Guyana Times - Friday, May 19, 2023.pdf

Relatives blame hospital for death of teen involved in accident

Relatives of 18-year-old Joshua Woodrosse, who succumbed to injuries he received one day after he was involved in an accident, have lashed out at the Georgetown Public Hospital for removing the teen from a life support machine without their approval.

But the medical facility, when contacted, revealed that the teenager was never placed on life support, since he arrived at the hospital “brain dead”.

Police have reported that Woodrosse, of One Mile Extension, Linden, Region Ten (Upper DemeraraBerbice), died on Tuesday at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) while receiving treatment. He was involved in an accident along the Enmore Public Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD) on Monday morning, during which he suffered internal bleeding.

Woodrosse’s sister,

Alliha Peters, when contacted, told Guyana Times that her brother was on a life support machine, and that hospital officials never contacted the family to seek permission, or even inform them that the young man would have been taken off.

Peters said she had left the hospital to go home to freshen up on Tuesday, and shortly after, she received a telephone call informing her that she was needed at the facility. Upon her return, she discovered that her brother was removed from

life support and his body was already on the way to the morgue.

“By the time I reach home, I bathe my skin and I sit down, I get a phone call [saying] we needed at the hospital. When I go back in the ward, they done wrap up my brother body without me knowing, without me seeing him, and they just carry he off wherever they had to put he. They did not explain to me, ‘Well, when we remove this child from inside of this ward is that he would no longer be getting this life machine’, they did not explain that, they just take him off without my knowledge,” Peters lamented.

Peters further bemoaned that her mother did not even get to see Woodrosse before his body was removed and wrapped up. She also revealed that upon leaving the hospital, she was told by a doctor that they removed her brother from the machine because he was suffering.

“…the doctor could have watched me in my face when I leaving the hospital and tell me he take him off of that machine because he feels he was suffering. You have no right taking [him] off that life machine, you needed our permission. That’s not how you do it. You don’t have our feelings, you could only tell we what you assume, you’re not God,” Peters contended.

Brain dead

However, this publication reached out to the GPHC Communications Manager Chelauna Providence, who said that based on the hospital’s records, the patient was never on life support.

“This patient was brought in to A&E, and he came in with severe brain injury. He was evaluated by

ICU and by neurosurgery, and based on the medical evaluation, he was declared brain dead. He was in the A&E for a while, and he was on a ventilator, and then he was transferred upstairs to the surgical ward, where he was placed on oxygen, and then he died the following day,” the GPHC spokesperson explained.

“The patient was declared brain dead because of the severe brain injury he had. The doctors determined that it wasn’t possible to recover him. He had irreversible injuries, and the damage was too extensive for him to have any medical intervention at the time. So, for the time being, he was being left on oxygen to basically support his breathing, and then the patient died… So he wasn’t on a life support machine at any time, nor was he taken off of one.”

Woodrosse had attended the Enterprise Secondary School. From time to time, he would work in the construction sector. According to his sister, at the time of the accident, he was travelling to the East Coast to inquire about some work.

Police have explained

that the accident involved minibus BWW 2571, owned and driven by a 48-yearold resident of Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara; minibus BAD 5584, driven by a 39-year-old from Enmore; and a motorcycle driven by Woodrosse.

According to reports, minibus BWW 2571 was proceeding along the Enmore Public Road at a fast rate of speed while the teen was proceeding west along the southern side of the said road on his motorcycle.

As both vehicles approached each other, minibus BWW 2571 swerved south into the motorcycle’s path, causing the motorcyclist to lose control and collide with the back of the minibus.

The bike further collided with the right-side bumper of minibus BAD 5584, which was proceeding west on the road.

As a result of the collision, the teen motorcyclist fell on the road surface and received injuries to his body. He was subsequently picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the GPHC, where he remained until he died.

–

GPHC says patient was already "brain dead"

Dead: Joshua Woodrosse

The injured teen at the GPHC

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Friday, May 19 – 04:00h-05:30h and

Saturday, May 20 – 03:30h-05:00h

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Friday, May 19 – 16:40h-18:10h and Saturday, May 20 – 17:05h-18:35h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily.

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery to light rain showers are expected during the day, with sunny conditions in the late afternoon hours. Partly cloudy skies are expected at night. Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to South-Easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 15:45h reaching a maximum height of 2.60 metres.

Low Tide: 09:59h and 22:08h reaching minimum heights of 0.46 metre and 0.64 metre.

Evaluation team to assess 2 new offers to buy Marriott Hotel – VP Jagdeo

investment group founded by Ramy El-Batrawi. The company’s website says its primary focus is to invest in, and enhance, target industries.

LOTTERY NUMBERS

Adecision on the potential sale of the state-owned Guyana Marriott Hotel will be made after the two new bids that were submitted earlier this week are assessed by an evaluation team.

This was revealed by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday at his weekly press briefing.

Last month, the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) received six bids ranging from US$25 million to US$65 million to purchase the Marriott Hotel, located in Kingston, Georgetown.

However, Government felt that those were “too low”, and decided not to pursue any of them. NICIL then wrote the six companies, informing them that a base price of US$85 million was set, and as such, recommended that they resubmit bids reflecting this new figure.

Only two of the six companies responded by the May 16, 2023 deadline. New offers were received from X, LLC at US$90 million and

Integrated Group Guyana Inc at US$86.1 million.

According to the Vice President, the next step is to have these two new bids assessed before a decision is taken on the sale of the hotel.

“I don’t know what [that decision will be, at this point]. When they go into the details of the bids, [I don’t know] what the evaluation team will find, but they have an obligation to assess the bids and then make a recommendation to the Government,” Jagdeo pointed out.

He highlighted that if the Government had gone ahead with any of the first set of offers submitted for the Marriott Hotel, then it would have lost out on as much as US$35 million in revenues from the sale of the property. The Vice President has maintained, “We’re not gonna sell this hotel for less than US$85 million.”

During the initial bidding round, the highest bid of US$65 million was received from X, LLC, an American

Among the other bidders were Pegasus Hotel Guyana, which bid at US$55.5 million; Georgetown Investments and Management Services Inc, which bid at US$50M; Muneshwers Ltd, which bid at US$25 million; Integrated Group Guyana Inc, which bid at US$55 million; and NCB Capital Markets Limited, which bid at US$33 million.

The Guyana Marriott Hotel, which opened in 2015, was constructed to the tune of US$58 million. A feasibility study conducted by a Miami-based firm, HVS Consulting, back in 2010 had outlined that the Marriott Hotel is likely to be sold ten years after its operationalisation at some US$76.1 million.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has contended that the Marriott Hotel would not be sold until an “appropriate offer that mirrors” its true value is made.

“We know what a true

value will be in the current context. So, that matter should be put to rest, that we will not proceed with any of the bids because we believe that they’re too low based on the value of that asset now and its capacity to earn,” Jagdeo stated last month in response to the initial six bids.

The Government’s rejection of the initial bids submitted had attracted criticisms from some quarters. In response, however, the Vice President argued that Government is not obligated to accept the highest bid.

In a notice back in December 2022, NICIL had announced its intention to sell the State’s shares in Atlantic Hotels Incorporated (AHI), the State-owned holding company for the Marriott Hotel.

AHI is the NICIL special purpose company that fully owns the 197-room hotel, whose financing structure had depended on a casino and entertainment centre to make enough money to repay up to US$30 million in debts to the banks and other creditors.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

...says after assessment, team will make its recommendations to Govt

Editor: Tusika Martin

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Mental health advances

In Guyana, mental illness is a major issue that, like in most countries, needs more resources, human and otherwise, to be brought to bear to address the problem effectively, and on Thursday, in a most welcome move, the Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Presidential Youth Advisory Council (PYAC), launched the National Mental Health Website to better document and respond to the needs of individuals across the country who seek mental health services.

“It's such a serious undertaking when people come to us at their most vulnerable moments, and we need to make sure that the ways that we are responding would be the most appropriate ways,” Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony stated during the launch.

Indeed, this is the crux of the battle to protect citizens’ mental health: how do we respond in the most appropriate manner? The answer to that question and many others surrounding mental health can only be informed by data on what people are experiencing. Thus, the website, which has been months in the making, would be a potent tool in Guyana’s mental health arsenal.

The website provides users with important terms associated with mental health, as well as allows them to learn the signs of mental health illnesses in children, adolescents and adults; view testimonials from individuals who share their own mental health journey, and those who address the stigma surrounding mental health.

One of the highlights of the site, the PYAC representatives explained, is the live chat element which allows persons to message a support agent at any time and request assistance. They are also given the option of choosing to video call the agent.

This project has been one in which President Dr Irfaan Ali has taken a personal interest, the Health Minister related, for he has recognised the importance of maintaining mental health, as Guyana has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, with an estimated 41 deaths in every 100,000 persons.

In its efforts to tackle the problem head-on, the Government has passed legislation to modernise and update our laws concerning mental health – the Suicide Prevention Act, which decriminalises suicide and provides suicide prevention services and support for survivors of suicide and persons with suicidal ideation, and the Mental Health Protection and Promotion Bill that replaced the 1930 Mental Hospital Ordinance.

“The way we practise mental health is much different from a couple decades ago, because, in those times, the easiest thing to do [was if] somebody's got a mental health problem, to put them in an institution and lock them away,” Dr Anthony noted.

“That's not modern practice. A lot of people might have some issues now, but with the right counselling [and] the right treatment, people can get back to their normal lives. We want to make sure that, in that period of vulnerability, we are able to help people so that they can get on back with their normal lives.”

Local statistics show that 15-20 per cent of Guyanese have a form of mental health illness – mild, severe or acute.

Depression and other mental illnesses are part of the human condition. And while their categorisation have become more precise, the treatments more advanced, the illnesses are still badly understood and their consequences often hidden. Mental illness remains if not a source of shame, then at least bewilderment to those who suffer from it and those around them. Yet it is on the increase, neurotic disorders affecting one in six adults at some point in their lives. Society, and medical science, needs a better response. The National Mental Health Website has a large role to play in that.

Dear Editor,

While some of us are engaged in various aspects of the Exxon contract, such as championing the need for adequate insurance/assurance coverage, environmental concerns, and the renegotiation of the contract for better financial and other terms, my attention was also attracted to the impact of the cost recovery method on Guyana’s share of profit oil. The faster Exxon could recover its exploration and development (CAPEX) costs, the sooner Guyana would enjoy a higher share of profit oil, and so too would Exxon. For the purpose of this analysis, I have utilised data gathered for Lisa Destiny FPSO Phase I and Lisa Unity FPSO Phase 2. The findings here are applicable only to these two projects.

The capital cost, CAPEX, for Lisa Phase I and Lisa Phase 2 was given as US$ 9.7 billion (US$ 3.7 billion for Lisa I and US$ 6 billion for Lisa 2). Using the available data, the analysis shows that by December 31, 2024, the CAPEX recovery cost for both Lisa 1 and Lisa 2 would have been realised. After then, Guyana’s, as well as Exxon’s, share of profit oil will more than double: from 12.5% to 29% of revenues.

Some preliminary comments are appropriate. Lisa Destiny 1 FPSO began producing oil in December 2019. In 2020, its average monthly production level was 2,266,484 barrels, compared with 3,556,146 barrels per month in 2021 (a substantial increase of 57%). When Lisa

Unity 2 FPSO commenced production in February 2022, the average combined monthly oil production for both projects was 8,931,114 barrels. Payara’s Prosperity FPSO and Yellowtail’s One Guyana FPSO are scheduled for production by 2024-2025. By then, the combined oil production for the 4 FPSOs in the Stabroek Block is projected at 800,000 barrels per day.

Up to March 31, 2023, the total oil production was 205,759,098 barrels. The total revenues earned by Guyana up to then was US$2.272 billion. The breakdown is shown in the table.

Of this amount (US$ 2.272 billion), there were four drawdowns from the Natural Resources Fund (NRF) dedicated to budget support. In 2020 and 2021, there was no withdrawal from the NRF. In 2022, there were three withdrawals (2nd, 3rd, 4th Qtrs.) amounting to $607.65 million. In 2023 (1st Qtr.) another withdrawal was for $200 million, making the total withdrawals US$ 807,650,000 as of March 31, 2023. This means there-

fore that the balance in the NR Fund as at March 31, 2023, was US$1.465 billion (US$ 2.272 billion minus US$ 807.65 million) (BoG Quarterly Report).

As at March 31, 2023, Guyana’s total profit oil (12.5% of revenues) was $1.961 billion. Exxon’s cost recovery (75%) was 6 times more ($US11,767,429,5) than Guyana’s profit oil. The CAPEX cost recovery was US$5.178 billion, while the OPEX cost recovery was US$6.589 billion. As at March 2023, the outstanding CAPEX cost recovery was therefore US$4.522 billion.

If monthly oil production beyond March 2023 maintains the 2022 monthly average of 8,931,114 barrels, and assuming a cost of barrel at US$70 (US EIA forecasts a price of US$78.65 in 2023 and US$74.47 per barrel in 2024), CAPEX recovery for 9 months in 2023 is projected at US$1.857 billion, while OPEX is projected at US$2.363 billion. At the same level of oil production for 2024, and at the same price of US$70 per barrel, CAPEX recovery is project-

ed at US$2.476 billion, compared with US$3.151 billion for OPEX.

From April 2023 to December 2024 therefore, CAPEX recovery cost has been projected at US$4.333 billion (US$1.857+US$2.476).

When this CAPEX recovery cost is combined with the pre-April 2023 CAPEX recovery of $5.178 billion, the total CAPEX recovery as at December 2024 is projected at US$9.511 billion. The outstanding CAPEX cost recovery (12/24) is therefore projected at US$189 million (US$ 4.522 billion minus US$4.333 billion). (The ratio of CAPEX to OPEX recovery cost that was applied to years 2022-2025 was assumed to be the same as that of 2021).

Once the CAPEX cost is recovered, Guyana’s, as well as Exxon’s, share of profit oil will more than double: from 12.5% to 29%. If production and price levels remain at 2023 levels, for example, Guyana’s share of profit oil for FPSO Lisa 1 and FPSO Lisa 2 is projected at US$2.176 billion in 2025. If the two other FPSOs (Prosperity and One Guyana) are brought into production in 2025, Guyana’s share of profit is likely to more than double this amount.

A cautionary note: Depending on the rise and fall of oil production and prices, the CAPEX recovery period for Lisa 1 FPSO and Lisa 2 FPSO could either be earlier than December 2024 or later.

Sincerely,

Dr Tara Singh

This Jeanelle Fredericks photo captured yellow-spotted Amazon River Turtles waiting to be released from head-starting (protecting hatchling turtles until they reach a certain size and their shells harden). This photo was submitted as an entry for the 57th Anniversary of Independence Photography Competition hosted by the Tourism Ministry

Once capital costs are recovered by Exxon, the flow of oil money will accelerate!

High Court could negatively affect offshore drilling

Dear Editor,

My attention was drawn to an article published by “The Guardian” with the caption “Could Guyana’s Exxon ruling scare big oil off risky exploration?” The article is an interesting read, and the thrust of it is spot on. It is precisely for this reason that the Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, in his press conference(s) following the High Court’s ruling, put forward the following contentions:

a) That Guyana is playing in the big league now, and the High Court’s ruling will not be without ramifications for Guyana.

b) Indeed, the ruling will certainly have an adverse impact on current and future investment prospects, as it sends a worrying signal to investors.

c) That “investors must be assured of predictable policies when they invest in Guyana, and reasoned that the recent ruling may be antithetical to that.”

d) “It’s important that institutions act in a professional manner, because we are attracting large volumes of capital from around the world, and what could have passed in the past as some sort of nationalism or economic nationalism will not hold water in the new dispensation.”

e) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in a statement, noted that the Environmental Act states that an “amount” must be specified.

f) The Vice President as well as this author has argued that there is no such thing as an “unlimited” guarantee in the industry. I also demonstrated that the GAAP reporting guidelines in this respect guarantees that there is no such provision as an “unlimited guarantee” per se, save and except for the terms and conditions where a guarantee does not include a stated cap. An estimate is nonetheless required, reflecting a reasonable

estimation of the maximum potential exposure.

g) And where it is not possible to make a reasonable estimation of the maximum potential exposure, future performance is expected to be either immaterial or have only a remote chance of occurrence, based on a risk assessment (and the same applies to (f) above).

In addition to the foregoing, I would like to address commentaries on the subject by one commentator who is associated with the Oil and Gas Governance Network (OGGN). In a letter to the media earlier this week, the OGGN author contended that the Government should not challenge the High Court’s ruling, and that the Government should allow ExxonMobil to walk away, because there are many other oil companies waiting for that to happen. In this light, the OGGN is advocating for the suspension of oil and gas production, exploration, and development without any concern for the ramifications. In fact, the ramifications have not been acknowledged by OGGN.

With this in mind, I am inclined to put into perspective, for the readers’ benefit, what those ramifications referred to would effectively translate to, and how it would impact the economy, the business sector, and, by extension, the Guyanese population.

Let’s start with local content in-country spend. The annual local content spend is now pegged at US$700 million or G$146.3 billion. This amount represents 19% of the 2023 national budget, 14% of non-oil GDP, and 5% of overall GDP. With ongoing strengthening of the Local Content framework and continuous improvement in capacity building, the local content annual spend is projected to reach US$1 billion, or G$200 billion annually. Therefore, any suspension of oil and gas activi-

ties would immediately translate to a loss of $146b - $200b annually. Further, this would translate to hundreds of companies that collectively employ thousands of Guyanese workers having to halt operations, thereby placing thousands of ordinary Guyanese workers and professionals on the breadline.

Further, a cessation of production activities would result in a loss of the annual earnings in profit oil and royalty, which approximates to about US$1.6 billion, based on current production rates and prevailing market price for crude. And so the national budget will revert to its preoil levels, and all of the capital development projects in infrastructure etc., currently ongoing across the country, partially funded by the oil revenues, will be jeopardised. This situation could result in a loss of income for thousands of households across the country.

Now, to understand the ripple effect on the economy: how this situation would affect household income, the business sector, and Government spending, we can use a conservative multiplier of 2xthe local content spend plus the annual earnings in profit oil and royalty (US$2.6b X 2 = US$5.2b). The resulting effect is an adverse impact on the economy equivalent to an estimated US$5.2 billion annually, representing 100% of nonoil GDP (2022), 37% of overall GDP (2022), and 144% of the 2023 national budget. The oil and gas value chain employs an estimated 20,000+ persons, multiplying this across all the other sectors that will be affected is an estimated 40,000100,000 (conservatively) families that would be affected, inter alia, a loss of household income.

Then there is the geopolitics ramification. The OGGN’s proposition to ‘let go of Exxon or forcefully push Exxon out of the country’ is precisely the mistake Venezuela

made more than a decade ago, which largely contributed to the state that country has now found itself in: from being one of the richest countries in the world to becoming one of the poorest. ExxonMobil and another oil company had taken legal action against the Venezuelan Government for compensation, which resulted in Venezuela being ordered to pay Exxon and joint venture partner a total sum of US$40 billion in compensation. If the Government acts in a manner as the OGGN oil and experts are proposing, Exxon and its co-venture partners will be well placed to undertake similar action as it did in the Venezuela case. Bearing in mind that Exxon and its partners have committed over US$30 billion investment in Guyana already. This sum is equivalent to 2.1 times overall GDP, 6 times non-oil GDP, and 33 times the country’s international reserve held at the Bank of Guyana.

Altogether, we are looking at a potential US$35 billion or G$7.3 trillion (minimum) in economic costs to the country in a worst-case scenario if this situation turns out a certain way. Guyana doesn’t have this kind of funds in the bank.

The sum total of the country’s international reserves: the funds in the Government’s deposit accounts and the funds in the Natural Resource Fund (NRF), represents no more than 6% of the potential economic costs. In other words, this would be the outcome of the actions of a certain newspaper publisher and others, OGGN included, if the Government is to act in such a manner based on their proposals. Simply put, it will be detrimental, bearing in mind that the hypothetic scenario presented herein is not an exaggeration.

Yours sincerely,

Joel Bhagwandin Public Policy and Financial Analyst

No long-term benefits to renegotiating Guyana’s oil contracts

Dear Editor, There has been a lot of talk about renegotiating our oil contracts. I have noted that only a few of these discussions speak to one of the most important aspects of the discussion, i.e. our geo-political situation.

Our current geopolitical situation is something that many of us forget when making these arguments, and it is perhaps the most crucial element in this entire scenario. For clarity, I’m referring to the unfounded claims of our aggressive neighbour.

There is no single solution to stopping Venezuela's territorial claims on Guyana, but there are several actions that Guyana can take to assert its sovereignty and protect its territorial integrity. While stopping Venezuela's territorial claims on Guyana

would require a multi-faceted approach that involves diplomatic engagement, legal recourse, strategic alliances, economic development, and military readiness, one proves to be more material than the others. Having US economic interests in Guyana is one of the best deterrents to Venezuelan aggression.

We should always remember Kissinger’s statement: “There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interests”. Should we renegotiate our contract and companies operating in Guyana no longer find their investment feasible, lose confidence, or no longer find us as a worthy investment destination and they all pull out slowly, would we reasonably expect protection from allies?

There would be no inter-

est to protect, and we would be left to our own devices for a few more dollars. Would it be worth it then? Would the few more dollars satisfy the myopic? Is renegotiation a strategic decision that is worth those risks? Not at all, in my opinion. What happens when our most influential ally is gone?

The agreements surrounding Guyana’s oil, as it is, are pretty good, given all our circumstances. But we must not forget one duty of the state is to honour commitments/agreements regardless of which administration made them. Reneging on these contracts will make all investors lose confidence in our country, and we will lose significantly, now and in the future.

In fact, when Venezuela was at its peak, and was one

of the wealthiest countries in the region, it made a decision that could be considered a catalyst for its downfall. Nationalisation in 2007, the exit of Exxon, and mismanagement led to a decrease in the per capita income, after an initial high. We all know what the economic reality of Venezuela is these days, and all of this occurred in a little over a decade.

Renegotiating an existing oil contract in Guyana has several disadvantages, including harm to investor confidence, legal complications, delays in production, reputational risk, and of course a loss of one of our most influential allies. Does anyone still think we need to renegotiate? I hope not.

Regards,

Anil Sukhdeo

CXC Questions: Maths

A Stone’s Throw

By Elma mitchEll

We shouted out ‘We’ve got her! Here she is! It’s her all right’. We caught her. There she was –A decent-looking woman, you’d have said, (They often are) Beautiful, but dead scared, Tousled – we roughed her up A little, nothing much And not the first time By any means She’d felt men’s hands Greedy over her body –But ours were virtuous, Of course. And if our fingers bruised Her shuddering skin, These were love-bites, compared To the hail of kisses of stone, The last assault And battery, frigid rape, To come Of right.

For justice must be done Specially when It tastes so good.

And then – this guru, Preacher, God-merchant, God-knows-what –Spoilt the whole thing, Speaking to her (should never speak to them) Squaring on the ground – her level, Writing in the dust Something we couldn’t read. And saw in her Something we couldn’t see, At least until He turned his eyes on us, Her eyes on us, Our eyes upon ourselves. We walked away Still holding stones That we may throw Another day Given the urge.

Questions: What type of poem is it? What is it all about? How did you know what it was about?

ExxonMobil appeals High Court ruling on oil spill insurance coverage – reiterates court failed to recognise financial obligations of co-venturers

United States-based oil giant ExxonMobil has disclosed that it has appealed the recent High Court ruling that is forcing the company to provide unlimited insurance for the offshore oil operations it is engaged in with its co-venturers in the Stabroek Block.

In a ruling earlier this month, High Court Judge, Justice Sandil Kissoon found that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has abdicated its exclusive statutory responsibilities and ordered that it issue Exxon’s local affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production (Guyana) Limited (EEPGL), with an Enforcement Notice to provide an unlimited Parent Company Guarantee Agreement and/or unlimited liability Affiliate Company Guarantee within 30 days. Failure to comply would result in the suspension of the permit dated May 31, 2022, the Judge has declared.

The EPA has since appealed the decision, arguing that the High Court Judge’s reasoning was flawed and that the permit was in keeping with the law.

On Thursday, Exxon sought to clarify its position on the recent events, declaring its support for the legal recourse taken by the EPA, while adding that it has also filed its “own appeal last week”.

According to the US oil major, “The court failed to recognise the ability of the Stabroek Block co-venturers to meet our financial obligations, which are supplemented by the insurance that we already have in place and the agreement we reached with the EPA for financial guarantees that exceed industry benchmarks.”

Exxon had previously contended, after the court ruling, that the Stabroek Block co-venturers – which include Hess Corporation and CNOOC Limited – have adequate and appropriate in-

surance as well as proposed guarantees in an amount that exceeds industry precedents and an estimate of potential liability.

Only recently, it was disclosed that after almost one year of negotiations, the EPA and EEPGL have completed a Parent Guarantee and Indemnity Agreement to the tune of US$2 billion in liability coverage in compliance with the EEPGL’s financial assurance obligations under the Environmental Permit and the Environmental Protection Act.

In addition to its appeal, the EPA had also asked the court for a stay in the execution of the High Court judgement. But this request was rejected by Appeal Court Judge, Justice Rishi Persaud.

Nevertheless, Justice Persaud fixed May 29 at 10:00h to hear arguments on whether the appeal has a reasonable prospect of success.

In September 2022, the President of the Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc (TIGI), Fredericks Collins and Guyanese citizen Godfrey Whyte had moved to the High Court to get the EPA to implement the liability clause in the permit issued to ExxonMobil for its operations. They wanted the court to ensure Exxon takes full financial accountability in the case of harm, loss, and damage to the environment from a well blowout, oil spill, or other failures in the Stabroek Block.

On the issue of whether the EPA acted in breach of its statutory duty and unreasonably permitted Esso to carry out petroleum production operations in the absence of compliance with the terms of the permit, Justice Kissoon ruled that the EPA committed an illegality, acted unlawfully, ultra vires, unreasonably, in defiance of logic, irrationally, and without any jurisdiction.

However, in its appeal filed by Attorney-at-Law

Evaluation team to...

Those add-ons to the hotel were scrapped. The hotel opened in 2015, the same year ExxonMobil first found oil in Guyana’s waters, and has since gone on to play an important part in Guyana’s developing oil and gas sector. It is used to accommodate local and overseas offshore workers, as well as serve as a prime venue to host numerous private and State-sponsored events.

It was against this backdrop that the Vice President argued that now is the right time to sell the hotel, which is currently operating at a profit even without the casino and entertainment centre add-ons.

“Now it would be best to sell the Marriott off. You could probably maximise the price that you will get when it’s profitable, and before the seven new hotels that are privately [being] built, that are international brands, come on the market…within a year or two,” he had stated.

Sanjeev Datadin, the EPA is seeking to set aside the ruling, insisting that the lower court’s reasoning was flawed.

“The trial court erred in law in its interpretation, consideration, and application of the combined effect of Clause 14 of the Environmental Permit…and erroneously concluded that the financial assurance to be provided by the third respondent herein, EEPGL, in relation to the said permit was unlimited… The trial court erred in law and misconstrued the Environmental Protection Act and its regulations to determine that the appellant [EPA], a statutory body, had specific statutory powers which in fact it did not have,” the agency stated in its grounds for appeal.

According to the EPA’s legal documents, the orders granted by Justice Kissoon are coercive and entirely remove the EPA’s discretion, which would have severe consequences. According to the Agency, there would be severe disruption to the nation-

al economy if the order is allowed to stand.

The EPA has been keen to point out that the very permit at the heart of the case is critically important to Guyana’s economic growth. It argued that should the permit which pertains to the Liza 1 and 2 fields be cancelled, this would have catastrophic consequences on the economy.

Maintaining Guyana’s investment climate

In fact, similar sentiments were stated by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, during a press conference on Thursday.

He pointed out that while the Government would not tolerate the disparaging of any Judge, such decisions coming out of the local

Judiciary would have global resonance and international consequences. This, he noted, is already evident in international reports, which are saying that potential investors are being cautious when it comes to Guyana.

According to Jagdeo, “… investors are spooked easily …As policy-makers we have to take seriously any issue that could affect our country’s standing in the world and our ability to attract investments and to keep the momentum that we have developed here going to transform Guyana… [Such court decisions] can have a major impact on the investment climate in Guyana… and therefore, on investments and jobs and welfare in this country.”

The Vice President further outlined too that while

the Government wants Exxon to fully meet its obligations so that the country is prepared for any eventuality, there is an agenda being pushed by certain players to shut down the blooming oil and gas industry in Guyana – something which he insisted will not be tolerated.

“Exxon has to meet all of its obligations, but we will not be a willing participant in a process that will destroy the investment climate in Guyana and therefore, affect our people and their ability to prosper. We will not do that… We have to maintain an investment climate here that would allow investments to flow. When the investments flow here, the hotels are built and our people get jobs. When they’re fabricating things for Exxon, they get more jobs. The 500 drivers or so who are driving for the oil and gas industry will maintain their jobs… This could affect the bid round [for the oil blocks as well],” the Vice President posited.

FROM PAGE 3

The construction of the Marriott Hotel, which started in 2011, had sparked widespread controversy. At the time, Jagdeo was the President, and his Administration had faced heavy criticism over the use of taxpayers’ money to finance the hotel. But Jagdeo has always defended the decision.

“The Government didn’t need to own a hotel at that time, but the era was that we were not getting new hotels built, and we had to trigger the investment… There is no particular supreme benefit to Government owning [the hotel],” he has emphasised.

According to the Vice President, the hotel is operating at a profit and provides some 500 jobs to Guyanese, directly and indirectly. He insists that selling the Kingston, Georgetown hotel now would bring in “maximum value” to the State, that could go towards triggering other investments in the country. (G-8)

Suspect remanded over Linden double murder

…our political tragedy

derly father being forcibly handled by the intruders, while one of her sons lay defenceless on the floor.

Wanted: John Ross

One of the suspects in last Saturday’s gruesome murder of two men during a home invasion in Linden was on Thursday charged and remanded to prison.

Shadwin Semple appeared before Magistrate Esther Sam at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where he was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that he murdered Johnson Bowen, 87, and Manuel Dos Santos, 58, during a home invasion of their Block 42, Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) home on May 13.

The accused has been remanded to prison until June 8, and the matter has been transferred to the Linden Magistrate’s Court.

Police instituted the charge against Semple after receiving advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

It is believed that Semple, along with others, is linked to the deadly home invasion that resulted in the tragic death of Bowen and Dos Santos, while Denzil Roberts sustained severe injuries and remains hospitalised.

According to reports, the family fell prey to armed bandits wearing black masks during the terrifying incident. Dos Santos’s wife provided a harrowing account, recalling being abruptly awakened by disturbing sounds emanating from the living room.

Rushing to investigate, she was confronted with the distressing sight of her el-

Linden taxi driver slapped with drug trafficking charge

A29-year-old taxi driv

er of Lot 227 Blue

Berry Hill Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) has been arrested and charged with trafficking in excess of one kilogram of marijuana.

When Kester Gilkes appeared in the Bartica Magistrate’s Court on Thursday to answer the charge, he pleaded not guilty and was remanded to prison until June 22 by Magistrate Crystal Lambert.

On Tuesday, May 16, Police ranks at the Sherima Police Station in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) stopped motor lorry GXX 340 for routine checks. The lorry was being driven by its owner Gladwyn King, a 44-yearold driver from Sophia, Greater Georgetown, and Kester Gilkes was the passenger therein.

Police searched the motor lorry as well as the driver and occupant. In Gilkes’s haversack, the Police found two transparent bulky parcels containing leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be cannabis sativa.

As such, Gilkes was told of the offence committed, cautioned, and arrested, after which he reportedly admitted ownership of the illegal substance.

He was then escorted to the Bartica Police Station, where the narcotic was weighed and amounted to one kilogram, 19 grams. Police kept Gilkes in custody pending charges.

Showing remarkable

spiralled into a chaotic bloodbath as the invaders resorted to indiscriminate gunfire, plunging the scene into panic and chaos. Tragically, the lifeless bodies of Manuel Dos Santos and Bowen were later discovered.

The day after the incident, wanted bulletins were issued for John Ross and Troy Bruce, both residents of Linden, as the Police intensify their efforts to bring all involved parties to justice.

Yep…we’re being reminded that it was SEVENTY YEARS ago – May 18, 1953 – when we had the first sitting of the House of Assembly that was constituted from the April 27 elections. Before those elections, there were all sorts of restrictions to determine who could be elected to run the country and decide how the money from taxes was spent. That was a long-drawn-out process from when slaves were defined by the White governors and planters as incapable of knowing what was good for themselves!! So the planters and merchants elected members of their clique to join officials sent out from the “Mother Country” to bear the “White man’s burden” and make such decisions!!

Gradually - VERY gradually!! – the restrictions like income, land ownership, literacy in English etc, were lifted in 1950, and universal franchise was applied in the 1953 elections: everyone over 21 years old could vote. Except incarcerated criminals and imbeciles – which describes how the Whites saw the rest of us before 1953!! Most of them still do…just show up announced at their immigration counters – even with a visa – and you’ll see!!

Troy

courage, Roberts, Dos Santos’s nephew, a resident of the neighbourhood, swiftly responded to the commotion, rushing to the aid of his family members. Against all odds, he managed to overpower one of the attackers, while Manuel Dos Santos and Valdeir Dos Santos, Manuel’s son, armed themselves with cutlasses and fearlessly confronted the remaining assailants.

A fierce struggle ensued, resulting in serious injuries being inflicted upon the suspects. The situation rapidly

Thirty-year-old Bruce, known as ‘Blacka’, a resident of Lot 26 Wismar Hill, Linden, turned himself in on Tuesday. Ross is still on the run, and his last known address is Five Corner, Linden.

Meanwhile, the suspected bandit who was found dead with multiple chop wounds has been identified as Anthony Dennis. He was found at a residence at Block 22 Wismar, Linden.

It has been revealed that one of the suspected gang members had previously faced charges related to a series of armed robberies in the Soesdyke/Linden area and in other locations.

Ranks from the Guyana Police Force’s Major Crimes Investigations Unit are continuing investigations.

Alleged cattle thief gets $100,000 bail

Aconstruction worker who was arrested by the Police earlier this week was on Thursday charged with larceny of cattle, an offence contrary to Section 176 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act.

Akeeno Smith, 33, of Lot 72 Victoria, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was arraigned before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court. He was not required to plead to the indictable charge, and was granted $100,000 bail. His matter has been adjourned until May 30.

Anyhow, the PPP had been formed in 1950, and –surprisingly, even to the leaders - they won 18 out of 24 seats!! Now everyone nowadays talks about the fact that the arch-imperialist Churchill - who was PM of Britain - suspended the constitution and threw out the new Government. He said the PPP Government was communist and - as the man who coined the term “Iron Curtain” – he wasn’t about to see the dastardly Russian commies behind the Curtain - with an ally in the British Empire! Especially since he was getting hysterical that the sun was setting on the said empire with the independence of the British Raj in 1947!!

But what was more interesting were the manoeuvres by Burnham to claim leadership of the PPP and become the Premier between winning the elections and taking their seats. He demanded “leader or nothing”!! It was a portent of what was to come!! Even though before the elections he was one of the most anti-British members of the PPP, as soon as they were ejected, he started to modify his tone and position himself as a “moderate”. The signals worked!! Even though he was a plotter by nature, having studied and lived in England, he knew firsthand how to play their game.

When the British jailed most of the top PPP execs, Burnham was left out – so that he could continue canvassing other “moderates” to stage his own coup to become a leader. The split of the PPP and the Brits and Yanks’ choice of Burnham was prefigured in 1953!!

The Greek tragedy just had to play out!! With the hero banished!!

…the new DHB

Even though they’ve moved it even further upriver, your Eyewitness sees they’re still calling the new bridge across the Demerara River, the “Demerara Harbour Bridge”. But maybe they’ll be building docks further and further upriver, so that the entire river qualifies as a “harbour”! Anyhow, your Eyewitness was pleased at the announcement that the construction HAD ACTUALLY BEGUN! Back in 2015, after sole-sourcing a design from some Dutch entity, the PNC’s Infrastructure Minister Patterson had promised he’d have a new DHB ready by 2018!!

Well, as soon as the PPP got into office in late 2020, THEIR Infrastructure Minister hit the ground running with a much more realistic plan. He announced that the new Bridge would be sited upstream, from La Grange on the West Bank to Peters Hall on the East Bank. Now, right away this caused severe conniptions in the PNC camp, since one of their financiers had already snapped up the land where Patterson’s bridge would’ve landed at Versailles.

That was a bridge too far!!

…with definitions

A Magistrate just ruled that a Minister isn’t a “public official”, which his dictionary said is “A position authorized by statute, resolution or charter to exercise part of the sovereign power of the governmental entity.”

Murder accused Shadwin Semple

Dead: Manuel Dos Santos

Dead: Johnson Bowen

Bruce

Alleged cattle thief Akeeno Smith

Remanded: Kester Gilkes

Mon Repos couple wanted by SOCU for money laundering surrender

their names, and they will not be giving any statements,” the lawyer has said.

Meanwhile, Riaz and his wife have described the Police’s wanted bulletins as “trash”.

Less than a day after the Guyana Police Force (GPF) had issued wanted bulletins for a couple from Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD), for questioning in relation to money laundering and other financial crimes, the duo surrendered in the company of their attorney.

On Wednesday, the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) —an arm of the GPF tasked with probing financial crimes —issued wanted bulletins for Riaz Ally and Jennifer Maria Ally, nee Ramnarine, both of Lot 9, Block “CC”, Mon Repos, ECD.

This publication understands that Jennifer’s father, Kenneth Killawan Ramnarine, and her brother Damien Ramnarine, all of Herstelling, East Bank Demerara (EBD), are together facing close to 400 money laundering charges valued at over $4 billion.

The couple is said to be the prosecution’s main witnesses in this matter. Riaz is a businessman, while his wife is unemployed.

In the company of their lawyer Bernard Da Silva, Riaz Ally and his wife turned themselves in to the SOCU Camp Street, Georgetown headquarters, where Da

Silva told media operatives that the Police are exploiting the use of wanted bulletins, because his clients have been cooperating with investigations.

“What is ironic about the wanted bulletin is that they are witnesses in another money laundering matter, they are prime witnesses in that matter…surprisingly, they are now considered suspects. I have spoken to Mr. Ali and Ms. Ali, and they would have indicated to me that they are surprised that SOCU would have issued a wanted bulletin” Da Silva said.

“We all know that a wanted bulletin is issued

when a person cannot be found and when efforts by the Police would have failed. This is not the case. This is a case where the Police are in constant contact, especially SOCU, they are in constant contact with these parties because they are prime witnesses. Surprisingly, it was not a summons issued to them, but rather a wanted bulletin, which means that they are now suspects, which also means by extension that they will be prevented from giving evidence in the matter which is connected, I’m assuming, unless it is in an independent investigation.

“They are here to clear

“We have been cooperating with SOCU, so I don’t know what is the need for the wanted bulletin; that took me by surprise. They can always pick the phone up [and call us] like they have done numerous times. They have our address,” Jennifer related.

The woman said the wanted bulletins have defamed her and her husband’s character.

Money laundering charges

Earlier this year, Jennifer’s father, brother, and stepmother Yevette Nalini Saroop were slapped with money laundering charges, and despite attempts before Magistrates and a High Court Judge to get bail, they are still all on remand. Da Silva is also representing Kenneth and Damien.

Kenneth and Saroop were arrested at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) while attempting to flee to the United States of America (USA).

SOCU had said its suspicions were primarily honed on the large number of unsubstantiated cash deposits made via Kenneth’s business accounts of Ken’s Trading Enterprise. The sources of funds and declarations submitted to several commercial banks show that most of the deposits are attributed to the proceeds of sales from biodegradable food boxes sold to local businesses, in particular Chinese restaurants, SOCU has disclosed.

According to the unit, a substantial number of wire transfers, amounting to over $3.7 billion, were sent to 22 companies in China under the pretext of importing raw materials to produce biodegradable products, while other sums totalling over $4.1B were disguised locally.

Investigators, it has been noted, did not find any legitimate source of these funds which the accused persons had wire-transferred out of Guyana, suggesting that they may be operating as nominees for some Chinese businesses, and were also facilitating tax evasion of the businesses.

Investigators at SOCU, including several senior officers, had contacted several prominent businesses in Georgetown during the investigations, which commenced in August 2020, and the businesses and persons the accused persons listed on their source of funding declaration forms have vehemently denied doing such large transactions with them.

As a result, SOCU noted, it conducted several covert

and overt investigations and operations over three years, monitoring the family and their lifestyles until enough evidence was collected beyond a reasonable doubt. SOCU is designated with responsibility for ensuring that money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes are fully and thoroughly investigated.

Guyana’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act provides for the establishment and management of a Financial Intelligence Unit; provides for unlawful proceeds of all serious offences to be identified, traced, frozen, seized, and forfeited; provides for comprehensive powers for the prosecution of money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes; provides for the forfeiture of the proceeds of crime and terrorist property; requires reporting entities to take preventative measures to help combat money laundering and terrorist financing; and provides for civil forfeiture of assets and matters connected therewith.

Attorney-at-Law Bernard Da Silva and his client Jennifer Maria Ally speaking with reporters in front of SOCU Headquarters on Thursday

Jennifer Maria Ally Riaz Ally

Albouystown man busted with $2.5M worth of ganja

Businessman Anthony Oscar Wilson is expected to be charged with possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking after he was busted with a quantity of cannabis during an operation conducted at his shop on Wednesday by ranks of the Customs-Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU).

The 41-year-old Wilson, of Hunter Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, was arrested by CANU ranks who stated that, during the operation, a quantity of suspected cannabis was unearthed, thus leading to Wilson’s arrest.

The suspect and the cannabis were escorted to CANU Headquarters, where the drug was weighed and amounted to 18lbs (8.2kg), which has a street value of about $2.5 million. Investigations are ongoing.

$1M in ganja unearthed among packets of snacks

The cannabis found

The CustomsAnti Narcotics Unit (CANU) on Wednesday unearthed 2.8 kilograms of cannabis in a box containing snacks destined for an interior loca-

and found the cannabis concealed among several packets of snacks in a box. The narcotic was confiscated and transported to CANU Headquarters, where it was weighed and amounted to

The box containing the snacks in which the ganja was unearthed

tion.

CANU has said that, on the day in question, agents acting on information received conducted an exercise at an interior transportation service company

6.3lbs (2.85kg) which has a street value of approximately $1 million. Investigations are continuing, but no arrest has been made.

The cannabis found in the shop during the operation

Busted with ganja: Anthony Wilson

Israeli company to soon begin work on US$15.7M hydroponics project in Guyana

Israeli company KARLICO INC will soon begin the first phase of works on a planned US$15,750,000 hydroponic project in Guyana. This was revealed by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha on Wednesday, who noted that some of the materials needed for the project have already arrived in the country.

“I spoke with them (the company)…and they are now awaiting the container, which [is] at the wharf. They have started setting up the areas, [and] will start their activity at Mon Repos. We know for a fact that they will get some land there. So, very shortly, we will see progress on that project,” Mustapha explained on Wednesday. He added that the company is willing to partner with local farmers and have them trained in specific areas, as required for the project.

In December 2022, the Agriculture Ministry had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the company, making way for the development of a massive project in regard to hydroponics production in Guyana. With climate change greatly impacting traditional agricultural practices, hydroponics and other forms of smart agriculture are gaining pop-

ularity within farming communities across the country.

Minister Mustapha had said the Israelis were among several investors who had expressed interest in setting up hydroponic systems in Guyana. He had also indicated that the hydroponics project would be integrated into the current shade house project that is currently ongoing on

the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).

It was reported that the project would involve a three-phase hydroponic production system, based on nutrient film techniques and soilless production systems designed for producing fresh herbs, lettuce and other leafy vegetables, and other high-value crops.

The first phase of the project, expected to be com-

pleted three months after the necessary groundwork has been completed, would see the company setting

up a 2,000-square-metre, state-of-the-art hydroponic system which would include a cold room, packaging facilities, harvesting equipment, irrigation controllers, fertilizer mixers, water recycling system, and emergency water storage, among other things.

Phase two would see the construction and installation of an advanced greenhouse system, while phase three would involve the construction of a regional distribution centre, where a variety of agricultural and food products would be collected, processed, packaged, and delivered to both local and international markets, meeting all of the necessary U.S.D.A and European Food Safety Authority standards and regulations.

KARLICO INC’s team of local and international experts is said to be specialised in the development, financing, construction, and management of agricultural and agri-tech projects.

Hydroponics technology being used to grow high-value crops like cauliflower, pak choy, and lettuce at the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI)

PM calls for int’l climate financing commitments to be honoured

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Retired)

Mark Phillips on Thursday called for international commitments on climate financing to be fulfilled to address disaster risk reduction and resilience building.

He made the call during a High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the Midterm Review of the im

plementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (HLM) in New York.

Prime Minister Phillips emphasised that the meeting was taking place at a critical time for Latin America and the Caribbean, noting that it was the second most di -

-

saster-prone region in the world.

Climate change, he highlighted, is exacerbating the impacts of natural hazards, with rising sea levels and more frequent and intense weather events. To this end, he called for international financing commitments to be fulfilled, including the US$100 billion promised to developing countries to address the impacts of climate change.

The Prime Minister reiterated the importance of increased international cooperation and support to reduce vulnerability to disasters. This includes going beyond Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in determining access to conces -

sional financing, which is critical for overall development, including resilience building.

He underscored Guyana’s call for the early completion of the United Nations Multidimensional Vulnerability Index and the speedy establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund, which will be critical for objectively determining vulnerability and resilience and the provision of resources to those most vulnerable and impacted by the effects of climate change.

In highlighting efforts being made to implement the Sendai Framework, the Prime Minister spoke about Guyana’s policies to build resilience against di -

saster risk that forms part of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030.

He also highlighted the importance of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to further enhance advanced disaster risk management and resilience across the Region.

In attendance at the High-Level Meeting are several Caricom Ministers, who met in a Caricom breakfast strategic meeting to discuss, among other things, the Region’s main positions and messages.

The meeting was coordinated by the Permanent Mission of Barbados in collaboration with CDEMA.

Inter-agency approach needed to avoid further industrial deaths at Bosai – Min Hamilton

that the submitted report includes several recommendations which the company must review within a specific timeline.

Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton

Bosai Minerals Group is in receipt of the findings of an investigation conducted by the Labour Ministry into the recent fatal accident that claimed the life of Neptrid Hercules back in March.

This is according to Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton, who revealed

“One of the important recommendations in the report is (the company has) to continue collaboration with the Ministry of Labour’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),” Hamilton related. “That Joint Technical Committee will be established, [and] already they’re working together to continue to pay attention to BOSAI and its operations, so that we never have such an accident and death again,” he added.

The 10-person investigation team handed over the report to the Labour Minister in April, following an approximately monthlong investigation into the accident.

In March, Hercules went missing along with the CAT D9T bulldozer he was operating at the time. His body was found several days later after an extensive search.

Reportedly, this was the result of a failure experienced by the overburden dump in the East Montgomery Mine, where

he was working, which led to him being covered by the overburden material.

The investigation into this accident reportedly included daytime and nighttime visits to the accident

site, verbal and written statements from witnesses and necessary parties, as well as a closer look into the culture of the organization and its expectations of employees.

During the April handover of the report, the team had relayed their intention for this investigation to be used as a template for any related investigations that may occur in the future.

MoE continues to push for Venezuelan children to learn English as 2nd language – as IOM donates workbooks, art supplies to MoE

Some 300 Venezuelan children who migrated to Guyana now have the opportunity to benefit from English as a second language (ESL) through the donation of workbooks and art supplies from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to the Education Ministry.

IOM Head of Office in Guyana, Erina Yaw, on Monday handed over these learning resources to the Permanent Secretary of the Education Ministry, Alfred King, who in turn expressed gratitude for the continued support the IOM has given to the education sector, particularly in assisting to provide the migrant population with quality education.

King added that for the first time in Guyana, the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) papers were translated into Spanish to accommodate mi-

Ministry on Monday

grant children, giving them a fair chance at attempting the examination in their first language.

Work, however, is still being done through the

Ministry’s Disaster Risk Prevention and Migrant Support Unit to ensure the children learn the language.

Last September, this unit conducted a two-day ESL

workshop which saw the participation of 28 teachers from 18 schools in Regions Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara) and Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

This training has equipped the teachers with the skills to provide linguistic support to returning Guyanese, Venezuelans and Indigenous children, to min-

imise their language barriers and help them more easily integrate into the local education system.

Coordinator of the Migrant Unit, Shanti Bisnauth, shared that the donation would aid the Ministry’s efforts to transform the country’s education sector by providing equitable education to vulnerable children across the country.

In addition, the IOM Head of Office in Guyana, Erina Yaw, explained that the IOM is open to supporting other educational initiatives within the Ministry, and is thankful for this growing partnership.

During this meeting, the IOM and the Education Ministry also signed a local cooperation agreement to signify a commitment to supporting migrant children in Regions Four (DemeraraMahaica) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

Part of the bulldozer uncovered during the search

Dead: Bosai worker Neptrid Hercules

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) donated English as a second language (ESL) learning supplies to the Education

Prime Minister Mark Phillips addressing the UN gathering on Thursday

Persons can soon switch service providers but retain their existing numbers – PUC

Local telecommunication consumers will soon be able to switch their providers but retain their existing telephone or cellular numbers.

This was announced on Wednesday by Chairperson of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), Dela Britton, during a webinar held in observance of World Telecommunications and Information Society Day.

She explained that the PUC has the statutory mandate to implement number portability in Guyana, a system which allows phone users to retain their phone numbers when changing from one network carrier to another.

“Number portability is game-changing in the competition space, as it allows consumers to retain their existing telephone or cellular numbers when switching providers. It generally forces players, when faced with competition, to improve their service offerings,” Britton said. She explained that the process to ensure number portability is introduced locally began in July 2021, when a working group was established comprising representatives of the PUC and service providers.

“PUC now eagerly awaits the completion of the testing processes, and we anticipate number portability will become a reality in Guyana in July of this year,” Britton said.

Currently, the phone service providers in Guyana are GTT, Digicel and E-Net. Another telecoms provider, Green Gibraltar, had received its licence in 2022. It is a 100 per cent Guyaneseowned company established in 2019.

Reports indicate that Guyana has 745,689 mobile subscribers; 97,179 land-

line subscribers; and 123,856 fixed internet subscribers.

The Peoples’ Progressive Party (PPP), after taking office on August 2, 2020, officially liberalised the telecommunications sector with the commencement orders issued on October 5, 2020.

Liberalisation journey

In 1990, the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company Limited (GT&T) was granted a licence by the Government of Guyana, giving the company a monopoly on landline services and international outbound and inbound calls in Guyana.

However, no provision was made in the licence for monopoly operations of mobile voice services. In 2007, U-Mobile (Guyana) Inc, trading as Digicel, entered the Guyana market and was granted a licence to operate mobile voice services, heralding competition in the mobile market.

On October 5, 2020, when the Telecommunications Act No. 18 of 2016 became effective, creating an automatic termination of GT&T’s monopoly designation, the telecommunications sector entered into an era of new possibilities. The concept of liberalisation was finally re-

alised. The Government of Guyana granted new licences to the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company Limited and U-Mobile (Cellular) Inc., and also issued a licence to a third operator, E-Networks Inc., all of which have expanded the Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC) regulatory reach.

On October 23, 2020, by the requisite publication in the Official Gazette, seven accompanying telecommunications regulations became effective: Licensing and Frequency Authorisation; Spectrum Management; Universal Access and Universal Services; Interconnection and Access; Pricing; Consumer Protection, and Competition. As a consequence of this, com-

petition was increased, and modern (4G and beyond) service is being extended to previously underserved areas.

Competition is driving innovation, as companies move to improve service and keep/ acquire customers. Operators are investing in networks to provide modern and up-todate services to Guyanese in order to win and retain customers. The new submarine cable to be landed by U-Mobile (Cellular) Inc. is expected to lead to more competition for international data and international long-distance service, thus resulting in reduction of prices, especially for high-speed Internet.

The Telecommunications Act of 2016 was first laid by the Government in the 9th

Parliament in August 2011, and laid again in the 10th Parliament in 2012, after extensive consultations with both the public and operators. During the life of both Parliaments, the Act enjoyed commendable bipartisan support. It spent considerable time before a select committee chaired by Carl Greenidge, which included Former Prime Minister Samuels Hinds and then Minister Mohamed Irfaan Ali.

The Act was finalised before the 2015 elections, and was enacted by the coalition Government in 2016 by Minister Catherine Hughes, again with bipartisan support. It was passed with the stated intention of ending the monopoly which GTT has enjoyed.

Under the coalition Government, it was reported that the liberalisation of the sector was heavily dependent upon the settlement of a US$44 million tax claim against GTT by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

According to reports, the local telecommunication giant wanted the tax debt settled before moving ahead with liberalisation. As such, the former Government failed to bring into force the Act that they themselves passed.

MoH, PYAC launch National Mental Health 24hr Website

The Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Presidential Youth Advisory Council (PYAC), on Thursday launched the National Mental Health Website to better document and respond to the needs of individuals across the country who seek mental health services.

“It’s such a serious un-

dertaking when people come to us at their most vulnerable moments, and we need to make sure that the ways that we are responding would be the most appropriate ways,” Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony relayed during the launch.

This website has been months in the making, with a lot of time having been tak-

en to discuss and refine the approaches adopted to best assist those who seek assistance.

“[Now] we will get people calling in, we will get people interacting; and as we work on this, we will see how to change it to make sure that we are constantly very responsive,” Dr. Anthony added.

The National Mental Health Website provides users with important terms associated with mental health, as well as allows them to learn the signs of mental health illnesses in children, adolescents and adults, view testimonials from individuals who share their own mental health journey, and those who address the stigma surrounding mental health.

One of the highlights of the site, the PYAC representatives explained, is the live chat element which allows persons to message a support agent at any time and request assistance. They are also giv-

en the option of choosing to video call the agent.

This project, Dr Anthony stated, has also been one in which President Dr. Irfaan Ali has taken a personal interest, having recognised the importance of maintaining mental health, as Guyana holds one of the highest suicide rates in the world, with an estimated 41 deaths in every 100,000 persons.

“We want to make sure that we are able to reduce those numbers, and if we can get to a place where nobody in the country is going to commit suicide, that’s really the ideal to aspire for,” the Minister added.

The National Assembly recently passed the Suicide Prevention Act, decriminalising suicide in Guyana and providing suicide prevention services and support for survivors of suicide, persons with suicidal ideation, and those who have lost loved ones to suicide. This is in addition to the passing of the Mental

Health Protection and Promotion Bill that replaced the 1930 Mental Hospital Ordinance.

“The way we practise mental health is much different from a couple decades ago, because, in those times, the easiest thing to do [was if] somebody’s got a mental health problem, to put them in an institution and lock them away,” Anthony said.

“That’s not modern practice. A lot of people might have some issues now, but with the right counselling [and] the right treatment, people can get back to their normal lives,” Minister Anthony said. “We want to make sure that, in that period of vulnerability, we are able to help people so that they can get on back with their normal lives.”

In providing better mental healthcare across the country, the Health Minister explained that psychiatrists have also been appointed to cover Regions

Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands-

West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), with efforts being made to provide services in the hinterland regions as well.

The Health Ministry is also working to ensure there are trained individuals working at the primary healthcare centres.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) actually has a protocol on how you can interview patients, how you can get this information from them, and then how you can utilise this information,” Dr Anthony explained. “One of the things that the Mental Health Unit is doing is training doctors and primary care physicians on this methodology, so that all our primary healthcare centres would have people who are skilled in working with persons who would have mental health vulnerabilities,” the Minister said, adding that this is a work in progress.

A demonstration of how the National Mental Health Website’s live chat works Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony during the launch of the National Mental Health Website

PUC Chair Dela Britton

Quindon Bacchus’s murder

5 of 15 prosecution witnesses testify as PI continues

With the next hearing scheduled for July 25 at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court, 10 more prosecution witnesses remain to testify in the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the murder of Quindon Bacchus, a father of one who was allegedly shot dead by a Policeman last year.

Police Constable Kristoff De Nobrega, 23, who was stationed at the Special Branch Unit, has been charged with Bacchus’s murder, which occurred on June 10, 2022. He has not been required to plead to the indictable charge.

Guyana Times understands that the prosecution intends to call 15 witnesses, five of whom have already testified. Magistrate Fabayo Azore is presiding over the PI, while Attorney-at-Law Bernard DaSilva is representing the murder accused.

Twenty-three-year-old Bacchus, of Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was fatally shot during a Police sting operation at Haslington, ECD. It has been reported that on the day in question, undercover Police ranks, including

Lance Corporal De Nobrega, were conducting an intelligence-led operation in the Haslington New Scheme, after receiving some information earlier in the day.

The ranks had gone to Bacchus’s home, where he was seen with a firearm in his possession. He reportedly had intended to sell the illegal firearm to the ranks. The plainclothes rank De Nobrega, who was armed, had made arrangements to

purchase the firearm from Bacchus.

In the process of handing over the firearm to the rank, an alarm was raised and Bacchus reportedly ran away from the ranks. A chase ensued, during which Bacchus reportedly shot at the ranks, who returned fire, injuring him in several places about his body.

The Police say Bacchus was picked up in a conscious state and escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was treated but subsequently died.

Police Headquarters had said that a .380 pistol with a magazine that contained one round and a .380 spent shell and two 9mm spent shells were recovered at the scene. The incident was investigated by the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), and it was recommended that the Police rank and two of his colleagues be charged. This decision was endorsed by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Meanwhile, Police Lance Corporal Thurston Simon and Police Sergeant

Dameion Mc Lennon have been charged with attempting to obstruct the course of justice, for allegedly giving false information to investigators probing Bacchus’s death.

Sergeant Mc Lennon, 35, of Lot 175 ‘B’ Field, South Sophia, Greater Georgetown, who was initially remanded to prison by a Magistrate, was in August 2022 granted $250,000 bail

by a High Court Judge. It is unclear whether Lance Corporal Simon, 24, of Bareroot, ECD, was admitted to bail.

Following Bacchus’s death, violent protests had erupted at several ECD villages. The protests led to several vendors at the Mon Repos Market being robbed and their stalls vandalised and goods looted. Some of the ‘protesters’ who

were armed with cutlasses, knives, iron bars, and other handy weapons, destroyed vendors’ goods, burnt stalls, and vehicles, shattered windscreens of vehicles, and even terrorised vendors. The vendors were compensated by the Government, and close to two dozen men were arrested and charged with the offence of riotous behaviour. Bail was granted to all of them.

PAHO donates immunisation, maternal healthcare equipment to MoH

to give better care to these groups of populations, specifically adolescent girls and women,” he added.

Also in attendance at this handing-over ceremony were Maternal and Child Health Officer Dr Oneka Scott, Women’s Health Coordinator Dr Maneke Williams, and Medex Andrea Budburgh and other staff from the Health Ministry and PAHO.

The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) on Wednesday handed over 44 pieces of equipment to the Health Ministry to advance its Maternal, Adolescent and Neonatal Health and Immunisation Programme.

Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony received the Global Affairs Canadafunded equipment from PAHO Representative Dr. Luis Codina during a simple ceremony at the Central Supply Unit (CSU Bond) in Kingston, Georgetown.

The items include LED examination lamps, gynaecological beds, foetal dopplers, solar-powered vaccine refrigerators, and portable ultrasound machines.

Dr Anthony expressed his appreciation to PAHO and the Canadian Government for their commitment towards improving healthcare across Guyana through their donations.

“We’ve been constantly trying to upgrade our

cold chain storage to make sure that we can store vaccines adequately at the level of the health centres,” Dr Anthony said. “Several of the health centres in the rural areas in the interior of Guyana do not have electricity, so the only way we can have these refrigerators work is to make sure they are solar,” he explained.

The Minister added that PAHO has been working with the Ministry for several years to provide solar refrigerators for these hinterland communities.

Dr. Anthony also expressed gratitude for the donation of equipment related to improving the delivery of maternal healthcare.

“We want to ensure that we have the right equipment out in the community, so that we can make better diagnose and be able to ensure that, if we discover a problematic pregnancy, that we can take the necessary precautions so that

that mother would be safe,” he explained.

“The ultrasound [machines] that we have here, the dopplers and other pieces of equipment, will certainly help us to provide a better quality of maternal care,” the Minister added.

Meanwhile, Dr. Codina expanded on PAHO’s commitment to aiding the Health Ministry to better serve patients seeking maternal healthcare, particularly adolescent girls in Regions One (BarimaWaini), Four (DemeraraMahaica), Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

“The work that the Ministry is doing in these regions, related to adolescent health, especially for girls, [is commendable]. Supporting them, facilitating their access to health services, and also empowering them to be much more aware of their decisions in

their day-to-day lives,” he added.

“With all this work,

plus the equipment, we are thinking that the health services will be reinforced

PAHO and the Health Ministry have had a longstanding partnership. This equipment handover just reinforced their dedication to improving healthcare in Guyana.

Dead: Quindon Bacchus

Remanded: Lance Corporal Kristoff De Nobrega

Lance Corporal Thurston Simon Sergeant Dameion Mc Lennon

Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) donated immunisation and maternal healthcare equipment to the Health Ministry on Wednesday

G/T agro-processors benefit from GNBS measurement training

The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) on Wednesday conducted the final of its three countrywide special metrology training sessions to aid agro-processors to understand best practices for measuring their products.

This training was done in anticipation of World Metrology Day, to be celebrated on Saturday under the theme “Measurements supporting the global food system.”

“[This training] is basically to introduce (agro-processors) to measurements, for them to understand why they need to measure, why they need to [do so] accurately, and the importance

of that in terms of ensuring quality control,” said Shailendra Rai, GNBS Head of Legal Metrology.

“Also, when they pre-package their products, they [need to ensure they do so] accurately, so whatever quantity they declare on the package is what the consumers actually receive,” Rai added.

This training session saw about 30 agro-processors and manufacturers of food products within Georgetown, while the other two similar sessions the GNBS held earlier in Essequibo and Berbice saw approximately 20 each.

“The takeaway for manufacturers should be that measurements are not

something you do by guessing. You must have an accurate measuring instrument, [and] instruments must be verified by the GNBS or calibrated, because calibration is also important in ensuring accuracy,” said Lloyd David, GNBS Head of Corporate Communications.

Accurate measuring tools combined with trained personnel who understand the implications of inaccurate measurements, David explained, would result in accurate and reliable measurements.

“That’s what consumers look for. They don’t want to have doubts in their measurements when they buy products. So, the GNBS is

working to guide these manufacturers as well as protect consumers,” David said. These training sessions have been welcomed by agro-processors, with many eager to improve their operations, Rai shared.

for Georgetown agro-processors on Wednesday is important to get it right to put on the labels.”

At the training session on Wednesday, Marcia Gonsalves of Marcia’s Products – which manufactures cassava bread, cassareep and coconut oil, among other products – relayed that this session was a positive learning experience for her. “I’m willing to learn anything that can make my products better, and to always enhance them,” Gonsalves said. “I’ve learned how to do different measurements, and why it

Businessman to assist Berbice resident with prosthetic leg

by his wife Kavita Crawford, met the businessman on Thursday, and discussions were had on the way forward in regard to him having a prosthetic leg.

Those discussions have already started to bear fruit, as the businessman arranged an appointment with a doctor at the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre.

Ramcharitar, accompanied by Mohamed, subsequently visited the Centre, and the process has begun.

In addition, the businessman has made a tangible monetary donation to the young man to expand his cattle-rearing business and to take care of other personal expenses.

Presently, Ramcharitar has about 18 head of goats that he rears on a daily basis even though he is incapacitated.

Likewise, Govinda Singh, Marketing and Sales Manager at Roy’s Quality Products –which produces spices and seasonings –also shared how this training would benefit company operations.

“Measurements are very important in the industrial sector; manufacturing especially, which we are a part of. We need to ensure that our measuring instruments are calibrated and verified to better serve our customers,” Singh said.

As a continuation of their World Metrology Day activities, the GNBS is also launching the “verification of net content” programme on Friday.

“This programme is basically checking the pre-packaged products – both at the sale outlets level and the manufacturing entities level – to ensure that whatever net quantity is declared on the packages are accurate. And if there is need for corrective action, the proprietors can take the necessary action to correct them,” Rai explained.

Duo jailed, fined for trafficking cannabis

Days after Naresh Ramcharitar of Mibicuri, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne Berbice was seen on social media pleading for assistance to obtain a prosthetic leg, businessman

Azruddin Mohamed is now integrally involved in making sure the plea of the 26-year-old becomes a reality.

According to a social media post, the young man, who was accompanied

Ramcharitar was involved in an accident about one year ago, while working with a well-known rice farmer in Black Bush Polder. That accident caused him to lose his right leg. Now with him moving closer to getting a prosthetic leg, the young man is thankful for the businessman’s intervention.

Anyone who wishes to make a donation to Ramcharitar can contact his wife on telephone number 659-2604.

Michael Embarak and Allico Sealey were on Thursday separately charged, jailed, and fined for possession of, and trafficking in, narcotics.

The Customs-Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) stated that Embrack appeared before Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh for trafficking 33.2 lbs of cannabis on February 7, 2022. Embrack pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment and fined $9 million.

Allico Sealey appeared before Magistrate Peter Hugh at the New Amsterdam Magistrates Courts, where a charge for possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking was read to her.

CANU reported that she had 908 grams of ganja and 260 grams of cannabis seeds in her possession on May 15, 2023.

Sealey pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year and six months’ imprisonment, and was fined $544,000.

Jailed: Michael Embarak Jailed: Allico Sealey

Ramcharitar and his wife with businessman Azruddin Mohamed

Guyana National Bureau of Standards hosted a special metrology training session

Oil prices settle down 1%; strong US data boosts dollar

Oil prices slid about one per cent on Thursday after solid US economic data spurred the dollar to reach a twomonth high on growing expectations the US Federal Reserve could raise interest rates again in June.

Brent futures fell US$1.10, or 1.4 per cent, to settle at US$75.86 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 97 cents, or 1.3 per cent, to settle at US$71.86.

A stronger dollar can weigh on oil demand by making the fuel more expensive for holders of other currencies.

US inflation does not seem to be cooling fast enough to allow the Federal Reserve to pause its interest-rate hike campaign, according to two Fed policymakers.

From remarks from Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Lorie Logan and St Louis Fed President James Bullard, it appeared that a minority hawkish view has gained ground at the Fed in the runup to the next policy meeting on June 13-14.

High interest rates boost borrowing costs, which can slow the economy and reduce oil demand.

"Good news for the economy is now bad news for the crude demand outlook as economic resilience will force the Fed to kill the economy," said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at data and analytics firm OANDA.

The strength of April US economic data in addition to optimism about the debt ceiling negotiations have strengthened market expectations of a further hike, ANZ Research said in a note on Thursday.

President Joe Biden and top US congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday underscored their determination to reach a deal to raise the federal Government's US$31.4 trillion debt ceiling. The Government could run out of money to pay its bills as soon as June 1.

US Vice President Kamala Harris and Biden's top economic adviser, Lael Brainard said a debt default would throw the economy into a recession.

Meanwhile, European Central Bank (ECB) Vice President Luis de Guindos said the ECB would have to keep raising interest rates further to bring inflation back to its mid-term goal of two per cent though most of the tightening has already been done.

Also weighing on oil prices, blue-chip stocks in China, the world's biggest oil importer, slipped after the country's industrial output and retail sales growth undershot forecasts, suggesting the economic recovery is losing momentum.

Another factor that could reduce oil demand was a fire in Mexico at the Salina Cruz refinery owned by Mexican State oil company Pemex. Workers were evacuated, no one was injured and the fire has been controlled, according to the local Red Cross.

On the supply side, Saudi Arabia's crude oil exports rose about one per cent to 7.52 million barrels per day (bpd) in March from the previous month, according to data from the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI).

Kpler and Petro Logistics, which also monitor shipments, however, have said Saudi exports may have fallen in May as a voluntary production cut pledged by the kingdom and other Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) plus their allies, a group known as OPEC+, takes hold. (Reuters)

Around The World

Russian forces in retreat near Bakhmut, Ukraine and Wagner say

The Ukrainian military and Russia's Wagner private army both reported further Russian retreats around the city of Bakhmut on Thursday, as Kyiv pressed on with its biggest advance for six months ahead of a planned counteroffensive.

Ukrainian troops near the front line said Russia was bombarding access roads to slow the Ukrainian assault, which has shifted momentum after months of slow Russian gains in Europe's deadliest ground combat since World War Two.

"Now, for the most part, as we have started to advance, they are shelling all the routes to front positions, so our armoured vehicles can't deliver more infantry, ammunition and other things," said Petro Podaru,

commander of a Ukrainian artillery unit.

Ukraine's military said troops had advanced in places by more than a mile. Its forces had been on the defensive for half a year, weath-

ering a huge offensive by Moscow that saw only slow gains.

"Despite the fact that our units do not have an advantage in equipment ... and personnel, they have con-

tinued to advance on the flanks, and covered a distance of 150 to 1700 metres (1.1 miles)," military spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi said in televised comments.

Ukraine's gains have been accompanied by a deepening public split within Russia's forces between Wagner, which has led the Bakhmut campaign, and the regular Russian military.

The blasted ruins of Bakhmut, described by both sides as a "meat grinder", would be Moscow's only prize for its huge winter offensive that failed elsewhere along the front.

Kyiv says it has launched local advances around Bakhmut as a prelude to an upcoming big counteroffensive that it hopes will turn the tide against Russia's 15-month-old invasion.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

More than half of the world's large lakes are drying up, study finds

More than half of the world's large lakes and reservoirs have shrunk since the early 1990s, chiefly because of climate change, intensifying concerns about water for agriculture, hydropower and human consumption, a study published on Thursday found.

A team of international researchers reported that some of the world's most important freshwater sources – from the Caspian Sea between Europe and Asia to South America's Lake Titicaca – lost water at a cumulative rate of around 22 gigatonnes per year for nearly three decades. That's about 17 times the volume of Lake Mead, the United States' largest reservoir.

Fangfang Yao, a surface hydrologist at the University of Virginia who led the study in the journal Science, said 56 per

cent of the decline in natural lakes was driven by climate warming and human consumption, with warming "the larger share of that".

Climate scientists generally think that the world's arid areas will become drier under climate change, and wet areas will get wetter, but the study found significant water loss even in humid regions. "This should not be overlooked," Yao said.

Scientists assessed almost 2000 large lakes using satellite measurements combined with climate and hydrological models.

They found that unsustainable human use, changes in rainfall and run-off, sedimentation, and rising temperatures have driven lake levels down globally, with 53 per cent of lakes showing a decline from 1992 to 2020.

Nearly two billion peo-

Italy floods leave 13 dead and force 13,000 from their homes

More than 20 rivers have burst their banks in Italy, leaving 13 people dead and forcing thousands from their homes after six months' rainfall fell in a day and a half.

More bodies were found on Thursday after almost every river flooded between Bologna and the north-east coast 115 kilometres (70 miles) away.

Some 280 landslides have taken place.

The Mayor of Ravenna, a city badly affected by flooding, told the BBC it was the worst disaster in a century.

Michele de Pascale de-

scribed the damage caused by the floods as catastrophic, costing people in his city and the wider region their homes, possessions and for some, their lives.

"It was a very bad 48 hours. Water and mud took over our whole village," said Roberta Lazzarini, 71.

Her home of Botteghino di Zocca, south of Bologna, was hit by a torrent on Wednesday. Streets, houses and gardens were inundated and Roberta said she was still scared.

"I've never seen anything like that here. We were stuck and didn't know what to do.

I just hope it doesn't happen again."

Firefighters helped residents flee their houses, in-

ple, who live in the basin of drying lakes, are directly affected and many regions

have faced shortages in recent years.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

project

Adecision by Brazil's environmental regulator to block State-owned oil company Petrobras' Amazon oil project has exposed tensions in President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's coalition between green advocates and those prioritising economic development.

Ibama, late on Wednesday, said it would block a request by State-run oil giant Petrobras to drill at the Amazon mouth near Amapá, in a much-awaited decision that followed a technical recommendation by Ibama experts to reject the project.

In a filing, Petrobras said it planned to file an appeal for Ibama to reconsider its ruling, saying it "strictly complied with all the requirements of the licencing process".

The decision by Ibama, which is overseen by Lula's Environment Minister, the globally-recognised environmentalist Marina Silva, has riled some within the governing coalition.

Lula, who hails from the poor northeast, has staked his international reputation on reversing environmental back-sliding under his far-right predecessor former President Jair Bolsonaro. But he is also under pressure to deliver much-needed growth to poor, under-developed regions in the north and northeast, and wants state-owned Petrobras to be an engine of that growth.

Petrobras' said in its filing that it was not giving up hope on its plans to develop an oil-rich region with potential reserves of up to 14 billion barrels of oil. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Ukrainian service members from a 28th separate mechanised brigade fire a mortar at their positions at a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk region, Ukraine, May 18, 2023 (Reuters/Sofiia Gatilova)

Lula’s coalition roiled by decision to block Petrobras' Amazon

The mouth of Amazonas River on the coast of Amapa state, near Macapa city, northern Brazil, March 31, 2017 (Reuters/Ricardo Moraes)

cluding a 97-year-old woman who had to leave her bedroom in a rubber dinghy. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Rescue operations in the small village of Massa Lombarda, about 10km from Imola

DAILY HOROSCOPES

Consider what’s meaningful and enjoyable, and set a course to take you where you want to go. Work to eliminate stress by heading in a direction that offers comfort and satisfaction.

(March 21-April 19)

Check your options and consider what will help you reach your objective. Reach out to an expert or attend a conference that will broaden your vision and help you see how you can advance.

(April 20-May 20)

PEANUTS

(May 21-June 20)

Refuse to let anyone take advantage of you. Listen, and you’ll see whom you can trust not to take advantage of you. Sign up for something you want to learn or explore.

Use your expertise to help others. Your suggestions will give hope to those in need and help you establish yourself. You’ll advance if you are willing to do the work in a unique and timely fashion.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

(June 21-July 22)

Observe how others handle situations, and proceed cautiously. You’ll likely upset someone if you overreact or fall short when dealing with responsibilities. Keep a steady pace and avoid drama.

(July 23-Aug. 22)

Think, learn and make your decisions clear to others. Spend time with a loved one, and make plans that will encourage you to do more together. Sign up for an event or volunteer for a cause.

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Physical work will rectify any anxiety you feel. Put your energy where it counts, and you’ll feel better about yourself and your accomplishments. Make a change at home that adds to your comfort.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Something will pull you in an unexpected direction. Go with the flow and reach out to those you work well with. Romance is in the stars, and now’s the time to make big plans.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Channel your energy into sorting through unfinished business and updating paperwork. Don’t leave something important in the hands of someone unreliable. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Don’t fret over what’s wrong when you can work toward making something right. Stay focused on opportunities, host an event and spend time romancing a loved one.

Ensure you understand what others expect of you before making a commitment. Emotional matters will escalate if you discuss sensitive issues. Be willing to stand up for your beliefs.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

Count your savings and move money around, invest in something that will help you raise your worth and discuss your intentions, feelings and plans with a loved one. Put your energy where it counts.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

Sparta Boss, Bent St ready for One Guyana Futsal finals

…Mohamed’s Enterprise reassures commitment to next tournament

Atrade of words between captains from Bent Street and Sparta Boss yesterday suggests that fans will be in for a treat when the two sides collide on Saturday at the National Park in the finals of the One Guyana Futsal Championship.

With $1 million up for grabs, courtesy of KFC Guyana, both teams are determined to leave everything on the court and emerge victorious.

Akel Clarke, captain of Bent Street, and Curtez Kellman, captain of Sparta Boss, both members of the country’s National team, the Golden Jaguars, are looking forward to the highly anticipated match.

Despite their camaraderie off the court, the

two captains will put their friendship aside to focus on winning the Mohamed’s Enterprise trophy and the coveted first-place prize.

Kellman acknowledges that while Sparta Boss emerged victorious in their previous meeting in the finals of the GFF/Kashif and Shanghai Futsal championship at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, Bent Street’s attacking prowess’ led by Daniel Wilson, Sheldon Holder and Clive Nobrega, cannot be underestimated.

On the other hand, Clarke believes that Bent Street’s exceptional goalkeeping and attacking skill set displayed throughout the tournament will lead them to victory. With

Jermaine Junor, Kellman,

and Ryan Hackett leading the scoring for Sparta Boss, it remains to be seen

who will come out on top in this exciting final.

Tata IPL 2023: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad…

Clinical Kohli, du Plessis keep RCB's fate in their hands

of the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation, expressed his excitement for the final and reiterated his support for the One Guyana Futsal tournament.

Apart from the grand prize of $1 million, the second-place team will receive $500,000, while the third and fourth-place finishers will take home $200,000 and $100,000, respectively.

While the focus is on the thrilling futsal action, fans can also look forward to entertainment options.

Jamaican DJ and dancehall artiste Noah Power will headline a range of local acts expected to entertain the crowd when the curtains come down on the finals.

Astunning

chase from Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis significantly strengthened Royal Challengers Bangalore's hopes of making it to the playoffs, despite one of the great T20 hundreds by Heinrich Klaasen to set up a target of 187. Kohli scored his sixth IPL hundred, making it the first IPL match with hundreds from either side.

When Kohli left, RCB needed just 15 from 13 balls, which they got with relative ease with four balls to spare.

RCB momentarily reached the top four with 14 points to their name, level with Mumbai Indians. Both sides have a game left, but RCB have the better net run rate. It might well come down to these two teams' fi nal matches on the final day of the league stages.

SRH's top-order woes continue

Asked to bat first on what began as a slowish surface, the new SRH opening combi nation of Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Tripathi strug gled to get bat on ball. In the first three overs they scored just 11 runs. And just af ter Tripathi began going with a four and a six in the fourth over, they both gift ed their wickets to Michael Bracewell. Abhishek cut a short and wide loosener straight to cover point, and Tripathi lapped him to short fine leg.

Klaasen checks in

It might be rude to say so, but the early strikes were a blessing in disguise for SRH. They brought out their best batter to bat early. And to the first ball he faced, Klaasen showed why he is their best. This offbreak from Bracewell turned appreciably, ending at the top of the leg stump, but Klaasen went back and

punched it past extra cover for four.

Klaasen's ability to hit off the back foot anything marginally short of a length or slow in the air forced the spinners every now and then to overpitch. Whenever they did overpitch, Klaasen was quick to come forward and launch them down the ground. The ease with which Klaasen hit spin - he eventu ally scored 70 off 29 against them, with five fours and five sixes - forced RCB to bring back the quicks sooner than they would have liked to.

Mohammed Siraj and Wayne Parnell bowled eco nomical overs, but Klaasen

took the significant RCBsupporting section of the crowd just one ball to come back to life after Klaasen had lowered their volume.

Kohli drove at an outswinger from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and got four for it. The next ball he drove off the back foot and over cover-point. The roof came off.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (20 ovs maximum)

BATTING R B

Abhishek Sharma c

Lomror b Bracewell 11 14

Rahul Tripathi c Patel

b Bracewell 15 12

Aiden Markram (c) b

Shahbaz Ahmed 18 20

Heinrich Klaasen

†b Patel 104 51

Harry Brook not out 27 19

Glenn Phillips c Parnell

b Mohammed Siraj 5 4

Extras (b 1, w 5) 6

TOTAL 20 Ov (RR: 9.30) 186/5

Did not bat: Bhuvneshwar

Kumar, Kartik Tyagi, Mayank

Dagar, Nitish Kumar Reddy

Fall of wickets: 1-27

(Abhishek Sharma, 4.1 ov), 2-28

(Rahul Tripathi, 4.3 ov), 3-104

(Aiden Markram, 12.5 ov), 4-178

(Heinrich Klaasen, 18.5 ov), 5-186

(Glenn Phillips, 19.6 ov) •

Shahbaz Ahmed

Harshal Patel

Karn Sharma

Royal Challengers Bangalore (T: 187 runs from 20 ovs) BATTING R B

Virat Kohli c Phillips b Kumar 100 63

Faf du Plessis (c) c Tripathi b Natarajan 71 47

Glenn Maxwell not out 5 3 Michael Bracewell not out 4 4 Extras (b 2, nb 1, w 4) 7

19.2

bat: Mahipal Lomror,

Rawat †, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Wayne Parnell, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj

Kohli, 17.5 ov), 2-177

Patel. It left RCB needing to bowl an over of spin at the death, which is when Klaasen hit Shahbaz Ahmed for successive sixes.

Parnell, Siraj finish off well

Even when Klaasen was going great, he didn't get much support from the other end. Parnell and Siraj bowled overs 18 and 20 for seven and four runs respectively to keep SRH down to 186. Klaasen

scored 104 off 51, the other batters 76 off 69. This was a special innings with a control percentage of 97.1 and a strike-rate of 204. Only AB de Villiers has ever scored a better-controlled hundred at a strike rate of 175 or above in the IPL.

The Kohli-du Plessis Show

This match was taking place in Hyderabad, but you wouldn't have known it from the Aar See Bee chants. It

An experimental attack made up mainly of medium-pace and one full-time spinner was under the pump right away. SRH went for Abhishek Sharma's parttime left-arm spin with the new ball, and Kohli rightly pre-empted arm balls, made room, and hit him for fours too. It was apparent that RCB, who love to bat first, had made the right call at the toss, as the grip in the surface had come down from the first innings.

SRH make errors

There were two moments of luck for du Plessis. First Kartik Tyagi drew a top edge from him in the fourth over, and Glenn Phillips, of all fielders, dropped him at deep square leg. Then, even after a lot of damage had been done, Mayank Dagar

BOWLING O-M-R-W

Mohammed Siraj 4-0-17-1

Wayne Parnell 4-0-35-0

Michael Bracewell 2-0-13-2

Natarajan 4-0-34-1 Kartik Tyagi 1.2-0-21-0 Nitish Kumar Reddy 2-0-19-0 Mayank Dagar 4-0-25-0 Glenn Phillips 1-0-10-0 took a screamer diving to his right at deep midwicket off debutant Nitish Reddy, but because there was a dismissal involved, the umpires could check the height of this bouncer on replay. By a few centimetres, it was the second bouncer of the over, and instead of celebrating his maiden IPL wicket, Reddy was now bowling a free-hit.

Intent on during the middle overs

This was a chase, net run rate was important, the pitch had quickened up, the SRH attack wasn't flash, but it was still a sight for sore eyes seeing Kohli not drop his intent in the middle overs. He was 29 off 19 at the end of the powerplay, and he scored 26 off the next 19 he faced.

Time and again, du Plessis

stood and admired Kohli's shots in awe. And when the spinners did manage a quiet three-over period of 18 runs, Kohli broke the spell with a slog-sweep against the turn of a left-arm spinner.

Landmarks arrived as matters of fact. Well before the 171-run stand ended, Kohli and du Plessis had brought up the most prolific single IPL innings for an opening pair. Du Plessis went past 50 for the eighth time this IPL, the last three of them on the trot. Kohli went past 50 for the seventh time. The successful chase was only the third time RCB had won chasing 185 or more in the IPL, out of 36 times of asking. In less than two seasons, Gujarat Titans have done it the same number of times. (ESPNCricinfo)

Nazar Mohamed,

owner of Mohamed’s Enterprise and a long-time friend

Captains Akel Clarke and Curtez Kellman get a feel of the Champions Trophy alongside Businessman Nazar Mohamed and Organizers Kashif Muhammad and Frank ‘English’ Parris

Virat Kohli going big

Heinrich Klaasen celebrating his century

National teams receive draws for CNL, W Gold Cup prelims

…TD Joseph says Guyana got ‘good’ draw

Guyana’s senior men’s national football team, the Golden Jaguars, have been drawn in Group D of League B in the CONCACAF Nations League 2023/2024, following the official draw on Tuesday evening.

The Golden Jaguars have been drawn along

Sport, Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Technical Director Bryan Joseph expressed confidence in the Golden Jaguars’ ability to top the group.

“Well, I think it’s a pretty good draw. You know, when you look at the teams in League B, there would be no complaints from us, being in Group D along with those other teams.

Obviously, the national programme has been building and building. So, I think we’re quite capable of winning that group,” Joseph

The 2023/24 CNL will be played in a three-League format (A, B, and C), with the region’s 41 men’s senior national teams distributed into the Leagues according to the results of the

2022/23 CNL.

The 2023/24 CNL Group Stage will be played during the official FIFA Match Windows in September, October and November 2023.

Regarding the national team’s preparation, Joseph hinted at international friendlies, while voicing an intention to keep the team fully engaged after the Gold Cup ends in July.

The TD revealed to this publication, “I know they’re some discussions about what happens after the Gold Cup. We’re looking at the possibility of a couple of international friendlies that obviously (would) be announced later on, once confirmed. But we will continue to have our national team engaged, so that they can really be impactful in the upcoming Nations League.”

Given that the Golden Jaguars are successful in topping their group, the national team will have the opportunity to be promoted to League A of the Nations League.

“What we’re seeing now

‘Return of the Scorpio’ pro-am card…

Boodram eager to face off with Jackman

TheNational Gymnasium will come alive in two days’ time when Guyanese youth boxing sensation Alesha Jackman opposes Trinidad and Tobago champion Lee Ann Boodram, who is relying on her experience to emerge victorious at the impending ‘Return of the Scorpio’ pro/am fight card on Sunday.

Boodram, who previously fought on local shores in February against a St. Lucian opponent and emerged triumphant, will attempt to earn another notable scalp, as she will enter the squared circle against Jackman, the IBA World 27th ranked Elite Women 81-and-over Kg, or heavyweight division pugilist.

Probed on her expectations for the encounter, and how confident she is of emerging victorious, Boodram said, “I know for a fact that my opponent is younger and inexperienced. That’s why I took the bout, knowing that she is significantly heavier than I am. I am relying on my experience as a boxer to win this match.”

Despite the inexperience of her opponent, Boodram conceded that she expects a thrilling contest, as her opponent has the desire and appetite for the combative discipline despite the dearth of competition.

She explained, “She’s shown that she’s got a passion for boxing, and has stayed in the sport despite having a lack of competition. I expect that this bout will be action-packed as she seems up to a fight, and she will have a fight facing me.”

Questioned on the importance of national pride being at stake in the encounter, Boodram declared, “I am excited to return to Guyana, because I was victorious in my

last fight there. I am excited to hold my national flag high as I get a chance to be victorious again.”

She further affirmed that the bout is very significant, as it will influence the direction of her career, noting, “This victory is important, as it will be a stepping stone in my career as an elite female boxer.”

The ‘Return of the Scorpio’ pro/am card is regarded by many experts as the largest fight card in more than a decade, and is expected to surpass the overall quality of the critically praised Patrick Forde Memorial Championships, which is the yardstick for a local boxing event.

Five exciting professional bouts will be headlined and co-headlined by Elton Dharry and Dexter ‘De Kid’ Marques respectively, and an amateur section of equal measure are confirmed for the fight card.

Dharry will make his return to the squared circle against Ramos Ronald in an eight-round Bantamweight fixture, while Marques will engage Luis Carrillo in an eight-round Super Bantamweight encounter.

A Caribbean rivalry will also recommence as local star Terrence Adams battles Ricardo Blackman of Barbados, while Anthony

is because of the successes that we’re having with the Golden Jaguars; there’s a greater belief among the staff, among the football federa tion, that we can push to get into League A. There’s also a change in the format of the Nations League, which really gives us a chance to get in there and play with the big boys. So, I think in a year, maybe two years’ time, we be compet ing in League A with all the big guns in the re gion, and that’s what we’re working towards,” Joseph added about Guyana’s chances of being promoted.

CONCACAF W Gold Cup

On the other hand, the senior women’s national football team, the Lady Jags, were on Wednesday drawn in Group A of League B for the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup qualifiers. Guyana was drawn alongside Antigua and Barbuda, Suriname and Dominica in Group A.

Similar to the men’s

vided into three Leagues: A, B and C. After home-and-away group stage play, within each League, in the FIFA Women’s International match windows of September, October and November 2023, the firstplace finishers in each of the League B groups (three teams) will advance to the

ond-place finishers in the League A groups.

The inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup will be played between February 17 and March 10, 2024, in the United States, and will include a six-team Prelims, a 12-team group stage, and a three-round Knockout Stage.

West Indies A Team tour to Bangladesh 2023…

West Indies ‘A’ (427-7 dec.) in complete command, as Bangladesh ‘A’ bowled out for 264

Jair McAllister took five wickets as Bangladesh ‘A’ were bowled out for 264 runs on the third day of their four-day unofficial Test at Syhlet International Stadium on Thursday. Forced to follow-on trailing West Indies’ 427-7 declared by 163 runs, the home side were five without loss from the two overs faced in their second innings by close of play.

Bangladesh owed their first innings score to Saif Hasan’s 95 and an unbeaten 64 from wicketkeeper Jakir Ali Janik. Captain Afif Hossain Dhrubo also con-

tributed 45. However, they were unable to stop the onslaught of McAllister, who finished with figures of 5-60 from his 15 overs.

Raymon Reifer (2-44) and Akeem Jordan (2-53) helped dismiss the home side, who still trail by 158 runs.

The West Indies resumed on 417-6, with Captain Joshua da Silva on 73 and Kevin Sinclair on 47. The pair advanced the score to 427 when Da Silva was dismissed by Nayeem Hasan for 77.

Sinclair remained unbeaten on 53 when the declaration came.

Nayeem Hasan who took da Silva’s wicket finished with 2-116 from 39.3 overs. Mushfik Hasan took 3-54. (Sportsmax)

Augustin faces off against Barbadian Emmanuel Anderson. The card will also feature a six-round Super Flyweight bout between females Natalya Delgado and Darianis Garcia.

In the amateur segment, Jamaica’s Britney MacFarlane is the confirmed opponent for rising star Alesha Jackman, who is the sibling of Abiola and is ranked 58th in the Elite Women 60-63 Kg, or junior welterweight division.

The sisters are the first-ever Guyanese female pugilists to attain a world ranking from the International Boxing Association (IBA), after their participation at the Women’s World Championships in New Delhi, India.

The May 21st fight night will mark Dharry’s return to the ring in over a year, and will serve as a tune-up for his July encounter on local shores with Hugo Hernandez of Mexico for the WBC Silver Belt. Dharry, 37, fought for the WBA Super flyweight title in 2019, but suffered a controversial ninth-round stoppage loss to Australian Andrew Maloney in Melbourne.

Tickets can be purchased at the sole location of Hot & Spicy Creole Corner. The costs are: VVIP $10,000, VIP $6000, Ringside $3000, and Stands $1000.

SCOREBOARD

West Indies A 1st Innings

Tagenarine Chanderpaul

c †Jaker Ali Anik b Md

Mushfik Hasan 83

Kirk McKenzie c Nayeem Hasan

b Saif Hassan 86

Raymon Anton Reifer c †Jaker

Ali Anik b Md Mushfik Hasan 26

Alick Steven Athanaze

lbw b Ripon Mondol 85

Brandon Alexander King c&b

Md Mushfik Hasan 0

Joshua Michael Da Silva (c & wk)

c Saif Hassan b Nayeem Hasan 77

Yannic Kepner Cariah st †

Jaker Ali Anik b Nayeem Hasan 14

Kevin Oswald Sinclair not out 53

Extras (wd 1, lb 2) 3

Total (7 wkts, 126.3 ov) 427 (CRR: 3.38)

Yet to Bat : Gudakesh

Motie, Akeem Kelvin

Jordan, Jair McAllister

Fall of wickets: 130-1

(Kirk McKenzie, 40 ov), 160-2

(Raymon Anton Reifer, 52 ov), 281-3

(Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 82.2 ov), 281-4

(Brandon Alexander King, 83 ov), 283-5

(Alick Steven Athanaze, 84 ov), 317-6

(Yannic Kepner Cariah, 99.5 ov), 427-7

(Joshua Michael Dailva, 126.3 ov)

Bowlers

O-M-R-W

Md Mushfik Hasan 20-4-54-3

Ripon Mondol 24-7-66-1

Rahman Rejaur Raja 14-1-79-0

Nayeem Hasan 39.3-9-116-2

Rishad Hossain 11-0-61-0

Afif Hossain Dhrubo (c) 5-0-17-0

Saif Hassan 10-2-18-1

Mahmudul Hasan Joy 3-0-14-0

Bangladesh A 1st Innings

Shadman Islam c Kevin Oswald Sinclair b Raymon Anton Reifer 2

Zakir Hasanc †Joshua Michael

Da Silva b Akeem Kelvin Jordan 30

Saif Hassan c&b Jair McAllister 95

Mahmudul Hasan Joy c Alick Steven Athanaze b Jair McAllister 2

Afif Hossain Dhrubo (c) c Yannic

Kepner Cariah b Raymon Anton Reifer 45

Jaker Ali Anik (wk) not out 64

Nayeem Hasan c Brandon Alexander King b Jair McAllister 4

Rishad Hossain c Gudakesh Motie

b Yannic Kepner Cariah 2

Rahman Rejaur Rajab Jair McAllister 11

Ripon Mondol c Akeem Kelvin

Jordan b Jair McAllister 0

Md Mushfik Hasan c Alick Steven

Athanaze b Akeem Kelvin Jordan 0

Extras (wd 1, nb 2, lb 6) 9

Total (10 wkts, 67.4 ov) 264 (CRR: 3.90)

Yet to Bat :

Fall of wickets: 21-1

(Shadman Islam, 7.1 ov), 61-2

(Zakir Hasan, 15.3 ov), 68-3

(Mahmudul Hasan Joy, 16.5 ov), 169-4

(Afif Hossain Dhrubo, 29.4 ov), 184-5

(Saif Hassan, 33.3 ov), 190-6

(Nayeem Hasan, 37.5 ov), 197-7

(Rishad Hossain, 40.4 ov), 238-8

(Rahman Rejaur Raja, 59.5 ov), 248-9

(Ripon Mondol, 63.1 ov), 264-10

(Md Mushfik Hasan, 67.4 ov)

Bowlers O-M-R-W

Akeem Kelvin Jordan 14.4-1-53-2

Raymon Anton Reifer 10-2-44-2

Jair McAllister 15-2-60-5

Kevin Oswald Sinclair 5-0-12-0

Gudakesh Motie 10-0-58-0

Yannic Kepner Cariah 13-2-31-1

Bangladesh 2nd Innings

Shadman Islam not out 5

Zakir Hasan not out 0

Extras 0

Total (0 wkts, 2.0 ov) 5 (CRR: 2.50)

Yet to Bat : Jaker Ali Anik (wk),

Nayeem Hasan, Saif Hassan, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Afif

The Golden Jags will begin their CNL 2023/2024 campaign in September

The Lady Jags will begin their quest for a W Gold Cup preliminary spot in September

Trinidad and Tobago’s Lee Ann Boodram

Guyana’s Alesha Jackman will be facing the Twin Island pugilist

Bust of Guyana’s lone Olympic medalist Mike Parris unveiled

Inthe presence of friends, family and stakeholders of the sport of Boxing, Guyana’s lone Olympic medalist, Michael Parris, was fittingly honoured on Thursday afternoon when a bust of his likeness was unveiled.

The bust stands on the Merriman Mall at the intersection of Shiv Chanderpaul Drive and North Road in Georgetown, and is reminiscent of Parris’s now famous bronze medal journey at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.

The erection of the bust is a gesture by the National Olympians Association of Guyana (GNOA).

At a simple unveiling ceremony on Thursday afternoon, Director of Sport (DoS) and President of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA), Steve Ninvalle, spoke of the significance of Parris’s contribution, not only to Guyana, but to the wider Caribbean region.

“You’re a living hero, a living icon, a living legend to

Guyana,” Ninvalle declared.

The Director of Sport went on to share, “On behalf of the National Sports Commission, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, and by extension the Government of Guyana, we want to say a hearty con-

gratulations to you, sir. In the entire English-speaking Caribbean, there’s only one Olympic medal in boxing, and that is through Michael Anthony Parris.

“I do hope our young sportsmen and women can take a leaf out of your book,

because of the fact that this did not happen by the waving of a magic wand; it took determination, tenacity, hard work. Your dedication is the only reason why you could still be wearing that medal around your neck,” Ninvalle added.

An emotional Parris thanked the GNOA for their recognition of his achievement, and shared a bit of advice for Guyana’s sportsmen and women.

“Today I feel so proud about myself, that being here over so many years after winning a bronze medal for Guyana,” Guyana’s lone Olympic medalist said.

Parris went on to enlighten, “There’s 4 Ds that help me gain where I am today, discipline, dedication, devotion, determination. The four Ds helped me achieve what I’m achieving

here today. What I’m saying, if you youths decide to use the four Ds in your sporting life, it will help you go on to achieve medals such as Olympics, World Games, Commonwealth, CACA Games and others.”

Just last year, the Olympic bronze medalist was honour by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, and by extension the Government of Guyana. However, it was reported that this will only be the first of measures that will be taken to honour Guyana’s lone Olympic medalist.

Good start to CWI coaching programme at Providence - Bramble, Fudadin, Chandrika

Cricket West Indies commenced the hosting of the Levels I and II Coaching Certification Courses at the National Stadium at Providence, EBD. The sessions started on May 18 and will conclude on May 21.

Both courses will involve practical exercises, including an assessment for the award of the coaches’ certification.

The GCB further informed that a second Level I course could be conducted from May 23-25, but “that is subject to the receipt of applicable participant fees.”

CWI has also released the necessary prerequisites needed in order to sit the CWI Level I Coaching Course, these requirements include: ICC or CWI Foundation Coaching Certificate, Child Care and Protection Certificate, First Aid Certificate, valid Police Clearance

Also, requirements for the CWI Level II Coaching Course include a CWI Level I Coaching Certificate, Child Care and Protection Certificate, First Aid Certificate, and valid Police Clearance.

The Coach Developers/ facilitators for the CWI Level II Coaching Certification Course are Ryerson Bhagoo and Keshava Ramphal, while the pair of Brendon Ramlal and Junie Mitcham will facilitate the CWI Level I leg.

GCB Territorial Developmental Officer

Colin Stuart spoke about the aim of the territorial board as it relates to involving the coaches. "The aim from the GCB will be consistent of that of Cricket West Indies, which we will

be looking to have coaches develop a standardized approach to coaching in Guyana and across the Region. It includes what to be coaching in terms of the technical aspect of the game, as well as how to go about doing it. The appropriate teaching method and

how persons learn.

"We are basically creating an environment that promotes growth and development for the players," Stuart told this daily publication.

List of Participants for the CWI Level II Coaching Course: Yeuraj Khemraj, Ajay Gainda,

Terry Newton, Orlando Tanner, Kumar Bishundial, Andy Ramnarine, Pernell Christie, Balram Samaroo, Ryan Kissoonlall, Parmeshwar Persaud, Nadine Smith, Karishma Ramnauth, Ravi Rampaul, Darien Best, Ranole Bourne, Shaun Massiah,

Anthony Bramble, Marvin Fitzalbert, Rajendra Chandrika, Assad Fudadin, Lakram Lathman, Gregory Crandon and Wayne Osborne.

List of Participants for the CWI Level I Coaching Course: Peter Gajar, Leslie Solomon, Javed Saywack, Nicholas Mukesh Shiopersad, Erva Giddings, Royan Fredricks,

Shivnarine Hoorilall, Daniel Dass, Kumar Dass, Dinesh Joseph, Martin Pestano-Belle, Anthony Sanchara, Royden Morris, Yougeshwar Lall, Trevayne Mohabir, Rhonda Jones, Sonia Benn, Hershy Niles, Kenrick Cheeks, Nazeer Mohamed, Krishna Singh, Jamal Hinckson, Ameer Rahaman, and Rajindra Rambali. (Brandon Corlette)

Linden ‘One Guyana’ Beach Football… Golden Stars, Good Fellas, record wins on Day Two

PPP/C

There were wins and walkovers as teams advanced to the next round when the second day of play in the People’s Progressive Party/Civicorganized Linden ‘One Guyana’ Beach Football competition continued on Wednesday night at the ground outside its office in Industrial Area, Mackenzie, Linden.

There are $1M in cash incentives and prizes up for grabs in this tournament.

The night began with YMNCA taking a win as Pacesetters failed to turn up, and the second game ended with Golden Star beating Star Boys 1-0, with Kenneth

James netting the goal for the winners.

Good Fellas, in a clinical performance, stopped V Side 5-1, with Akel Plass getting the brace and Tyler Lyte, Dwayne James and Salmon Austin getting the other goals for Good Fellas. Joel

Allicock scored for V Side.

R9 also won, as Back Street Ballers did not take the field, and Ballers Empire gained a slim 1-0 win over Shooters, with Jamal Haynes scoring the lone goal.

Blueberry Hill were 4-1 winners over One Side, and the female exhibition game saw Speightland overwhelm Nurses 7-0. National Under-20 footballer Sheneesa Cornelius was responsible for three of the goals, while Alia venture and Tenacia Williams each got doubles for the Speightland side.

Play continues on Sunday with six more matches in this knockout tournament.

Michael Parris and his family took a photo opportunity alongside the bust

A closer look at the bust capturing the image of Guyana’s lone Olympic medalist, Michael Parris

and Rampaul among players involved

Prospective coaches from all three counties were present

Cricketers Anthony Bramble, Assad Fudadin and Rajendra Chandrika (Brandon Corlette photos)

A look at the Blueberry Hill (blue) vs One Side contest

Akel Plass of Good Fellas