Guyana Times - Saturday, May 13, 2023

Guyana officially welcomed as IHO member in Monaco

Guyana inks US$150M agreement with Saudi Fund to finance housing, bridge projects – signs another pact with IsDB, holds talks with UAE

See story on page 3 Pres Ali commissions ‘One Guyana’ Recreational Park in New Amsterdam – says facility must be an uplifting, community-oriented space

48 Lima Sands residents get land titles after 2-decade wait …cement, steel vouchers' distribution continues Buxtonian celebrates 111th birth anniversary

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LGE 2023

APNU’s support in strongholds dwindling as party proposes ‘no plans’ for G/T – Jagdeo …says PPP/C has already secured ‘significant majority’

Vendors request dialogue with Minister following demolition of stalls Page 15

Guyana-UK trade at “all-time high” with £1.2B recorded for 2022 – British High Commissioner – notices were issued since November 2022, final notice issued on Thursday - MoPW

Sir Mars’s murder “We have forgiven the young man so that we can move on” – victim’s brother – accused remanded to prison on murder charge

P10

P13

Int’l Nurses Day 2023 COVID-19 emphasised crucial role of nurses in keeping citizens safe – Dr Anthony – says Govt is fully dedicated to ensuring safety, wellbeing of all nurses

Man flees scene, leaving bandits to allegedly rape, rob girlfriend –court hears … 1 of 2 suspects caught, jailed for 4 years

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, May 13 – No retraction and Sunday, May 14 – 01:00h – 02:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, May 13 – 11:10h – 12:40h and Sunday, May 14 – 12:20h – 13:50h.

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 light cloud during the day. Expect partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East North-Easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 11:17h reaching a maximum height of 2.23 metres.

Low Tide: 17:29h reaching a minimum height of 0.92 metre.

SATURDAY, MAY 13, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana inks US$150M agreement with Saudi Fund to finance housing, bridge projects

The Guyana Government has signed a US$150M Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Fund for Development to provide financing for initiatives in the Housing sector as well as the Wismar Bridge project.

The MoU was inked on Friday by Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Saudi Fund for Development, Sultan A Al-Marshad, for the financing of these development projects in Guyana.

According to a statement from the Finance Ministry, the MoU covers infrastructural development works for the housing sector and the construction of the Wismar Bridge in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) – both projects totalling US$150 million.

During the signing, Dr Singh, on behalf of the Guyana Government, thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its invaluable cooperation and partnership in Guyana’s development.

In a brief statement on its Facebook page, the Saudi Fund added that “Avenues for cooperation and vital development opportunities in #Guyana were explored” during the engagement.

As the Government of Guyana continues its aggressive drive to transform the country’s landscape, this transformation is particularly visible in the area of transport infrastructure. To this end, works have advanced on several key projects including the new US$261 mil-

lion high span bridge across the Demerara River, the US$190 million Linden to Mabura Road, and a bridge across the Corentyne River. Additionally, some $136.1 billion was allocated for the enhancement of the roads and bridges network across the country in Budget 2023.

With regards to housing and urban development, Government has been working assiduously to fulfil its manifesto promise of providing 10,000 house lots to citizens each year and it has been well on the way of achieving its 50,000 target this term, with over 20,000 delivered in its first two years in office. In Budget 2023, $54.5 billion was allocated for housing development in new and exist-

ing areas.

The State-owned Saudi Fund for Development finances development projects in developing countries by granting them the necessary loans, technical aids necessary for financing studies and institutional support.

Back in July 2022, a 60-person Saudi Arabian investor delegation, led by Deputy Minister for Investors Outreach, Badr Al Badr, visited Guyana to meet with local stakeholders and to explore potential areas for collaboration.

During a GuyanaSaudi Arabia Investment Engagement, President Dr Irfaan Ali declared that Guyana’s doors are open for

investments that are of a transformative nature and will benefit the people of this country.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Saudi investment delegation had urged Guyana to tap into Saudi Fund for Development.

“…We have investors in Saudi Arabia who are now a major patron, internationally, including Governmentbacked funds such as public investment funds. And we also have the Saudi Fund for Development. I believe there are so many projects that can be tackled by these Saudi Funds for Development,” the Deputy Minister had stated during last year’s visit.

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh met with his UAE counterpart Mohamed Bin Hadi Al Hussaini on the sidelines of the 2023 IsDB Group Annual Meetings

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh at a meeting with CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development, Sultan A Al-Marshad, on Friday, during which they signed an MoU to finance development projects in Guyana

Editor: Tusika Martin

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Violence at schools

In some schools in the USA, metal detectors are common, as sometimes is the presence of a Police patrol on the outskirts.

Some may be tempted to ask why this is so in a country that is rich and is the bastion of freedom and democracy. Others may counter that exactly because of what the country represents, it can afford to have such mechanisms in place. The answer basically lies in trying to curb violence in schools.

While the measures may appear to some as extreme, given what unfortunately happened in the past, when lives were senselessly lost to bullets, they may be deemed inadequate. After all, it has not stopped. Other menaces are bullying and gang-related violence. These are the harsh realities in some institutions of learning there, with an obvious negative impact on the student population involved.

It is not confined there, and is prevalent in many other places. In Guyana, we have in the past seen a collaboration between the Guyana Police Force and the Education Ministry, where random searches are being conducted at schools for potential weapons. Surprisingly, screwdrivers, knives, scissors and toy guns were found during some of these random searches.

An important aspect of the Education Ministry’s collaboration with the Police is that the partnership involves discussion on topics of violence, crime committed at schools, gang fighting, offensive weapons, and significantly, consequences.

Who would have thought that in the process of getting an education here in Guyana, safety in schools is becoming a primary concern? With the threats in question, it seems rightfully so.

In Guyana, we have seen several teachers being beaten by parents, and also, in the past, there were several cases wherein students fought their teachers. Over time, there were other reports of students being stabbed by others, or hurt by other means. Bullying, which is just another form of abuse, and even violence, were reported to be highly prevalent in many schools. In one instance, a fight among St Joseph High School students, which went viral on social media, is a good example of violence in schools.

Those represent reported cases, as the understanding is that many cases are unreported out of fear of repercussion.

Solace must not be taken in living in a changing world. Violence over the years, and its extensive coverage through the media, has led to seeming immunity to the gory images, and now makes for casual reading.

This must not be allowed to slip into the mindsets of students and teachers. They must be free from such psychological stress, and be able to focus on learning to build much-needed capacity for the future of the country. All have an integral role to play in helping to repel this scourge.

While there may be compelling arguments over what may be the reasons perpetrators act the way they do, and the spread of violence, immediate mitigating measures have to be derived and implemented.

Police random searches, while a potential deterrent, may not be enough in the long term, as sustainability could become an issue.

Many have argued that parents and guardians need to be more involved and aware of what their children are doing, keeping an eye on any possible worrying signs. While that could still be effective in many ways, there is a challenge as the child approaches adulthood. At that stage, one’s space and privacy could present barriers. There are also social factors that contribute to disallowing such necessary intervention to some extent. That further complicates an already complicated situation.

The situation would probably demand the establishment of a non-partisan special task force, comprising skilled personnel from the relevant sections of Government and civil society, to examine and recommend practical solutions within the shortest possible time.

Whatever the findings are, the resources must be found to implement, given what’s at stake. If not, the fun of learning could evaporate.

Managing the politics of meaning –the case of the AP story on Guyana

Dear Editor,

The AP recently published a major report on Guyana, foregrounded on an outreach to Ann’s Grove by Prime Minister Mark Phillips, accompanied by several cabinet ministers. The news report, under the title “Oil boom transforms Guyana prompting a scramble for spoils” (written by Dánica Coto), has generated much international interest. It was reproduced in the Khaleej Times (UAE, May 12) and in the Daily Express (Trinidad & Tobago, May 9).

The reproductions, however, were different in both coverage and meaning. Whereas the Khaleej Times carried the article in full and under the same title as the AP’s, the Daily Express, under the more sensational title “Scramble for spoils in Guyana”, axed more than five hundred words from the original piece.

Although the Daily Express might claim that it edited the article for length, and had no political intention, the EFFECT of the editor’s scalpel is politically consequential, and must be exposed. I should state upfront that the purpose of this article is to show how an editor can rightfully claim to be sticking to facts, yet change the meaning of those same facts through deliberate pruning of a larger story.

In what follows, I provide from the original AP article quotes that were not published by the Daily Express, followed by an analysis of the effects of the omissions.

1. “Guyana signed the deal in 2016 with the ExxonMobil consortium, which includes Hess Corporation and China’s CNOOC, but did not make the contract public until 2017 despite demands to release it immediately.” Removal of this sentence clearly absolves the APNU-AFC of ownership and responsibility for the oil deal. The PPP/C has repeatedly stated that the deal should not have been signed in its extant form.

2. “The contract dictates that Guyana would receive 50% of the profits, compared with other deals in which Brazil obtained 61% and the U.S. 40%, according to Rystad Energy. But many have criticised that Guyana would only earn 2% royalties, something Jagdeo

said the current government would seek to increase to 10% for future deals.” Omission of this sentence hides the fact that the Guyana deal, though unfavourable vis a vis Brazil’s, is better compared to arrangements with the US. More importantly, the erasure of the sentence completely silences the PPP/C commitment, as articulated by Dr. Jagdeo, to significantly higher financial yields for Guyana in future contracts.

3. “Aubrey Norton, leader of the opposition People’s National Congress that was part of the coalition that signed the deal, told AP that it made mistakes: “I have no doubt about that. And therefore, moving forward, we should rectify those mistakes.” This quote from Mr. Norton should never have been removed because the Hon. Opposition Leader - clearly, and without any ambiguity - admits his APNUAFC coalition made the original mistakes.

4. “Guyana, a country of less than a million people, is poised to become the world’s fourth largest offshore oil producer in the world. Placing it ahead of Qatar, the United States, Mexico, and Norway.” The omission here, whether intentional or inadvertent, buries the most important thing about Guyana’s oil and gas sector; namely, it is of extraordinary magnitude by international comparison, and that the country is well-poised for an energy-based economic “take-off.”

5. In response to Norton’s fear of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, “Jagdeo, the vice president who once served as president, told AP that his party has created a special fund for oil revenues, with safeguards to prevent corruption, including appointment of an independent monitor and a board of directors to oversee the fund along with the finance minister.” Leaving this sentence out is tantamount to a massive violation of the ethics of responsible journalism. The Daily Express should have preserved this sentence, especially given the way in which its own title frames the whole society as “scrambling.” A scramble conjures up uncontrollable

lawlessness, desperation, and in philosophical terms, a return to the ‘state of nature’ in the vile sense meant by John Locke and Thomas Hobbes.

6. Further, according to VP Jagdeo, “Parliamentary approval also is needed to decide how the funds would be used, he said, adding that oil revenues currently represent only a third of Guyana’s budget, and that increases in salaries might happen later. “At this point in time, we are not awash with money.” Leaving this out makes it appear that the PPP/C administration is not aware of the cost-of-living challenges in Guyana, and the need to raise salaries.

7. “Dr. Jagdeo also acknowledged that Guyana must take a cautious approach to avoid mistakes made by other countries.” This omission again hides the fact that the PPP/C is determined not to repeat mistakes made by other countries, or those made by the APNUAFC.

The points above, left out of the Daily Express article, are central to a nuanced perspective of the oil and gas industry in Guyana, and the direction the country is going. The erasure of those crucial points, such as Opposition Leader Norton’s admission that his party signed a bad deal and concealed it from the public, amounts to a kind of journalistic protection racket, or corrupt journalism, if one wanted to be honest and direct. Keep in mind that the intent of the Daily Express is irrelevant. What matters is the effect of what the newspaper published.

Finally, I would like to offer two observations on the original AP article. Firstly, we did not have a ‘snap election.’ The truth is that the election should have taken place since March of 2019, but the APNU-AFC stole an extra year following the no-confidence vote in December 2018. Secondly, the AP article displayed some signs of intellectual laziness when is simple repeated that the PPP is an Indo-Guyanese party. That is simply not true.

Sincerely,

Dr Randolph Persaud

US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch hosted members of the Ethnic Relations Commission, led by its Chairman Sheik Moeen Hack and Deputy Chairman Charles Ogle, to discuss planned activities and initiatives under the ERC’s constitutional mandate

The GPA Elections

Dear Editor,

A little over a decade ago, members of the media were invited to the launch of the ambitiously conceived Independent Media Association of Guyana (IMAG), the organizational objective of which was “to collaborate with media workers in promoting professional & ethical standards, safeguarding and promoting the rights & privileges of the media in all Guyana”.

You can still find the Facebook page of IMAG if you do a search for its full name; nothing besides that remains.

For those of us involved (actually and purportedly) in truly independent media work at the time, IMAG was a laughable, ironically-titled attempt by the then Government, or at the very least entities aligned to it, to establish a press organization that would perhaps be more sympathetic to it than the established Guyana Press Association (GPA) was. I do not believe the current administration has any such intention, because I have seen no evidence of such.

My position then, as it is until now, is simple: While the Guyana Press Association is an NGO with no statutory exclusivity under the laws of Guyana, and no reasonable expectation of exclusivity by convention, its fundamental establishment and the constitutional rules under which it is supposed to operate not only qualify it for de facto representation of best journalistic practices in this country, but would render any attempt at establishing a parallel organization superfluous at best.

That established, the current elections process of the GPA threatens to undermine the institution as a credible arbiter in an already extremely compromised civil society environment.

On February 26, 2020 - a week before an election that was already a year behind schedule, having been triggered by a successful no-confidence vote - the Guyana Press Association sent out a release chastising GECOM for its lack of transparency and timeliness in providing critical information on the electoral process:

"The GPA calls on all election observation missions to take note of the disservice being meted out to

the populace by GECOM by allowing claims, accusations, and rumours to fester. If not addressed with a sense of urgency and professionalism, GECOM must regard itself as a willing participant in any unfortunate reaction."

Now, three years later, and days before its own election, the GPA itself is withholding critical electoral information, not only from the public, not only from its general membership, but from Neil Marks, the sole challenger to incumbent President Nazima Raghubir. As covered in the Stabroek News article “Voters’ list visibility in contention as GPA election looms” (SN, May 12), with regard to Marks requesting a copy of the voters’ list for the upcoming elections: "Marks said that he had independently written to the executive requesting the list but received no direct response. Meanwhile, when contacted yesterday, Raghubir referred to the statement by the executive."

Notably, none of the GPA’s statements on its own pending polls, including basic information on the process, has made it to its own Facebook page, conveniently escaping real-time scrutiny and inquiry, something that can only be described as a deliberate and egregious opacity.

And yet, all of this pales in comparison to a far more serious issue – the basic constitutionality of Raghubir’s reelection bid, and the constitutional and ethical crisis in which it places the organization if that bid is successful. Here is what the GPA Constitution says with regard to the membership and tenure of its Council of Management:

“15.1 A Council of Management shall be elected to serve for a period of two years at the Annual General Meeting of the Association.

“15.2. Unless otherwise determined by a General Meeting, the Council shall be constituted of the following:

President

Vice-President

Honorary Treasurer

Honorary Assistant Treasurer

Four voting members of the Association

“15.3. The President shall not hold office for more than three consecutive terms.”

The incumbent Council

was first elected in January of 2018, five and a half years ago. The first scheduled election after that should have been in January 2020, and the maximum tenure of Raghubir’s presidency, presuming she was reelected twice in succession (2020 and 2022), should have been up to January 2024. The argument that appears to be floating around is that the COVID pandemic (which did not exist in January 2020) was the reason for the GPA failing to hold constitutionally mandated elections within the specific timeframe for two cycles.

While the argument of a force majeure may suffice to accommodate that failure, it does not suffice as a rationale for the effective extension of Raghubir’s tenure to what would potentially be nine and a half years. This is an absurdity that flies blatantly against the plain meaning of the letter, as well as the spirit, of the GPA Constitution. In any basic understanding of that meaning, no GPA President should serve beyond six years, with articles 15.1 and 15.3 of the Constitution meant to be read conjunctively.

Constitutionallyenshrined term limits constitute standard best practice governance, whether we are speaking about the presidency of a country or the presidency of an entity that purports to hold the presidency of a country accountable.

The undercurrents of the GPA elections have caused a partisan stir online, with supporters of Team Marks and Team Raghubir throwing accusations of bias and

clandestine control against each other. All that, in my humble estimation, is moot. What is at stake here is whether, post-elections, the Association can credibly call either Government or Opposition out on fundamental issues of good governance, something that it cannot do if the current President remains in office beyond January 2024 under any circumstance. There are only two ethical and likely legal pathways out of this crisis, with the first being fairly easy; the incumbent stands down and allows Marks and any other would-be candidate to finish the race. The second is to contest the race with the explicit commitment that, if she wins, she would demit office in January of 2024, after holding an election in which she is not a candidate, allowing her to serve her constitutionally warranted six years, and preserving the spirit and letter of the term restriction. Nothing constitutionally prevents her from being part of the Management Council from 2024 to 2026, and seeking reelection again in 2026.

The current absurdly anonymous voters in the upcoming elections do not have two candidates before them; what they have is the preservation of the already strained integrity of the organization versus the removal of any vestige of the sort of institutional integrity the organization needs to act as a bona fide representative of the interests of the Fourth Estate.

Regards,

Ruel Johnson Journalist

with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana

CXC Questions: Maths

By Lorna Goodison

Her son was first made known to her as a sense of unease, a need to cry for little reasons and a metallic tide rising in her mouth each morning. Such signs made her know That she was not alone in her body. She carried him full term tight up under her heart. She carried him like the poor carry hope, hope you get a break or a visa, hope one child go through and remember you. He had no father. The man she made him with had more like him, he was fair-minded he treated all his children with equal and unbiased indifference. She raise him twice, once as mother Then as father, set no ceiling On what he could be doctor, earth healer, pilot take wings. But now he tells her he is working for you, that you value him so much you give him one whole submachine gun for him alone.

He says you are like a father to him she is wondering what kind of father would give a son hot and exploding death, when he asks him for bread. She went downtown and bought three and one-third yards of black cloth and a deep crowned and veiled hat for the day he draw his bloody salary. She has no power over you and this at the level of earth, what she has are prayers and a mother’s tears and at knee city she uses them. She says psalms for him she reads psalms for you she weeps for his soul her eyewater covers you.

She is throwing a partner with Judas Iscariot’s mother the thief on the left-hand side of the cross, his mother is the banker, her draw though is first and last for she still throwing two hands as mother and father. She is prepared, she is done. Absalom.

Questions: What is the form of the poem ? How did you know what it was about?

Pres Ali commissions “One Guyana” Recreational Park in N/A

...says facility must be an uplifting, community-oriented space

President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Friday stressed the importance of ensuring that the newly-commissioned “One Guyana” Park in New Amsterdam remains a family-oriented space that is conducive to community building.

During the ceremony for the commissioning of the park, the Head of State related that recreational facilities such as the park are meant to provide safe spaces, with elements of nature that can help persons to feel more at ease during their time of relaxation. As such, he reiterated the importance of cherishing the space.

“That is why you see we have seating for community, we want to build the community spirit. As you come out as people in the commu-

nity, as you sit together and talk to each other, you’ll be counselling each other indirectly. You’ll be sharing challenges and experiences. You’ll be able to know your neighbours, and that is what we want to occur out of it,” the President noted.

He also expressed hope

for the facility to become one that is conducive for women and children, and urged residents to support those with musical talents as they play for their communities.

“We must encourage them. The businesses must support them by coming out here on weekends and play-

ing for the community. Give them financial support and motivational support. The region must come out and give them support, so that the children will have an environment in which they can showcase their talents. This is what we want here; a cultural stage, a community stage. This is what will uplift the life here in New Amsterdam.”

President Ali highlighted the need for persons to abstain from negative practices that would taint the purpose for which the park was built.

“This space is to be treated with respect. It’s a family-oriented space. This is not a space for abuse, liming, and all the other types of activities that do not come with a family-oriented space. This is not a rum

Guyana inks US$150M agreement...

In October last year, the IsDB approved a US$120 million loan that was sought by the Guyana Government for resurfacing the 72.43-kilometre Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

2023 IsDB Annual Meetings

Dr Singh is currently in Saudi Arabia, leading Guyana’s delegation at the 2023 Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group Annual Meetings, which is being held from May 10-13.

The Guyanese Finance Minister attended the opening ceremony of the Annual Meetings at the King Abdullah Congress Centre in Jeddah on Thursday. The theme of this year’s meeting is “Partnerships to Fend off Crises.”

Delegations from the Group’s 57 member countries in addition to observers from international and regional organisations have gathered at this year’s Annual Meetings to discuss

development issues and institutional matters.

Also on Friday, Dr Singh and the President of the IsDB, Dr Muhammad Al Jasser, signed a Country Engagement Framework MoU with the IsDB for green, resilient and sustainable infrastructure as well as for supporting economic diversification and doing business.

The MoU comprises two pillars with the first under the scope of ‘green, resilient and sustainable infrastructure,’ seeking to support the enhancement of base infrastructure across the energy, transport, water and sanitation sectors, and affordable housing.

Moreover, the second pillar ‘supporting economic diversification and doing business’ focuses on support for the integration of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Technical Vocational

Education and Training (TVET) and Digital Financial Inclusion, development of agriculture and tourism industries, support to the mining sector, Halal eco-system and Awqaf development, financial markets deepening and MSMEs (Micro Small Medium Enterprises) support through Islamic finance and trade financing support.

Last year, Minister Singh had attended the IsDB Group’s Meetings in Egypt, where he posited that the bank would continue to be a highly valued development partner for Guyana.

Meeting with UAE Minister

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the 2023 IsDB Meetings, Dr Singh also met with the Minister of State for Financial Affairs from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mohamed Bin Hadi Al Hussaini.

During that engagement meeting, the two Ministers

FROM PAGE 3

discussed areas of mutual cooperation and they emphasised the value of the continued relationship between Guyana and the UAE.

Dr Singh presented an outline of current oil production offshore Guyana and projected targets over the next several years.

The two Ministers also discussed Foreign Direct Investments in the emerging oil and gas sectors as well as other industries including tourism and agriculture.

Minister Singh further highlighted his Government’s emphasis on food security and Guyana’s leadership on food security in the Caribbean during the engagement with his UAE counterpart. (G-3)

shop, a beer garden, a minibus or taxi place, or a music-blazing competition square,” he asserted.

The Head of State pointed out that mental health and community health are linked, therefore the town’s wellness will increase tremendously as persons develop a stronger sense of community, and build deeper interpersonal connections.

“If we have communities that are infested with behaviours and types of activities that do not support social cohesion and social growth, then those communities will not be conducive for the development of mental health,” Dr Ali said.

He reiterated that the space is not one which will be rife with food vendors, but rather one that will encourage families to “bring out their own baskets” and spend time strengthening their bonds.

Meanwhile, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, noted that all aspects of the facil-

ity belong to Berbicians — especially as all eight of the contractors responsible for the execution of the project hail from the county.

As such, he urged residents to ensure that the space is well taken care of.

“We are asking you (to) please treat the park as a family space. Because when persons get a little intoxicated and start to heckle other people and so on, it becomes something that we don’t want for Guyana or New Amsterdam,” Minister Indar told residents.

The New Amsterdam “One Guyana” Park, valued at nearly $100 million, is one of the safe space projects being undertaken by the Office of the First Lady.

It was constructed in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, as well as with the collaboration of members of the Private Sector.

A section of the park

President Dr Irfaan Ali addressing the gathering at the commissioning ceremony

Duo granted bail on separate charges

Man flees scene, leaving bandits to allegedly rape, rob girlfriend – court hears …1 of 2 suspects caught, jailed for 4 years

Acourt on Friday heard that a man bolted, leaving his girlfriend behind, after they were attacked by two knife-wielding bandits. The woman was allegedly raped, and the Police have launched a probe into the claims.

One of the two culprits, 50-year-old Brian Singh, has been jailed for four years after pleading guilty to two counts of armed robbery when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Dust up...

…in the Fourth Estate

Your Eyewitness is getting his popcorn ready for the elections called by the Guyana Press Association (GPA) - scheduled for tomorrow!! Now, you may think he has some skin in the game, since he churns out this daily commentary in a newspaper. But noooo! His output, which comes from his inner soul as he ruminates on the daily goings-on, isn’t considered “journalistic”!! That, of course, raises the question as to what’s “journalistic”!!

Dorwin Taylor appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Friday to answer two charges — one for the offence of larceny from the person and the other for assault. He pleaded not guilty to both charges before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly.

The defendant is accused of stealing $15,000 from the person of Harvey George and also assaulting him. Taylor was granted $25,000 bail and his matters were adjourned until June 5.

Meanwhile, in a separate case before Magistrate Daly, Devon Cromwell was charged with assaulting a young boy so as to cause him actual bodily harm. The offence was committed in Georgetown earlier this month.

Cromwell was released on $50,000 bail on the condition that he does not contact the virtual complainant and that he stays 100 feet away from the child.

Before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly, Singh, who was recently released from prison after serving a sentence for larceny, admitted to robbing the couple of $190,000 in items. The robbery happened on April 24 at Lamaha Street, Georgetown, and Singh and his accomplice were armed with knives at the time.

According to the prosecution’s short facts, the couple were in their vehicle when they were confronted by Singh and another man. The woman’s boyfriend, howev-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

Like everything in which we’re enmeshed, it goes back to Europe of the Dark Ages, when the people were divided into three groups, or “estates” – the nobility, the clergy, and the plebes or commoners like us. To be a commoner had a worse connotation than when we say nowadays that someone is “common”!! Well, after the French Revolution, the rising business strata out of the commoners fought for more power from the nobility. They used pamphlets to alert their literate fellows as to their rights against the always potentially rapacious nobility!! In the next half-century, these pamphleteers, or newspapermen, became the “Fourth Estate”.

And as the years went by, newspaper publishers, who influenced that new way of choosing the new nobility - called “branches of government” - through a weird device called “elections”, started to become quite full of themselves!! The folks who worked for them – the working stiffs, called “journalists” – also assumed airs!! They had the power to bring down elected governments by the stand they took on particular issues. Take, for instance, the Washington Post, where journalists Woodward and Bernstein ejected the most powerful leader in the free world – Richard Nixon - in 1973!! That’s power, baby!!

Well, some of the First Estate (governments) decided that they had to “defend their honour” against the antagonistic “Fourth Estate”. And so, we got “government media”, like the BBC in England or PBS in the US, that tried to be “neutral” by being anodyne!! In the Third World – like in Guyana – the Government followed the principle of “do fuh do na obeah” – and took on the unfriendly Fourth Estate. Think of the early PPP and the plantation-friendly Argosy and then the Chronicle!

Well, Burnham and the PNC took that attitude to a whole new level (depth?) when he banned newsprint from the press that opposed him. So the lesson, dear reader, is that, in Guyana, we got a history with the First and Fourth Estates, with the media that either support or oppose the Government of the day!!

So, pick your side for the rumble!! Cause right now it, like they said in “The Godfather”, they’ve gone to the mattresses!! And your Eyewitness is thinking about Groucho Marx’s credo: “I wouldn’t belong to a club that would have me as a member!!”

…and social media??

But even he enjoys the cat calling, hair pulling and face scratching by the journalists as they bitch about “preliminary Voters Lists” and registration. Your Eyewitness can’t help but think that this is just “(Guyanese) politics by other means”!! But they do say that eventually enemies that fight each other do become alike after a while. It’s called “convergence” by journalists!!

But the irony that appears to’ve escaped the notice of the journalistic pugilists is that - even as they seem headed for some serious bloodletting that’ll leave both sides weakened – they’re being confronted by another competitor for their title of “the Fourth Estate”!! This is the social media platforms that, across the world - and in Guyana – are reaching a far greater chunk of the Third Estate – commoners – by embracing “commonness”!! And this means they now have the power to make or break governments!!

So, what we have here - to your Eyewitness - is a case of the Third Estate fighting among themselves as the Titanic keels over!!

…over the flood??

The May-June rains have arrived in style!! And Georgetown’s flooded once again. But after the duelling M&CC vs Local Government had both made stabs at cleaning the clogged drains, looks like they’re too exhausted to play the blame game??!

Dorwin Taylor

Devon Cromwell

er, ran away, leaving her with the two-armed robbers.

Jailed: Brian Singh

Guyana-UK trade at “all-time high” with £1.2B recorded for 2022 – British High Commissioner

Almost 25 per cent of the trade between the United Kingdom (UK) and the Caribbean is recorded between the UK and Guyana, with trade amounting to £1.2 billion in 2022.

This is according to the British High Commissioner to Guyana Jane Miller on Tuesday evening during an event to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

“Trade of goods and services between the UK and Guyana was approximately £1.2 billion this year [2022] which increased by £840 million in 2021,” Miller said. This, she added, marks Guyana’s position as the largest trading partner for the UK in the Caribbean.

The High Commissioner further highlighted the longstanding partnership between Guyana and the UK, evidenced by several successful trade missions and high-level visits and discussions.

Signalling continued trade and investments between the two countries, last November, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd and His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for

Latin America and the Caribbean Jonathan Knott signed a partnership agreement.

“This signing of a government-to-government (G2G) partnership arrangement [meant] the UK will work alongside the Government of Guyana and the private sector to deliver faster, fairer and greener economic growth to the country,” Miller said.

the diplomat added that British interest in Guyana is at an all-time high and the positive feedback from the previous two trade missions is encouraging the occurrence of more trade mis-

sions this year.

“More than half of all the companies that came here have developed a partnership agreement with a local company, have started exporting their goods, or have established a presence here in Guyana,” the High Commissioner said.

“We continue to advocate and support countries that will bring to [Guyana] efficiency, transparency, quality, and innovation and those that want long-term relationships with Guyana’s development.”

The recent establishment of the British Chambers of Commerce in Guyana in

March, Miller said, is also a way to protect, promote and encourage trade and commerce between the countries, thereby improving the quality of business opportunities across the nations.

Representing the Government at the event, Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister Gail Teixeira noted that the UK has been proactive in developing trade and commerce in Guyana through private-sector interaction, adding that given Guyana’s economic trajectory, the country is well-placed for partnerships and sharing of its own unique approaches to global issues.

Guyana has been relentless in its efforts to foster a business-friendly climate to attract more foreign direct investments, the Parliamentary Affairs

Minister explained. As such, hearing of the potential from British companies is “very encouraging.”

“Guyana considers the UK as a development partner and believes our ties will strengthen as Guyana collaborates with the UK to ad-

dress some more urgent issues such as climate change, investment and trade opportunities, fair trade relations between and among countries, particularly small, developing countries, and sustainable energies among others,” Teixeira said.

Man flees scene, leaving bandits...

She was relieved of cash and other items, and the robbers also carried away her boyfriend’s valuables that were inside the vehicle. The woman has alleged that she was raped by the men, and the Police are currently investigating this.

Meanwhile, Singh, during his address to the court on Friday, apologised for his criminal act, but claimed that it was his accomplice who raped the woman. In the end, he was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment on each of the

two robbery charges. The jail terms will run concurrently.

Singh previously served an 18-month jail sentence for stealing over $700,000 in toys from the Nirva Supermarket on Sheriff Street, Georgetown.

British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller

Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister Gail Teixeira during the celebration of the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Thursday

Leon Mars, the brother of murdered educator and actor Kirwyn Mars said that he and his family have forgiven his brother’s alleged killer, paving the way for them to move on with their lives.

“Even though it is a bastardly act, we have forgiven the young man so that we can move on with our lives. Whatever happens in the court, that’s a matter for the law; we have no control over that. But for our side, we want to move on,”

Leon told reporters outside the Diamond/Golden Grove

Magistrates’ Courts where Kirwyn’s alleged killer was arraigned on Friday.

The grieving man also commended the Police’s swiftness in bringing his brother’s alleged killer to justice.

Twenty-four-year-old murder accused Brian Richards, a labourer of John Fernandes Squatting Area, Georgetown, appeared before Magistrate Sunil Scarce for the capital offence. He was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that on Sunday, May 7, in the

Georgetown Magisterial District, he murdered Mars, 51, of Lot 211 New Settlers Street, Mocha, East Bank Demerara (EBD). The accused is said to be married with three children.

Richards, who was represented by Attorney-at-Law Bernard DaSilva, was remanded to prison until June 23. The preliminary inquiry (PI) into the matter will commence on August 7.

The body of Kirwyn, popularly known as “Sir Mars” was found pinned between his car and the fence of an apartment building at Perseverance, EBD. 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.”

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.

But 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 further told investigators 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 being given a confession statement, relatives of the accused are holding out that Richards is innocent. In fact, they claimed that the

suspect was dropped off at his home at 21:00h by Mars on the night in question. Further, they stated that the father of two 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. His death has shocked his family, colleagues, and friends and tributes have been pouring in on social media.

Sir Mars’s murder

“We have forgiven the young man so that we can move on” – victim’s brother – accused remanded to prison on murder charge

Murder accused Brian Richards

Dead: Kirwyn Mars Leon Mars

Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce

Ableak turnout in strongholds of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) this time around for Local Government Elections (LGE) can be linked to their underperformance over the past years, as well as lacking strategies to support their campaign for the future.

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Bharrat Jagdeo drew these conclusions during his weekly press conference on Thursday, calling it a disappointment.

The General Secretary focused on the APNU’s recent campaign launch in Georgetown, which has been considered a stronghold for decades, highlighting that only 60 persons showed up.

“We actually did a headcount and then, it is not new people. Many were made up of the candidates and people from other regions came and the leadership of the PNC. People in that community, which is a stronghold of the PNC did not really show up to their campaign launch in the city and I wouldn’t blame them,” he stated.

According to him, the APNU failed to share plans for the improvement of the capital city, nor

did they focus on their track record while occupying the helm of the Mayor and City Council.

“They didn’t have a single thing to speak about Georgetown. They didn’t tell the people of Georgetown how they were going to improve their lives. This is a Local Government launch and they’re speaking in Georgetown. They didn’t give an account to the people for their track record in the

city because they have been managing the city for 57 years. They did not say ‘here’s what we’re going to do if we get re-elected’,” Jagdeo underlined.

The PPP General Secretary concluded that APNU’s reassurances in strongholds that they will win paint a very “scared and worried” picture for the Opposition.

He insisted that ordinary Guyanese are able to discern real

plans when political parties rally during elections. When asked whether the PPP/C would have an official launch to its campaign for LGE, Jagdeo responded that the party is already on the ground and reaching out to communities across the country.

Campaigning

The intention of the PPP is to announce tangible plans which can be executed while avoiding acts of selling ‘wild’ promises.

“We’re not going to do big glitzy launches. People have started working. Our instruction is that carry the message to every single home. In the towns, you will see the promises and we’re still working in other areas to make sure that the flyers reflect what could be funded. The last thing we want is a group that is campaigning in the LGE on behalf of the PPP going to make wild suggestions or promises to the people that we can’t deliver.”

While he did not divulge their predictions coming out of the elections, Jagdeo did note that a ‘significant majority’ will be secured.

The current ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic has al-

as

ready indicated its intention to contest all 610 constituencies in the 80 LAAs across the country. In fact, Jagdeo, had already claimed victory in those areas where the PPP/C is contesting alone.

He had explained previously that the Opposition PNC-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is only contesting 260 of the 610 constituencies, while groups and individuals are contesting, outside of those 260 areas, in another 58 constituencies. This means that APNU and other groups or individuals are contesting in a total of 318 constituencies.

Following the April 17 Nomination Day, GECOM has since approved the List of Candidates for political parties, individuals, or groups who are contesting the June 12 Local Government polls.

GECOM has also announced that there will be no voting in those Local Authority Areas (LAAs) where there is only one contestant approved.

When it comes to Georgetown, Jagdeo had a message for voters on Nomination Day – “Give the party a chance to govern the city properly”.

2023

APNU’s support in strongholds dwindling

party proposes ‘no plans’ for G/T – Jagdeo …says PPP/C has already secured ‘significant majority’

PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo

| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

48 Lima Sands residents get land titles after 2-decade wait …cement, steel vouchers' distribution continues

After more than two decades of waiting, the first 48 residents of Lima Sands on the Essequibo Coast were presented with their Certificate of Title.

This was facilitated during an outreach led by the Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Sherwyn Greaves.

The ownership documents were handed over at the compound of State House, Anna Regina.

On the occasion, Minister Rodrigues expressed her satisfaction at being able to finally deliver on her promise made just over a year ago. In April last year, the Minister initiated the process but the agency was faced with a few bottlenecks, which stalled the process.

The situation was fur-

ther compounded by erroneous plans and the growing issue of squatting.

“It made it difficult to have a conclusive plan, but we persevered and we stayed faithful to our commitment and today the first set of titles – 48 titles – will be handed out today…I

am satisfied that the residents have received their Certificate of Title... The last time I came I promised the residents that they will receive their titles and were supposed to return shortly after to distribute the titles,” she positioned.

The areas for which ti-

tles can now be processed include Henrietta, Coffee Grove, Richmond, La Belle Alliance, Lima, Fear Not, Sparta, Windsor Castle, and Hampton Court.

According to Minister Rodrigues, the activity of the processing of titles will continue at the regional office.

One of the recipients of a title, Gregory Tyrell, shared: “Today, I am extremely excited to be the owner of a land. I can go and take a loan now and commence my construction and so on.

So, I am extremely excited, thanks to the Minister.”

Altogether, more than six hundred residents will now be able to process their Certificate of Title upon completion of verification. Also, more than 70 residents were also able to uplift their cement and steel vouchers as the distribution process continued in the region.

One resident, Devon Williams, expressed, “I am extremely happy after receiving my voucher for my cement and steel rod. I must thank the Government of

Guyana for bringing such an initiative on board, and for assisting the people and residents of Guyana. I am going to start working on my house lot.”

Throughout the day, a number of other housing services were offered including the processing of new applications and Agreements of Sale for Onderneeming and Lima Sands. A team from Guyana Water Incorporated was also on the ground addressing issues.

The steel and cement initiative sees homeowners benefitting from the receipt of steel and one sling of cement for homes being built under $6 million. And the receipt of two slings of cement for homes being built between $6 million and $25 million.

Persons can register for the steel and cement support by uplifting forms from various offices of the Housing and Water Ministry, as well as from the Central Housing and Planning Authority’s Head Office; or from any of the sub-offices. Private developers embarking on home construction are encouraged to utilise the housing support as well.

Guyana officially welcomed as IHO member in Monaco

Although becoming the 90th member of the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) on April 18, 2019, Guyana was formally welcomed into the family on Tuesday during the organisation’s 3rd Assembly gathering in Monaco.

The Golden Arrowhead was presented to the IHO Secretary General, Dr Jonas Mathias, in the presence of His Serene Highness, Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Guyana was represented at the Assembly by the Director General of the Maritime Administration Department Captain Stephen Thomas and the Director of Legal Services Thandi McAllister.

Headquartered in Monaco, the IHO is an intergovernmental organisation that works to ensure all the world’s seas, oceans, and navigable waters are surveyed and charted.

Established in 1921, it coordinates the activities of national hydrographic offices and promotes uniformity in nautical charts and documents as well as issues survey best practices, provides guidelines to maximise the use of hydrographic survey data, and develops hydrographic capabilities in member states.

The organisation’s weeklong Assembly, which is held every three years, serves

as an opportunity for all 98 member states and industry experts to exchange ideas, share knowledge and explore new technical standards in hydrography.

In addition to voting on a Secretary and Director, this year’s Assembly covered topics including the future of charts and the transition to digital data systems, thereby highlighting the IHO’s commitment to advancing the field of hydrography and mapping and its subsequent dedication to ensuring all member states are equipped with the necessary tools and

resources to best fulfil their hydrographic duties.

Through these efforts, the IHO works with member countries to meet the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 which aims to sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems from pollution as well as address the impacts of ocean acidification.

Alongside Guyana, this IHO Assembly also formally welcomed new member states Albania, Angola, Bulgaria, Ghana, Iraq and the Solomon Islands.

Lima Sands residents receiving their titles from Minister Susan Rodrigues and CEO of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Sherwyn Greaves

MARAD Director General Captain Stephen Thomas presenting the Golden Arrowhead to the Secretary General of IHO, Dr Jonas Mathias

Int’l Nurses Day 2023 COVID-19 emphasised crucial role of nurses in keeping citizens safe – Dr Anthony

...says Govt is fully dedicated to ensuring safety, well-being of all nurses

tings. They should also be receptive to new leadership opportunities in hospitals, schools, and communities while utilising technology to ensure safer patient care,” said the Minister.

It is Government’s hope that nurses will use these opportunities to enhance their education and skills. This will result in better care for patients, Dr Anthony concluded.

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) would have highlighted the gravity of nurses’ contributions to keeping citizens safe, as well as reducing the mortality of infants and mothers.

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony shared this position as Guyana joined the rest of the world in celebrating International Nurses Day 2023 on Friday. This day, established by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) in 1974, is dedicated to recognising the crucial role of nurses in healthcare and expressing gratitude for their hard work.

The theme for this year is “Our Nurses. Our Future”. This day also marks the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, the British nurse widely regarded as the founder of modern nursing.

“Nurses play a crucial role in public healthcare systems by improving immunisation coverage, fighting against diseases, and reducing mortality rates for in-

fants, children, and mothers. The recent COVID-19 pandemic emphasised the importance of nurses in keeping people healthy across all ages, despite healthcare disruptions,” Dr Anthony disclosed.

The current Administration has acknowledged healthcare providers’ efforts by investing $1.5 billion to increase salaries for nurses and other healthcare workers in 2023, with some nurses receiving up to 80 per cent salary increases.

Nursing education has advanced dramatically with more educational facilities, private institutions, and the option to pursue a Master’s in Public Health (MPH).

“The Ministry of Health (MOH) collaborates with international partners to offer nurses ongoing education and specialised programmes. These programmes include Emergency Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing, Critical Care Nursing, Anaesthesia, Neonatal Care, and Surveillance. The Government is dedicated to

providing new training opportunities for nurses,” he penned.

In 2022, the Ministry of Health cooperated with the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) Nursing Development Centre at the University of São Paulo to evaluate nursing education and training in Guyana. As a result, a hybrid Register Nursing Programme was developed, which will train over one thousand individuals in nursing each year.

There are currently 353 Nursing Assistant students, 45 Post-Basic Midwifery students, 35 Single trained Midwifery students, and a number of Professional Nursing students undergoing training. To facilitate an expansion of these programmes, two new schools will be constructed, one in New Amsterdam and another in Suddie.

“In the upcoming years, nursing professionals will need the flexibility to handle unforeseen and emerging issues in various set-

“To all the nurses out there, we recognise the immense value you bring to our society. Your steadfast commitment to serving the people of Guyana is truly admirable. We want you to know that the Government is fully dedicated to ensuring your safety and well-being. We will work tirelessly to imple-

ment policies that prioritise your health and happiness.”

It has been reported that the training of over 3000 nursing specialists within three years will match the

infrastructural development in the sector. A Registered Nursing Programme is expected to be launched soon and will cater to the first 1000 persons. (G-12)

Health Minister Dr Frank Antony

Jagdeo schools Opposition on Govt’s withdrawal of $41.6B from NRF –

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has dismissed statements made by Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton, which suggested that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic Government is withdrawing additional sums from the Natural Resources Fund (NRF).

During a recent press conference, the Opposition Leader was questioned on the Government’s withdrawal of additional funds from the NRF, to which he responded that the Government does not budget properly. However, Jagdeo provided clarity on the falsehoods being peddled by Norton. He schooled that at the end of the fiscal year, using a specified formula, it is determined how much money will come from the Fund.

With there being a specific sum to be withdrawn for each fiscal year, the Vice President explained, this money is taken out of the Fund in parts and added to the treasury, where it will be spent thereafter. Therefore, it is not an additional sum, but rather what was calculated initially.

VP Jagdeo indicated during a subsequent press conference, “Every time we withdraw from the Fund, we notify [the country]. It’s not changing the amount that will be withdrawn. That is determined at Budget and by formula already.

“We’re not increasing the total sum. It’s just that we passed a law so that people will know when this happens for transparency. Norton doesn’t know this. It’s unbelievable that a Leader of the Opposition will say ‘they have gone back to withdraw an additional $30 billion from the Natural Resources Fund’…It is his incompetence that is reflected here, his lack of knowledge,” the Vice President argued.

Another clarification Jagdeo sought to highlight is that the Investment Committee relates to sums of money remaining in the NRF, not what is withdrawn from the budget. The Investment Committee follows a makeup of seven members who will advise the NRF Board on matters that concern investing the oil funds in a way that maximises the benefits to Guyana.

“The Natural Resources Fund, we put a management team to manage that, and the Investment Committee will guide that. The money that will be saved for the long-term, the unallocated sum to the budget, will have to be invested,” the Vice President stated.

Jagdeo reminded that a key section of the NRF Act dictates that the Finance Minister could face up to 10 years’ imprisonment if he fails to disclose the receipt of any petroleum revenue received by the Government in the Official Gazette within three months of receipt of such monies. As such, every withdrawal is announced to the public.

This week, Government made its second withdrawal from the Natural Resource

Fund (NRF) for 2023, intended to fund programmes under this year’s $781.9 billion budget.

On Monday, the Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, announced the withdrawal of US$200 million ($41.6 billion) from the fund. In accordance with the law, this sum will be transferred to the Consolidated Fund.

“It would be recalled that in February of this year, Government made its first withdrawal for the year, amounting to US$200 million equivalent to G$41.6 billion. This brings the accumulated withdrawals to date in 2023 from the NRF to US$400 million, equivalent to G$83.2 billion. In keeping with the NRF Act 2021, as part of the Budget 2023 process, parliamentary approval was granted for a total of US$1.002 billion to be transferred during the fiscal year 2023,” the Ministry further said.

Last year, some US$607.6 million was withdrawn to finance national development priorities for 2022. In January of this year, the Bank of Guyana signed an agreement to officially hand over control of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) to the Board of Directors appointed by the President.

According to Section 5 (6) (d) of the Act, the Board is required to enter into an operational agreement with the Bank, so that management of the Fund can change hands. This agreement was signed two days after the reading of the 2023 budget.

The funds from the NRF have their origins in the ExxonMobil-operated Stabroek Block – the only block currently producing oil offshore Guyana. The oil-rich block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres).

provides clarity on falsehood peddled by Norton

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

Vendors request dialogue with Minister following demolition of stalls

to thank the vendors who willingly complied and adhered to notices to vacate illegal structures along Providence Access Road (Red Road/Massy Road) and the East Bank Public Road at Providence.

“The Ministry wishes to make clear that meetings were held with those vendors, and notices were issued prior to the final notice being issued on Thursday.”

The Ministry, in a re-

lease, stated that notices were issued to all vendors at that location in November 2022, with a sixweek grace period to vacate.

“Final Notices were also served to vendors on the Road Reserve at Mocha Access Road, Herstelling/ Farm Housing Scheme Access Road, Diamond Public Road, Sheriff Street, Mandela Avenue and Grove through to Timehri along

the East Bank Demerara Public Road.”

Further, the Ministry wishes to commend those right-thinking vendors for their positive response, and advise all vendors and persons with other encumbrances along sections of the country’s public roads to remove those as well.

In addition, hire car operators were also urged to operate in a responsible manner.

Several vendors who ply their trade along Red Road at Providence on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) are calling on Public Works Minister Juan Edghill to engage them on the next step forward following the demolition of their stalls on Friday afternoon.

Several stalls were removed from the area. In the past, those stalls had hindered the flow of traffic, and more so, the Government’s efforts to beautify the environment.

Following the dismantling of the stalls, one vendor, Akeem (only name given), who has been vending in the area for almost nine years, shared that though he understands the need for development in the country, he is imploring Minister Edghill to meet with them to discuss their relocation, so they can continue to make a livelihood.

“If he could meet up with the vendors, and if

we could get somewhere to relocate, because this is our daily living. And right now, nobody did not tell us where we will go, and we don’t know where our next bread will come from. So, we’re pleading with the minister or the President [to] meet with us and de-

van…we could operate in an orderly fashion and ensure that we get bins…and then now, about two weeks ago, the same chairman came here and said that he never made such proposals to us,” Akeem explained.

“We cannot stop development… all we want is a

cide where they could relocate us,” Akeem said.

He stated that when he first started to vend in the area, it was quite underdeveloped and businesses were now being erected. According to him, he sought permission from the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), and that was granted by the then Chairman, who informed him that vending in the area must be done in an orderly manner.

“When we first came out here, a lot of places were under construction, and as the place start to develop, they bring notice. The Chairman of the NDC told us that if we build a cara-

place to ply our trade,” he reiterated.

Further, he stated that he is the main breadwinner of his family, and he uses his earnings to support his four children and wife. He added that he has invested a lot into his business, and had received great support from the community.

“I invest a lot because I had a clothing boutique and I have a grocery section, dry food section and thing. The community at large supports us, because we are here early and late, and a lot of people from the community depend on us,” Akeem explained.

Meanwhile, the Public Works Ministry wishes

The demolition exercise on Friday

– notices were issued since November 2022, final notice issued on Thursday - MoPW

Injunction filed to block GPA’s upcoming elections

The controversy surrounding the upcoming elections of the Guyana Press Association (GPA) this weekend has heightened with legal actions taken to block the electoral process from moving forward.

A Fixed Date Application (FDA) was filed by Mikhail Rodrigues on Friday and named incumbent GPA President, Nazima Raghubir, and Executive Members Rawle Toney, Denis Chabrol and Svetlana Marshall as respondents.

In his application, Rodrigues is asking the court for a prohibition to be ordered against the GPA from holding any election of office bearers without first processing the Applicant’s application for membership.

Rodrigues outlined in the legal document that he is a “popularly known journalist and media operative under the alias, “Guyanese Critic” …for over 10 years …Under Clause 3 and 4 of the Constitution of the

Guyana Press Association, the Applicant has qualified as a journalist to apply for full membership.”

“On several occasions and more recently in May 2023, the Applicant applied for membership in the Guyana Press Association. His application was rejected on arbitrary grounds… He has never been given a written or any specific reason for the refusal of his registration.”

Consequently, Rodrigues is also asking the court to declare that GPA’s refusal of his application for membership is arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable and contrary to the Constitution of the Association. He is also seeking a court order that the GPA process his application for membership forthwith.

This publication understands that this court application is expected to be heard by a Judge sometime today.

Recently, the GPA has been surrounded by controversy leading up to the up-

coming election.

On Thursday, several local media entities signed a petition calling on the GPA to release the voters’ list ahead of the Annual General Meeting on Sunday.

In the petition, which was sent on Thursday, the media houses expressed “serious concerns” about the AGM, which will be held at the Theatre Guild in Kingston, Georgetown, particularly about membership and the voter’s list.

They explained that in the past, it has been the practice of the GPA to register members and collect their dues on the day of elections in cases where dues had not been paid. In cases where new members who meet the eligibility criteria to vote, that is, three working years in the media, wished to sign up and pay the required dues, they were allowed to do so. This way all members eligible to vote could only be known on the day of the elections itself.

“This year, the GPA

Executive abandoned that convention and set May 6 as the date for the payment of dues for EXISTING members and has said registration of new members will be approved by the new executive. This decision effectively denies membership to many who are working members of the media for three years (and more) and who wish to participate in the elections,” the petition detailed.

To this end, the media houses said in the interest of transparency and accountability and to ensure the integrity of the GPA as well as to eliminate any concerns about the credibility of the list of voters, they called on the GPA Executive to immediately release the list of all members eligible to vote at the elections on May 14.

Meanwhile, the GPA Executive, in a statement on Thursday, was adamant about not releasing the 110-member voters’ list, claiming that some members have requested confidentiality prior to Sunday’s

election.

“The Executive of the Guyana Press Association (GPA) today unanimously reaffirmed that the names of the 110 members who are eligible to vote for office bearers would be made known on Sunday, May 14, 2023, at the General Members Meeting and Elections, by the Returning Officer, Attorney-at-Law Ronald Burch-Smith. This is to preserve the confidentiality of a number of members who have requested that their membership remain confidential prior to the elections,” the missive stated.

According to the GPA, “Eligible members shall be allowed to vote in accordance with the GPA’s Constitution for office-bearers to be elected by secret ballot. Every effort has been made to ensure that the elections will be free, fair, and transparent. We have invited a number of observers for Sunday’s process”.

Several media workers and media entities have indicated that they were

not aware of the membership drive. Moreover, some reporters working in the outlying regions such as Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) have also complained about being unable to clear their dues or being allowed to register in order to vote at Sunday’s AGM.

In light of the concerns raised, an urgent meeting has been requested with the GPA by veteran journalist, Neil Marks, who is contesting for the GPA presidency. On the agenda for that meeting is the publication of the list of eligible voters for the upcoming elections; reverting to the convention of accepting applications on the day of the AGM; extending the deadline for the processing and approval of new members to the GPA by Saturday at 16:00h and accepting, and dues of existing members by the said deadline.

Up to press time on Friday, the GPA had not responded with a time for that meeting.

IDPADA-G engages embattled Roxanne Myers for top post

The International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana (IDPADA-G) has refuted claims that it has appointed former Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Roxanne Myers but confirmed that she was engaged.

During his recent press conference, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo disclosed that he had heard that Myers has become the new CEO for IDPADA-G. He said that this is “very, very worrying” and clearly demonstrates a trend between the organisation and the embattled former DCEO.

But in a statement on Friday, IDPADA-G quashed the rumour of a personnel change at the helm of the organisation. The missive was sent by IDPADA-G current CEO, Olive Cannings Sampson.

“Ms. Roxanne Myers was engaged through an open and transparent process unlike what seems to be the norm or absent elsewhere… IDPADA-G hastens to assure the public that

we are proud of Ms. Myers’ contributions to IDPADA-G and, should the opportunity arise, we would be honoured to have her in the role of Chief Executive Officer,” the organisation stated.

It further emphasised that, like every citizen of Guyana, Myers, who was sacked from her post at GECOM over her role in attempts to derail the March 2020 Elections, has a right to work as protected by the Constitution of Guyana and enshrined in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. This right, the organisation contended, should not be threatened.

“Ms. Myers is a highly-skilled, principled professional of impeccable integrity and unassailable rectitude. We are grateful for her service in support of our mission at this time, especially when there is no financial incentive for her to commit to this organisation,” IDPADA-G noted.

In August 2021, Myers along with then Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield and Returning Officer for District Four Clairmont Mingo were terminated from the Elections

Commission over their involvement in the attempt to rig the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections. The trio along with other GECOM staff are currently before the courts facing several electoral fraud charges.

However, the recently concluded Commission of Inquiry into the events that played out following the 2020 elections, which resulted in a five-month deadlock before the results were eventually declared, named Myers as one of the key

players who tried to derail the electoral process.

The CoI report states that “…our inquiry reveals that there were, in fact, shockingly brazen attempts by Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, Deputy Chief Election Officer (DCEO) Roxanne Myers, and Returning Officer (RO) Clairmont Mingo to derail and corrupt the statutorily prescribed procedure for the counting, ascertaining and tabulation of votes of the March election, as well as the true declaration of the results of that election and that they did so – to put it in the unvarnished language of the ordinary man – for the purpose of stealing the election.”

It went on to say too that, “…After careful consideration and analysis of the evidence before us, it is our considered view that CEO Mr. Keith Lowenfield, DCEO Ms. Roxanne Myers, and RO Mr. Clairmont Mingo were principally responsible for clear and deliberate attempts to frustrate, obstruct and subvert the ascertainment of votes in electoral district No. 4.”

Nevertheless, IDPADA-G

posited in Friday’s missive that as a collective, it will not subject itself to the machinations of those who are not inherently associated with the goals of the decade and are naturally alien to the experiences and aspirations of the people of African descent.

IDPADA-G was established in keeping with the United Nations (UN) Resolution to declare 20152024 as the International Decade for People of African Descent. The local body had received funding from the State over the years.

However, the Guyana Government had stopped disbursements of the grant to the organisation last year, citing the lack of accountability and transparency in the agency’s use of the funding from the State.

Last month, Government announced that it plans to disburse the 2023 subvention to 55 organisations representing Afro-Guyanese across the country, who are the founding members of the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana to pursue the objectives of the Decade.

On Thursday, VP Jagdeo

reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to the work of those organisation, noting that they will receive funding directly.

“We have budgeted the money in this year’s budget – $100 million for that and it would be given directly to the organisations –not through the IDPADA-G. That’s still our position,” the Vice President maintained.

After stopping funds to the organisation, IDPADA-G had filed legal proceedings to challenge this but the court had ordered mediation between the organisation and the Government to resolve the matter. However, that court-ordered mediation has failed and the matter will now be adjudicated by acting Chief Justice Roxane George, SC.

While the Chief Justice was keen to point out that “there is nothing to go to trial on”, when the matter was called on April 14, she, nonetheless, instructed the parties to file written submissions in preparation for trial. The case comes up again on June 13 at 13:30h for oral arguments/clarification.

Former GECOM DCEO Roxanne Myers

Incumbent GPA President Nazima Raghubir Rawle Toney

Denis Chabrol

Svetlana Marshall

Judiciary hosts study tour for Judges, other stakeholders from Jamaica

Recording Systems.

The participants were given step-by-step demonstrations from the beginning of recording a court case, and thereafter to the preparation of transcripts using the recording from the Liberty court recording software.

ing the participants to observe and learn from Guyana Judiciary Digital Court Reporting procedures, best practices, and challenges.

The Supreme Court of Judicature recently hosted a delegation from the Judiciary of Jamaica to conduct a study visit of the Digital Court Recording used in courts in Guyana.

The study visit was facilitated through multi-agency collaboration between the United States Embassy, the US’ National Center for State Courts (NCSC), the Judiciary of Guyana, and

the Judiciary of Jamaica. The three-day study visit commenced with a formal opening ceremony on Monday, May 8 at the Guyana Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown.

The opening ceremony was marked by remarks from Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, Chief Justice Roxane George, SC, and other officials.

The study visit was de-

signed to discuss the goals and e-initiatives of the Judiciary; the role of technology in the Judiciary; the history and development of use of the Digital Recording Systems within the courtrooms in Guyana, and to demonstrate the use of digital recording systems in the courtrooms in Guyana. Members of the visiting delegation benefitted from practical demonstrations of the features of Digital

Buxtonian celebrates 111th birth anniversary

Anglican Church and was attended by her family, friends and caregivers.

The centenarian attended the Buxton Congregational School. After she completed her primary education, she pursued training in dressmaking and sewing. Talbot was married to Kingsel Talbot who died in 1985.

Together, the couple raised five children including Hermoine, Raymond, Cora and Harvey. Two of their children are deceased.

Talbot, also known as “Cousin Vadney” or “Sister Vadney” in the community worked alongside her husband in the farmlands at the back of the village by cultivating sugar cane and other crops such as ground provision.

She is a well-known member of the S. Augustine Anglican Church where she worshipped regularly until recently when she was unable to physically attend church services.

The Court Reporting Unit of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Guyana, which is led by Hector Edwards, and the Information Technology Department, which is led by Satya Ramnaryan, were both instrumental in the success of this study visit, the court said in a statement on Friday.

It was noted that the study visit was successful in allow-

According to Guyana Supreme Court, it is looking forward to partnering with other agencies and courts of other jurisdictions to exchange experiences and best practices as “we seek to continuously improve our service delivery”.

The visiting delegation of 17 comprised Jamaica’s Chief Justice Bryan Sykes; Justice of Appeal David Fraser; Puisne Judge Leighton Pusey, Chief Judge of Parish Courts Chester Crooks; Parish Court Judge Marlene Roper; Assistant Director

of Public Prosecution (DPP) Ruth-Anne Robinson; Partner at Foga Daley Law Firm, Nicole Foga; Court Administration Division Director Tricia CameronAnglin; ICT Director, Court Administration Division, Evrol Bell; ICT, Supreme Court of Jamaica, Frank Wisdom; and Close Protection Officer Sergeant O’Neil Smith.

Officials from the US Embassy included INL Director Briana Jones and Althea McBean from the Pan American Development Foundation. JoAnne Richardson, Ken Cook, Gillian Lawrence, and Emma Nicoletta were officials from the National Center for State Courts.

Buxton’s oldest resident and a stalwart of the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) community, Evadney Eldeca Talbot, celebrated her 111th birthday on Wednesday surrounded by an extensive gathering of friends and families.

Talbot, of Lot 51 Company Road, Buxton, was born on May 10, 1912, in Buxton.

During Wednesday’s celebration of her milestone, her family hosted a communion service at her home.

The service was presided over by Reverend Theodore Demonick of St Augustine

She also enjoys listening to gospel songs, and interacting with her loved ones.

Until recently, Talbot was also an active member of the Buxton Golden Age Club which she helped found. The club spearheads a number of initiatives including social activities and outings for senior citizens in the community.

Study tour in session

Members of the Judiciary of Guyana and court staff with members of the Judiciary of Jamaica and officials from the US Embassy and the National Center for State Courts

Buxton centenarian Evadney Talbot with her great-grandchildren: Joel, Tamiah, and Samariah

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon falls 68% in April, first major drop under Lula

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest fell 68% in April from the previous year, preliminary Government data showed on Friday, a positive reading for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as it represents the first major drop under his watch.

Lula won last year's election pledging to end deforestation after years of surging destruction under his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, but has faced continued challenges since taking office as environmental agency Ibama grapples with lack of staff.

Official data from space research agency Inpe showed that 328.71 square km (126.92 square miles) were cleared in the Brazilian Amazon last month, below the historical average of 455.75 square km for the month.

That interrupted two consecutive months of higher deforestation, with land clearing so far this year now down 40.4% to 1173 square km.

Bolsonaro had slashed environmental protection ef-

forts, cutting funding and staff at key agencies as he called for more farming and mining on protected lands.

Experts say it is still too early to confirm a downward trend, as the annual peak in deforestation from July to September lies ahead, but see it as a positive signal after rainforest destruction rocketed in late 2022.

"There are several factors, and the change in government might indeed be one

Uncertainty clouds US transition at Mexico border as new rules take effect

The Biden Administration began implementing a sweeping policy shift at the US-Mexico border on Friday as a COVID-era order that had allowed the swift expulsion of many migrants expired and new asylum restrictions took effect amid confusion and uncertainty.

keeping a close eye on the movements of migrants that had already reached record numbers in recent days.

gal crossings, resembles restrictions imposed by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, that they had successfully blocked in court.

of them," said Daniel Silva, a conservation specialist at WWF-Brazil. "The environmental agenda has been resumed, but we know time is necessary for the results to be reaped."

Lula has said it is urgent for Brazil to show his Government is not only talking about protecting the environment, but that it is on its way to fulfil a commitment to end deforestation by 2030. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Argentina inflation smashes past every forecast to hit 109%

Argentina's annual inflation rate soared to 109% in April, the country's statistics agency said on Friday, smashing past analyst forecasts and stoking anger among hardhit consumers who are increasingly having to skimp and save to get by.

The South American nation, an important grains exporter and the Region's no 2 economy, posted 8.4% monthly inflation in April, well above analyst forecasts of 7.5% and the highest in decades. That took the 12-month rate to an eye-watering 108.8%.

The price spike has pushed one in four people into poverty in a country that

has battled for decades with high inflation, along with cyclical debt and currency crises. Dwindling central bank reserves are now imperilling the Government's finances.

"They've turned us into a country of beggars," Carlos Andrada, a 60-year-old self-employed worker, told Reuters as he searched for cut-price deals at a vegetable stall at a market in the suburbs of capital city Buenos Aires.

"One despairs because after working all your life, you have to fight just to get a tomato or a bell pepper," he said.

Argentina's fragile economic situation has been aggravated by a historic drought

since last year, which has hammered soybeans, corn and wheat exports, draining foreign reserves and hindering the Government's ability to fight currency weakness.

Volatility in the foreign exchange market, which saw the peso hit record lows near 500 to the dollar in parallel markets last month, has inflamed prices further and strained Argentina's huge US$44 billion loan deal with the International Monetary Fund.

"When I came last time (to the market), I paid 300 pesos a kilo for bell peppersit's 300 pesos a half kilo now," said Olivia Maria Belbruno, 70, a retiree. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Venezuela, Colombia to increase military presence along shared border

Venezuela and Colombia will boost the number of troops stationed along its shared border at informal crossings where armed criminal groups linked to drug trafficking often operate, the Defence Ministers of the two countries said on Thursday.

The Ministers met in Caracas to discuss the security threat from the groups "who cross the border and carry out criminal activity in both Venezuelan and Colombian territory,"

Colombian Defence Minister Ivan Velasquez said on a Venezuelan state television broadcast.

The officials did not specify how many troops would be sent to the border, nor when. The border runs for some 2200 kilometres (1400 miles), much of it through remote jungle. Velasquez also discussed the Colombian Government's efforts to "hit criminal groups' finances with the maximum force possible" as a way of weakening them, he said.

Venezuela and Colombia re-established relations last August after Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a leftist, came into office.

Venezuelan Defence

Several last-minute court actions added to questions about how President Joe Biden's reworked border strategy will play out, with advocates filing a legal challenge to the new asylum regulation as it was enacted.

Facing concerns that the end of a 3-year-old order - known as Title 42could further strain US border facilities, cities and towns, US officials were

Seeking to discourage migrants from travelling to the border, the Mexican Government said its national migration institute has ordered its offices not to issue immigration documents or other permits enabling travel within the country, creating another obstacle for migrants.

Though a chaotic race to US border ports of entry on Thursday appeared to have given way to relative calm on Friday, there was a sense of confusion among some migrants.

Advocates argue the new regulation, put in place by Biden's Democratic administration to curb ille-

US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas defended the Biden regulation, saying it aims to encourage migrants to enter using legal pathways.

US asylum officers hurried to figure out the logistics of what would be required to apply the new asylum regulation.

Returns of some migrants to Mexico - Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans - were due to begin on Friday under the new border provisions, a homeland security official said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

17-year-old Honduran migrant dies

A17-year-old migrant who arrived unaccompanied in the US from Honduras has died in Government custody.

The boy, who died at a shelter facility in Florida, was identified by the Honduran foreign affairs office as Ángel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) acknowledged the death in a statement that did not name him or say how he died.

US officials have braced in recent days for an influx of border crossings.

On Friday, Enrique

in US custody

Reina, the secretary of foreign affairs in Honduras, said on Twitter the death had occurred at a shelter in Safety Harbor, a city on the Tampa Bay coastline in western Florida.

The shelter is managed by the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which is in charge of housing and caring for unaccompanied migrant children.

Reina said his Government was in contact with the teenager's family and called for "an exhaustive investigation" into the circumstances of his death.

The boy had been in

US custody for five days, a source told CBS News, the BBC's US partner. He was found unconscious on Wednesday morning, taken to a local hospital and was pronounced dead an hour later, the source added.

A federal official told CBS there had been "no altercation of any kind" involved in the death.

A medical examiner's investigation is currently underway. Bill Pellan, director of investigations, told US media that a cause of death has yet to be determined. He said hospital staff had failed to resuscitate the boy.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Nicaragua orders closure of Red Cross in continuing crackdown

The National Assembly of Nicaragua has voted to dissolve the local branch of the Red Cross, a non-profit humanitarian organisation, as part of an ongoing clampdown on groups seen as hostile to the Government of Daniel Ortega.

Minister Vladimir Padrino said the two countries had worked to "create confidence little by little, even though the process was going to be a bit torturous."

Prior to Petro taking office, relations were frosty, with the two countries' Governments trading accusations of meddling in each other's affairs.

Bogota had said Caracas backed guerrillas and drug traffickers operating in Colombia, while Venezuela accused Colombia of supporting armed insurgents who were planning to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro. (Reuters)

The law to shutter the Red Cross passed unanimously on Wednesday, with the legislature under the control of Ortega’s Sandinista Party.

In its place, lawmakers called for a “new Nicaragua Red Cross” that would function as a “decentralised, autonomous” body under the Government’s Ministry of Health. However, it is unclear how the country would fund such a venture.

The attack on the Red Cross comes amid a widespread push to suppress perceived Government critics and other organisations, including the Catholic Church.

As part of Wednesday’s resolution, the Nicaraguan Government will seize the Red Cross’s property in the country. It has accused the health-

care non-profit of perpetrating “attacks on peace and stability” for its role in anti-Government demonstrations in 2018.

Those protests, sparked by changes to Nicaragua’s social security system, quickly grew from a student-led movement to a wider push against Ortega’s Administration.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights estimates that 355 people were killed in clashes with Government forces between

April 2018 and July 2019. Thousands more were injured, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimated that more than 100,000 people fled the country within two years.

The Red Cross has said its participation in the protests was limited to aiding the injured, but Nicaragua’s Government accused the organisation of violating its commitment to political neutrality. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

An aerial view shows a deforested area during an operation to combat deforestation at the Cachoeira Seca Indigenous reserve, in Uruara, Para State, Brazil January 19, 2023

Human rights organisations have accused Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega of stifling dissent [Maynor Valenzuela/ Reuters]

Around The World OIL NEWS

Russia acknowledges retreat north of Bakhmut, Wagner boss calls it a 'rout'

since November.

Oil prices fall on stronger dollar, demand fears

Oil prices settled more than 1% lower on Friday, falling for the third consecutive week, as the market balanced supply fears against renewed economic concerns in the United States and China.

Brent crude futures settled down 81 cents, or 1.1%, to US$74.17 while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) US crude futures fell 83 cents, or 1.2%, to US$70.04.

Both benchmarks settled about 1.5% lower week on week.

The US dollar clung to modest gains against the euro on Friday and was headed for its biggest weekly gain since February, as uncertainty around the US debt ceiling and monetary policy prompted a shift to safe havens.

A stronger greenback makes dollar-priced oil more expensive for holders of other currencies.

"Lack of confidence in the economy is translating to a retreat to the safer dollar, and is also causing pessimism about oil demand," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.

Concern mounted that the United States - the world's biggest oil consumer - will enter recession, with talks over the US Government's debt ceiling postponed and concern growing over another crisis-hit regional bank.

The US Federal Reserve will probably need to raise interest rates further if inflation stays high, Fed Governor Michelle Bowman said on Friday, adding that data this month has not convinced her that price pressures are receding.

Meanwhile, China's April consumer price data rose at a slower pace than in March, missing expectations, while deepening factory gate deflation refocused doubts about its recovery from COVID restrictions driving oil demand growth.

The US oil and natural gas rig count fell this week to its lowest in nearly a year, as gas rigs slumped by the most in a week since February 2016, energy services firm Baker Hughes Co said in its closely followed report on Friday.

US oil rigs fell by two to 586 this week, their lowest since June 2022, while gas rigs plunged by 16 to 141, their lowest April last year.

The market drew some support from the forecast emerging supply deficit for the second half of the year, even as Iraq's Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani told Reuters on Friday he does not expect OPEC+ to decide on further production cuts when it next meets in Vienna on June 4.

An OPEC report on Thursday said the producer group expects July-December demand for its own crude to be 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) higher than previously projected.

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) kept its global oil demand forecast for 2023 unchanged on Thursday, expecting economic risks to be offset by higher Chinese demand growth.

The market also drew support after US energy secretary Jennifer Granholm signalled that the country could repurchase oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) after completing a congressionally mandated sale next month. (Reuters)

Portuguese Parliament votes to allow limited euthanasia

Portugal's Parliament has voted to allow medically assisted dying in certain limited circumstances.

Medical professionals will be allowed to help people die if they are in extreme suffering as a result of an incurable disease or severe injury and they are unable to end their own lives.

The vote overturned a series of vetoes exercised by the country's conservative President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

Deputies overwhelmingly voted in favour of the law.

Almost all members of the governing Socialist Party (PS) backed the legislation, as did three smaller left-ofcentre parties and the Liberal Initiative (IL). Several members of the largest opposition party, the centre-right Social Democrats (PSD), also supported the Bill.

Moscow acknowledged on Friday that its forces had fallen back north of Ukraine's battlefield city of Bakhmut after a new Ukrainian offensive, in a retreat that the head of Russia's Wagner private army called a rout.

The setback for Russia, which follows similar reports of Ukrainian advances south of the city, suggests a coordinated push by Kyiv to encircle Russian forces in Bakhmut, Moscow's main objective for months during the war's bloodiest fighting.

"In three days of counter-offensive activity, the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Bakhmut sector have liberated 17.3 sq. km (6.6 sq.

miles) of territory," Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesman for the "east" group of Ukrainian forces, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Both sides are now reporting the biggest Ukrainian gains in six months, although Ukraine has given few details and played down suggestions

a huge, long-planned counteroffensive has officially begun.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Ukraine had launched an assault north of Bakhmut with more than 1000 troops and up to 40 tanks, a scale that if confirmed would amount to the biggest Ukrainian offensive

The Russians had repelled 26 attacks but troops in one area had fallen back to regroup in more favourable positions near the Berkhivka reservoir northwest of Bakhmut, Konashenkov said.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner forces that have led the campaign in the city, said in an audio message: "What Konashenkov described, unfortunately, is called 'a rout' and not a regrouping".

In a separate video message, Prigozhin said the Ukrainians had seized high ground overlooking Bakhmut and opened the main highway leading into the city from the West. (Excerpt from Reuters)

‘Constant fear’ in Gaza as Israel continues assault for 4th day

At least two Palestinians have been killed and several others wounded on the fourth consecutive day of Israeli bombardment on the besieged Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical officials have said.

One of the people killed in Friday’s air raid on an apartment was a senior leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group (PIJ), local media reported. It brought the total number of Palestinians killed in this week’s bombardment to at least 33, including several children, with more than 110 also wounded.

Hundreds of rockets have also been launched from the Strip towards Israel, with a 70-year-old killed in central Israel.

Al Jazeera’s Youmna El Sayed, reporting from central

Gaza, said the latest attack targeted a six-storey building in the “densely populated” alNasr neighbourhood.

Israel “targeted a residential apartment” which de-

Pope Francis warns pets must not replace children in Italy

Isabel Moreira, the Socialist Party politician who steered the Bill through Parliament, hailed the vote as a realisation of freedoms aspired to in Portugal's 1974 Revolution, which ushered in democracy.

Overturning a presidential veto, she said, was "something normal" in a democratic state - not least after a public debate on the subject that has lasted for over three years.

Most PSD members voted against the Bill, as did the far-right Chega party, the third largest in Parliament, and the Communist Party (PCP).

The Chega leader André Ventura, who like the PSD leadership had demanded a referendum on the subject of euthanasia, told Parliament during the debate that he did not believe that the law would ever come into force. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Starting a family in Italy is becoming a "titanic effort" that only the rich can afford, Pope Francis has warned.

Addressing a conference on Italy's demographic crisis, he said pets were replacing children in many households.

Also on stage were dozens of young people, wearing t-shirts saying "we can do this" - alluding to convincing people to have more children.

Italy has one of the lowest fertility rates in the EU and births dropped below 400,000 last year - a new low.

In his speech in Rome, the Pope said the declining birth rate signalled a lack of hope in the future, with younger generations weighed down by a sense of uncertainty, fragility and precariousness.

"Difficulty in finding a stable job, sky-high rents and insufficient wages are real problems," he said. Warning that pets were replacing chil-

dren in some households, the Pope recounted how a woman had opened her bag and asked him to "bless her baby".

Except it was not a baby, but a small dog.

"I lost my patience and told her off: there are many children who are hungry, and you bring me a dog?" he added, triggering a round of applause from the crowd.

Birth rates are slowing in many places - such as Japan, South Korea, Puerto Rico and Portugal.

But a shrinking population is a major worry for Italy - the third-largest country in the eurozone.

Experts warn the population crisis will lead to the impoverishment of the nation. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said that by 2042, Italy's declining birthrate would end up reducing its gross domestic product (GDP) by 18%. (Excerpt from BBC News)

stroyed at least three floors of the building, she said.

“These people were not warned to get out of their homes, there was no warning missile fired prior to this tar-

geting,” El Sayed added.

Salameh Maarouf, head of Gaza’s Government information office, said the enclave has been “reeling from the bombardment”.

“The international community is turning a blind eye to our plight,” he told reporters in Gaza.

Maarouf said at least 139 buildings have been completely damaged so far, while more than 500 have been partially damaged.

This week’s battles began on Tuesday when Israel launched simultaneous air raids that killed three Islamic Jihad commanders along with at least 10 civilians –some of their wives, children and neighbours – as they slept in their homes. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

YouTuber

Trevor Jacob admits to crashing plane for views

AYouTuber who intentionally crashed an aeroplane for views will plead guilty to obstructing a federal investigation by cleaning up the site of the crash, US prosecutors say.

Trevor Jacob, 29, posted the video of the plane crash to YouTube in December 2021, implying it was an accident. It has over 2.9 million views to date. In a plea agreement, he said he filmed the video as part of a product sponsorship deal. He could face up to 20 years in prison.

The 29-year-old pilot and skydiver has agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation, the US justice department said in a statement on Thursday.

In November 2021, Jacob left a Santa Barbara, California airport on a solo flight with cameras mounted on his plane. Along with the cameras, Jacob took a para-

chute with him, as well as a selfie stick.

He "did not intend to reach his destination, but instead planned to eject from his aircraft during the flight and video himself parachuting to the ground and his airplane as it descended and crashed", the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California said.

The plane crashed into the Los Padres National Forest 35 minutes after takeoff. He hiked to the site and recovered the footage.

He reported the crash to the National Transportation Safety Board, who said he was responsible for preserving the wreckage. According to the plea agreement, Jacob later claimed he did not know the location of the site.

He did, and returned by helicopter and secured and removed the wreckage, which he later destroyed, the statement says. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Ukrainian servicemen ride atop a tank on a road to the frontline town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine May 12, 2023

A man is carried on a stretcher following an Israeli attack that killed a senior Islamic Jihad Commander in an apartment, in central Gaza [Ashraf Amrah/Reuters]

DAILY HOROSCOPES

You'll get the help you need if you ask for it, but you'll falter if you do everything yourself. Keep the peace and focus on what you do best; everything else will fall into place.

(March 21-April 19)

(April 20-May 20)

Sign up for something that interests you, and it will change the way you do things. Deal with experts and get the lowdown regarding what's possible. Don't waste time on pie-in-thesky plans.

(May 21-June 20)

Do what you can to help others, and you will be helping yourself simultaneously. A passionate attitude will encourage you to take a leadership position. Action is the best way to display your value.

Follow your gut and learn from your mistakes. Speak for those who have no power to bring about change. You can make a difference by stepping into the spotlight and exposing the truth.

(June 21-July 22)

(July 23-Aug. 22)

Listen; you may not like what you hear, but it will fuel the fire within and help you stand up for your rights. Opportunity begins with you; voice your opinion and practice what you preach.

Change requires thought and initiative. Express your solutions, and you'll drum up a following that gives you the strength to do something big. Romance is in the stars.

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Aggressive action isn't going to bring about positive change. Use your intelligence to alter how you manage medical, financial and legal issues. Don't let laziness stand in your way.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

You've got the edge; now play to win. Take note of what's happening around you. Align yourself with people as passionate as you are and implement changes that make your life easier.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Consider your thoughts before you blurt something out. Emotions will mount if someone opposes your ideas. Listening to what your opponents say will help you come up with a counteroffer.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

SOLUTION

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

You have the drive and the desire to do something great. An adjustment at home will make your life easier, leaving you more time to spend with loved ones and to do things that make you happy.

Consider whether your ideas are sound. Once you have every detail mapped out, you'll find it easier to get others on board. Your enthusiasm will be infectious.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

(Feb. 20-March 20)

Put muscle behind your dreams and see what happens. Dedicate more time to money management, and you'll gain ground. Put more effort into helping yourself and the people closest to you.

East Coast Cricket Board Navin/Hanso 1st Division tournament 2023…

Enmore and Lusignan advance to the Finals

Amir Khan's all-round performance has helped his side Enmore register a place in the finals. In the first semi-final match of this tournament, played at Enmore, Better Hope SC won the toss and chose to take first strike. They scored 156 from 42.4 of their allotted 50 overs. M. Mangal scored 25, while N. Singh chipped in with 24.

Bowling for Enmore, Satesh Jainarine grabbed 4 for 30, while Cheatram Balgobin, Y. Dayal and

Amir Khan collected 2 wickets each.

In reply, Enmore reached their target in 33.5 overs, with former West Indies Under 19 player Amir Khan hitting a well-constructed 75, while being supported by V. Ramlakan, who contributed 38. R. Rohoman collected 3 for 39.

In the second semi-final match, played at Lusignan, national youth spinner Nigel Deodat spun his side, Lusignan SC, to the Finals with help from Vishun Ramjit.

LBI SC won the toss and elected to bat, scoring 158 all out from 46.3 overs. Ravindra Samaroo top-scored with 47, while Emran Mohamed and Romeo Deonarain contributed 41 and 29 respectively. Nigel Deodat collected 4 for 21, and Rajindra Naikbarran took 2 for 28. In response, Lusignan SC achieved their DLS target of 116 for 1 from

Tata IPL 2023: Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Titans…

Suryakumar’s

or a little while, it looked like Suryakumar Yadav would actually finish a T20 without playing a shot that would make people's jaws drop. And then he hit the most incredi

Fons Gujarat Titans.

overs. Vishun Ramjit scored an unbeaten 31, while Robin Williams and Shazam

first IPL ton takes down the Titans

You know how Kane Williamson dabs to third man to get singles? Well, Suryakumar accessed the same area, except he cleared the boundary. He just saw a ball on off stump. He knew he could get un

so batters could come in and rip them all to shreds. But Rashid wouldn't buy that. He had Rohit Sharma caught at slip with a gorgeous legbreak. He upended Ishan Kishan by a simple change in length, the premeditated sweep shot

ing his innings with orthodox shots. The only luxury he afforded himself were those straight sixes, where his weight is usually on the back foot right up to the point where he meets the ball, and then he hops, lifting both himself and the ball up off the ground. That's how he creates leverage. It's his own

Then Rashid took David out, and something snapped. Suryakumar was 53 off 34 at the start of the 18th over. He hit Mohit Sharma for three fours and a six to move to 73 off 40. Then he met Mohammed Shami in the 19th over, and played a front-foot drive for six over third man just by opening the face of the bat. Finally, on 97, with only one ball left in the innings, he did what he has done to fast bowlers all over the world, sweeping Alzarri Joseph from way outside off into the crowd past the square leg boundary.

Rashid or bust for Titans

As good as Titans are in a chase, they were up against it very quickly when all of their top three batters fell for single digits. Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya and Wriddhiman Saha totalled 12 runs between them. Vijay Shankar kept hopes of the improbable alive with a lovely little cameo. But he fell to Piyush Chawla's first ball of the match, this 34-year-old IPL legend having the best season of his career, taking

his tally to 18 wickets.

At the other end, a 29-year-old rookie was having the time of his life. Akash Madhwal came into the tournament because Mumbai were having so much trouble with their bowling attack. This was only his fourth game of the IPL and the 26th of his T20 career, and already he has shown an appetite for the tough job. Bowling at the death, bowling to big hitters, bowling with games on the line.

Madhwal has a lovely yorker; and now it appears his other balls are just as deadly, because when he

hits a hard length, they keep skidding through. He bowled Gill with one that stayed lower than the batter expected. And he had David Miller lbw in just the same way. Rashid carried the Titans with the bat as well, making his highest score in T20s: 79 off 32, with 10 sixes. A total of 103 for 8 in 14 overs rose to 191 for 8 in 20. But it was still 27 short. Imagine going threefourth of the way to a century and picking up one short of five wickets in the same game, and still losing it. (ESPNCricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Mumbai Indians (20 ovs maximum)

Ishan Kishan † lbw b

Rashid Khan 31

Rohit Sharma (c) c Tewatia b

Rashid Khan 29

Suryakumar Yadav not out 103

Nehal Wadhera b Rashid Khan 15

Vishnu Vinod c

Manohar b Sharma 30

Tim David c & b Rashid Khan 5

Cameron Green not out 3

Extras (lb 2) 2

TOTAL 20 Ov (RR: 10.90) 218/5

Fall of wickets: 1-61

(Rohit Sharma, 6.1 ov), 2-66

(Ishan Kishan, 6.5 ov), 3-88

(Nehal Wadhera, 8.6 ov), 4-153

(Vishnu Vinod, 15.6 ov), 5-164

(Tim David, 16.6 ov)

BOWLING O-M-R-W

Mohammed Shami 4-0-53-0

Mohit Sharma 4-0-43-1

Rashid Khan 4-0-30-4

Noor Ahmad 4-0-38-0

Alzarri Joseph 4-0-52-0

Gujarat Titans (T: 219 runs from 20 ovs)

Wriddhiman Saha †

lbw b Madhwal 2

Shubman Gill b Madhwal 6

Hardik Pandya (c) c

†Ishan Kishan b Behrendorff 4

Vijay Shankar b Chawla 29

David Miller lbw b Madhwal 41

Abhinav Manohar b Kartikeya 2

Rahul Tewatia c Green b Chawla 14

Rashid Khan not out 79

Noor Ahmad b Kartikeya 1

Alzarri Joseph not out 7

Extras (lb 3, w 3) 6

TOTAL 20 Ov (RR: 9.55) 191/8

Fall of wickets: 1-7

(Wriddhiman Saha, 1.5 ov), 2-12 (Hardik Pandya, 2.3 ov), 3-26 (Shubman Gill, 3.5 ov), 4-48

Ahmad, 13.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W

Chetram Balgobin

Nigel Deodat

Yadav scored his maiden IPL ton

Ali scored 28 and 22 respectively. Kemol Savory was the lone wicket-taker.

Amir Khan

GTTA to host ITTF level one coaching certification programme and high-performance training camp for cadets and juniors

The Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), in collaboration with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), will be hosting an ITTF level one table tennis coaching certification programme from May 16 to 20, and an ITTF high-performance training camp for cadets and juniors from May 20 to 25, at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue in Georgetown.

The expert on duty will be Mr. Oscar Roitman of Argentina. Mr. Roitman comes with a wealth of experience and knowledge, having conducted several clinics and functioned in the capacity of National Coach, Director of Youth Olympic Games 2018 TT Program; Head,

Argentina Junior TT program; National Development Director, Argentina; and ITTF Course instructor.

Author of the book Breaking Method, Oscar Roitman gives an approach of a new way of teaching table tennis, and throughout this book – which uses a very didactical and clear narrative – he tools.

The foundation of all these tools are the author's own experiences as a table tennis player and as a coach.

He has lectured extensively in Argentina, always showing a ludic way of teaching, not only centred on "recipes", but giving "keys" to develop the students/athletes’ own way of playing or teaching, and all its variants.

The programme sessions

will commence on May 16 at 9 am, and run to 4pm daily on the days outlined. They come as part of the ITTF member association’s support.

ITTF Coach’s Certification is an international and globally recognized certification programme aimed at arming coaches with the correct fundamentals, techniques, methodologies, philosophy and skills for orienting student athletes to the game of table tennis at the beginner, intermediate, and advance levels.

The course is a thirty-hour programme with an optional para component of an additional six (6) hours. The para component exposes participating coaches to the methods of working with “differently-able athletes”.

Coaches who complete the additional 6 hours would be come ITTF + PTT Level 1 Coaches.

Coaching Manual con tains the syllabus, course material, and covers and forms the basis for key aspects of certification based on completion of the listed modules below:

K&S "One Guyana" Futsal Championship…

Semifinal fixtures decided after riveting quarterfinals

Quarterfinal games of the Kashif and Shanghai One Guyana Futsal Championship were completed at the National Gymnasium on Friday, May 12, with sensational strikes of the ball and enthusiastic supporters.

The opening match of the night was filled will goals coming from both sides of the field, when CALIFORNIA SQUARE flabbergasted spectators with a 3-2 victory over NORTHEAST to secure their semifinal position. The sensational Jerry Burnette of CALIFORNIA Square netted a hattrick of goals, and Morriheo Eastman followed in the 37’.

Two goals from North East’s Randy Roberts, in the 29’ and 39’, were not enough to carry his team over the line.

Powerhouse

Sparta Boss were victorious over Kitty 2-1 in the second game of the night.

Ryan Hackett joined the scoresheet with the ball coming of his feet in the 2’, and

Jermaine Junior in the 4’, both from Sparta Boss.

Anthony Sancho scored the consolation goal for Kitty in the 14’.

Back Circle managed to defeat MACKENZIE ALL STARS 3 -1 will their goal-scoring ability in the penultimate game. Ryan Noel managed to net the first goal of the match in 24’, but that lead was not held for long before Stephon McClean scored in the same minute. This gave way for an attacking force from Back Circle in which goals came off the feet of Gavin Naughton in the 30 and four minutes later Selwyn Williams scored to secure their semifinal position.

In the concluding match, Bent Street lived up to their reputation by defeating Stabroek Ballers 2-1. Stabroek started of the game strong, scoring a goal in the 1’ and Bent Street kept their composure and penetrated Ballers’ defense and scored two rapid goals with two minutes from Daniel Wilson in the 33’ and Colin Nelson in the 34’ advancing to the semifinals.

As the tournament inevitably comes to an end, fans are encouraged to come out and support their favourite teams.

The semifinal action is set for tonight at The Guyana National Gymnasium, where four teams will be vying for the spot in the finals at the National Stadium on Saturday, May 20,2023 with champions winning $1,000,000.

The second-place team will pocket 500,000, while $200,000 and $100,000 will go to the teams finishing third and fourth respectively, and Most Valuable Player (MVP) will be receiving a motorcycle.

Mr Oscar Roitman

• All courses are cumulative, leading to full certification

10-minute Coaching

Practical presentation during the course. A “PASS” is required to be eligible for ITTF

Level 1

Attendance at 30-hour course conducted by an ITTFapproved Course Conductor like Mr. Oscar Roitman. After the course, 30 hours’ coaching practice must be completed. This coaching practice should be predominantly group coaching, benefiting the table tennis school community or junior or school groups.

From the 30 hours’ coaching practice, 5 hours must be supervised by the ITTF Course Conductor or a person appointed by the ITTF

Course Conductor. This supervisor evaluates. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with ITTF restarting its in-person training programmes, there is an intention to capitalise on building a new nucleus of coaches to service the schools, and community developmental needs of the association with a view to also advancing these coaches into the national framework over time.

“The GTTA views Coaching as a critical and pivotal pillar upon which the sport must be built in order to improve the technical and tactical capacity of our players, and by extension the structural foundations of the game’s development. There needs to be higher levels of accredited coaches.”

Street between Middle and Thomas Streets.

Registration fees are $6000 for adults and $1000 for children under the age of 12.

Stride 592 will host a ‘Miles for Mom 5K’ in observance of Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 13. The proceeds will be donated to two charities – The Guyana Foundation, based in Essequibo, and Friends Who Care, based in Georgetown.

The first charity focuses on giving families, especially single mothers, the basic necessities to survive, while the other provides medical care.

The event will commence at the National Park with a warm-up session with Melissa ‘Vanilla’ Roberts at 6:30h, after which the procession will walk, jog or run

along Carifesta Avenue into Vlissingen Road and then back into the National Park.

Medals and refreshments will be distributed at the end of the event.

MMG, Hits and Jams, the SUPREME Laundromat, Java Coffee and Banks DIH are some of the major sponsors for the event. The public is urged to get registered for this activity in support of charities. Persons who are interested can register online on Facebook page 592 Stride, like the page and you will see the link to sign up or call 640-2444, or visit their office at 238 Quamina

‘Miles for Moms’ 5K set for today

Andre Coley, Daren Sammy named new West Indies Men's Head Coaches

Cricket West Indies (CWI) today announced the appointments of the new Head Coaches for the West Indies Senior Men’s Teams. Andre Coley has been appoint-

ed the Head Coach for the white ball One Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) Teams.

The new Head Coaches were selected following an open and transparent in

signment will be the threematch ODI Series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Sharjah in June, ahead of the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 Qualifier tournament in Zimbabwe. Andre Coley’s first assignment will be the two-match Test Series against India in the Caribbean in July.

Sammy is a former West Indies captain in all three formats, who led the West Indies to the ICC T20 World Cup titles in 2012 and 2016.

Since retirement, he has coached franchise teams in the Pakistan Super League and the Caribbean Premier League.

Indies Academy. The 39-year-old Sammy said:

ed Head Coach for the Test and ‘A’ Teams and Daren Sammy has been appoint-

of Directors meeting on Thursday 11 May.

Daren Sammy’s first as-

Coley is a former Jamaica wicket-keeper/ batsman who has coached at all levels in West Indies cricket. He was Interim Head Coach of the West Indies team on the tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa earlier this year with his most recent assignment as Head Coach of the West

“It will be a challenge but one that I’m ready for and excited about. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity, especially looking at the players we have and the impact that I believe I can have in the dressing room. I believe I will bring the same approach as I had as a player: the passion, the desire for success, and my undying love for West Indies cricket. When I look around there is an abundance of talent, and what I saw in South Africa in the white ball matches under new captains Shai Hope and Rovman Powell and the leadership provided by Andre Coley, there is great belief that we can do well. I’m looking forward to imparting my knowledge, my tactical acumen, my communication skills and my man-management skills. I get excited about putting the plans together and seeing the players exe-

Guyana Women record one-run win against Leewards in Super50 tournament

cute them.”

Coley, 48, said: “I am honoured to be appointed West Indies Men’s Head Coach of the red-ball team after serving in the interim role on the Zimbabwe and South Africa tours. I am looking forward to the challenges ahead, as well as the opportunities as we sharpen our focus on moving up the Test rankings, and qualifying for the World Test Championship final in June 2025.

“I also look forward to working with all our stakeholders, deepening relationships and fostering a high-performance mindset. I am also excited to be working closely with the ‘A Team’ as we seek to optimise opportunities for teams to play competitive cricket outside of our firstclass competition, and giving players greater exposure to different conditions at the international level. I believe that my expertise in the use of analytics, my leadership style and technical knowledge, along with collaborative efforts alongside Daren will make a positive contribution to player development and team performances.”

In March, CWI announced that the role of Head Coach for the West Indies Senior Men’s Teams

SCOREBOARD

Guyana Women167/9 (50.0 Ov)

Mandy Mangruc Amanda Edwards b Davanna Claxton 13

Leewards Women166/8 (50.0 Ov)

Melicia Clarke lbw b

will be split into two separate positions, a decision made with reference to the recommendation by the independent three-member World Cup Review Group to consider splitting coaching duties as one factor to help improve team preparation.

Johnny Grave, CEO of CWI said: “We are delighted to announce the appointments of Andre and Daren to the positions of red ball and white ball Head Coaches of the Senior Men’s Teams. They are well equipped for their roles, and we are confident they will bring different perspectives, skills and real passion to the West Indies dressing room. The introduction of separate coaches signals the start of a new approach for the West Indies Men’s Teams, and we know it will enable greater focus on player communication, team planning and preparation to the benefit of our players and West Indies cricket.”

The recruitment process for a Head Coach of the West Indies Women’s team has commenced and the deadline for applications of Wednesday 17 May. Further information on the timing and process for appointing a new Head Coach of the West Indies Academy to replace Coley will be announced at a later date.

(CWI)

NSC Independence Three-Stage Cycle Race set for May 20-21

Guyana

Women have recorded a one-run win against the Leeward Islands in the third round of the Regional Women's Super50 tournament in St Kitts and Nevis.

Guyana Women were asked to bat first, and they posted 167-9 in 50 overs, while Leewards made 1668 in 50 overs. Guyana’s top-order again failed to fire.

Number five batter Shabika

Gajnabi made 49 from 61 balls to revive Guyana's innings. She was supported by Kaysia Schultz who made 25, Ashmini Munisar (18) and Plaffianna Millington (16), which took Guyana to that score.

Tonya Martin had 4-36 in her 10 overs to restrict Guyana. Amanda Edwards made a solid 74 from 124 balls, which had 11 fours, but her knock went in vain.

Shenata Grimmond had 3-26 in 10 overs, while Millington had 2-26 and Gajnabi claimed 2-31 in a disciplined effort.

Guyana will play Jamaica on May 15 in their fourthround match from 10:00h.

Realeanna Grimmond

b Tonya Martin 7

Tilleya Madramootoo

b Tonya Martin 0

Shemaine Campbelle (c & wk)

c †Terez Parker b Tonya Martin 8

Shabika Gajnabi run out Rozel

Liburd / Melicia Clarke 49

Katana Mentore b Tonya Martin 1

Sheneta Grimmond

b Amanda Edwards 2

Kaycia Schultzc Tynetta McKoy

b Melicia Clarke 25

Ashmini Munisar

lbw b Rozel Liburd 18

Plaffianna Millington not out 16

Nyia Latchman not out 3

Extras (nb 2, wd 22, lb 1) 25

Total (9 wkts, 50.0 ov) 167 (CRR: 3.34)

Did not bat :

Fall of wickets: 16-1

(Realeanna Grimmond, 3.4 ov), 16-2

(Tilleya Madramootoo, 4 ov), 29-3

(Mandy Mangru, 7 ov), 33-4

(Shemaine Campbelle, 7.5 ov), 48-5

(Katana Mentore, 9.3 ov), 53-6

(Sheneta Grimmond, 11.4 ov), 121-7

(Shabika Gajnabi, 32.5 ov), 127-8

(Kaycia Schultz, 36.2 ov), 144-9

(Ashmini Munisar, 41 ov)

Bowlers

O-M-R-W

Jahzara Claxton 10-0-35-0

Tonya Martin 10-1-36-4

Davanna Claxton

2-0-16

Melicia Clarke 9-3-11-1

Amanda Edwards

Rozel Liburd

Saneldo Willett (c)

Tynetta McKoy

10-1-25-1

7-0-29-1

1-0-6-0

1-0-8-0

Plaffianna Millington 13

Davronique Maynardc

Tilleya Madramootoo b Sheneta Grimmond 3

Divya Saxena b Sheneta Grimmond 4

Saneldo Willett (c) c Ashmini Munisar

b Plaffianna Millington 1

Amanda Edwards st †Shemaine

Campbelle b Sheneta Grimmond 74

Jahzara Claxton lbw b

Shabika Gajnabi 23

Terez Parker (wk) st †Shemaine

Campbelle b Nyia Latchman

The National Sports Commission (NSC), in partnership with the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF), will host the 40th Independence Three-Stage Cycle Race on the weekend of May 20 and May 21, with the usual routes in Berbice and Demerara being used.

Stages One and Two will take place on May 20, while the final stage will be held the following day. Stage One will be from Corriverton to New Amsterdam on the morning of the first day, while the second leg will pedal off from the Berbice River Bridge to Carifesta Avenue in Georgetown. That second stage will take place in the afternoon of the first day.

The third and final stage will take place from Linden to Homestretch Avenue in Georgetown on Sunday morning.

Last year’s event was dominated by Team Foundation, whose riders: Akil Campbell of Trinidad and Tobago and Guyanese Jamual John, finished first

John and Campbell dominated last year's event

and second respectively.

Based on reports, this year’s Independence ThreeStage Cycle Race has an estimated $1.2 million in cash and other prizes up for grabs

among the four different categories of contestants.

The Three-Stage will feature an Elite race category, as well as Junior, Veteran and Prime race categories.

Red-Ball Head Coach of the West Indies, Andre Coley

Daren Sammy, the new Head Coach of the West Indies team

Shabika Gajnabi made 49 and took two wickets

WIFBSC 2023 Championships… Minister Ramson Jr., DoS Ninvalle congratulate Braithwaite, Douglas

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, the Honourable Charles Ramson Jr., and Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle have dispatched congratulatory messages to Guyana’s top marksmen, who won the respective X and O-Classes at the West Indies Fullbore Shooting Council Individual Championships, which ended last Thursday afternoon at the Crabbs Rifle and Pistol Range in Antigua and Barbuda.

Ninvalle spoke directly with Lennox Braithwaite and Sigmund Douglas on behalf of Minister Ramson on Thursday evening, mere hours after the duo made the Land of Many Waters proud after three challenging days of shooting.

Minister Ramson’s delight in keeping the Golden Arrowhead aloft was expressed to the duo by Ninvalle, who also complimented them for riding the waves of challenge in delivering the goods.

“I would like to congratulate you, on behalf of the Honourable Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., and the people of Guyana, on your recent feat. You have kept the flag of Guyana flying high, and we would want to extend congratulations. I know that this is not the end of the competition, as you will now be turning your attention to the Team Match.

“We look forward to sending you another congratulatory message when you do what we know you are capable of doing by regaining the trophy. Congratulations and best

wishes once again for keeping the Golden Arrowhead flying high.”

Braithwaite and Douglas have both said they were very happy to hear directly from the Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle, on behalf of Minister Ramson Jr., and very swiftly too.

“We are both pleased to have heard from Mr. Ninvalle on behalf of the Minister, congratulating us on our achievement for our beloved Guyana. It was a very nice feeling which had both of us smiling, and will only serve to motivate us even more for the Team Match on Saturday. Thanks again to Minister Ramson and Director Ninvalle for their continued support on behalf of the Guyana National Rifle Association and the team here in Antigua.”

Meanwhile, Douglas has stated that he is elated to have won the O-Class for Guyana and himself.

“First, I want to say a big prayer to the Almighty God for giving me the opportunity to be here in Antigua. I must say that it was not easy winning this championship, but with the help of my teammates who encouraged me to be the best I can be, I was able to achieve the title.

“The ammunition had some issues, but I could have looked past that and concentrated on letting off good shots. In the end, it was enough to win us my category and Lennox’s. I would like to thank all our sponsors, including the Government of Guyana and the entire GuyanaNRA, for everything in making this tour successful.”

Minister Charles Ramson Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle