UN Secretary General campaign “We must be ready on day one” – Guyana’s candidate tells African Group Ambassadors
Ex-cop slapped with life sentence for “cold-blooded” murder of friend
Soesdyke woman killed in 2-vehicle EBD collision …exposes duplicitous
“Satan” charged, remanded for discovery of AK-47 rifles in Berbice Gun parts, ammo, military gear found among construction debris
The burden of meeting essential operational expenses will be eased for 11 orphanages across Guyana as they receive support through the fifth edition of the “Adoptan-Orphanage” programme under the Office of the First Lady.
These institutions include Hope Children’s Home, Bless the Children’s Home, Save R Kids Children’s Home, St John Bosco Orphanage, A Sanctuary Children’s Home, Prabhu Sharan Orphanage, Shaheeds Boys Orphanage, Joshua’s House Children’s Centre, Ruimveldt Children’s Home, Shaheeds Girls Orphanage, and the Red Cross Children’s Convalescent Home.
Through sponsorship from various corporate partners, the homes will receive financial assistance to help offset the costs of electricity, water, telephone services, and other essential utilities.
First Lady Arya Ali, in her address during the signing ceremony on Thursday, stated that the programme seeks to relieve children’s homes of essential operating costs so they can focus more of their resources on improving the lives and well-being of the children in their care.
“I am proud to say that
this initiative has grown beyond what I could have imagined. Today, because of your consistent generosity and support, we were able to provide children with access to comprehensive medical services, including general health check-ups, dental care, eye examinations, and free prescription spectacles, as well as counselling services to support their emotional and mental well-being. This initiative has evolved to address not only the children’s immediate needs but also their overall well-being and development,” she said.
According to the first lady, every child deserves moments of joy and celebration. As such, she said the initiative incorporates
extracurricular and recreational activities aimed at enriching the lives of children in institutional care.
Ali noted that through backpack and school supply drives, movie nights at local theatres, visits to indoor recreational facilities, Easter kite-flying and Easter egg hunts, as well as excursions to various child-friendly attractions, the programme has sought to create opportunities for children to laugh, explore, and simply enjoy being children.
She further stated that the growth and expansion of the initiative reflect the power of collective action. Ali explained that the programme began by adopting eight orphanages during its
first phase before expanding to 11 in the second phase.
Although nine orphanages participated during the third phase, support was restored to 11 homes in the fourth phase and has been maintained under the fifth phase.
According to Ali, these figures represent far more than statistics, as each number reflects a child whose life has been positively impacted through the generosity and commitment of the programme’s supporters.
Meanwhile, she noted that many of these children’s homes remain vulnerable without continued support, underscoring the importance of providing assistance where it is needed
most.
“When we think of orphans, we often picture children who have lost both parents. However, the reality is far more complex. Many of the children residing in orphanages and care homes still have parents or extended family members. For various reasons and circumstances, they require temporary or long-term care and support outside of their family environment.”
The First Lady added, “Regardless of how they came into care, one thing remains clear: this group of children is among the most vulnerable members of our society. But they should not be defined by their circumstances. They deserve not only protection and care but
also the opportunity to grow in an environment where they feel safe, valued, and supported. Providing that care, however, requires tremendous sacrifice,” Ali said.
She posited that the dedicated individuals and organisations that operate children’s homes work tirelessly every day to provide shelter, education, healthcare, emotional support, and stability. Yet, she mentioned that they continue to face significant financial challenges in sustaining these essential services.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA), Levine Gouveia, emphasised that the essence of the initiative is to create greater opportunities for children to reach their full potential.
“The programme reflects our shared commitment to protecting and nurturing some of the nation’s most vulnerable children and serves as a reminder that children’s well-being is not the responsibility of one individual but requires a collective effort,” Gouveia said.
She added that adopting an orphanage represents more than financial assistance, describing it as an investment in meaningful partnerships that help children heal, grow, and reach their full potential.
The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, July 10 –12:45h–14:15h and Saturday, July 11 – 14:05h–15:35h
Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily.
Thundery showers are expected during the day, followed by light showers at night. Temperatures are expected to range between 23 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.
Winds: East-North-Easterly to East-SouthEasterly between 2.68 metres and 4.47 metres.
High Tide: 12:50h reaching a maximum height of 2.31 metres.
Low Tide: 06:17h and 18:40h reaching minimum heights of 0.78 metre and 0.91 metre.
“Everything in my farm is accounted for through legitimate means” – Pres Ali …exposes duplicitous lies, misinformation by USsanctioned LOO
President Dr Irfaan Ali has refuted allegations levelled against him regarding his privately-owned farm on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, declaring that the land and everything else on the property were obtained through legitimate investments.
The Head of State’s clarification comes on the heels of a misinformation campaign being peddled by the United States-sanctioned and indicted Opposition leader, Azruddin Mohamed, who had been making a series of corruption claims and questioning the source of the President’s investment in the farm.
Ali made it clear that he is “not in that category or bracket” as the Opposition leader, who is yet to make the required declarations to the Integrity Commission as a public officer and has not taken a single loan for the wealth he has accumulated.
“Everything on my farm can be accounted for through legitimate means,” the Guyanese leader stated in a video on Thursday, fresh off his attendance at the 51st CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting held in St Lucia this week.
“Let me be very clear: I have not sought any special treatment, any benefit, or any investment by the state. My farm carries a huge loan, and everything has been disclosed to the Integrity Commission in and out of Government. There is absolutely nothing to hide,” he declared.
According to Ali, the existence of his farm had been long known and is in fact public information contrary to the Opposition’s recent “discovery” of the property. In fact, he noted that the farmland was obtained through the same process and conditions that apply to any other person who has secured leased lands on the highway.
“The discoverer himself…knows about the existence of my farm. A farm that I have built and can account for every single, every single investment in that farm… You can check with all of the established entities…and you would see that the farm has been in existence,” Ali emphasised.
Mohamed lied
Moreover, he further pointed out that the size of his farm is not even half what is being claimed by the Opposition. Similarly, he rejected claims that the farm is making a huge amount of money, adding that “I wish
if I can even get 20 per cent of that investment for the entire farm now.”
“Everyone around me on the highway, all the major investors, they know and every single condition that governs lease lands on the highway are the same condition governing my lands – no preferential, no differential, hundreds of farms, leases [and] larger. [This is] a man who benefited from tens of thousands of acreage of mining concessions, thousands of acreage of quarrying concessions,” Ali noted of the Opposition leader.
Deception, mischief, misrepresentation Only last weekend, President Ali had disclosed that he was being blackmailed by the Mohameds’ family into easing pressures on them regarding the ongoing extradition proceedings. In fact, he revealed that he had received a number of communications from the Mohameds over the past weeks threatening to release certain information if amends were not made.
During Thursday’s video, the Head of State read the last text message received from the sanctioned family as recent as Friday, which read in part, “I have this recording that was sent to me. I went through during the election cycle. I refrained from releasing. But if you don’t end all this madness, I will.”
According to Ali, he is being accused of concocting the charges against the fatherand-son duo when it was in fact the United States Government that first sanctioned the businessmen and charged them.
“These sanctions did not come from President Ali. It did not come from the PPP/ Civic Government. It came from the United States of America… These charges and sanctions did not come from Irfaan Ali. It came from the United States. And I have a duty and responsibility… My conscience is clear. You can call me a farmer. It’s a title I hold with honour. Because I am proud of everything I have done. And my conscience is clear… I don’t need the Government to do any of the infrastructure investment in the farm. It is hard work. It is huge loans.”
“Not only is the blackmail clear, but also the lies of deception, the mischief, and the misrepresentation… I
want people to see directly from me the misrepresentation and the mischief, the deception, and the lies. This people’s Progressive Party/Civic Government, this President, will continue to work relentlessly hard every single day for the people of this country. I’m not interested in the sideshows and the distraction and the videos that is sent to my phone and the recording.”
Sanctioned and indicted Azruddin and his father, Nazar Mohamed, were indicted in October 2025 by a federal grand jury in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida on 11 criminal charges, including wire fraud, mail fraud, tax evasion and money laundering. The charges are related to alleged irregularities in gold exports to the US through their company, Mohamed’s Enterprises.
Editor: Tusika Martin
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The continued expansion of the “Adopt-an-Orphanage” programme offers a compelling example of how collaboration between the public and private sectors can strengthen social protection and improve the lives of vulnerable children. As the initiative enters its fifth phase, support for 11 children’s homes across Guyana shows a growing recognition that the welfare of children in institutional care must remain a priority supported by sustained partnerships.
Children’s homes perform a critical function within the country’s social protection framework, as they provide shelter, education, healthcare, guidance, and emotional support to children whose circumstances require temporary or long-term care outside of their family environment. The responsibility carried by these institutions extends well beyond providing accommodation, as their role is to create stability, security and opportunities for children during some of the most challenging periods of their lives.
That responsibility, however, comes with significant financial demands; utilities, maintenance, food, transportation, educational supplies, healthcare, and staffing represent constant expenses that can strain already limited resources. Every dollar directed towards electricity, water or communication services is a dollar unavailable for educational enrichment, counselling, recreational programmes or developmental opportunities.
The value of the Adopt-an-Orphanage Programme lies precisely in addressing this challenge. By removing part of the operational burden through corporate sponsorship of essential utilities and other recurring expenses, the initiative enables administrators to redirect scarce resources towards programmes that directly enhance the quality of care provided to children. Such an approach recognises that strengthening institutions is often the most effective way of improving outcomes for those they serve.
Equally significant is its expansion to include healthcare services, dental care, eye examinations, counselling, educational support and recreational activities, which reflects an understanding of child development. Modern child welfare cannot be measured solely by whether basic needs are met. Healthy emotional development, educational achievement, access to healthcare and opportunities for recreation are all essential components of a nurturing environment.
Children living in institutional care deserve experiences that promote confidence, belonging and personal growth. Activities that encourage learning, creativity, social interaction and recreation are not luxuries but important investments in emotional well-being and healthy development. Such opportunities help create positive childhood experiences that contribute to resilience and long-term success.
The programme also helps challenge long-standing misconceptions surrounding children living in care homes. Institutional care is often associated exclusively with orphanhood, yet the reality is considerably more complex. Many children enter residential care because families face circumstances that temporarily or permanently prevent them from providing adequate support. Poverty, illness, abuse, neglect or other social challenges may all contribute to such placements. Understanding these realities encourages greater compassion while reducing the stigma that can sometimes accompany institutional care.
Another noteworthy aspect of the initiative is the growing participation of the private sector. Corporate social responsibility is most meaningful when it moves beyond symbolic donations to sustained partnerships that address identifiable needs. Supporting operational costs may not attract widespread public attention, but it delivers measurable benefits by ensuring that essential services remain uninterrupted throughout the year.
This model of partnership also demonstrates that addressing social challenges cannot rest solely with Government agencies or charitable organisations. Businesses possess resources, expertise and organisational capacity that can complement public programmes and strengthen community institutions. When these sectors work together around clearly defined objectives, the results are often more sustainable and far-reaching than isolated interventions.
Importantly, the consistency of the initiative deserves recognition, as maintaining support across multiple phases provides children’s homes with greater certainty when planning budgets and delivering services. Long-term commitments are particularly valuable for institutions responsible for children, as continuity directly influences the stability and quality of care they can provide.
The programme’s continued growth may also encourage broader participation from additional corporate entities and philanthropic organisations. As more businesses recognise the tangible impact of targeted investments in child welfare, opportunities exist to expand support in areas such as educational technology, vocational training, mentorship, nutrition and mental health services. Such partnerships could further strengthen the developmental pathways available to children preparing for independent adulthood.
Children in institutional care is one of the country’s most vulnerable populations, but vulnerability should never determine destiny. With stable institutions, committed carers and sustained partnerships, these children can be provided with the security, opportunities and encouragement necessary to realise their full potential.
The continued commitment demonstrated through the Adoptan-Orphanage programme illustrates how practical collaboration can produce meaningful social outcomes.
An AIDS-free generation is within reach, but not guaranteed
…new tools and community-led care can save lives, but only if Governments sustain the global HIV response
By AnuritA BAins
For more than four decades, the global AIDS response has been powered by grief, rage, courage and determination. Families buried loved ones long before their time. Communities confronted discrimination and built networks of care when the silence was deafening. Scientific breakthroughs and community-driven innovation transformed HIV from a near-certain death sentence into a chronic, manageable condition. The result is one of the greatest public health achievements of the past half-century. That success is now under threat.
Over the past decade, AIDS-related deaths among children fell by almost 70 per cent, and the number of adolescent girls acquiring HIV halved. Twenty-two countries, from Brazil to The Bahamas, Cuba to Thailand, have eliminated vertical transmission of HIV (from mothers to newborns) or are on the path to doing so. Last year, the Maldives became the first country in the world to eliminate HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B as public health threats – a milestone that once seemed unimaginable.
Then came the shock.
In 2025, abrupt funding cuts disrupted the systems that made this progress possible, especially in high-burden countries reliant on sustained investment in HIV programmes across Africa and parts of Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.
Prevention efforts stalled. Clinics faced stockouts of essential medicines. Health workers were laid off. Systems built over decades began to unravel in months.
At the United Nations High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, leaders warned the world faces a “perilous moment”, with the global HIV response losing ground.
Behind the headlines and rhetoric are widening inequalities. In West and Central Africa, treatment coverage for pregnant women is too low. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, one of the few regions where infections are rising, any disruption risks accelerating the epidemic further. In Latin America and the Caribbean, persistent inequalities continue to leave marginalised
communities, including young people, without consistent access to prevention and care. Across all regions, children risk becoming even more invisible. Even before these disruptions, the world was falling short. Today, more than 2.4 million children and adolescents are living with HIV, yet only about 55 per cent are receiving life-saving treatment – far behind adults. Every day, around 200 children still die from AIDS-related causes. These are not isolated failures. They are a global failure to reach those most at risk.
Deadly consequences
A stark Cost of Inaction analysis from UNICEF and UNAIDS shows where this path leads. If HIV prevention and treatment coverage is reduced by half, the world could see up to three million children newly infected with HIV by 2040, and 1.8 million children die from AIDS-related causes. These outcomes are not inevitable. They are the result of choices being made now.
But it was never data alone that moved the world to act on HIV. It was people. Mothers who demanded protection for their children. Young people who challenged stigma and silence. Communities that built systems of care where none existed. Their voices forced Governments and the UN to listen, fund and provide services, and they must do so again.
We know what works.
We have the tools, the science and the experience. Expanding proven interventions could prevent more than half a million deaths.
New breakthroughs like lenacapavir, a long-acting prevention option, can protect adolescent girls and young women with just two injections a year, helping overcome barriers of access, stigma, and adherence. It can also be used safely by pregnant and breastfeeding women, protecting both mothers and their babies. Expanding access to these innovations globally could transform the trajectory of the epidemic.
Community-led solutions remain central. In South Africa and Zimbabwe, mentor mother programmes are helping women stay on treatment and en-
suring children are tested and cared for. In Tanzania, treatment advocates and community health workers have gone door-to-door to identify children living with HIV who had been missed. The lesson is clear: progress happens when services reach people where they are.
Success also depends on how services are delivered and on Government leadership. Oman became the first country in the Middle East to eliminate vertical transmission of HIV. They achieved this milestone by using data, providing routine testing and screening for all pregnant women, timely treatment and support, despite challenges such as stigma and COVID-19 disruptions.
What works is combining policy reform with consistent quality improvements, an approach Kazakhstan is advancing through HIV prevention, treatment and care standards, and a comprehensive HIV action plan. And in Ecuador, the Government is integrating HIV services into routine services for all pregnant women, prioritising the path to eliminating vertical transmission of HIV.
Political declarations must be judged by one measure alone: lives saved.
The test is simple. Will children be protected from HIV? Will mothers receive the care they need? Will adolescent girls, whether in Kenya, Jamaica or Fiji, be able to grow up free from the shadow of HIV?
We have come closer than ever before to ending AIDS in children. But progress is not guaranteed. It depends on political will, sustained investment, and global solidarity.
If the world allows funding gaps to widen and systems to weaken, the consequences will not be contained to one region; they will be felt globally.
If, instead, we act now on this new political declaration, we can protect a generation, and finally finish what the world began. In the end, our commitments must be judged by one measure alone: lives saved.(Al Jazeera)
Anurita Bains is UNICEF Associate Director for HIV and Health. She has championed health equity and gender equality in the HIV response for over 25 years
The ongoing investigations into the murder of Ricardo “Paper Shorts” Fagundes, who was killed execution-style in March 2021 outside a popular Main Street, Georgetown, nightspot, took a turn on Thursday with the arrest of a former security detail of now Opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed.
A source close to the investigations confirmed that Mark Richmond, who was implicated in the murder of Fagundes, turned himself in to Police on Thursday morning in the company of his Attorney, Damion DaSilva.
“The detective went to arrest him on Thursday morning at his house and
“My
he wasn’t there, but later in the day he turned up with his lawyer,” the source stated.
According to information received, detectives handling the case have gathered new evidence regarding leading up to and on the night Fagundes was riddled with bullets. This evidence, however, was not immediately made available.
Richmond was arrested back in 2022 after he posted videos on Facebook on August 11, 12, 13, and 19 shortly after he was arrested by the Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) in relation to cocaine found in
a house on Norton Street, Georgetown, and later released, accusing the United States of sanctions and indicting Azruddin Mohamed and senior Police officers of a massive cover-up in the investigation into the execution of Fagundes.
During the live broadcast, Bascom named Richmond as one of the suspects in the murder and stated that, using technology, detectives were able to place him at the crime scene when the murder occurred.
Further, Bascom went a step further by implicating businessman Azruddin Mohamed, who is linked to
Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited is making it easier for Guyanese to own their own vehicle with its “My First Ride+ Deal on Wheels Event”, scheduled for Saturday, July 11, 2026, from 12 noon to 17:00h at the MovieTowne Mall parking lot, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown.
This event is part of the “Make Everything Happen” campaign, which runs until September 25, 2026, and is designed to help customers access affordable financing for a wide range of personal needs, whether it’s purchasing a vehicle, funding education, securing a mortgage, or even covering travel expenses.
At the “My First Ride + Deal on Wheels Event” new and existing customers will have the opportunity to meet with banking experts, in-house auto financing officers and a range of auto dealers to begin the application process on the spot.
Republic Bank continues to offer competitive financing solutions, including low to no equity requirements, attractive interest rates and flexible repayment terms, making it easier for customers to achieve their goals.
The public is encour-
aged to join Republic Bank at the “My First Ride + Deal on Wheels Event”; whether purchasing a vehicle for the first time or in need of financing for other plans, the institution stated that it is ready to support the journey.
Dear Editor,
What I find most interesting in the recent public discourse in Guyana is that some have not paid attention to – or frankly may have chosen not to notice –an irony that should not be overlooked.
Those who most forcefully accuse others of corruption without first presenting verifiable facts and evidence should themselves recognise that the principles of accountability and due process apply equally to every public official and political leader, irrespective of office or party affiliation.
A democracy cannot credibly demand one evidentiary standard for political opponents while embracing a different and lower standard for oneself.
Where a public figure has been the subject of official sanctions, investigations, or legal actions by competent authorities, whether domestic or international, those matters, like all others, should be assessed on the basis of official records, admissible evidence, and the rule of law, rather than selective political narratives.
Consistency is indis-
pensable to the credibility of democratic leadership.
One cannot insist that allegations alone should condemn a political adversary while simultaneously arguing that due process and evidentiary standards should apply in one’s own circumstances.
The rule of law is not a partisan instrument; it is a constitutional principle that must be applied uniformly.
That is precisely why every allegation against every individual must ultimately stand or fall on the strength of the facts and evidence
presented before the appropriate legal institutions and not on the volume of political rhetoric or the passions of the moment.
Semper necessitas probandi incumbit ei qui agit.
The burden of proof is on the accuser; whoever makes a claim must provide sufficient evidence to support it. The defending party is presumed innocent or in the right until that burden is met.
Yours respectfully,
Jermaine Figueira Former Member of Parliament
Mark
the murder investigation by claiming phone records show that the suspect was in contact with him at the time of the killing.
A week after the live broadcast, the Mohameds filed a $200 million lawsuit against Bascom.
In 2025, Mohamed dropped the $200 million lawsuit against Bascom after he apologized for the live broadcast implicating the businessman.
Ricardo “Paper Shorts” Fagundes was killed execution-style in March 2021 outside a popular Main Street, Georgetown, nightspot.
Reports indicate that the man was partying with a group of friends at the bar when his phone rang and he exited the club to take the call; shortly thereafter, several gunshots were heard. Reports suggest that the
now-deceased man’s friends rushed out to enquire but found Fagundes lying motionlessly in a pool of blood near his motor car.
Following the allegations made by Bascom, the Guyanese Government engaged the Regional Security System to assist in solving the murder of Fagundes.
The RSS, during its investigation, did not find any evidence of corrupt practices or an attempt to cover up the probe into the 2021 murder of Fagundes.
It stated that the bribery allegations made by Sergeant Bascom against the Guyana Police Force, namely that Detective Supt Caesar and Inspector Stephens attempted to cover up the unlawful killing/ homicide of Fagundes “were hearsay having no provenance”.
Scale Diagrams
A scale diagram is an accurate enlargement of an object that has scaled lengths of the original. Scale diagrams are mathematically similar to the original object.
The ratio usually takes the form 1:n of the model/plan to the actual distance.
For example,
Below is a scale diagram of a floor plan of a house where 1 square is equal to 2 metres.
Writing this as a ratio we get 1 square: 2m.
From this diagram, we can calculate the width of the living room by counting squares.
As the living room is 4 squares wide and we have the ratio 1 square: 2m, multiplying the
Ahabitat is the home of an animal or a plant. Almost every place on Earth – from the hottest desert to the coldest ice pack – is a habitat for some kinds of animals and plants. Most habitats include a community of animals and plants along with water, oxygen, soil or sand, and rocks. The larger community is called an ecosystem. Ecosystems in turn are parts of a biome. The two main types of habitats are land habitats and water habitats. Among the many types of land habitats are rainforests, deserts, and mountains. Because of their moist climate, rainforests support more kinds of plant and animal life than any other habitat. In contrast, deserts support only animals and plants that can live without much
number of squares by 2 we get the actual width of the living room.
4 × 2 = 8m, so the living room is 8m wide.
Enlargements can make an object larger or smaller.
In order to draw a scale diagram we need to know the scale factor of enlargement and the actual measurements of the object.
For example
Below are two similar triangles, A and B.
Triangle A has a width of 3cm, and a slant height of 5cm.
Triangle B has a width of 6cm, and a slant height of x.
To find the value of x we need a scale factor
(which we can express as a ratio).
Comparing two similar dimensions, the ratio of the width of A to the width of B is 3:6.
Simplifying this ratio, we get 1:2. This means that each length in triangle B is twice as long as the length in triangle A.
The value of x is therefore equal to 5 × 2 = 10cm.
Example 1
A straight line on a road is measured as 5.7m.
The diagram below shows a scaled version of the line.
Here we have the two lines with the lengths 5.7m and 15cm. So, we have the ratio:
water. Mountain habitats have thin soil and cold temperatures. Only hardy plants and animals live there. Other types of forests, grasslands, and tundras provide other land habitats. Water habitats may contain freshwater or salt water. Freshwater habitats include streams, rivers, swamps, marshes, ponds, and lakes. Saltwater habitats include oceans, seas, salt lakes, salt marshes, and saltwater swamps. Some animals and plants, such as fish and seaweed, live entirely in the water. Others, such as otters and riverweeds, live partly in and partly out of the water. The plants and animals in a habitat depend on each other to survive. When a habitat is damaged or changed in some way, that can affect all parts of
15cm:5.7m. Converting the right hand side of the ratio to be in centimetres we have: 15cm:570cm
Since the units are the same we can rewrite the ratio without them: 15:570
Writing the ratio in the simplest form we have: 1:38
Example 2
The scale diagram of a parallelogram is 12cm wide and has a vertical height of 10cm. The real life structure is 42cm wide. State the ratio of the scale diagram to the real life structure. Here we have the two widths of the parallelograms with the lengths 12cm and 42cm.
So, we have the ratio: 12cm:42cm
Since the units are the same we can rewrite the ratio without them: 12:42
Writing the ratio in the simplest form (divide throughout by 6) we have: 2:7
Example 3
The diagram of Cube A has a volume of 64cm3
Cube A has an actual volume of 27cm3. State the ratio of the side lengths of the model to the actual size.
As we know the volume of each cube and the formula for the volume of a cube is V = L3 where L is the side length of the cube, we can calculate the side length of each cube: Lmodel= = 4cm
Lactual = = 3cm
So, we have the ratio: 4:3 This ratio is already in the simplest form.
the habitat. Those changes can happen naturally or through human actions. Some ways that habitats can be changed are by hurricanes, fires, or other natural disasters. People can also change habitats. For example, when people cut down trees to use for building, the animals that lived in those trees need to find new places to live.
(Britannica Kids)
By Wesley McNair
It is understood, with the clarity possible only in heaven, that none have loved food better than these. Angels gather to admire their small mouths and their arms, round as the fenders of Hudson Hornets. In their past they have been among the world’s most meek, the farm boy who lived with his mother, the grade-school teacher who led the flag salute with expression, day after day. Now their commonplace lives, the guilt about weight, the ridicule fade and disappear. They come to the table arrayed with perfect food, shedding their belts and girdles for the last time. Here, where fat itself is heavenly, they fill their plates and float upon the sky.
(Source: Poetry [June 1981])
You’re selected to be part of a topsecret mission to save an endangered animal. What species are you saving and what role do you play?
One
the five vessels being used by ExxonMobil during the ongoing safety inspection of the subsea pipeline
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) have jointly rejected claims by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed that the US$1 billion pipeline that was laid to bring natural gas onshore for the Gas-to-Energy (GtE) Project is ruptured.
The 250-kilometre (km) subsea and onshore pipeline was installed by ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) in 2024. The United States oil major had said previously that the pipeline was filled with nitrogen and sealed off pending the start-up of the GtE Project at Wales, West Bank Demerara.
However, Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed recently claimed that the pipeline had been ruptured offshore three months ago – something which the EPA and MARAD have both denied, saying there is no factu-
al basis for these claims.
“The pipeline in question is not currently active, and no gas is flowing through it. As there is no gas passing through the line, there can be no leak or damage of the nature suggested in these reports,” the two agencies said in a joint statement on Thursday.
According to the EPA and MARAD, however, ExxonMobil Guyana has been conducting a scheduled three-month safety inspection of the subsea pipeline involving five vessels along the West Coast of Demerara since May. But during this ongoing exercise, which the public was informed about in a May 25 notice from MARAD, an anomaly was detected and is being looked at.
“The EPA and MARAD confirm that a report relating to the pipeline was received and duly investigated. Following the joint assessment, the matter was deter-
“Everything
The US has since requested the extradition of the Mohameds to face the indictments. The extradition proceedings are currently pending in the local courts.
The Mohameds are accused of conspiring to defraud the US and Guyanese Governments between 2017 and June 11, 2024. They are also accused of using a scheme to unlawfully obtain property by transmitting communications via interstate and foreign commerce, in violation of US law.
According to US prosecutors, the scheme aimed to enrich the Mohameds and defraud the Government of Guyana by evading taxes and royalties on gold exports. They allegedly reused Guyana customs declarations and official seals on multiple shipments to make it appear that taxes and royalties had been paid.
The other charge has to
combined-cycle power plant and a Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility are being built by US-based Lindsayca.
mined to be a slight anomaly, which was thoroughly investigated by both agencies. Out of an abundance of caution, further inspections are being conducted to confirm the continued integrity of the pipeline, consistent with standard safety protocols,” the joint missive detailed.
Nevertheless, the EPA and MARAD reiterated their commitment to transparency and safeguarding public and environmental safety throughout the GtE Project, adding that “both agencies will continue to provide accurate, timely updates to the public and urge that facts be verified through official channels before conclusions are drawn that could cause unnecessary alarm among residents of West Coast Demerara.”
The Gas-to-Energy Project will see natural gas being pipelined from the Stabroek Block offshore to the Wales site, where a 300-megawatt
do with Azruddin Mohamed purchasing and importing a Lamborghini sports car to Guyana in 2020. The indictment alleges he directed someone to purchase the car for US$680,000, then falsify the invoice to state a value of US$75,300 to understate import taxes. If convicted, most charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and fines of up to US$250,000, while the money laundering charge carries a fine of US$500,000 or the value of the laundered property.
The US Government is seeking forfeiture of certain assets connected to the accused.
These indictments follow sanctions imposed a year earlier in June 2024 by the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on the Mohameds, their businesses, and Guyanese Government Permanent Secretary (PS) Mae Thomas in relation to the same alle-
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gations. The sanctions are related to the evasion of taxes on gold exports, with OFAC noting that between 2019 and 2023, Mohamed’s Enterprise omitted more than 10,000 kg of gold from import and export declarations and avoided paying more than US$50 million in duty taxes to the Government of Guyana.
Since the imposition of the sanctions more than two years ago, the Guyanese Government has suspended the licences of the Mohameds’ various businesses, while several Government entities and local businesses, including commercial banks, have cut ties with the Mohameds.
Azruddin founded the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party in June 2025 – one year after the sanctions were imposed – and contested the September 2025 General and Regional Elections, securing a seat in Parliament as Leader of the Opposition.
The 300MW gas-powered facility is slated to come on stream by this year end, delivering cleaner and cheaper electricity to households and businesses.
The 12-inch pipeline, some 220km subsea and 30km onshore, will bring some 50 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of dry gas from the Liza Phase One and Phase Two offshore projects to the GtE project.
However, only 40 per cent of the pipeline’s capacity will be used in the first phase of the GtE project to gas up the power plant and NGL facility.
With the pipelines having the capacity to push as much as 120 mmscfd of gas, the Guyanese Government is moving ahead with Phase II of the Gas-to-Energy project that will utilise the remaining 60 per cent capacity of the pipeline to bring additional gas onshore.
The GtE Phase Two will see the construction of another 300 MW power plant and NGL facility at the Wales site, using only 20 mmcfd. With the remaining natural gas available, the Government is planning to set up other major industrial projects, including a cooking gas bottling plant and a fertiliser manufacturing plant in Wales.
Already, the Government has received bids from at
least 10 companies to design and build an Ammonia/Urea Plant at the Wales Industrial Zone, utilising the rich natural gas being produced offshore Guyana.
Similarly, another 10 companies have also submitted proposals to design, build and operate the cooking gas bottling facility in Guyana. The bids for these two major projects are currently being evaluated.
Meanwhile, just last month, it was announced that Trinidad and Tobagobased Phoenix Park Gas Processors Limited (PPGPL) and local partner GuyGas Inc were selected for operation and maintenance of the NGL plant in Phase One of the GtE Project.
Thirty-three-yearold Edgar Lawson, also called “Baby”, a businessman from Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara (EBD), and Keiran Barrett, also referred to as “Bucko”, 50, a vendor from East La Penitence, Georgetown, were charged with the murder of Levi Williams, called “Vamperous”, whose body was found stuffed in a barrel at Le Repentir Cemetery.
Lawson and Barrett appeared before Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, where the charge was read to them separately.
They were accused of murdering Williams between December 23 and December 25, 2025, at Charlotte Street, Georgetown. They were not required to plead and were
Charged: Edgar Lawson, also called “Baby”
remanded to prison until July 29, 2026.
Williams’ body was found in an advanced state of decomposition inside a barrel between Louisa Row and St Stephen Street in the Le Repentir Cemetery on Christmas Day, 2025.
Police stated that Williams was accused by
Charged: Keiran Barrett, also referred to as “Bucko”
Murdered: Levi Williams, also called “Vamperous”
a group of men of stealing a firearm. It was reported that Williams was confronted at a drug block in the Charlotte Street area, where he was severely beaten with wire. Due to the beating, Williams became unconscious and was reportedly placed into a blue plastic bag.
Randy Mars, also known as “Ratty”, of Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke/Linden Highway; Aaron Khan, also known as “Tattoo Man”, of Charlotte Street; and Jamal David, also known as “Hundred”, of West Ruimveldt, were all charged with the murder of Williams.
They say “time longer than twine”, and at long last – almost six years after their horrific murders and mutilation of their bodies on September 5, 2020 –justice has been delivered for those two Henry cousins –Isaiah, 16, and Joel, 19, from West Berbice. A jury of 12, after considering the eyewitness account of Akash Singh along with the evidence supported by medical findings, Police testimony, and other witnesses, pronounced Sancharra and Gopaul, who’d been charged, guilty of the murders. They were sentenced to life imprisonment – with no possibility of parole before 35 years!!
It turns out that Sancharra and Gopaul – along with Akash – had been cultivating marijuana in the Cotton Tree backlands, but one day discovered several fields had been trampled and destroyed. They encountered the Henry cousins in the vicinity and accused them of committing the vandalism!! One of them laughed, and the infuriated marijuana criminals turned on them and viciously hacked away at them with cutlasses, killing them on the spot. They then dragged the bodies away from the marijuana fields and dumped them on a dam – where they were discovered by Haresh Singh, the 17-year-old grandson of the owner of the land on which Isaiah’s and Joel’s bodies had been found!!
And that’s when the local tragedy was transformed into a national one. The PNC under Granger had just lost the elections five months before, but refusing to accept the verdict of the people and the CCJ, Granger and Harmon ran down to West Berbice. The call for justice for the murdered Henry cousins was transformed to a call for “justice” against the PPP who’d “robbed” them! Granger then divined that the murders were politically motivated – which, as he well knew in Guyana, means that they were RACIALLY motivated!! He advised that the residents of the Henrys’ village should form “selfprotection” units – and all hell broke loose!!
Several worked-up persons decided to take the law into their own hands and murdered Haresh Singh in the backdam. For good measure, they burnt his motorcycle, and it was the smoke from this conflagration that alerted relatives to investigate and discover his lifeless body. This was revenge, plain and simple... an eye for two eyes. And it has to be laid at the feet of Harmon and Granger!
Four persons were charged and remanded – including two relatives of the Henrys – but the matter still hasn’t gone to trial. And it is to this tragedy we must now turn our eyes – Haresh Singh must also receive justice. As for Granger and Harmon, they haven’t apologised for their incitement. However, they’ve been discarded on the wayside of history – and hopefully Opposition Leaders will be less incendiary.
The demand that the Government renegotiate the Exxon contract for better terms, on its surface, shouldn’t be controversial, should it?? Who doesn’t want more money?? Even Musk – our first TRILLIONAIRE – keeps on pushing for more profits!! But neither of the two major parties – representing 95 per cent of our electorate –wanna renegotiate! What’s up?? Didn’t we put them there to do what’s best for us?? Could it be that keeping the status quo on the contract is “good for us”??
Your Eyewitness is reminded of a historical incident where Henry II was trenchantly criticised by his friend Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. All Henry wanted was for priests to be under civil – not church –law. Even after he compromised, Becket refused to act under the law. Henry muttered, “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?” and was overheard by some courtiers – who proceeded to kill Becket!!
The lesson?? Be careful what you ask for!! Exxon ain’t no Becket – THEY have friends in very high places!!
…structural support
Your Eyewitness congratulates the Government for not falling for the Opposition’s race-baiting by keeping on handing out those rice-subsidy cheques to rice farmers!! Our future lies in agriculture, and it is the Government’s responsibility to make it viable.
Thirty-four-year-old Ryan Singh, also called "Satan", of Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), was charged and remanded to prison in connection with the dumping of 10 AK-47 rifles.
Singh appeared before Magistrate Alisha George at the Leonora Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, where the charge was read to him. He pleaded not guilty and was remanded to prison until July 10, 2026.
So far, Antonio Alonzo Lawrie, 33; Gregory Persaud, 21; both of Farm Village, East Bank Demerara (EBD); and
33-year-old Stephen Rajah, a taxi driver of Back Street, Goed Fortuin Village, West Bank Demerara (WBD), have all been charged in connection with the discovery.
It was reported that the Police were executing a stopand-search exercise in the
vicinity of the Berbice River Bridge Access Road in May. Reports indicate that Police ranks attempted to stop a black Toyota Fielder waggon bearing registration number HC 9018, but the vehicle fled the scene.
It was also reported that,
acting on information received afterward, investigators conducted a search along the Number 11 Village Public Road, East Coast Berbice (ECB), where the 10 rifles were allegedly found wrapped in plastic and cloth.
Police said the weapons bore markings consistent with 7.62x39mm AK-47 rifles. Investigators also reported that sections of the firearms appeared to have been tampered with, leading to suspicions that efforts were made to obscure the serial numbers.
Police had reportedly linked a second vehicle, a white Toyota RunX bearing registration number PSS 4272, to the investigation.
The car was later discovered abandoned at Second Street, Savannah Park, New Amsterdam. Investigators suspect the vehicle may also have been used to transport the weapons.
The discovery of a quantity of ammunition, firearm components, and military gear on Tuesday at an unoccupied plot of land in the Lusignan New Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara (ECD), has led to the launch of a Police probe.
Police stated that ranks, acting on information received, went to the location where they unearthed the items among
a heap of construction debris.
The items found included a quantity of 7.62 x 39 mm live rounds of ammunition, spent shells, 12-gauge cartridges, a tear gas canister, firearm components, and military gear.
The items were taken to the Vigilance Police Station as the investigation continues. At the time of the discovery, no arrests were made.
Abusinessman and a wash bay attendant were, on Wednesday evening, riddled with bullets at Vigilance South, East Coast Demerara (ECD), reportedly over an old grievance.
Dead are 22-year-old Cordel August, a wash bay attendant of Strathspey, East Coast Demerara (ECD), and 35-year-old shop owner Aeon Headley of Vigilance, South. According to the Police, the men were among a group gathered at a shop owned by Headly at about 22:00h when two men dressed in black arrived on a motorcy-
cle and allegedly opened fire in their direction.
Both victims sustained gunshot injuries and were rushed to the Enmore Regional Hospital by public-spirited citizens, where they were pronounced dead on arrival.
At the home of Headley on Thursday, his mother, Sharon Headley, recalled when she received the news of her son’s death, noting that she was not aware of any issues he might have had with the alleged shooters.
“I don’t really know what is the problem or he had any problems with anybody. I
was at home at around after nine o’clock and I heard the gunshots, and it was after [that] somebody come and tell me that my son was shot dead. By the time I reach at the scene, he was already dead.”
The mother stated the shop where the incident took place is owned by her son, and he was there at the time with some other friends, including August. He sold cigarettes and other items at the stand.
“Based on information I receive, they were drinking out there and some body on motorcycles pulled up and start shooting,” the mother
added.
Further, she added that her son was not a problem child but at the same time always fought for what was right and did not condone injustices.
“If you wrong he, would stand up for he self. He is not someone who would make problems with anyone. If you wrong he and he right, he would argue and cuss and behave like that.”
The grieving mother, nevertheless, added that up to Thursday morning, the Police had not contacted her. As such, she is requesting a thorough investigation so that the perpetrators can be brought to justice.
A short distance away, the sister of Cordel August explained that her brother might have been in the wrong place at the wrong
time.
“What I was made to understand, he was at the line top at a Chinese supermarket with his friends liming then he left to go over by his sister on his bicycle and shortly after bullets were heard… apparently, he ride into the scene. He get three shots – one to his left side, one his right-side shoulder and one on his left shoulder. He was riding but collapsed a short distance away. Like he ride into his death,” she added.
She, however, contradicted the Police by stating that her now-dead brother was not at the gathering in front of the show, reiterating that he was riding his bike.
“They saying was two motorcycles pull up with two persons each and open fire
on this other guy (Headley) but he ride at the same time and get caught in the cross fire.” She is however, made aware that Headley might have been the target.
She referred to her dead brother as a jovial and hard-working person.
The sister noted he worked with her other brother at his wash bay, which is a short distance from where the incident took place. She too is calling for justice for her brother’s death.
“I need justice for Cordel because is not that Cordel do any body anything that they come to take his life just like that. He ain’t even reach where he left to go and he get his dead just like that.”
Up to press time, the Police were yet to make an arrest in connection with the fatal shooting as investigations continue.
The Guyana Prison Service (GPS) is undergoing a significant transformation that signals a major shift in the country's approach to incarceration, with greater emphasis
Justices Priya SewnarineBeharry and Nareshwar Harnanan, Puisne Judges Sueanna Lovell, Mandisa Breedy, Christel Lambert, Renita Camelle Singh, Sunil Scarce, and Azeena Baksh.
being placed on rehabilitation, reintegration and the restoration of human dignity rather than punishment.
This is according to acting deputy Director of Prisons Kevin Pilgrim, who outlined the transition on Wednesday during a visit by a high-level Judiciary delegation to the Lusignan Prison. He explained that while the reform
The delegation also comprised Acting Registrar Collene Liverpool, Deputy Registrars Alicia Lowenfield and Tamika Barkoye, Judicial Research Counsel Dominque Wilson, Protocol and Communication Officer Otecia Niles, and Assistant Protocol and Communication Officer Bhanmattie Ramdial.
The visiting officials were
process is still underway, it is an important turning point in Guyana's criminal justice system.
Pilgrim said the prison system is moving away from a model traditionally centred on punishment toward a correctional approach designed to better prepare inmates for successful reintegration into society.
The Judiciary delegation, led by acting chancellor of the Judiciary Justice Roxane George, visited the prison to gain first-hand insight into the institution's environment as well as the operational and administrative challenges faced by the Guyana Prison Service.
Also participating in the visit were acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh,
welcomed by Director of Prisons Nicklon Elliot, who underscored the importance of continued collaboration between the Judiciary and the prison system.
Pilgrim also provided an overview of the GPS’s transformation from 2010 to 2026, outlining the reforms that have been implemented as part of efforts to modernise the country's correctional system.
Acting Chancellor Justice George welcomed the engagement and reaffirmed the Judiciary's commitment to maintaining close collaboration with the GPS.
During the visit, the delegation toured several facilities at Lusignan Prison, including the site of the new administrative building, vir-
tual courtrooms, the kitchen, medical centre, trade shop, prisoners' housing facility, inmate intake processing area, and command centre.
The visit is part of efforts to strengthen cooperation between the Judiciary and the GPS while providing judicial officers with a better understanding of prison operations and the evolving correctional framework.
In a move to address the rising cost of living across the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago has offered to supply a vessel to temporarily ship cargo among Caricom Member States as the region continues to feel the effects of increasing prices due to the conflicts in the Middle East.
This was revealed by the Prime Minister (PM) of Barbados, Mia Mottley, on Wednesday during the closing press conference to wrap up the four-day 51st Regular Meeting of the Caricom Heads of Government held in St Lucia this week.
In response to a question about what actions or decisions were taken by heads to deal with the rising cost of living in the region caused by external shocks, PM Mottley, who is leading the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) initiative in the quasi-cabinet of the regional bloc, explained that some countries have taken steps internally to combat the increasing global prices, especially as it relates to fuel.
However, she noted that the focus has now shifted towards bringing down the cost of trade amongst Member States as a measure to cut cargo costs, ease inflationary pressures and bolster intra-regional trade.
“The major, major initiative that we want to be able to do is to reduce the cost of
Prime Minister of Barbados,
cargo for intra-island trade,” the Barbadian leader indicated.
To do this, PM Mottley said that the PM of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla PersadBissessar, has indicated her country’s willingness to temporarily provide a vessel to ship goods between Caribbean nations.
“We are now about to enter discussions, Prime Minister [Dr Godwin] Friday from St Vincent and the Grenadines, Prime Minister Bissessar and I as lead on CSME, to see how best we can utilise one of the Trinidad vessels as a proof of concept… And I’ve undertaken the responsibility of working with colleagues to be able to get the treaty arrangements for mutual recognition of licences and insurance so that cargo vehicles can literally go on and come off where possible. This is a work in progress,” PM Mottley stated.
Given that this is a proof of concept, Mottley went on to add that the cargo vessel will be deployed to ports in the Southern and Eastern Caribbean. However, she noted that this still requires an assessment of the infrastructure in place at these port facilities.
“So, I give you the assurance that we are singularly focused on being able to reduce the cost of intra-island cargo, which, in addition to the other measures that we have taken to increase disposable income of our citizens, also reduces the cost of freight, the cost of gas, and the cost of electricity, all of which, when combined, can be completely inflationary, is what we’re doing together,” the Barbadian leader noted, reminding that this inflation is imported.
This cargo vessel is expected to start operations in the next three months. However, it would be oper-
The University of Guyana (UG) has advanced its search for a new Vice Chancellor, with five candidates now shortlisted following an international recruitment process.
In a statement on Thursday, Chancellor Sir Ronald Sanders said the search attracted 27 applications from Guyana, the wider Caribbean, Canada and India.
Following an initial review, the university’s Search Committee reduced the pool to 15 candidates for further consideration. The committee then enlisted the support of professors and other university specialists from the United Kingdom to assess the academic credentials of the applicants and assist in preparing a final shortlist.
The five shortlisted candidates will now proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which will include interviews and public lectures before a final appointment is made.
Sir Ronald said the position of Vice Chancellor is critical to the future of the university and Guyana’s development. He noted that
the institution must continue producing graduates equipped with the skills, competencies and adaptability needed to support a growing and evolving economy while strengthening research, innovation and professional training.
The Chancellor also confirmed that the contract of the current Vice Chancellor, Professor Paloma Mohamed, will end on July 31, 2026. He expressed appreciation for her service to the university during her tenure.
To ensure continuity in the university’s administration, Sir Ronald announced
that a three-member team drawn from the university’s staff will oversee operations from August 1 until the successful candidate assumes office.
He said the interim arrangement will allow the institution to continue functioning smoothly while the final phase of the recruitment process is completed.
The chancellor reaffirmed the University Council’s commitment to a fair, transparent and merit-based selection process, adding that the public will be updated as the search progresses.
ating in the interim until the highly anticipated regional ferry service comes on stream.
Guyana’s President, Dr Irfaan Ali, had first announced plans in April 2023 for the establishment of a regional ferry service to move people and goods across the region as part of efforts to increase intra-regional trade.
Since then, CariCargo Incorporated, the company that will be operating the service, has been incorporated in Guyana, comprising directors from Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana.
In fact, the Trinidadian Cabinet had previous-
ly approved the use of its Galleons Passage vessel, which has the capacity to accommodate up to 400 passengers and 60 vehicles, to operate the ferry service. However, technical evaluations later determined that the vessel was not feasible to operate the proposed route.
Nevertheless, regional leaders anticipate that CariCargo could obtain a suitable vessel for the commencement of operations within a year.
“The long-awaited ferry is something that we’re working on assiduously. But…the private sector arrangements…may take as long as a year because they
have to source vessels, while we do the regulatory work,” PM Mottley stated.
Similarly, Caricom Chairman, PM of St Lucia, Philip Pierre, noted during his closing remarks at Wednesday’s press briefing that further progress was made during the four-day conference towards the free movement of Caricom nationals.
“We also accelerated towards establishing an affordable regional service that will improve travel, facilitate trade, strengthen food security and make our community more connected,” the Caricom chairman stated.
Atwo-vehicle collision at Caledonia, East Bank Demerara (EBD), on Wednesday evening has led to the demise of a 49-year-old woman who was an occupant of one of the vehicles.
The deceased has been identified as Cheryl Skeete of Soesdyke, EBD.
According to reports, the accident occurred at about 18:45h and involved motor car PAM 6733, driven by a 49-year-old wom -
an with Skeete as an occupant, and motor car PAM 2468, driven by a 44-yearold male of Coverden, EBD.
Preliminary investigations revealed that motor car PAM 2468 was proceeding north along the public road at a fast rate of speed when the driver attempted to overtake another vehicle and ended up in the path of PAM 6733, thus resulting in a head-on collision.
Skeete was pulled from
the wreckage by members of the Guyana Fire Service but was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical technicians.
However, the drivers of both vehicles were taken to the Diamond Regional Hospital, where they remain in a critical but stable condition. The body of Skeete is stored at the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, awaiting a post-mortem.
ormer Police Officer
FYogendra Sukhdeo was on Thursday sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 21-year-old businessman Amit Singh, with Justice Sandil Kissoon condemning the killing as calculated and merciless.
The High Court Judge ordered that Sukhdeo, 27, of Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD), serve 30 years before becoming eligible for parole. The time he has already spent on remand since his remand in October 2023 will be deducted from his sentence.
Sukhdeo’s sentencing followed his decision to abandon his not guilty plea and admit to the capital offence of murder committed during the course of a robbery. He entered the guilty plea last month, moments before he was scheduled to face a 12-member jury before Justice Kissoon.
In a lengthy sentencing address, Justice Kissoon described the killing of Singh as “a cold, deliberate act of murder in the furtherance of robbery attended by acts of extreme cruelty and violence”.
The Judge said the case represented the type of criminal conduct that undermines the safety and security of society, warning that persons who choose to take human life for financial gain must face the consequences.
“The rule of law is, and has always been, those who violate the sanctity of human life, threatening the safety and well-being of members of society in the course of their violent criminal activities, motivated by
hope of unlawful financial reward, must be prepared to accept the consequences of such conduct in law,” Justice Kissoon said.
He found that Sukhdeo’s actions were not spontaneous, but rather the result of a planned scheme driven by greed.
Planned, premeditated
According to the Judge, Sukhdeo “wilfully planned, and premeditated” the murder, using deception to lure Singh, his friend, to his death before taking approximately $8 million from him.
The Judge noted that murder committed in the course of a robbery, known as felony murder, carries the most severe penalties under Guyana’s laws – death or life imprisonment.
“Tried and trusted friend”
The court heard that Singh, of Delph Street, Campbellville, Georgetown, believed he was going to complete a legitimate gold transaction when he left his home on October 24, 2023.
Justice Kissoon said
Sukhdeo exploited a relationship of trust between them, as Singh considered him a “tried and trusted friend”.
The Judge said Sukhdeo falsely represented that he had gold valued at $8 million for sale and collected Singh in his vehicle under the pretence that they were travelling to Eccles, East Bank Demerara, to complete the transaction.
Instead, Justice Kissoon said, Singh was taken to a secluded property at Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown, where he was attacked and killed.
The Judge emphasised that Singh was not a threat to Sukhdeo in the moments leading to his death but was instead left “vulnerable, unarmed and helpless” during the attack.
A post-mortem examination conducted by forensic pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh found that Singh died from multiple injuries, including blunt force trauma to the head, face and neck, as well as blood aspiration.
Justice Kissoon said the injuries showed the extent of violence used against Singh and noted that defensive injuries found on the victim indicated that he attempted to protect himself during the attack.
A piece of wood recovered by investigators was later tested and found to contain blood consistent with Singh’s DNA profile.
Cold-blooded act
In outlining the factors that increased the seriousness of the offence, Justice Kissoon pointed to the lev-
Days after fatally shooting 32-year-old Ceton Mark Courtman in the head during an altercation at Sands Backdam, Cuyuni River, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Ormyous Vieira of Norton Street, Lodge, Georgetown, was arraigned for murder.
Vieira appeared before Magistrate Tariq Mohamed at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court on Thursday and was not required to plead to the indictable charge when it was read to him. As such, he was remanded to prison until August 13, 2026.
Based on preliminary
investigations, Courtman of St Monica Village, Upper Pomeroon River, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), and the 27-year-old suspect, who is attached to a private security firm, were involved in an altercation during which the suspect allegedly discharged a round that struck the miner in the head.
The injured man was transported to the Aurora Gold Mines Medical Centre, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. An inspection of the body revealed a gunshot wound to the centre of the head.
The suspect was subsequently arrested and is presently in Police custody. Police reported that a Tacenti .32 pistol, along with 12 matching live rounds of ammunition, was recovered from the suspect.
el of planning involved, the financial motive, the use of extreme violence, the attempt to conceal the crime and Sukhdeo’s position of trust.
The Judge noted that Sukhdeo’s previous service as a presidential guard and special branch officer further aggravated the offence because those roles were built on public confidence.
Justice Kissoon said the evidence supported the conclusion that Sukhdeo’s actions amounted to “a cold-blooded act of murder by the accused of his victim in furtherance of robbing him.”
Prosecutor attorney-at-law Latchmie Rahamat had urged the court to consider the abuse of trust, premeditation and financial motivation behind the crime.
She said Singh was deceived into believing he was entering a business arrangement and was instead placed in a position where he could not escape.
Rahamat told the court that Singh had been en-
trusted by his father with $8 million to purchase gold and that $7.79 million was later recovered from Sukhdeo.
Before sentencing, Sukhdeo expressed remorse and asked Singh’s parents for forgiveness.
“Today, I stand before you all with a broken heart and tears in my eyes,” he told the court.
Addressing Singh’s parents, he said: “I again just seek your forgiveness from the bottom of my heart for everything that caused us to be here today.”
Sukhdeo described Singh as someone who was “like a brother” to him, adding that he was “jolly and happy and most of the time trying to cheer anyone up.”
Defence attorney Shercola Exeter-Sardina asked the court to consider Sukhdeo’s youthful age, early guilty plea, lack of previous convictions and prospects for rehabilitation.
She said her client had accepted responsibility and spared the Singh family the emotional burden of a trial.
She urged the court to recognise that “even those who commit the most serious offences retain their capacity for reform”.
However, Justice Kissoon found that the aggravating circumstances outweighed the mitigating factors.
“A part of me died on that day”
The Judge also considered emotional victim impact statements from Singh’s parents, which detailed the devastating effect
of losing their son.
His mother described him as “a very loving, kind, and talented young man” who was “always the life of every function”.
She told the court, “A part of me died on that day,” explaining that she struggled with sleep, fear and the pain of knowing her son was brutally killed.
His father labelled him as “my pride and one of my greatest blessings of my life”, stating he had looked forward to seeing his son grow, marry and have a family.
He said, “The day I learned that my son had been brutally murdered changed my life forever.”
He told the court that he had become “a broken man” and that Amit’s absence had created “a permanent void that can never be filled”. The prosecution was led by Rahamat, while Attorneys Dexter Smartt, Eden Corbin and Shercola Exeter-Sardina appeared for Sukhdeo. This case was heard at the High Court in Demerara.
“We must be ready on day one”
Guyana’s candidate for the position of United Nations Secretary General (UNSG), Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, on Thursday outlined her vision for a more responsive and effective United Nations during a meeting with Ambassadors of the African Group at the Permanent Observer Mission of the African Union to the UN.
Rodrigues-Birkett, who also serves as Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, highlighted priorities ranging from conflict resolution and peace operations to sustainable development and financing for developing countries.
Speaking to the African diplomats, she said that if elected SG, she would adopt a proactive approach to engaging all parties involved in conflicts while recognising the roles of other mediators and international actors.
“I will be proactive in my engagements with all parties as we try to seek solutions,” she said, adding that the role of the Secretary General requires careful judgement in determining the most appropriate level of engagement in different situations.
Rodrigues-Birkett also pointed to the changing nature of global conflicts, citing terrorism, the use of drones, transnational organised crime and gang violence as emerging challenges requiring different approaches.
Drawing on her experience with the A3+ group at the UN Security Council, she noted that Africa continues to face many of these threats, while similar challenges are also evident in
the Caribbean, particularly in Haiti.
She argued that the United Nations must be prepared to implement different peace operation models based on specific circumstances. Referring to Security Council Resolution 2719, she said the UN Secretariat must be ready to act immediately once the Security Council determines where the framework should be applied.
“As Secretary General,
this is what I would aim for – for us to be ready on day one when that decision is made,” she stated.
Turning to development, Rodrigues-Birkett said the international community remains off track in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and stressed that the effectiveness of UN programmes should be measured by their impact on people’s lives.
She acknowledged initiatives introduced under current SG António Guterres to strengthen the UN’s engagement with Africa but said those efforts must complement the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which outlines the continent’s longterm development goals.
Rodrigues-Birkett identified limited access to financing as one of the principal barriers to implementing development programmes, particularly in developing countries.
She said that if appointed SG, she would seek to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations, international financial institutions (IFIs) and member states to address financing challenges.
“We have tremendous convening power in the UN, and we have to work in partnership with the
IFIs, knowing that whatever we do, it must be systemic, that it must be felt across the world, especially in the developing world, where finance is a major problem,” she said.
Rodrigues-Birkett also pointed to the UN Resident Coordinator system, noting that it has improved the delivery of UN programmes in many countries, including Guyana, and said it provides a model for enhancing the organisation’s effectiveness at the national level.
Her meeting with the African Group is part of her ongoing engagements with regional blocs and member states as she continues her campaign for the position of UNSG.
Guyana officially launched RodriguesBirkett’s candidacy in May as it seeks to secure broad international backing ahead of the selection process for the next UNSG.
Five official candidates are running to succeed Guterres as the next UNSG, whose five-year term begins on January 1, 2027. According to the UN, the SG is appointed by the 193-member General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council. While the 15-member Council, particularly its
five permanent members who may veto any candidate, plays a decisive role in shaping the recommendation, the appointment is ultimately made by the Assembly.
In the 80 years since the founding of the UN, there have been nine SGs, but a woman has never held the post. If successful, Rodrigues-Birkett would make history as the first woman ever elected to serve as UNSG since the organisation was established in 1945. She would also be the first Caribbean national to hold the position.
Rodrigues-Birkett has served as Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the UN since 2020. In that capacity, she led Guyana’s participation during its Security Council tenure and played a key role in advancing the country’s positions on issues relating to international peace and security. Prior to her current post, Rodrigues-Birkett served as director of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Liaison Office in Geneva from 2017 to 2020. She previously served as Guyana’s Minister of foreign affairs from 2008 to 2015 and as Minister of Amerindian affairs from 2001 to 2008.
The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) on Wednesday announced that it will begin the calibration of approximately 250 tint meters and 12 sound level meters used by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) beginning July 13 as part of efforts to ensure the accuracy and reliability of traffic enforcement equipment.
The exercise will take place at GNBS Head Office in Sophia, Georgetown, and is aimed at improving the quality and reliability of services provided to members of the public by
ensuring that tint meters used by the GPF’s Traffic Department are accurately calibrated to support effective traffic enforcement and successful prosecution in court.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GNBS, Trevor Bassoo, explained that this move will greatly assist enforcement of several road regulations.
“These services, as you’re aware, will support enforcement in regulations, which include the motor vehicles and road traffic regulations of 2026, which were recently passed and published in the Official Gazette in January of 2026, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency noise regulation.”
Bassoo explained that the initiative forms part of a wider national programme that the Government plans to roll out countrywide. He noted that the devices are designed to monitor and measure noise levels, particularly in areas where entertainment establishments operate, in support of efforts to address excessive
use for several months and have already undergone calibration. Singh noted that the core services provided by the GNBS contribute significantly to the Police Force’s operational capacity, with officers receiving training on the proper use of the equipment while the devices undergo regular testing and calibration.
noise pollution.
“GNBS here; we’re playing our role to ensure that that plan is realised by verifying the sound level meters,” Bassoo said.
Meanwhile, Traffic Chief and Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mahendra Singh described the initiative as a success story that continues to benefit the public through the partnership between the Guyana Police Force and the GNBS.
He explained that the tint meters have been in
“This meter is in our country; it has been in use for the past several months, and it has already been subject to calibration. All of the core services provided by the GNBS tie right into our motors and capacity building. All people are trained by the GNBS; the equipment is tested and calibrated. Each cycle, which lasts for six months or a year, as the case may be, is duly observed.”
Singh said the continued collaboration between the GPF and the GNBS is intended to strengthen traffic enforcement while ensuring that the equipment is used correctly and that members of the public can have confidence in the results.
“We ensure that each
day as we deploy this equipment, it is used for the intended purpose by forces who are authorised by the Commission of Police in keeping with the law. And so, everything that we can tell you about the success story which is continuing, where the Bureau of Standards is partnering with us, is only to ensure that all these agencies do something that will ensure that the public benefits.”
Meanwhile, Head of Air, Noise and Radiation for technical services at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Michelle Nurse, highlighted the sound systems, noting that they will help ensure downtime is reduced
“So, the introduction of this service will help ensure that sound level meters used by the EPA, by the Guyana Police Force, by consultants and other stakeholders and private operators are accurate and that they’re dependable. This local service will also ensure that downtime is reduced. That at least we can always organise to have verified equip-
ment available for our use,” she stated.
Back in April, Attorney General Anil Nandlall had stated that the Government will be moving to strengthen enforcement of existing noise-nuisance laws with plans to expand the role of the GPF in ensuring compliance.
He had further stated that there is a comprehensive regulatory framework in the Environmental Protection Act regulations that were enacted since 2000, but the problem was the enforcement aspect.
As a result, Nandlall related, the Government intends to integrate these provisions into the broader criminal-law framework to allow for greater enforcement support.
This move, he added, does not introduce new penalties but rather reinforces existing ones already outlined in the EPA regulations. These include fines ranging from $300,000 to $750,000, as well as the possibility of imprisonment for up to one year upon conviction.
The Mexican Government says it will file criminal complaints in the United States over the deaths of more than a dozen of its citizens in US custody.
Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco told Journalists that the Government would take “forceful legal action” to protect the human rights of Mexican citizens in the US.
He said that 14 Mexicans had died while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and another three during ICE “arrest operations”.
The incidents have not just caused outrage in Mexico. On Wednesday, more than a thousand people protested in Houston, where an ICE officer had shot Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo dead the day before.
Salgado, 52, had been
Texas
working as a builder for three decades in the Houston area after coming to the US as an undocumented migrant, his son said.
Ronaldo Salgado told Journalists that his father “did not deserve to be reduced to a headline of ‘Mexican man shot and killed by ICE’”.
His family said Lorenzo Salgado had been on his way to work when he was shot by an ICE agent.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement published on X that “ICE law enforcement attempted to conduct a vehicle stop as part of a targeted enforcement operation to arrest an illegal alien”.
Four members of the US Congress have demanded a fully independent and transparent investigation into Salgado’s death. (Excerpt from BBC News)
Two more Guatemalan men have pleaded guilty in the United States to charges related to a human smuggling operation that resulted in a 2021 truck crash in southern Mexico, killing 55 migrants.
Jorge Agapito Ventura, 34, and Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, 26, admitted in a Texas federal court on Wednesday that they conspired to smuggle adults and unaccompanied children from Guatemala north to the US. Both face up to life in prison when they are sentenced in October.
“These defendants treated more than 150 people as cargo, packing them into a tractor-trailer for profit with total disregard for human life,” US Attorney John E Marck said in a statement.
The charges stem from a December 2021 incident that authorities have described as one of the deadliest human smuggling tragedies in recent memory.
About 166 migrants had been packed into a tractor-trailer headed for the US, squeezed so tight that most only had room to stand, according to survi-
vors. The truck overturned and crashed into the base of a pedestrian bridge near Tuxtla Gutierrez, in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas.
Fifty-five people were killed, including a 16-yearold girl, and more than 100 were injured, according to the US Department of Justice.
At the time, officials said the driver, who fled the scene, appeared to have been speeding when he lost control of the vehicle while navigating a sharp curve.
(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)
Afierce standoff between Costa Rica’s recently-elected President Laura Fernandez and the country’s Judiciary is stalling a coordinated state response to violent drug-related crime in the once-peaceful Central American nation.
The turmoil reflects a broader crisis across Central America, a major cocaine transit corridor to the United States, where violence and corruption have destabilised Governments as criminal groups exploit institutional weaknesses, experts say.
Costa Rica’s institutional clash, coming just two months into Fernandez’s
term, has centred around significant budget cuts imposed on the judiciary and a legislative proposal to have Congress, rather than the Supreme Court, appoint the Attorney General.
Tensions peaked last week when Fernandez accused the judiciary of being infiltrated by organised crime “to the core” and criticised courts for blocking the “iron fist” security policies her administration champions, inspired by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has radically brought down crime in El Salvador by incarcerating some 90,000 persons.
Judicial officials have
Despite growing uncertainty after the European Commission’s latest stance on visa-free travel, Citizenship by Investment (CBI) was notably absent from the agenda of the 51st Caricom Heads of Government Meeting.
Reporters asked Caricom Chairman and Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister Philip J Pierre about the European Commission’s recent ultimatum to Antigua and Barbuda. The Commission told the country to end its Citizenship by Investment Programme by June 2028 or risk losing visa-free access to the Schengen Area, “regardless of how well the programme is managed”.
When asked whether regional leaders had discussed the issue, Pierre replied simply, “Caricom did not discuss CBI.”
Pushed further, Pierre explained that the issue was not raised because it
does not affect every member state. Instead, he said, the five countries operating Citizenship by Investment programmes – Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and St Kitts and Nevis – have been working together to address the identified concerns of the programme.
However, he acknowledged that there is only so much CBI countries can do if another nation decides to change its immigration policies.
Still, Pierre said the region has faced similar challenges in the past and has always managed to move forward.
He compared the current situation to when the Caribbean lost special treatment for its banana and sugar industries. He said that while things may change, the region’s resilience has always stayed strong. (Excerpt from St Lucia Times)
The Permanent Delegation of the OECS in Geneva commemorated the 45th anniversary of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) with a special reception at The Atrium at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Headquarters on June 19, one day after OECS Day.
The celebration showcased the rich cultural heritage of the Caribbean with a featured performance by acclaimed Antiguan and Barbudan pannist Khan Cordice, who captivated guests by leading last year’s pan music recital for the 44th OECS anniversary. He was accompanied by Ms Khadijah Simon, also from Antigua and Barbuda, on the keyboard.
The anniversary reception brought together diplomats, international partners, and members of the Caribbean community to celebrate 45 years of regional integration and cooperation.
The Permanent Delegation of the OECS in Geneva was established in 2005 in response to the lack of effective OECS presence in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The delegation monitors, analyses, and reports on developments and submits proposals to committees and councils. (Antigua Newsroom)
denied corruption allegations, challenging Fernandez to provide evidence. They argue that budget cuts planned for 2026 and 2027 threaten democratic checks and balances and hinder the fight against crime.
Fernandez campaigned on a hard-line anti-crime platform, vowing to restore order in Costa Rica, a country of 5.2 million persons, where an average of two persons are murdered every day. The homicide rate has largely remained steady since hitting a record 17.2 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, double the rate of a decade ago.
(Excerpt from Reuters)
Immigrant families, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, faith leaders, labour allies and immigrant rights advocates were expected to rally in cities across the United States in a massive effort to urge Congress to protect TPS holders and support legislation organisers say would provide permanent legal protections.
The rallies took place on Thursday, July 9, one day before TPS holders are set to lose their work permits.
Participants called on
Congress to vote in favour of legislation, which advocates say would provide permanent protections, including a pathway to citizenship, for TPS holders and their families.
“TPS holders have built their lives in the United States,” Sandra Denis, President and founder of Avanse Ansanm, said in an advisory. “They are raising families, working in hospitals, hotels, restaurants, farms, and businesses, and contributing billions of dollars to the economy every
year.”
The nationwide mobilisation, organised by a coalition of Haitian-led groups, follows a US Supreme Court ruling last month allowing the Trump Administration to move forward with ending protections for TPS holders from Haiti and Syria.
Organisers say the decision places 1.3 million TPS holders and their families at risk of losing the protections that allow them to live and work in the United States.
(Excerpt from The Haitian Times)
Russia’s Saratov oil refinery stopped oil processing on Wednesday following damage from a drone attack, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
Ukraine has increased attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure in recent months to try to undermine Moscow’s war effort.
The attacks have resulted in fuel shortages in Russia, leading to long queues at filling stations, increased fuel prices and fuel export curbs.
Earlier this week, the Omsk oil refinery, Russia’s largest, also halted operations following a Ukrainian drone attack.
On Wednesday, Saratov regional Governor Roman Busargin said on Telegram that a strike had killed one person, wounded several others and damaged what he referred to as “civilian industrial sites”. He did not name the sites, while Ukraine’s military said it had struck the Saratov refinery.
According to the sources, drones hit the primary refining unit, CDU-6, with a capacity of 20,000 metric tonnes per day, the only such unit at the refinery.
Fuel from the Saratov refinery has not been offered on the St Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange since Wednesday, exchange data showed.
The refinery also suspended operations after drone attacks in March and May.
In 2024, the plant processed 5.8 million tonnes of oil, or 2.2 per cent of Russia’s total refining, producing 1.2 million tonnes of gasoline, 1.9 million tonnes of diesel and 1.0 million tonnes of fuel oil. (Reuters)
Authorities in southern China said Thursday that 39 persons have died in flooding after a tropical storm dumped heavy rainfall, as the country’s east coast and Taiwan prepared for a typhoon expected to make landfall in the coming days.
Most of the deaths were in Hengzhou, where the partial collapse of a reservoir dam sent torrents of water into the city and claimed 26 lives, said Ding Wei, the Vice Mayor of Nanning City, which has jurisdiction over the area. Nine persons remained missing in the broader Guangxi region.
Tropical Storm Maysak brought record rainfall to Guangxi starting Saturday, breaching reservoirs and stranding people for days in homes and other buildings.
The previously announced death toll on Tuesday was six persons.
A second storm, Typhoon Bavi, was at sea on a northwest track that would take it over some remote Japanese islands and then just north of Taiwan before making landfall in China’s Fujian or Zhejiang province on Saturday. Fishing boats could be seen tightly packed at ports in northern Taiwan on Thursday in anticipation of heavy rain hitting the island of 23 million people.
Drones and some 5700 boats have been used in a massive relief and rescue operation to deliver drinking water and other supplies and bring out trapped residents. About 130,000 persons have been evacuated. (Excerpt from CBS News)
The US and Iran have traded strikes for a second night, as observers report a “dramatic” drop in the number of ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.
The US says it hit 90 military targets, some near the Strait. Iran says 14 persons have been killed in the past two days.
State media also reported that targets near the Bushehr nuclear power plant were hit, citing the deputy Governor of the province. The US has
not commented on the latest strikes.
Iran said it targeted US assets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar in response. Later on Thursday, Tehran launched more strikes on sites in Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq, state-linked media reported.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry denounced the latest US strikes as a “grave war crime”, describing the US Administration as “evil and psychopathic”.
Iran’s health Ministry says 14 have
been killed during this latest round of fighting.
Hossein Kermanpour, head of public relations at the Ministry, said US attacks targeting five provinces in Iran over July 8 and 9 have also injured 78, of whom 47 remain in hospital.
Gulf nations reported Iranian attacks following the US strikes, with explosions in Bahrain’s capital Manama, Kuwait intercepting missiles and drones, and Qatar issuing a security alert. (Excerpt from BBC News)
Israeli attacks and gunfire across Gaza have killed at least six persons as violence persists despite a United Statesbrokered “ceasefire”, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency and health officials.
Two persons were killed and several others injured when an Israeli drone struck central Gaza’s Nuseirat camp on Thursday, said Gaza’s civil defence. Four others were killed in attacks elsewhere in the Strip.
Gaza hospitals confirmed receiving the bodies of six individuals killed in the attacks.
Two of the persons were killed in an Israeli drone attack on a home west of Khan Younis in the south-
ern Gaza Strip, medical sources earlier told Anadolu news agency. The bodies of the victims were taken to Nasser Hospital after the strike targeted the courtyard of a home in the Batn
as-Sameen area.
Another Israeli strike in a busy street of Gaza City killed one person and injured several others on Thursday, the sources add-
ed.
Earlier in the day, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said at least eight persons had been killed in 24 hours, with 17 others injured. It did not provide additional information on the circumstances of the casualties.
On Wednesday, an Israeli strike on a humanitarian vehicle transporting goods from the Karam Abu Salem (known as Kerem Shalom to Israelis) crossing to a warehouse in Gaza killed one person.
The World Central Kitchen (WCK), an aid group that’s been one of the main organisations delivering food to Palestinians in need, said the driver – identified as Ahmad Nasser Saleem – was killed. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)
Afictitious federal entity that was allocated 1.3 billion naira (£700,000) in Nigeria’s 2026 budget has precipitated a political storm in Africa’s largest democracy in the run-up to a general election set for January.
The fake agency came to light last October when Femi Gbajabiamila, the President’s Chief of Staff, wrote to the Police alleging that his signature, along with official seals and reference numbers, had been forged by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who was claiming to have been appointed by the presidency to head the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
The case is due to be heard in a court in the capital, Abuja, on July 27, more than six months after the Police filed an eight-count charge, including criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, against Adeyemi and two others.
In a July 1 statement, the Nigerian presidency also claimed Adeyemi had met Ambassadors without the knowledge of the
Foreign Affairs Ministry and misled the country’s accountant-general’s office into opening accounts for PFIPC with the central bank and 33 commercial banks.
Apart from being includ-
ed in the budget, the PFIPC was also allocated office space in the federal secretariat in Abuja, a huge complex housing the headquarters of Nigeria’s civil service and many Government Ministries and agencies.
That has raised questions about how Adeyemi was able to gain access, with some critics speculating collusion with officials at the highest echelons of Government. (Excerpt from The Guardian)
New Mexico’s top law enforcement official on Thursday accused the US Department of Justice of hindering the state’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein by withholding unredacted files on the late sex offender.
Political pressure to release US Department of Justice files on Epstein has dogged President Donald Trump during his second term. He has suggested the country move on from investigating the late financier’s crimes.
In a June 30 letter to Acting US Attorney Todd Blanche, Torrez said the
Department of Justice had failed to respond to a state request in February for unredacted files containing names of Epstein survivors, witnesses, co-conspirators, and other individuals essential to the New Mexico probe.
In a statement on Thursday, Torrez said the delay, which has now lasted 130 days, was “unreasonable under any rule of reason”.
“The DOJ reiterates that it welcomes New Mexico undertaking additional investigation of the Zorro Ranch and stands ready to provide necessary assistance
with New Mexico’s investigation,” a US Justice Department spokesperson said, adding that the agency was ready to investigate and possibly prosecute any federal crimes the New Mexico investigation uncovered. In March, Torrez said investigators faced significant obstacles in the Zorro Ranch probe. He cited the years that had passed since Epstein’s alleged crimes; the possible deterioration or disappearance of evidence at the ranch, which was sold in 2023; and possible jurisdictional issues surrounding any potential prosecutions.
(Excerpt from Reuters)
Opportunity begins with you. Don’t hide when it’s necessary to put yourself out there and connect with people who can spark your imagination and inspire you to make changes to how you earn your living and handle your finances. You have plenty to gain if you trust and believe in yourself. Put your energy where it counts.
Engage in events that bring you in contact with like-minded people. Conversations and gestures will have an impact on you and how you choose to live. Home improvements that make your life easier will turn into viable solutions to whatever is lacking in your life.
Change may be haunting you, but acting in haste will send you on a wild-goose chase. Slow down and rethink every move; time is on your side. Your vision will adapt to what’s possible if you put the pieces of your journey together thoughtfully. Discipline will help you reinforce good intentions and lasting rewards.
Reach out, get the lowdown and do what you can to help. The response you receive will change how you feel about yourself and what you want to pursue. Look for original ways to improve your profile, income or lifestyle. Don’t wait for things to come to you. Do your part, and others will gravitate toward you.
Take the road less traveled. Look for new opportunities to put your attributes to good use. Engage in events that reflect something you want to pursue in life. Whether it’s travel, educational pursuits or romance, getting out and participating in what attracts you most will fill your head with new possibilities. Be inquisitive and resourceful.
Listen to your inner voice, not what someone else is prompting you to do. Don’t be a tagalong when you have dreams of your own to pursue. You don’t need to change to please others; you must associate with those who share your beliefs and life goals. Do your own thing and find your circle.
Focus on values, and set a course to embark on what moves you most. Take the path that allows you the freedom to breathe easy and satisfy your soul. A domestic adjustment will open your eyes to new possibilities. Turn something you enjoy doing into part of your daily routine. A change of opinion, not appearance, is favored.
Trust your instincts when dealing with others. Be resourceful, research, ask questions and determine what’s most likely to support your long-term plans. An emotional situation will help mold your perspective to encompass the things that motivate and move you most. It’s in your best interest to satisfy your soul before pleasing others. Love yourself first.
Easy does it. You’ll be manipulated if you let your heart lead the way. Stay focused on what’s happening in your relationships and how you can ensure equality. Take a stance and be yourself, and you will attract like-minded people. Reveal your quirky personality traits, and be the owner of your destiny and emotional well-being.
Physical activity will help you blow off steam and recognize what you can do. Protect yourself against those trying to part you from your money or encourage you to take a risk with your physical or emotional well-being. Call the shots instead of trying to bend to demands that withhold benefits or create liabilities.
Pay attention to what’s happening at home or to those you love. Compensations are necessary when at a crossroads or embarking on a lifestyle change. Stop worrying about what went wrong, and focus on making things right. A positive attitude and common sense will help change your perspective regarding your prospects. Put differences aside, and personal growth will unfold. Listen to your heart, not what others try to lead you to believe. Be resourceful and engage in activities and events that require your intellect and experience, and you will outperform those who challenge you. Avoid scammers and those trying to convince you to go into debt to pay for products and procedures that don’t live up to their promises.
their new captain Shreyas sure barely two weeks into sition phase, and we will be making a lot of mistakes,”
cessive first-over maiden, though Arshdeep Singh did allow four leg byes when he strayed onto the pads.
England’s Test team may be in crisis, but their T20 side marches on. They romped home with 37 balls to spare in Bristol to seal their first-ever series win over India in this format and will displace the reigning world champions as the No. 1 T20I side (per the ICC’s rankings) if they can clinch a clean sweep in Southampton on Saturday.
Phil Salt punched gloves with Harry Brook, his captain, as he knocked Arshdeep Singh out to point and jogged through for the winning run. It took their unbroken second-wicket partnership to 146 off 70 balls and completed another annihilation of India, after Tuesday’s 125-run win at Trent Bridge. This performance was every bit as clinical.
England has now won 19 out of 22 completed T20Is since Brook took over as captain last year, and after a
when trying to chase 254 against India at the 2026 T20 World Cup in March, and if this series pales in significance compared to a World Cup semi-final, they have at least exacted some kind of revenge.
This was the first time in
Arshdeep struck in his ond over, Jos Buttler hind after launching a straight six, but was scooped for six by Brook and did not return for a third until the game was over as a contest.
It took Salt until his tenth ball to get off the mark, but he quickly turned zero off nine into 26 off 19, carving both Prince Yadav and then Prasidh Krishna
India’s history that they had lost five successive men’s T20Is, and the result leaves
for three fours in an over. Prince rearranged Salt’s stumps with a pinpoint yorker but off a free hit, having overstepped the previous ball, and another Brook lap took England to 62 for one after the powerplay.
When Iyer turned to Washington Sundar’s offbreaks, Brook sensed a moment to kill the game and seized it: he went four, six, four, then four in successive balls to take the required rate down to a run-a-ball and soon reached a 21-ball 50 with a straight launch for six off Axar Patel. Salt reached his own off 34 balls by flicking Prasidh for four, and they never let up thereafter.
England’s short stuff works again
England blew India’s top order away with pace in Nottingham and stuck to a
similar formula in Bristol. For the third game in a row, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi struck two early blows but failed to pass 15, and Ishan Kishan followed him in falling while playing a cross-batted shot to a short ball early in his innings.
Neither Abhishek Sharma nor Shivam Dube got going before falling to mis-hits off spin – Dube to another excellent catch at long-on by Tom Banton, who has fielded brilliantly throughout this series –and on a two-paced pitch, both Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar were caught off slower-ball bouncers. It was another successful night for Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue, who split four wickets between them,
while Sam Curran was hugely effective on a surface that suited him, conceding just 24 runs from his four overs. Will Jacks was nearly as miserly, finishing with one for 28 as he bowled his full allocation for the first time in a T20I on home soil.
Iyer’s lone hand
Iyer has been his team’s only reliable source of runs in this series, scoring more half-centuries (two) than the rest of India’s batters have managed between them (one). He was in early again, flicking his second ball for four, and played an outrageous upper-cut for six to exploit the shorter straight boundaries when Archer returned for his third over.
He was the only batter to play with any real conviction
and took down Adil Rashid in style. He scored 44 of the 49 runs that Rashid conceded, including a three-card trick of six, four, and six at the end of the 18th over, Rashid’s last. The four came via a thick outside edge, but the two sixes were the best of Iyer, dancing down the pitch and launching the leg-spinner back over his head.
It left India 150 for five, but they managed just four runs off each of the last two overs as Curran and Archer nailed their slower balls and yorkers, with Archer’s side-footed finish running Axar out off the last ball of the innings. Iyer was desperately short of support: he hit four fours and five sixes, but his team-mates managed five fours and two sixes between them. (ESPNcricinfo)
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming Senior Women’s
One-Day International tour of Ireland, which gets underway on Friday, July 10, with all three fixtures being played at Bready Cricket
Club, Bready.
There is one change to the group that was selected for the Tri-series against Ireland and Pakistan and the recently concluded ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, with Realeanna Grimmond replacing the injured Chinelle Henry.
The tour marks the team’s third assignment of the new ICC Women’s Championship cycle, offering another opportunity to bank points and build momentum on the road to World Cup qualification.
Looking ahead to the series, Head Coach Shane Deitz stated, “Ireland would be a tough oppo-
The Kennard’s Memorial Turf Club will host an Emancipation horse race meet on Sunday, August 2 at Bush Lot Farm, Corentyne, Berbice.
Seven races are on the provisional programme, and close to GY$10 million in cash and prizes will be up for the taking. The feature race will be the Emancipation Cup, open to all three-yearold and older horses. That feature race will be running at one mile with a total purse of GY$2 million.
Other races on the cards include the E Class non-win-
ner open to F & G Class, the three-year-old Guyana-bred maidens and three-year-old Guyana-bred winners of one race, H Class and lower, J & K Class, L Class Open, and the two-year-old Guyanabred maidens.
All races will run under the rules of the Kennard’s Memorial Turf Club. Entries for this race opened on July 7 and will close on July 19. Notably, all stakeholders’ entry payments & signatures of trainers & jockeys on the entry form for the Kennard Memorial Turf Club Emancipation Cup Race Meet will be at the fol-
nent in their condi tions, and we need to adapt fast and make sure we play some good cricket.”
“These are valu able points for qual ification for the next ODI World Cup, and this series and the next few series over the next six to eight months are re ally important for us to get some wins on the board and make sure we’re in conten tion for that next ODI World Cup.”
Fresh from an ICC
Cup and take the lessons from it. Our focus is firmly on what’s ahead. Everyone
Team Management Unit:
Head Coach – Shane Deitz
Team Manager – Sheena Gooding
Assistant Coach – Damien Wright
Assistant Coach – Ryan Austin
Assistant Coach – Shane Dowrich Physiotherapist – Ashley Stephens
Strength & Conditioning Coach – Hector Martinez
Performance Coach – Dr Nadine Sammy
Media & Content Officer – John Phillips
Women’s T20 World Cup campaign that saw the West Indies reach the semi-finals, Captain Hayley Matthews is now focused on the challenge ahead.
“We’ve had a little bit of time to reflect on the World
is excited to get back out there, and this ODI series against Ireland is a great
opportunity to build on our successes in the World Cup,” she said.
Fans can watch the action on Cricket Ireland’s YouTube channel or visit windiescricket.com.
The Women’s Squad for the tour of Ireland reads: Captain Hayley Matthews, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbell, Jahzara Claxton, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Jannillea Glasgow, Realeanna Grimmond, Shawnisha Hector, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph, Mandy Mangru, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, and Stafanie Taylor.
Glowing locations with commentator John Rupert.
Saturday, July 11, at Bushlot United Turf Club
From 06:00h to 11:00h
Sunday, July 12, at Port Mourant Turf Club from 06:00h to 11:00h
Friday, July 17, at Kennard Memorial Turf Club from 07:00h to 11:00h
Saturday, July 18, at Bushlot United Turf Club
from 06:00h to 11:00h
Sunday, July 19, at Port Mourant Turf Club from 06:00h to 11:00h
Sunday, July 19, at Kennard Memorial Turf Club from 13:00h to 17:00h
olden League Archery has been recognised for its contribution to youth development after partnering with the University of Guyana (UG)’s Regional Accelerator for STEM Students’ Readiness (RASSR) programme, an initiative designed to equip students with practical skills and experiences beyond the classroom.
The club, led by President and UG Archery Coach Courtlee Rodrigues, was honoured for its role in supporting students participating in the RASSR programme. Through a series of coaching sessions and interactive activities, the club introduced students to the fundamentals of archery while promoting discipline, focus and teamwork.
Rodrigues, along with
club coaches Richard Dookie, Shiva Tularam, Coach Joy Klass and other members of the Golden League Archery team, worked closely with students, staff and volunteers throughout the programme.
Reflecting on the partnership, Rodrigues highlighted the wider impact of the initiative on both the sport and youth development in Guyana.
“This programme continues to foster the development of archery in Guyana even as it serves the expansion of skill sets of our youth. Golden League Archery is proud to be part of this rich and innovative section of Guyanese history. The University of Guyana and Golden League Archery are indeed stronger together.”
Golden League Archery said it was privileged to contribute to the programme, describing the experience as an opportunity to inspire students while showcasing the benefits of the sport.
The RASSR programme forms part of UG‘s efforts to strengthen students’ readiness for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines through innovative learning experiences and partnerships with organisations across the country.
The collaboration also reflects the growing role of archery in Guyana as more schools, universities and community organisations embrace the sport as a tool for developing concentration, confidence, patience and leadership among young people.
New Zealand pace
bowler Jacob Duffy says adaptability will be the key to success as the Black Caps prepare to face the West Indies in the opening One-Day International (ODI) at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, on Saturday.
Speaking to members of the media after the team’s training session at the Providence venue on Thursday, Duffy acknowledged that the Guyanese conditions are expected to differ significantly from those in New Zealand but stressed that the visitors are ready to make the necessary adjustments.
“It’s tough without a ball being bowled yet, but it looks a little bit different to what New Zealand wickets look like,” Duffy said.
He noted that while some members of the squad are unfamiliar with the conditions, others have valuable experience playing in Guyana, including during last year’s Global Super League (GSL) and previous International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments in the Caribbean.
“There are a few guys that have been here before with the Stags last year in the GSL and a few guys from the World Cup a couple of years ago. But I guess one thing we always talk about as a Black Caps group is being adaptable, reading the conditions, getting a gauge on them and going from there.”
Duffy expects the Providence surface could produce lower-scoring contests than those typically
seen in New Zealand.
He shared, “It might be a little bit lower scoring than what we’re used to, but we’ll have to adapt on the fly.”
The three-match ODI series comes on the heels of New Zealand’s historic Test series triumph over England, a result that has injected confidence throughout the touring party.
Reflecting on the team’s recent success, Duffy relat-
In their first Group Phase game of the FIBA AmeriCup 2029 Pre-Qualifiers, Turks and Caicos claimed a comfortable win over Guyana, 6855, on July 9, 2026, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) in Georgetown, upsetting the home side.
Guyana led after the opening quarter, but Turks and Caicos controlled the middle periods to build a double-digit cushion. Both teams scored 13 points in the final quarter, allowing Turks and Caicos to put this game to bed without drama.
The decisive moment arrived early in the second quarter with 9:44 remaining, when Ethan Taylor converted a layup in the paint to tie the score at 12-12 after Guyana had led 12-10. That basket erased the hosts’ advantage and marked the beginning of Turks and Caicos’ control.
From 1:28 left in the first quarter to 7:46 remaining in the second, Turks and Caicos outscored Guyana 6-2. Guyana failed to connect on a field goal during that stretch, missing all five of their attempts.
Dylan Morris anchored
Turks and Caicos with nine points, nine rebounds, and three assists in 27:48, posting an efficiency of 12 and a team-best +10. His work on the glass and steady facilitation helped settle the team after Guyana’s early edge.
Ethan Taylor led all scorers for Turks and Caicos with 16 points, adding three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 30:40. Travante Garland delivered the game’s sharpest burst, pouring in 11 points in a span of 2:07 from 3:55 to 1:48 of the second quarter, finishing with 13 points overall. Jessy Maximin contributed four points, eight rebounds, three steals, and three blocks, including the game’s only dunk with 4:24 left in the third quarter. Off the bench, Dwaine Simmons chipped in nine points and five rebounds in just 13:36. On the other side, Kevin Mickle paced Guyana with 24 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and three steals in 35:12, but it was not enough to keep the hosts in contention.
Turks and Caicos produced the game’s biggest run with 10 unanswered
points from late in the second quarter into the early third, stretching a 26-23 lead into a 36-23 advantage. It was a collective surge, with no single player dominating the sequence.
Guyana’s best run came in the third quarter, when they scored six straight points in just over a minute to trim the deficit from 3623 to 36-29. Umar Rashid contributed three points during that run, knocking down one field goal.
Turks and Caicos held the largest lead of the game at 13 points, 36-23, with 8:08 remaining in the third quarter. Guyana’s biggest advantage was six points at 5-11 with 5:03 left in the opening quarter. Despite that early margin, Turks and Caicos finished with a 13-point win.
Turks and Caicos led for 28:04 in the game. Guyana spent 11:13 in front, and the score was tied for 0:43.
Turks and Caicos used a second-quarter spark and a balanced team effort to seize control and never looked back, securing a comfortable win on the road in Georgetown. (FIBA Americup)
ed that the achievements in England have created a positive atmosphere within the squad.
“Watching that Test series from back home was awesome. It sort of made
you proud to be a little bit of a Kiwi,” he noted.
“The guys went a little bit under the radar there, but to win a historic Test series in England doesn’t come around all that often.”
Duffy explained that several members of the Test squad enjoyed a short break before linking up with the ODI group and have arrived refreshed for the limited-overs campaign.
“They had a wee break over there, a little bit of a refresher. But like you said, you’re on to the next one, and I know they’re excited to play one-day cricket.”
He believes the momentum generated from the Test victories can provide an important boost heading into the series against the West Indies.
“They bring their confidence in from a winning standpoint. They come in with confidence and are ready to go again.”
New Zealand will be aiming to carry that winning mentality into Saturday’s opening encounter as they begin their ODI campaign against a West Indies side eager to make home advantage count at Providence.
Champion riders Kevin Persaud and Matthew Vieira will fly the Golden Arrowhead this weekend in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Superbike Championships at the Guyana Grand Prix.
While the GT Challenge de las Americas will offer the in-car action, the Super Sport Bike and Super Stock Bike races are expected to add an extra layer of excitement to the track.
Days away from competition, both Persaud and Vieira are approaching their races with optimism, despite their respective challenges.
Persaud told the Guyana Times Sport, “I’m going into it with positive energy. Not a lot of seat time, but not for any of us; we didn’t have no seat time at all on the new surface, but all of us basically started at zero, so I do have an advantage.”
“I’m really excited, actually, to be a part of history. I’m very proud that our local track in Guyana here could look like this right now. It has a bit of a foreign look, and I love that for Guyana,” Vieira remarked.
Vieira later divulged to this publication, “I’m heading into this weekend at a disadvantage because I sold my current bike that I was racing here, and I brought in a totally new bike with a different engine configuration and different chassis; because of limited time, I haven’t practised as yet on the track. So, we’re going into this weekend gambling.”
A common concern for both riders is the “green” South Dakota surface which has recently been re-laid, a factor that will take some expert navigation from the duo.
“The track is a lot smoother, but because of the new asphalt on the track, you don’t really have no grip on the track, so hopefully the cars will be doing some driving and laying down some rubber on the track. So, when the motor bikes go on the track, we’ll be getting some grip,” Persaud shared.
Vieira shared similar sentiments, stating, “For this weekend, I think there’ll be a lot more of a mental challenge for me because I know the asphalt is very green with no rubber; it has no grip. So, I need to pick and choose wisely how hard I ride and probably just try to take it calm.”
However, both bikers remain unfazed and ready to face up to the star-studded international grid.
Vieira explained, “The competition is really stiff; we have some of the champions from Panama coming, we have riders from the UK coming, Dan Lindfoot, and also we have Cooper, who was a Stock British Superbike 1000 champion as well. So, it’ll be a stacked grid.”
“We have the locals as well, Kevin, Nicholas, and Allen; these guys are quick. So, let’s see what happens; can’t wait,” Vieira added.
On the other hand, Persaud noted, “I think I’m the lone Guyanese representative in that category, so it will be big for me and also for Team Guyana.”
The GT Challenge de las Americas will take over the South Dakota Circuit at Timehri this weekend. On Saturday, July 11, qualifying begins, while on Sunday, July 12, the races will take centre stage. Tickets for the qualifying day are set at $4000, while race-day tickets are going for $9000.
Patrons can pick up their
The Barbados Tridents today announced their overseas player roster ahead of the 2026 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season, adding a formidable blend of top-order power, world-class spin, and seam-bowling variety as the franchise returns to its historic identity under the “One Barbados” partnership.
The five overseas signings confirmed for the up-
coming campaign include South Africa’s Quinton de Kock and George Linde, Australia’s Chris Green and Daniel Sams and Mujeeb ur Rahman out of Afghanistan.
With Kensington Oval, “The Mecca” of West Indies cricket, set to host this year’s CPL final, the Tridents’ recruitment for 2026 signals intent to build a squad capable of matching aggressive batting with world-class control across all three bowl-
ing disciplines.
Quinton de Kock headlines the signings, with him returning to the Tridents. The prolific South African wicketkeeper-batter has long been one of white-ball cricket’s most destructive openers, and his ability to dominate the powerplay makes him a natural fit for Kensington Oval’s fast outfield and true bounce.
Chris Green is also back with the Tridents, bring-
ing his experience as one of CPL cricket’s most reliable off-spinners, valued for his control through the middle overs and his sharp work in the field. His addition strengthens the Tridents’ spin department consider ably.
Mujeeb ur Rahman joins as one of the most difficult bowlers in world cricket to bat against, re nowned for his mystery variations and economy at every stage of an innings. The Afghan all-rounder also adds handy lower-order hit ting to the squad’s depth. He was part of the Barbados squad which reached the 2022 CPL final.
George Linde rounds out the spin-bowling all-rounder cohort, offering left-arm variety alongside genuine batting ability lower down the order. The South African’s all-round skill set gives the
Tridents’ management further flexibility in squad selection.
Daniel Sams is also back
spending
with the Tridents and completes the overseas group, bringing left-arm pace and power-hitting versatility from the death overs with ball in hand to finishing touches with the bat. The Australian’s ability to contribute to both disciplines makes him a valuable middle-overs and finishing option. Combined with a core West Indian contingent led by Gudakesh Motie, Brandon King and Sherfane Rutherford, the Tridents’ overseas quintet gives the franchise a balanced group across batting, spin, and pace as they look to reclaim past glories under their restored Tridents banner. (CPLT20)
Kylian Mbappé recovered from a missed penalty to score his 20th World Cup goal and help send France through to the semi-finals of the World Cup with a 2-0 win over Morocco.
Didier Deschamps’ team took control of their quarter-final tie Thursday early in the second half with two goals in six minutes to set up a meeting with either Spain or Belgium in the last four.
Mbappé had his first-half penalty saved by Yassine Bounou but scored a wonderful opener for France shortly after the break with a curling effort into the far corner for his eighth of the tournament to draw level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
It was followed soon afterward by another from Ousmane Dembélé – quiet up until that point – when the Paris Saint-Germain forward calmly passed his finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
Mbappé picked up the assist on Dembélé’s goal.
France dominated the first half, and the teams were only level at the break thanks to Bounou.
The Morocco goalkeeper saved a Dayot Upamecano header after five minutes before being able to showcase why he is such a fearsome opponent at penalties.
On 25 minutes, Noussair Mazraoui brought down Mbappé in the box, but when the Real Madrid striker stepped up, he saw his effort from the spot saved when Bounou guessed right.
No goalkeeper has more World Cup penalty saves – including shootouts – than Bounou’s four.
During the hydration break shortly af-
terward, Mbappé appeared to complain to the officials that he was made to wait more than three minutes before taking his kick.
Bounou wasn’t done. The 35-year-old, who plays his club football in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal, made a smart low save from Désiré Doué and tipped a 35-yard effort from Lucas Digne onto the crossbar to ensure the score-line was goalless at halftime.
France had 13 shots in the first half
compared with just one from Morocco, who struggled to make an impact in the final third.
If their game plan was reliant on keeping France out, it broke down early in the second half.
With Morocco struggling to create any chances of note, first Mbappé and then Dembélé made them pay as France became only the third nation to make three straight
World Cup semi-finals. Mbappé was substituted in the 77th minute after spending a few moments on the ground at the centre circle, but he left the field under his own power with JeanPhilippe Mateta coming on for him. Spain or Belgium await in Dallas on Tuesday as France and Mbappé continue their bid to reach a third successive World Cup final. (ESPN)
