Guyana Times - Saturday, June 3, 2023

Parliamentary Library opens, named after former Speaker

…90% of records digitised

Twenty-seven years after the Parliamentary Library was first established in 1996, it officially opened its doors to a newly modernised facility which is now 90 per cent digitised and well-equipped with doc-

uments and books of former politicians as well as the country’s parliamentary history.

The library was named after Guyana’s longest-serving Clerk of the National Assembly, Frank A Narain.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on Friday, Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud expressed gratitude to Narain for his parliamentary contributions as she lauded the initiative to have the library named after him.

“He has not only been serving this Parliament with distinction and being a repository of information, knowledge and wisdom when it comes to parliamentary practicing procedures, but he has taken the effort to compile so much that we as newer parliamentarians have the opportunity to learn, to look back at our history and to look forward bearing that experience in mind,” the Minister remarked.

She added, “I say thank you on behalf of the People’s

Progressive Party/Civic, on behalf of the Government of Guyana, and on behalf of all those who would have benefitted from your knowledge. I

was completed two years later, in May 1998.

According to Narain, he was at a meeting when he seized the opportunity to

appointed an agency called the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs to come to Guyana to implement the proposal,”

think it is indeed fitting that an area of the Parliament earmarked to contain a repository of wisdom carried your name.

Meanwhile, Narain gave a brief history of the establishment of the library in February 1996, which was financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and

make his case for the provision of financial assistance to establish a well-needed library.

“I took the opportunity at the meetings I attended to put my case for financial help towards the establishment of a library to the US and the USAID. I was very fortunate that my proposal was accepted and the USAID

Narain reflected.

He noted too that subsequent to his proposal being accepted, a team was established which was responsible for all operations to get the library in place.

The library was named after Narain, who served as a public officer for over 50 years and was very instrumental in making the library what it is today.

Former Speaker Frank A Narain, along with Human Services Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud, cutting the ribbon to officially open the library. Also in photo are former Speakers Ralph Ramkarran, SC, and Raphael Trotman

The Frank A Narain Parliamentary Library

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, June 3 – 03:30h – 05:00h and 12:30 – 13:15h and Sunday, June 4 – 04:30h – 06:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, June 3 – 15:55h – 17:25h and Sunday, June 4 – 16:40h – 18:10h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

There will be thundery showers and sunshine during the day. Expect clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East South-Easterly between 1.78 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 16:08h reaching a maximum height of 2.6 metres.

Low Tide: 09:40h and 21:53h reaching minimum heights of 0.47 metre and 0.64 metre.

Guyana, Dominican Republic exploring joint tourism package – Ali

As Guyana looks to expand its tourism industry, President Dr Irfaan Ali said his Government is looking to establish a joint product with the Dominican Republic that can target the massive Guyanese diaspora in North America as well as the European market.

The Head of State made this remark following bilateral talks with Dominican Republic President, Luis Abinader, who led a large delegation of both state and private sector officials to Georgetown for a one-day visit on Thursday.

During a briefing at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), President Ali pointed out that tourism is one of the major areas in which Guyana wants to partner with Dominican Republic.

“We want to jointly market Guyana and DR (Dominican Republic) as one package. And this is because of the connectivity that we are now bringing [through the commence of operations by] the new airline – SkyCana,” he stated.

The Dominican Republicbased airline, SkyCana, commenced flights to Guyana on Thursday, June 1, 2023, flying routes from Georgetown to Canada and soon to Houston, United States, with stopovers in Punta Cana.

The servicing of these North American routes, through the Dominican Republic, presents the opportunity to tap into the tourism demands there.

In fact, President Ali told the massive Dominican Republic delegation that the United States and Canada is home to a Guyanese diaspora of some 2 million of first and second generation, who would capitalise on a joint tourism package.

“…That is a market that is waiting for DR because they still want the sun, sand and sea but they also want the eco-tourism and the home experience [which Guyana will offer]. So, we can market these two countries together on a common platform,” he stated.

Moreover, the Guyanese leader went on to highlight that Guyana is home to four per cent of all known plant and animal species in its vast forests. He added too that the giants of the Amazon rainforest, including the jaguar –Guyana’s national animal –are also found here.

In addition, the President also talked up Guyana’s impressive bird species which is a much larger variety than what is found in the United States.

“We have the third best birding destination in the world… We’ve been in the top ranking for eco-tourism throughout Europe. So, if we can market to North America with the diaspora and also market in Europe, Guyana and DR as a common [product] that will bring tremendous benefit to us,” Ali posit-

ed.

According to the Head of State, who is slated for a reciprocal visit to the Dominican Republic later this month, he is hoping by the time he gets there that they can have deep discussions between the tourism sectors of both countries so that they can come up with a formula of how to jointly market Dominican Republic and Guyana as one tourism product to tap into these markets.

Hospitality sector

Meanwhile, the Guyanese Head of State further told the visiting delegation of ongoing efforts to enhance Guyana’s hospitality sector that will further boost its tourism. This includes plans to construct approximately 14 new internationally-branded hotels, of which about seven are already underway and set to open in the coming years.

President Ali noted that while the country has captured the interests of many bilateral partners in Europe and the Middle East, Guyana is keen on partnering with the Dominican Republic.

“We want you to be part of

this growth story but we want you to do so in conjunction with our local private sector –that is key for us,” the Head of State indicated.

He went on to outline that one of the major areas that is going to come on stream is the creation of Guyana’s own economic zone. “We want to develop our own economic zone and that gives you the opportunity, who are already in this, to be our partner in the development of this economic zone.”

The President noted that Guyana has a number of trade agreements with different partners and this would give the Dominican Republic access to those markets as well as easier access to Caribbean Community (Caricom) markets. The Dominican Republic is an associate member of Caricom.

In response, President Abinader noted that his visit to Guyana is laying the foundation for the start of a successful bilateral relationship between the two regional nations. He noted the eagerness of both the Government and the private sector of his country to forge new ties with Guyana on its journey to unprecedented growth.

“Everything that we will do is for the benefit of your country and the benefit also of the people participating in a win-win situation… I think that you will never regret the participation of our business people and our Government in the development of Guyana,” the Dominican Republic leader stated.

During Thursday’s bilateral engagements, Guyana and the Dominican Republic signed three agreements for cooperation on energy-related matters and political consultation as well as an Air Services Agreement.

President Dr Irfaan Ali and Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Thursday

Editor: Tusika Martin

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Parental roles

The month of June plays host to two celebrations of parenting – the Global Day of Parents, on June 1; and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday. For good or ill, parents and those who parent play a tremendous role in children’s lives. Parents are a child’s first teachers, and hold within their hands the power to determine much of the trajectory of children’s lives.

According to the <<Handbook of Parenting and Child Development Across the Lifespan>>, “The quality of parenting children receive during childhood and adolescence plays a major role in influencing their developmental competence and ultimately their life course trajectories. The parent-child relationship has a pervasive impact on children, and affects many different areas of development, including language and communication, executive function and self-regulation, sibling and peer relationships, academic attainment, and mental and physical health.”

Parenting now, as in the past, is demanding, sometimes difficult work, with many challenges; and now that family life has undergone many changes in the modern world, many parents are juggling new challenges with limited success.

Fractured families result in a fractured society. Since society as a whole comprises family units, the more fractures families suffer, the more frayed the societal fabric becomes. The greatest threat to modern society is engendered by the rise in single parenthood. Single parenthood precipitates many ills in families and societies, and is most often caused by delinquent fathers who shirk their responsibilities to their families. Worldwide, single mothers are forced to assume the roles of both parents.

Lac k of a male role model and an authority figure in their lives – which only a caring, responsible father can provide – has been irrefutably proven by statistics to often cause children to fall prey to societal predators, even criminals. Young girls, in their bid to seek out an equivalent father figure, often fall victims to paedophiles, with related problems, such as dropping out of school, child pregnancies, abusive relations, etcetera, with a recurrent nightmarish continuum of self-destructive behaviour. Similarly, boys who grow up in fatherless homes are often lured into anti-social, even criminal, behaviours.

“There’s a growing realisation that the increase in fatherlessness constitutes a clear and present danger, not only to the children, but to the long-term health and success of our society,” said David Blankenhorn, President of the Institute for American Values, a New York-based organisation concerned with family issues.

Men have, for centuries, been engaged in a massive migration away from their children. Statistics worldwide indicate that divorce rates are nearly tripling, and outof-wedlock birth rates have more than quadrupled since 1960. Demographers say the typical male spends a smaller portion of his adult life living with his children than ever before.

For families to succeed, men and women must be given all assistance possible to fulfil their parental roles. Given that the parent-child relationship and the cultural and community context combine to influence the quality of parenting children receive, support to strengthen these two factors would improve outcomes for children.

As the <<Handbook of Parenting and Child Development

Across the Lifespan>> notes, “Parenting support that is delivered at a whole of community level and is attuned to the broader ecological context of modern parenting is needed to promote competent parenting and to reduce the adverse effects of poor parenting on children. Policy-based investments in evidence-based parenting programmes have great potential to enhance life course outcomes for both children and parents that can have major economic benefits to the entire community.”

What does the Third World want from climate change governance?

Dear Editor,

In the early aftermath of independence, Third World countries (Global South, if you prefer) agitated for a New International Economic Order (NIEO). Caribbean countries, including Guyana, played an important role in that effort. The call for the NIEO was aimed at getting the most powerful states in the world to democratise international institutions and their own conduct.

Leaders like Nehru, Sukarno, Nkrumah and others were particularly interested in reforming the structures and governing principles of multilateral institutions, among them the IBRD, IMF and the GATT. The NIEO also implied the restructuring of the conduct of bilateral relationships. These lasts were expected to correct the fundamentally unequal relations between developed countries (especially in the West) and the poor or developing countries in the Global South.

Now, towards the end of the first quarter of the twenty-first century, we are still asking for the same. No doubt, the rise of BRICS and the G20 have created some space for developing countries to, at a minimum, establish a more level playing field among themselves. Yet, it is difficult to do so, because, much like the colonial flight paths for air travel, most poor countries are forced to access world markets and international capital via the hegemonic states. China’s One Belt, One Road initiative has changed the dynamics, but this is mostly confined to African states.

The observations above

are occasioned by some aspects of the recently-arrived-at debt ceiling deal between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The key issue in the deal relevant to Guyana is the green light given to the oil and gas industry in the United States.

According to a CNBC report (by Emma Newburger), the deal allows for the following: (1) “…expedited approval of all permits for a West Virginia natural gas pipeline…”; (2) restrictions on “environmental reviews under one of the country’s landmark environmental laws,” (3) approval of “steps to boost fossil fuel production” in the name of American “energy security,” (4) construction and operation of the pipeline through the Jefferson National Forest; (5) restriction of judicial review, most likely on matters such as possible future explosions and contamination; (6) “…streamline the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)…to limit its requirements…”; (7) shorten the time for environmental impact assessments, and thereby compromise the integrity of independent assessments.

The deal was struck with the assistance of the oil and gas lobby in the US, and industry insiders who heavily fund election campaigns for Republican and Democratic candidates. Further, Kathleen Sgamma, of Western Energy Alliance, bluntly framed the deal in terms of maintaining American “energy dominance.”

By a not so fantastic co-incidence, Mr. McCarthy framed the debt-to-pipeline deal (my construction) as “transforma-

tional”, the very same language employed in Guyana by President Irfaan Ali and Vice President Jagdeo, as well as the entire PPP/C leadership. When that word is used here, the anti-PPP lobby denounces it as poppycock.

The gas-fuelled debt ceiling deal struck by the American President and the Speaker of the House would only shock naïve little outfits like OGGN and their local counterparts. The Opposition press will no doubt find ways to twist the deal on the basis that Americans know better. Yet, the bigger issue here is the duplicity of hegemonic states, who have the power to not only lecture poor countries on climate change, but to take concrete actions to impede the development of Guyana’s hydrocarbon resources.

For transparency, I should let you know I am a proud American citizen, and acknowledge that the US is a force for good in the world. That does not, however, prevent me or anyone else with a basic sense of fairness from acknowledging that there are lots of climate change bullying taking place against small countries like Guyana.

In the event you think that the debt-to-oil deal is a one-off, you should know that, earlier this year, “…the Biden administration approved a major and controversial oil drilling plan in Alaska, known as Willow, just one day after unveiling protections for more than 16 million acres of land and water in the region.” The plan would allow for the production of 600 million barrels of oil during its life span! (Newburger, CNBC,

(3/13/2023).

CNBC also reported that Conoco-Phillips will have access to “…a 23-million-acre area that is the largest expanse of public lands in the U.S.” (Ibid).

This writer is keen to hear from all of those activists who are against Guyana developing its natural resources for the betterment of its citizens and residents. These naysayers are likely to invoke the old bogeyman – the US is advancing its ‘national interest.’ Fine, but Guyana also has national interests, and so do all of those states in the Third World who have -- not for decades, but for centuries -- been disciplined, punished, and ultimately oppressed by those with the resources to conduct hegemonic governance of the international system.

At times like these, one cannot help but think back to the Bandung moment in world history, when India, Indonesia, and other states just freed from colonialism issued the call for greater Third World solidarity. I use Third World in that Bandung sense in that spirit.

One can only hope that the local collaborators who are against the economic development of Guyana would, for once, draw a lesson from how the world really works. It is called realism; political realism. This is what the conduct of international economic affairs are based on. What Guyana wants from climate change governance is basic fairness, defined as equal treatment.

Sincerely, Dr Randolph Persaud

The Frecce Tricolori (Tricolor Arrows) aerobatic squad of the Italian Air Force flies with a seagull at the end of the celebrations for the 77th Republic Day in Rome. Republic Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the Italian Republic, after a referendum held on June 2, 1946 in which Italians chose between monarchy and republic, following WWII (VOA photo)

PPP/C Govt have always invested in sports and recreational facilities

Dear Editor,

Recently, I have been reading about the role and importance of sports and recreational facilities in our country. It is amazing to see the shallow memories and poor judgement some people have. Further, it seems that the Opposition and the naysayers would never appreciate development.

The PPP/C must be proud of their achievements in the development of sporting and recreational facilities in this country. It was the PPP/C Government that built the National Stadium at Providence.

The PPP/C built Guyana’s first-ever International

Athletics Track, and the world class facility at Leonora is second to none in the Caribbean. That synthetic track-and-field facility has also given our footballers their first recognized international football field.

The National Aquatic Centre, with a 50-metre swimming pool and a warm up/warm down 25-metre pool, is a tremendous achievement for this country. The National Racquet Centre and the prestigious National Sport Resource Centre mark a new beginning for sports in Guyana.

The PPP/C Government developed the National

Sports Hall into an international facility. Athletes and coaches training and competing in Basketball, Volleyball, Badminton, Hockey, Karate, and Boxing are delighted with access to the Sport Hall. The National Gymnasium is yet another facility where athletes of multiple disciplines, particularly football, relish the use of the facility.

The PPP/C successfully developed and implemented a National Development Program, wherein many community centres and playfields around the country were developed and made accessible to all

Guyanese.

The PNC, during their 28 years (19641992), did not build a single sport facility that they can show to Guyanese. In the period 2015 -2020, the PNC+APNU/AFC can hang their heads in shame and walk around the “Durban Park”, their “flagship” facility in Demerara. In Essequibo, the PNC shamefully spent millions of taxpayers’ dollars to put together a recreational park at “Ex-MOUTH”. This park is disgraceful, with heavy grass and vines overrunning the entire place. Worse is the fact that the money was spent by the PNC/REO

I stand by my position

Dear Editor,

It has never been my intention to respond to people who deliberately mislead and distort my views about events. My views are always guided by reason and evidence. Sadly, other people's views tend to deviate from this pattern, and culminate in a lack of civility and decorum.

A person by the name of N. Sahadeo has launched a written assault on me and my views, as expressed in a letter dated June 1, 2023 and titled: “Tara Singh –try some humanity, stop the callousness.” It is perplexing that this individual has taken so much time to totally mischaracterize and distort my views.

The central theme of my letter was to establish some basic facts about the Mahdia Secondary School dormitory. My views about the victims’ families are well known and described elsewhere. Suffice to say that, apart from urging community and religious leaders to initiate vigils in the victims’ honour, I have organized a group to render other forms of support.

“Ms. Sahadeo, my work among some Amerindian communities for decades is well known.”

I never chastised Ms. Sahadeo, whom I do not know, nor anyone else for their comments on the Mahdia fire. Rather, I differ with their opinions. As stated before, it is my belief that if some basic facts/ evidence about the Mahdia Secondary School dormitory are known, this could lead to better understanding/conversation of the situation. It was in no way intended to minimise the grief, excruciating pain, trauma of victims and their families. To suggest otherwise is disingenuous.

My letter was not filled with acrimony, and

I did not allow my emotions to conquer my judgement. Unfortunately, Ms. Sahadeo, supposedly a fountain of morality, has proven that she is not short of a litany and often misplaced expletives.

For example, she states: “I have asked all the benchwarmers in Parliament to vacate their seats and let competent people do the job they obviously have not been doing, or else those 20 young children would not be dead.” Isn’t this arrogance to the highest order? Did the benchwarmers in Parliament set the building on fire?

Ms. Sahadeo continues with her tirade: “Tara Singh wants us to believe that the proverbial buck does not stop at the person who is enjoying ALL the privileges of being Head of State.”

I can discern Ms. Sahadeo’s subliminal remarks here. I hope the reader does too! The Mahdia dormitory falls under the authority of the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development. Once again for Ms. Sahadeo’s edification, the Minister of Education does not manage school dormitories, except those in Georgetown.

What a colossal distortion of reality by Ms. Hello Sahadeo! “Tara Singh is telling the First Peoples of our Nation that their lives and welfare is not the concern of the ruling party/ Government, and that basically…” Where did I write or say those words suggesting insensitivity? Why does Ms. Sahadeo methodically seek to substitute the simple meanings of my statements with her own minted words and meanings to suit her corrugated style of narrative? This is a classic case where she bastardizes the English language.

I want Ms. Sahadeo to know that I have done more

for the Amerindian community in Guyana than most Guyanese. When I founded the Guyana Watch Inc in 1992, Amerindian communities have always been a priority of our medical and humanitarian mission. My work in the humanitarian area is well known, and I do not need to elaborate on this.

Further, when the news broke of the Mahdia fire, and its destruction became known, I immediately called upon community leaders to organize a vigil, including the exploring of other ways in which we can help the victims’ families.

I hope that Ms. Sahadeo is not lost in an ocean of

confusion. What is her motivation for excessively misinterpreting and distorting my views?

Finally, she asks, “What silver lining, Tara?” "Ms. Sahadeo, every life in precious, and the statement 'a silver lining' is a metaphor, which is a reminder that whatever excruciating pain victims’ families endure, they must never lose hope. What is wrong with this statement?

I stand by my position. I would not allow my emotions to run havoc with my power of discrimination. Reason is not my enemy.

Sincerely

Dr Tara Singh

without verifying ownership of the land. Today that issue is in the “court”.

Millions of dollars were spent on developing the facilities at Linden and New Amsterdam. Shamefully, this nation is awaiting an explanation of the money spent by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the National Sports Commission during the period 2015-2020.

Sport is a must for all, from the cradle to the grave. The PPP/C Government fully recognizes this indubitable fact, and thus we are committed to the development of professional, amateur and recreational sports. The most recent recreational facility at Windsor Forest is indeed a tremendous achievement that clearly demonstrates

this commitment. First Lady Arya Ali must be complemented on this momentous achievement, as we continuously see hundreds of persons enjoying the use of this impressive facility.

Money spent on well-organized and executed projects that significantly benefit our citizens is money well spent. Those persons saying otherwise are obviously unscrupulous in their attempts to score fallacious political points.

The PPP/C Government will remain undeterred by such unfounded and politically motivated “claims”, as we continue to demonstrate our commitment to improving the lives of all Guyanese!

Sincerely,

Neil Kumar

Shallow memory of Hamilton Green

Dear Editor, Hamilton Green should be the last person to speak about election signs. I guess he forgot when his PNC people pulled down PPP signs, and some supporters even beat the persons who had erected them.

I served in the Guyana Police Force during that time, and cannot remember if anyone was charged. Those were the days of the

Kabaka, when Policemen were painting “Vote PNC” signs at nights on the roads, and breaking up PPP meetings. I know this because Policemen from the station where I was attached were involved in such acts. That was their assignment. I am sure the elder cannot deny this.

Sincerely, Kenneth Singh

Dividing mixed numbers

By Terence c Holder

The die is cast! Prized promise to be kept Oft does commit the promisor to fight ‘Gainst Nature’s. Laws. Whilst his companions slept

One man resists seductive Slumber’s might. Why cast the die ? Such queries which proceed From minds that suffer not sustaining sighs

Of suffering souls, may sow the subtle seed That steals the brightness from Ambition’s eyes.

A want is felt; a want so simply filled, But yet fulfilment ever seems afar From grabber’s grasp: No primal action willed,

The path to progress bears a baulking bar.

Exercises: Divide

Decision comes : The binding word is giv’n That on such day, indeed in stated hour A product fair, through toil, sweat, tears e’en driv’n, Shall share the beauties of Achievement’s bower.

The die is cast ! No substitute can now Supplant production of Achievement’s crown—

The finished form. The when, the where, the how Are but embroidery on the caster’s gown.

WORD SEARCH

Local Govt Elections 2023

Smooth flow as Joint Services cast ballots

Countrywide, ranks of the Disciplined Services turned up across polling stations on Friday to cast their ballots in the customary early fashion for Local Government Elections 2023.

A combined total of 9093 ranks were eligible to vote from the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) and the Guyana Prison Service (GPS).

From the strike of 06:00h, the ranks waited in line until it was their turn to exercise their franchise and from all indications, it was a smooth process.

Just after he voted at the Police Officers’ Mess Annex, acting Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken underscored that senior ranks were leading by example, by showing up early to vote so that they could return to policing. Over 5700 ranks from the Guyana Police Force were expected to vote.

“Across all the regions, we’re leading by example.

stations across the prison locations.

Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot voted at the Camp Street Prison location where he informed that 493

Several GECOM officials, including Chair of GECOM, Justice (retired) Claudette Singh observed the voting at the Camp Street location.

Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Omar Khan informed the media after he voted at Base Camp Ayanganna that their voting population is 2799 ranks.

“The uniqueness of the military and the Joint Services is that we have ranks dispositioned across many locations. I believe it’s 23 polling locations we have so far and the reports coming in are that voting has been smooth.”

In far-flung areas such as New River Triangle, Khan shared that GECOM officials and party representatives were taken via an aircraft.

“In some Local Authority Areas, there is no contesting so soldiers will also not be voting based on that,” the Chief of Staff indicated.

tems are in place now but Commissioners have a way of raising issues and those will be dealt with in due course.”

Essequibo

Over in Essequibo, approximately 200 officers were expected to vote – 120 registered at Anna Regina, 5 at Suddie and about 20 at Charity.

Regional Commander, Superintendent Khemraj Shivbaran described the voting process as a smooth one with no hiccups record-

ulation had showed up by midday, and the same reflected at Fort Wellington Police Station.

In Region Six, 422 Police officers, 80 prison officers and 11 GDF officers were expected to vote in four locations. For Whim, less than 15 per cent of the 23 Police officers who were listed to vote had done so.

Low turnout was also reported at Springlands Police Station and New Amsterdam Prison.

Regional Police Commander, Senior

have to go to their respective constituencies where their polling stations are located.

The ballots cast by members of the Disciplined Forces will be sorted by local authorities and constituencies, dispatched to the respective returning officers, and mixed with other ballots that will be cast by civilians on June 12, 2023.

GECOM had announced that the Disciplined Services would vote on June 2, in keeping with Sections 74A and 74I of the Local Authorities (Amendment) Act. Voting

All the Commanders are leading by example and I think we’re going to have a smooth flow. We started early because we’re disciplined people and we want to get back to our normal work.”

Meanwhile, officers of the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) voted at five polling

ranks of the Prison Service were eligible to vote. Of that amount, 63 were not required to cast their vote since there is only one approved list of candidates in the Local Authority Areas (LAAs) for those ranks.

“Each prison officer is required to vote for the candidate of his/her choice,” he stated.

The Prison Head noted that every election is critical and ensuring a smooth process is of utmost importance.

Chairperson of GECOM, Retired Justice Claudette Singh spoke on the sidelines of these activities, where she expressed her satisfaction with the process despite indicating that it was

ed. He informed that there were no complaints from Police ranks.

Ballots used for voting were arranged and enveloped under the supervision of GECOM personnel; and witnessed by agents of the contesting political parties, voluntary groups, or individual candidates.

Berbice

slower than anticipated. The GECOM Chair also informed that all systems are in place for the holding of LGE 2023 on June 12, 2023.

“I am satisfied with what is going on right now and how they’re moving. It takes time but they’re getting there…All sys-

In Berbice, early data from polling stations in both Regions Five (MahaicaBerbice) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), indicate a very low voter turnout. At about midday, only about 25 per cent of the 685 officers s from the two regions had cast their ballots.

In Region Five, 173 Police officers were subjected to vote at two locations. At Mahaica Police Station, one-third of the voting pop-

Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus also reported that the morning session was hiccup-free.

Meanwhile, officers who were expected to but did not cast a ballot on Friday will be able to do so on June 12. However, those ranks will

for the Disciplined Services is traditionally held separately from the general population because the Disciplined Services will have their hands full ensuring law and order is maintained when the general population votes. (G12)

Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot

GECOM Chair Justice (retired) Claudette Singh, along with GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj, observed the voting at the Camp Street, Georgetown location

Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken casting his ballot on Friday

Activities at the Brickdam Police Station

GDF Chief of Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan

The top brass of the Police Force were among the first to vote June 2

Mon Repos man remanded for killing niece’s boyfriend

Jerome Khan, was remanded to prison until August 22.

Mohabir, called “Vickash”, a mechanic of Agriculture Road, ECD, met a tragic end when he was stabbed to death, allegedly by his girlfriend’s uncle amidst grievances and an escalating family dispute. The incident took place at Fifth Street Martyrsville, Mon Repos, ECD, where Mohabir was visiting his girlfriend, who resided there.

According to reports received, Mohabir, a mechanic, of Lot 40, Triumph Sideline Dam, ECD was stabbed multiple times at about 18:30h on the day in question.

A life...

…on the wild side

Royden “Smallie” Williams died as he lived – violently. He was only 20 years old when he was accused and tried as a member of Fineman’s gang that callously committed the Lusignan Massacre in January 2008. They snuffed out the lives of eleven children, women and men while their victims were sleeping in their beds. The victims had done nothing, and were simply picked at random as Indian Guyanese PPP supporters, to send a message by gang leader “Fineman” Rawlins to the Government – whom he believed had abducted his girlfriend.

AMon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD) man, Hamid Amin, appeared before a Magistrate on Friday on a murder charge in connection with the stabbing to death of his niece’s boyfriend.

Also known as “Peppy”, the 49-yearold murder accused was arraigned before Magistrate Alisha George at the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Courts.

He was not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that on May 29, in the East Demerara Magisterial District, he murdered Shivram Mohabir, 23. Amin, who was represented by Attorney-at-Law

He later succumbed to his injuries around 22:30h the same day, while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Amin allegedly inflicted the fatal wounds on Mohabir while he was inside his girlfriend’s room. After the attack, he reportedly fled the scene but was later apprehended by the Police.

The now dead man’s girlfriend, Raveena Persaud, had previously told this publication that they had been in a relationship for the past two years and that her boyfriend would often stay at her grandmother’s house.

“This, however, caused anger and

resentment from my uncle and his family due to an ongoing property dispute involving my grandmother, who is [Amin’s] mother,” Persaud related.

“I grew up with my grandmother and have been living with her for the past 13 years. Whenever my uncle and his children would see Vickash at the house, it would provoke them. Especially when my uncle had been drinking, he would confront my grandmother, asking what is he [Mohabir] doing here and that we are not married. However, my grandmother never had any issues with Vickash staying with us.” (G1)

Fineman had taken over from Andrew Douglas and the other four 2002 Mash Day escapees from the Camp Street jail, and had chosen his home village as their base. In the following years, criminals and wanna-be-criminals from all over Guyana gravitated to the self-styled “African Guyanese Freedom Fighters”. Several from the Opposition political community glamorised and extolled these savage killerswho epitomised the meaning of “terrorists”. They preyed on innocent citizens to make political points against the Government.

Smallie was from the village of Uitvlugt – all the way across the Demerara River on the West Coast. No one’s pinpointed when he actually joined the gang – but he had to’ve been a teenager. His co-accused who was tried for the Lusignan massacre was just FOURTEEN. The Buxton Gang acted as a finishing school for young aspiring criminals – including many from the village. While Smallie and his accomplice were tried - the others had died in a firefight with the Joint Services in August 2008. Smallie and his coaccused were acquitted on technicalities. Because Smallie had also been convicted for the murder of a soldier in Buxton, he remained in jail, but his even more youthful accomplice was freed. One wonders what he’s doing right now.

Smallie went on to participate in the Bartica Massacre, a month after the Lusignan Massacre, wherein eight were murdered. He was also convicted for this mayhem. In 2017, by now a hardened jailbird, Smallie masterminded a breakout fire at his Lot 12 Camp St lodgings. Thirteen persons were killed in that conflagration – but Smallie was sprung. Not for long, though!! He was captured in a bus on WCB – probably on his way to Suriname.

So, imagine, with a background like that, Smallie was allowed to meet some Venezuelan woman on his own outside the prison. It was a carefully orchestrated plan to spring him once again in real Wild West fashion. Gunmen from a boat fired on the prison officers bringing back Smallie from the supposedly highest-security Mazaruni Prison. And supposedly in shackles, he swam to the boat and escaped. The Joint Services then successfully followed General Colin Powell’s war maxim: “We’re gonna find them, cut them off and kill them.”

…of futility

Your Eyewitness feels for the leaders – especially the wanna-be-leaders! - in the PNC. But really, they shouldn’t blame themselves. The fault, dear readers, lies in the particular constellation of stars at their formation. You see… the PNC wasn’t formed organically out of the soil of Guyana – but was launched full blown on the ambitions of one man, by foreign elements with agendas of their own.

That man – Burnham – sold his soul to those foreign elements, and while they gave him enough rope to strut around like the megalomaniac he was, they knew he’d simply implode on his contradictions. They even gave him money to fund a party – but he thought he was cleverer to use only sycophants, who massaged his ego in the party that was simply a vestigial organ - like our useless appendix!!

The PNC – unlike the PPP - has no institutional memory of how a party’s actually organised and maintained. Like with everything else, Burnham only focused on words - not actions and institutions!!

…of realpolitik

Henry Kissinger – the ultimate realpolitik wonk – is 100 years old. His power- and-transactionalist-oriented foreign policy approach produced destructive outcomes. From coups installing dictators like in Chile, to murdering civilians in Cambodia, and alienating potential allies like India.

Murder accused Hamid Amin

Dead: Shivram Mohabir

Brazil signals interest in Amaila Falls Hydro Project – VP

proposed an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract, Government did not budge and the contract was terminated.

It was reported that one of CRFG’s main stumbling blocks to achieving the terms in the BOOT contract was finance. Government did not opt to move on to the next responsive bidder, since that bid had been at 9.9 cents per kilowatt - significantly more than CRFG.

Assembly by a one-seat Opposition majority.

Integration

In speaking about Guyana and Brazil’s longstanding relationship, Vice President Jagdeo indicated that there is still unfinished business regarding talks to integrate economies. This is particularly in relation to Northern Brazil and Guyana.

There has been active interest from Brazil to bring Guyana’s Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP) into fruition, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has announced.

Guyana has received proposals from Brazil and other countries for the 165-megawatt hydropower project – a flagship initiative under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). The Vice President anticipated that in the near future, Government might go out for another bidding process.

He divulged at Thursday’s press confer-

ence, “We’ve now gotten at least two proposals from companies in Brazil to do the hydro, and then some companies out of the US. Soon, you may see us going back out to another [tender] process. But the Brazilians are still very interested in this regard too.”

The project was hindered after China Railway First Group (CRFG), the company that won the contract, had informed Government that it was facing difficulties meeting the contract obligations of a Build-OwnOperate-Transfer (BOOT) model.

While the company had

The AFHP will be based on a Build-Own-OperateTransfer (BOOT) model where the company will supply electricity to GPL Inc at a cost not exceeding US$0.07737 per kWh and where the company will provide the entire equity required by the project and undertake all the risks associated with the project.

The revival of the 165-megawatt AFHP was one of the promises made by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic in its manifesto. The project was initiated under the previous PPP/C Administration but was scrapped by the coalition Administration which had controlled the National

“We’re hoping [for] Brazil’s involvement particularly at the federal level, because the state of Roraima fully supports efforts at integration. They see their future heavily linked to us, given proximity both for imports and exports. We’ve always had their support but they need the Federal Government to support because it has deeper pockets,” Jagdeo explained.

Governor of Roraima, Antonio Denarium was recently in Guyana, where he supported the possibilities of deepening trade relations with the realised Linden to Mabura road project. With such a connection, agricultural activities and exchanges will also be easily facilitated.

The former President disclosed, “This would help with the soya bean project, corn project, agriculture logistics, moving fertiliser and limestone into northern Brazil because there is a huge demand for it for their agriculture. A huge set of business there will happen.”

At the technical level, Guyana is already making provisions to facilitate trade, where soya and corn seeds can be supplied here and the final produce being exported back to Brazil.

At the federal level, Government is hoping that an agreement can be cre-

ated to allow for the free movement of seeds.

“We need some federal level agreement if we start producing seeds. We’re working with a group out of India that is already working in Brazil but they do high quality seeds. They want to farm the seeds in Brazil to supply our local producers. This is corn and soya seeds with high yielding varieties. And then, to reexport back into Brazil.”

It was indicated that Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is expected to visit Guyana in the future. (G12)

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

An artist’s impression of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project

Berbice man admits to beating, raping, robbing elderly woman

A49-year-old man has pleaded guilty to several charges over an attack that saw him barging into the home of a pensioner who he raped at knifepoint until she passed out.

Broan Luke called “Bryan”, of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), who had been indicted for the offences of rape; robbery under arms; common assault; and burglary, appeared before Justice Simone MorrisRamlall at the High Court

in Berbice on Thursday.

After each of the charges was read to him, Luke entered a plea of guilty.

With the presiding Judge instructing that a probation report be compiled on the sex offender, he was remanded to prison pending a sentencing hearing which has been fixed for June 27.

At around 18:00h on August 15, 2021, the then 64-year-old woman had secured her home which she

shared with her granddaughter before retiring to bed

However, at around 02:00h, the following morning, Luke broke into her home, went into her bedroom where he held onto her neck, and threatened to kill her if she screamed.

He then placed a knife to the fearful woman’s neck and began cuffing her to her face, head, and neck. He held onto her hair and pulled her off the bed, while

demanding gold and money.

At this point, the victim’s granddaughter woke up and started to cry but Luke demanded the woman, who begged him not to hurt the child, make the child stop crying.

According to the prosecution’s facts, Luke subsequently dragged the woman to the inner stairway where he held a knife to her neck and ordered her to take off

her underwear or else, he would stab her. The felon then engaged in vaginal and oral sex with the victim without her consent.

The ordeal lasted for about an hour during which the victim was rendered unconscious.

She was also forced to hand over the $100,000 she had stashed in a safe to Luke.

When the victim regained consciousness, she contacted her son, and a report was later filed with the Police. Police ranks went to her home and transported her to the hospital.

At around 15:45h on August 15, 2021, Luke was arrested at his home by the Police.

When told of the allegations and cautioned, he told the Police his version of the incident, which included confessing to the crimes. He told investigators that he had consumed Vodka with a friend and had smoked a

“joint” prior to arriving at the pensioner’s home. He was initially charged with the crimes on August 21, 2021, and when he appeared at the Reliance Magistrate’s Court, he was remanded to prison.

Following a Paper Committal, Luke was committed to stand trial for the offences after a Magistrate ruled that the prosecution had led prima facie evidence against him. (G1)

Four men have been charged and each released on $150,000 bail over an attack at a bar that has left a man with several chop and stab wounds.

Those arraigned are: 24-year-old Avinash Mahabal called “Ball”, of Triumph, East Coast Demerara; Dhanraj Ramlochan, aka “Tyron”, 19; Lakeram Ramlochan called “Troy”, 24; and 19-yearold Suruj Ramlocan called “Leon”, all of Martyr’s Ville, Mon Repos, ECD.

Before Magistrate Alisha George at the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Courts, they pleaded not guilty to a charge for the offence of unlawful wounding, contrary to Section 50 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act Chapter 08:01. Bail was granted in the sum of $150,000 to each of them.

The case has been adjourned until August 8 for statements and fixture of trial date.

Police Headquarters has said that between 21:00h and 21:30h on May 14, 28-year-old Sudesh Motie of Martyr’s Ville, Mon Repos, ECD, and a colleague were at the 592 Bar at Second Street, Mon Repos, when he was attacked by the four accused, who began pelting him with bricks.

One of the men then walked up to Motie and dealt him a stab to his right shoulder and cut him on his right hand while another chopped him to the neck and back with a cutlass.

Motie managed to run away and went to stand on the road in front of the bar and while there he saw the accused persons beating his colleague, before making

good their escape.

With the assistance of his sister, he was taken to Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where he was admitted as a patient. His condition at that time was listed as stable.

(G1)

4 charged over stabbing, chopping Mon Repos man …released on $150,000 bail each

Avinash Mahabal

Suruj

Ramlocan

Dhanraj Ramlochan

Lakeram Ramlochan

Confessed rapist Broan Luke

High Court Judge Simone Morris-Ramlall

After enforcement of court order Govt offers Hill Foot squatters turnkey houses, resettlement options

Through the Housing Ministry, Government has intervened and will be implementing a relocation and resettlement programme for the Hill Foot, Soesdyke squatters whose homes were demolished during an ongoing dispute with the property owner.

Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy and Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Sherwyn Greaves on Friday met with the affected persons.

The ongoing conflict stemmed from the demolition of squatters’ structures by the private landowner, Lawrence Almeem, who had taken them to court and was enforcing a court order for their removal.

Greaves stated that each household will be offered a plot of land or a turn-key house, based on their preference.

He indicated that all the applications will be fast-tracked and urged the

squatters to work with the agency. The Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) is also offering the squatters land at Long Creek. Additionally, persons have the option of remaining at the Hill Foot land and applying for prescriptive rights.

Meanwhile, Minister McCoy further assured the squatters that the Government will work with all those who are displaced. He reaffirmed that the Government is in no way

quent demolition of several homes, occupants took protest actions, blocking the roads with burning debris. Details provided indicated that the residents were given notices to vacate the property prior to the demolition. While some got a chance to remove their items from the structures, others did not.

According to the Guyana Police Force, several persons “armed themselves with missiles and offensive weapons before piling and

responsible for the eviction and urged them to ignore falsehoods spewed by the political Opposition.

Squatters are also urged to refrain from the unlawful blocking of roads and damaging of property.

This publication understands that the owner of the property took court action in 2019 to remove the squatters and a court ruling was issued on the matter in April 2023. The order was granted to have the squatters removed from the land which is privately owned.

Following the subse-

lighting debris and tyres” across the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.

These actions intensified on Thursday morning, as the squatters persisted in protesting on the highway. At various sections of the road, they continued adding to the fire, creating havoc for road users.

At that time, Government had dismissed what it deemed as “malicious attempts” to link its involvement in the demolition of property and eviction of squatters at Hill Foot. (G12)

Minister Kwame Mc Coy and CH&PA CEO Sherwyn Greaves meeting with the squatters on Friday

Joint Services vote

vote in LGE 2023

GPF’s missing firearm 3 cops dismissed; senior rank reassigned

cers who were attached to Central Police Station have since been dismissed. This is according to Regional Commander, Senior Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus.

Arson suspected as Good Intent house goes up in flames

Three Police officers who were attached to Central Police Station have been relieved of their duties while a senior Police officer has been reassigned to another part of the country as Police in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) are yet to find a firearm which has been missing since December 2022.

The firearm was reportedly issued to a senior Police officer and went missing on December 27, 2022, at a Gymkhana which was held in Reliance, East Canje, Berbice.

Police had issued a

statement explaining that a Constable was at a Gymkhana Event in East Canje, Berbice, with some friends when he was attacked by several males. During the attack, several beer bottles were pelted in his direction.

A senior officer was also at the event and had given the Constable his firearm for safekeeping.

There are reports that the rank who was attacked did not have the firearm in his possession when he was rescued.

Three Police offi-

According to the Regional Commander, those dismissed are Constable 23258 Shakeil Smith; Constable 25484 Tariq McKalmon, who were dismissed on April 20 along with Constable 23719 Donovan Walker, who was dismissed on May 17. The three were dismissed for the role they allegedly played in the disappearance of a firearm belonging to the Guyana Police Force.

Meanwhile, the senior officer who had given the Constable the firearm which was issued to him is now performing duties out of the capital city of Georgetown.

Police have since placed a female from East Canje before the court on charges in relation to the missing firearm. (G4)

Amentally ill man is being accused of setting his parents’ Good Intent, West Bank Demerara (WBD) home on fire, which resulted in complete destruction.

The fire occurred at about 08:30h on Friday in a one-storey wooden and concrete building on Lot 33 Murphy Street, Good Intent, WBD.

According to reports, the house belonged to a fisher-

man named Ramzan, who had recently left for vacation. Ramzan’s wife had passed away before his departure, leaving him and his 26-year-old mentally challenged son as the only occupants of the house.

Samantha, Ramzan’s stepdaughter, in an interview with Guyana Times on Friday, recounted that she was at work when she received the call about the house on fire. Rushing to the scene, she said she was met with a heart-breaking sight—the family home, which held cherished memories of her mother, lying in ruins.

“…I leave work right away and when I come, the house was already burned. I don’t really know what transpired. According to the neighbours, my brother was in the house before the fire started,” she said.

Prior to Ramzan’s departure, Samantha said he had been in the process of rebuilding a section of the house. She said it was his intention to complete the renovations upon his return.

An eyewitnesses told this publication that smoke was noticed emanating

from the house, prompting neighbours to alert the Fire Service. Additionally, the eyewitness said Ramzan’s son was observed fleeing the scene, raising suspicions that he might have started the fire.

However, Samantha said her brother has been mentally challenged for years, and recently picked up a habit of smoking.

“…we haven’t carried him to the doctor to confirm if he is a mental person, but so far from the time he growing up and I know he, I know that he does trouble with his nerve. Lately, he has been doing weird stuff and to us, it looks like it is his nerve”, the woman related.

Still grappling with the loss of her stepfather’s home and her mother’s belongings, Samantha expressed her deep sorrow.

“I don’t feel good about this because people don’t know how you feel inside… my mother passed away and left my brother, and he was not left in a good state.”

Meanwhile, the 26-yearold man was taken into custody, and an investigation was launched. (G9)

The debris from the house that was destroyed by fire on Thursday

Over 100 health centres implementing HEARTS initiative

are working to monitor patients. We can’t go off on a tangent, change the medications…this is not efficient,” Dr Anthony said.

“We want to have a continuum of care that allows our primary healthcare to work, to make sure we have the systems in place, to first of all, prevent these things from happening, but if they do happen, that at the primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare levels, we have the requisite systems to take care of people,” Anthony said.

Local footballer dies in Mandela Avenue accident

Twenty-six-year-old Leon Sealey Yaw, a well-known footballer from East La Penitence, Georgetown, tragically lost his life in a motorcycle accident on Thursday evening on Mandela Avenue, Georgetown.

Although the precise details of the accident remain unclear, reports indicate that it involved a collision between two motorcycles, leaving the other rider in critical condition.

As the highest mortality rate of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in the Americas exists in Guyana, the Health Ministry’s Chronic Diseases Unit continues to strengthen its approach towards disease management, with plans to expand its HEARTS initiative to over 30 health centres.

This was disclosed on Friday during the launch of the National Expansion of the HEARTS Initiative for the Management of Cardiovascular Diseases at the Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown.

In 2022, the Chronic Diseases Unit in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation/ World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) launched its first HEARTS technical package to better assist healthcare professionals with the prevention and early detection of CVDs within primary healthcare.

This package included six modules and an implementation guide to effectively support healthcare professionals in the management of risk factors for CVDs and to ensure there is access to standardised, high-quality care to those at risk.

Now, according to the Ministry’s Director of Noncommunicable Diseases, Dr Latchmie Lall, over 100 health centres are implementing this HEARTS initiative, catering to about 36,160 patients.

Plans to expand and facilitate this initiative in 30 more health centres are currently underway.

“We’ve founded new guidelines, we’ve introduced new medications into the system, patients are being switched over to those medications – it’s a gradual stepby-step process that not just the physicians and nurses need to understand, but ev-

ery level of healthcare worker,” Dr Lall said.

In implementing these HEARTS guidelines, Dr Lall explained that efforts were

Dr Anthony added that immediate steps to enhance chronic disease management in the country involve examining the existing programmes, noting the gaps and conceptualising how to address those concerns.

The news of Yaw’s untimely demise has sent the entire football fraternity into sorrow, as persons have taken to social media to express their heartfelt sadness over the loss of the talented goalkeeper, renowned for his exceptional skills and affiliation with the esteemed Fruta Conquerors team.

Meanwhile, in an interview with another section of the media, the dead man’s girlfriend, Kenya Fordyce, said she last saw Yaw

around 17:00h on Thursday after he said he was leaving for work.

“We were about to go in our bed around 8:30pm when his friend come and say Leon get in an accident…when we were going into the boy’s car to go to the scene, we got another call that Leon dead,” the girlfriend related.

Upon receiving news of his passing, the Guyana Football Association (GFA) conveyed its condolences to Yaw’s family and friends.

In a statement, the GFA recognised Yaw’s significant contributions to the sport and pledged to honour his memory by continuing to support and nurture young talents in Guyana. (G9)

made to ensure that if a patient moves from one facility to another, their records can be quickly accessed so that their treatment continues at the level required.

She added that for its effectiveness, HEARTS should eventually be adopted by all healthcare facilities in the country, both public and private.

“It’s very important to understand that HEARTS is not just about the Ministry of Health and its primary care facilities. It must be adopted by every [health] facility in the country if we’re looking to have uniform control and really tackle hypertension,” Dr Lall said.

Standardised Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony echoed a need to standardise the health systems put in place to best assess patients under this programme, and beyond.

“I think this is one of the things that we have to emphasise with all our physicians and the persons who

“We will ensure great programme coverage in large populations across the country. This is nothing that we can wait for some time and then implement. We have to place a lot of emphasis on how we can establish this as soon as possible,” Dr Anthony said.

“We’re happy that with the collaboration with PAHO/ WHO, we would be able to move at a faster pace and get many of these things accomplished,” Anthony said.

PAHO Representative to Guyana, Dr Luis Codina stated that it is important that all aspects of the HEARTS package—standardised treatment, blood pressure measurement, training adaptation and operational care—are supported for the prevention of CVDs, which he noted is of great concern.

“We need to join in discussions to talk about bringing the best quality of health and treatment to enhance healthcare systems,” Dr Codina said.

Dead: Leon Sealey Yaw

PAHO Representative Dr Luis Codina

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony

2 die as truck turns turtle along Issano Trail

Two gold miners were on Friday killed in an accident in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) after the truck in which they were travelling turned turtle on the Issano Trail.

Dead are 26-year-old Osborne Fredricks and 31-year-old Collis Fredricks, both of Wakapao, Lower Pomeroon.

The incident occurred at some time around 08:30h at Fourteen Miles Issano Trail, Mazaruni. According to Police reports, the two deceased were among eight gold miners seated in the tray of motor lorry GVV 7484 which was being driven by a 63-year-old resident of 14 Miles Issano at the time of the accident.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the motor lorry was proceeding north along the Fourteen Miles Issano Trail, and was ascending a hill when the driver lost control of the vehicle and it turned turtle on the left side. The occu-

pants were thrown onto the trail, and the lorry pinned Osborne Fredricks and Collis Fredricks.

All the occupants were picked up by Police and escorted to the Bartica Regional Hospital, where the two men were pronounced dead on arrival.

Several other occupants were treated for minor lacerations about their bodies. Among the injured were 26-year-old gold miner Kelron Jones; 53-year-

Sailor feared dead in Essequibo River boat mishap

A29-year-old sailor is feared dead after a boat mishap in the Essequibo River. A search is currently underway for Gavin Cox, of Batavia Village, Mazaruni River, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni).

Reports are the accident occurred at about 19:45h in Thursday.

According to Police reports, the missing man, who was the lone occupant in his boat, was hit by a fibreglass boat that was powered by a 300-horsepower engine. The impact of the collision caused

Cox to be thrown overboard and he disappeared.

The captain of the fibreglass boat, Police said, attempted to search the area for Cox but his efforts were

old gold miner Joseph Sahoye of lot 5 Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo; 38-yearold Shawn Pedro of Four Miles Potaro Road, Bartica; 19-year-old gold miner Dexter Bruton; and 41-yearold Abar Baker of Lot 1 Good Hope, East Coast Demerara.

The Police have indicated that a Notice of Intended Prosecution has been served on the 63-year-old motor lorry driver, who is presently in custody assisting with the investigation.

futile. The man then went to the Bartica Police Station and reported the matter. He has since been placed into Police custody assisting with investigations.

Caribbean leaders meet to discuss progress of SDGs' implementation

The Guyana Government and the United Nations (UN) System in the Caribbean recently hosted a meeting to review the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Region.

The Joint Steering Committee of the UN Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (MSDCF) met for its Annual Coordination Meeting on May 22, 2023. The Joint Steering Committee assessed the UN’s response to regional development priorities during the first year of implementation of the UN Multi-Country Sustainable Development Framework (MSDCF).

Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh co-chaired the meeting with the UN Resident Coordinator in Guyana, Yesim Oruc.

Dr Singh welcomed the opportunity to reiterate the key messages that are important to the Caribbean and to register appreciation to the UN and its respective agencies for the partnership provided in advancing our respective national development agendas.

“We, in the Caribbean, are proud members of the United Nations and active participants in its various institutions and organs. We welcome the opportunity to meet through this annual consultation to take stock of where we are and to articulate our vision in relation to how we move forward,” he stated.

The senior Minister also

pointed out the peculiarities and vulnerabilities of the Region due to the climate change phenomena and other externalities as he lamented the non-implementation of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) and the delivery of the 0.7% GNI (Gross National Income) of ODA (Official Development Assistance) from rich countries to assist poor countries.

Meanwhile, the UN Resident Coordinator in Guyana highlighted that “…a regional cooperation framework delivered at national levels that is fit for purpose resulted in the UN responding to the calls of Small Island Developing States, especially the Caribbean, to deliver more tailored support to countries and territories.”

Regional Director for the UN Development Coordination Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, Roberto Valent thanked participating governments for their continued partnership with the UN. He noted that the Framework saw the UN System working with countries in enhancing systems to ensure decent work for people across the Caribbean; supporting countries to address long-standing health challenges; strengthening education; helping countries to improve their food systems; advancements in achieving gender equality and development efforts to allow for a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

According to Valent, results show that the UN has worked in a coordinat-

ed and coherent manner in response to the Secretary General’s call for a course correction to rescue the SDGs, while focused on human rights of all.

The Joint Steering Committee is part of the governance mechanism of the implementation of the Caribbean MSDCF and comprises ministerial representatives of the 19 country signatories to the Cooperation Framework, as well as representatives from 23 UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes that implement development projects in the Region.

The hybrid meeting saw discussions on food systems, data and digitalisation, and how the UN can support countries across the Region to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and agreed on strategies for strengthening this mechanism.

The Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (MSDCF) is the most important instrument for planning and implementation of the UN development activities towards the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda in the Caribbean. The UN and the governments in the region are committing to contribute to significant structural changes in the economies and governance systems of participating countries towards: economic resilience and shared prosperity; equality and well-being; resilience to climate change and shocks, and sustainable natural resource management; and peace, safety, justice, and the rule of law. (G8)

Senior Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and UN Resident Coordinator in Guyana Yesim Oruc cochaired the meeting to review progress of the implementation of SDGs in the Caribbean

Sir Mars’s murder

“Bold yet baseless” – Crime Chief responds to defence counsel’s contentions on leaked video

Judge will repeatedly caution the jury that they are only to consider the evidence that is before the court.

“This means, all reports in the press whether it be the untruths told by the alleged relatives of the accused or the video contradicting the fabrication told by the purported relatives of your client, in that, your client was merely given a paper to sign and he did not know what was on the paper.

the fence of an apartment building at Perseverance, EBD, on Sunday, May 7.

An autopsy revealed that he was stabbed eight times, including to his chest, right shoulder, collarbone, left hand, and right elbow, and has given the cause of his death as injuries to the chest as a result of being crushed, compounded by “multiple cutaneous wounds.”

“Bold yet baseless”. These were the words used by Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum to describe the contentions contained in a letter sent to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) by Bernard Da Silva, the lawyer representing the man charged with killing long-time educator, Kirwyn Mars.

In a May 23 letter, Da Silva had among other things, asked the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to explain how a video-recorded interview of his client, Brian Richards, 24, of John Fernandes Squatting Area, Georgetown, purportedly confessing to the crime, was released to the media.

The defence lawyer had argued that the video was published without “due process” being observed, and that its “ill-advised” release would inevitably cast a dark shadow of prejudice in regard to a fair trial for his client which is guaranteed by Article 144 (1) of the Constitution.

That video was first published by the News Room.

The Crime Chief, who himself is an attorney-at-law, has since rubbished Da Silva’s argument.

“For your information, counsel, due process, and a fair trial are both guaranteed and enshrined in the Constitution of Guyana for every accused in any criminal trial before a court of competent jurisdiction.

Let me remind you, counsel, that the preliminary inquiry into the charge of murder against your client has not yet commenced, but when same begins, the Honourable and Learned Magistrate who is a professional would be able to disabuse his or her mind from anything he or she would have heard or read that was reported in the press,” Blanhum told Da Silva in a letter.

The Crime Chief said that if the case eventually goes before the jury, the

“These would all have to be disregarded by the Magistrate and Judge if they conclude that a fair trial is possible with their assistance, as was enunciated by Mohammed J in the case of The State V Abu Bakr a/c Lennox Phillip Cr No 75 of 2006 (Unreported, Trinidad and Tobago).”

Legal remedies

While he contemplated legal remedies about the release of the video, the lawyer had called on the Police to issue a directive that the video be removed immediately from all forms of circulation.

But in responding to Da Silva, Blanhum made it clear that the Police Force has no legal authority to issue directives to any media house on what they ought to remove from their platform.

He added, “However, any first-year law student, let alone a seasoned Attorneyat-Law, would know that an aggrieved party can seek such an order via an application for an injunction from the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature. Alternatively, given your rather long-established familiar relationship with certain media outlets, perhaps you can make such a simple request in the same vein that you shared your correspondence.”

In his letter, the Crime Chief also asked Da Silva to take into account that recently, there was the release on social media of a video interview, which was only disclosed to the court and the defence attorney and the video interview, which clearly showed the investigators’ faces was then shared and copied to every conceivable social ‘cyberspace available to the eyes.

“Similarly, there was no pronouncement made as yet on the admissibility of the statements made during the said video interview. Yet conveniently, no one, not yourself [Da Silva] or any oversight body, had made any public statements condemning this course of action,” Blanhum noted.

Da Silva’s silence on

that matter, he pointed out, leads the Police Force to the inescapable conclusion that it is not the course of action that is actually offensive or prejudicial to a fair trial, but perhaps it is the purported source of the release of these recordings that is offensive.

The defence counsel had addressed the letter to the acting Police Commissioner and had copied it to the Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, Blanhum and the Guyana Bar Association (GBA).

According to the Crime Chief, it is also “most unfortunate” that Da Silva opted to share his views with the Chancellor of the Judiciary, for whom we have the utmost respect, via this correspondence while the matter is validly before the court.

He opined that what Da Silva did sets a dangerous precedent, which the GPF is gravely concerned about, and it has acknowledged his actions as a flagrant attempt to bring the administration of justice into disrepute and thereby undermine public confidence in the criminal justice system.

In these circumstances, the senior Police officer has called for a stern and public rebuke to be issued against Da Silva since he shared his letter with the press to confirm that he has engaged the most senior judicial official outside of all the legal pathways available to him.

Blanhum has since informed Da Silva that there is currently an active investigation pending into an allegation of an attempt to pervert the course of justice by a named individual, responsible for deliberate falsehoods reported in the press in relation to the murder trial of his client.

Background

Mars, aka “Sir Mars”, 51, of Lot 211 New Settlers Street, Mocha, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was found pinned between his car and

It has been reported that, two days after committing the crime, Richards was arrested at his place of employment. He has since allegedly confessed to the murder.

In his alleged confession, he detailed that, on the day in question, he and Mars arrived at the Green City Bar in Georgetown, where they consumed about two cases of beer altogether, before departing the bar to travel to Diamond, EBD, via the Mandela-Eccles Highway.

On their way to that location, a misunderstanding arose between them, and a scuffle ensued. The murder accused related that, during the argument, he picked up a bottle and struck Mars in the head, but in retaliation, Mars collected a knife that was in the car and attacked him.

He alleged that he managed to relieve Mars of the

knife, and in turn, stabbed him several times.

He told detectives that after receiving the stab wounds, Mars brought the car to a stop at a location in Providence, EBD, then exited from the driver’s seat and walked to the back of the vehicle. Richards said while he was trying to retrieve his phone, which had fallen in the car during the scuffle, his hand touched the lever and accidentally put the car in reverse, ultimately crushing Mars. After realising that Mars was motionless, he said, he panicked and fled the scene.

Nevertheless, despite his alleged confession, relatives

of the accused are holding out that he is innocent. In fact, they claimed that the accused was dropped off at his home at 21:00h by Mars on the night in question. Further, they stated that he did not have any evidence on his body to show that he was involved in a scuffle. “He was at home when they claimed the murder was committed… he did not commit the act… he is innocent…” a relative told reporters.

Mars, who was Deputy Principal at the New Central High School in Georgetown, had been a teacher since 1992. He was also an actor. (G1)

Dead: Kirwyn Mars, called “Sir Mars”

Crime Chief and Attorneyat-Law Wendell Blanhum

Defence counsel Bernard Da Silva Murder accused Brian Richards

Colombia Chief of Staff, Ambassador leave posts amid phone intercept scandal

The Chief of Staff for Colombian President Gustavo Petro and the country's Ambassador in Venezuela will leave their posts, Petro said on Friday, as the prosecutor's office probes accusations of illegal phone intercepts of domestic staff.

Laura Sarabia, one of Petro's closest advisors, and Ambassador Armando Benedetti, who was key to Petro's election and Sarabia's boss when Benedetti was a senator, have been entangled in a scandal involving missing money and her child's nanny.

"While they investigate my dear and valued official and the Ambassador in Venezuela, they will withdraw from the Government," Petro said at a military event, noting the effort was meant to ensure full confidence in the inves-

tigation.

Sarabia reported in January that some US$4000 had been taken from her apartment in northern Bogota, Attorney General Francisco Barbosa said late on Thursday, and afterward her son's nanny

was taken to the presidential palace, where she was given a polygraph test and questioned about the funds.

The nanny, Marelbys Meza, who spoke to a local magazine for a cover story about the incident, has denied any wrongdoing.

Brazil’s Congress weakens environmental, Indigenous Ministries

Brazil’s conservative-majority

Congress has voted to scale back the authority of two Ministries dedicated to upholding Indigenous rights and protecting the environment, following opposition from the South American nation’s powerful agribusiness industry.

In a 51-9 Senate vote on Thursday, Brazilian lawmakers moved to strip the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples and the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change of some of their powers. The measure easily passed in the lower house of Congress a day earlier.

Objecting to what he called “constraints on

agribusiness that could harm exports”, Senator Carlos Viana said during Thursday’s voting session that “the main points [of the caucus] have been addressed”.

The vote marks a setback for left-wing Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who had promised to put Indigenous rights and the battle against climate change front and centre after years of neglect under his far-right predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

Indigenous and environmental advocates had hoped Lula’s election victory last year would boost their fortunes after the tenure of Bolsonaro, whose Government was blamed

for record deforestation and violence against Indigenous people.

But Thursday’s vote underscored the political staying power of the Brazilian agribusiness industry, and critics have expressed frustration over what they saw as a lacklustre effort on Lula’s part to fight the cuts.

The changes block the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples from legalising the boundaries of new Indigenous territories and prevent the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change from managing a property registry — a central tool for tracking deforestation and managing water resources. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Trinidad asks US for changes to Venezuela gas project licence

Trinidad and Tobago

is requesting the US Government amend the terms of a licence authorising the joint development of a promising offshore gas field with Venezuela, the Caribbean nation's Energy Minister said on Thursday.

The United States in January issued a 2-year authorisation for Trinidad and a group of companies including Venezuelan staterun oil firm PDVSA and Anglo-Dutch Shell to revive a dormant project that could help Trinidad boost gas processing and exports to its neighbours.

However, the US authorisation for the Dragon project, near the mari-

time border between the two nations, bans any cash payments to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's Government or its state companies.

Trinidad Prime Minister Keith Rowley and Energy Minister Stuart Young have recently talked to US Presidential Coordinator for International Energy Security Amos Hochstein and US Vice President Kamala Harris' staff to explain the proposed changes.

In part, they are related to the financial terms, Young told Reuters on the sidelines of the 7th International Energy Summit in Miami.

"There are still some changes that need to be made that we're pursuing.

The Police wrongly intercepted phone calls by Meza and another woman who cleaned Sarabia's home, Barbosa's office said in a statement on Friday. Barbosa, who has repeatedly clashed with Petro over the President's efforts to make peace and surrender deals with leftist rebels and crime gangs, said some people may face charges in the coming days over the missing money, the polygraph incident and the "grotesque" interceptions.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Mexican prosecutors say 45 bags of human remains may belong to missing group

Human remains discovered in 45 bags in western Mexico appear to resemble the features of several missing call centre employees, state prosecutors said in a statement late on Thursday.

The Jalisco Prosecutor's Office said the remains found in the municipality of Zapopan were still subject to forensic tests to formally

El Salvador President pledges white-collar prison in 'war' on corruption

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele on Thursday pledged to build a prison to hold white-collar criminals as part of a crackdown on corruption that he likened to his fight against criminal gangs.

Bukele launched a brutal campaign on the country's violent gangs over a year ago, suspending constitutional rights in a so-called state of exception. The policy has won broad popular support but human rights groups say innocent people have been caught up in the crackdown.

The Government in February moved thousands of suspected gang members to a newly opened "mega prison".

"We will fight white-collar criminals wherever they come from," Bukele added, "but we will only use legal means."

Bukele also used his speech to announce Bills to slim down the country's political system by cutting the number of Deputies in

the country's unicameral Congress to 60 from 84, and turn the small Central American country's 262 municipalities into 44 districts.

These Bills will need to be voted through Congress, he said.

Later in the speech, Bukele said former President Alfredo Cristiani's property was being raided.

A court ordered Cristiani's provisional arrest over a year ago for alleged involvement in covering up the murder of six Jesuit priests and two of their staff during the country's civil war in the 1980s.

The address ended to shouts of "re-election" from the gathering in the Congress.

In March, a newspaper poll showed that nearly 70% of Salvadorans favored Bukele's bid for a second term, despite an explicit constitutional prohibition against serving consecutive terms. (Excerpt from Reuters)

identify the bodies.

"According to preliminary information, the findings...in Zapopan coincided with the physical characteristics of some of the young people being searched for," the statement said.

Authorities made the discovery in a ravine on the outskirts of Jalisco's capital city, Guadalajara, earlier this week as part of a search for seven call centre workers in their 20s and 30s who had disappeared. An eighth person, potentially linked to the group, is also missing.

On Tuesday, Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez told reporters that initial investigations showed that the call centre workers "were carrying out some type of real estate fraud and some type of telephone extortion."

Authorities have been working to determine how many individuals the remains in the bags relate to, their identities, and how they died.

Local media said the remains belonged to both men and women.

The state prosecutor's office said in a statement that the discovery came following a tip-off.

Prosecutors added that difficult terrain and lack of sunlight had complicated the investigation.

According to Government data, over 100,000 people are currently missing in Mexico, where organised crime has ravaged parts of the country.

Jalisco state in particular is a hotbed for major cartels, including the Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG), and rivals Nueva Plaza. (Excerpt from Reuters)

US court sentences Haitian businessman to life in Moise’s killing

scheme.

But that is always part of very complicated and sophisticated energy negotiations," the Minister said. He declined to elaborate.

Trinidad and Venezuela are expected to meet again this month to begin discussion of Dragon's commercial terms. Both parties signed confidentially agreements and began discussing technical aspects in previous meetings.

The US since last year has eased some sanctions on Venezuela by issuing or modifying specific licences to encourage political negotiations towards presidential elections in the country. Those talks have shown little progress. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Acourt in the United States has sentenced a HaitianChilean businessman to life in prison for his role in the plot to assassinate former Haitian President Jovenel Moise in 2021.

A US federal judge in Miami sentenced Rodolphe Jaar on Friday, more than two months after the 50-year-old dual national pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside of the US, as well as to providing material support resulting in death.

In March, prosecutors had said that Jaar was “responsible for providing weapons to … co-conspirators to facilitate carrying

out the operation” that resulted in Moise’s assassination.

The former President was killed on July 7, 2021, when a group of armed men stormed his home in the Haitian capital, Port-auPrince, sending shockwaves across the Caribbean nation and around the world.

Jaar is one of 11 people to be arrested and charged in the US for their alleged role in the killing, which further destabilised Haitian politics and fuelled an continuing wave of violence in the country.

US prosecutors had stated that Jaar provided weapons and lodging to a group of Colombian mercenaries involved in the

Jaar is the only person to plead guilty, and the other 10 suspects charged in the US are currently scheduled to begin a jury trial in July.

The Miami Herald had previously reported that Jaar, a former informant for the US Government who had cooperated during an investigation into cocaine smuggling 10 years ago, could receive a more lenient sentence of less than 30 years due to his previous cooperation with federal officials.

On Friday, however, Judge Jose E Martinez opted for the maximum sentence of life in prison.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Colombia's Ambassador to Venezuela, Armando Benedetti, looks on as he visits the Miraflores Palace to meet Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela August 29, 2022

Around The World OIL NEWS

At least 207 dead, 900 injured in massive train crash in Odisha, India

OPEC+ discussing deepening oil production cuts, sources say

OPEC and its allies are discussing deepening oil production cuts, possibly by as much as 1 million barrels per day, three sources told Reuters on Friday as oil prices fell towards US$70 per barrel and market analysts spoke of a new supply glut.

OPEC+, which groups the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies led by Russia, pumps around 40% of the world's crude, meaning its policy decisions can have a major impact on oil prices.

Three OPEC+ sources said cuts were being discussed among options for Sunday, when OPEC+ Ministers gather at 2 pm in Vienna (1200 GMT). Before then, OPEC Ministers will meet at 11 am on Saturday.

The sources said cuts could amount to 1 million bpd on top of existing cuts of 2 million bpd and voluntary cuts of 1.6 million bpd that was announced in a surprise move in April.

If approved, it would take the total volume of reductions to 4.66 million bpd, or around 4.5% of global demand. Earlier, two OPEC+ sources said they did not expect the group to agree further cuts.

Western nations have accused OPEC of manipulating oil prices and undermining the global economy through high energy costs.

In return, OPEC officials and insiders have said the West's money-printing over the last decade has driven inflation and forced oil-producing nations to act to maintain the value of their main export.

"We will never hesitate to take any decision to achieve more balance and stability (on) the global oil market," Iraq's Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani said on arriving in Vienna.

The surprise output announcement in April helped to drive oil prices about US$9 per barrel higher to above US$87, but they swiftly retreated, under pressure from concerns about global economic growth and demand. On Friday, international benchmark Brent was trading around US$76.

Last week, Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz said investors who were shorting the oil price should "watch out", which many market watchers interpreted as a warning of additional supply cuts.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, however, subsequently said he did not expect any new steps from OPEC+ in Vienna, Russian media reported.

The International Energy Agency expects global oil demand to rise further in the second half of 2023, potentially boosting oil prices.

Analysts at JP Morgan, however, said OPEC had not acted quickly enough to adjust supply to high levels of US fuel output.

"Demand growth continues to be robust. Rather, there is simply too much supply... The alliance waited too long to reduce supply. The alliance - or at least some members - would likely need to cut more," analysts from JP Morgan said in a note.

Rapidan Energy Group analysts put the chances of a further cut at 40%.

"Ministers are determined to avoid a repeat of 2008, when a sudden collapse in global economic and financial stability sent crude prices from over US$140 to US$35 in six months," they wrote. (Reuters)

At least 207 people were killed and 900 injured when two passenger trains collided in Odisha on Friday, according to Government officials in the eastern Indian state, in India's deadliest rail accident in over a decade.

The death toll is expected to increase, state Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena said in a tweet.

Sudhanshu Sarangi, the Director General of the Fire Department in Odisha, told Reuters that 207 bodies had been recovered so far.

"I was there at the site and I can see blood, broken limbs and people dying around me," an eyewitness told Reuters by phone.

Hundreds of young people lined up outside a

Government hospital in Odisha's Soro to donate blood.

Rescue teams have been mobilised from Odisha's Bhubaneswar and Kolkata in West Bengal, feder-

Sudanese forces clash in Khartoum after talks break down

Sudan's warring parties fought in the capital on Friday after the collapse of talks to maintain a ceasefire and ease a humanitarian crisis.

Residents of Khartoum and Omdurman across the Nile said the army had resumed air strikes and was using more artillery. But said there was no sign the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was retreating from streets and homes it had occupied, they said.

"We are suffering so much from this war. Since this morning there have been sounds of violence. We're living in terror. It is a real nightmare," said Shehab al-Din Abdalrahman, 31, in a southern district of Khartoum.

Seven weeks of warfare between the army and RSF have smashed up parts of central Khartoum, threatened to destabilise the wider region, displaced 1.2 million people inside Sudan

and sent another 400,000 into neighbouring states.

The United States and Saudi Arabia on Thursday suspended truce talks after a ceasefire they had mediated fell apart, accusing the sides of occupying homes, businesses and hospitals, carrying out air strikes and attacks and executing banned military movements.

Washington imposed sanctions on businesses belonging to the army and RSF and threatened more action "if the parties continue to destroy their country", a senior US official said.

The army said on Friday it was "surprised" by the US and Saudi decision to suspend the negotiations after it had made proposals for implementing the agreement, blaming the RSF for breaching the truce. The RSF on Friday blamed the army for the talks' collapse, accusing it of repeated violations. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Belgorod: Shelling in Russian border region kills 2, Governor says

Two women have been killed in shelling by Ukrainian forces in the Russian border region of Belgorod, its Governor has said.

Vyacheslav Gladkov said the victims were hit by shrapnel as they were travelling in a car near the village of Maslova Pristan.

Officials in the neighbouring Bryansk and Kursk regions said buildings had been damaged in shelling and an overnight drone attack.

Ukraine has so far not commented.

However Kyiv has denied involvement in previous attacks across the border, which it says are carried out by Russian anti-government groups.

In Belgorod, Gladkov said two men travelling in another car had been seriously wounded in the shelling.

He added that nine people had been injured in the region in the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, one of the most prominent anti-Krem-

lin paramilitary groups, the Liberty of Russia Legion (FRL), said it had been engaging in military operations in the nearby village of Novaya Tavolzhanka.

In a post on social media on Friday morning, it said two civilians had been killed after the Russian artillery mistook their vehicle for a car containing FRL members.

The FRL said "active fighting" continued on the outskirts of Novaya Tavolzhanka, admitting that

al Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a tweet late on Friday.

Three National Disaster Response Force teams are at the site of the accident, and six more teams are be-

ing mobilised, the country's National Disaster Response Force said.

The collision occurred at about 7pm local time (1330 GMT) when the Howrah Superfast Express, running from Bangalore to Howrah, West Bengal, derailed and became entangled with the Coromandel Express, which runs from Kolkata to Chennai, railway officials said.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said authorities' priority was "removing the living to the hospitals".

Rescue operations were underway at the site and "all possible assistance" was being given to those affected, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Quebec

there were injured "legionnaires".

Neither claim has been independently verified.

Long-range drones also hit two towns in the Smolensk region, the local Governor there said, while the Kaluga region's head said an explosion had been reported in a forest.

Recent weeks have seen an increase in cross-border attacks by the FRL and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), another paramilitary group. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Acoastal city in Quebec ordered some 10,000 residents to evacuate homes on Friday as wildfires spread in eastern Canada and stretched firefighting resources already tackling blazes across the country.

Canada is experiencing one of the worst starts to wildfire season, with forest fires burning in nearly all provinces and forcing tens of thousands of evacuations since late April.

More than 2.7 million hectares have been scorched so far this year across the country, equal to more than five million football fields, federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair has said. That's more than 10 times the average area typically burned by this time of year over the past decade.

In a Friday morning briefing, Blair said there were 214 fires burning across Canada, 93 out of control, and 29,000 people evacuated.

"The situation remains severe across the country," Blair said.

"Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia - they are all experiencing interface wildfires," he said, referring to fires that have the potential to impact buildings and forest fuel or vegetation simultaneously.

Wildfires are common in Canada's western provinces, but this year the eastern province of Nova Scotia is reeling from its worst-ever wildfire season. The Atlantic province has had nearly 200 wildfires that have burned more than 19,000 hectares and displaced more than 25,000 people, compared with 152 fires that burned 3390 hectares in 2022.

In another eastern province, Quebec, Premier Francois Legault has urged people to avoid spending time in forests over the next few days.

"The situation in Quebec is growing day by day," Stephane Lauzon, a federal Member of Parliament from the province, told reporters.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

People try to escape from toppled compartments following the deadly collision of two trains in Balasore, India June 2, 2023, in this screen grab obtained from a video

Wildfires spread in eastern Canada, forcing evacuations in coastal

Firefighter Kalen MacMullin of Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada working at the Barrington Wildfire Complex in the province, in this social media handout image released June 1, 2023

DAILY HOROSCOPES

Make decisions based on cost. Don’t go into debt; use your ingenuity to develop a plan to meet your demands. Take on a challenge that helps you master something important to you.

(March 21-April 19)

Control your emotions until you understand the dynamics of what you’re up against. Partnerships will require patience and intuitive maneuvers to avoid discord. Choose peace over chaos.

(April 20-May 20)

PEANUTS

(May 21-June 20)

Dig in and get things done. Put your energy where it counts, and make a lasting impression. Your determination will attract someone eager to exploit what you have to offer. Be cautious!

Do things that are calming and reflect the lifestyle you want to live. Prioritize physical improvements and love. Give yourself a chance to plan, and enjoy what life has to offer.

(June 21-July 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

(July 23-Aug. 22)

Consider your options and ease into your next move. If you overreact or take on too much, you’ll lose momentum and fall short of your target. Do what’s right and best for everyone.

Initiate change, expand your interests and learn something new. Participating in events or challenges that require know-how and physical exertion will lead to exciting opportunities.

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Use your experience and skills to tackle your challenges. Don’t let trends consume you when old-fashioned methods will work. Put your energy where it’s appreciated, and work to make a difference.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Get into the groove and enjoy what life offers. Use your imagination to develop a trendy new look that fetches attention and compliments. An affectionate gesture will spark your interest.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Focus on what’s important to you, and make your dreams come true. Don’t trust someone to do things for you. Stay on top of what’s required until you are satisfied with the results.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Look around, and you’ll devise a plan to add to your comfort and make your life easier. Discuss your plans with a loved one, and you’ll find the best way to turn your dreams into reality.

Avoid people who bring you down or treat you inappropriately. Put your effort into building confidence, honing your skills and heading in a direction that makes you feel good about yourself.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

Pay attention to what things cost. Unnecessary purchases will be a waste. Focus on free entertainment, like taking a hike in the forest or kicking back with friends. Romance is favored.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

Jamaica encampment preparing Golden Jaguars’ 23-man squad for Gold Cup prelims

uyana’s senior men’s national team the Golden Jaguars are steadfastly preparing for the upcoming Gold Cup preliminaries in Miami, Florida. They have been at the Jamaica Football Federation’s Technical Centre in Kingston since May 26, encamped in training that would allow players to stake a claim for selection to the 23man squad that would

NBA best-of-seven Finals 2023…

Gundertake that all-important clash against Grenada on June 17 from 21:00h.

Management has scripted a detailed training schedule of rest, recovery, nutrition, and two practice matches against top premier clubs in Jamaica in order to create a strong bond among players in the squad.

Assistant Coach Wayne Dover commented: “This training camp is geared (at) getting the players back up to match readiness, and assessing what tactics work best in the transition of de-

Jokic powers Denver Nuggets to opening win against Miami Heat

“I think that’s the beauty of Nikola,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “I learned a long time ago the defence tells you what to do, and Nikola never forces it. One thing about Nikola is he takes great satisfaction in making plays for others. He really does. I think he takes more joy in that. I don’t think he cares if he scored 27 points or not. He cares that we’re up 1-0.”

For Heat, Bam Adebayo put in a strong showing, as he picked up 26 points, but had little help from his team-mates.

fense and offense. Many players would have ended their season, some are in season, and some are now starting a season; so, we are working to get everyone up to one level.

“It has been going well so far, and I am confident we will be ready for the match on June 17,” Dover added.

“It is pleasing to see players give their best effort, as they are conscious this is a chance to impress before we trim to our final squad,” Dover revealed.

After this camp ends on

June 5, the team’s management will select the final squad.

There will be another encampment period in Florida, from June 5 to June 15, and some additional players, currently active in North America, will join the squad to further fortify the strength and depth in positions.

Should Guyana defeat Grenada, they will play the winner of Guadalupe vs Trinidad and Tobago on June 20, for a spot in the group stages (Round-of-16).

GCB, Guyana Cricket Umpires Council engage in fruitful meeting

All preliminary matches are being held at the DRV PNK Stadium in Miami.

In 2019, Guyana created history by qualifying for the Group Stage of the Gold Cup for the first time since the competition started in 1991.

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The Denver Nuggets have eased to a 10493 victory over a disappointing Miami Heat in the first game of the 2023 NBA Finals. Nikola Jokic was the standout player, the Nuggets’ centre pick ing up triple-double-double figures in points, assists and rebounds.

Denver never looked like losing in front of their home crowd in their first finals’ game for 47 years, and this win has put them 1-0 ahead of Heat in the best-of-seven series. Jokic, rising to the occasion, fin ished with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 re bounds, as Heat had no answer to the 28-yearold Serb.

“Right now, the most im portant thing is to win a game, and I’m

trying to win a game in any possible way,” Jokic told ABC. “I don’t need to

“They were in a pretty good rhythm, especially in that first half,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the Nuggets. “Our disposition, the efforts, the resolve in the second half, was much better. But when you get to this level, it has to be complete

Executives of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and the newly elected Guyana Cricket Umpires Council (GCUC) have met to discuss issues affecting the GCUC.

That meeting, in which several compromises were made, has been described by both parties as fruitful.

Among topics discussed was remuneration for umpires for inter-county matches at all levels. Accommodation and travelling expenses for those officiating in matches far away from where they re side was also discussed; as were the issues of ‘space’ for a GCUC office, and availability of umpires for in ter-county games at the U17, U15 and U13 lev els, especially on week days.

GCUC President Dawchan Nagasar and GCUC executives from all three counties negotiated with GCB's Anthony D'Andrade, Davteerth Anandjit and Kavita Yadram.

The increase in

fees was agreed to by both parties, while the GCB agreed that umpires in another county could travel the day before match day, and would be accommodated at the Chetram Singh Centre of Excellence at LBI, in rooms in a different section from that being used by the players.

Some of the other issues agreed to were: updating of the GCUC bank account to facilitate a better payment structure; training classes, to have more qualified umpires available for GCB competitions at the lower levels; and sending playing conditions to coaches and umpires as early as

Regarding ‘office space’, the GCB promised to explore the possibility of finding a place in the upper storey of its office, or at LBI.

The parties have both promised to work in the best interest of each other, and for the development of Guyana’s cricket.

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Coach Wayne Dover

GCUC President Dawchan Nagasar (right) negotiating with GBC's Anthony D'Andrade and Davteerth Anandjit

Jokic powered Denver Nuggets to an opening win against Miami Heat

West Indies 'A' clinch series 1-0 against Bangladesh 'A'

Mahmudul Hasan Joy scored the only century by any batsman for the series, and it could not have been timelier, as Bangladesh ‘A’ resisted West Indies ‘A’ to earn a draw in the third and final unofficial Test at Syhlet International Stadium on Friday.

Chasing an unlikely vic-

tory target of 461, and resuming from their overnight score of 47-0, Bangladesh batted through the final day to close on 306-4. Hasan Joy, who was on 28 overnight, shared in an opening stand of 93 with Sakib Hasan. The partnership was broken when Hasan, 14 overnight, was dismissed by Kevin Sinclair for 43.

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Sinclair dismissed Monimul Haque for just five shortly thereafter, but Hasan Joy continued to resist, sharing in a third-wicket partnership of 53 with Saif Hasan, who was eventually dismissed by Akeem Jordan for 38.

Yasir Ali joined Hasan Joy at the crease, and together they made the West

GDF overpower Santos; Ann’s Grove, Buxton share points

Indies ‘A’ bowlers toil for just over 29 overs, during which they added 117 runs for the fourth wicket, and effectively ensured a draw.

Sinclair picked up his third wicket of the innings when he dismissed Ali for 67, but Hasan Joy continued on to 114 not out, as he and Shahadat Hossain, who was unbeaten on 20 at the

Sinclair

ures of 3-94, while Jordan took 1-37 in the stalemate.

‘Return of the Scorpio’ boxing card…

Dharry intent on exciting Guyanese fans tonight

The Briso Promotion’s ‘Return of the Scorpio’ pro-am boxing card has a number of exciting bouts lined up for today, Saturday, June 3, but the one that is most highly anticipated is an 8-round bantamweight battle in which Guyanese-born, USA-based Elton Darry would clash with Colombia’s Ramos Ronald.

Ahead of today’s headliner, Dharry, in an exclusive sit-down, told Guyana Times

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) FC have kept their record clean, while Ann’s Grove and Buxton United teams had to settle for a draw when play in the KFC Elite League resumed on Thursday night at the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF’s) National Training Center (NTC) at Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

The all-East Coast clash between Ann’s Grove and Buxton United preceded the clash between the GDF and Santos FC, and in that match, Ann’s Grove United found themselves in the lead by way of a Kevon Barry strike in the 20th minute. They managed to hold on to that lead until the second segment, when a set piece got Buxton’s foot in the door.

As occurred in his free kick conversion in their last contest against Western Tigers, Samuel Johnson of Buxton United again steered the ball into the corner of the net to level the scores in the

55th minute.

From there on, the battle between the two became more ferocious, with Buxton creating and squandering more chances than their opponent.

However, a win was not to be, as regulation time expired with the scores locked on one-all.

In the following game, Santos FC tested the mettle of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) FC, but the latter eventually emerged victorious in the 2-0 affair.

The teams went toe-to-toe with intensity for the entirety of the first half, but when the whistle sounded, neither side had a goal to show for their efforts. In the second,

however, two quickfire goals stunned Santos, who caved under the pressure. GDF’s goals came off the boots of Delroy Fraser and Ryan Hackett in the 69th and 75th minutes respectively.

Action in the KFC Elite League’s 5th edition will continue today with another double-header being played under floodlights at the GFF’s National Training Center. First, Milerock FC will look to bag their first points of the league as they take on defending champions Fruta Conquerors from 18:00hrs. Then, at 20:00hrs, another all-East Coast clash will see Victoria Kings FC confronting Buxton United FC in battle.

Sport about his preparation, and the importance of today’s fight.

“Preparation was great!

I feel good! I’ve been training in turn for quite a few months now, and got quite a few (changes)-of-fate and setbacks coming back home; but I’m excited to be here! I’m ready!” Dharry has declared.

The boxer added, “I’ve been training very hard to get myself back in the right

-- you know -- shape mentally and physically; not just for this fight, but future fights. I’m feeling great in training, so I need to handle what’s in front of me (on) Saturday night. I can’t jump ahead of time and look past my opponent; so, let me take care of that first.”

Dharry sees his upcoming fight as a tune-up for his WBC Silver Belt challenge, which will come in July against Mexico’s Hugo

Guyana’s Elton Dharry

Hernandez, and will be hosted on local shores.

Discussing his love for fighting in front of the Guyanese fans, Dharry revealed what to expect, come Saturday night.

“I’m always motivated coming here, because this is home to me. This is where I was born and raised, where I had my first professional fight. So, this is my most important location in my professional career, and I’m always excited to be here in front of my people,” the pugilist explained.

“Expect Elton Dharry to be Elton Dharry! Be myself and, you know, give a good show and represent my people,” he added about what to expect tonight.

The ‘Return of the Scorpio’ pro-am card is set for the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue in Georgetown.

being presented with the

Elton Dharry going through his paces during a session at the Andrew ‘Six Heads’ Lewis Gym

A look at the action between Ann’s Grove (blue) and Buxton United (red)

GDF FC (red) got the better of Santos FC (black)

hungry to succeed at RBCPL 2023

Berbician Junior Sinclair, among nine players retained by the Guyana Amazon Warriors for the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (RBCPL) 2023 which commences on August 16, has told this publication in an invited comment that he is thankful to the Warriors’ management, and wants to perform well for the team.

Sinclair played eight matches last season, and was among the standout Emerging Players in the tournament, having claimed five wickets at a solid economy rate of

deliver for the team.

Moments after the retention list was made public, Sinclair declared himself hungry to succeed.

"I am very happy to be retained for the Warriors this year. I just want to thank the management for retaining me in the 2023 season.

I am looking forward for an even better year this year.

Hopefully, I can play a major part of the success in this team this year," Sinclair has said.

The RBCPL 2023 tournament will be played across five venues, each hosting six matches. The first six league-stage matches will take place at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, while the next six matches will be hosted at Warner Park in St. Kitts. Barbados and Trinidad will each host the next six matches, and the last six leaguestage matches will be held in Guyana. The playoffs,

TKR announce names of Caribbean players retained for RBCPL 2023

including the Eliminator, Qualifier 1, Qualifier 2 and the grand finale, will also be hosted by Guyana.

The RBCPL 2023 season opener will see hosts Saint Lucia Kings taking on the defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.

The summit clash is scheduled to be held at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on September 24. That match promises to be an exciting affair, as the two best teams in the tournament would engage in battle for the ultimate prize.

Overall, RBCPL 2023 is set to be an unforgettable tournament, with plenty of action, drama, and memorable moments for cricket fans around the world to cherish.

The full squads for the CPL will be announced at the end of June, at the CPL Draft, which will be broadcasted.

St Lucia Kings announce players retained for RBCPL 2023

The Trinbago Knight Riders(TKR) have confirmed the names of Caribbean players they have retained to participate in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (RBCPL) 2023.

Those players are as follows:

KIERON POLLARD

ANDRE RUSSELL

SUNIL NARINE

NICHOLAS POORAN

AKEAL HOSEIN

JAYDEN SEALES

The Knight Riders have also secured the services of Dwayne Bravo, who will be returning to the franchise

from the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. They will, further, have Mark Deyal as part of their setup in 2023, with the batter joining the Knight Riders from the Saint Lucia Kings.

The tournament gets underway on 16 August, with the final taking place on 24 September. There will be matches in Barbados, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago.

Phil Simmons, TKR Head Coach, has said: “We are very happy to be able to retain most of the Caribbean players from last year’s TKR squad. The experience of Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Andre

Russell and Nicholas Pooran, coupled with Dwayne Bravo’s return, gives our squad a very strong core.

“In youngsters like Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales, and Mark Deyal we have some of the best young talent from Trinidad representing TKR.

“We’re looking forward to the remaining international signings, and I am excited by the Player Draft coming up soon to complete the roster and put together a strong squad for CPL 2023.”

The overseas players and draft picks will be announced during the Republic Bank CPL Draft Show which will be broadcasted at the end of June. (CPL)

Guyana National Cycling Championships set for June 17 start

- main event set for June 25

The Saint Lucia Kings have confirmed the names of the Caribbean players they have retained to participate in the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (RBCPL). The names are as follows:

JOHNSON CHARLES

ALZARRI JOSEPH

ROSTON CHASE

ROSHON PRIMUS JEAVOR ROYAL MATTHEW FORDE MCKENNY CLARKE

The Kings have also secured the services of Khary Pierre, who has been transferred to the team from the Trinbago Knight Riders.

The tournament gets underway on August 16,

and the final will take place on September 24. Matches will be played in Barbados, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago.

The overseas players and draft picks will be announced during the Republic Bank CPL Draft Show, which will be broadcasted at the end of June 2023.

The2023 National Cycling Championships in Guyana are set for staging on June 17 at the National Park, with races for the Juveniles and females. On Sunday June 25, the main event will see the elite riders battling for supremacy over a distance of 97 miles.

The Championships commence in Linden, but the full routes are yet to be disclosed. According to the Guyana

Cycling News, June 16 will see a technical meeting for the National Championships for Juniors, Juveniles, Females and Masters. The following day, cycling action will be at the National Park, where the Juniors, Juveniles, and females will be on show.

On Sunday June 18, the National Championships for Masters will pedal off from Carifesta Avenue towards the Half-Way Tree at

Perseverance in Mahaicony, ECD, before returning to the point of origin for the finish.

On Friday June 23, a technical meeting will be held for all of the categories participating in the National Championships’ Time Trials. And on June 24, the Time Trials will be held at the K&K Gas Station circuit in Mahaica, ECD. The Championships will culminate on June 25 with the Elite race being staged.

The Caribbean players retained by the Kings for RBCPL 2023

Junior Sinclair in action during CPL 2022

National Cycling Championships will be held throughout June

The list of players TKR retained for CPL 2023

Sunil Narine and Nicholas Pooran are among the big names retained