoman’suncleatabout19:00hrs.

The suspect has since been arrested for Mohabir’smurder

Investigators said that Mohabir and his

alleged killer had a disagreement and the suspect had reportedly made a police complaint against him (Mohabir) on Sunday, one day before he allegedly killed himwithaknife.

According to police, an investigation was launched into the allegations made by the suspect but he reportedly took matters into his own hands. The man reportedly visitedhisniece’shomeonMondayevening and discovered that Mohabir was there. He ranintothehouseandattackedhim.

A fight ensued and escalated after the

suspectarmedhimselfwithaknifefromthe kitchenandstabbedthevictimtohischest. Thesuspectafterreportedlycommittingthe act,madegoodhisescape.

Mohabir’s fiancée then rushed him to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.Hewasstillalivewhendoctors admitted him but he died while receiving treatmentforhisstabwound.

His death was reported to police and ranksarrestedthesuspectlaterthatevening athishome.

Investigationsareongoing.

Dead: Mechanic, Shivram Mohabir

Teachers take to the streets, T begging for higher pay

Several teachers joined the representatives of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU)onTuesdaytoprotest for higher salaries. The protest commenced around 10:00hrs in front the MinistryFinance’sOfficeon MainStreet,Georgetown.

Some held placards saying,“Everythingelsehas increased except teachers’ wagesandsalaries”and“we need our salaries to be adjusted”.

The protest centered around the previous government’s failure to

honourcertaincommitments of“debunchingmonies”and an overdue payment of a differenceoftwopercentina 2016and2018agreement. Protestorsalsocalledout the current government for its alleged reluctance to resolvetheissuesandfailing

toexaminethenewproposal submittedbyGTU,multiple timessince2020. However, most teachers were extremely concerned about receiving higher salaries Teachers who protested on Tuesday said thattraineeteacherswhoare

still in college receive $83,000 monthly salary while qualified teachers’ salaries start at $100,000 monthly.Mostteachershave to work extra jobs which include at nights and weekends to get additional income to maintain their families.

President of the GTU, Mark Lyte raised this issue duringtheprotest.

“Our salary is extremely

low For example, on average a Head Teacher takes home just over a US$1000 per month for managingaschoolof500to 700students.”Lytesaidthat other Head Teachers in the Caribbean are paid approximately US$16,000 permonth.

“We are grossly underpaidandwewouldlike totheseetheoilmoneybe Continuedonpage24

Teachers and representatives of the Guyana Teachers’Union protesting on Tuesday in front of the Ministry of Finance.

Berbice Chamber of Commerce elects first female president

The Berbice Chamber of C o m m e r c e a n d Development Association (BCCDA), the oldest Chamber, in the country recently elected Samantha Reid as its first female president.

Reid,whoistheownerof the People’s Pawn Shop located in New Amsterdam, Berbice, was unanimously elected when the Chamber which has been in existence since 1932, held its overdue Election of Office bearers at

its Main Street and Charles Place, New Amsterdam, Berbiceoffice.

The newly elected president previously served as the organisation’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) RyanAlexander who served as the last president of the Chamber was elected to serve as Senior Vice President.

Others elected to serve are: Dr Ganesh Shiv Kumar as Junior Vice President, former national athlete

Imogen Ferdinand as Secretary, Gregory Sears as Treasurer, Banks DIH Berbice Branch Manager Nandram Basdeo as Assistant Secretary /Treasurer and Ashraf Ali JahoorasPRO.

Representatives of 15 business entities including commercialbanks,insurance companies, and beverage companies were elected to serve on the Council for a periodofoneyear

Reid thanked the

Guyanese social media influencer, Tisha Brodie shot and killed in ‘targeted’ shooting in Atlanta, US

Fox3NOW- OfficershaveLindberghDriveshutdown betweenPiedmontRoadandAdinaDrive.

Following an early morning shooting in northeast Atlanta,alifelesswomanwasdiscoveredinthebackofan UberSUV

members for electing her as president and sought continuedsupportduringher tenure. Further, the newly electedPresidentinvitedpast members to lend support to the Chamber and its activities so that there is a collaborative approach to development.

Reid said she intends to lead the Chamber to achieve its mandate and one of her immediate priorities is to have the Chamber operate outofitsownpremises.

The incident occurred at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Lindbergh Drive in Buckhead. The woman’s body was located in the rear seat of a black Cadillac Escalade Uber vehicle,whichhadsustainednumerousbulletimpacts.

At present, the identity of the woman has not been disclosed, but sources identified her as popular US based GuyanesesocialiteandsocialmediainfluencerTishaBrodie aka“TavieBaddie”.

Law enforcement officials have stated that she was deliberatelysingledoutasatarget.

The occupants of the SUV besides the victim remain unknown, although authorities suspect the involvement of multipleindividualsintheshooting.

The police are actively searching for a light-colored sedanbelievedtobeconnectedtotheincident.TheAtlanta police have established a closure in the vicinity encompassingPiedmontRoadtoAdinaDrive.

certifies Casa De Frances as

first bed and breakfast facility

Guyanese influencer, Tisha Brodie

The newly elected executive of the Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development Association

Proprietor Kurt French and GNBS Director (ag) Al Fraser attach the certification sticker on one of the rooms

PresidentAliattendsSummitof SouthAmericanLeadersinBrazil

President Irfaan Ali and other Headsof-State of South America are participating in the Summit of South

American Leaders at Itamaraty Palace, the headquarters of the Ministry ofForeignAffairsofBrazil.

The summit is organised by Brazilian President, Luiz InácioLuladaSilva.

The other leaders attendingtheSummitarethe President of the Republic of Colombia, Gustavo Petro; the President of the Argentine Republic,Alberto Fernández; the President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Luis Arce; the President of the Republic of Chile, Gabriel Boric; the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro; the President of the Republic of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez; the President of the Republic of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi;

thePresidentoftheRepublic ofEcuador,GuillermoLasso and the President of the

Screengrab from a video of the flags being pulled off the poles at Manchester, Corentyne, Berbice.

NDC Chairman arrested for pulling down PPP/C

Police on Sunday arrested a woman for allegedly pulling down the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) party flags from electricity poles along the Manchester PublicRoad,Corentyne,Berbice,RegionSix.

ThewomanhasbeenidentifiedasSheron Smith,asocialworkerandChairpersonofthe Hogstyle/Lancaster Neighbourhood DemocraticCouncil(NDC)inBerbice.Smith and others, according to police, allegedly used a ladder to mount the poles and pulled

flags PPP

down thepartyflags.Thereis alsoaTikTok video circulating of the flags being pulled down.

RanksweresenttoarrestSmithlaterthat eveningfor“unlawfullyremovingthedisplay ofofficialelectioncampaignmaterials”.

Shewasreportedlydetainedforthenight and released the following morning on $20,000 bail. According to the woman, she spentthenightinpolicecustodysleepingona bench.Investigationsareongoing.

NDC Chairman, Sheron Smith

Council of Ministers of the Republic of Peru, PM AlbertoOtárolaPeñaranda.

President Irfaan Ali with Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Summit of South American Leaders being held in Brazil (Office of the President)

President Irfaan Ali makes a point at the Summit of South American Leaders being held in Brazil (Office of the President)

President Irfaan Ali arrives at Itamaraty Palace, the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil for the Summit of South American Leaders. (Office of the President)

Another student succumbs

Another student, who was badly injured in the Mahdia Secondary School’s female dormitoryonMay21,2023thatclaimedthe livesof19childreninitially,diedyesterday

Dead is 14-year-old Sherana Daniels of Micobie Village, Region Eight, who died at around 10:00h while receiving treatment at theGeorgetownPublicHospitalCorporation (GPHC). She was the lone victim who remained hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit(ICU)ofGPHC.

Daniels’deathtakesthedeathtollto20.

In a press statement yesterday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that the 14year-oldgirlwasthefirstgirltobeair-dashed to Georgetown on the morning of May 22,

2023 for treatment. Daniels was listed as critical before being air-dashed to the Georgetown Hospital and remained critical untilherdeath.

“The MOH would like to thank the doctors,nursesandotherstaffmemberswho worked assiduously with the hope that a miraclewouldbepossible,”theMinistrysaid initsstatement.

Following the news of her passing, President Irfaan Ali on his Facebook page expressed heartfelt condolences to the parents, relatives, and students of Mahdia SecondarySchool.

“Sherana is the 20th victim of this tragedy We pray that her loved ones are

granted strength and courage during this difficult period. My government and all of Guyanacontinuetokeepyouinourprayers. RestinpeaceandriseinglorySherana!”

Kaieteur News hadreportedthatDaniels was among the two patients who were admitted to the ICU in a critical condition sincethefire.Theotherpatient,a13-year-old girl, was on Sunday transferred to the Northwell Burn Center at the University HospitalinStatenIsland,NewYork.

She is said to be stable and improving. The Ministry of Health said that the girl underwent her first of multiple surgeries on Mondayafternoon.“Sheisdoingwellandwe expectapositiveoutcome.Hermomiswith her and her dad will be flown into NY this week to also be with them,” the Ministry reported.

Meanwhile, yesterday three of the studentswhowerekilled,werelaidtorestin theirvillageofKarisparu,RegionEight.The three girls who were buried on Tuesday are Bibi Jeffrey and her cousins, Belnissa and Loreen Evans. Joining families, friends and residentsatthefuneralswerePrimeMinister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips and Ministers of Public Works and Education Juan Edghill and Priya Manickchand respectively

Last week, Subrina John of Karisparu Villagewhodiedinthefire,wasthefirsttobe

buried. The remaining children who died in thefirearescheduledtobeburiedthisweek.

This publication had reported that nineteen children – 18 of them school girls and one 5-year-old boy died on the night of May 21 when fire swept through a heavilygrilled dormitory which housed students of theMahdiaSecondarySchool.

Information reaching this publication revealed that of the 19 children, 14 children died at the scene, while five died at the Mahdia District Hospital Among the casualtiesweretwinsisters.Thenamesofthe children who died on Sunday are as follow: Adonijah Jerome, Tracil Thomas, Lisa Roberts, Delecia Edwards, Lorita Williams, Natalie Bellarmine, Arriana Edwards, Cleoma Simon, Subrina John, Martha D’Andrade, (and twin) Mary D’Andrade, Belnisa Evans, Loreen Evans, Omerfia Edwin, Nickleen Robinson, Sherlyn Bellarmine, Eulander Carter, Andrea Roberts,andRitaJeffrey.

DeputyFireChief(ag)DwayneScotland onMay22,2023disclosedthatthefirewhich tookapproximatelythreeandahalfhoursto be extinguished, was maliciously set. It was confirmedbytheGuyanaPoliceForce(GPF) onMay23,2024thatafemalestudentofthe MahdiaSecondarySchoolreportedlystarted thefirebecausehercellularphonewastaken awaybythedormmother,andateacher

That teen was on Monday remanded to the Juvenile Holding Centre after being chargedwith19countsofmurder

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill (left) and Prime Minister, Mark Phillips in Region Eight on Tuesday who attended the funerals of the three girls who perished in the Mahdia fire.

(Photo courtesy, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill)

Sherana Daniels, the 14-year-old Mahdia Secondary School dorm fire victim who died on Tuesday at the GPHC.

Student: Loreen Evans who was buried in Karisparu on Tuesday

Student: Belnissa Evans who was buried in Karisparu on Tuesday

Student: Bibi Rita Fiona Jeffrey who was buried in Karisparu on Tuesday

Pilotdenieshumantraffickingallegations

Local pilot, Orlando Charles who has been accused by the Guyana Police Force of human trafficking has denied the allegations, saying the complaint to the police might have arisen due to a disputeoverwages.

Police doubled down on their allegations against Charleswhichwereunveiled Monday night by issuing a wantedbulletinforhisarrest onTuesday-amovethepilot describedas‘strange’.

“I would like to address t h e w i d e s p r e a d dissemination of my name andphotographalongsidean

a l l e g a t i o n o f m y involvement in Trafficking inPersons.

I have also been made aware of the Guyana Police Force issuing a Wanted Bulletin for me. I tried calling the number listed on the Wanted Bulletin and the calls went unanswered. I have retained Counsel, Sanjeev Datadin, to act for me. I have promptly made contactwiththeassistanceof Counsel withASPCaesar at the Major Crimes Unit, Criminal Investigation Department and have willingly agreed to present myself to the police as

requested,”Charlessaidina statement.

He said he has been a pilot and businessman with various construction projects countrywide and a dispute over wages with 30 persons who were either employedbymeorawaiting theavailabilityofmorework withmybusinesssotheycan beemployed.

“Ihadnothingtodowith neither bringing them into Guyananorcontrollingtheir

movement or where they were employed. Indeed, a dispute arose with some of them over wages and I agreed to resolve the matter toourmutualagreementand some of the persons readily accepted settlement whilst others wanted more money The discussions with the latter are ongoing and a reckoningwastakingplace.

I was contacted by the police in Bartica and I went to them and they asked me

forastatementonthematter and I promised to provide onetothem.Theyplacedme onstationbailandIreported back to the station as required. It was therefore surprising to learn via the media that I was being

accused by my workers of trafficking,”Charlessaid.

“I subsequently learned that the men and the cook were at a restaurant in Bartica discussing their grievancesoverfoodand Continuedonpage19

...says pay dispute drove complainant to make ‘false report’ against him

Orlando Charles

InvestmentsinWaterPositivelyImpactHealthSector

The Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) on Monday celebrated its 21st Anniversary of Service to the nation with a health fair held at the company’s headquarters in Shelterbelt, VlissengenRoad. The event brought together key stakeholders,

including Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony, board members, and senior companyofficials,GWIsaid inapressrelease.Reflecting on GWI’s achievements, Chief Executive Officer Shaik Baksh highlightedthe significant progress made in improving access to and the

quality of water despite the geographical challenges faced in Guyana. Baksh, whosignedthevestingorder establishing GWI 21 years ago during his tenure as HousingandWaterMinister, acknowledged that there is still much work to be done. He emphasised GWI’s

commitmenttoaggressively enhancethelevelandquality of service provided to customers.

Over the next two to three years, GWI aims to ensure widely available access to treated water The government has already invested $14.5B this year to

enhance and expand water services. Guyana is actively working towards providing 90 percent of its population

with access to potable water by 2025. As part of this effort,13newtreatment

Continuedonpage22

Gas-to-Energy project could be disastrous...

Frompage13 this project. There is no proper feasibility study for the Parliament to examine andenquireintothisthingif it’s feasible The government is saying that if youdothis,wewouldcutthe electricity cost by half (but) it’s a confounded lie- it will neverhappen.”

Gaskin explained that the Wartsila generators currently produce electricity at an average US$1millionpermegawatt of power while the GTE project would generate electricity at US$7 million permegawatt

“Gas to shore is seven times more expensive per megawatt than Wartsila and therefore you could never cut electricity if you do anythinglikethat.”

He continued, “Besides that, the economics of it is disastrous for the economy When we go to Court, we wouldgotherewiththelaw which would show that the government is breaking the law to do this project withoutapprovals.”

Theadvocatearguedthat the project has been separated into a number of components, and it is unclear who the owners of these various aspects are. Additionally,hesaidthereis no document proving the return on the investment for all the funds being spent on the project and who would benefitfromtheprofits.

Gaskin also questioned how Guyana would utilize allthepowertobegenerated fromtheproject,inaddition to all the other sources of powertobebuilt,suchasthe Amailahydroproject.

He believes, “The gasto-energy project will damagetheeconomyofthis country in a big way The Skeldon project was only

US$200millionthatJagdeo wasted. This is hundreds of millionsnowinvolved.”

The Economist said the funds would better be used to develop the country’s health and education sector Healsobelievesjobcreation should be a focus of the government Gaskin was keen to note that Guyana must stay away from companies like Exxon that come to the country and avoid paying taxes, while other citizens must be subjected to taxes on their meager salaries, compared to the earnings of the oil companies.

On the issue of power generation, Gaskin, former Chairman of the Guyana ElectricityCompany(GEC) -nowknownastheGuyana PowerandLightInc(GPL)said he believes Guyana should continue the use of heavy fuel oils (HFOs) for power generation He believes the environmental impacts of this method of powergenerationwouldnot be significant considering the power needs of the country.

Moreover,henoted,“We are short of electricity right now- we need about 60 megawatts of power to deal with the present short fall. We need another 5 megawatts at Bartica, anotherfiveatAnnaRegina, another 5 at New Amsterdam, another 5 at Corriverton, so this thing that they bringing at Wales can’thelpyou.Itcan’tgoto Corriverton, they can say what they like. But if you have 60 megawatts of Wartsila power, this could fix the problem which we need.” Similarly, he said if more power is needed to supplement the electricity supply in those areas, it can easilybedone.

A customer doing a blood pressure test on Monday

Persons who donated blood at the health fair

WANTED VACANCY

Canter Drivers needed, must have car, van & lorry license and atleast 3 yrs experience. Call: 644-7088/ 624-7248.

Hauler Drivers required, must have atleast 3 years experience. Call: 644-7088/ 6247248.

Taxi Drivers needed at Princess Taxi Service, Ramada Hotel. Must have hire car licence. Call: 265-7075/ 76 or 616-5419, 690-2242.

Cooks and Domestic Workers needed. Preferably from East Coast Demerara. Call: 223-5273/ 223-5274.

One female needed for domestic work, residing on WCD/WBD. Call: 624-0239.

One Housekeeper/ Cook needed to work at E.C.D residence. Call: 685-1735.

Wanted! Male & Female workers for packaging pasta and sweets, required to work shift hours. Call: 611-7839.

Machine Operator needed. Apply to RP'S Enterprise Area "K" Le Ressouvenir E.C.D. Call: 220-2818.

Two able-bodied Porters needed, $5,000 per day. Call: 223-9677.

Male & female needed to work at supermarket in the Interior. Must be 18 years & older. Call: 674-9999.

One Housekeeper needed. Must be 18 years & older. Call: 637-6846.

One Handyman needed. Must be 18 years & older. Call: 699-8486.

One Cook needed to work at restaurant in the Interior. Must be 25 years & older. Call: 686-2201.

One canter Driver needed between Diamond and Grove. Call: 644-5957/ 645-4043.

One able- bodied male or female to work in a store. Call: 225-2313, 226-1497.

One Clerk needed for TSI Eccles office. Must have English & Mathematics. Email application:techserigy@ yahoo.com or call 615-9132.

Driver/ Coordinator needed, must have a mini bus license, ages 30-55 yrs. Call: 685-1735.

One experienced Worker needed to work in Boutique. Call: 698-7152.

Garment factory Worker needed. Attractive benefits offered and no experience needed. For more information Call: 226-2621.

Accounts Clerk needed. Must have a sound secondary education and 1-2 years Accounting experience. For more information Call: 2262621.

Male Engineer needed, Must have atleast 10 years experience in road & building construction. Email CV: rbinvestmentinc@gmail.com, Call: 613-0855.

1 Male Project Supervisor (construction field), ages 35-50 years. Must have atleast 5-8 yrs managerial experience. Email CV: rbinvestmentinc@gmail.com, Call: 613-0855.

Bobcat Operators and Truck & Canter Drivers needed. Ages 30 years & older. Must have atleast 5 years experience. Email CV: rbinvestmentinc@gmail.com, Call: 613-0855.

Male Personal Assistant needed. Must have atleast 5 years experience, driver's license & diploma in Business Management. Email CV: rbinvestmentinc@gmail.com, Call: 613-0855.

Vacancy exists for Porter Apprentice and Carpenter to work on a Construction site. Contact: 225-5818, 624-9507, 624-0713.

Missing man found dead in interior

The body of a Port Kaituma man was on Monday found floating in a mining pit at Perseverance Backdam, North West District (NWD), Region One, two days after he disappeared in the area.

The dead man, identified as 29-year-old Kennis Dennis,

went missing Saturday morning while he and his workmates were transporting fuel to their mining camp. Police suspect that Dennis fell into a mining pit and drowned. However, that is yet to be confirmed by an autopsy that is scheduled for today.

Dead: Kennis Dennis

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.

SERVICES

For low cost repairs for AC units, refridgerators, freezers, gas stoves, washing machine, dryers, etc. Call: 629-4946, 225-4822.

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, 629-5526.

For all land clearance (grubbing), sand fill, housing plan and estimates. Call K. Lakeram Building Contractor: 692-8464 or whatsApp: 622-0267.

Speaking with Kaieteur News on Tuesday, the dead man’s sister, Latoya Dennis said that her brother left their Port Kaituma home at around 09:00hrs on Thursday for the Perseverance Backdam to work on a dredge. She said he called his mother on Friday from the location but she missed his call.

They next call the family received was from his workmates informing them that Dennis had disappeared.

Kaieteur News understands that while transporting fuel, one of the drums fell and rolled into the mining pit. Dennis reportedly told his workmates that he would return to retrieve it. They re-

portedly advised him not do so but when they arrived at the camp, Dennis left.

It is unclear whether Dennis had indeed returned for the fallen fuel drum but after some time had elapsed and he failed to show up, his workmates began to worry and went in search of him.

They reportedly found his long boots at the edge of the

pit and there were also some human foot tracks leading towards murky waters but there was evidence of no one.

Kaieteur News understands that members of the search party dived into the water in search of Dennis but came up empty handed. Two days later, Dennis’ body was seen floating in the same mining pit.

GNBS certifies Casa De Frances as...

From page 16 event is worthy to be celebrated.

“Any hotel or facility we go to, we must be able to enjoy the pride of comfort, a comfortable bed, comfortable atmosphere, comfortable washrooms, these are what we expect, particularity when we are paying for the service,” he noted.

quired standard and quality of service.

Meanwhile, French noted that the facility was opened in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When we started this construction, we had no idea about GNBS and their standards.

that we put into this had to do with the customer. And I’m happy today that whatever we would have done was able to measure to the standards of the GNBS,” he said.

FOR RENT

Business place for rent at Vreed-en-hoop junction. Call: 603-6400.

Bachelor apartment for rent. Call: 602-6734.

One bottom flat and storage space available in Vreed-enHoop suitable for clinics, salon/ barber shop, taxi service, office, etc. Call: 683-4281.

The certification lasts for one year and can be renewed.

The proprietor was encouraged to upkeep the re-

What we had was the customer at heart because what we wanted is that anyone visiting Casa De Frances to be comfortable and to be safe and secure. So, everything

Other persons interested in being certified can be guided by contacting the GNBS certification Services Department on telephone number 219-0064-66 or email at certification@gnbsgy.org (Department of Public Information).

Investments in Water Positively Impact Health...

From page 20 plants will be constructed across the country, and an additional 12 existing plants will be upgraded.

TOURS

Suriname tour "Bold Caricom weekend trip" to Suriname. June 30th (Fri) - July 3rd (Mon),2023. Call: 639-2663/ 673-2348.

Pure honey, wholesale and

quantity. Call: 621-4273.

TO LET

Fully furnished 2 bedrooms apartment in Albert Street, Alberttown. Preferably students, no smoking and no pets allowed. Call 231-5695/ 611-9134.

“We kindly request the understanding of the population as we actively strive to meet their need for clean, safe water,” Baksh stated, emphasizing the focus on improving water quality and service in both coastal and hinterland regions. The hinterland regions are served through the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) project, which provides residents with access to safe water and hygiene facilities.

conditions for its employees, recognizing their vital role in the organization’s advancement. Efforts are underway to secure further funding for professional development, and recently, new buildings have been constructed for staffers in Regions Five and Nine, with offices in Regions Two, Ten, and on the East Bank of Demerara being refurbished and equipped.

LAND FOR SALE

Prime land for sale at No. 78, Corriverton, excellent location for business. Call: 6445072/ 690-4139.

GWI’s commitment to enhancing access to water and delivering quality customer service has been reinforced over the years through collaboration with local and international partners. In addition to improving water access and quality for customers, GWI is also prioritizing the improvement of working

As part of the 21st-anniversary celebrations, GWI will honour retired employees and recognize the achievements of 20 craftsmen who successfully completed an upskilling programme. Minister Anthony, following the CEO’s address, emphasized that government investments over the past two decades have transformed GWI and positively impacted the health sector. Notably, the prevalence of infectious waterborne diseases in Guyana has significantly decreased compared to 21 years ago. Health

officials have also reported extremely favourable results from quality tests conducted on water provided by GWI. Minister Anthony seized the opportunity to discuss common health issues and underscored the importance of healthy eating, sufficient sleep, and regular exercise for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.Dharamkumar Seeraj, GWI Board Vice-Chair, highlighted that water is the most important medicine for a healthy lifestyle and that the government is actively working to make it readily available to every Guyanese at the lowest possible cost. In addition to the health fair held at Shelterbelt, GWI offices in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, and Ten also hosted similar events on Monday, offering a range of services including dental checks, HIV/AIDS counselling and testing, vaginal swabs, glucose and blood pressure testing.

US slaps sanctions on Chinese, Mexican entities in fentanyl action

Reuters - The U.S. on Tuesday imposed sanctions on 17 people and entities based in China and Mexico who it accused of enabling counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pill production, as the Biden administration seeks to stem importsofthedeadlydrug.

The U S Treasury Department in a statement said it slapped sanctions on seven entities and six people basedinChina,aswellasone business and three people basedinMexico.

It accused those targeted ofbeinginvolvedinthesaleof pill press machines and other equipment used to impress counterfeit trade markings onto illicitly produced pills, often laced with fentanyl and destinedfortheUnitedStates.

"Treasury's sanctions target every stage of the deadly supply chain fueling the surge in fentanyl poisonings and deaths across the country," the Treasury's UnderSecretaryforTerrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, said in the statement ”Counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl constitute a leading cause of these deaths,devastatingthousands of American families each year Weremaincommittedto

using all authorities against enablers of illicit drug production to disrupt this deadly global production and counter the threat posed by thesedrugs."

The rate of drug overdose deathsinvolvingthesynthetic opioid fentanyl more than tripled in the United States from 2016 through 2021, according to a report by the U S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released earlier this month.Fentanyl is up to 50 timesstrongerthanheroinand 100 times stronger than morphine, and has increasingly been mixed with other illicit drugs often with lethalresults.

The Biden administration hasbeenpushingforactionas U.S. drug-related overdose deaths surpassed 100,000 in 2021, according to governmentestimates.

Washington has been seeking greater help from Beijinginstemmingtheillicit flow of fentanyl "precursor" chemicals from China, but U S officials have told Reuters that Chinese counterparts have been reluctant to cooperate as relations between the two countries havesoured

Teachers take to the...

Frompage15 spent on our teachers,” Lyte while adding that “Several teachers are doing other odd jobstomakeit”.Hedisclosed that he knows a teacher who works as a bouncer at nightclubs.

“Ithinkteachersareindire need of their increases. They are in dire need of their finances,costoflivingisvery highandteachershavecertain financial commitments,” he said in support of calls for increasedwagesandsalaries.

Meanwhile, GTU's General Secretary, Coretta McDonald expressed her dissatisfaction at the government'sfailuretohavea proper discussion on a proposal the Union submitted since2020.

“We submitted that proposal three times for the year in 2020, twice in 2021, againin2022andalsoagainin 2023 and for the last three years, we have heard nothing fromthisgovernment.”

McDonald acknowledged that the Union did have a meeting with government ministersinAprilandMaybut saidthatshewasdisappointed that the submitted proposal wasnottakenseriouslyandan offerputtoteachers.

Meanwhile, shortly after theprotestended,theMinistry of Education issued a press statement accusing the GTU of “opportunistically and disingenuously mounting a protest about matters that are currentlyunderexamination”.

The Ministry made sure that it pointed that all of the issuesGTUisprotestingabout was inherited from the Coalition Administration and claimed that it is presently workingtoresolveallofthem.

“All of them [issues] are being addressed by this Government in the best way possible and the Union is aware of this,” the Ministry stated.

The Education Ministry notedthatitisoftheviewthat the protest was just “a grandstanding by Coretta McDonald [GTU's General Secretary]…”

Notwithstanding, the Ministry sought to assure the nation's teachers, “ that while the government prefers toworkwiththeUnion,ifthat becomes impossible, the interestofteacherswillstillbe paramount and prioritized in t h e g o v e r n m e n t ' s considerations and that will ensure benefits for each and everyteacher”.

Plastic bags of Fentanyl are displayed on a table at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection area at the International Mail Facility at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. November 29, 2017.

REUTERS/Joshua

Lott/File Photo

Reggae Girl Khadija Shaw signs two-year contract extension with Manchester City

SportsMax - Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw has signed a two-year contract extension with the Women's Super League outfit running to thesummerof2026.

The 26-year-old Jamaica international, nicknamed 'Bunny', scored 31 goals in 30 City appearances in all competitions in the 2022-23 season and has netted 50 times forthemintotalsincejoiningin 2021fromBordeaux.

Shaw said in a statement fromtheclub:“I'mdelightedto continue my journey with this amazinggroup.

“Everyone made me feel welcome from the first day I came here. I enjoy the way we play and I'm at a stage now

Wednesday May 31, 2023

ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19

The day is likely to be confrontational. The latest developments in your career have offered you so little encouragement that you're tempted to cut back on your efforts.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

You're likely to experience a day of thoughtfulness and reflection,Taurus.Your state ofmindwillresemblethatof a person who has just rebelledagainsteverything.

GEMINI(May21–June20)

The day may give you great insightintothedecisionsyou face concerning your future. Now is the time to decide on yourpriorities.

CANCER(June21–July22)

Prepare for a somewhat stressful day, Cancer Your familylifemaybemarredby some disagreements. There's somelikelihoodyouwillfeel as though your territory is beinginvaded.

LEO(July23–Aug.22)

You may have planned to isolateyourselfinordertoget thingsdone,butthatwon'tbe possible. It's like a force is destabilizing your professionallife.

VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22)

Peopleseemfussyaboutyour way of doing things today, Virgo. Try as you might, it seemsthere'snopleasingthe authorities. You, one of the world'sgreatescapeartists.

LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)

Your characteristic independencemayplaysome tricks on you today, Libra. What you say won't be approved of as easily as usual.

SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov.21)

Hereisadaythatmaymake you think you aren't exactly in the right place in your profession, Scorpio. Could it be that your current position istootraditional?

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21)

Some past stories may come back to haunt you today, Sagittarius.Ifyouoncehelda government post, for example, a journalist could undercover some error that you made years ago and publish it in today's newspaper!

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19)

You may be taking stock of your professional life, Capricorn. If this is so, be careful to balance strategy withpersonalobjectives.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

Something strange may happen today Someone in your family may reproach you for having chosen your profession.

PISCES(Feb.19–Mar.20)

Authorities who have been your guides up to now may confront you. The hour is here to set aside your fears and lead yourself along your path.

whereIunderstandthewaywe play and I can only get better andgrow

“I think here at City is the perfectplaceforme.Iputallmy effortandtimeonthepitchand obviouslyforthepositionIplay and the quality I have around me, I know I'm going to be in positionstoscoregoals.

“I've always said Manchester feels like home away from home too. I enjoy coming into the City ground everydayandtrainingwiththe group,vibingwiththegirlsand I also have family here, so Manchester has felt like home eversinceIarrived.

“Ijustwanttothankourfans for everything, all the love and supportthey'vegivenmesinceI arrived. I'll just try my best to continue repaying them on the footballpitch.”

City boss Gareth Taylor said: “Bunny's growth and development as a player over the past two years, but particularly this season, has beenfantasticandwe'rethrilled to see her extend her contract withus.

“Shehasthrivedhavinghad the opportunity of extended runsintheteamthroughoutthe current campaign and has shownonaregularbasiswhata talent she is and why we broughthertotheclub.

“She scored goals regularly in France andAmerica prior to joining us and has now shown what she's capable of in England too – which says a lot aboutherability

“She is still a young player though who wants to improve and is hungry for success and we're only scratching the surfacewithherwhichisavery exciting prospect as we aim to develop her even further over thenextthreeyears.”

Shabazz takes cautious...

Frompage32 country aspires to. And to get there, we have to play formidable opponents, ” Shabazzreasoned.

If successful against Grenada, Guyana will have to face the winner between Guadalupe and Trinidad and Tobago for a chance to play in theMainDrawagainstCanada, Guatemala,andCubainGroup D.

The Gold Cup is a highly competitive tournament that bringstogethersomeofthebest teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Khadija Shaw celebrates one of her many goals for Manchester City.

Kerley scorches to victory in Rabat Diamond League vict

RABAT,(Reuters)-American Fred Kerley powered past Akani Simbine and Ferdinand Omanyala as he won the men's 100 metres in 9 94 seconds at the Diamond LeagueinRabatonSunday

Kerley, who won silver in the 100metresattheTokyoOlympics, stormed to victory with a meeting record,usinghislongstridesinthe final few metres and giving Simbine (9 99) and Omanyala (10.05)nochanceofcatchinghim.

"I can't describe my happiness forwinningthisraceandhittingthe meetingrecordtoday,"Kerleysaid. "This is the result that I was

expecting and I will keep up to achieve and reach the world Championship in the best shape ever."

OlympicgoldmedallistLamont Jacobs did not compete due to a back issue American Shamier Little won the women's 400m hurdles in 53 95, while her compatriot Grant Holloway finished second behind Jamaica's Rasheed Broadbell in the 110m hurdles.

"I am not happy about my performance today My goal was thefirstplace.Thecrowdwasvery loud and they got me distracted,"

Tokyo silver medallist Holloway said."I'll work harder now to get ready for the upcoming competitions especially the World Championshipwheremygoalisto achievethegoldmedal."

In the final event of the night, home hero Soufiane El Bakkali wonthe3,000msteeplechasetothe delightofthehomecrowd.

Olympic champion El Bakkali ran a personal best of 7:56.68 - the fastesttimethisyear-tofinishwell aheadofGetnetWale(8:05.15)and AbrahamKibiwot(8:05.51).

"Myaimwastobreaktheworld recordbutIgottiredinthelastlap.

NowIwillresttogetreadyforthe upcoming competitions and especially for the World Championshipswheremyaimisto keepmytitle,"ElBakkalisaid.

MAHUCHIKH,MORAAWIN

Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Kenya's Mary Moraa, reigning Diamond League champions in the women's high jumpand800metres,claimedwins intheirrespectiveevents.

Mahuchikhtookvictorywithan effort of 2.01 metres. The Tokyo Games bronze medallist beat compatriot Iryna Gerashchenko, whomanaged1.91.

Moraa clocked a time of 1:58 72 to finish ahead of Australia's Catriona Bisset in second and American Sage HurtaKlecker in third.Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen continued his domination of the men's 1,500m, taking Sunday's race in 3:32.59, while Gudaf Tsegay won the women'sevent.

"I could run faster but it was a bitdifficultinthelastturnbecause ofthewind.IwontheraceasIwas feeling good and thanks to the training I have had," Ingebrigtsen said.The Diamond League action shiftstoFlorence,Italynextweek.

Racist abuse of players is getting worse, says Stephens

worse and even software designedtoprotectthemfromithas

little impact, world number 30 SloaneStephenssaidTuesday

The American, speaking after her straight-sets victory over Karolina Pliskova in the French Open first round, said she had had toendureitherwholetenniscareer

"Yes, it's obviously been a problem my entire career," said Stephens, who is Black. "It has neverstopped.Ifanything,it'sonly gottenworse."

She did not go into specific detailsbutsaidevensoftwaresuch as the one available for players at the French Open, which that is designedtoblockracistcomments, couldnotstopit.

"Ididhearaboutthesoftware.I havenotusedit,"Stephenssaid.

"I have a lot of obviously key wordsbannedonInstagramandall ofthesethings,butthatdoesn'tstop someone from just typing in an asterisk or typing it in a different way, which obviously software mostofthetimedoesn'tcatch."

The software provided by organisers for the first time is able to identify and remove racist and otherformsofhatespeech,andthe FrenchTennisFederationhasmade it available to all players at the tournament.

Usingartificialintelligence,the software filters out abusive comments on social media platforms such as Twitter, InstagramandTikTok.

Tennisplayers,includinggreats Serena and Venus Williams, have been the targets of such abuse as have professional athletes in all sports, with Real Madrid soccer playerViniciusJr themostnotable recentcase.

Hewasonthereceivingendof racist chants atValencia's Mestalla stadium last week and his complaintsaboutSpainandLaLiga not doing enough to fight racism sparked a worldwide wave of support and a national debate in Spain.

Tottenham Hotspur were working this month with the Metropolitan Police to investigate an allegation of racial abuse towards South Korean striker Son Heung-min.

Stephens said the racism had reachedaworryinglevel.

"I mean, obviously when there isFBIinvestigationsgoingonwith what people are saying to you online,it'sveryserious,"shesaid.

Shedidnotsaywhethershewas referringtoaspecificcase.

"Obviouslyit'sbeensomething that I have dealt with my whole career Ithinkthat,likeIsaid,it'sonly continuedtogetworse,andpeople onlinehavethefreereintosayand dowhatevertheywantbehindfake pages, which is obviously very troublesome."

"It's something I have had to deal with my whole career and something I will continue to deal with,I'msure.That'sthat.”

PARIS, (Reuters) - Racist behaviour directed at athletes is getting

Fred Kerley (centre) of the U.S. on his way to win the men's 100m. (REUTERS/Abdelhak Balhaki)

Sloane Stephens of the U.S. reacts during her first round match against Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova. (REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne)

Heat defeat Celtics to reach NBA Finals after nearly blowing 3-0 series lead

Yahoo Sports - They certainly didn't make it easy, but the Miami Heat are officially headed to the NBA Finals.

Caleb Martin and the Heat fended off the Boston Celtics on Monday night at TDGardentotakeGame7of theEasternConferencefinals 103-84. Martin dropped 26 pointsandshot11-of-16from thefieldinwhatturnedoutto be a blowout win in Boston. That snapped a three-game winstreakfortheCeltics,and kepttheHeatfromlandingon the wrong side of NBA history

The Celtics were just the fourthteaminleaguehistory to even force a Game 7 after falling into a 0-3 series hole. No team has ever successfullyralliedfromthat deficit and won the series in 151attempts.

The Heat are headed to their second NBA Finals in fourseasons.

Caleb Martin leads

HeatstormingpastCeltics

Though TD Garden was ridiculously loud to start the game, the Heat shut down Bostonearly.

They took a 7-point lead into the second quarter after holding the Celtics to just 15 points in the opening period which marked their lowest-scoring first quarter allseason.TheCelticsshot0of-10 as a team from behind thearcinthefirstquarter

To make matters worse for Boston, Jayson Tatum rolled his left ankle hard on the very first possession of thegame.Whilehestayedin,

his ankle was clearly bothering him. He took only asinglefield-goalattemptin thefirst12minutes.

The Celtics finally made a pair of 3-pointers early in the second quarter, but the Heat rather easily pushed their lead to 17 points just a

singledigitsforthefirsttime since the first quarter He then got the deficit back to just 8 points on a floater just afterthefive-minutemarkof the quarter, which forced Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to callatimeout.

Finally,foraboutthefirst

Heat back to a double-digit lead.

Martin opened the fourth quarter with another 3pointer before two quick bucketsfromButler That 7-0 run suddenly hadtheHeatupby17points once again. And just a few

win,whichearnedtheHeata returntriptotheNBAFinals for the first time since they losttotheLakersinthe2020 bubble.

few minutes into the period. Though the Celtics cut into thatabit,Miamistilltookan 11-pointleadathalftime.

Derrick White singlehandedlymountedan8-0run fortheCelticsintheopening minutes of the third period, which cut the score back to

time all game, the Celtics seemed to have the momentum back on their side.

ButitwasMartinwhohit a huge 3-pointer and then a fadeaway bucket from the short corner just before the end of the third to get the

minutes later, after a mini Bam Adebayo run, the Heat hadbuiltupa21-pointlead.

The Celtics' push was over, and TD Garden had a very different vibe than the firstfewminutesofthegame. Miami simply cruised the restofthewaytothe19-point

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 19 points and 8 rebounds, though he had a career-high 8 turnovers — which set a Celtics franchise record in a Game 7. White finished with 18 points, and Tatumadded14pointsand11 rebounds.Brown,Tatumand Marcus Smart shot a combined3-of-19fromthe3pointline.

Butler finished with 28

Gauff shrugs off slow start to reach second round in Paris

PARIS,(Reuters)-Americansixth seed Coco Gauff recovered from an error-strewn start to begin her French Open quest with a 3-6 6-1 6-2 victory over Spain's Rebeka Masarova yesterday

Gauff,runner-upayearago,looked uncomfortable early on with her troublesomeforehandfrequentlyletting herdown.

World number 71 Masarova, a former French Open junior champion, took full advantage to dominate the opening set and looked on course for a shockvictory

But19-year-oldGauffsettleddown on a sunlit Court Suzanne Lenglen and

reeledoffsevengamesinarowfrom1-1 inthesecondsettotakecommand.

Withherconfidencerestored,Gauff made no mistake as she moved 5-2 ahead in the decider and wrapped up victorywithaholdtoloveasMasarova sentanattemptedloblong.

It has been an underwhelming season so far for Gauff despite beginning it in style by winning the AucklandtitlewhereshebeatMasarova in the final for the loss of only two games.

The American managed just three wins during the claycourt season prior to arriving in Paris and during the first set it was easy to see why as she

struggledtoharnessherA-game.

By the end, however, she displayed the kind of tennis that took her to her first Grand Slam final a year ago, althoughMasarova's43unforcederrors didprovideassistance.

"The(2022)finalisinthepastsoI'm not worried about that," Gauff said of her initially rocky return to Roland Garros. "I had some bad games in the firstsetbutIknewthatIwasgoingtobe abletoturnitaround.

"Today, there were aspects of my gamewhereIwasn'tplayingmybestbut I'm confident on this surface in these conditions."Gauff will face Austria's JuliaGrabherinroundtwo.

points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in the win. He was named the Eastern ConferencefinalsMVPafter the game, and averaged 24.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.1 assiststhroughouttheseries.

Adebayo added 12 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assistsforMiami.Martinhad 10 rebounds and 3 assists to gowithhisscoring.TheHeat shot 50% from the 3-point lineasateamandhadjust10 turnovers.

The Heat, after starting the postseason in the play-in tournament,willnowtakeon the Denver Nuggets in the NBAFinals.

The Nuggets, behind a dominant postseason showing from Nikola Jokić, swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals last week to reach their first-ever NBA Finals.TheNuggetswillhost Miami in Game 1 of that series on Thursday night at BallArena.

NBAFinals

Denver Nuggets vs. MiamiHeat

Game 1:At Denver, 8:30 p.m.ETThursday(ABC)

Game 2: At Denver, 8 p.m.ETSunday(ABC)

Game 3: At Miami, 8:30 p.m.ETJune7(ABC)

Game 4: At Miami, 8:30 p.m.ETJune9(ABC)

*Game 5: At Denver, 8:30p.m.ETJune12(ABC)

*Game6:AtMiami,8:30 p.m.ETJune15(ABC)

*Game 7: At Denver, 8 p.m.ETJune18(ABC)

*-ifnecessary

Coco Gauff of the U.S. reacts during her first round match against Spain's Rebeka Masarova.

Caleb Martin dropped 26 points to help lead the Heat in what turned out to be a blowout win in Game 7 on Monday night. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

PARIS, (Reuters) - Daniil Medvedev became the highestranked player to exit the French Open after losing a marathon encounter against Brazilian qualifierThiagoSeybothWildona windy Tuesday, while Novak Djokovic found himself at the centreofapoliticalstorm.

Iga Swiatek gave herself an early birthday gift a day before turning 22 by dismissing Cristina Bucsa 6-4 6-0 as world number seven Ons Jabeur beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-4 6-1 and 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva earned her first GrandSlammaindrawwin.

World number two Medvedev emergedasasurprisecontenderfor the Paris title following his Rome triumph but the Russian blew his chanceingustyconditionsonCourt Philippe Chatrier as Wild sealed a 7-6(5)6-7(6)2-66-36-4victory

"I watched Daniil play since I

Wild shock for Medvedev, Djokovic accused of fanning political flames

junior beating such is a me rld Wild the that four said abouthis claycourt season ending prematurely

"Todaybecauseofthewindand thedrycourt,Ihadmymouthfullof clay since probably the third game andIdon'tlikeit,"Medvedevsaid.

"I don't know if people like to eat clay, to have clay in their bags, their shoes, white socks, you can throwthemtothegarbageafterthe clay season. Maybe some people like it. I don't."Kosovo's tennis federation said Djokovic risked aggravating an already tense situation after the world number three wrote on a camera lens that Kosovo was "the heart of Serbia" followinghisfirst-roundwinaday earlier Some 30 NATO

peacekeepingsoldierswereinjured onMondayinclasheswithSerbian protesters in the northern Kosovo town of Zvecan, where Djokovic's father grew up.”The comments madebyDjokovicattheendofhis match against Aleksandar

Kovacevic, his statements at the post-match conference and his Instagram post are regrettable," Kosovo tennis federation chief JetonHadergjonajsaid.

"Despite a general message against violence, the statement 'Kosovo is the heart of Serbia' and further statements after the match made by such a public figure... directlyresultinraisingthelevelof tension between the two states, SerbiaandKosovo."

The French Tennis Federation, whichorganisestheRolandGarros tournament, said in a statement: "The same rules apply to all four Grand Slams The tournament referee and Grand Slam Supervisors ensure that these rules arecompliedwith.

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur in action during her first round match against Italy's Lucia Bronzetti.

(REUTERS/Be noit Tessier)

Bent Street receives One Guyana Futsal spoils -DanielWilsonnamedtournamentMVP

Bent Street Futsal

players were all smiles as they walkedoutoftheMinistryof Culture, Youth and Sport boardroom yesterday, $1M richer

The team had just receivedtheirspoilsfortheir remarkable performance in the One Guyana Futsal Championshipfinals.

T h e i n a u g u r a l championship saw 32 of the country's best futsal teams compete for the coveted f i r s t - p l a c e p r i z e , compliments of KFC Guyana.

On May 21, in front of a mammoth crowd at the National Park, Bent Street defeated Sparta Boss 6-3 to clinchthetopprize.

ColinNelsonwasthestar of the show for Bent Street, scoring a hat-trick, backed

by a brace from Job Caesar andasinglestrikefromCecil Jackman. Despite a valiant effort, Sparta Boss had to settle for the $500,000 runner-upprize.

Back Circle pocketed $200,000 for their 9-4 drubbing of California Square in the third-place match.

The tournament saw a total of 331 goals scored, withAdrianAaron's12goals beingthemostscoredbyany player

At yesterday's simple presentation, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, congratulatedtheplayersfor their sterling performances. Hepraisedthetournamentas a hallmark event that showcased the best of Guyana'sfutsaltalent.

Minister Ramson also

took the opportunity to updatetheplayersonseveral projects currently underway by his Ministry in communities across Georgetown that are specifically developed to catertofutsal.

Daniel Wilson, who is currently with the Golden Jaguars team preparing for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP).

The award was a fitting recognition of Wilson's outstanding contribution to Bent Street's success in the tournament.

The One Guyana Futsal Championship, according to the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation, was a resounding success, with Bent Street emerging as worthychampions.

"Messages are passed on to the teams of any players concerned by such matters "A source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters that the organisers did not see 22-times major champion Djokovic'sactionas"detrimentalto the best interests of the tournament",aspertheGrandSlam rulebook.

Last year's runner-up Casper Ruudadvancedtothenextroundby thumping Swedish qualifier Elias Ymer6-46-36-2andhewasjoined bysixthseedHolgerRunewhodug deep to get past Christopher Eubanks6-43-67-6(2)6-2.

Alexander Zverev exited Roland Garros in agony last year after rolling his ankle during his semi-final against Rafa Nadal but

the German celebrated a winning return by beating Lloyd Harris 76(6)7-6(0)6-1.

TEENAGESENSATION

Andreeva announced herself to the world when she stunned 2021 U S Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez 6-3 6-4 in Madrid last month and also defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia and Magda Linette beforefallingtoeventualchampion ArynaSabalenka.

The Russian qualifier broke newgroundatthemajorswitha6-2 6-1winoverformerworldnumber 18AlisonRiske-Amritraj.

"LastyearIwashereasajunior and couldn't imagine I can be here playing the women's tournament, being in a major passing qualification," saidAndreeva, who meetsDianeParryaftertheFrench wild card beat Rome runner-up AnhelinaKalinina6-26-3.

"I'm pretty excited about it," Andreeva, who also hoped to practicewithJabeurinParissaid.

"I just try to enjoy every momenthere."BrendaFruhvirtova, another 16-year-old seeking a statement win, crashed out followinga6-46-2defeatbyElena Rybakina as the Wimbledon championcontinuedherquestfora secondGrandSlamtitle.

American sixth seed Coco Gauffalsoshookoffaslowstartto seal a 3-6 6-1 6-2 victory over Spain'sRebekaMasarova.

Fifties from Chanderpaul, Da Silva,

AthanazeandReiferhelp WestIndies

Tagenarine Chanderpaul led the way for West Indies "A" with 83.

SportsMax - Half-centuries from Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Joshua Da Silva and Raymon Reifer have put the West Indies“A”inasolidpositionafterthefirst day of their third four-day “Test” match against Bangladesh “A” at the Sylhet InternationalCricketStadium.

The tourists currently find themselves 320-6 off 82 overs after winning the toss andbattingfirst.

Chanderpaul led the way with 83 off 160balls,hittingninefoursandasixinthe process. The 26-year-old also made 83 in

the first game.Da Silva, the Captain, was much moreproactiveforhis82.Hisknockcameoff94 ballsandincluded12foursandapairofsixes.

AlickAthanazealsochippedinwithawellcompiled 59 off 66 balls including seven fours andtwosixeswhileReiferendedtheday56*off 90 balls including six fours and a six. Kevin Sinclair (22*) is currently partnering Reifer in themiddle.

NasumAhmedhas,sofar,taken3-92off26 oversforthehostswhileMusfikHasanhastaken 2-50in13overs.

WestIndies“A”leadtheseries1-0.

“A”reach 320-6

Juniors and Masters impress at GAPLF Intermediates/Masters Championship

The Guyana Amateur P o w e r L i f t i n g Federation (GAPLF) held their Intermediates/Masters Championship at the Chase Academic Foundation, Parade Street last Sunday. Several Juniors impressed in their respective classes, while the Masters displayedtheirmettle.

Kezia Joseph and Nangita

Seenarine stood out for the ladies and the men did not disappoint. Here are the full results from the actionthatunfolded:

Winnersineachweightclass

FemaleWinners

1st 69kg Women's Open Raw -

Kezia Joseph, Squat 120 0kg, Benchpress 50 0kg, Deadlift

152.5kg,Total322.5kg

1st 52kg Women's Junior EQ -

Nangita Seenarine, Squat 120.0kg, Benchpress 50 0kg, Deadlift

120.0kg,Total290.0kg

1st 52kg Women's Open EQ -

Nangita Seenarine, Squat 120.0kg, Benchpress 50 0kg, Deadlift 120.0kg,Total290.0kg

MaleWinners

1st 59kg Men's Junior Raw -

Rondel Thomas, Squat 137.5kg, Benchpress 92 5kg, Deadlift

167.5kg,Total397.5kg

1st 74kg Men's Junior Raw -

Meshach Alexander, Squat 135 0kg, Benchpress 65 0kg, Deadlift162.5kg,Total362.5kg

1st 59kg Men's Open Raw -

Rondel Thomas, Squat 137.5kg, Benchpress 92 5kg, Deadlift

167.5kg,Total397.5kg

1st 74kg Men's Open Raw -

Shaquille Alexander, Squat 180 0kg, Benchpress 112 5kg, Deadlift240.0kg,Total532.5kg

2nd 74kg Men's Open Raw -

Meshach Alexander, Squat

135 0kg, Benchpress 65 0kg, Deadlift162.5kg,Total362.5kg

1st 120+kg Men's Open Raw -

Jagjeet Dhanoopdarie, Squat

202 5kg, Benchpress 105 0kg, Deadlift215.0kg,Total522.5kg

2nd120+kgMen'sOpenRaw-

Joshua Sturge, Squat 137 5kg, Benchpress 80 0kg, Deadlift

165.0kg,Total382.5kg

1st93kgMen's Sb-Jr EQ-Saif

Abdool, Squat 175 0kg, Benchpress 100 0kg, Deadlift

185.0kg,Total460.0kg

1st 59kg Men's Junior EQ -

Nicholas Teju, Squat 137 5kg, Benchpress 72 5kg, Deadlift

170.0kg,Total380.0kg

1st 105kg Men's Junior EQ -

Jerron Jarvis, Squat 220 0kg, Benchpress 70 0kg, Deadlift

262.5kg,Total552.5kg

1st 59kg Men's Open EQ -

Nicholas Teju, Squat 137 5kg, Benchpress 72 5kg, Deadlift

170.0kg,Total380.0kg

1st93kgMen'sOpenEQ-Saif

Abdool, Squat 175 0kg, Benchpress 100 0kg, Deadlift

185.0kg,Total460.0kg

1st 105kg Men's Open EQJerron Jarvis, Squat 220 0kg, Benchpress 70 0kg, Deadlift

262.5kg,Total552.5kg

Masters

1st83kgMen'sMaster1RawMatthewMaycock,Squat197.5kg, Benchpress 110 0kg, Deadlift

230.0kg,Total537.5kg

1st93kgMen'sMaster1RawMarlon Wilson, Squat 200.0kg, Benchpress 130 0kg, Deadlift

262.5kg,Total592.5kg

1st105kgMen'sMaster1RawPaul Meusa, Squat 195 0kg, Benchpress 120 0kg, Deadlift

260.0kg,Total575.0kg

1st93kgMen'sMaster2RawRameshSeecharan,Squat132.5kg, Benchpress 70 0kg, Deadlift

150.0kg,Total352.5kg

1st 93kg Men's Master 4 EQFrank Tucker, Squat 120 0kg,

Benchpress 77 5kg, Deadlift 140.0kg,Total337.5kg

1st83kgMen'sMaster4RawArnold Archer, Squat 42 5kg, Benchpress 32 5kg, Deadlift 55.0kg,Total130.0kg

GMMAKA makes successful outing to NAF Martial Arts C/ship in the US

The Guyana Mixed Martial Arts Karate Association (GMMAKA) has attended The North American Federation of Martial Arts Championship last Saturday, 27th May, 2023 at the SheratonHotel,AtlanticCity,New Jersey and turned in good performancesatasuccessfulevent forthem.

Theteamof9participantshad displayed their skills and talents that they were taught throughout their Martial Arts exercise, capturing a total of 16 awards (6 Gold,8silverand2bronze).

Master Lloyd Ramnarine

congratulated all of his students who participated in this exciting event in which they were deemed successfully He applauded them for their hard work and determinationandwishedthemall thebestintheirupcomingfuture.

Mr Ramnarine would like to thankallofhissponsorswhomade thiseventasuccessfulone.Special thanks were extended to: Atlantic Marine Supply Inc , Howard Restaurant and Bar and Anand Persaud(Peter'sHallDentalLab).

Special thanks to the Guyana Police Force for providing transportation for the team and to

alltheparentswhocontributed.

The GMMAKA is currently preparing for a local event in September and will later select a team to attend to the NAFMA WorldCupchampionshipin2024.

Master Lloyd Ramnarine is pleading with the government to assist his association in aiding the development of youths in various communities. He notes, A child todaycanbeourfuturetomorrow

For more information kindly reachouttothemonWhatsAppon 6986727, 6987456, 6899288,

Nangita Seenarine collects her prize from Federation President Franklin Wilson.

Kezia Joseph is presented with her accolade by Federation President Franklin Wilson.

Former President/Prime Minister Hinds praises

GGA, Ministry for exposing golf to schools

Guyana's Former President/Prime Minister and current Ambassador to the United States, Sam Hinds, wasbackinGuyanaforafew days and just couldn't resist the temptation to visit the Nexgen Golf Driving Range for a quick lesson and hit someballs.

"I've been following the progressofthesportunderthe guidance of Mr Hussain and theMinistryofEducationand am extremely happy to see that so many of our students areinvolvedinthesport,"said theex-PrimeMinister.

According to Mr. Hinds, golf is extremely expensive outsideofGuyanaandusually reservedfortherichandelite and he applauded the inclusive low cost model being developed by the Guyana Golf Association, Nexgen Golf Academy and the Ministry of Education UnitofAlliedArts.

"I believe that this is a sport that can bring all GuyanesetogetherandIurge families to participate, come out and experience the incredible rush you get when youhitthatpureshot.Istarted this game during covid with my grandson as a way to get him away from the computer and video games, and I became interested and now loveplayingmyself."

Shabazz takes cautious approach to CONCACAF Gold Cup preparation -

Deon Moore, Marcus Simmons newcomer in Golden Jaguars set-up

By Rawle Toney

Guyana's Head Coach, Jamaal

Shabazz, is confident that his team will bereadyfortheirJuneclash against Grenada in the CONCACAF Gold Cup preliminary round of matches at Drive Pink StadiuminMiami.

Six locally-based playersdrawnfromSlingerz FC(LeoLovell,AkelClarke and Jeremy Garrett), and Western Tigers (Curtez Kellman, Trayon Bobb and Daniel Wilson), joined 22 players from the UK, USA and Canada for a training campinJamaica.

Following their stint in Jamaica,Shabazzwillselect a 24-man contingent that will head to Miami for the final leg of Gold Cup preparation.

be able to prepare us for the upcoming game against Grenada.”

Confirmingthereturnof Omari Glasgow, Sam Cox, Nathan Moriah-Welch, StevenDuke-McKenna,and Emery Welshman, Shabazz highlighted that former Bristol Rovers forward DeonMooreandVancouver FC defender Marcus Simmons were the new playerscalledtothetraining camp.

“Sothereareacoupleof new guys we invited and we're looking to see how theymesh.Wewanttheteam to be stronger than the last one, but we don't want to

mess with the chemistry because we had something good going. We had good discipline, good tactical understanding, and the guys played with a big heart,” Shabazznoted.

Guyana is making its thirdoutingattheGoldCup, first qualifying for the tournament's Main Draw in 2019, and then reaching the PreliminaryRoundin2021.

“We've been to the Gold Cup preliminaries and to actually qualify for the actual group stage will be saying something very profound for all the obstacles and challenges

federation, as a growing football and country. To reachtheGoldCup,whichis the most prestigious tournamentinCONCACAF, issomethingthatevery (Continuedonpage27)

Mr Hinds demonstrated that despite the fact he had been away for almost two yearsandhadn'tplayeddueto heavyworkload,hehasn'tlost his touch as he went right back to hitting shot after shot perfectly

"I never imagined at my age that I could start a new sport but thanks to the simplicity of the method Mr Hussain employs and his patience, I must say I quite enjoy playing golf now and hope that everyone will take advantage of this great opportunitytolearnfromhim at the Nexgen GolfAcademy onWoolfordAvenue."

Under the auspices of the Guyana Golf Association (GGA), over the past few yearsGolfhasrisentotakeits place as one of the major sports in Guyana and the focus is now on development of playing facilities to accommodate the thousands ofnewplayers.

Itisexpectedthatthenew Silica City Golf Course will serveashometothedozensof majorGolfeventsthecountry willhostinthecomingyears, while several modified courses similar to the Westside Golf Course in Vreed-en-Hoop are planned tobebuiltaroundthecountry to hone the skills of local players.

“We'rehopingtogettwo practicematchesinJamaica, oneagainstpossiblyalocalbased Jamaica team that's stillintheworks.Definitely inMiami,weexpecttoplay Martinique. So we will get some practice games,” Shabazzsaidinaninterview withNCNSport.

The Trinidadian added, “It will not be high profile matches because nobody wantstogiveawaytheteam shape, the team makeup, composition at this stage. But we expect to have at least two matches that will

Former Prime Minister Samuel Hinds tries his hand at golf.

Golden Jaguars Head Coach, Jamaal Shabazz

Deon Moore in action for English League One club, Bristol Rovers.

Marcus Simmons features for the Vancouver White Caps in the Canadian Premier League.

Senior squash teams gear up to leave for Pan Am qualifiers in Colombia

Flashback! Nicolette Fernandes at the Pan American championship.

Marian Academy lifts the GOAPC Tapeball title – in a controversial finish

Guyana's senior Women's and Men's Squash teams are set to embark on their journey to Cartagena, Colombia, for the Pan Am qualifiers, which unfolds from June 4-10. The Pan Am qualifiers will feature competitions in Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles, andTeamevents.

The Guyana Squash Association (GSA) has finalised the players' lineupsforeachcategoryof action The teams have been in intense training for the past few weeks, the camp led by head Coach Ramon Chan-a-Sue, will leave local shores on Friday

Coach Chan-A- Sue whorecentlyreturnedtothe USA, will be joining the team directly from the US, while Nicolette Fernandes is expected to depart from GuyanaonThursday

The Guyana women's team boasts exceptional talent, including Caribbean squash queen Ashley Khalil, singles finalist Taylor Fernandes, and experienced Professional Squash player Mary Fung-

a-Fat Their combined expertise is expected to givetheteamastrongedge, increasing their chances of qualifying for the Pan Am Games.

On the other hand, the men's team will be spearheaded by Alex Arjoon and features the skilled players Jason Ray Khalil, Samuel InceCarvalhal,andDanielInce. Meanwhile, the formidable Nicolette Fernandes, a World Masters over-35 Singles champion and sixtime Caribbean Champion, will lead Guyana's challengeinCartagena.

Chan-a-Sue serves as Coach/Manager are charged with preparation and coordination of the teams heading into the qualifiers, while Referee Alwyn Calendar will also be accompanying the team to Colombia assisting with fairplay

With their sights set on success, the Guyana Squash teams are eagerly anticipating the Pan Am qualifiers, ready to match talentsandcompeteagainst formidableopponentsfrom acrosstheregion.

The GOAPC Independence

daySecondarySchoolBoy's eight-a-side knockout Tapeball cricket competition was th contested on May 26 at the Durban ParkTarmac.

Marian Academy was declared winnersdespiteofseveralcontroversial twistsinevents.

The tournament saw thirteen Secondary School teams participating in the James "Uprising" Lewis organised event which eventually trickled down to two exciting and controversialsemifinals;firstbetween Cummings Lodge Secondary School and North Georgetown Secondary School and the other between Marian AcademyandWestMinsterSecondary

In the first of the two semi finals, Cummings Lodge Secondary met with North Georgetown Secondary School, NorthGeorgetownbattedfirst;scoring 47-5 from their allotted four overs. In

BCB continues

reply, Cummings Lodge raced to 49-5 in3.4overstoadvancetothefinals.

Over in the other semi finals, West Minster Secondary School defeated Marian Academy off the penultimate ball of the match; Marian Academy batted first and posted 51-4 off their 4 overs.

West Minster Secondary in reply, knocked off the runs in 3.5 overs, scoring53-5tobookthesecondspotin thefinals.

However, things took a turn for the worse as Marian Academy lodged a protest, claiming that West Minster Secondary played, a player who does not attend their school, West Minster captain later confirmed such, which resultedinadisqualification.

With West Minster Secondary disqualified,afinalwasplayedbetween Marian Academy and Cummings LodgeSecondarySchool.Battingfirst, CummingsLodgeposted53-4offtheir

4 overs. In replay Marian Academy could only muster 46 runs from their allottedfourovers,losingsixwicketsin theprocess.

Meanwhile,anotherprotestensued, thistimefromMarianAcademy'ssports teacher to the event coordinator Mr. Lewis.

According to the Teacher; Cummings Lodge Secondary School had played two twenty-years-old players from Georgetown Technical Institute(GTI).

Both players were intercepted and eventually admitted, as a result of this, Marian Academy was named Champions.

The organizer of the event and the G.O.A.P.Cextendsspecialthankstothe Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sports, as well as competition sponsors Cummings Electrical Co, Guyana Beverage Co IncorporatedandM.V.PSports.

development across county

-Area H set for upgrade

CricketclubsintheBerbice River area has been reassured by Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) president Hilbert Foster, that special attention willbeplacedontheirdevelopmentin thenearfuture.

The teams met with Foster and Chairman of the Competition Committee Leslie Solomon during the rain interval of the Sir James France finals at the Area H Ground, playedSunday The clubs sought and were

granted blessings for a coaching session for youths in the area along with an umpire training session for possiblenewumpires.

Among the other areas that the BCBPresidentcommittedtowere-a bowling machine for the area, Under 17 Berbice River team for the interzone tournament, Red balls for 2nd divisionteamstonameafew Clubs were provided with the BCB coaching manual for coaching sessions with youths while Foster committed to assisting with more

cricketgearforthearea.

The BCB president assisted the Sand Hills cricket team with some white cricket uniforms, as the Board willplananinaugural1stdivision20 /20tournament.

Fostertold the teams that he was always reachable, while representatives of the teams expressed thanks to him and the BCB for their passionate interest in the development of the game across the ancient county

Marian Academy's captain receives championship trophy from Deputy Mayor Alfred Mentore while the rest of the team share the moment.

Area H is set to undergo massive development changes following BCB visit.

Bent Street Captain, Adrian Aaron receives his team's One Guyana Futsal spoils from Minister Charles Ramson Jr and members of the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation.