Guyana Times - Monday, January 6, 2025

NGSA 2025 set for April 16 & 17 P9

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 5965

THE BEACON OF TRUTH MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025

US$35M MackenzieWismar Bridge on track for early completion Page 3

– project 31% complete as measures being explored to further expedite work

PRICE $100 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

DPP requests CCTV footage in BBP fatal shooting P16 P2 Security officer dies after crashing motorcycle into utility pole

T&HD rakes P15 in $1.2B in revenue in 2024 – General Manager ...over 440,000 passengers transported

The existing Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge along with the new bypass bridge that is in position to facilitate the construction of a new US$35M four-lane bridge (Photo by Latchman Singh)

PPP/C Govt was able to reverse Top Cop warns ranks damage done by APNU/AFC in Police of misconduct forestry sector – Pres Ali while on duty

P10

Page 7

...bauxite sector also progressing, BOSAI to create 1000 jobs between 2024 and 2025

...says those found guilty will be dealt with condignly

ExxonMobil to drill 7 international 30 development companies shortlisted, Over 1 million passengers wells in 2025 – to submit price processed Guyana’s proposals – Min Edghill atairports Routledge in 2024 – CJIA's CEO Husband, wife critical following gas bottle explosion at Foulis – house also destroyed New Berbice River Bridge

Page 11

See story on page 11

P9

...Ranger-1 well among areas to be appraised

...processing of cargo increased by 20%

Page 14

2 NEWS Security officer dies after crashing motorcycle into utility pole MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Dead: Brian McKenzie

A

Security officer attached to Queensway Security Firm met his demise on Sunday after he reportedly lost control of the motorcycle he was driving and slammed into a utility pole in Houston, Greater Georgetown.

EMTs at the scene

The body lying on the roadway

The dead man has been identified as 54-year-old Brian McKenzie of Diamond,

East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Based on reports received, McKenzie reported-

ly left his relatives’ home at Laing Avenue, Georgetown just after 14:00h and was headed home on his motorcycle when the accident occurred.

Family members who turned up at the scene later reported that they were told that McKenzie had lost control of his motorcycle while negotiating a turn at Rahaman’s Park

when he veered off the road and collided with a utility post. He was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene by Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs).

One of McKenzie’s relatives told the Guyana Times that moments after the accident, another relative was also travelling along the East Bank Highway and was stuck in traffic due to

the accident.

As a result, they stopped to check what had happened and it was then he realised that McKenzie was the victim. He immediately alerted other family members, who rushed to the scene.

The man’s body was later transported to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home as police continued their investigation into the crash.

3 US$35M Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge on track for early completion NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, January 6 – 22:00h-23:30h and Tuesday, January 7 – 23:30h-01:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, January 6 – 08:40h-10:10h and Tuesday, January 7 – 09:45h-11:15h.

– project 31% complete as measures being explored to further expedite work

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Light to thundery showers are expected during the morning and early-afternoon hours, with mainly clear skies at night. Temperatures are expected to range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.92 metres.

High Tide: 09:20h and 21:50h reaching maximum heights of 2.45 and 2.40 metres.

Low Tide: 15:19h reaching a minimum height of 0.79 metre.

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COMMODITIES Indicators

US$ $76.46/barrel $250.74/ton $509.10/ton

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President Dr Irfaan Ali while being briefed on the project by Chinese contractor China Railway

T

he new US$35 million Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge is on track for an early completion. This assurance was given to President Dr Irfaan Ali who was briefed on the bridge’s progress during a visit to the site on Sunday.

During his visit, the Project Manager at the Public Works Ministry, Patrick Thompson, revealed that they are on track for early completion of the bridge while noting that the project is now at 31 per cent completion, with significant advancements anticipated by the end of the year.

Already, the temporary bridge structure has been completed and works have started on the new bridge.

In a subsequent physical inspection of the bridge, Thompson also explained the design features.

“This new MackenzieWismar Bridge is going to have a two-metre-wide sidewalk, on both sides. The bridge is going to be elevated about 10 metres above ground level and the clearance is going to be (over) eight metres,” Thompson said.

The contract is being executed by China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC)– the same company that is constructing the new US$260 million bridge across the Demerara River.

CRCC representative Joe Ki, gave some insight into the progress they have made.

“So, this contract was signed for two years. It commenced in April 2024. And should be completed before April 2026. So, this is the milestone we’ve achieved so far. For example… we’re planning to complete the other pile foundation by the end of June, the first half of this year. And then we’re going to complete the sub-structure,” the representative said.

Meanwhile, President Ali suggested areas in which they can look at expediting some of the work, such as transferring some assets from the Demerara Harbour

“There is some key infrastructure linked to the bridge. The sporting infrastructure is linked to the bridge. The bridge’s completion has a lot to do with sporting infrastructure and also, to ensure a free flow of traffic. Minister Edghill and Minister Todd, outside of their sectoral responsibilities, have political responsibility in this region.” “(Housing Minister) Colin Croal is having, maybe one of the largest expansions in housing in Region 10. He’s going to talk a bit about that when we go to the next meeting. And of course, (Minister within Public

The President and team at the project site

Bridge and bringing them to Wismar to accelerate the construction.

He also noted the importance of the bridge’s completion to the region and the way the Government has been keeping a close eye on the project and over-

all development of the region… including through its Members of Parliament who are geographical representatives of Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice)Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd and Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill.

Works Ministry Deodat) Indar has worked with you guys on specific projects in the last four years. And Bishop has been a constant figure for at least the last 12-13 years,” the President pointed out. TURN TO PAGE 7

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MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025

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Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Industrial Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Seeking equality E

quality has become the mantra of the age. We know, however, that our world is far away from this goal and we must ask ourselves, “Why?” The reasons are legion, but one is inherent in the protean nature of the word itself.

For instance, almost everyone will agree with the statement, “We are all equally human”, but what does that mean? Isn’t it a tautology? We are not equally tall, strong, intelligent, or beautiful. So whither equality? Equality, from this perspective, has, therefore, to be contingent on the context or criteria wherein we speak. We can choose any area of endeavour or personal attribute and then discuss whether or not we are all equal.

For instance, the Commission on Ethnic Relations or any other Government-sponsored initiative promoting equality will be concerned with all the citizens of our country. Thus we are concerned with their equality as citizens of the State: equality about all that the State offers its citizens.

The State was founded to secure the rights of all citizens, so when discussing equality from a national perspective, we should ask in which way are the citizens of a country equal. Here there would be broad agreement that if we are all citizens, we are all equal, or we should be equal in the possession of the rights guaranteed by the State. Ideally, it follows that if particular citizens do not have rights or equal rights, then no citizen has rights. It also follows that if some citizens have rights, all citizens have rights.

What this means is that since for purposes of analysis, we can group humans, as any other object, by whatever criteria we choose, we can classify Guyanese by gender, class, ethnicity, etc. If rights were equally distributed to all citizens, then no matter how we categorise groups, each group would have equal rights and thus equal power. However, if rights were denied to members of a particular classification while others enjoyed those rights, the deprived group is said to be oppressed in that it does not have an equality of power.

In Guyana, unfortunately, some groups are claiming greater rights because of criteria like “greater suffering”. In human societies, oppression has been perpetuated on all fronts: thus, a poor woman may be oppressed simultaneously and intersectionally based on her gender, class, ethnicity, age, religion, and race. Each of these forms of oppression is ultimately debilitating, in that they cause pain, and suffering and stifle the humanity of the victims; societies have to prioritise their activities since resources are limited.

Even if we are to limit our field of endeavour to the rights of all citizens to have equality of rights, this leads us to other problems. For instance, since men are not factually equal, equality of rights will lead to material inequalities as those who are better endowed with the badges of society’s success forge ahead. This dilemma has led many to extend their definition of equality to mean, additionally, equality of results. Now while this may be desirable, we have to concede that this goal implies a distribution which is based on some notion of distributive justice, but will impinge upon the liberty of many citizens. Equality from this perspective demands a more extensive and intrusive State, and this can open its own can of worms.

One of the major problems with this stress on equality of results by the State is that it ignores the fact that only a part of the relevant circumstances depends on governmental action. For example, ‘equality in education’ is not only contingent on having equal access to the best schools but also just as importantly, or maybe even more importantly, requires a cultural acceptance of the demand and discipline to inculcate education. And so, for material wealth, etc.

In Guyana, some insist that “equality” means equality of results, which can never be achieved because of life’s contingent realities. Equality of opportunity must be our goal.

A lad from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) in deep concentration on his electric tablet connected to Wi-Fi made possible by the commitment by the Government of Guyana to construct ICT hubs in the hinterland (Abel Harris photo)

Carter’s history with Diaspora, Jagan, and Guyana Dear Editor, The deceased American President is best remembered for two issues relating to Guyanese (diaspora) and other minorities in America and Guyana: Democracy and respect for human rights were among the planks of the Carter Doctrine from which Guyana would benefit post his Presidency. He started a political trend in America for racial inclusivity; Blacks and other minorities were prominently included in his administration and treated with relative respect, a first for the USA, and Guyanese immigrants were beneficiaries. Every administration thereafter included minorities. Today, the American administration reflects the ethnic composition of the country.

Much tribute has been written to Jimmy Carter’s role in restoring democracy in Guyana. Little space was given to the history of his contact with the diaspora and involvement in Guyanese affairs. When he was President, Guyana hardly figured in Carter’s foreign policy. Burnham’s people at the UN were very close with Ambassador Andrew Young.

The American policy was to contain the Soviet Union and Young had cordial relations with Guyanese diplomats with a calming effect on any planned radical policies of Georgetown. Carter, like his predecessors, through Young’s advice, preferred Burnham over Jagan, and as such every American administration closed its eyes to human rights abuses

in Guyana during the period of the dictatorship.

American Presidents from Johnson to Bush Sr were not pleased with Burnham, but for them, he was a lesser threat than Jagan to the interests of the USA. Only when communism collapsed in 1990 did Washington no longer view Jagan as a threat to Western interests. By then Jagan had mellowed and was willing to engage capitalists. Washington brought pressure on Desmond Hoyte to restore democratic governance and hold free and fair elections in Guyana paving the way for the return of Jagan to office after being out to pasture by Britain and the USA for 28 years.

Lobbying by the Indo Club in the diaspora helped to usher in democracy in Guyana.

Carter served as President from January 1977 to January 1981. Many Guyanese were allowed to come to the USA during this period as students and with residency. This writer came to the USA to pursue tertiary education in 1977. A university student group was launched in 1977 at CCNY led by Baytoram Ramharack, Vassan Ramracha, myself and others that lobbied the Carter White House and subsequent administrations to put pressure on the Guyana dictatorship to respect human rights and restore democratic rule.

A PPP support group was already active in the mid1970s, but because of its leftist ideology, it did not display

much interest in lobbying Washington to help restore democracy in the homeland.

Several members of the leftist group saw America as being responsible for the rise of the Burnham dictatorship and for exploiting Guyana following the toppling of Jagan in December 1964. Thus, appealing to Washington was not a priority for the group although it did approach ‘progressive’ members of Congress to help its left-wing cause. The Indo Club consistently appealed to Washington to apply pressure on the Guyanese dictatorship to restore democratic governance. After the collapse of communism, taking a cue from Jagan, the leftist group began lobbying Washington to pressure Hoyte to hold free and fair elections.

Guyanese groups in the USA had little influence in Washington as they were small and lacked lobbying resources to win over the White House or Congress on matters about Guyana. The leftists were out of touch with reality; they were never pragmatic in a capitalist democracy. Our university group, Indo Club founded in 1977, sought the assistance of (Asian) Indian organisations that already had a foothold in Washington to raise matters about human rights abuses in Guyana. Our group worked closely with Asian Indian organisations and the Indian media (India Abroad and News India) to expose rights abuses in Guyana. The Asian Indians were very sympathetic and

supportive of our cause attending our programs at college and rallies in NYC and allowing us to march in their India Day parade every year from 1981 to bring global attention to Guyana.

Our guy was Yashpal Soi who was key to raising Guyanese matters with the House and Congress.

Our group and Essequibian Ramesh Kalicharran convinced him to assist Jagan in the struggle for FFE. He was Chief Engineer in NYC and did fundraisers for Carter’s re-election as well as for several Members of Congress; a few Guyanese were attendees at fundraisers. This writer often attended events as a reporter and supporter. Yadhpaul had close contacts and a voice in Washington that Guyanese groups lacked, and he put us in contact with them. He also had a weekly radio programme and hosted Jagan multiple times to discuss Guyana issues.

He also raised funds for Jagan and introduced him to Members of Congress.

Soi was a founding member of FIA and became a founding member of GOPIO after its convention in 1989 where Jagan was invited as a special guest through the intervention of Ravi Dev and myself. There, with the help of convener Dr Thomas Abraham at our urging, Jagan was introduced to Ron Brown who was chair of the Democratic Party. Brown was earlier a key aide to Senator Ted Kennedy.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

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MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025

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Government is equipping the nation for a healthier, cleaner Guyana Dear Editor, It stands to reason that as Guyana grows across various sectors, waste management will increasingly become something to keep track of.

In this vein, I see that in bolstering garbage collection and waste disposal, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government is moving to establish some 13 landfill sites across the country this new year. Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Sonia Parag, explained that this is part of the plans by the Central Government to improve the country’s waste management programme.

What we as Guyanese need to keep in mind is that improper disposal of waste can lead some serious to adverse health outcomes in water, soil and air contamination. Let me enumerate: Environmental contamina-

tion-Improper waste disposal can contaminate water, soil, and air, which can harm wildlife, ecosystems, and human health; Health hazards-Exposure to hazardous waste can cause acute or chronic health issues, including respiratory problems and cancer; Disease transmission-Poor waste management can lead to the transmission of diseases like cholera, malaria, and dengue; Flooding-Poor waste collection can block water drains, leading to flooding and standing water where diseases can thrive; Climate change-Decomposing waste releases greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change and extreme weather events; Fire hazards-Waste like rags, brushes, and rollers from roofing adhesives can accumulate and lead to fires; Economic

impact-Improper waste management can negatively impact economic development, such as tourism.

So, what is happening is quite necessary, and it is good to know that the Government is quite proactive.

Already handed out and in circulation via Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) across the country are some 179 brush cutters and a total of 130 tractors and trailers. To this, the Minister added that the Government via the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, was able to acquire several pieces of equipment, including 17 new excavators, two new skid-steer loaders, a garbage truck for Region Nine, and 17 new beds, which were all distributed to the various local democratic organs. Making things even better and prepping the country to take care

of its waste, Minister Parag promising reported that 25 garbage compactor trucks are currently being sourced for NDCs, and will be gifted to densely populated areas for garbage collection.

Now let’s bear in mind that “… the rapid transformation of Guyana…” is quite the construction of new schools, hospitals, health centres, police outposts, roads, and bridges, as well as improvements in drainage, irrigation, and the power generation system.”

Globally, it is well-established that improper waste disposal has always been a major concern. The rapid growth of industries, improved technologies, and the standard of living are major factors that give rise to waste generation. China, Mexico, and Brazil are among the countries with the problem of waste gen-

eration and the adverse impacts experienced in birth, death, and sickness in people. In Japan, the World Bank has projected an increase of approximately 1.3 billion to 2.2 billion tonnes of waste generated yearly by the end of 2025, meaning that the waste collection service rate will go far below 50 per cent, leaving the area polluted and the rest of the uncollected waste discarded improperly. My point? The investment from the country’s leaders is all about averting this unwanted phenomenon.

Then in terms of the health aspect, I alluded to before, what has unfolded so far and is unfolding now, is the holistic approach to Guyana’s rise. This is couched in “President Irfaan Ali’s vision of prosperity (for the nation, which) includes the creation of safe and

healthy spaces where our (Guyana’s) fresh local produce and other goods can be sold.” What this translates to is that “… the Government will maintain its outreach efforts to engage directly with the public, ensuring their input is considered before implementing policies or making decisions.”

Editor, I support fully Minister Parag, who is urging “… all Guyanese to come together, envisioning a future where Guyana becomes “the country that we want to see beyond 2030 when all of this physical transformation has taken place.” I am sure if citizens exercise compliance with the ‘rule of law,’ and good stewardship of machinery and equipment, the aesthetics of the nation will be seen and felt.

Yours truly, Hargesh B Singh

The reality of trying to renegotiate the GoG-Exxon Contract Dear Editor, The Petroleum Agreement between the Government of Guyana (GoG) and EEPGL (Exxon) is again being discussed in a way that ignores clear legal principles and a sensible look from a realistic perspective.

Christopher Ram seems to find criticism real and imaginary to any idea or policy which he does not agree with.

Today is no different. Today, 5th January 2025 Stabroek News “Ram launches scathing attack on President, VP over refusal to renegotiate Exxon deal” Ram expands his views that the Contract should be renegotiated.

Therein he has published apparently legal views on the renovation of the Contract between GoG and Exxon. The arrogance of advancing arguments which read well in textbooks (second-rate texts) but have little or no bearing in the real world is naive. It demonstrates a misunderstanding of contract law and

reality; it ignores the destabilising effect such a course would have on Guyana’s reputation as a safe place for foreign investment.

The argument ignores the benefits which Guyana enjoys because of the sheer pace and scale of the Exxon investment here. It is recognised that the consensus view is that oil is a resource with a limited beneficial life with the world looking to other sources for its energy needs. The value of oil in the long term is uncertain because of the pressure to move to non-fossil fuels to combat global warming. It is a sensible policy for Guyana to seek to extract as much of its oil so that it could benefit from a price which would be to its economic benefit. It benefits no citizen to leave the oil in the ground when it may only yield meagre returns in the future.

Ram argues that the GoG should renegotiate the Exxon Contract. He recognises principle of “sanctity of contract”

is an obstacle but he refutes this as being a bar to a renegotiated contract. He offers no reasoned refutation; save an except his emotions and belief he is right. It seems he has not recognised the sheer force of the principle in the civilized world. Its breach would have dire consequences and make Guyana an unfavourable place for foreigners to invest … a pariah state. He refers to the new ‘religion of sanctity of contract’ as it sarcastically diminishes its value. He would be well advised to note it has been the recognised bedrock of contractual relations for centuries. It is the foundation of contractual relations in the civilized world and it is scrupulously protected by the Courts. So, it’s not a religion in a Court of law Mr Ram … it’s God. Neither Ram, (nor others who have argued to renegotiate in the past,) in their arguments recognise the real effect of the “stabilisation clause” in the contract. This clause,

contained in the Exxon contract with GoG makes it clear that if that contract were ever changed whether by renegotiation or by amendments to our laws or even our Constitution then the GoG must pay directly to Exxon the full value by which their financial gain is reduced by the new contract.

This clause will be enforceable in every situation except one in which there is consent from Exxon.

It is universally accepted that the Contract is lopsided and favours Exxon.

However, legal contracts cannot be set aside simply because you think it’s unfair.

Contracts are legally binding on the parties and unless you can demonstrate fraud/ deceit/ mistake one can’t simply go back on their word. Where are the grounds for renegotiation? Real legal ones not fanciful and bald opinions of utopia. No amount of ‘falling on his own sword’ self-sacrifice by the signing Minister Raphael Trotman will be

Carter’s history with Diaspora...

Through our lobbying, Kennedy issued a statement calling for free and fair elections in Guyana.

Other Members of Congress followed suit. Around this time, we also appealed to Arthur Schlesinger to meet with and assist Jagan in the struggle for FFE; Schlesinger played a role in toppling Jagan from office.

Schlesinger was my professor for three doctoral courses and we talked a lot about Guyana. I appealed to him to meet Jagan; they met at Nation Magazine headquarters, and he apologised to Jagan. He also wrote a piece calling for FFE in Guyana.

Yashpaul, the Indo Club, GOPIO and Hassan Rahman appealed to the

Carter Centre to assist with the restoration of democracy in Guyana. Carter and his wife Roslyn knew Yashpal Soi. A letter was sent by our group appealing to the Centre to meet with Jagan who himself had also written to the Centre at our (Dev, Ramharack, and myself) urging when we met at the global Indian convention in 1989. A Jagan meeting with Carter and his team took place in 1990 with the former President committing to assist if he is welcomed in Guyana by the Government.

Meanwhile, an understanding was reached between Moscow and Washington to bury the ideological hatchet. Democracy

was beginning to mushroom globally following the collapse of communism. At the lobbying of Members of Congress through our efforts, President Bush issued a statement calling for free and fair elections in Guyana, tying aid to it. Carter was urged to visit Guyana, funded by Washington, to meet with Hoyte and convince him to hold FFE. The US Embassy organised a meeting between Carter and Hoyte with the latter refusing to budge on demands for FFE. A warning was issued

by Washington. As he was heading for the airport and presumably with negative news to report to President Bush on restoring democra-

FROM PAGE 4

cy in Guyana, Hoyte called Carter to acquiesce to the conditions for FFE. Had Hoyte not agreed to hold FFE, sanctions would have kicked in as threatened by Bush.

Carter would lead the delegation to monitor the 1992 elections. Attempts to derail the election failed.

The threat to Carter’s life was not enough to prevent a declaration of Jagan as the victor.

Carter institutionalised democracy in Guyana. And the diaspora, Guyanese as well as from India, played a critical role in Carter’s involvement in Guyanese affairs.

Yours sincerely, Vishnu Bisram

enough. The then GoG and their slew of local and overseas advisers and themselves must be held accountable.

That is where the fault lies.

There can be no renegotiation without both parties consenting. Pressuring and picketing for the renovation are recognised forms of duress.

Duress would render any amendment obtained under those circumstances a nullity.

To continue this insane argument without offering a civilized and legally recognised solution is opportunistic and nothing more.

Those advancing it are simply seeking their 15 minutes in the limelight. The Guyanese

people recognise this and will not be fooled.

This Government has recognised the challenge and has sought to recover more for the country via the private sector hence the Local Content Act which has kept several billions in Guyana via Guyanese businesses. To argue that Guyana can only and should only focus on recovering a larger share via the Government is a fallacy.

Guyana can recover by the Government and the private sector; both combine for returns to the country.

Yours faithfully, Sanjeev Datadin

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025

06:00 (Sign on) Inspiration Time 07:00 Evening News (RB) 07:30 Cartoons 08:00 Stop Suffering 08:30 Stay Woke 09:00 Food Network 10:00 HGTV 11:00 Paternity Court 11:30 Divorce Court 12:00 Indian Movie - ABCD (Any Body Can Dance) (2013) 14:35 Spongebob Squarepants 15:00 Indian Soaps 16:00 Young Sheldon 16:30 When Calls the Heart 17:00 The Young & The Restless 18:00 Aljazeera 19:00 The Evening News 20:00 Unsolved Mysteries 21:00 9-1-1 S2 E16 22:00 Ozark S4 E3 23:00 Queen of the South S5 E4 00:00 Sign off

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MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025

Foundation ◄

Page

Circles cont’d

A circle’s circumference and area are calculated by using a special long decimal, written as the Greek letter π, pronounced pi. To make calculations easier, pi is often rounded to 3.14. Pi is the ratio of a circle’s diameter to its circumference – a ratio that is exactly the same for every circle.

Calculating the circumference and area of a circle is actually fairly easy to do. A circle’s circumference = pi times its diameter (πd). A circle’s area = pi times the square of its radius (π r2).

Example: If a circle has a radius of 4cm, you can find its circumference by multiplying the radius x 2 and then multiplying that number x π.

Its circumference = (2 x 4) π cm = 8 π = 25.13cm To find this circle’s area, you have to raise its radius to the second power and then multiply that times π. In this example, its area = (4 x 4) times π square cm = 16 times π = 50.24cm.

Exercises: Calculate 1) Calculate the circumference of the circle below. Use 3.14 for π.

2) Calculate the circumference and area of a circle with a radius of 12m.

4) Name the chord shown in the figure below.

3) Calculate the circumference and area of a circle with a diameter of 18cm.

5) What is the perimeter, or circumference, a circle whose diameter is 7cm.

by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

For January I give you vests of skins, And mighty fires in hall, and torches lit; Chambers and happy beds with all things fit; Smooth silken sheets, rough furry counterpanes; And sweetmeats baked; and one that deftly spins Warm arras; and Douay cloth, and store of it; And on this merry manner still to twit The wind, when most his mastery the wind wins.

Or issuing forth at seasons in the day, Ye’ll fling soft handfuls of the fair white snow Among the damsels standing round, in play: And when you all are tired and all aglow, Indoors again the court shall hold its sway, And the free Fellowship continue so.

Electrolyte Challenge: Orange juice v sports drink Part 1 The makers of sports drinks spend tens to hundreds of millions of dollars advertising their products each year. Among the benefits often featured in these ads are the beverages’ high level of electrolytes, which your body loses as you sweat.

In this science project, you will compare the amount of electrolytes in a sports drink with those in orange juice to find out which has more electrolytes to replenish the ones you lose as you work out or play sports. When you are finished, you might even want to make your own sports drink!

Objective: To investigate whether or not a sports drink provides more electrolytes than orange juice.

Introduction “Just do it!” You have probably heard that slogan, and there is no doubt that exercise is a key part of staying healthy. But exercising depletes the

body’s stores of fluids and minerals, which must be replaced. Most experts agree that if you are engaged in light to moderate exercise, drinking a glass or two of water should do the trick. But if you are exercising strenuously, you also need to replenish some of the salts that your body loses through sweat. These salts, or electrolytes, are found in most sports drinks, and also in natural juices like orange juice.

What advantages does a sports drink have over water? Water provides the liquid you need to avoid dehydration, but it does not have electrolytes. An electrolyte is a substance that will dissociate into ions in a solution. The ions in the solution give it the capacity to conduct electricity. Electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, are present in sweat.

Chloride, calcium, and phosphate ions are also electrolytes.

The proper concentration of electrolytes in your blood is essential to your health. Your cardiovascular and nervous systems – to name just two – require electrolytes to function well. Differences in the concentration of sodium and potassium inside and outside of cells allow your nerve and muscle fibres to send electrical impulses (which is how these cells communicate and get your body to react and move).

Your body keeps the concentration of the various electrolytes in its fluids within a narrow range, and this process depends on consuming enough water and electrolytes. The maintenance of electrolytes within this narrow range is due to the body’s homeostatic mechanisms, which control the absorption, distribution, and excretion of water and its dissolved electrolytes.

To measure the electrolytes in this science project, you will use a multimeter. A multimeter is

an electronic device that measures voltage, current, and resistance. For this project, you will use just the ammeter part of the multimeter. An ammeter measures current How can you use an ammeter to measure the concentration of electrolytes? You will use it to measure conductance, which is proportional to the electrolyte concentration. Because electrolytes are charged particles that carry current in solution, the conductance of the solution depends on the concentration of the electrolytes. If you increase the concentration of electrolytes in a solution, the conductance of the solution also increases. In order to measure a current in the solutions, you have to apply a voltage. You will use a 9 volt (V) battery to supply the voltage. (David Whyte, PhD, Science Buddies) TO BE CONTINUED

WORD SEARCH:

MAIN MAN MAINLY MANAGE

MAINTAIN MAJOR MAJORITY MAKE

MALL MALE

NEWS

7

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

PPP/C Govt was able to reverse damage done

by APNU/AFC in forestry sector – Pres Ali ...bauxite sector also progressing, as BOSAI to create 1000 jobs between 2024 and 2025

T

President Dr Irfaan Ali

he A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change’s (APNU/AFC) mismanagement of critical sectors such as forestry, was put on blast

by President Dr Irfaan Ali who on Sunday recounted how his party was able to reverse the damage done by the former Government to the sector.

In a video broadcast on Sunday, the Head of State highlighted that since the

People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government returned to office in 2020, small and medium-scale loggers have been able to occupy over five million hectares of land.

“Through the various policies and programmes, the sector has seen a cumulative increase in production by more than $15.6 billion since 2020. Today, there are over 550 small foresters, who occupy more than 2.5 million

hectares of land. And 22 medium-scale foresters who occupy 2.7 million hectares of land. So, if you check it, more than 5 million hectares of land is occupied by the small and medium-scale s,” Ali pointed out.

Things were not as rosy as they are now, as the President recounted in extensive detail that under the former Government, almost all the small foresters were wiped out and almost 15,000 jobs in the sector were lost.

“Ituni, Kwakwani, these residents can tell you with a clear conscience, what took place in their community in the period 2015 to 2020, in the Berbice River, all over.

When forestry was decimated. However, the people of Region 10 suffered even further losses. Linden, you had more than 500 jobs lost directly. In Bauxite.”

“You had 500 families that were sent to the breadline. You had one company pulling out investment, and another company curtailing investment. Because there was no clarity of vision. The destruction that took place

Today, small and medium-scale loggers occupy over 5 million hectares of land

between 2015 and 2020, created a drag on the economy in Linden and Region 10.”

President Ali recounted that due to APNU/AFC’s mismanagement of the forestry sector, Baishanlin International and Barama Company Limited were both forced to exit the sector.

With the then Government offering no incentives to investors while imposing onerous fees on small and medium-sized loggers, the sector stagnated.

Total production dropped from 500,000 cubic me-

US$35M Mackenzie-Wismar...

in September last that two residential structures would have to be relocated in order to facilitate the construction of the new bridge. It was revealed recently that the Ministry of Public Works is in the process of finalising the relocation of the two residences.

This four-lane bridge will have a pre-cast structure running 220 metres long and will include vital safety features such as lighting and signs. It will boast a maximum horizontal clearance of 32 metres and a vertical clearance of 11.5 metres. The new bridge will land some distance away from the original single-lane bridge built by the Demerara Bauxite Company from 1965 to 1967. (Jarryl Bryan)

The temporary bridge is in place

The President also addressed a large gathering of residents who came out to welcome him, emphasising that, in addition to the bridge, the Government is investing billions in infrastructure to transform Linden’s landscape and improve residents’ livelihoods.

He also pointed out that members of his cabinet have visited the region frequently in the last six months, compared to what the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Administration did during its entire term in office.

One year ago, the Guyana Government signed the US$35 million contract for the construction of the four-lane bridge at Wismar in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) – a facil-

FROM PAGE 3

ity that will serve as a critical link in the road network that is being built out with the aim of making Guyana a transport and logistic hub in the Region.

When completed, the pertinent piece of infrastructure will play a crucial role in strengthening trade between Guyana and Brazil by positioning the region as a key player in international commerce and economic growth.

Construction of the new bridge has already begun, with works on the eastern abutment of the bridge. The abutment is the structure that supports the bridge in both directions – horizontally and vertically. The bridge abutment also connects and transfers the bridge load to the ground.

It had also been disclosed

tres (m³) in 2015 to under 400,000 m³ by 2020, while export of forestry products dropped from US$53 million in 2014 to US$34 million in 2019… an over 35 per cent decrease. Also dropping was the employment rate in the sector, dropping from 22,000 in 2015 to 14,000 in 2020.

Perhaps the most sordid example of the APNU/AFC’s mismanagement of forestry is the state it left the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC).

The entity, which once had a surplus of $211 million in 2014, could neither pay its employees their salaries nor bonuses under APNU/ AFC and has difficulties paying its light, water and telephone bills, as well as paying National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

Bauxite

The Bauxite sector was also mismanaged under the former APNU/AFC Government, with production dropping by more than 40 per cent and employment being reduced by half between 2015 and 2020.

Again, this primarily affected persons in Region 10.

“Since the PPP/C assumed office, a number of steps were taken by our Government to reduce costs, broaden product range and increase production. For us, we had to build back this sec-

tor. we had to get back those 50 per cent of jobs that were lost,” the President said.

Among the measures, the Government employed was issuing additional reserves in Kara Kara, investing in a 19-Megawatt (MW) solar farm that would reduce energy costs and supply both operational and community needs and issuing additional reserves to the BOSAI mineral group, which have allowed for increased investments and an increase in production to 400,000 tonnes.

As a matter of fact, President Ali during a visit to Linden on Sunday interacted with residents and spoke about projections for the Bauxite sector. So far, Bauxite export is expected to increase to US$163.2 million in 2024, while BOSAI is seeking to hire hundreds more after a successful year.

“This year, we have had important expansions in the Bauxite sector, from BOSAI. We had about 500 new persons employed. Their commitment is that another 500 persons will be employed during the course of this year.”

“And we’re also working and holding them to their plan of expanding and once the cost of energy becomes efficient, we can look at the value added. And value creation of this sector,” the Head of State related during the visit. (G-3)

8 NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

81 cases disposed of in Demerara October Assizes – as Berbice, Essequibo sessions continue

T

he backlog of cases at the Demerara High Court has been significantly reduced following the disposal of 81 cases during the October Criminal Assizes in Georgetown.

The session commenced with a total of 183 criminal cases listed to be heard.

Justice Navindra Singh, Madam Justice Jo-Ann Barlow, Justice Sandil Kissoon, Justice Peter Hugh, Madam Justice Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus, and Madam Justice Damone Younge presided over the Assizes.

According to the Director Public Prosecutions (DPP) Chambers, of the 81 matters disposed by the State during this Assizes, 45 were presented in the High Court.

Of these, 21 were for the offence of Murder, 3 for the offence of Manslaughter, 15 for Attempt to Commit Murder with alternative counts of Felonious Wounding and Wounding with Intent and 6 for Sexual Offences.

State Counsels: Mohamed Muntaz Ali, Christopher Belfield and Madana Rampersaud prosecuted eight matters before Justice Singh while State Counsels Mikel Puran, Caress Henry and Abiola Lowe completed seven matters before Justice Hugh.

Additionally, State Counsels Delon Fraser and Alvaro Ramotar prosecuted nine matters before Justice Kissoon while another 11 matters were prosecuted by State Counsels Rbina Christmas, Praneeta Seeraj

The Demerara High Court

and Mikel Puran before Justice Barlow.

Senior State Counsel Taneisha Saygon along with State Counsel Padma Dubraj completed five matters in the Sexual Offences Court before Justice Isaacs-Marcus while State Counsels Caressa Henry, Abiola Lowe and Yonika Rowland completed three matters before Justice Younge.

These cases resulted in eight convictions, 19 guilty pleas, seven formal verdicts of not guilty, 11 not guilty verdicts by jury, three Hung Juries and one Quashed Indictment. A total of 52 accused persons appeared in these trials.

Meanwhile, 36 matters were nolle prosequi (not prosecuted) by the DPP Chamber.

Of these 36 cases, two were for the offence of Murder, 10 for Attempt to Commit Murder, 21 Sexual Offences, another two for Manslaughter and one for the offence of Robbery Under Arms.

“In some of these matters, either the complainants or the accused had died, main

witnesses could not be located or the complainants in written statements had indicated they did not wish to proceed with their matters,” the DPP explained in its Assizes report.

The Demerara Criminal Assizes for January 2025 will be opened on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, with 134 cases listed to be heard by Justice Singh, Justice Barlow, Justice Younge, Madam Justice Priya SewnarineBeharry and Madam Justice Zamila Ally-Seepaul.

Berbice October Assizes At the Berbice High Court, State Counsel Cicelia Corbin prosecuted seven matters thus far in the October Criminal Assizes before Justice Ally-Seepaul.

Of these, four were for the offence of Murder and one each for the offences of Manslaughter, Attempted Murder and Rape of A Child under 16 Years.

The murder accused were all sentenced. In the manslaughter matter, the trial judge upheld a no-case sub-

mission and directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty against the accused.

In the Attempted Murder case, the accused was acquitted by a jury while for the Rape of a Child under 16 Years matter, the complainant testified she did not wish to offer any evidence in the matter and the trial judge directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.

This Assizes in Berbice continues until next month when the February 2025 Criminal Assizes commences.

Essequibo Assizes Meanwhile, in the Essequibo October Criminal Assizes, State Counsel Latifa Elliot prosecuted 11 matters. Two of these were before Justice Younge for the offence of Murder and the other nine matters – seven Sexual Offences, and one each for Murder and Manslaughter – were completed before Justice Hugh.

The accused in the three murder cases along with the Manslaughter accused were sentenced while the accused in one of the Sexual Offence matters was found guilty and sentenced.

The complainants in two Sexual Offence cases did not proceed with their matters and the juries were directed to return formal verdicts of not guilty. In the other four sexual offences, the accused were all acquitted by jury verdicts.

This Assizes in the Essequibo continues until the February 2025 Criminal Assizes commences.

Only last week, the DPP reported that some 332 cases have been disposed of in 2024.

Of this total, 218 received attention in the High Courts of Demerara (134), Berbice (43) and Essequibo (41); while 114 were nolle prosequi by the DPP last year.

These cases resulted in a total of 39 convictions; 81 formal not-guilty verdicts; 59 not-guilty verdicts by jury; 64 guilty pleas; six hung juries; one quashed indictment, and two aborted trials. A total of 149 accused persons made their appearances in the three High Courts.

Meanwhile, in April 2024, the DPP Chamber appeared at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in one matter for the offence of Murder.

The appellant in this matter was found guilty and sentenced by the High Court to 81 years imprisonment with eligibility for parole after 45 years. He appealed his sentence at the Guyana Court of Appeal and got a reduction to 50 years imprisonment with no specified time for eligibility for parole. He appealed this sentence at the CCJ, which allowed the Appeal and ordered that consistent with the penalty imposed on the appellant’s co-accused, he should serve a life sentence with no eligibility for parole for 20 years.

Looking… …at political fissioning

W

ith the New Year excesses hopefully dissipated and elections coming up, the horses for the political races will be getting ready to enter the paddocks.

Which in this case means the political parties gonna be nominating their presidential and PM candidates to fly their colours. But this being Guyana where – even more than in America – we believe that ANYBODY can be president, we’ll witness a veritable explosion of parties with newly-minted presidential and PM candidates!! Last go-around, your Eyewitness does believe there were at least a dozen of these efflorescences!

And as is usual, most evaporate into thin air the day after elections. Just one of them, ANUG, survived – if you can call it that since all of the founders have departed the scene and a new rag-tag bunch have slid into their seats. There’s the old conundrum of whether if both the blade and then the handle of an axe have been replaced, whether it’s the same axe!!

In politics seems, it is!! When your Eyewitness wrote that some newbies “slid into their seats”, he doesn’t mean the “joinder one” they were supposed to share in Parliament.

Sadly, they haven’t been able to pry out the second “joinder” individual who’s squatting waaaay beyond her time-sharing arrangement. That unfortunate denouement made folks question whether the original founders ever had the nous to survive in Guyanese politics.

Your Eyewitness expects that several new parties gonna be registered by members of the PNC who feel they can be better candidates than the incumbent Aubrey Norton. We have Amanza Waldron and Roysdale Forde – who challenged Norton for leadership but dropped out!! They claimed there were “manipulations” of the party mechanisms to deny them a fair shot at the apple!! But aren’t they more than a tad naïve?? The PNC’s history makes it genetically predisposed to “manipulations”!!

They also have a long – if inglorious – tradition of disgruntled but ambitious fellas starting new breakaway parties. Didn’t their “Founder leader” Forbes Burnham start the tradition by breaking away from the PPP when he declared “LEADER OR NOTHING!!”?? Following his example was Llewellyn John, a former Assistant General Secretary and Minister of Home Affairs, who founded the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM); Eusi Kwayana, a former General Secretary, who formed the Working People’s Alliance; Hamilton Green, a former General Secretary and Prime Minister, who flounced out and launched the Good and Green Guyana party; and finally, Raphael Trotman, a former MP, with the Alliance For Change (AFC).

There have been several outsider names – including a newspaper publisher and a philanthropic businessman – who’re playing coy on whether they’ll launch parties to run.

Your Eyewitness thinks they will.

How else can they later introduce themselves as “former presidential candidate”?? …political expediency The PPP also ain’t immune to the fissioning bug by members who think they didn’t get their shot at the presidential apple. Way back, they had a fella named Balram Singh Rai who launched a “Justice Party” and most recently there was Khemraj “Dead Meat” Ramjattan who hooked up with the PNC’s Raphael Trotman in their AFC venture. They were supposed to recapitulate Jagan and Burnham’s 1953 venture – and they did, with the most vicious infighting and backbiting against each other!!! As to what that proved is grist for ANOTHER mill!!

Anyhow, at their last June internal elections, neither stood for the leader’s role but Ramjattan declared, “unlike what some is saying about us – that we are a party that is dead, we are alive kicking and very deadly!” So, maybe, he was projecting this “deadly” quality of the AFC when recently – without mentioning the Buxton-based gunmen who were killing civilians like flies – he claimed the present PPP leadership had supported death squads!! …at Biden’s last hurrah Cutting through all the banalities spouted by politicians in the first world, let’s note that even as the death toll in Gaza went beyond 45,700, Biden’s approved a US$8B arms package for Israel – including heavy bombs.

The views expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Guyana Times’ editorial policy and stance

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

NEWS

9

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Over 1 million passengers processed at Guyana’s airports in 2024 – CJIA's CEO

...processing of cargo increased by 20% ...over 15,000 prohibited items confiscated from passengers

International Airport (CJIA) Ramesh Ghir during an end-of-year presser hosted by the Public Works Ministry.

The CEO highlighted that some 1,072,785 passengers were processed.

“I think it’s in the news a few years ago when President Irfan Ali did make that prediction that

we will process a million passengers by 2025 we actually achieved that target in 2024… If one were to look at all ports of entry, we have processed 1,072,000 passengers with CJIA accounting for 856,000, Ogle 72,000, Molson Creek 114,000 and Lethem 28,000.”

According to statistics presented, this number rep-

resents a 15 per cent increase with 142,785 more passengers being processed in 2024 when compared to 2023 which saw a total of 930,000 passengers being processed at the country’s ports of entry.

As it relates to the CJIA, the CEO stated that the facility has seen significant growth over the years while adding that in 2024, the airport had processed over 850,000 passengers – a representation of a 17 per cent increase when compared to 2023.

“To give you some statistics, passenger numbers in 2024 amounted to 856,830, which is a 17 per cent increase over last year which means we processed 127,380 more passengers.”

Moreover, the CEO stated that the airport also recorded a 17 per cent increase in international landings last year with 5,083 international aircraft compared to 4,341 in 2023.

of essay-type or open-ended items.

As accustomed, all examination centres will be fully prepared and organised and candidates must be fully aware of their seating positions along with the entry and exit plans. In addition, all guidelines and regulations must be followed by

both candidates and invigilators.

Candidates must be seated at least 30 minutes before the commencement of the examinations for both morning and afternoon sessions and they must be seated in an arrangement using their NGSA candidate numbers.

The packages with examination papers must be opened and distributed in the presence of the seated candidates and all the necessary arrangements and provisions must be in place for Special Needs (SEND) children and candidates writing the Spanishtranslated papers.

Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA)

A

ir travel in Guyana for 2024 has soared with over one million passengers being processed at the various ports of entry – Eugene Correia and the Cheddi Jagan International (CJIA) Airports.

This significant achievement was highlighted by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Cheddi Jagan

NGSA 2025 set for April 16 & 17

E

ducation Minister, Priya Manickchand on Sunday announced that the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) for 2025 is set to be written on April 16 and 17.

The assessment will be based on the Grade Five curriculum and then a consolidated curriculum. However, it was reminded that concepts from Grades Three and Four are also tested.

NGSA is spearheaded by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC). Similar to the structure since 2016, CXC prepares the examination, supervises its administration, marks the scripts, conducts quality checks and conducts consequential reviews if any are requested.

Candidates are tested in four subjects namely, Mathematics, English, Science and Social Studies.

The examination in each subject area consists of two papers. Paper One consists of multiple-choice items while Paper Two consists

CJIA Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Ghir

He attributed the increase in air traffic to several new air carriers.

“In this business, we take at minimum two to three years to track an airline… also, because we have these additional carriers, we increased seating this year by 247,000 from 1.2 million to 1.4 million… This year, we had United, SkyHigh Dominicana, Avianca, and Liat. We already have KLM.” Notably, some existing carriers had also added some flights to their schedules and a few new routes during the year.

Meanwhile, as it relates to cargo, Ghir noted that significant growth was also recorded with over 13 million kilograms (Kg) of cargo being processed in 2024.

“This year, we processed 13.5 million kilograms of cargo compared to 11.2 million kilograms, which is a 20 per cent increase. Both imports and exports. Imports increased by 80 per cent; export increased by 29 per cent.”

Additionally, he related that in a bid to address the increase in traffic, the CJIA administration has beefed up its training programmes for staff.

“We now have the ability, we have our own security staff who are fully trained, not only to train our staff at the airport, but we’ve also been helping the other agencies. We did some training at Ogle for example with their staff. Over 956

persons were trained in various areas. We also trained the law enforcement agency at the airport on the use of the various scanners.”

Moreover, he highlighted that several prohibited items were confiscated at the airport last year. “In terms of prohibited items being detected at the airport, over 15,000 items and I really want to commend the security staff at the airport for the work they’ve been doing. 7,000 plus bottles of liquids, gels, and things that were not permitted to go on the aircraft were seized. Over 483 sharp objects, 7,000 plus powdered substances and 28 live rounds of ammunition were confiscated also.”

Further, Ghir reported that the airport’s staff has been effective in addressing the issue of items being lost with some 81 per cent of those items being recovered and returned to the owners.

“Another aspect that we are very proud of is our ability to address passenger complaints, especially about missing items. During 2024, we had 499 complaints received from passengers and airport users of missing items. 81 per cent of those, we were successfully able to recover and give them back to the owners. They include 101 luggage, 50 laptops, 36 mobile phones, 34 travel documents, several pieces of watches, earphones, duty-free items and importantly, several million dollars in cash and jewellery.”

10 NEWS Top Cop warns Police ranks of misconduct while on duty MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

...says those found guilty will be dealt with condignly

Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken

P

olice Commissioner Clifton Hicken emphasised that officers must be aware of the constant scrutiny they face as representatives of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and urged that at all times they must conduct themselves with a high standard of professionalism.

This, he shared while speaking to over 500 ranks at the Police Officers’ Mess Annexe, Eve Leary, Georgetown, last week while sternly warning them that those who breached the code of conduct of the GPF will be dealt with condignly.

“You are ambassadors of the Guyana Police Force.

Your conduct, appearance, and punctuality reflect not just on you but on the entire institution. Any lapse in these will be handled appropriately,” the Top Cop stated.

The meeting, which also included members of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), focused on plans and expectations for the Force in 2025.

Commissioner Hicken and his deputies laid out a vision for continuous development within the organisation, including improving human resources through academic and police-related training, enhancing physical infrastructure, advancing technology, and strengthening ties with communities across Guyana.

In his address, Commissioner Hicken highlighted the strides made in fostering community relations and the importance of maintaining this momentum. He stated, “We’re doing well, but we

can do more. This is the first time in the history of the Guyana Police Force that we can walk into any community, any region, and interact with members of the public. This initiative is one that must be maintained and will be maintained. And when you leave here today and you venture into where you live, you are to create an atmosphere where people are willing to come on board with you.”

He also touched on the long-awaited promotions list, assuring the ranks that it would be released soon. “I

Deputy Police Commissioner Wendell Blanhum

A section of the gathering at the meeting

don’t need to tell you when, but it’s going to come very soon. You’re going to have your promotion,” he said.

However, he reminded the ranks that promotions could not happen all at once and would be rolled out gradually.

Before concluding, Commissioner Hicken reaffirmed his commitment to the Force’s progress, declaring,

Senior Police Officers among the gathering

“This Guyana Police Force will continue to progress until we become the best Police Force in the Caribbean.”

The Executive Leadership Team, which included Deputy Commissioners Ravindradat Budhram, Errol Watts, Wendell Blanhum, Fazil Karimbaksh, and Simon McBean, also delivered brief remarks.

They emphasised the

need for unity and teamwork within the Force while encouraging officers to uphold professionalism and honesty in all their endeavours.

The meeting served as a rallying call for the GPF to push forward with its goals for 2025, while holding its members accountable for their roles as custodians of the law and stewards of public trust.

GPF lauds public cooperation in 2024 road safety achievements

– to implement new technologies, deepen collaboration in 2025

Traffic Chief Mahendra Singh

T

he Guyana Police Force (GPF) has attributed much of its success in reducing fatal accidents in 2024 to the growing cooperation of citizens and local organisations.

Speaking on their traffic update programme on Friday, Traffic Chief, Senior Superintendent Mahendra Singh commended the collective effort of private sec-

tor stakeholders, religious leaders, school communities, and drivers in achieving significant milestones.

“It was not the police alone; this success was a joint effort,” Singh remarked. “Through our partnerships, we targeted specific age groups, professions, and community leaders, which led to this outstanding improvement in road safety.”

The GPF launched a series of road safety programmes last year that included lectures for students, drivers, and large fleet operators. These programmes encouraged behavioural changes that directly impacted the reduction in fatal accidents. Singh also highlighted the influence of public awareness campaigns, noting their ability to reach a broad audience through social and electronic media.

The campaigns encouraged drivers to adopt safer habits, and the results were evident. “Many drivers recognised the value of staying injury-free and complying with road rules. This kind of awareness is key to longterm change,” Singh said.

The GPF also applauded public cooperation during major events in 2024, such as those at the Providence National Stadium and on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD). Singh and his team credited citizens for fol-

smooth operations. This collective effort was vital,” Ramdas said.

The road ahead in 2025

A traffic officer carrying out a traffic campaigns

lowing traffic management systems that helped avoid gridlock and ensure safety during these large gatherings.

In addition, Inspector Michael Ramdas from Division 4B, EBD specifi-

cally recognised the success of collaboration during the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) cricket matches.

“Despite the challenges of limited roads and high volumes of traffic, the public worked with us to ensure

For 2025, the GPF plans to deepen its collaboration with communities and organisations while implementing new technologies.

Singh emphasised that road safety is a shared responsibility and called on citizens to maintain the same level of cooperation this year.

“Expect us to expand our education programmes, introduce more traffic monitoring systems, and continue working with stakeholders.

But at the heart of it all, we need the public to remain engaged and disciplined,” Singh urged.

The GPF is optimistic that with sustained collaboration and commitment from the public, 2025 will see even greater progress in reducing accidents and improving road safety across the country.

NEWS

11

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

New Berbice River Bridge

7 international companies shortlisted, to submit price proposals – Min Edghill

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill

T

he People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government is moving steadfastly with a new fixed high-span four-lane bridge across the Berbice River and has already shortlisted seven pre-qualified bidders.

A total of nine companies had initially submitted pre-qualification tenders to build the new bridge that will replace the current 1.57-kilometre floating structure across the Berbice River. Among those were four Chinese companies, three from India, one from Canada and the lone local company, Rockey & Son Construction.

On Saturday, Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill, disclosed that seven of these companies – all foreign contractors – have been shortlisted and are now required to submit price quotations to build the new Berbice River bridge.

“Out of nine submissions, seven are prequalified and they will be asked now for price… these are all international companies including the Chinese. And they’ve been asked to put in a price proposal so we can move

ahead with that,” Edghill told the Guyana Times at his Ministry’s 2024 year-end press conference over the weekend.

In his New Year Address to the Nation last week, President Dr Irfaan Ali announced that the construction of the new bridge across the Berbice River will commence this year. It is a part of the PPP/C Government’s efforts to transform the local transportation network by improving connectivity and opening up new economic opportunities for citizens.

The new Berbice River bridge will be a fixed highspan four-lane concrete structure thus removing the need for retractions, allowing both marine and vehicular traffic to flow freely and uninterrupted.

Already, the Government has acquired approximately 50 properties on the eastern side of the Berbice River to facilitate the construction of the new bridge.

“We just completed the acquisition of 50-odd properties along the East Bank [of Berbice] for the [new] Berbice River bridge,” Attorney

General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, S.C., had disclosed to the National Assembly last month during the debates on the Acquisition of Lands for Public Purposes (Amendment) Bill.

Nevertheless, Minister Edghill reminded on Saturday that the new Berbice River bridge project was not part of the PPP/C Administration’s 2020 Manifesto promise.

The idea of a new bridge across the Berbice River was first floated back in October 2022 by President Ali. Speaking at the launch of the Berbice Expo and Trade Fair about three years ago, the Head of State told residents of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) that the Government was considering a new bridge as part of the many infrastructure developments planned for the ancient county.

Then about a year later, it was announced that the Government had already started planning the construction of the new four-lane structure across the Berbice River.

In August, President Ali assured that the new bridge will be on par with the modern structure of the new Demerara River bridge currently being built.

“The Berbice River bridge will be built under the same system that we utilised for the Demerara River bridge.

The Berbice River bridge will be no less in terms of design capability, structure and intent of the bridge… The bridge will cater for the expansion that will take place at Palmyra, the gas project that will be built in Region Six and also the development of an industrial park, with the port facilities that will support these services,” the

The two-lane floating Berbice River Bridge

Guyanese Leader noted.

The Head of State had made it clear that he would ensure this new structure was built in the face of criticism by the Opposition, especially the Alliance For Change (AFC) which had questioned the financial viability of a new bridge and called for a feasibility study to be done. However, the Government has argued that the Opposition always finds ways to block major initiatives that would benefit Guyanese and improve their lives.

“So, not only we will be building a new bridge but the current one will be tollfree… And for those who have a problem with us building a new high-pass bridge at Berbice, they got a greater problem now because it gonna be free of cost,” President Ali declared on August 29, 2024, when he also announced that the new bridge across the Demerara River and the new

Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge in Linden will also be toll-free when they become operational.

The current floating Berbice River Bridge, a critical link between Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), was constructed between 2006 and 2008 through a public-private partnership at a cost of approximately $8.2 billion. It was financed by loans and equity contributions from various entities including the stateowned National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and other private investors.

It was reported last year that the Government would be engaging the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI) investors to lower the current toll prices.

At the sod-turning ceremony for the new US$161 million modern hospital in New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne)

back in January 2024, President Ali had noted that since the Government carries the maintenance cost of the bridge, they were formulating a plan to work with the BBCI investors and play a greater role in making it cheaper to cross the Berbice Bridge.

During his August announcement, the Head of State said that even if those talks are not concluded by the time the new Demerara River Bridge becomes operational next year, the current Berbice River Bridge will still become toll-free at the same time.

“We are in the process of discussing with the Berbice River Bridge [Company], the possible acquisition of that bridge by the Government…

Once this occurs, and even if it does not occur, by the time we make this [new Demerara River] bridge toll-free, the Berbice River Bridge crossing will also be free of cost,” Ali had promised. (G-8)

ExxonMobil to drill 30 development wells in 2025 – Routledge ...Ranger-1 well among areas to be appraised

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s 2025 opens, US oil giant ExxonMobil has indicated its plans to drill 30 development wells this year, with the company setting the stage for future exploration and production of oil in the Stabroek Block.

During an appearance on the Energy Perspectives podcast, ExxonMobil Guyana’s President Alistair Routledge explained that the company is looking to prepare for its upcoming developments with a range of development wells.

Of course, with Yellowtail having a 2025 startup, this will be an area of crucial importance.

“As always, at this stage, we’re investing in a mix of wells. The Yellowtail project is starting up. We will also be drilling wells for other projects that are going to start up soon. Around about 30 development wells in 2025, spanning across Yellowtail, but

also Uaru and the Whiptail developments. So really important year for us, as we drill those wells and prepare for those developments to start up in 2026 and 2027.”

“On top of that, we continue to explore and appraise the resource across the block. And we expect to have around two rank exploration wells. So, looking for new opportunities and plays.

And then continuing our appraisal work on resources across the block, everywhere from probably the Ranger discovery that we made a few years ago, down to the resources southeast, what we call the gas area of the block,” Routledge also explained.

Back in 2018, Exxon announced the discovery of 230 feet of high-quality oil in its Ranger-1 well within the Stabroek Block approximately 60 miles North West of the Liza phase one project.

Since then, however, the find has flown under the radar.

Routledge was asked about this interlude between the find and now and said that this is down to the location of the well.

“The Ranger discovery was made a few years ago.

And it’s more challenging to develop a carbonite discovery, than it is to develop a sandstone, which is predominantly all of our developments to date have been in sandstone.”

“So, it’s more challenging, takes a lot more effort to go through the geoscience data that we’ve gathered from the wells we’ve already drilled. We’ve gathered data from neighbouring exploratory wells we’ve been drilling. To see what we can combine in that part of the block as a potential development,” Routledge added.

Esso Exploration and

Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), Exxon’s local subsidiary, is the operator of the Stabroek Block, and holds a 45 per cent interest then, while Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds a 30 per cent interest, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds the remaining 25 per cent interest.

Currently, ExxonMobil is producing oil from three offshore developments in Guyana: Liza Phase One and Two, which utilise the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) units, and the Payara Project, which uses the Prosperity FPSO. All these projects are located in the Stabroek Block.

The Prosperity FPSO vessel started pumping oil in November of last year and so far, its daily production rate

ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge

has risen to above 200,000 barrels of oil. Combined, the Liza Destiny, Unity and Prosperity FPSO vessels produced over 625,000 barrels of oil per day.

Guyana pumped out over 220 million barrels of oil for the entirety of 2024. It is estimated that when the Yellowtail development project comes on stream, production will climb to 810,000

barrels per day by 2027.

Additionally, Exxon has already received approvals for and is advancing preparatory works on its fifth and sixth projects, Uaru and Whiptail.

The company has meanwhile completed the purchase of all three FPSO vessels operational in the block, with the purchase of the Liza Destiny FPSO for US$535 million last month. (G-8)

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MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 202

President Dr Irfaan Ali led a team of Government Ministers on an outreach to Linden, Region 10 on Sund and community centre groun

25 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

13

day, during which visits were made to several projects, including the site for the four-lane Wismar Bridge nd (Photos by Latchman Singh)

14 NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Husband, wife critical following gas bottle explosion at Foulis – house also destroyed

The couple after they were burned

By LaWanda McAllister

A

gas bottle explosion on early Saturday morning has left an East Coast Demerara (ECD) couple critically injured and their home in complete ruins.

The explosion occurred around 5:30h on Saturday at

I went in the ambulance with them, and I asked them what happened and they told me that they were smelling gas earlier, even though the bottle was off. She went downstairs to cook, and when she lit the stove, the entire bottle exploded,” the daughter recounted.

Doctors have described both Ganpat and Sukhu’s conditions as critical but stable. “They are responding and eating, but my mother is in especially bad shape,” the daughter revealed. “She was light-skinned, but now her skin is completely dark due to the burns. It’s heartbreak-

is all a dream. I can’t catch myself up to now,” the daughter admitted.

The woman also raised questions about the gas bottle, which was purchased from Massy (Guyana) Ltd. She told this publication that following the incident, a representative from the company visited the site on Saturday and reportedly claimed that the bottle was in perfect condition.

“That’s strange because my mother said she was smelling gas earlier, even though the bottle was off, but we are waiting to hear from the fire service to know exactly what went wrong,” she said.

Fire officials have launched an investigation.

The family estimates that the damage is in the millions, with the house’s structural integrity severely compromised.

“They’ve lost everything— everything...”, the daughter said.

Recently, Massy Gas Products (Guyana) Ltd has been under increasing scrutiny following a series of gas cylinder incidents that have left several victims injured

The house that was destroyed by the explosion

Lot 194, Fifth Street Foulis, ECD occupied by 55-year-old Basmattie Ganpat, her common-law partner, 58-year-old Manu “Paul” Sukhu and their eight-year-old granddaughter who was unhurt.

The couple’s daughter, Sandyha Goolram who lives separately, described the shocking chain of events that unfolded.

“I was home sleeping because I am living on the first street, and the neighbour came knocking on my door early in the morning, woke me up and told me to come quick, that my mother’s house was on fire, and she was burned. They woke me up around 5:55h,” she said.

When she arrived, she found her stepfather already in the ambulance while her mother, badly burned, was being carried out of the house.

“When I came, I saw two fire reels and an ambulance…

The family’s two-storey wooden and concrete home was also partially destroyed due to the explosion with the kitchen and dining areas, located on the lower flat bearing the brunt of the blast.

“The walls of the lower flat were blown out, the roof and flooring of the upper flat were ripped off, and the entire house was twisted from the force of the explosion. The whole house and everything were destroyed. Even to all their appliances, bed, personal belongings everything,” the daughter explained. “We had to use wooden props to keep the house from collapsing further,” the daughter told the Guyana Times.

The family has lost everything. “It’s only been a year since they renovated the house. They bought new furniture, painted it, and decorated it for Christmas. Now, it’s all gone,” she added.

ing.”

The family is also uncertain about where Ganpat and Sukhu will stay once discharged from the hospital.

“The house is uninhabitable, we are trying to see what we can do, but there is only so much we can do. This has left us shaken, scared, and completely depressed. I feel like I am still in a dream, like this

and caused extensive property damage. These incidents, which have occurred over the past few months, have sparked public concern and calls for greater accountability from the company.

In August, a gas cylinder explosion at Jaiwantie Samaroo’s grocery shop in Herstelling, East Bank Demerara (EBD), result-

Injured: Basmattie Ganpat and her common-law partner, 58-yearold Manu “Paul” Sukhu

ed in third-degree burns for Samaroo and destroyed her business. In November, another explosion occurred at the Better Hope residence of Necolece Alexander, who narrowly avoided further disaster after a gas cylinder exploded while cooking. The explosion caused property damage and left Alexander with minor burns.

pany, Massy claimed that it employs a robust system of automatic leak detection equipment, along with manual checks to ensure its products meet the highest safety standards. They also urged customers to conduct regular maintenance of their gas-related equipment, including inspecting cylinders, regulators, and hoses for dam-

In December, the situation escalated when a woman named Abi Jaundoo reported a leaking Massy gas cylinder at her home. Despite contacting the company for assistance, she claimed the company’s initial response was dismissive, instructing her to return the hazardous bottle to the purchase location.

Just days later, on December 7, a gas cylinder explosion at the home of Murtland Wills and Oneka Williams in Little Abary caused significant structural damage, including shattered windows and cracked walls. The estimated repair costs exceeded $1.5 million. Despite video evidence and inspection findings pointing to a defective cylinder, Massy representatives allegedly denied responsibility.

These incidents have left residents shaken and seeking answers about the safety of gas cylinders sold by Massy.

In response to growing public concern, the company issued a statement emphasising its commitment to safety.

As an ISO-certified com-

age. Massy stressed the importance of replacing old or damaged equipment with approved parts and following safety guidelines.

Massy also referenced an inspection of a gas cylinder in Tuschen, where the regulator was found to be over 15 years old and the connecting hose was burnt. The company noted that the gas cylinder itself remained intact, retaining more than 50 per cent of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), but the old regulator and damaged hose were identified as the source of the leak.

The growing number of incidents has raised concerns about the safety protocols surrounding LPG suppliers. Victims and concerned citizens are now demanding stricter regulations, improved customer support, and better safety measures. In response, Massy has launched a social media campaign aimed at raising awareness about the safe use of cooking gas and has encouraged customers to regularly inspect their equipment and contact the company for assistance if necessary.

NEWS 15

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

T&HD rakes in $1.2B in revenue in 2024 – General Manager ...over 440,000 passengers transported

Acting General Manager of T&HD, Yolanda Hughes Smith

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ver 441,131 commuters have utilised the services of the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) in 2024 thus raking in $1.2 billion in revenues.

This was revealed by General Manager (GM) of the T&HD, Yolanda Hughes Smith during a press conference hosted by the Public Works Ministry on Saturday.

Hughes-Amith noted that a fleet of seven ferries and two barges are currently being operated by the T&HD while noting that these vessels made over 5000 return trips for 2024.

“In 2024, the total number of trips made by all the

services provided by T&HD was 5,034 return trips.

That is 5,034 return trips we have accounted for 1965 was the Parika- Supenaam route; 744 trips from Parika-Leguan; ParikaWakenaam 315 trips; Parika-Bartica 296 trips, and in our best services, we had 38 trips.”

In this regard, Smith highlighted that over 440,000 passengers were transported along with cargo and vehicles. “In 2024, T&HD has safely moved via all its services a total of 441,131 passengers, 141,867 vehicles, 241,235 tonnes of cargo, and that was movement over the 5,038 trips for the year.”

On this point, she highlighted that the ParikaSupenaam route accounts for more than half of the total cargo and passengers transported in 2024.

“In 2024, we moved a total of 319,764 passengers, vehicles for the year of the review were 108,232, which reflects 11,313 increases over 2023 and in terms of cargo, in 2024, on the very route ParikaSupenaam, we would have moved 177,868 tonnes of cargo, which reflects 28,264 tonnes more than 2023. I’m also pleased to inform you that for 2024, the ParikaSupenaam service made 1,965 trips, and this records the highest number of trips ever between ParikaSupenaam, and it also reflects 303 trips more than the previous year.”

The GM further related that the T&HD had recorded its highest amount of revenue earned from the transportation of passengers and goods in 2024 amounting to a whopping $1.2 billion which represents a 6.99 per cent increase when compared to 2023.

“T&HD revenue for 2024

The MV Malali

was $1,207,886,399 and this reflects a 6.99 per cent increase over the revenue generated in 2023. So, it’s T&HD’s highest revenue earned from the movement of passengers, vehicles, and cargo to date.”

Moreover, she reported that in a bid to improve water transport services, several major infrastructural projects will be commissioned this year.

“The Leguan Ferry Stelling was completed in July of 2024 and remains to be officially commissioned,

which will more likely be done this year. The new Bartica Stelling will be operational in February 2025… The Goods Wharf, which is another mega project, is slated for completion by the second quarter of 2025. In Region One, we have the Port Kaituma Stelling, which is slated for completion in the second quarter of 2025, while the Kumaka and Morawhanna are projected for completion by the third quarter of this year.”

Once these projects come

on stream, Smith highlighted that the T&HD will execute a complete revision of the transport system.

Additionally, she stated that four vessels will be docking this year M.V. Makouria, M.V. Malali, M.V. Sabanto and M.V. Kanawan while new wooden cargo boats are expected to join the existing fleet of T&HD in 2025.

At least three such vessels are expected to join the operations by February and will service Pomeroon, Berbice, and the Northwest.

GPF’s Marine Unit hosts inaugural Thanksgiving Service, Award Ceremony – Sergeant McDonald named ‘‘Best Cop’’ for the Unit

ciency of the ranks, particularly those assigned to the Marine Unit.

As part of modernisation efforts, the Deputy Commissioner announced that the Force had acquired 13 new vessels and implemented specialised training programmes to ensure personnel are well-equipped to operate independently and effectively in their mandate to serve the nation.

Meanwhile, Sergeant McDonald was named the Marine Unit’s Best Cop of 2024 and was awarded a plaque and a $50,000 cash award for his dedicated service throughout the year.

Among those pres-

Sergeant McDonald received a trophy as ‘‘Best Cop’’ for the unit

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he Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) Marine Unit marked the start of the new year with a special Thanksgiving Service and Awards Ceremony on Saturday under the theme, ‘Celebrate with us as we give thanks for our blessings and another successful year of service and protection.’

The event, held at the Marine Unit headquarters in South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, provided officers and staff with an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the past year while seeking blessings for continued success in their commitment to serving and protecting the nation.

The service featured a sermon by Pastor Dr Paul Benjamin, accompanied by worship and praise led by the Police Band Room.

However, members of the unit were presented with plaques and other tokens of appreciation for their outstanding contributions to safeguarding the nation’s waterways and marine environment.

Deputy Commissioner ‘Operations’, Errol Watts emphasised the importance of gratitude and fostering a supportive working environment for the ranks of the GPF. “It is my belief and teaching that we must give thanks. The priority is to en-

sure our ranks are comfortable while performing their duties,” Watts posited.

Under the GPF’s Strategic Plan for 2025– 2026, Watts highlighted partnerships with the University of Guyana (UG) to develop a comprehensive infrastructural plan aimed at improving working conditions and ensuring the welfare of the Force’s members.

“We cannot work alone; we must work together,” Watts urged the gathering as he acknowledged the support of the GPF’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and the Government. He also outlined several training programmes available to enhance the skills and effi-

A fleet of vessels used for patrol

Deputy Commissioner (Operations) Errol Watts

ent at the Thanksgiving Service were Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) Deputy Commissioner Fazil Karimbaksh; Head of Police Transport

Senior Superintendent Himnauth Sawh; Deputy Chief Immigration Officer, Mr Stephen Telford; Superintendent Troy Whittaker; and other senior and junior officers.

16 NEWS DPP requests CCTV footage in BBP fatal shooting T

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

he Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has requested to view the CCTV footage of the shooting incident at Lesbeholden, Black Bush Polder, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) which resulted in the death of Yognand Chetram two Sundays ago.

This was according to a senior police rank who stated that after a file was submitted to the DDP Chambers for advice, the file was returned with the request to see the CCTV footage. Police had arrested a 65-year-old businessman for

the murder of the 29-yearold man which occurred at his drinking bar.

It was reported that the now-dead man and his brother had gone into the T. Ramnarine Store but were later asked by the owner to leave the premises which they refused to do.

The now dead man’s wife, Roshnie Baichan explained that her husband and other family members left home at about 4:30h for BBP to spread fertiliser to a rice field after which they went into the shop to change some money in smaller notes so it could have been

Dead: Yognand Chetram

divided equally.

The woman stated that her husband would normally go to the said shop after getting paid to ‘break up’ the money so it can be parted equally among the workers.

She said about an hour after her father-in-law returned home, she did not hear from her husband and decided to contact him via telephone. She was reportedly told that he was still in BBP and was on his way to change the money.

Again, after some time had elapsed and he did not return home, she went in

search of him. According to the mother of three, there was no one at the scene when she arrived and the gates to the shop were closed.

However, the police stated that the businessman related that there was an argument among persons in the beer garden and the now-dead man along with others were breaking bottles and threatening each other.

The businessman told detectives that he attempted to close his gate when Chetram and another man threw him onto the ground thus causing injuries to his elbow. He added that while

on the ground and being threatened with bottles, he whipped out his firearm and discharged two rounds hitting Chaitram who later collapsed.

He then secured his premises and reported the incident to the police. At the scene, Police found two .32 spent shells – one inside the shop and one outside near the gate.

Meanwhile, the police are expected to present the CCTV footage to the DPP Chambers later this week after which, a decision will be taken on the way forward.

Govt looking at designs to extend Ogle-to-Eccles Road to Diamond – as bypass road set for completion in 1st quarter

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Paving works on the East Coast to East Bank Demerara Road link project

Ongoing works at the Ogle-to-Eccles Bypass Road

ith works nearing completion on the highly anticipated bypass road project that will link the East Coast Demerara (ECD) corridor at Ogle to the East Bank Demerara (EBD) at Eccles, the Guyana Government is now focusing on extending that road link to Diamond

on the EBD corridor.

This is according to Public Works Minister Juan Edghill at his Ministry’s end-of-year press conference on Saturday. “We’re continuing the project of moving the East CoastEast Bank interlink road…

We’re now moving past Eccles to get all the way

up to Diamond. We’re looking at all of the designs,” Edghill told reporters.

However, the Head of the Works Services Group (WSG) at the Public Works Ministry, Ron Rahaman, reported during last weekend’s press conference that the 7.8 kilometres (km) of four-lane highway from

Ogle-to-Eccles is near completion.

The two-year project, which commenced in June 2022, was initially scheduled to be completed by January 24, 2025, but has been extended by a few weeks. “The project is about 92.5 per cent completed and the project will be completed in the first quarter of 2025,” Rahaman stated.

The Ogle-to-Eccles bypass road, which is being built by India-based Ashoka Buildcon Limited to the tune of US$106.4 million, will run through the swampy backlands to create a direct highway connecting the East Coast with the East Bank corridor.

Only on December 31, Minister Edghill conducted a site visit to inspect the progress of the works.

At the time, it was reported that some 3.7 km of asphalt paving had been completed, accounting for 20 per cent of the paving work to be done. The remaining 80 per cent is scheduled to be completed by the project completion date.

The contractor of Ashoka Buildcon Limited, Ramachandar Rao, had assured of the readiness of the company to complete the remaining works in the shortest time possible.

“We have mobilised all of the remaining material to complete the remaining work in the shortest time,” he noted during last week’s

visit.

Final works also include the removal of utility lines in the paths of the project, according to the Ministry.

The four-lane highway is being built from the intersection of the Ogle Airstrip Road and the Rupert Craig Highway on the ECD towards Haags Bosch in Eccles, on the EBD. It will feature a roundabout that will connect the highway and the Railway Embankment, which is also being expanded.

Back in 2015, the Indian Government provided a US$50 million credit line for the road link that was initially slated for Ogle to Diamond, EBD. However, the project cost was driven up to over $208 million by the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government and the project languished under them.

However, when the current People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration took office in 2020, it redesigned the project into two phases to fit the LOC – first from Ogle to Haags Bosch road in Eccles, which is about 48-50 per cent of the project, and then from Eccles to Diamond.

The Guyana Government will be undertaking the extension from Diamond all the way to Timehri where the country’s main port of entry – the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), is located.

This project will see the construction of some 7.8 km of road from the East Coast to the East Bank with each of the four lanes being 3.6 metres wide. The Highway will also feature a median in the middle and sidewalks as well as several connector roads, especially at the East Bank end to allow for further diversion of traffic.

It is anticipated that this new bypass road will reduce travel time as well as traffic congestion in Georgetown as well as along both the East Bank and East Coast corridors, providing alternate links to the Eugene F. Correia International Airport at Ogle and the CJIA at Timehri, EBD. “This is a major intervention that will cause people moving between the East Bank and the East Coast to bypass the entire Georgetown traffic, reduce travel time, make people’s lives much easier, great accessibility, all the things that go with our improvement that have been started. It’s just a matter of implementing it now… And you would have noticed as well that the connector road at Haags Bosch which is in the Eccles area we were connecting with two lanes but we have since expanded that project to four lanes because of the volume of traffic that we are noticing, so that’s a significant improvement,” Minister Edghill had stated last August. (G-3)

NEWS

17

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt to regularise several informal settlements in 2025

A team apprising the Minister on works on Phase 4, Amelia’s Ward, Linden

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he Government plans to regularise several informal settlements this year, ensuring persons have legal ownership of their lands.

This was according to Housing and Water Minister,

Collin Croal on Friday during his Ministry’s year-end press conference. He also explained that several regions are to benefit from this regularisation initiative.

A total of 35 lots at Lima Sands Housing Scheme

along with an additional 60 at Walton Hall in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) will be regularised. The process also includes 59 lots at Plantation Best Reserve in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara). A

Essequibo motorcyclist critical after slamming into lamp pole torcycle, CP 115 owned and driven by Simon Preliminary investigations revealed that Simon was proceeding along the roadway at a fast rate when he lost control of the motorcycle and collided with a utility pole. As a result of the collision, he fell onto the roadway and sustained injuries on his body.

He was picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the Suddie Regional Hospital where he is being treated for head injuries, a fractured rib, and a fractured hip. The motorcy-

The mangled motorcycle after the collision

A

n Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) motorcyclist is battling for life at the Suddie Public Hospital after he reportedly crashed into a utility pole in the wee hours of Sunday.

Injured is 32-yearold Mark Kendall Simon from Cottonfield Essequibo Coast.

Based on reports received, the accident occurred at about 01:15h

The area where the accident occurred

along the Land of Plenty Public Road, Essequibo Coast and involved a mo-

cle was lodged at the Anna Regina Police Station as investigations continue.

further 43 lots at Success and 209 at Mocha Arcadia in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) will be certified.

Other areas include Vigilance South and North, Coldingen North, De Endragt South of the Railway Embankment, Enmore Newtown and Beezie, Enmore Hope West, Enterprise Block 8, and Enterprise Market Street – all in Region Four.

“For Region Four, we will be regularising a minimum of 700 occupants,” Croal noted while adding that 57 lots are slated to be regularised at Belvedere North and Hampshire in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

In addition, 77 lots will be legalised in Ituni, 30 at New Harden, 154 at Coomacka, 47 at Siberian, 25 at Silver Hill, 93 at West Watooka, 150 at Blocks ‘E’ and ‘F’ of Canva City, 53 at Block F Wismar, and 39 at Green Valley Wismar in Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

In 2024, 583 informal lots were allocated while six squatting areas were regularised. The Government has regularised 17 areas in

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal

three and half years which amounts to 1,571 housing lots.

Among the areas that the Government will be looking at include the following: Greenwich Park, De Kinderen Parcel One, Tuschen Railway Lands and Company Path Uitvlugt, Bachelor’s Adventure, Chateau Margot, Vergenoegen Railway, Vergenoegen Railway South (Acme), Good Hope Railway Embankment, Portions of the Railway Reserve at Plantation

Annandale, Portions of Block E at Plantation Wismar and Christiansburg (Blueberry Hill), the rear of Conception Fitz Hope Parcel Three at Amelia’s Ward.

Residents from Plantation De Willem, Plantation Barnwell, Plantation Philadelphia, and Plantation De Endragt also benefited from regularisation.

Some 430 families have been relocated to significantly improve their standards of living by ensuring they have access to vital necessities.

18

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 6 2025

guyanatimesgy.com

Regional

Another 75 Guatemalan soldiers Ecuador’s ex-VP Glas evacuated arrive in Haiti to battle gangs from prison after attempted killing, lawyer says

A contingent of security forces from Guatemala arrives in Haiti for a security mission, at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, January 4, 2025 (Reuters/Ralph Tedy Erol photo)

A

second group of 75 Guatemalan soldiers arrived in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince on Saturday to boost a United Nations-backed mission tasked with restoring or-

der amid chaos wrought by gangs, the mission said.

Another 75 soldiers arrived a day earlier, taking the total Guatemalan troop numbers to 150. All the reinforcements come from Guatemala’s mili-

Drop in violent crime after T&T State of Emergency

tary police unit, Guatemala’s Government said in a statement.

A further eight soldiers from El Salvador also arrived on Friday.

Kenya has sent nearly 400 Police Officers in June and July last year to help combat the gangs.

This was the first tranche of the UN-approved international force that will be made up of 2500 officers from various countries.

A small number of forces from Jamaica, Belize and El Salvador are also in Haiti as part of the mission and the US is the operation’s largest funder.

In March 2024, armed gangs stormed Haiti’s two biggest prisons, freeing around 3700 inmates.

The Ouest Department – a region including Port-auPrince – was originally put under a state of emergency on March 3, after escalating violence gripped the capital.

Chronic instability, dictatorships and natural disasters in recent decades have left Haiti the poorest nation in the Americas.

In 2021, President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated by unidentified gunmen in Port-au-Prince.

Since then the country has been wracked by economic chaos, little functioning political control, and increasingly violent gang warfare.

(Reuters and BBC News)

F

ormer Ecuadorean Vice President Jorge Glas has been evacuated from prison after an attempt on his life, his lawyer said on Sunday, blaming the Government for the situation.

Sonia Gabriela Vera called for the United Nations and other international organisations to intervene after what she called an “attempted assassination” of Glas in La Roca prison.

The attack “is the result of a State that has condemned him to danger, torture and slow death”, Vera said on X, commenting on a post that claimed Glas had been taken from the prison amid a threat on his life from mutinying prisoners.

“His emergency evacuation confirms what we have denounced time and again: they are deliberately playing with his life,” Vera added. “If anything happens to him, it will be a crime of the State.”

Former Ecuadorean Vice President Jorge Glas (Reuters/Daniel Tapia file photo)

Ecuador’s SNAI prisons agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Glas was detained in April after Ecuadorean security forces stormed Mexico’s Embassy in Quito, where he was holed up after seeking asylum.

While Glas’ support-

ers say the arrest is politically motivated, the ex-Vice President has been convicted for corruption on two other occasions.

Glas also faces charges of misusing funds collected to aid reconstruction of coastal Manabi province after a devastating 2016 earthquake.

(Reuters)

Magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes El Salvador, EMSC says

A

magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck El Salvador on Sunday,

the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.

The quake was at a

depth of 87 kilometres (54.06 miles), EMSC said.

(Reuters)

Pennelope Beckles mum on aspirations to be PNM leader Trinidad and Tobago Police Commissioner Erla HarewoodChristopher

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ne week after the State of Emergency (SoE) was declared, there appears to have been a reduction in reports of violent crimes throughout the country.

Most notably, since the declaration of the SoE last Monday, Trinidad and Tobago has recorded only three murders.

The country’s murder toll for the corresponding period in 2024 saw at least nine persons already being shot dead.

In announcing the SoE last week, then acting Attorney General Stuart Young and National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds lamented that the decision was made as a last resort, given the spike in the murder rate, particularly due to gang violence between warring factions.

Just one week prior to the SoE being announced, 23 persons were killed.

Of that figure, five of them were killed at Prizgar Lands, Laventille, on the night of December 28.

The quintuple murder

was said to be a reprisal for the attempted murder of a man suspected of being a gang leader.

The alleged gang leader and another man had gone to Besson Street Police Station in Port of Spain to report to Police as part of their bail conditions in connection with matters for which they were before the Port of Spain Magistrate’s Court.

While the alleged gang leader managed to escape, the other man was shot and killed.

During last Monday’s news conference, Young and Hinds stated that information was received by law enforcement that there were plans by other gang members to carry out even more reprisal killings and this was the reason why the SoE was being called.

They sought to assure the country it was in no way meant to trample upon the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens, but was instead only aimed at targeting the gangs.

(Excerpt from Nation News)

P

lanning and D e v e l o p m e n t Minister Pennelope Beckles-Robinson said she would “see how things go” when asked if she would throw her hat in the ring to be the next leader of the People’s National Movement (PNM).

Speaking with Guardian Media as she made her way to a villa at the Tobago Plantations where the PNM parliamentarians are currently in a two-day retreat, Beckles-Robinson added, “Right now the important

thing is the retreat and how we ensure that we support the political leader and the Prime Minister at this time because I know of his commitment to country.”

Beckles-Robinson sought to remind Guardian Media that she had previously contested the post of PNM political leader.

“Always remember that I did challenge and I lost,” she said.

In 2014, BecklesRobinson comprehensively lost to Dr Keith Rowley in the PNM internal elections.

Dr Rowley received 18,070 votes compared to her 1314.

Pressed further on whether she has future aspirations to be the political leader now that PM Rowley has announced his impending resignation, the Arima MP said, “As far as I know, at this point in time there really isn’t a vacancy. An election is coming I’ve had the opportunity again to serve Arima and I just want to say to the people of Arima, the executive and the constituency, what

a great honour it’s been to serve and of course to thank Dr Rowley for giving me the opportunity to return from the United States as an ambassador and to have had the opportunity to serve in the Cabinet.”

Praising her political leader, she added, “I just want to wish him well, I have had the great honour of serving under him, both in the Senate and in the House. And I am proud of the work he has done.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Social media ban could backfire, say Caribbean scientists

A

mid mounting concerns over improper use of social media, particularly the immensely popular TikTok platform, and the negative impact it is having on young people, two Caribbean scientists are arguing that imposing a ban on access, as has been done by at least two countries so far, will not be effective.

Instead, they are advocating greater focus on awareness and education on how best to use the platforms.

University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) psychology lecturer Dr Kenisha Nelson, and Dr Rachel-Ann Charles, lecturer in global media management and researcher at Birmingham City University in England, were responding to a Jamaica Observer query on the Australian Government’s decision to ban access to social media for children under 16 years old, and Albania’s ban on TikTok, both of which take effect this month.

TikTok was among the many platforms targeted by a landmark law passed in Australia last November.

Under the legislation, social media firms that fail to comply face fines of up to Aus$50 million for “systemic breaches”.

In response, TikTok said it was disappointed by the Australian law, claiming it could push young people to the “darker corners of the Internet”.

In Albania, the Government took the deci-

sion last December to block TikTok less than a month after a 14-year-old was killed and another injured in a fight near a school in Tirana.

The fight developed from an online confrontation on social media.

The killing sparked a debate in the country among parents, psychologists and educational institutions about the impact of social networks on young people. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 6 2025

19

Around the World

Hamas and Israel wrangle over talks OILNEWS OIL NEWS as Israeli strikes in Gaza intensify Russia clears beaches after Black Sea oil spill, declares emergency in Crimea

R

ussia declared a regional state of emergency on Saturday in Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, as workers cleared tons of contaminated sand and earth on either side of the Kerch Strait following an oil spill in the Black Sea last month.

Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russia-installed governor of the city of Sevastopol, said new traces of minor pollution required urgent elimination and declared a state of emergency in the city – giving authorities more power to take swift decisions such as ordering citizens to evacuate their homes.

The Kerch Strait runs between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov and separates Crimea’s Kerch Peninsula from Russia’s Krasnodar region.

Rescue workers have now cleared more than 86,000 metric tons of contaminated sand and soil, the emergencies ministry said on Saturday. The oil leaked from two ageing tankers that were hit by a storm on December 15. One sank and the other ran aground.

More than 10,000 people have been working to shovel up viscous, foul-smelling fuel oil from sandy beaches in and around Anapa, a summer resort. Environmental groups have reported deaths of dolphins, porpoises and sea birds.

Russia’s Transport Ministry said this week experts had established that about 2,400 metric tons of oil products had spilled into the sea, a smaller spill than initially feared.

Meanwhile, Oilprice.com reported that Donald Trump’s imminent return to the presidency has sparked renewed optimism in oil markets.

Speculators and algorithmic traders are increasingly betting on higher oil prices due to anticipated policy shifts under the Trump Administration and changing dynamics in the electric vehicle and oil demand landscape.

Stricter sanctions on Iran under Trump could significantly impact global oil supply and drive prices upward.

China’s growing preference for hybrid vehicles and India’s surging oil demand are challenging predictions of peak oil demand and a global oil glut.

Last year’s oil market was dominated by algorithmic trading, amplifying every headline about market oversupply and Chinese demand into price swings that kept crude trapped in a narrow, disappointing range – well below the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies’ lofty production-cut goals. This year may not see much of a change in oil’s price amplitude, but the peaks and troughs could grow sharper, setting the stage for some dramatic action.

In the second and third week of December last year, speculators in the United States significantly increased their bets on higher oil prices, Bloomberg reported this week. In fact, in the second to last week of the year, long bets on crude reached the highest in four months, the report said, for a total of close to 183,000 lots. That followed an even more significant increase in bullish positioning in the previous week, when the number of lots hit the highest in a year.

Not only this, but the so-called algorithmic traders, OPEC’s nightmare, also turned bullish on crude oil in December and started building their long positions on Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate. (Excerpts from Reuters and Oilprice.com)

I

srael and Hamas wrangled on Sunday over the details of a deal to halt fighting in the Gaza Strip and return hostages home, as Palestinian officials said intensified Israeli bombardments had killed more than 100 persons over the weekend.

A Hamas official said the group had approved a list of 34 Israeli hostages to be returned as part of a deal that could eventually lead to a ceasefire. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office swiftly issued a statement saying Hamas had not provided a hostage list.

Later on Sunday, the Hamas official provided Reuters a copy of the list showing the names of 34 hostages it agreed to set free in any possible ceasefire

Gaza City, January 5, 2025 (Reuters/Dawoud Abu Alkas photo)

deal with Israel.

A renewed push is underway to reach a ceasefire in the 15-month war between Israel and Hamas, and return Israeli hostages who were taken to Gaza, before US President-elect

Donald Trump takes office on January 20.

The effort comes amid a surge in Israeli military action in the enclave.

This weekend, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed 105 Palestinians, medics said.

South Korea’s presidential Ukraine launches new security chief defies Yoon attack in Kursk region arrest bid as deadline looms of western Russia

T

he chief of security for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Sunday he could not cooperate with efforts to arrest the impeached leader, in remarks that could push the political crisis towards another high-stakes confrontation.

With a warrant for Yoon’s arrest on grounds of insurrection set to expire at midnight (1500 GMT) today, the official, Park Chong-jun, cited the legal debate surrounding the warrant as the reason for the lack of cooperation.

“Please refrain from insulting remarks that the presidential security service has been reduced to a private army,” he said in a statement, adding that it had provided security to all presidents for 60 years, regardless of political affiliation.

The comments came af-

ter a Seoul court rejected a complaint from Yoon’s lawyers that the arrest warrant was illegal and invalid, the Yonhap news agency said.

Telephone calls to the court to seek comment went unanswered.

“Judging the legitimacy of any legal interpretation and execution is difficult,” Seok Dong-hyeon, a lawyer advising Yoon, said on Facebook.

“If there is an error in the legality of law enforcement against the incumbent president, it will be a big problem.”

Yoon became the first incumbent South Korean President to face arrest for his botched attempt to declare martial law on December 3, which triggered political chaos in Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a key US ally. (Excerpt from Reuters)

R

ussia said on Sunday that Ukraine had launched a new attack in the Kursk region, an area of western Russia from which Russian troops have been trying to eject Ukrainian forces for the past five months.

Ukrainian troops broke across the border in a surprise incursion on August 6 and have managed to hold on to a chunk of territory there which could provide Kyiv with an important bargaining chip in potential peace talks.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces were beating back the Ukrainian forces, but some reports from Russian military bloggers suggested the Russian side had come under heavy pressure.

Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s of-

T

Chinese nationals accused of running an illegal gold mine in the area.

Eastern DR Congo has abundant reserves of gold, diamonds, and the minerals used to make batteries for mobile phones and electric vehicles. This mineral wealth has been plundered by foreign groups since the colonial era and is one of the main reasons why the region has been plagued by instability for the last 30 years.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

fice, posted on Telegram that there was “good news” from Kursk, adding: “Russia is getting what it deserves.”

Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s official Centre Against Disinformation, wrote on Telegram that Russian troops were attacked in several places.

The Russian statement said Ukraine attacked around 0600 GMT near the village of Berdin with two tanks, a mine-clearing vehicle and 12 armoured combat vehicles with paratroops.

“Artillery and aviation of the North group of (Russian) forces defeated the assault group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” it added.

The statement said two Ukrainian attacks had been repelled. Reuters could not independently verify the situation on the ground.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Winter storm hits central US, takes aim at Washington

Chinese nationals arrested A with gold bars and US$800,000 cash in DR Congo hree Chinese nationals have been arrested with 12 gold bars and US$800,000 in cash in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials say.

The gold and money was hidden under the seats of the vehicle they were travelling in, according to Jean Jacques Purusi, the Governor of South Kivu province.

He said the operation to arrest the men had been kept secret after the recent release of another group of

The Israeli military said it had killed dozens of Hamas militants.

The US State Department said Israel must comply with international law and do “significantly more to ensure the protection of civilians”. It added, however, that it supports Israel’s right to defend itself.

Israeli negotiators were dispatched on Friday to resume talks in Doha brokered

by Qatari and Egyptian mediators, and US President Joe Biden’s Administration, which is helping to mediate, has urged Hamas to agree to a deal.

Hamas said on Friday it was committed to reaching an agreement as soon as possible, but it was unclear how close the two sides were. (Excerpt from Reuters)

winter storm brought snow, ice and freezing temperatures to a broad swathe of the United States on Sunday, with some 60 million people across more than a dozen states from Kansas to New Jersey under winter storm warnings, advisories, or watches.

The storm was moving toward the mid-Atlantic, where Washington, DC was bracing for heavy snow and bitter cold today, the same day the US Congress is set to meet and formally certify Republican Donald Trump’s election as President.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News on Sunday the weather would not prevent lawmakers from carrying out their duties.

Kansas and parts of north-

Snowstorm in Cincinnati, Ohio, January 5, 2025 (Albert Cesare/ USA Today Network via Reuters)

western Missouri were enduring blizzard conditions into Sunday afternoon, the National Weather Service said. Roadways were blanketed in snow and ice, and offi-

cials urged residents to avoid travel.

In northern Kentucky and southern West Virginia, freezing rain and sleet will produce “hazardous ice accu-

mulations”, the service said.

The back end of the storm system, meanwhile, was producing severe thunderstorms capable of spinning off tornadoes in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

The storm forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights, including more than 275 in both Kansas City and St Louis, according to the aviation tracking website FlightAware.

The storm will move offshore by tonight, but bone-chilling arctic air is set to move in behind it, with daytime temperatures today and Tuesday predicted to be 10 to 20 degrees F below average from the Great Plains to the East Coast, according to the weather service. (Excerpt from Reuters)

20

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025

guyanatimesgy.com

DAILY HOROSCOPES

ARCHIE

Question anyone offering ambiguous answers. Concentrate on getting your priorities straight and your emotions under control. Offer a blunt assessment of your expectations.

(March 21-April 19) A change will be uplifting. Whether you travel somewhere exotic or move things around at home, it will give you a new lease on life, inspiring you to reinvent yourself.

PICKLES (April 20-May 20)

(May 21-June 20)

PEANUTS (June 21-July 22)

Ease into your day slowly. Work on simplifying your life and lowering your overhead. Rethink how what you want to achieve and how you do it, and set boundaries with people who tend to take advantage of you.

Stop letting emotional issues get in the way. Turn a negative into a positive, or a challenge into an opportunity, and fill your heart with hope and gratitude. Put your energy into positive change.

Learn from experience, not by listening to those who talk big and brag about their so-called achievements.

Don’t lose hope or forgo the things you feel passionate about.

(July 23-Aug. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

A change to how you present yourself and what you offer will impact your relationships with associates.

Network, but don’t commit to something that benefits someone else more than it does you.

Search for opportunities. Protect your reputation, position and assets.

Keep your personal information and your intentions to yourself. Finish what you start.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Risks will lead to mishaps. Protect against accidents, injuries and large crowds. An upbeat domestic environment will encourage better relationships with loved ones and make you feel at ease.

Take a back-row seat and observe.

Witness what others do and say and assess situations before you engage.

Be direct; ask questions if someone’s intentions aren’t clear.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Restructure your routine, lifestyle and connections to fit who you are and what you want to achieve. Channel your energy into something that makes you feel alive.

LAST PUBLISHED WORD -- SAPONIFY

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

(Feb. 20-March 20)

Keep the momentum flowing, and you’ll achieve your goals. Think twice before you sign up for or donate to something you know little about. You are better off paying down debt or investing in yourself.

You can charm your way in or out of every situation you encounter with words, compliments and innovative suggestions. Don’t hesitate to voice your opinion. Advancement is apparent.

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025

21

2nd Test, Cape Town, Pakistan tour of South Africa ...

Babar, Masood fight for Pakistan after South Africa enforce follow-on

Babar Azam registered his third straight Test fifty, second for the day

Masood scored his sixth Test hundred

P

akistan posted their highest opening stand against South Africa as Shan Masood and Babar Azam put up solid resistance against the hosts on a flat track.

Masood went past 30 for the first time in nine innings and went on to score his sixth Test hundred, and the first by a Pakistan Captain in South Africa, while Babar, opening in place of the injured Saim

Ayub, made 81. The pair took a significant chunk out of their first-innings deficit of 421. Pakistan are now 208 behind with nine wickets standing.

South Africa's five frontline bowlers were made to toil on a surface that remains good for batting despite showing signs of turn.

They also bowled 23 noballs across the two innings so far – 10 in the ongoing second innings alone – and

Wiaan Mulder celebrates the dismissal of Mohammad Rizwan

Shan Masood consoles Babar Azam after his dismissal for 81

SCOREBOARD Pakistan 1st Innings Shan Masood (c)c Bedingham b Rabada 2 Babar Azam c †Verreynne b Maphaka 58 Kamran Ghulam b Jansen 12 Saud Shakeel c Bedingham b Rabada 0 Mohammad Rizwan † b Mulder 46 Salman Agha st †Verreynne b Maharaj 19 Aamer Jamal c Bedingham b Rabada 15 Khurram Shahzad c Stubbs b Maphaka 14 Mir Hamza c Bedingham b Maharaj 13 Mohammad Abbas not out 0 Saim Ayub absent hurt Extras (lb 2, nb 13) 15 Total 54.2 Ov (RR: 3.57) 194 Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Shan Masood, 0.6 ov), 2-18 (Kamran Ghulam, 5.6 ov), 3-20 (Saud Shakeel, 8.4 ov), 4-118 (Babar Azam, 34.5 ov), 5-144 (Mohammad Rizwan, 39.2 ov), 6-155 (Salman Agha, 43.4 ov), 7-172 (Aamer Jamal, 50.1 ov), 8-194 (Mir Hamza, 53.5 ov), 9-194

(Khurram Shahzad, 54.2 ov) • DRS Bowling O-M-R-W Kagiso Rabada 15-3-55-3 Marco Jansen 12-4-36-1 Kwena Maphaka 8.2-1-43-2 Wiaan Mulder 11-0-44-1 Keshav Maharaj 8-2-14-2 Pakistan 2nd Innings (Following on) Shan Masood (c) not out 102 Babar Azam c Bedingham b Jansen 81 Khurram Shahzad not out 8 Extras (b 6, lb 6, nb 10) 22 Total 49 Ov (RR: 4.34) 213/1 Yet to bat: Saim Ayub, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan †, Salman Agha, Aamer Jamal,Mohammad Abbas, Mir Hamza Fall of wickets: 1-205 (Babar Azam, 46.2 ov) • DRS Bowling O-M-R-W Kagiso Rabada 12-0-56-0 Marco Jansen 10-0-56-1 Wiaan Mulder 5-0-16-0 Kwena Maphaka 6-0-31-0 Keshav Maharaj 15-3-36-0 Aiden Markram 1-0-6-0

will be disappointed with their ill-discipline. Their only second innings success came late in the day when Babar chased a full, wide ball from Marco Jansen and edged to slip. Nightwatcher Khurram Shahzad accompanied Masood to the end of the day.

After dismissing Pakistan for 194 midway through the afternoon session, South Africa enforced the follow-on with an eye on wrapping things up early. But Kagiso Rabada and Jansen both erred on the side of too full and only created one chance between them. Rabada found Masood's edge with the Pakistan Captain on 18, but the ball flew through the vacant third slip region, leaving Rabada on his haunches.

The change bowlers, Wiaan Mulder and Kwena Maphaka, barely threatened and Pakistan went to tea on 80 without loss. Rabada and Keshav Maharaj resumed for the evening session and while Rabada tried a short-ball tactic, Maharaj found turn, but Pakistan played them both well. Masood's fifty came when he pulled Rabada through mid-wicket and Babar's came up with a drive off Jansen. It was the second time in the day that Babar raised his bat to a half-century after

also getting to the milestone in the first innings, and his third successive fifty on this tour.

As both settled in, South Africa's frustration boiled over and Mulder flung the ball back at Babar as he stepped out of his crease to defend. He hit Babar on the shin and words were exchanged before Umpire Dharmasena stepped in to cool things down. The only other bit of drama came when Rabada was convinced he had Masood lbw when he hit him on the knee roll and South Africa were considering a review, but Rabada had overstepped.

Masood got to his century with a flick off Jansen and celebrated with a glance skywards. Babar seemed set to follow him, but slashed at a slower Jansen ball and edged to David Bedingham at slip, to give him his fifth catch of the day. Though Babar fell short of a century, he scored 108 runs in the day – 27 overnight and 81 in the second innings.

Pakistan resumed 64 for 3 under some cloud and found the early exchanges challenging. Rabada beat the beat, Jansen found extra bounce and though both made things difficult for Babar and Mohammad Rizwan, they were unable to remove them. Jansen hit

Rizwan on the collar bone in the first 45 minutes as Rizwan attempted a onearmed pull, but he recovered to hit Jansen for four and six in the same over.

Babar brought up the Pakistan hundred with an edge through the slips and his fifty off the next ball when he chopped Rabada over point. But when debutant Maphaka angled one down leg, Babar followed it in an attempt to flick it off his hips and edged to Kyle Verreynne. A joyous Maphaka took off Imran Tahir-style to deep third with his team-mates following in celebration. This was the third time since 2022 that Babar has been strangled down leg, the joint-most by a Pakistan batter in that time.

The Babar-Rizwan partnership was broken on 98, with responsibility falling to Rizwan to keep chipping away. Against the run of play, Rizwan advanced on Mulder and tried to smash him down the ground to reach his fifty, but under-edged onto his stumps.

And then Salman Agha, who had lamented the lack of turn when he was bowling, was drawn forward by a Maharaj delivery that turned past the outside edge and was stumped.

Pakistan lost 6 for 76 either side of lunch, most of them to loose shots. Aamer Jamal was bounced out by Rabada when he could not resist a swivel pull and Shahzad could not keep a square drive down. It may not be up to those two to have done the work, but, after the way Pakistan batted in the second innings, they may look back at their shot selection in the first with some regret, especially on this surface.

Though it is expected to start breaking up from the fourth day and there is turn on offer, it remains good for run-scoring. At 208 behind, Pakistan may not yet be thinking of making South Africa bat again, especially as the hosts only have to take eight more wickets. Ayub, who has an ankle fracture, will leave to London for treatment today.(ESPNcricinfo)

Kwena Maphaka celebrates his first Test wicket

22 Australia regain Border-Gavaskar Trophy, set up WTC final date with SA A

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025

ustralia regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the silverware that had eluded them for a decade, and confirmed their spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final alongside South Africa, after finishing off India inside three days at the SCG. India's hopes of staying in contention for the WTC final rested on Jasprit Bumrah, but without him those faded away. For someone who had a massive influence on this series, with the most wickets by an India bowler on a tour of Australia, it was a shame he couldn't play a part in the final act, though he had still done enough to be the Player of the Series.

After having left the SCG on the second day for scans on his back, Bumrah returned to bat at number 11 on the third day, but was not fit to bowl.

All the early visuals had portended Bumrah's absence. He didn't warm up with the other bowlers and only did a bit of shadow-bowling. Then, after becoming the last India batter to be dismissed, for a duck, he didn't take the field at all for India's defence of 161. Given

Beau Webster's excellent Test debut continued

leg side in the first two overs.

Though Prasidh tightened up and took three wickets, including that of Steven Smith, Bumrah's absence hung like Coleridge's albatross around India's neck.

The batters didn't make it any easier for India's depleted attack. They lost 4 for 16 in 7.5

Prasidh Krishna dismissed Steven Smith

his history of back issues, India had to wrap him in cotton wool.

The target was a substantial one for Australia, especially on this spicy SCG surface, but it did appear a whole lot smaller when Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna sprayed the new ball around.

The pair conceded 12 runs via wides and byes down the

overs on the third morning to fold for 157. Scott Boland, who might not have played this series had Josh Hazlewood been fit and might not be a certainty for Australia's next Test assignment in Sri Lanka, bagged his first 10-wicket haul in professional cricket to hasten India's collapse. Having taken four wickets on the opening day at the SCG, Boland add-

Usman Khawaja had his nervous moments

ed six to his tally – his second five-for in Test cricket since his 6 for 7 on debut, which was just as glorious.

Boland had started the day with a maiden and continued to stalk both the edges by hitting a perfect length. He had Siraj caught at first slip and castled Bumrah in the 40th over to wrap up India's innings. Boland then, fittingly, held the ball aloft and led Australia off the field, with the SCG crowd giving him a rousing reception.

His Captain, Pat Cummins had earlier accounted for Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Jadeja had been dropped by Smith in the slips on 6 on day two, but it cost Australia just seven runs, with Cummins going much fuller to kiss Jadeja's outside edge. He then nipped one through Washington's gate to expose India's tail to Boland.

Australia capitalised on the wayward new-ball bowling from Siraj and Krishna, running away to 39 for no loss in the fourth over. Krishna provided India with the breakthrough when he had Sam Konstas miscuing a slog to mid-off for 22 off 17 balls.

After the second day's play, Krishna spoke of how he shifted from his stock back-ofa-length plan to a much fuller one after a chat with the analyst. However, on Sunday, with the harder, newer ball, he gleaned more bounce and seam movement with his natural length. After smacking Marnus Labuschagne on his

elbow, Krishna had him steering a catch to gully.

For the second time in two days, more than 40,000 fans at the SCG were poised to celebrate Smith scaling 10,000 Test runs, but Krishna had other ideas and snared him one shy of the landmark with a prancing delivery. Smith will now have to wait until the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle later this month for his next opportunity to become the 15th Test batter in the 10,000 club.

India had to wait until after lunch to get rid of Usman Khawaja. The opener misjudged Siraj's length, bottom-edging a pull to Rishabh Pant for 41 off 45 balls. India felt that they were on to something after that. Siraj roared while Virat Kohli, who stood in as Captain, charged towards his bowler from the slips and animatedly pumped his fist.

Travis Head and debutant Beau Webster, however, changed the mood and the game quickly. When Nitish Kumar Reddy offered up a wide half-volley in his first over, Head stayed leg side of the ball and unleashed a rasping blow through the covers.

At the other end, Webster

Usman Khawaja played the odd aggressive shot, but was cautious on the whole

was less adventurous, but still scored at a fast clip, thanks to his long reach, which messed with the lengths of the bowlers.

Webster, who had made His First-Class debut back in 2014, might have wondered if his time at the top level would ever come. When it finally did, the 31-year-old made

it a memorable one. He topscored for Australia with 57 in their first innings – only Pant scored more runs than him – and dismissed Shubman Gill to go with some excellent catching in the slips.

On Sunday, Webster struck an unbeaten 39 off 34 balls and provided the coup de grâce when he stepped out to Washington and pumped him straight of mid-off for four.

Australia chased down 162 in 27 overs.

Krishna and Siraj bowled 24 of the first 25 overs in the chase. Their only respite – besides a lunch break – came when Australia were three hits away from victory. Jadeja didn't bowl at all in the final innings and Washington bowled just one over, bringing India's selection into sharp focus once again. While Australia had immense depth in their attack, India lacked it and Bumrah's injury only compounded their troubled tour of Australia. (ESPNcricinfo)

Scott Boland celebrates his match haul of 10 wickets

SCOREBOARD India 2nd Innings Yashasvi Jaiswal b Boland 22 KL Rahul b Boland 13 Shubman Gill c †Carey b Webster 13 Virat Kohli c Smith b Boland 6 Rishabh Pant †c †Carey b Cummins 61 Ravindra Jadeja c †Carey b Cummins 13 Nitish Kumar Reddy c Cummins b Boland 4 Washington Sundar b Cummins 12 Mohammed Siraj c Khawaja b Boland 4 Jasprit Bumrah (c) b Boland 0 Prasidh Krishna not out 1 Extras (b 4, lb 4) 8 Total 39.5 Ov (RR: 3.94) 157 Fall of wickets: 1-42 (KL Rahul, 7.3 ov), 2-47 (Yashasvi Jaiswal, 9.5 ov), 3-59 (Virat Kohli, 13.1 ov), 4-78 (Shubman Gill, 15.2 ov), 5-124 (Rishabh Pant, 22.2 ov), 6-129 (Nitish Kumar Reddy, 27.3 ov), 7-147 (Ravindra Jadeja, 34.4 ov), 8-156 (Washington Sundar, 38.4 ov), 9-156 (Mohammed Siraj, 39.3 ov), 10157 (Jasprit Bumrah, 39.5 ov) •

DRS Bowling Mitchell Starc Pat Cummins Scott Boland Beau Webster

O-M-R-W 4-0-36-0 15-4-44-3 16.5-5-45-6 4-1-24-1

Australia 2nd Innings (T: 162 runs) Sam Konstas c Washington Sundar b Prasidh Krishna 22 Usman Khawaja c †Pant b Mohammed Siraj 41 Marnus Labuschagne c Jaiswal b Prasidh Krishna 6 Steven Smith c Jaiswal b Prasidh Krishna 4 Travis Head not out 34 Beau Webster not out 39 Extras (b 5, lb 2, nb 1, w 8) 16 Total 27 Ov (RR: 6.00) 162/4 Did not bat: Alex Carey †, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland Fall of wickets: 1-39 (Sam Konstas, 3.5 ov), 2-52 (Marnus Labuschagne, 7.6 ov), 3-58 (Steven Smith, 9.6 ov), 4-104 (Usman Khawaja, 18.1 ov) • DRS Bowling O-M-R-W Mohammed Siraj 12-1-69-1 Prasidh Krishna 12-0-65-3 Nitish Kumar Reddy 2-0-10-0 Washington Sundar 1-0-11-0

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23

honours in Women’s Wheat-Up Cup Sandra Johnson (on ball) netted a hat-trick for GDF A in the final

G

uyana Defence Force (GDF) A women’s team were on Saturday night crowned champions of the inaugural Maid Marian Women’s Wheat-Up Cup after defeating their club mates at the Guyana Football Federation’s National Training Center (NTC) at Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

The NTC was enlivened with semifinal and final action on Saturday, marking the culmination of weeks of testing women’s football.

In semifinal one, the eventual champions GDF A needled Guyana Police Force 1-0. Sandra Johnson’s strike was responsible for sending the A team into the final.

On the other hand, GDF

B mauled Fruta Conquerors in the second semifinal, 6-0. Abioce Haywood netted a brace while Anastasia Horsham, Cleasa Dublin, Shenessa Cornelius, and Aaliyah Christie scored one goal each for the victory.

Police rebounded from their semifinal loss to decimate Fruta Conquerors 10-0 in the third-place playoff. Amanda McKenzie, Shontelle Greene, and Flource Waldron each registered a brace while solitary strikes came off the boots of Colette Rutherford, Alleia Alleyne, Ashanti Aaron and Dekola Cheater, to account for their 10.

The final showdown was a family affair, pitting two teams from the same club against each other. After GDF A took some time to

GDF A won the Maid Marian Women’s Wheat-Up Cup

find their footing, it became an all-out onslaught against GDF B; as the A team went on to win 7-1 to claim the championship.

Johnson was, again, the leading lady for GDF A, netting a hat-trick while Glendy Lewis tucked in two goals. Jalade Trim and Patsy Walker each found

the back of the net once for GDF A while Anastasia Horsham netted GDF B’s consolation goal.

The NAMILCOsponsored Maid Marian Wheat-Up Women’s Cup featured nine teams com-

peting for a $500,000 grand prize.

The tournament kicked off back in November 2024.

Guyana Basketball Federation’s One Guyana League

Kobras demolish Candy Boss 8-a-side Tournament…

Mambas by 8 points Monedderlust drub Cougars U20 5-0 to take title

M

onedderlust are the new Candy Boss 8-a-side football champions.

A hat-trick by Tyrone Delph helped the West Berbice team to take the coveted title by overpowering Cougars Under- 20 5-0 in the final on Saturday evening.

Monedderlust had earlier got past three-time champions Police FC 2-0 to get to the final.

Cougars U-20 found themselves trailing 2-0 ,with goals from Atlin Brown (17th minute) and Okemo Collins (19th minute) at the halfway stage.

Shamar Semple, who was issued with a yellow card in the 27th minute, returned to the field in the second half and when he was given a second yellow card and set off in the 46th minute, Delph took full advantage of the situation ad scored in the 53rd, 57th and 60th minutes of play for Monedderlust to claim their first title.

Earlier, Police FC won their third-place playoff with Cougars seniors 3-1.

Scoring for Police were Dorwin George (11th), Devon Padmore (48th) and Adrian Aaron (60th+4).

Aaron with nine goals

The most goals award went to Adrian Aaron with nine goals

in the competition won the most goals prize.

Monedderlust received the winners’ trophy and $600,000 while Cougars U-20 received the runners-up trophy and $400,000.

Police FC carried away $200,000 for placing third and Cougars seniors $100,000 as the fourth-place

finishers.

Sixteen teams participated in the tournament, which was sponsored by local businesses within the township of New Amsterdam along with the Government of Guyana; Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sport; National Sports Commission and the Ministry of Tourism. (G4)

W

ith the new year of 2025 upon us, McDoom/Prospect Kobras secured the inaugural win of the year and lone win of the night against Black Mambas in the Guyana Basketball Federation’s One Guyana League on Saturday at the National Gymnasium.

With the Black Mambas' powerful attack, they established an early five-point lead in the first quarter, leading from the jump ball with a powerful offence guided by Cosmo Evans. The scoreline illustrated that, 14-9.

Both teams showed their class in defence as the second quarter saw both teams frequently failing to convert, buckets but it was the Kobras who outscored the Mambas 14 points to 12. However, the Mambas managed to maintain their lead, 26-23.

In a fantastic show of class, Kobras turned the three-point deficit into a two-point lead when they came back from the halftime break with a spectacular display of accuracy, putting the ball through the hoop for 13 points while the Mambas were limited to eight points for a total score of 34-36.

McDoom/Prospect Kobras in the fourth and final quarter of the game handed Black Mambas their fourth defeat with an eight-point victory, 48-56, with their offence guided by Elijah David and Trevon

Elijah David was one of the top performers for McDoom/Prospect Kobras

Smith.

The “One Guyana” tournament commenced with 27 teams in the Harpy Eagle and Jaguar Conferences, and with a projected 56 to 63 games to be played. The teams are expected to play teams from their conference twice, with the top four teams qualifying for the playoffs. The number one-ranked team play the fourth-ranked team, and the number two team play the third-ranked team. Winners of the playoff games would then advance to their confer-

ence finals, where the winners of the best two of three games would advance to the National Finals.

The tournament-winning team will receive $1 million along with trophies, while the runners-up will receive $500,000 plus trophies.

The One Guyana League ignited the Retrieve Hard Court on Sunday in Linden as Kings battled winless Black Caimans while Victory Valley Royals came up against Jets.

Details will be in tomorrow’s edition of Guyana Times.

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025

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Sport is no longer our game, it’s our business

Guyana Basketball Federation’s One Guyana League

top honours in demolish Mambas Women’s Wheat-Up Cup by 8 points Pg 23

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Cougars U20 5-0 to take title

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