Guyana Times - Thursday, January 8 , 2026

Police deliver safety, education talks at Port Kaituma, ECD schools

P13 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 6328

THE BEACON OF TRUTH THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026

Govt delivers $480M in paddy subsidies to 1618 Region 5 farmers See story on page 3

PRICE $100 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE: P12 One Communications appoints new CEO …meets with PM on telecoms development

3 Bartica residents jailed for narco P8 trafficking

2 men fined P8 $200,000 each after admitting to drunk driving

High St bridge closed to heavy trucks as weight limit enforced

…total of $2.1B to be distributed to rice farmers countrywide

New Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge to be ready in June – MoPW

P11

Page 7

18 new schools to New beer canning line, rooftop restaurant on cards this year be commissioned – Banks DIH Chairman by end of 1st quarter …as company records $9.8B taxed profits in 2025 See story on page 12

Caricom launches P16 training to strengthen regional food security

See story on page 2

US seizes Russian-flagged tanker, another tied to Venezuela See story on page 18

ERC names 3 as persons of interest after failed P16 contact attempts

2 NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

New beer canning line, rooftop restaurant on the cards this year – Banks DIH Chairman …as company records $9.8B in taxed profits in 2025 …Citizens Bank loans increased from $60.1 billion to $63.9 billion

W

ith the aim of expanding its production capacity, Banks DIH Limited will be installing a new beer and soft drink canning line as well as investing in the construction of a rooftop restaurant this year.

This is according to the company Chairman and Managing Director, Clifford Reis, in his annual report for the period ended September 30, 2025, which he will present to shareholders on January 31, 2026, at the Annual General Meeting.

He reported that profits before tax for Banks DIH Limited were $13.795 billion compared to $13.402 billion in 2024 – an increase of $393 million or 2.9 per cent.

On the other hand, the company’s profit after tax was $9.827 billion compared to $9.609 billion, reflecting an increase of $218.0 million or 2.3 per cent.

According to Reis, the revenue generated by the local beverage giant was $47.356 billion compared to $48.844 billion in 2024.

The Chairman explained that the past year was very challenging for the compa-

ny, which suffered production downtime in the first quarter at the present beer plant due to the late arrival of spares. This, he noted, also affected the annual maintenance programmes.

Despite these setbacks, however, Reis said the dedicated workforce ensured Banks DIH met its performance targets in the next three quarters of the financial year, which saw the company emerging stronger with maintenance programmes, commissioning of the No. 1 Soft Drink Plant and improved operational efficiency aimed at reducing costs and maintaining high quality standards in order to

boost overall productivity by making adequate products available to consumers.

Meanwhile, the Chairman also reported on the performance of the Banks DIH Group in 2025, which saw third-party revenue to the tune of $55.259 billion compared to $55.945 billion in 2024.

The profit before tax for the group was $17.581 billion compared to $16.979 billion in 2024, an increase of $602 million or 3.55 per cent. Similarly, profit after tax for the group attributable to shareholders of the parent company increased from $10.563 billion to $10.636 billion.

Invest in long-term physical assets

According to the Chairman, the Board of Directors has recommended a dividend proposal of $3.00 per share unit, resulting in an overall cost of $2.550 billion as compared with $2.210 billion in 2024, an increase of $340 million or 15.38 per cent.

Reis noted that, “… the Group, through its Subsidiary, Banks DIH Limited, continues to invest in long-term physical assets to expand operational capacity, improve efficiency and increase profitability.”

In 2025, the company’s

expenditure included the construction of new stores and retail outlets, the procurement of new equipment to enhance packaging and production, the addition of increased power capacity to support operations and the installation of a new beer plant in October, while work continues on the newly acquired 40-acre land to facilitate future expansion.

“Looking ahead, we are optimistic about the future.

The beverage industry is evolving rapidly, and we are well positioned to capitalise on emerging trends. Our robust pipeline of innovative products – GT Light Beer, R1 Ice Green Apple, Back to School Biscuits and Snack Foods – is set to meet changing consumer preferences while maintaining the high standards of quality you expect of us…”

“In the 2026 financial year, our subsidiary, Banks DIH Limited’s capital expenditure, will focus on the installation of the New Beer and Soft Drink Canning Line, the construction of a New Canning Warehouse and Offices, the construction of a Rooftop Restaurant, the

Chairman of Banks DIH Group, Clifford Reis

No. 1 Beer Plant overhaul, expanding our distribution fleet and the acquisition of equipment across other production and utility services to enhance our production capacity,” the chairman reported.

Citizens Bank

Reis also reported on the performance of Citizens Bank Guyana Inc, a 51 per cent-owned subsidiary of Banks DIH Limited. The bank’s revenue for 2025 was $7.736 billion compared with $7.065 billion generated in 2024, an increase of $671 million or 9.5 per cent.

TURN TO PAGE 9

NEWS

3

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENING

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, January 8 – 07:55h–09:25h and Friday, January 9 – 08:40h–10:10h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Thundery showers are expected to clear to sunny skies by afternoon, and clear skies are expected at night. Temperatures are expected to range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to Easterly between 2.68 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 07:56h and 20:15h reaching a maximum height of 2.45 metres.

Low Tide: 13:48h reaching a minimum height of 0.78 metre.

Govt delivers $480M in paddy subsidies to 1618 Region 5 farmers …total of $2.1B to be distributed to rice farmers countrywide

By Andrew Carmicheal

T

he Government on Tuesday began fulfilling a commitment made by President Dr Irfaan Ali, as cheques were distributed to rice farmers under the $300-per-bag paddy subsidy for the second crop, marking another major cash injection into the country’s rice sector.

As part of this exercise, approximately $480.5 million was distributed to 1,618 rice farmers in Region Five (Mahaica–Berbice).

This intervention is part of a national programme, representing a total Government investment of approximately $2.1 billion, aimed at sustaining rice production, enhancing food security, and reinforcing the resilience of one of Guyana’s most important agricultural sectors.

The first round of cheque distribution took place at the

Rice farmers receiving their subsidy cheques

national market pressures.

Government projections indicate that the second crop would contribute to the overall production of more than 800,000 tonnes of rice, translating into billions of dollars in direct and indirect support for farmers.

International develop-

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2026

LOTTERY NUMBERS A

4

5

10

13

14

16

FREE TICKET

17 Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

16 17 24

12 15 LUCKY 3

5

8

9

4

Afternoon Draw

2

2

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

4

10

12

02

13

16 20 21

18

SUPER

PAY DAY

PAY DAY

1

5

TUESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2026

13 15 17 1

13

1

6

9

19 20

8

6 Afternoon Draw

2X Afternoon Draw

1

8 Evening Draw

FP Evening Draw

9554

DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

COMMODITIES Indicators Crude Oil

US$ $60.38/barrel

Change % +0.67

Rough Rice London Sugar

$186.30/ton $427.70/ton

-0.43 +0.97

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Low/High

$4444.30 $4444.00

$4446.30 $4467.40

Change

-11.40

-0.26%

Bid/Ask

Mahaica Mahaicony Abary (MMA) Office at Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice, where Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said the exercise demonstrated that Government promises to farmers are treated as binding commitments.

Addressing farmers, Mustapha underscored that the subsidy was part of a strategy to protect rice producers from volatility in the global market while sustaining growth in domestic production.

“This Government… whenever we make a promise, we take that as a contract between us and the people of our country, and we are here this afternoon to fulfil His Excellency’s promise to you, the rice farmers of our country,” the Minister said.

The over 1600 farmers attached to the MMA Scheme in Region Five cultivated an estimated 102,000 acres of rice, achieving an average yield of about 30 bags per acre. As a result, subsidies paid to farmers in the region are expected to total approximately $480 million.

The $300-per-bag payment forms part of a national intervention announced

by President Irfaan Ali late last year, as paddy prices weakened due to inter-

ments affected local prices In his address, Mustapha provided farmers with a de-

tailed explanation of how international developments have affected local prices, pointing particularly to large-scale rice exporters.

“Our prices in Guyana have been influenced by the price on the world market. When we are striving to produce 800,000 tonnes of rice, countries like India, Indonesia, and other Asian countries are dumping on the world market. India alone dumps on the world market,” he said.

Mustapha reminded farmers that in 2024, when India restricted rice exports, global supply tightened, but conditions later shifted again as exports resumed, placing downward pressure on prices.

Against that background, the Minister said Government interventions were necessary to stabilise incomes in the rice belt and to ensure farmers could continue planting and investing

in their operations.

The Minister also explained why the Administration changed the payment mechanism for the subsidy, opting for direct disbursement through the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) rather than routing funds through millers.

“Last year, we gave again to the farmers $300 a bag for every bag of paddy they sold, but what we did earlier, we gave the money to the millers, and the millers eventually paid the farmers. But then, when I went around, some farmers were telling me that… they didn’t receive the full compensation.

So I decided that this time around, GRDB itself will pay the $300 for farmers. And as I said, very early in the new year, we will pay it,” he reminded.

Export commissions waived CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

4

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026

guyanatimesgy.com

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

The value of Police outreach in schools

E

ffective policing in any society depends on enforcement as well as on trust, understanding and early engagement. In this regard, school-based safety and education outreach have emerged as important, though often understated, pillars of public security and social development. When law enforcement officers enter classrooms not as disciplinarians but as educators, they contribute to shaping attitudes that can influence behaviour long before young people encounter the criminal justice system in any formal way.

Across Guyana, communities continue to grapple with challenges related to road safety, youth vulnerability, school dropout rates, substance abuse and the protection of children from exploitation and abuse. These issues do not arise in isolation, nor can they be resolved solely through arrests or legislation.

They are rooted in social conditions, family environments and levels of awareness. Early, consistent engagement with children therefore represents a preventative approach, one that seeks to address risk factors before they escalate into social harm.

School outreach by the Guyana Police Force reflects an understanding that education and safety are deeply interconnected. Children who are informed about personal responsibility, respectful conduct and basic safety principles are better equipped to make sound decisions. These lessons, when delivered in an age-appropriate and supportive manner, help establish norms that can last into adulthood. The classroom becomes a space not only for academic learning but also for civic instruction.

Equally significant is the symbolic value of these engagements.

In many communities, particularly in hinterland and rural areas, interaction with the Police may otherwise be limited to moments of crisis or conflict. By engaging students in a non-threatening environment, law enforcement officers are able to humanise the institution they represent. This helps counter fear, misinformation and mistrust, while reinforcing the idea that public safety is a shared responsibility rather than a distant authority imposed from outside.

The emphasis on personal responsibility is particularly important. Encouraging punctuality, orderly behaviour and respect for others reinforces values that extend beyond the school compound. These principles underpin social cohesion and lawful conduct, and their early reinforcement can reduce the likelihood of later involvement in antisocial or criminal behaviour.

Child protection is another critical dimension of these outreach efforts, as awareness about abuse, exploitation and inappropriate behaviour is essential in a context where children may lack the language or confidence to report wrongdoing.

Reinforcing the importance of seeking help from trusted adults strengthens informal protection networks within families and schools. While law enforcement alone cannot eradicate abuse, its role in education and early detection remains vital.

Road safety education, even at the nursery and primary levels, also deserves attention. As traffic volumes increase and communities expand, children are among the most vulnerable road users. Teaching basic habits – such as awareness of surroundings and safe use of roadways – can reduce preventable injuries and fatalities. These lessons, when reinforced by parents and teachers, contribute to a culture of safety that benefits the wider society.

However, for such outreach programmes to achieve lasting impact, they must be consistent, well-structured and supported by other institutions. Schools, parents, social services and community organisations all have roles to play. Police-led sessions should complement, not replace, broader educational and child welfare initiatives. Adequate training for ranks engaged in school outreach is also essential, ensuring that messages are delivered sensitively and effectively.

Follow-up sessions, age-progressive content and feedback from educators can help refine approaches and ensure relevance.

In remote regions, where access to services is limited, sustained outreach may be particularly impactful, helping to bridge gaps in information and support.

In a society undergoing rapid social and economic change, proactive approaches to public safety are essential. Engaging children early, respectfully and constructively lays groundwork that enforcement alone cannot achieve. It is in these classrooms, often far from courtrooms and Police stations, that the foundations of a safer Guyana are quietly being built.

Revellers in Pasto, Colombia, take part in the Black and White Carnival, a UNESCO-recognised cultural event symbolising racial unity and cultural diversity (The Guardian)

The WHO learnt to love “anti-obesity” jabs in 2025. I don’t fully agree, but I get it

By Devi Sridhar

I

f there has been a hot topic in health in 2025, it’s definitely been GLP1s, colloquially referred to as “anti-obesity” jabs. These medications, taken weekly as an injection into the abdomen, result in significant weight loss and, despite being developed to manage type 2 diabetes in those with metabolic disorders, have become mainstream in many countries as a treatment for obesity. Clinicians rave about the health outcomes in patients taking the medication, with study after study emerging on the health benefits of the associated weight loss in those who are obese. Celebrity endorsements, online sales and off-label use have seen them widely used by people of all ages and sizes who want to drop weight.

For the public health community, it’s an odd moment. For years, we’ve advocated for Government action on obesity – not through new drugs, but by taking nutrition and food systems seriously. We’ve highlighted the need for Government action on making nutritious food affordable, regulating ultra-processed foods, bringing in sugar taxes and banning advertising of unhealthy products to young people, alongside encouraging an increase in physical activity. The solutions are simple: get people to eat more nutritious food and move. The challenge has been implementation, especially in deprived areas.

So when GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide started

to be used as a widespread weight-loss solution, resulting in massive profits for pharmaceutical companies, the first reaction in public health circles was something between horror and exasperation. Not because the drugs didn’t work, but because they symbolised a kind of surrender. After decades of fighting to change the food and physical activity culture, here came a pharmaceutical company offering a weekly jab as the answer to a problem created by the transnational food industry.

The irony isn’t lost on me.

One set of companies profits by making populations obese; another now profits by promising to reverse it, at least for as long as people can keep paying and injecting. We still don’t know the long-term side effects of these drugs, especially in those within a healthy weight range and with normal metabolic function.

But in the past year, more and more countries have been moving towards rolling out GLP-1 drugs as the main treatment for obesity. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently recommended GLP1 drugs as treatment for obesity in all countries. For decades, the WHO had resisted pharmaceutical solutions for obesity, insisting the crisis was environmental, structural and political.

The agency is now saying something different: people are dying of obesity-related diseases across the world, and we have a tool that works.

For some, this is capit-

ulation. Has 2025 been the year that global health finally gave up on fixing the social and commercial causes of obesity and talking about nutrition? Obesity rates are tightly linked to socioeconomic status. In fact, it’s been said that child obesity is a reflection of child poverty. GLP-1s were created to medically treat those with a metabolic disorder. Are we saying that the poorest 20 per cent of people (who have higher obesity rates) have a metabolic disorder that the richest 20 per cent don’t have? Surely not.

We know diet is linked to income, time, education and resources. If obesity is “treatable” with a jab, why take on the food industry? Why invest in affordable fruit and vegetables or healthy school lunches?

GLP-1s have become a way for many politicians to appear to be doing something while avoiding dealing with the systematic food production and consumption issues that are making us sick.

But I can understand the WHO’s pivot, because obesity is not a theoretical problem that we have time to solve. It’s killing people and disabling them in daily life.

Just ask any clinician about the impact of these drugs on people with heart disease, diabetes, fatty liver disease, joint failure… the list goes on. It’s all well and good talking about redesigning food systems, but right now, we have a drug that reliably reduces weight, improves metabolic markers and reduces cardiovascular risk.

In that context, you can understand doctors seeing the

health benefits in their patients and the WHO advocating for these drugs to be made affordable and accessible all across the world, including in low-income countries.

We still need to be careful about the reality of these drugs for individuals. They require a weekly injection, potentially creating lifelong dependency, given that studies have shown that weight rebounds when they’re stopped. They have side effects and can cause serious complications, especially for people who aren’t prescribed them by a doctor. They also don’t negate the need to eat a nutritious diet. Just like you can be overweight and malnourished, you can also be thin and malnourished. Plus, losing weight alone doesn’t bring the health benefits of physical activity. Exercise strengthens the heart, builds muscle, protects the brain from depression, anxiety and dementia, and helps reduce chronic pain.

Perhaps 2026 will bring an exercise pill, but so far, we don’t have any drug that can mimic its benefits. For all the promise of GLP-1s, the body still needs what it has always needed: affordable and accessible nutritious food and daily movement. Perhaps it’s a pipe dream, but I hope the coming year will bring societal changes to make that possible for all of us, without needing a weekly jab. (The Guardian) (Prof.

Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh)

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026

5

You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate, Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

President Ali’s right decision to support President Trump against Maduro Dear Editor, President Dr Irfaan Ali and Prime Minister (PM) Kamla Persad-Bissessar of T&T faced all kinds of criticism (from Caricom colleagues and left-wing nationalists, citing violations of international law, the Vienna Convention, the UN Charter, etc.) for siding with President Trump in going after narco-traffickers and for military intervention in capturing Maduro and deposing him.

Both have been unfairly criticised.

There are also those who are supportive (a majority) of the two leaders’ decision to join the Trump campaign against Maduro. Kamla has traded barbs with Caricom leaders on siding with Trump.

There is no right or wrong opinion or decision on allying with Washington.

But there is pragmatism – what is in a nation’s (or political leader’s) best interests. Opposing Trump or the Americans is not!

Freedom of speech must be respected on all sides; people, including me, have a right to express their opinion on the events in our region. Also, in the international system of nation states, leaders have the right to choose alliances; freedom of association must be respected. In a democracy like ours and T&T, voters elect a Government that makes policies and decisions for them; the elected Government decides on foreign associations or alliances. Government leadership, with confidential briefings and intelligence, knows what is best for their nation. They must act quickly on available information. Their decision and action, especially on forging foreign alliances, right or wrong, must also be respected. When and if the opponents of the Government win the election and form a Government, they will also have that power to enter (or not) into or leave alliances.

President Ali and PM Kamla were placed in an unenvious position, as leaders of border nations, of joining the US against Maduro, who has been threatening their countries’ sovereignty and resources, and they needed American assistance to counter Maduro and for their countries’ development and economic prosperity. What choice did they have other than supporting Trump? It is a “no brainer” on whether President Ali (and/or PM Kamla) should have sided with President Trump against the Maduro regime and its ties to narco-traffickers. Which person would be opposed to eradicating drug trafficking or removing a threatening menace on your border and who has sought to stymie economic development of your country?

Maduro had threatened both Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. While the threat has not been permanently eradicated with the

departure of Maduro, it has been severely curtailed.

Venezuela will not be a serious threat to Guyana and/or to T&T in the near term. And if there is an American military presence there, both T&T and Guyana can rest assured they will not be threatened by whatever Government is in Caracas. The status quo on Guyana will hold, and T&T will get its dragon gas as approved by President Trump. Trump aggressively uses power to aid allies.

Washington will protect the two countries on matters pertaining to oil, gas, and Venezuela.

If President Ali and/ or PM Kamla had opposed President Trump’s military strikes against narco-traffickers and intervention to depose Maduro, as the rest of Caricom and most of Latin America did, would additional opposition from Ali and Kamla have stopped Trump from pursuing military strikes on boats and intervening in

Venezuela? No! President Trump had long decided that Maduro must go and offered him safe passage to another country. Maduro declined the offer.

The Trump Administration (and predecessors) had viewed the Maduro regime, and a few others in the region, as a threat to American geopolitical security and national interests. Trump, unlike his predecessors, decided to use military means to stop Maduro. Principles of international law and international relations, and the UN Charter don’t trump (pardon the pun) matters pertaining to the national security of a major power. The US is the most powerful nation in the world, and it will not allow a thug (allied with anti-American powers in the east) to defy its hegemony in a region that is America’s backyard. The other nations (their leaders) critical of President Trump were issued a warn-

ing, and they should take it seriously.

In deciding to side with the USA, President Ali and PM Kamla must also have taken cognisance of the fact that hundreds of thousands of their nationals reside in the USA and are supportive of the American policy against Maduro.

Opposing the Americans could have had devastating consequences on their diasporas.

At this time, the interests of Guyana and T&T have lain with an alliance with the USA, not with being an unattached observer on the side-lines preaching an unrealistic rhetoric of a “zone of peace”. Their very territorial survival, national security, and economic well-being would have been on the line in not supporting the USA and/or in allowing Maduro to continue his threats against them.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

Scrutinising the launch of Guyana’s parallel Consumer Protection Institute Dear Editor, I write in response to the media statement issued on January 1st regarding the launch of a new Consumer Protection Institute in Guyana. This development, while ostensibly aimed at advancing consumer rights, warrants careful scrutiny given the context and the actors involved.

The institute in question is founded by individuals who are well-known political agents. This fact alone raises legitimate concerns about the true intent behind its establishment. In a society where the boundaries between civil society organisations and political interests are often blurred, it is imperative to question whether this institute will genuinely serve the interests of consumers or morph into yet another political NGO. The risk is that it may become a vehicle for pursuing personal vendettas against targeted entities, rather than advancing the public good.

While the founders have acknowledged the institute’s regulatory limitations, their stated functions closely mirror those of Guyana’s bona fide regulatory agency. This overlap is troubling. The existence of a parallel body with similar functions could undermine the authority and effectiveness of the official regulator, leading to confusion among consumers and businesses alike.

It is essential to ask: What safeguards are in place to prevent this institute from usurping the role of the legitimate regulatory agency?

Without clear boundaries, there is a real danger of regulatory fragmentation and diminished consumer protection.

Funding transparency: who pays, who benefits?

A critical issue that remains unaddressed is the source of funding for this institute. Transparency in funding is not merely a procedural matter – it is central to the credibility and integrity of any organisation claiming to act in the public interest.

If the institute intends to operate as a fee-based service for consumers, how will it ensure that vulnerable individuals are not exploited? There is a risk that the institute could become a marketing platform to mine consumer grievances and obtain work for legal representation, effectively transforming itself into a money-making enterprise for its founders. This concern is amplified by the fact that one of the founders is a legal practitioner, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest and the commercialisation of consumer protection.

Alternatively, if corporates are to fund the institute, which companies will be involved? The nature of corporate sponsorship can

significantly influence the agenda and priorities of an organisation. Will the institute be beholden to its corporate benefactors, thereby compromising its independence and objectivity? The public deserves to know which entities are backing this initiative and what their interests are.

If donor funds are to be solicited, from where will these funds originate? The source of donor funding can reveal much about the underlying agenda of an organisation. Is the institute seeking support from reputable international organisations, or are there less transparent sources at play?

The answers to these questions will determine whether the institute is credible or pursuing a covert agenda.

If the institute claims to be self-funded, what is the financial model that sustains its operations? Is there sufficient transparency to assure the public that its activities are not driven by hidden interests?

The lack of clarity on funding sources is not a trivial matter. It goes to the heart of whether this institute will be a credible advocate for consumers or an unaccountable entity pursuing other objectives.

In view of the foregoing, for the institute to be taken seriously as a champion of consumer rights, it must demonstrate the highest standards of transparen-

cy, accountability, and independence. This includes: • Publishing detailed information about its governance structure, funding sources, and decision-making processes, including its bylaws.

• Establishing clear boundaries between its activities and those of the official regulatory agency.

• Implementing robust safeguards to prevent conflicts of interest, especially given the involvement of legal practitioners among its founders.

• Engaging in regular, independent audits and making the results publicly available.

Without these measures, the institute risks being perceived as a political tool rather than a genuine advocate for consumer protection.

The launch of a parallel consumer protection institute in Guyana is a development that should not be accepted uncritically. The involvement of known political agents, the potential overlap with the functions of the official regulator, and the opacity surrounding funding all raise red flags.

As citizens and stakeholders, we must demand transparency and accountability from any organisation that claims to represent our interests.

I urge the media, civil society, and the public at large to scrutinise the activ-

ities of this institute closely.

Only through vigilance and informed debate can we ensure that consumer protection in Guyana is advanced in a manner that is credible,

effective, and free from political or commercial manipulation.

Yours sincerely, Joel Bhagwandin

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026

00:00 Sign off 06:00 Cartoons 07:00 Week-in-Review (RB) 07:30 Cartoons 08:00 Stop Suffering 08:30 Nature Programme 09:30 Indian Movie - Sarfira (2024) 12:00 News Break 12:05 Movie - Family Switch (2023) 14:00 Movie - Christmas Wonderland (2018) 16:00 KTLT Kids Today Leaders Tomorrow (RB) 16:30 Indian Soaps 17:00 The Young & The Restless 18:00 Nature Programme 19:00 The Evening News 20:00 Deal or No Deal 21:00 9-1-1 S5 E13 22:00 House of Cards S2 E12 23:00 Power Book II: Ghost S4 E9

6

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026

Foundation ◄

Page

guyanatimesgy.com

Probability Dependent combined events

Events are dependent if the occurrence of one event affects the occurrence of another.

For example, the probability of a bus being late could depend on whether it is raining that day. The probability of it raining is 0.4. If it rains, the probability of the bus being late is 0.7; if it is not raining, the probability of the bus being late is 0.2.

The events could be listed as • Not raining, bus is on time • Raining, bus is on time • Not raining, bus is late • Raining, bus is late.

This could also be displayed using a tree diagram.

cont’d

Example 1

There are 7 sweets in a bowl. 5 sweets are strawberry, and 2 sweets are lemon. Without looking, Anouksha takes a sweet from the bowl, and then Henri takes one.

Calculate the probability that Anouksha takes a strawberry sweet and Henri takes a lemon sweet.

The probability Anouksha takes a strawberry sweet is 5/7.

The probability that Henri takes a lemon sweet is 2/6.

(These events are dependent. As Anouksha has already taken a sweet, there are only 6 left, and 2 of those are lemon.

The probability of Anouksha taking a strawberry sweet AND Henri taking a lemon sweet is: 5/7 x 2/6 =10/42 = 5/21 = 0.23 The probability of Anouksha taking a strawberry sweet AND Henri taking a lemon sweet is 0.23.

Practice

be

The probability of the bus being late would

0.6 × 0.2 + 0.4 × 0.7 = 0.12 + 0.28 = 0.4.

When answering a question about combined events, always think carefully about whether the events are independent or dependent. For dependent events the probability of the second event will change depending on the outcome of the first event.

by William Butler Yeats

1. Calculate the probability that Anouksha and Henri both take the same flavour.

2. If the occurrence of one event does not affect the occurrence of another, what are these events?

3. There are 3 blue counters and 1 yellow counter. A counter is chosen at random, its colour is recorded, and then it is replaced. A second counter is then chosen, and its colour is recorded. What is the probability that both counters are blue?

4. Two dice are rolled. What is the probability of rolling the combination of a 1 and a 6?

5. Three coins are tossed. What is the probability that the outcome will have at least two heads?

The moments passed as at a play, I had the wisdom love can bring, I had my share of mother wit, And yet for all that I could say, Although I had her praise for it, And she seemed happy as a king, Love’s moon was withering away.

Believing every word I said, I praised her body and her mind, Till pride had made her eyes grow bright, And pleasure made her cheeks grow red, And vanity her footfall light; Yet we, for all that praise, could find Nothing but darkness overhead.

I sat as silent as a stone And knew, though she’d not said a word, That even the best of love must die, And had been savagely undone Were it not that love, upon the cry Of a most ridiculous little bird, Threw up in the air his marvellous moon.

[Source: Poetry (December 1912)]

Write a story from the perspective of a fairy tale character sharing their side of the story.

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

7

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

New Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge to be ready in June – MoPW

Works on the US$35 million Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge are advancing Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and Engineer Patrick Thompson with an official from the contracting company at the site of the new Mackenzie–Wismar Bridge in Linden

C

onstruction works on the Mackenzie– Wismar Bridge in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice), are nearing completion, with the Public Works Ministry saying that the structure will be open for public use by the end of June.

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and a team of technical staff from the Ministry met with the contractor, China Railway Construction (Caribbean)

Co-operated Limited, and the supervisory consultant on Wednesday to discuss the progress of the new bridge.

“The construction of the bridge will be completed by its deadline and will be made usable by the end of June when the connecting roads on both the eastern and western sides of the bridge will be completed,” the Ministry said in a post on its Facebook page.

The contract for the new US$35 million four-lane

Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge was signed in January 2024, with works commencing in April of that year and slated to last for two years.

Only last month, it was reported that the contractor was ahead of schedule, with works being some 92.3 per cent completed.

The large-scale infrastructure project will feature four lanes as compared to the previous two-lane bridge that existed.

The new 220-metre-long

precast concrete bridge is also being built to accommodate a wider range of vehicle sizes and weights, as well as higher speeds and uninterrupted passage for vessels, facilitating safer and easier passage for commuters.

When completed, the New Mackenzie–Wismar Bridge will mirror the design of the newly commissioned Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge, featuring a prestressed, post-tensioned concrete box girder structure. The bridge will accommodate four vehicular lanes and two pedes-

trian walkways while maintaining clear passage for hopper barges beneath it.

Once commissioned, the bridge is expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion and travel time for residents, boost trade and mobility, and position Region 10 as a key hub for industrial and economic development.

Like the two other major bridges in Guyana – the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge and the Berbice River Bridge – the new Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge will benefit from toll-free

travel as introduced by the Dr Irfaan Ali-led People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration last August.

In a Facebook post in December, President Ali said, “Construction of the new Wismar–Mackenzie Bridge is moving ahead steadily, marking another major investment in Region Ten’s infrastructure.

Once completed, the modern concrete and steel structure will replace the ageing bridge and improve traffic flow between Wismar and Mackenzie.”

Govt delivers $480M in paddy subsidies to 1618 Region...

FROM PAGE 3

The Minister noted that the earlier intervention required the Government to provide significant budgetary support to the GRDB after export commissions were waived to help millers raise prices paid to farmers.

“At that time, we contributed almost $600 million...

Six hundred million in subvention we had to give to the GRDB for their operation,” Mustapha recalled.

He pointed out that the support from the Government then coincided with historic growth in the sector, noting that Guyana surpassed 700,000 tonnes of rice production for the first time, reaching 725,000 tonnes last year.

“Last year, for the first time in the history of our country, we surpassed the 700,000-tonnes mark in rice production. And what we have been doing? We have been making the investment,” he said.

He pointed to the MMA as the country’s largest agricultural scheme, with nearly 120,000 acres available for rice cultivation, alongside significant land resources for cattle rearing and diversification.

Detailing the scale of state intervention, Mustapha said Government contributions went far beyond the $300-perbag subsidy.

“Last year, with the $300 a bag, we contributed $1.5 billion to the farmers, and with this contribution again… we will be contributing $1.9 billion,” the Minister stated.

He further outlined investments in seed paddy, drainage and irrigation works, machinery, and pest

control, including the establishment of a national response to paddy bug infestations.

On fertiliser support alone, the Minister revealed that Government spending increased sharply.

“Last year, we gave fertiliser, half a bag per acre… that amounted to $970 million. For the last crop, we gave a bag per acre… the amount was $2.8 billion we contributed to the rice.”

Helping other sectors Importantly, Mustapha used the occasion to reject claims that Government assistance was limited to one sector, announcing that fisherfolk would soon receive direct cash grants as well.

“In the next few days, we will give the fisher folks…

Every fisherman in this country will receive $150,000 too, from the Government of Guyana, as a grant that we are giving to the fishing industry,” he said.

“When we give money to sugar, they call it a sugar Government. When we give money to the rice farmers, they call it a rice

Government… But the point I am trying to make is that we are helping every single sector of our country.”

According to Mustapha, agriculture remains central to Guyana’s global standing in food security.

“Guyana today is leading the charge… Around the world, Guyana is ranked as one of the top countries in agriculture and food security,” he said.

The agriculture Minister assured farmers that while cheques were distributed at the MMA office on Tuesday, those unable to attend would still receive their payments.

“Everybody who is here will receive their cheque from GRDB, and those who are not here, their cheques will be sent to them, and they will collect subsequently,” he stated.

Meanwhile, rice farmers on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), and those in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) are soon to start receiving their subsidies along with those on the East Coast of Demerara.

8 NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

3 Bartica residents jailed for narco trafficking

F

our Bartica residents have been convicted or cleared following the conclusion of a narcotics trafficking case at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court.

The matter stemmed from the arrest of four individuals after law enforcement officers discovered 272 grams of cannabis in their possession. The accused were Tecina Angel Wills, a 22-year-old firewoman of Two and a Half Miles, Bartica, Potaro Road; Rhon Smith, a 36-year-old labourer of Mora Camp, Bartica; Walter Benn, a 27-year-old prison officer of Mora Camp, Bartica; and Melissa Allen, a 28-year-old vendor of Mora Camp, Bartica, Essequibo River.

The four were arrested on January 29, 2025, and were subsequently charged

A Rhon Smith

Tecina Angel Wills

Walter Benn

with possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

On Tuesday, the accused appeared before Magistrate Teriq Mohammed at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court,

where the trial was conducted.

At the conclusion of the proceedings, Wills and Smith were found guilty of the charge and each sentenced to two years’ im-

prisonment. Benn pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.

Allen was found not guilty, and the charge against her was dismissed.

2 men fined $200,000 each after admitting to drunk driving

T

wo residents of Mabaruma, Region One (Barima-Waini), have been fined after pleading guilty to driving motor vehicles while their breath alcohol levels exceeded the prescribed legal limit.

Jonel Fernandes and Trivette Harry appeared on Wednesday at the Mabaruma Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Clive Nurse, where the charges were read to them.

Both accused entered guilty pleas.

Magistrate Nurse imposed fines of $200,000 on

each offender. In default of payment, they will each serve five months’ imprisonment.

The latest convictions follow similar matters heard earlier this week in Region One (Barima-Waini). On Monday, five residents, Louina Garraway, Ron Fernandes, Kelimo English, Jamal Graham, and Adrean Garett, were charged under Section 39A (1) of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, Chapter 51:02, for driving while over the legal breath alcohol limit. All pleaded guilty before

Fined: Jonel Fernandes

Fined: Trivette Harry

Magistrate Nurse and were each fined $200,000, with

five months’ imprisonment in default.

3 men face wounding and larceny charges; 1 jailed

T

hree men appeared before Magistrates in Georgetown and East Coast Demerara (ECD) courts, facing charges of felonious wounding and simple larceny.

In the first case, Keyvin Cupidore, a Tuschen bus operator, appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty on Wednesday, charged with felonious wounding. Cupidore pleaded not guilty to allegations that he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Ceon Isaacs with the intent to maim, disfigure, and cause bodily harm. The incident reportedly occurred on Friday, January 2, at the Roxanne Burnham Gardens.

Cupidore’s attorney told the court that the complainant, who had recently been released from prison, attacked his client following a personal dispute. He further stated that multiple witnesses had come forward, indicating that Cupidore acted in self-defence. The lawyer also argued that the 31-yearold man had been in custody for four days prior to the court appearance, a period he described as a violation of his client’s rights.

The prosecution opposed

Is it…

Osafo Blackette

Keyvin Cupidore

Rawle Munroe

bail, citing the seriousness of the charge and noting that investigations into the matter were ongoing. After hearing submissions from both sides, Magistrate McGusty granted bail in the sum of $150,000 and adjourned the matter to January 28.

Cupidore is no stranger to the law. In 2015, he faced a charge of robbery under arms at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. In another case, Rawle Munroe, 40, an excavator operator from Two Friends Village, Ann’s Grove, ECD, was sentenced to 24 months in prison

for simple larceny. Munroe was arrested on Monday for committing the offence against Ramdeo Persaud at Enmore, ECD, on the same day.

Munroe appeared before Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty to the charge.

Following his plea, the Magistrate sentenced him to two years in prison, reflecting the seriousness of the offence.

Meanwhile, Osafo Blackette, a farmer from Victoria, ECD, also known as

“Shine Shoes”, appeared before Magistrate Scarce at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. The 24-yearold man faced two counts of simple larceny for alleged offences committed between January 5 and 6, at Belfield, ECD. The victims were two businessmen from East Bank Essequibo: 32-yearold Rakesh Sanicharra of Zeelugt and 46-year-old Narine Gobin of Naamryck.

Blackette pleaded not guilty to both charges and was granted $75,000 bail on each count. The matter has been adjourned to March 11.

…a new world order?

fter the US Delta Force raid to remove Mad Maduro to the States for drug smuggling, there’s been a lot of chattering about a “new world order”. Meaning that the “rules” undergirding the old order have been thrown out by the US under President Trump, who invaded another country without declaring war. But is it really so??

Your Eyewitness doesn’t think so. After WWII – the war to end all wars for the present world order – the big ones have always done what they wanted and just covered their actions under various justifications that didn’t really cut it if you chose to look closely.

Let’s take a (cursory) look at the above accusation, and the Yanks will tell you that they didn’t “INVADE” Venezuela but merely ran an operation to “extract” that dastardly drug kingpin Mad Maduro!! And it was he who was waging a war against America – by shipping drugs there that killed thousands and thousands of Americans, innit?? There was even a term for this kind of war – “hybrid war”!! What was America to do?? Grin and bear it? Well, back in February 2022, hadn’t Russia’s Putin set a modern precedent when he sent troops into Ukraine on a “special operation” to recover lands that he wanted to return to Mother Russia??

And here – the US hasn’t even left troops in Venezuela after their “extraction”!!

These “special operations” had been launched not just to stop drug smuggling – the “war on drugs” – but, for instance, after 9/11, a “war on terror” (WoT) that lasted from 2001 to 2021. War wasn’t declared against Afghanistan – that was simply the terrain on which the WoT was waged. It ended when Osama was taken out in Pakistan by a SEAL Special Ops team – with no squawks about the US violating “international law”. Similarly, a Delta team took out Iraq’s Saddam in that hole he’d been holed up in.

Then as an umbrella for all these interventions there’s the granddaddy of them all – to “make the world safe for democracy or socialism”. You take your pick – at your own risk, of course!! The former was championed by the US and the “West”, while the latter was championed by the USSR/ Russia and later China!! Castro in Cuba and Jagan in British Guiana had to be brought into line by showing them the error of their ways – condignly! And from the other side, this was the fate of Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

The “special operations” for Venezuela started out to protect democracy against the totalitarian, communist Chavez and his successor, Mad Maduro.

But when its champion concluded that the probable winner of a democratic election might threaten the aftermath, the “war on drugs” rationale was trotted out!! …immigration??

Your Eyewitness wasn’t surprised when he learnt we’d been asked to take some of the “illegal immigrants” the US was deporting. As the “fastest growing economy in the world” on a per capita basis – meaning we don’t have that many people to divvy up all that oil money flowing up! – we were a prime candidate. Especially since we’ve been beating the bushes to get skilled folks for all the new positions being created in our development thrust!!

When you combine this with the US thinking we owe them one for taking out our nemesis Mad Maduro, you’d appreciate that turning down the Yanks wouldn’t be the smartest move in the book right now!! But we gotta choose who to accept and who to reject. For sure we don’t want no Tren de Aragua operatives to open up shop here!! And for sure we want skilled personnel in whatever field who gotta accept the same wages and conditions as locals.

Then the US would be assisting with the resettlement, no? …feasible?

Getting the US – or any – oil majors back into Venezuela ain’t gonna be no easy sell. They’re gonna be playing it safe to see how matters go down with Delcy since they’ll be the prime targets for reprisals.

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

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

NEWS

9

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

No provisions for “equivalent offence” in extradition law – AG A

ttorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, had made it clear that Guyana’s extradition laws do not contain any provisions for an equivalent offence to be committed here in order for a person to be extradited overseas to face charges.

“There is no equivalent of Guyana offences in the extradition law,” AG Nandlall contended in response to claims made by attorneys representing United States-indicted businessmen, Azruddin and Nazar Mohamed, who are challenging an extradition request for them

Attorney General & Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC

to face fraud and other charges in a Florida court.

One of the Mohameds’ lawyers, Roysdale Forde, SC, recently blamed the magistrate presiding over

the extradition hearing for not giving the defence sufficient time to study the equivalent of the Guyana offence against the Mohameds.

US-indicted businessmen Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed

New beer canning line...

FROM PAGE 2

Citizens Bank’s profit before tax was $4.201 billion compared to $3.764 billion in 2024, an increase of $437 million or 11.6 per cent, while profit after tax was $2.480 billion compared to $2.244 billion, also an increase of $236 million or 10.5 per cent.

Moreover, the bank’s net interest income was $6.071 billion, while its earnings per share was $41.69 and the total asset base was $151.1 billion. Loan assets at the bank last year were increased from $60.1 billion to $63.9 billion; that is, by 6.3 per cent, or $3.8 billion.

Over at Banks Automotive and Services Inc, a 100 per cent-owned subsidiary of Banks DIH Holdings Inc., the chairman reported revenues generated to the tune of $378.3 million compared to $81.6 million in 2024, an increase of $296.7 million.

He noted that the profit before tax was $53.6 million compared to $7.4 million in 2024, reflecting a growth of $46.2 million, while the profit after tax was $29.8 million compared to $3.9 million in 2024, representing an increase of $25.9 million.

According to Reis, the employees form one of the key pillars of the company with dedication and commit-

ment to ensuring that the highest standards of performance and efficiency are met. This was rewarded with competitive remuneration, allowances, and long-term benefits such as pension and gratuity plans, medical and savings schemes.

Similarly, the Chairman noted that the Board is committed to creating value for shareholders. As such, a dividend payment of $1.70 per share unit was recommended for shareholders of Banks DIH Holdings Inc whose names appear on the Share Register as of January 31, 2026.

The total dividend paid to all shareholders during 2025 was $3.00 per share unit. This resulted in an overall cost of $2.550 billion as compared to $2.210 billion in 2024, an increase of $340 million or 15.38 per cent.

Looking forward, Chairman Reis noted that the same dedication and skill would be needed to continue achieving success in the company’s complex and diverse business operations.

“In the year 2026, with the consolidation of our production capacity, there is an opportunity to increase our market share and expand the supply of our products to overseas markets to

continue growing the purpose of the group to create wealth for all stakeholders.

We are deeply rooted in the community where we work and partner with all stakeholders to make a positive impact on society and the economy,” the Banks DIH Chairman stated.

The Attorney General cited Section Five of the Fugitive Offenders Act, explaining that it provides for the committed act to amount to an offence and not an equivalent offence.

According to the Act at Section 5 (1), “For the purpose of this Act, an offence of which a person is accused or has been convicted in Guyana or any Commonwealth country or Treaty Territory shall be an extraditable offence, where the act or omission constituting the offence, however described, consti-

tutes an offence and is punishable with death, life imprisonment or a term for two years under the laws of Guyana.”

Nandlall pointed out that the defence is creating the impression that there has to be an offence committed locally that is equivalent to the extradited offence, which he argued is not the case.

“The offence don’t have to be equivalent. The conduct, the act or omission, has to constitute an offence in Guyana. There no equivalence of offences… The

two persons are charged with money laundering offences and conduct there in America that they are accused of… explicitly sets out what the particulars are. You have to examine those particulars and see whether those particulars, those facts, the actions that they are accused of, whether it constitutes an offence in Guyana. It doesn’t necessarily have to be money laundering in Guyana, but it is money laundering in Guyana.

TURN TO PAGE 17

10 NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GECOM’s Claims & Objections period

“Go now and remove the bloat” – Nandlall tells Opposition parties A

ttorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, on Tuesday renewed his call for opposition parties to use the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)’s latest Claims and Objections period to address any concerns and claims about the Official List of Electors (OLE) being bloated.

Over the years executives and supporters of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)/A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and newcomers We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) and the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) have continually alleged that the OLE created by the GECOM is exceedingly bloated, with claims that that list could contain as many as hundreds of thousands of dead and overseas voters.

During the Claims and Objections period, persons can challenge the inclusion of any names on the existing OLE. Nandlall is calling on the opposition to rise to the occasion and capitalise on the opportunity to prove their claims.

“Go now and remove

the bloat,” Nandlall underscored during his weekly programme ‘Issues In the News”.

“I am calling on the PNC, I am calling on the APNU, and I’m calling on all those who have the tendency and the proclivity to allege that the registration list and consequently the voters list are bloated to go now and remove the bloat. Go to the registration centres across the country and rinse the list of the bloat. Ganesh Mahipaul and Vincent Alexander, and all of them who argue ad nauseam that the list is bloated. My friend, go with your 10,000 names that should not be on the list. You can take it off.”

Mahipaul is a PNCR executive and APNU member of Parliament, and Alexander is the opposition-appointed GECOM Commissioner.

Both have been very vocal in their claims of the need for the OLE to be cleansed.

The National Registration Act provides for two periods during the year where the National Register of Registrants (NRR) is to be stopped for claims and objections to be carried out.

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, SC

“The claims and objection exercise provides a mechanism that allows for unlawful names and names that should not be on the list to be removed and for persons who should be on the list to lodge a claim to be on the list, and it happens twice per year; it is ongoing now,” Nandlall noted.

It was last week that GECOM announced the commencement of the first claims and objections for

2026. The exercise commenced on Monday, January 5, regarding entries on the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE), which would be used to produce an Official List of Electors.

According to GECOM, during this exercise, any person who has attained the age of 18 years or older by December 31, 2025, and is a Guyanese citizen by birth, descent, naturalisation or registration, or is a citi-

zen from a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for one year or more, can make a claim to entry on the OLE on or before January 18, 2026, provided that he/she is not listed in the PLE. Meanwhile, objections can be made by an elector who is listed in the same list in which the person being objected to is listed.

Objections can also be made by accredited scrutineers of political parties, provided that any such scrutineer has monitoring responsibility for the registration area in which the person being objected to is listed.

The relevant original document(s), such as an original death certificate, must be presented at the time of the hearing of objections to support the basis upon which the objection is made.

“They will not go”

However, Nandlall reasoned that notwithstanding his prompting, he does not believe that the opposition members will submit any objections this go around, any more than they were able to in “Claims and

Objection” cycles in the past.

“They will not go, but once the occasion rises next week and it’s an opportunity for them to make ridiculous allegations, they will make it all over again, and here it is: the law is providing an opportunity to remove this bloat,” Nandlall said.

“I hope that the election observers who spoke about this in their report are hearing me. I hope that they hear that I’m calling on the opposition, who told them that the list is bloated by tens of thousands. I am calling upon them to go and cleanse the list now, because the law affords them an opportunity to do so. When I hear about this bloated list of allegations being made, I am going to refer to my statement and my public invitation urging for it to be done. It’s not going to be done, and I know that.”

GECOM’s current claims and objections exercise is one of many that has passed, giving the opposition and other members of the public the opportunity to raise objections to the inclusion of any unqualified voter on the list.

NEWS

11

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Construction worker slapped High St bridge closed to heavy with larceny charge, remanded trucks as weight limit enforced

Johnathan Mohamed

A

Vryheids Lust, East Coast Demerara (ECD), construction worker was on Wednesday remanded to prison after being charged with larceny in relation to the theft of a Samsung smartphone.

Johnathan Mohamed appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty, where he pleaded not guilty to the charge.

It is alleged that on August 10, 2025, at Houston Village, East Bank Demerara, the 35-year-old man stole a Samsung smartphone valued at $150,000, the property of Karen Gorden.

The prosecution objected to bail, contending that Mohamed is a flight risk and had been evading police after being informed of the allegation.

According to the prosecutor, on August 10, 2025, Gordon was at a snackette when she last saw her phone on the dashboard of a vehicle. Shortly after noticing that the phone was missing, approximately five minutes later, she received a message from Mohamed.

While attempting to recover her phone, Gorden said Mohamed told her that he had found the device on the ground. She told the court that she even offered to pay him for its return. However, she alleged that Mohamed denied stealing the phone, reportedly telling her, “Me is a Indian and me nah want no black man accuse me of stealing no phone.”

Gorden further testified that she made several attempts, including with the assistance of family members, to meet with Mohamed to retrieve the phone. She

said he provided various locations and arranged meetings at odd hours but failed to show up when she arrived.

The complainant also told the court that Mohamed accessed her TikTok account, logged her out, and subsequently used the account to send messages to her, repeatedly asking for a relationship. She said Mohamed questioned whether she was too young for her, and later began sending explicit photographs of his genital area using the stolen phone.

Gorden said the constant messaging became unbearable and disrespectful.

She told the court that she even asked Mohamed to return at least the SIM card and memory card, explaining that important personal data was stored on them.

Although Mohamed initially claimed he would return the items, he allegedly failed to do so. She further alleged that Mohamed later told her he had sold the phone and attempted to offer the SIM and memory cards instead.

The complainant stated that the harassment continued until November, despite a report being made to the police. She told the court that she was ultimately forced to assist law enforcement by providing Mohamed’s location, which led to his arrest.

In her ruling, Magistrate McGusty denied bail, citing concerns that Mohamed may abscond if released.

The Magistrate also noted that there may be additional offences arising from the accused’s alleged conduct and instructed the prosecution to investigate whether similar complaints exist against him.

The matter was adjourned to January 28.

A weight restriction has been imposed on the High Street, Kingston, Georgetown bridge

T

he Public Works Ministry has announced a weight restriction on the High Street, Kingston, Georgetown bridge, effective immediately, after signs of structural settlement were observed.

According to the Ministry, the bridge located near Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) headquarters has experienced significant sinking

over the past few months, attributed to the passage of heavy trucks and the ageing condition of the structure.

A 10-tonne weight limit has now been enforced, and truck operators exceeding this limit are advised to use alternative routes to prevent further damage.

Officials noted that the bridge will eventually require reconstruction.

However, the timing of

the works will be carefully planned to minimise disruptions, given the bridge’s critical location and its importance to road users.

The Ministry also urged motorists and trucking companies to cooperate with the restriction, emphasising that compliance is necessary to ensure public safety and prevent further deterioration of the bridge.

12 NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

One Communications appoints new CEO …meets with PM on telecoms development

New Chief Executive Officer of One Communications, Abraham Smith, along with Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Tele-Network (ATN) International, Brad Martin; Deputy Chief Executive Officer Richard Stanton and Legal Counsel Kadeem Davis meeting with Prime Minister Mark Phillips on Wednesday

O

ne Communications has announced the appointment of Abraham Smith as its new Chief Executive Officer, a move that comes as Guyana’s telecommunications sector continues to expand alongside broader national growth.

In a statement on Wednesday, the company said Smith brings more than 20 years of senior lead-

ership experience across the Caribbean and Latin America, including recent service at the CEO level in one of the region’s largest markets. His appointment places him at the helm of both One Communications’ residential services and Brava, the company’s business arm.

Chairman of One Communications, Brad

Martin, said the company views reliable and modern connectivity as essential during Guyana’s current phase of development. He noted that Smith’s leadership experience and understanding of the responsibilities associated with telecommunications management were key factors in the appointment. Martin added that the company ex-

New CEO of One Communications, Abraham Smith

pects Smith to strengthen One Communications’ position as a partner in Guyana’s development.

As CEO, Smith will be responsible for improving customer experience across residential and commercial services, strengthening network resilience, and expanding partnerships with enterprise clients.

The appointment coin-

cided with a meeting between executives of One Communications and Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips at the Office of the Prime Minister on Camp Street, Georgetown. The engagement brought together senior representatives from the company’s local and parent operations.

The delegation included Martin, who is also Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Tele-Network (ATN) International; Smith; Deputy Chief Executive Officer Richard Stanton;

and Legal Counsel Kadeem Davis.

According to a release from the Office of the Prime Minister, discussions focused on the state of Guyana’s telecommunications sector, including regulatory frameworks, network development, and opportunities for continued investment and collaboration.

The Prime Minister was joined by the acting director of the Telecommunications Agency, Chrissamny Christmah, during the discussions.

18 new schools to be commissioned by the end of 1st quarter

T

he Education Ministry has announced that 18 new schools across several regions are slated to be commissioned by the end of the first quarter of 2026 as part of the Government’s efforts to expand the quality of education across Guyana.

According to a post made on the Ministry’s Facebook page on Wednesday, the Education Minister, Sonia Parag, said that the commissioning process for these schools is already underway, marking a significant step towards strengthening the country’s educational infrastructure and the improvement of educational facilities to provide the best learning environment for students of all levels.

The schools include nursery, primary and secondary institutions and are spread across the span of regions One (Barima-Waini); Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara); Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni); Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo); and Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

In an interview conducted on December 30, 2025, the President, Dr Irfaan Ali, stated that the Government is currently investing to have universal secondary education in the hinterland region, where there was lim-

ited access to the same. He also expressed that the primary education opportunities had developed from having limited access to now having 100 per cent access.

“We started from the hinterland, having absolutely limited access to primary education [and] no access to secondary education, to [now] having 100 per cent access to primary and almost 100 per cent access to secondary education,” the President had said.

Among the schools listed for commissioning are Hosororo Secondary and Kwebana Secondary in Region One, several nursery and primary schools in Regions Six and Nine, and new secondary institutions in Regions Eight, Nine and Ten. The Ministry of Education reiterated that the development of these schools is part of a national strategy to enhance educational access, reduce overcrowding and support the holistic development of learners across Guyana.

As the commissioning process continues, the Ministry said it remains focused on fostering inclusive and sustainable education systems that meet the needs of all students across Guyana, both now and in the future.

NEWS

13

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Police deliver safety, education talks at Port Kaituma, ECD schools M

embers of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Monday and Tuesday conducted safety and education outreach sessions at schools in the Northwest District, Region One (Barima-Waini), and on the East Coast of Demerara, Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen relations with the public and promote awareness among children.

On Monday, Assistant Superintendent of Police Puran Narine, along with ranks from the Port Kaituma Police Station, delivered a lecture at the Port Kaituma Nursery and Primary Schools in the Northwest District.

The engagement focused on the role of education and personal responsibility among students.

During the session, ASP Narine highlighted the impor-

tance of education, noting that it is a key pathway to future opportunities. Students were encouraged to remain committed to their studies and to make responsible choices both at school and at home.

Several topics were addressed, including road safety, respect for others, punctuality, and maintaining orderly behaviour.

Students were also advised to ab-

stain from alcohol, reject child labour, and avoid dropping out of school. The ranks further encouraged students to report any incidents of child molestation to trusted adults such as parents or teachers.

A total of 23 teachers and 340 students were in attendance at the Port Kaituma session.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Assistant Superintendent I

Grandison, Sergeant Fraser, Sergeant Peters, and Corporal McDonald from the Mahaica Police Station conducted a general safety talk at Helena Nursery School, East Coast of Demerara.

The interactive session was aimed at instilling basic safety habits among young students, with particular emphasis on awareness of their surroundings and the proper use of roadways.

Ranks from the Mahaica Police Station conducted a general safety talk at Helena Nursery School, East Coast Demerara

Ranks from the Port Kaituma Police Station delivered a lecture at the Port Kaituma Nursery and Primary Schools in the Northwest District (GPF photos)

14 NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Scenes from Guyana Digital School’s 1st lesson (Education Ministry photos)

NEWS

15

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NA building destroyed by fire hours after demolition begins He explained that the building had been occupied by tenants up until very recently. The downstairs tenants reportedly moved out on January 4, while the upstairs occupants vacated the premises on Monday night, just hours before the fire occurred.

He noted that the upstairs tenants had initially been given until the end of the month to relocate, acknowledging the difficulty

The partially demolished building that caught fire

A

wooden and concrete building at Penitentiary Walk, New Amsterdam, was destroyed by fire shortly after 21:00h on Tuesday, just hours after the last tenants vacated the premises, as demolition works were already underway on the recently purchased property.

The blaze prompted a swift response from the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), who managed to contain the flames before they spread to neighbouring buildings. No injuries were reported, as

the structure was unoccupied at the time of the fire.

Julius DeNoberga, who recently acquired the property, said he purchased the premises in September and had begun clearing the yard, which contained two buildings.

According to DeNoberga, demolition works commenced on Tuesday, with one building already fully demolished earlier in the day. Work had also begun on the second structure, which was initially scheduled to be pushed down us-

ing an excavator that had been brought onto the property.

However, during the afternoon, workers began removing sections of the roof and boards after indicating that some of the materials were still in usable condition. As a result, the building was partially dismantled before work ceased for the day.

DeNoberga said he left the property earlier on Tuesday and was later informed of the fire while at home.

Mabaruma’s Mayor faces sexual offence charge T

he Mayor of Mabaruma, Region One (Barima-Waini), Trevi Leung, has been placed on $70,000 bail after being charged in relation to allegations of sexual misconduct and assault.

Mayor Leung appeared on Wednesday before Magistrate Clive Nurse at the Mabaruma Magistrate’s Court, where the charges were formally read to him.

Leung was charged with sexual touching, for which he was granted $50,000 bail, and common assault, for which bail was set at $20,000. The combined bail amounts to $70,000.

The matter was adjourned to February 2.

According to information presented in court, the charges stem from a complaint lodged with the Police following an incident alleged to have occurred last year. The court was told that Police ranks

Mayor of Mabaruma, Trevi Leung

had taken statements and initiated formal investigations, which resulted in the charges being laid. During the proceedings, it was also disclosed that the complainant is reportedly connected to a male individual

with whom the Mayor had a confrontation on Sunday, September 7, 2025. That aspect of the matter is expected to form part of the evidence to be ventilated before the court as the case progresses.

many people face in finding rental accommodation.

With one building already cleared and the other now empty, demolition works had begun on the vacated structure.

DeNoberga said he was not present when the fire started and could not provide any information on how the blaze originated.

He added that there had been no disputes with the tenants.

Residents in the area were alerted by smoke and flames coming from the wooden structure, which allowed the fire to spread rapidly before firefighters arrived. The building sustained extensive damage and was effectively destroyed.

Up to press time, the cause of the fire remained undetermined, and investigations by the GFS are ongoing.

16 NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

ERC names 3 as persons of interest after failed contact attempts T

he Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) has issued a public notice naming three individuals as persons of interest after repeated unsuccessful attempts to contact them in relation to cases currently before the Commission.

In a notice on its Facebook page, the ERC said that it made three or more attempts to reach the individuals regarding matters filed with the Commission

but was unable to establish contact. As a result, the body took the step of issuing a public advisory urging the individuals to come forward without delay.

The persons named are Tyrese Algernon, Rishie Mangal, and Orlando Xavier Ferreira. The Commission has requested that they immediately contact its offices to address the matters relevant to them, warning that failure to do so may result in

further action being taken.

While the ERC did not disclose details of the specific complaints or investigations involved, the Commission is constitutionally mandated to investigate allegations of ethnic discrimination and conduct that may incite racial hostility or undermine harmony among Guyana’s diverse population.

The ERC has, in recent years, increasingly relied on public notices as a means

three-level Crop Protection training programme will begin on January 26 to build knowledge and practical capacity across the food production and processing sector in Caricom, supporting safer, more effective, and more sustainable pest management practices.

In a release on Wednesday, the secretariat said that the six-week, distance-learning, self-paced theoretical training is being offered through a partnership between the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat, the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and COLEAD, a private sector not-for-profit organisation that is devoted to inclusive and sustainable agriculture. The course is designed to meet the needs of professionals such

as farm managers, horticultural producers, production managers, nursery managers, crop protection managers, packing managers, service providers, and expert trainers.

Participants will benefit from progressive learning via introductory concepts to advanced integrated pest management strategies across three levels.

According to the release, the introductory level introduces the concept of crop protection, helping learners understand key issues, categories of plant pests and diseases, and the role of chemical control within a crop protection strategy. The intermediate level deepens understanding of pest management by exploring harmful organisms, pest population dynamics, epidemiology, plant diseases, weed competition, and her-

bicide resistance, with a focus on maximising field and post-harvest yields.

The advanced level focuses on improving pest population management on farms through observation and sampling methods, intervention thresholds, integrated pest management techniques, and case-studybased strategy development.

The training programme is being held as Caricom builds capacity to achieve the goals of its food security initiative – Vision 25 x 2025 + 5. The initiative aims to reduce the region’s food import bill by 25 per cent by boosting regional agriculture, improving trade, and creating economic opportunities, focusing on priority products and climate-smart farming, supported by investments in infrastructure such as transport and storage.

Caricom launches training to strengthen regional food security A

The ERC notice

of compelling engagement when individuals fail to respond to formal correspondence or summonses. Such matters can arise from public statements, social media activity, or complaints lodged by members of the public.

In a release to the media on Monday, the ERC said that its Media Monitoring Unit recorded 717 matters during 2025 arising from

traditional media, election campaign coverage, and social media activity.

The release said that of these, 356 concerned media mentions of the Commission and were circulated for information, while 303 matters were addressed through cautionary statements aimed at discouraging divisive content.

A further 58 matters were referred to the Investigative

Unit or an Investigative Sub-Committee for more detailed review. The body noted that the most frequent issues involved racial slurs, racially prejudicial or insensitive remarks, racially hateful statements and religiously intolerant content, highlighting the ongoing importance of vigilant monitoring and timely intervention.

The release added that the Commission’s Investigative Unit continued to manage both legacy and current cases. Matters from 2022 and 2023 were largely resolved or at advanced stages, while the 2024 caseload achieved a 64 per cent resolution rate, closing or completing 28 of 44 cases. In 2025, the Unit received 98 complaints, with 53 remaining active across stages including investigation, review, legal assessment and statutory determination.

During December, 25 cases were closed, 12 were completed and others were transferred, referred, withdrawn or scheduled for conciliation. These outcomes reflect steady progress in addressing complaints while upholding principles of fairness, due process and accountability.

“Minutes” cocaine conviction

Sentencing pushed to Jan 30 as new lawyer steps in

A

Georgetown clothes vendor who was convicted of cocaine trafficking has retained a new lawyer, who intends to make submissions on a legal point before the sentence is handed down. Consequently, his sentencing has been adjourned to January 30.

Shemroy Robertson, 31, also known as “Minutes”, was found guilty by a 12-member jury in the Demerara High Court of possessing 1.156 kilogrammes (kg) of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The verdict was delivered before Justice Priscilla Chandra-Hanif.

The conviction arose from a 2016 operation conducted by the Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU).

During the operation, officers intercepted a gold Nissan Bluebird in the vicinity of Princes Street, Louisa Row, and Hadfield Street, Georgetown. Robertson, who was in the vehicle, was observed discarding a black plastic bag through the driver’s side window during the chase.

The bag was recovered

by CANU officers and contained 139 pellets filled with a whitish substance.

Forensic analysis confirmed the substance to be cocaine, weighing just over one kilogramme. Further

Shemroy “Minutes” Robertson

investigations led officers to a residence on Mandela Avenue, Georgetown, where Robertson was found hiding under a bed and was immediately arrested.

During the High Court trial, Robertson, represented initially by Attorney-atLaw Lyndon Amsterdam, denied any involvement in the offence in an unsworn statement from the dock. He claimed he had no knowledge of the drugs and was not part of any trafficking operation. However, the prosecution, led by attorneys Darin Chan and Latifah Elliot, presented detailed evidence, including the testimony of CANU officers, forensic re-

ports confirming the drugs, and accounts of Robertson’s actions during the interception. The jury unanimously rejected Robertson’s defence and returned a guilty verdict.

Robertson has prior convictions for drug-related offences. In August of this year, he was found guilty of aiding in the trafficking of 1.174 kg of cannabis. He was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and fined $30,000 by Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Vigilance Magistrates’ Courts. That conviction followed a CANU operation conducted on June 17, 2021, during which officers intercepted a minibus along Ann’s Grove Public Road, East Coast Demerara, and arrested a suspect found in possession of narcotics.

Robertson was later apprehended as part of the investigation.

The High Court continues to hear matters involving long-standing CANU investigations, many of which date back several years.

Robertson’s case highlights the prolonged legal processes associated with complex drug trafficking cases, as well as the rigorous evidence-gathering and prosecution required to secure convictions in such matters.

NEWS

17

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

KFC sales in T&T flatten due No provisions for “equivalent... to economic uncertainty – VP S ales at one of the country’s most popular fast food franchises have plateaued due to job losses and general economic uncertainty in T&T. This was confirmed by Roger Rambharose, KFC and Pizza Hut’s vice-president, when asked about the fried chicken giant’s sales in this country yesterday [Monday].

“We have seen a bit of a slowdown in the last couple of months. I think consumer spending, in light of everything that is going on – the social and political issues – persons are being a bit cautious. However, brands like KFC tend to benefit to some extent because we offer everyday value. We offer great innovations, and persons come to the brand for comfort. So we see it as an opportunity and a responsibility, at the same time that we need to provide even better value for our consumers, especially in difficult times,” said Rambharose following the launch of KFC’s Krunch-nival campaign on the Brian Lara Promenade, in front of the brand’s Independence Square branch.

Rambharose added, “Generally traffic on the whole, we have seen not a significant fall-off (compared to the prior year), but more of a flattening of traffic, obviously, (with people having) less money, a lot of uncertainty with job losses and so on.

But yes, we have seen a bit

of a flattening of the numbers year on year.”

Rambharose also disclosed the brand had no plans to close restaurants, adding that it had no plans to open any new locations either, as he confirmed the chain had struggled to manage the foreign exchange shortage in the country.

The Krunch-nival launch came just over a couple of weeks after the fast food chain put up a cryptic social media post stating it was not celebrating Carnival. The event featured a faux press conference addressing the posts and the brand’s intention to be a major part of Carnival 2026.

During the event, Rambharose also spoke about the economic challenges facing the country, noting that KFC felt it had an added responsibility given the climate.

“In 2026, it will be a year of value and innovation for the KFC brand. We know it’s going to be a tough year. We saw everything, and we have been seeing a lot has been going on. But just know KFC is here for you in good times, in bad times, and in difficult times,” he said.

Rambharose explained, “We started the hype a couple weeks ago when you saw some odd posts coming up, coming out of a KFC not celebrating Carnival. It’s all with a build-up of the launch with Destra and Yung Bredda and intertwining their brand and their vibe into the KFC,” said

Rambharose, who added that the company regularly invested heavily into Carnival and 2026 would be no different.

He said, “We are looking forward to a phenomenal Carnival 2026, in light of everything that is going on around us. Well, normally, we would spend around $500,000 easily for any Carnival-type campaign. So it could go with activations with different fetes. It is quite a significant investment.”

During the event, Rambharose also spoke about the economic challenges facing the country, noting that KFC felt it had an added responsibility given the climate.

“In 2026, it will be a year of value and innovation for the KFC brand. We know it’s going to be a tough year. We saw everything, and we have been seeing a lot has been going on. But just know KFC is here for you in good times, in bad times, and in difficult times,” he said.

KFC, along with Pizza Hut, Subway, TGI Fridays and Starbucks, falls under the umbrella of Prestige Holdings, which is still subject to a takeover bid by the Agostini group. While Agostini acquired the minimum target shares to complete the takeover in September, the offer has been extended numerous times due to the inability to secure regulatory approvals in the absence of a board of the Fair Trade Commission.

(T&T Guardian)

Failure to properly vet officers resulted in serial rapists within Met ranks – review finds

S

erial rapists, including David Carrick, were left in the ranks of the Metropolitan Police because of a failure to carry out necessary vetting on thousands of officers and staff, it has been revealed.

An internal review by the force found it had lowered vetting checks into the backgrounds of prospective and existing police officers and staff between 2013 and 2023.

The Home Office said the Met estimated that more than 5000 officers and staff were recruited without the right checks. It has been unable to confirm if pre-employment checks were carried out on around 17,000 officers and staff.

The Guardian revealed last September that approximately 300 new recruits may have had substandard or no vetting. But the Met’s report found that 1400 officers who should have been flagged by vetting were left in the force with police powers.

The Met found evidence that 131 officers committed criminal or misconduct offences, ranging from rape to drug offences, hate crimes and lower-level infractions such as being intoxicated on duty.

Among those who joined or stayed in the force because of defective vetting was Cliff Mitchell, hired despite an

unproven child rape allegation and later convicted of 10 counts of rape, including three of raping a child under the age of 13. The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, commissioned HM chief inspector of constabulary to inspect the Met’s recruitment and vetting practices.

“Abandoning vetting checks on officers was a dereliction of the Met’s duty to keep London safe,” she said. “Londoners rightly expect officers to undergo robust checks so that the brightest and best – not criminals – are policing our streets.”

The defective vetting allowed some to join the Met who should not have, while others who were revetted were allowed to stay in when they should have been removed.

Most prominent among those is Carrick, one of the worst sex offenders in modern history, who in 2023 was jailed for committing 48 rapes. He used his status as a Met officer to silence victims.

Carrick joined the Met in 2001, when he first passed the force’s vetting procedure.

In 2009, he was given a gun and, despite a series of complaints against him, passed vetting again in 2017.

In all, Carrick was convicted of 85 offences, dozens of which took place after 2017, when he passed re-vet-

ting.

The report says the Met was under pressure to recruit quickly and remove hurdles to speed up the time from an applicant being accepted to being out on the streets.

The Met report said, “The scale and impact of these deviations that have been identified throughout this review have led to the recruitment and retention of individuals who should not have joined the MPS, contributing to police-perpetrated harm and public distrust.”

The report added, “It is known that the scale and impact of these deviations ranged from some being tolerable and minor in nature to those having a more substantive impact, including the recruitment and likely retention of individuals who have gone on to cause harm through criminality and misconduct – events that have undermined public confidence in the MPS.” The biggest strain on recruitment was during a programme under the last government known as police uplift, where 20,000 officers were to be recruited between 2020 and 2023 to replace officers the Conservative government had cut.

The error was noticed because the refusal rate for applicants was lower than the historical average. (Excerpted from The Guardian)

It is the similarity of the conduct “however described”, the AG emphasised.

The Mohameds are facing an 11-count indictment in the Southern District of Florida for wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering in connection with alleged financial crimes involving gold exports.

The businessmen had moved to the High Court to block the extradition proceedings, but this application was rejected by Chief Justice Navindra Singh on Monday.

As a result, the extradition hearing proceeded on Tuesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court with Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman ruling that the matter could not be paused in the absence of a formal stay from a superior court.

This was after the defence team argued that proceeding with the committal process while appeals and judicial review proceedings remain pending would expose the Mohameds to serious prejudice.

Delay tactics & deliberate misleading However, Nandlall lamented the persistent delay tactics and deliberate misleading being deployed to stall the extradition.

“I don’t think these guys ever did an extradition case in their life. And they go and lament. It doesn’t concern me whether they know the law or not. What concerns me is their contamination of the public domain with unrivalled ignorance; that is my concern. Misleading the public and bringing the adminis-

tration of justice into disrepute…”

“Nobody’s stopping them from challenging.

But the law has rules regarding its processes. And when those rules are violated and multiple proceedings are filed in relation to the same issues, the law says that after a while it amounts to an abuse of the court’s process. And the court has a duty to guard itself against such conduct,” the AG maintained.

In their court document, the Mohameds, through their lawyers, are arguing that the extradition cannot proceed because it amounts to political persecution, given that Azruddin, the head of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, is a political rival of the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

Nandlall pointed out that the father-and-son duo entered the political arena already aware that a US extradition request was imminent. In fact, the AG reasoned that if such an argument were to hold, it would open the door for any individual to avoid extradition by entering politics.

“That would be a strange state of affairs if that is a law in any country,” he emphasised.

According to the Attorney General, “They entered the political arena knowing full well that an extradition request was coming, and now they’re claiming that the Government of Guyana cannot extradite them because they are political rivals. If that is the law, it means that any person who

FROM PAGE 9

is likely to be the subject of likely extradition, all they have to do to avoid extradition is to enter into the political realm, become an opponent of the Government.

Then the Government of the day, they can be accused of bias and therefore become incapable or disqualified from extraditing.”

After being sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for involvement in significant public corruption in June 2024, in June 2025 Azruddin launched his bid as a presidential candidate for the September 2025 General and Regional Elections (GRE). The WIN party went on to win 16 seats in the National Assembly.

“The OFAC sanctions came when the Mohameds were not in politics. The Mohameds entered politics after the sanctions were imposed, and by the time they entered politics, it was already in the public domain that the Americans were likely to extradite them. They enter the political field knowing that in the heat of the political campaign both sides were criticising each other,” Nandlall noted.

Subsequently, on October 30, 2025, the US Government formally submitted an extradition request to the Government of Guyana for the Mohameds.

The Mohameds are currently in court fighting the extradition request.

The extradition hearing will continue today in the Magistrates’ Court.

18

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026

guyanatimesgy.com

Regional

J’ca: Education Ministry announces US seizes Russian-flagged several changes to CXC, national exams tanker, another tied to Venezuela

T

T

he United States (US) says it has seized two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil exports in “back-to-back” operations in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean.

US forces boarded the Russian-flagged Marinera after a pursuit lasting almost two weeks and as it travelled through the waters between Iceland and Scotland. The British Navy gave logistical support by air and sea.

A second tanker – the M/T Sophia – was accused by the US of “conducting illicit activities” and boarded in the Caribbean.

The moves come as the US seeks to choke off most exports of Venezuelan crude oil and just days after its special forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a lightning raid on his residence in Caracas.

In a post on X, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote, “The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT – anywhere in the world.”

Moscow has denounced the seizure of the tanker sailing under its flag and de-

A screengrab from the video posted on X by Pete Hegseth showing US forces boarding and exploring the vessel

manded that the US treat Russians on board properly and permit them to return to Russia quickly.

The Transport Ministry said it had given the vessel “temporary permission” to use the Russian flag, adding that no state had the right to use force against vessels

properly registered in other states’ jurisdictions.

Reports had suggested that Russia had dispatched a submarine to safeguard the vessel, but it appears that US forces were able to board the tanker without facing any resistance. (Excerpt from BBC News)

The order to replace General Marcano Tábata was issued by the new interim president, Delcy Rodríguez.

Rodríguez was sworn in by the National Assembly, which is dominated by government loyalists, on Monday.

She served as Maduro’s Vice President and is considered to be a close ally of the jailed leader.

US President Donald Trump said in the news conference following Maduro’s seizure that the US would “run” Venezuela and that it was talking to Rodríguez.

He also threatened that Rodríguez would face a “fate worse than Maduro’s” if she did not comply with US demands, including those for

oil, of which Venezuela has the world’s largest proven reserves.

On Tuesday, the US President said that Venezuela would be “turning over” up to 50 million barrels of oil to the US, but Venezuela’s interim government has yet to comment on that statement.

Rodríguez’s tone has been alternating between defiant and conciliatory since she was designated interim President by Venezuela’s Supreme Court.

She denounced the seizure of Maduro as an “illegal kidnapping”, but has also said that her Government had “invited the US Government to work together on an agenda of cooperation”. (Excerpt from BBC News)

he Ministry of Education has announced sweeping changes to national and regional examinations for the 2025-2026 academic year, citing widespread disruption caused by Hurricane Melissa.

In a bulletin issued to schools on Wednesday, the Ministry said the Category 5 hurricane led to student and teacher displacement and extended interruptions to learning across affected communities.

At the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) level, schools that were not affected by the hurricane will sit the standard Papers One and Two, with concessions for school-based assessments (SBAs), exemption from late fees and the option to defer exams if necessary.

However, schools in the most severely affected parishes will be given the option to sit Paper 1 only, also with SBA concessions, exemption from late fees and deferral where required.

At the national level, the Grade Two Exam will be suspended until the 2026–2027

academic year, but a diagnostic tool will be provided for teachers to administer as a school-based assessment at the end of Grade Two. Likewise, the Grade Nine Achievement Test (GNAT) will be suspended for 2026, with regional education officers overseeing students’ reintegration into the formal education system.

Additionally, multiple deadline extensions for the June 2026 sitting of City & Guilds Mathematics Skills #3850, English Skills #3850 and Customer Service #8992 have been given. It said the exam dates remain the same, with registration and assessment entries extended to February 27, 2026.

Speaking and Listening (S&L) assessments have been expanded from one to three weeks and positioned as a first opportunity for candidates; S&L results submission has been extended into July 2026; a three-week S&L re-sit window has been introduced as a second opportunity; and results will be released on August 28, 2026.

Free student workbooks in mathematics and English

(stages one to three) and customer service (level one) will be distributed in hard copy to the most affected regions by the end of January. Digital versions will be shared nationwide, and virtual capacity-building sessions will also be offered to educators and students upon request.

Where necessary, an emergency November exam series will be offered in which registrations will be accepted until May 29, or as late as August 31; an S&L window will be offered as opportunity three for one week (resit or first attempt); exams are proposed for 11/12/13 November; the S&L results file upload deadline is positioned as January 15, 2027; and results will be released on February 25, 2027.

The 2025 National Vocational Qualification of Jamaica examinations has also been postponed.

In addition to the examination subsidy, students in the hardest-hit parishes will receive further fee reductions totalling $197.66 million, underwritten by the Overseas Examinations Commission.

(Jamaica Observer)

Ecuador protests Spain’s Venezuela’s interim leader sacks General in charge of Maduro’s guard release of alleged gangster

T

he General in command of Venezuela’s presidential honour guard, Javier Marcano Tábata, has been sacked days after Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was seized

by US forces in a raid in Caracas and taken to New York to stand trial on narco-terrorism charges.

The presidential honour guard is the military force which provides the bodyguards tasked with protecting the Head of State.

While the Venezuelan Government has not yet provided a detailed breakdown of casualties, members of the guard are thought to be among the dozens of people killed in the US operation to seize Maduro.

T&T sides with US as OAS grapples with Venezuela fallout

T

rinidad and Tobago (T&T) has again signalled its support for the US following a special meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organisation of American States (OAS), as regional tensions intensify over the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The OAS convened at its Washington headquarters amid growing concern about the implications of the US operation, which has raised questions about sovereignty, international law and regional stability.

Representatives from across

the hemisphere used the forum to outline sharply divergent positions on the unfolding crisis.

Speaking on behalf of Trinidad and Tobago, interim OAS representative Saschele Griffith said the country continues to value its longstanding relationships with both Venezuela and the United States, while supporting Washington’s stated efforts to combat transnational organised crime.

“Trinidad and Tobago continues to recognise the importance of collective efforts aimed at addressing

the threat posed by transnational organised crime,” Griffith said. “It is against this backdrop that we reiterate our support for the efforts led by the United States toward disrupting and dismantling transnational criminal networks that have been recognised here at the OAS and across the hemisphere as forces of instability and insecurity.”

Griffith also underscored Trinidad and Tobago’s interest in maintaining constructive relations with Caracas, despite the deteriorating diplomatic climate. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

tied to 2024 TV station attack

E

cuador’s Government on Wednesday protested a Spanish court’s release of an alleged crime boss whom Quito had been seeking to extradite after he was accused of leading a violent attack on a TV station in 2024.

William Joffre Alcivar Bautista, known as Commander Willy and alleged head of the criminal group Los Tiguerones, was arrested in Spain alongside his brother Alex in October 2024 on terrorism charges.

Ecuadorean authorities accuse Alcivar and his brother of orchestrating car bombings, contract killings, extortion and a live on-air raid of TC Television’s studio in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city.

Spain’s High Court authorised Alcivar’s extradition last June, provided that Ecuador guaranteed his safety in custody.

But a spokesperson for the court said on Wednesday that Alcivar had been released on December 29 because Ecuador did not provide the requested guarantees.

“This person had two extradition requests, and both were granted, but on the condition that Ecuador provide guarantees,” the court spokesperson said.

“Ecuador had a deadline to submit them and has been repeatedly asked to do so. Several warnings have

Spanish Civil Guard and National Ecuador Police Officers search premises after arresting two alleged criminal leaders of Los Tiguerones, who are believed by authorities to be involved in the storming of the TC television studio

been issued, and he has had to be released.”

Ecuador’s Interior Minister John Reimberg said on Wednesday that the Government had submitted all necessary documentation for Alcivar’s extradition.

Criticising the release of Alcivar, he said the process had faced unexplained delays and that Spain had repeatedly requested more information despite Ecuador’s provision of the documentation.

Reimberg said Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry was working to re-apprehend Alcivar

and have him returned to Ecuador. Reimberg did not specify whether Alcivar’s brother was also released.

The 2024 attack on the TV station unfolded live for about 20 minutes, as 13 masked and heavily armed men stormed the studio, forcing staff to the floor.

Police eventually rescued the hostages, and the attackers surrendered.

Following the TV station attack, Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa declared war on criminal gangs, labelling them terrorist groups. (Reuters)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026

guyanatimesgy.com

19

Around the World

Rand Paul says military OILNEWS OIL NEWS action in Greenland “won’t happen under my watch”

US says it needs to control G Venezuelan oil sales indefinitely to drive change

T

he US needs to control Venezuela’s oil sales and revenue indefinitely to stabilize that country’s economy and rebuild its oil sector, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Wednesday.

The comments reflect the importance of crude oil to President Donald Trump’s strategy in Venezuela after US forces ousted the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, in a raid on the capital Caracas on Saturday.

“We need to have that leverage and that control of those oil sales to drive the changes that simply must happen in Venezuela,” Wright said at the Goldman Sachs Energy, CleanTech & Utilities Conference in Miami.

He said the revenues would be used to stabilize Venezuela’s economy and eventually to repay oil majors Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips for losses when their assets were nationalized by former President Hugo Chavez nearly two decades ago.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) member nation sits atop the world’s largest oil reserves but accounts for only about one per cent of global supply after decades of underinvestment eroded production. (Excerpt from Reuters)

rand Old Party (GOP) Senator Rand Paul said Wednesday he opposes any US military action in Greenland as the White House says it is exploring all options for acquisition of the territory.

“It won’t happen under my watch,” Paul said on “CBS Mornings” about military action in Greenland.

“I will do everything to stop any kind of military take-

U

not seek congressional approval before launching last week’s strikes. The Senate is expected to bring up a war powers resolution again this week.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said of President Trump’s interest in Greenland that he and his team are “discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilising the US mil-

itary is always an option at the Commander-in-Chief’s disposal.”

Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. A lawmaker and a source familiar with the discussions said Secretary of State Marco Rubio told members of Congress at a briefing Tuesday that Mr Trump would buy Greenland and not take it by force. (Excerpt from CBS News)

ICE agent fatally shoots woman in Minneapolis, Mayor disputes Government claim of self-defence

A

US immigration agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in her car in Minneapolis on Wednesday amid an immigration enforcement surge, according to local and federal officials, the latest violent incident during President Donald Trump’s nationwide crack-

Zelenskyy says he does not have clear security pledge from allies

krainian President V o l o d y m y r Zelenskyy says European allies have not given him sound guarantees that they will protect his country in the case of new Russian aggression.

“I am asking this very question to all our partners, and I have not received a clear, unambiguous answer yet,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

His comments come a day after the UK and France signed a declaration of intent on deploying troops in Ukraine if a

over of Greenland.”

The Kentucky senator, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has long opposed offensive US military action overseas. He voted to advance a war powers resolution, which would have limited the president’s authority to continue a military campaign in Venezuela, but Senate Republicans blocked the measure. The Trump Administration did

peace deal to end the war with Russia is agreed.

But full security guarantees have not been agreed. The US, which has been leading efforts to end the invasion, reportedly did not sign such a pledge at talks in Paris on Tuesday.

After the Paris talks, which included some 30 countries that form the so-called Coalition of the Willing, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK and France would “establish military hubs across Ukraine”

to deter future invasion, while French President Emmanuel Macron later said thousands of troops may be deployed.

Allies proposed that the US would take the lead in monitoring a truce. But the key issue of territorial concessions that Ukraine is being asked to grant to Russia as part of the peace proposals is still being discussed.

Moscow has not yet commented on the announcement made in the French capital. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Beijing aims to highlight countries it views as model partners of President Xi Jinping’s flagship “Belt and Road” infrastructure programme and to expand export markets, particularly in young, increasingly affluent economies such as Ethiopia, where the IMF forecasts growth of 7.2 per cent this year.

China, the world’s largest bilateral lender, faces growing competition from the European Union to finance African infrastructure, as countries hit by pandemic era debt strains now seek investment over loans.

“The real litmus test for 2026 isn’t just the arriv-

al of Chinese investment but the ‘Africanisation’ of that investment. As Wang Yi visits hubs like Ethiopia and Tanzania, the conversation must move beyond just building roads to building factories,” said Judith Mwai, policy analyst at Development Reimagined, an Africa-focused consultancy.

“For African leaders, this tour is an opportunity to demand that China’s ‘small yet beautiful’ projects specifically target our industrial gaps, turning African raw materials into finished products on African soil, rather than just facilitating their exit,” she added. (Excerpt from Reuters)

A protester at the scene following the deadly shooting [Stephen Maturen/Getty Images]

down on migrants.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey adamantly rejected the Trump Administration’s assertion that the agent fired in self-defence, saying video of the shooting directly contradicted what he called the Government’s “garbage narrative”.

“They’re already trying to spin this as an action of self-defence,” a visibly-angry Frey said at a press conference. “Having seen the video myself, I want to tell every-

body directly – that is bullshit.”

Frey blamed federal immigration agents for sowing chaos in the city, telling ICE: “Get the **** out of Minneapolis.”

But he also urged residents to remain calm.

The shooting drew hundreds of protesters into the streets near the scene, some of whom were met by heavily armed federal agents wearing gas masks who fired chemical irritants.

Tricia McLaughlin,

a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a post on X that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer began firing after a “violent rioter” attempted to run over ICE officers in an “act of domestic terrorism”. The agent, the statement asserted, saved multiple lives.

“The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased,” she wrote. “The ICE officers who were hurt are expected to make full recoveries.”

Videos of the shooting posted on social media and verified by Reuters raised doubts about the Government’s account.

The Minnesota Star Tribune reported the woman’s name was Renee Nicole Good, citing her mother, who described her daughter as “extremely compassionate” and said she was not the type to confront ICE agents. Good lived with her partner in the Twin Cities, as Minneapolis and nearby St Paul are known. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Anger in Papua New Guinea China’s top diplomat tours Africa after Starlink ordered to with focus on strategic trade routes shut down Internet services

C

hina’s top diplomat began his annual New Year tour of Africa on Wednesday, focusing on strategic trade access across eastern and southern Africa as Beijing seeks to secure key shipping routes and resource supply lines.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to Ethiopia, Africa’s fastest growing large economy; Somalia, a Horn of Africa state offering access to key global shipping lanes; Tanzania, a logistics hub linking mineral rich central Africa to the Indian Ocean; and Lesotho, a small southern African economy squeezed by US trade measures. His trip this year runs until January 12.

F

rustration is growing in Papua New Guinea (PNG) weeks after the Government ordered Starlink to shut down operations in the country as businesses, health providers and communities struggle without access to internet services.

Starlink, owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is a satellite internet company that provides internet to remote places. In mid-December, the National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) ordered the company to halt operations because it was not licensed in PNG. “Starlink is currently not licensed to operate in

Papua New Guinea, and until the legal process is completed, services cannot be allowed,” NICTA’s acting chief executive, Lume Polume, said.

NICTA is now waiting on the ombudsman or the courts in PNG to issue a directive over whether it will be granted a licence. No timing has been provided on when a directive will be issued.

Telecommunications analysts have estimated that before the shutdown, Starlink terminals served thousands of people, including some entire villages or districts in remote areas in the country. The service was mostly used in rural areas where mobile networks

are unreliable or do not exist. Other satellite services are available but are often much more expensive.

Businessman and former Maprik Member of Parliament John Simon said the shutdown ignored the struggles of ordinary people and small businesses in PNG. Starlink did not respond to a request for comment.

In an email to customers, it said it wanted to provide internet in PNG once approvals were granted.

There are no official figures on how many people use Starlink in PNG, but the shutdown is causing distress for internet users across the country. (Excerpt from The Guardian)

20

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026

guyanatimesgy.com

DAILY HOROSCOPES

ARCHIE

(March 21-April 19)

Take care of business first. Leave nothing to chance or unfinished. Once your responsibilities are behind you, it will release tension and make it easier for you to choose peace and love over chaos and anger. Home improvements, redefining how you use your skills, and considering a lifestyle change will become much clearer as the day progresses.

(April 20-May 20)

Your intentions are good, and you can create opportunities if you set up meetings and pitch ideas.

Travel, getting together with old friends, or making plans that you can look forward to are favored.

Updating your look will make you feel good and attract attention from someone special. A positive change is on its way to you.

PICKLES

(May 21-June 20)

(June 21-July 22)

Take an active role in whatever you decide to do today. Explore the possibilities and execute your skills to meet demands. The people you encounter will offer insights that can be useful to you moving forward. Use your imagination and you’ll come up with something unique. Meeting new people and developing relationships are in the stars.

(July 23-Aug. 22)

Formulate new ideas, but don’t be too quick to share your thoughts. It’s best to take a wait-andsee approach and to fine-tune what you want to pursue. For now, you are best to mix and mingle, listen, draw conclusions, and formulate a plan. Take nothing for granted, fine-tune your thoughts and ideas, and wait for your turn to shine.

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

You’re sitting in an excellent position. Mix and mingle, share your ideas, and work in whatever room you enter, whether spending time with friends, colleagues, or relatives. What you discover will help you formulate a plan to get ahead. Positive change is heading your way. Embrace what life has to offer. Romance is in the stars.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Keep life simple. Don’t let your emotions take over, and your reactions put you in a precarious position. Be an observer and give yourself time to digest what’s happening. Focus more on selfimprovement instead of trying to change others or manipulate a situation. Personal improvement and taking time to relax are in your best interest.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Set your sights on something you want to achieve and get moving. Whether it’s learning something new, planning a trip, or volunteering your time or services to make a difference in something that concerns you, the people you encounter and the information you receive will spark your imagination and open interesting possibilities. Romance is favored.

PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SUDOKU

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

You’ll harbor mixed emotions if you participate in social events or volunteer your time or skills. Be a good listener and handle responsibilities promptly.

What you discover about yourself and others will change how you respond next time you are solicited or asked to do something. Emotional manipulation is apparent. Know when to say no.

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Be careful what you wish for. Emotional matters will escalate quickly if you or someone close to you isn’t open and honest about how you feel or what you want to do. Before making changes at home, do the math and make sure you can afford to complete the project. Excess is the enemy. Avoid indulgent behavior.

Do something that you find entertaining. Explore what’s available in your community or sign up for a course or class that helps you reach your full potential. Activity is the passport to better health and happiness. Wear a smile, give your all, and enjoy the benefits. Create the life you desire. Romance and self-improvement are favored.

Assess your situation at home and how you feel about your relationships with others. It’s time to rethink how you want to move forward and pursue your dreams. Tally up what it will entail and what it will cost you to put your plans in motion. Keep your plans a secret until you have everything in place.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Put yourself in the driver’s seat and head in the direction that brings you the most joy. Spending time with someone you love or signing up for an event that draws you will encourage greater contact with people you want to get to know better. Use your skills and experience to get ahead.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026

21

Brilliant Bethell pushes SCG Test to 5th day, but Australia on target for 4-1 J

acob Bethell hit a memorable maiden Test century to ensure the Ashes finale of this rather bizarre series reached a fifth day. But England’s push to set Australia a challenging fourth-innings target was stymied by familiar, baffling dismissals and an SCG surface conjuring unexpected sharp turns.

A composed Bethell, 22, defied Australia with an unbeaten 142 off 229 balls, also his maiden century in FirstClass cricket, in an innings that struck a perfect balance between attack and defence.

But he lacked support, and a nerve-jangling fourth-innings chase for Australia appears unlikely despite the surface starting to prove challenging.

England had started believing a second consecutive victory was in the works when they reached 219 for 3 in their second innings, with a lead of 36 runs, before Beau Webster turned the game on its head when he trapped Harry Brook lbw for 42. He finished with 3 for 51 from 13 overs in a big effort late in the day.

With a sharp turn evident, Webster reverted from seam to off-spin, and it did the trick, although he was

aaa

Harry Brook during his innings

aided by dreadful batting from Will Jacks, while skipper Ben Stokes, batting at number eight, was compromised by an adductor injury.

After all the debate over the future of spin bowling in Australia, compounded by the non-selection of Todd Murphy, the familiar sight of rampant turn at the SCG would have caused a lump in the throats of traditionalists.

A calamitous mix-up saw Jamie Smith run out for 26 to add to his list of wretched dismissals as Australia appeared on the brink of a convincing 4-1 series victory.

Among the possibilities for the final day of the series, with a thrilling conclusion highly unlikely, Usman

SCOREBOARD

Australia 1st Innings Travis Head lbw b Bethell 163 Jake Weatherald lbw b Stokes 21 Marnus Labuschagne c Bethell b Stokes 48 Michael Neser c †Smith b Carse 24 Steven Smith (c) c †Smith b Tongue 138 Usman Khawaja lbw b Carse 17 Alex Carey † c Bethell b Tongue 16 Cameron Green c Duckett b Carse 37 Beau Webster not out 71 Mitchell Starc b Tongue 5 Scott Boland c Brook b Jacks 0 Extras (b 4, lb 14, nb 5, w 4) 27 Total 133.5 Ov (RR: 4.23) 567 Fall of wickets: 1-57 (Jake Weatherald, 12.2 ov), 2-162 (Marnus Labuschagne, 30.6 ov), 3-234 (Michael Neser, 54.4 ov), 4-288 (Travis Head, 67.1 ov), 5-339 (Usman Khawaja, 83.4 ov), 6-366 (Alex Carey, 88.1 ov), 7-437 (Cameron Green, 106.3 ov), 8-544 (Steven Smith, 128.5 ov), 9-564 (Mitchell Starc, 132.6 ov), 10567 (Scott Boland, 133.5 ov) Bowling O-M-R-W Brydon Carse 27-2-130-3 Matthew Potts 25-1-141-0 Josh Tongue 30-0-97-3 Ben Stokes 27.4-6-95-2

Will Jacks Jacob Bethell

8.5-0-34-1 15.2-1-521

England 2nd Innings Zak Crawley lbw b Starc 1 Ben Duckett b Neser 42 Jacob Bethell not out 142 Joe Root lbw b Boland 6 Harry Brook lbw b Webster 42 Will Jacks c Green b Webster 0 Jamie Smith † run out (Weatherald/Labuschagne) 26 Ben Stokes (c) c Smith b Webster 1 Brydon Carse c Smith b Boland 16 Matthew Potts not out 0 Extras (b 9, lb 7, nb 2, w 3, pen 5) 26 Total 75 Ov (RR: 4.02) 302/8 Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Zak Crawley, 0.5 ov), 2-85 (Ben Duckett, 19.1 ov), 3-117 (Joe Root, 31.6 ov), 4-219 (Harry Brook, 51.1 ov), 5-219 (Will Jacks, 51.3 ov), 6-264 (Jamie Smith, 64.1 ov), 7-267 (Ben Stokes, 65.2 ov), 8-297 (Brydon Carse, 70.3 ov) Bowling O-M-R-W Mitchell Starc 14-2-61-1 Scott Boland 19-4-34-2 Michael Neser 16-0-55-1 Cameron Green 6-0-40-0 Beau Webster 13-1-51-3 Travis Head 4-0-25-0 Marnus Labuschagne 3-0-15-0

Khawaja might still get the chance at a fairy-tale finish to his Test career.

There was a sense that the match could finish on day four, with England facing a mountain after toiling through 133.5 overs in the field as Australia compiled 567 – the highest total of the series – with a first-innings lead of 183 runs. Their task was made even more difficult after Stokes trudged off the field early in the day’s play, and it was unknown whether he would bat.

England’s bid for a strong start to their second innings was dashed when Mitchell Starc picked up a first-over wicket for the fourth time this series when he trapped Zak Crawley lbw on one.

Crawley, who had not played a shot, unsuccessfully reviewed, and he ended a typically erratic and ultimately unfulfilling series with 273 runs from ten innings. There was the feeling that England might implode, but Bethell brought composure to the crease while Ben Duckett shaped up well as he looked to end a wretched tour on a good note.

Duckett moved to his highest score of the series and put the pressure on maligned all-rounder Cameron Green, who did respond by delivering a brute of a 141kph short delivery that cannoned into Bethell’s helmet and flew over the slips.

Just before lunch, Duckett on 38 gloved a sharp Michael Neser delivery that was dropped by Green, whose torrid time continued when he dived to his right from second slip only to spill the ball in front of Steven Smith, who had moved into a good position.

Duckett’s bid for an elusive maiden series half-century was dashed when Neser had the last laugh when he chopped onto his

stumps. Having worked so hard in the morning session, Duckett threw his head back in anguish, with England’s hopes seemingly resting on Joe Root, coming off his brilliant 160 in the first innings.

But Root was pinned down by Scott Boland, who was in the zone after lunch.

Root was unable to find fluency or manipulate the field, and his tortuous 6 off 37 balls ended when he was rapped on the pads by a Boland delivery that seamed back sharply.

Root was reluctant to review but trudged off the field disappointed when ball tracking had it hitting the top of the bail. He received a warm reception in what is likely to be his last Test match on the ground, finishing the series with exactly 400 runs, with his two centuries providing the heavy lifting.

Still trailing by 66 runs, England’s chances appeared over, but Bethell and Brook scored briskly and took advantage of an Australia attack feeling the pinch in the sunshine.

Bethell was imperious as he unfurled several exquisite cover drives while he also swatted away short balls in brutal fashion.

Bethell rolled past his highest First-Class score of 96, made against New Zealand in 2024, before facing an excruciating wait for his century. His moment arrived when he skipped down the pitch and launched Webster over wide long-on, and he celebrated in steely fashion while his teary-eyed father gave a fist pump in the terraces.

Not for the first time in the series, England were merely teased as Brook, who had played relatively calmly, lost focus and luckily edged Starc through the slips to bring up the century partnership. But he was soon pinned on the back foot

by Webster as Australia reviewed in the nick of time at the urging of wicketkeeper Alex Carey, and it proved a masterstroke.

Jacks, batting at number six following Stokes’ injury, holed out for a second-ball duck in an

awful dismissal as England’s hopes sank. Stokes’ limited movement contributed to his dismissal when he edged Webster to a giddy Smith at slip.

Smith took his 14th catch of the series when Jacob Bethell of England raises his bat to celebrate after completing a century Boland removed Brydon Carse, as England’s resistance ap- call and reached his fifth pears to have finally been half-century from just eight broken despite Bethell bat- Tests, having been pushed down by the night watcher ting through to stumps.

Earlier, Australia re- Neser to number nine.

Webster’s hopes of a sumed their first innings on maiden Test century evapo518 for 7 as they aimed to rated when Smith, who addgrind England’s flagging ated just nine runs to his overtack further into the ground. night total, fell for the sixth But England, to their credit, have risen several times in time to Josh Tongue across the series just when a capit- formats when he nicked off a ulation appeared inevitable. delivery that shaped away.

Australia’s innings was And they did so again to soon wrapped up, leaving win the opening session, a feat that appeared extreme- Webster stranded on 71, one ly unlikely when Smith and run short of his highest Test Webster scored at ease, with score.

Webster’s performance England’s woes compounded – which was made even betwhen Stokes limped off the field midway through his ter by stumps – was a notable contrast to fellow Ashes second over of the day.

Stokes had impressively debutant Matthew Potts, pushed through the entire who finished with none for series, but his battered body 141 from 25 overs. But he finally gave way in his 28th was spared the most expensive one-for by an English over of the innings. seamer after not Unlucky to be dropped being used in the ahead of the series, morning’s play.

Webster made the (ESPNcricinfo) most of his re-

Australia are in the driving seat at the moment

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026

Shamar Joseph declared fit for ICC T20 World Cup, Alzarri progressing

CWI Director, Dr Donovan Bennett

C

ricket West Indies (CWI) Director, Dr Donovan Bennett has confirmed that fast bowler Shamar Joseph is fit and ready for the upcoming International Cricket

Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup scheduled for February 7 to March 8, 2026, while fellow pacer Alzarri Joseph is progressing well in his return to full fitness.

Speaking on the Barbadian radio programme “Mason and Guest” on Tuesday evening, Dr Bennett said that Shamar Joseph has completed his bowling protocols without any issues and is showing encouraging signs ahead of the global tournament.

“The latest that I saw on Shamar Joseph is that he is fit and ready to go,” Dr Bennett said. “I saw some stats a couple of days ago when he was going through his bowling protocols, and he was bowling

pretty fast. He was in his 140s without any discomfort at all, so he is ready to go.”

Dr Bennett also provided an update on Alzarri Joseph, noting that while he was unsure of the fast bowler’s exact status on the day, his rehabilitation process has been progressing positively.

“Alzarri, I’m not sure exactly where he is at today, but I know that he has been going through his returnto-play protocol and that so far he has been hitting all the targets that are required in doing this protocol,” he said.

CWI is expected to announce its final squad for the Men’s T20 World Cup following the T20 International

CLASSIFIED ADS

Caption: Evin Lewis and Rashid Khan were teammates at St Kitts & Nevis Patriots last season

West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph

series against Afghanistan in India, which runs from January 18 to January 22.

The Men’s T20 World Cup will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, but the West Indies have not named their squad for the tournament.

Nevertheless, with key fast bowlers nearing full fitness, West Indies will be hopeful of assembling a strong squad as they prepare to compete on the world stage.

S

are always looking at ways to improve cricket across Guyana, and especially in the Demerara area. For me, the standard is very good,” he stated.

He added that competitions at all levels have been highly competitive. “Whether in the Second Division or the First Division, the cricket at that level was extremely competitive throughout,” Massiah noted.

The GCA has also focused on using its competitions to develop young talent. Massiah highlighted the progress of players such as Jonathan Van Lange, Shamar Apple, Tevin Imlach, Riyaz Latif, and Lomar Seecharan. The latter two have recently represented Guyana at various youth

levels. “I would say the competitions did very well in preparing these players at the various levels,” he said.

For 2026, Massiah outlined several key priorities for the GCA. “One of our main priorities is to work very closely with each club and their players to implement developmental programmes. We are also looking at assessing ground facilities to properly run our competitions. That has been a major challenge over the years, but it has been improving, and we are hopeful that this year all grounds in Georgetown will be available and ready for cricket,” he explained.

He also stressed the importance of sponsorship in maintaining and expanding

competitions. “Currently, we have the First-Division 50-overs competition at the semi-final and playoff stage, the Second-Division two-day competition at the semi-final and final stage, and the SecondDivision T20 competition at the semi-final and final stage. We also have some new competitions coming on stream this year.

These are some of the key priorities we are focusing on for 2026.”

In addition, the GCA is placing emphasis on the growth of women’s cricket.

“We are also looking to get our women’s competitions up and running and to find the best ways to encourage more women to come out

G

Federation (GCF) anticipates a turnout of fifty-plus children vying for the top prizes in the age categories of U-12, U-10, and U-8.

The championship will be contested separately in boys’ and girls’ categories over seven rounds in a Swiss format, with a time control of 15 minutes plus a five-second increment per move.

Chess action among the young minds

This year’s event is expected to be highly competitive, as defending champions Abel Fernandez and Kataleya Sam will not return to defend their titles, having aged out of the Under-12 competition.

In the Boys’ Championship, several junior players are tipped as strong title contenders, in-

cluding Javier Davenand, Vir Narine, Aiden Tinnie, and Arian Tinnie, among others.

The Girls’ Championship will feature capable competitors such as Saura Ruplall, Amy Ramphal, and Divya Persaud, who are expected to draw on their depth of knowledge and tournament experience.

Trophies will be awarded to the top three finishers in both the Boys’ and Girls’ Championships.

Additional trophies and medals will be presented to the top three positions in the Under-10 and Under-8 categories, for both boys and girls.

The GCF extends its sincere gratitude to ACADO Guyana for its unwavering support of junior chess.

Call: 223-7230-1

Ext 19

ASTROLOGY Professional Astrologer Priest: Swamy Muni Love & family issues, marriage & relationships, career & business guidance, remove jadoo & gives protection, he can handle any kind of problems contact +592 71-7881 private & confidential

ACCOMMODATION

ENTERTAINMENT Family Fun at Aracari Resort!

Crystal clear pool, safe kids & adult sections, D.J music every weekend. Call 264-2946-9 or visit aracariresort.com.

VACANCY General Manager, F&B Manager join Aracari Resort W.B.D. Apply now, Call 592-628-8619.

SPIRITUALITY GCA Competitions Committee Chairman Shaun Massiah

and play,” he confirmed.

Massiah’s statements reflect the GCA’s ongoing commitment to raising standards, developing young talent, and expanding opportunities for cricketers across all levels in the GCA.

GCF kicks off 2026 calendar with National U-12 Rapid Chess Championships

uyana will kick off its 2026 chess season with the National Under-12 Rapid Chess Championships sponsored under the MOO! Milk brand on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 09:30h at the new ACADO Building, Heroes Highway, Rome, East Bank Demerara.

The Guyana Chess

$5+VAT per word

Discover Aracari Hotel! Versailles.

West Bank Demerara, between Harbor & Vreed-en-Hoop. Newly renovated rooms with A/C, T.V, Restaurant, Bar, Pool, Gym. Free Parking & WiFi. Stay 7 nights, get 1 FREE! Call 264-2946-9 or visit aracariresort.com.

Massiah confident in GCA’s progress, sets priorities for 2026

haun Massiah, a key figure in Guyana’s cricket administration and Chairman of the Georgetown Cricket Association’s (GCA) Competitions Committee, has expressed optimism about the state of cricket in the association and shared plans for its further development in 2026.

Speaking on the standard of cricket run under the GCA, Massiah said that despite perceptions of low standards, significant progress has been made.

“Overall, I would rate the standard of GCA-run cricket as very good. I know many people may say the standard is low, but every year the GCA strives to make it better than the year before. We

Classified Ads

Master Vishnu Astrology Center.

Contact # +592-629-2999.

Transform your life with proven astrology & healing solutions, love, Relationship, career, Finance & Spiritual healing. Removing of Bad Energy. 100% guaranteed results, private & confidential. Call or WhatsApp: +592-629-2999.

Georgetown-Bartica, Essequibo, Guyana.

FOR SALE Lot 1262 Block V, Plantation Herstelling, East Bank Demerara Lot Size: 6,682 sq. ft. (0.1534 acres) | Dimensions: 62 ft x 107.77 ft | Main Building Upper Floor: 3 bedrooms, 2 washrooms, Living/family room, Front & rear balconies.| Ground Floor: 1 Bedroom, 2 washrooms, Fully equipped kitchen (LPG), Dining room with bar, Living/ family room, Fully equipped laundry, Front & rear balconies.

Annex Building - Upper floor: Recreation room with kitchen & washrooms | Ground floor: 1-bedroom apartment, Store room with water pressure pump, Underground reservoir & overhead tanks, Landscaped, fenced yard. Move-in ready.

Immediate occupancy.

Priced for quick sale | Call 6288619 or 615-2270 for viewing open house: Sundays, 1-3 pm

LAND FOR LEASE

Wales Public Road, W.B.D., Parcel 21 (0.467 acres) 20,342 sq. ft. Available Long term 20-25 years. Sign on property. Phone/ WhatsApp: 592-615-2270 / 592628-8619.

Wales Public Road, W.B.D., Parcel 25 (0.494 acres) 21,388 sq. ft. Available Long term 20-25 years. Sign on property. Phone/ WhatsApp: 592-615-2270 / 592628-8619.

Marcia Lee (right) receiving sponsorship from ACADO Guyana CEO Alicia DeAbreu

“Through the MOO! Milk brand, their steadfast sponsorship has been instrumental in fostering young talent over the years. Following last year’s record-breaking turnout – the largest ever for an Under-12 tournament – the GCF looks forward to welcoming even more participants this year,” the GCF stated in its media release.

Malgre Tout, W.B.D., (South of Masjid) – Lot “C” (1.347 acres) 58,675 sq. ft. Available Long term 20-25 years. Sign on property.

Phone/WhatsApp: 592-615-2270 / 592-628-8619.

Versailles, W.B.D., (South of Aracari Hotel) – Lot 167 (4.6606 acres) 203,016 sq. ft. Available Long term 20-25 years. Sign on property. Phone/WhatsApp: 592615-2270 / 592-628-8619.

WANTED Experienced Telemarketers: Work in Office Mon-Sat 9:00am – 5:30pm.

Send Resume: Spectrumimaging32@gmail.com.

Tina +592-628-8944.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

Louisiana State University signs Guyanese sprinter Keliza Smith L

ouisiana State University (LSU) Head Coach Dennis Shaver has officially announced the signing of Guyanese sprint sensation Keliza Smith to the university’s women’s track and field programme.

Hailing from West Bank Demerara, Smith arrives in Baton Rouge as a Guyanese national champion, bringing an impressive résumé built on success at both the international and collegiate levels.

She will join the Tigers this spring as a junior, adding elite speed and championship experience to an already formidable LSU

squad.

Smith makes the transition to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition following two outstanding seasons at Barton Community College, where she established herself as one of the premier sprinters in junior college athletics.

Her tenure with the Cougars was highlighted by winning the NJCAA national title in the 60 metres (m), along with an extraordinary 15 US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) First Team All-American honours – placing her among the most decorated junior

college sprinters in recent history.

The Guyanese standout brings world-class personal bests to LSU’s sprint group, including: • 60m: 7.28s • 100m: 11.37s (Guyanese National U20 Record) • 200m: 23.08s • 400m: 52.91s Beyond collegiate competition, Smith has continued to elevate Guyana’s profile on the international stage.

Most recently, she produced a breakthrough performance at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, capturing bronze in the women’s 100m with a

Van Lange aiming to stay calm, produce wins for WI U-19 team

– as squad departs Barbados for U-19 World Cup

G

uyana and West Indies youth all-rounder Jonathan Van Lange is the ultimate team man, and he is hoping to produce wins at the upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 World Cup. The tournament, co-hosted by Namibia and Zimbabwe, will run from January 15 to February 6, and the Caribbean boys departed earlier this week.

Speaking at a virtual press conference on Tuesday, the young Guyanese said he is looking forward to the challenge.

“I am looking forward to the challenge. This is my first major tournament, so I am looking forward to putting in some good performances for the team,” Van Lange said.

Speaking on his preparation, Van Lange said he did a lot of work indoors. “Due to the weather in Guyana, there haven’t been many outdoor sessions, so I have been utilising the indoor nets, so I am looking forward to the challenge.”

The well-built all-rounder describes himself as a calm customer under pressure, and that can help the team in crunch moments at

the Youth World Cup. “With both bat and ball, I’m a bit calm under pressure, so I am here to do what the team needs to give the Guyanese cricketers Shamar Apple and Jonathan Van Lange with a team the wins. We supporter ahead of their departure can go all the way; we have quality players. To Miller; Isra-el Morton; win, you have to beat everyJakeem Pollard; Aadian one, so I am not looking forRacha; Kunal Tilokani and ward to anyone,” he said.

Jonathan Van Lange The squad includes Reserves: Brendan Jewel Andrew, who also feaBoodoo, Tyriek Bryan, tured in the 2024 edition Earsinho Fontaine and and is the youngest-ever Deshawn James.

West Indies men’s player to The West Indies have feature in T20Is and ODIs. been drawn in Group D The 15-member squad alongside South Africa, also features several players Afghanistan, and Tanzania. who impressed during the All of their group match2025 regional competitions es will be played at the and international preparaHigh-Performance Oval in tory series. These include Windhoek, Namibia. the series against England Meanwhile, the team and Sri Lanka, both of which have departed Barbados for the West Indies won. the tournament “Joshua Dorne and Jewel The top three teams from Andrew played in a World each group will advance to Cup before, and they have the Super Six phase, folexperience, so we are leanlowed by the semi-finals ing on them.” on February 3 and 4, and West Indies – Joshua the final on February 6 at Dorne (Captain); Jewel the Harare Sports Club in Andrew; Shamar Apple; Zimbabwe.

Shaquan Belle; Zachary Carter; Tanez Francis; R’jai Gittens; Vitel Lawes; Micah McKenzie; Matthew

Warm-up Games: • West Indies v Ireland – January 10, Wanderers Cricket Ground, Windhoek • West Indies v Japan – January 13, United Ground, Windhoek Group Stage: • West Indies v Tanzania – January 15 at 03:30h (AST)/02:30h (JAM) • West Indies v Afghanistan – January 18 at 03:30h (AST)/02:30h (JAM) • West Indies v South Africa – January 22 at 03:30h (AST)/02:30h (JAM)

Keliza Smith showing off the LSU logo

time of 11.59 seconds (s) – marking Guyana’s first-ever podium finish at the Games.

She further demonstrated her rising potential at the Junior Pan American

Games in Paraguay, where she secured another bronze medal in the 200m, clocking 23.42s.

At LSU, Smith will join fellow Guyanese ath-

letes Malachi Austin and Athaleyha Hinckson, strengthening the Tigers’ international presence as she looks to make an immediate impact in purple and gold.

Historic milestone: South Dakota to host 3rd Round of 2026 GT Challenge de las Américas

(L - R) Luis Kumar, Franklyn Boodram, Mahendra Boodhoo and Zachary Boodram

I

n a landmark development for regional motorsport, the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC) on Wednesday announced that the South Dakota Circuit will host the third Round of the 2026 GT Challenge de las Américas championship.

Scheduled for July 11 and 12, this event marks the first time an international motor racing series outside of the now-defunct Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) will be contested on Guyanese soil.

The arrival of the GT Challenge de las Américas promises to elevate the spectacle at South Dakota to unprecedented levels. Fans can expect a grid populated by top-tier GT3 machinery, featuring the world’s premier automotive brands, including Lamborghini, Porsche, Mercedes, Audi, Ferrari, and McLaren.

The series brings with

it top Latin American drivers and elite race engineers from around the globe, turning the South Dakota Circuit into a hub of international motorsport excellence.

GMR&SC President Mahendra Boodhoo highlighted the magnitude of the occasion.

“This will be big for Guyana motor sports and sports tourism,” Boodhoo stated. “Hosting a series of this calibre places Guyana firmly on the international map, attracting not just race teams but media and fans from across the Americas.”

Bringing the series to Guyana has been a long-term strategic goal.

Negotiations began in 2023, spearheaded by a GMR&SC trio comprising President Mahendra Boodhoo, veteran racer Mark Vieira, and Executive Member Luis Kumar.

The group worked closely with Trinidadian motor-

sport stalwart Franklyn Boodram to make the logistical and organisational leap a reality.

Local fans received a preview of this high-level competition during the “Caribbean Clash of Champions” in November.

That event featured the country’s first-ever GT3 race, with Mark Vieira and Nasrudeen Mohamed Jr (Team AJM) piloting Porsche GT3 Cup cars.

Both Vieira and Team AJM are confirmed to represent the Golden Arrowhead in the upcoming July event.

Joining them will be one of the region’s most decorated drivers, Kristian Jeffrey.

The two-time CMRC Group Four Champion and 2022 Radical Caribbean Champion has acquired a new GT3 car specifically for this challenge, bolstering a formidable Guyanese line-up ready to defend home turf against the Latin American invasion.

T

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026

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

Van Lange aiming to stay calm, produce wins for WI U-19 team

Pg 23

– as squad departs Barbados for U-19 World Cup

Historic milestone: South Dakota to host 3rd Round of 2026 GT Challenge de las Américas

Pg 23 GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - marketing@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.