Guyana Times - Thursday, November 13, 2025

Guyana’s oil production hits 900,000 barrels per day

…production capacity from 8 developments expected to reach 1.7M barrels of oil by 2030

Guyana, Cerebras sign MoU to build AI data centre at Wales

Police step up school outreach with road safety, discipline lectures

Motorcyclist succumbs days after accident; drunken driver charged, granted bail

DPP discontinues charges against Azruddin Mohamed to facilitate US extradition

Teen carpenter dies days after Bath Settlement crash, best friend critical Chevron suggests Guyana’s oil reserves greater than 11B barrels

AG Nandlall slams Campbell’s NRF Amendment Bill as

“sub judice, ill-advised and inconsequential”

…warns Parliament cannot act on amendments while MP pursues same challenge in court

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister

Anil Nandlall, SC, has described the Natural Resource Fund (Amendment) Bill 2025, tabled by Opposition parliamentarian Terrence Campbell, as “sub judice, ill-advised, and inconsequential”, warning that it cannot proceed in the National Assembly while Campbell’s court case challenging the same law is still before the High Court.

Speaking during his weekly programme “Issues in the News”, Nandlall explained that Campbell, a first-time parliamentarian representing the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) in the 13th Parliament, had already filed legal proceedings on February 20, 2024, challenging the constitutionality of the Natural Resources Fund Act (2021). That case, he noted, remains pending before the High Court.

“The National Assembly cannot proceed to deal with a matter if that matter is sub judice, meaning that it is pending in the court system of our country,” Nandlall said, referencing Standing Order 41(2) of Parliament.

The Standing Order in question is Number 41 (2), which states: “Reference shall not be made to any mat-

ter which is sub judice, in such a way as might, in the opinion of the Chair, prejudice the interest of parties thereto.”

“Those standing orders provide very clearly that the National Assembly cannot proceed to deal with a matter if that matter is sub judice. That rule is one that is grounded in the separation of power doctrine. The standing orders of Parliament are structured to recognise and respect that doctrine. Once there is a matter that is occupying the court, the Parliament, as a matter of standing orders prohibit the consideration of that matter by the national assembly.”

According to the Attorney

General, Campbell’s proposed amendments to Section 16 of the Act effectively seek to achieve the same remedies he is asking the court to grant.

“In short, he is prosecuting his cause simultaneously at two different forums. In two different arms of Government,” Nandlall emphasised.

“The Constitution itself does not contemplate that, does not provide for that, and will not permit that. The court system itself would say that the process would constitute an abuse of process of the court. The same principle applies to the Parliament; you cannot prosecute your cause in both of these arms of

Government. And the standing orders in any event prohibits him from doing so.”

Nandlall contended that the APNU parliamentarian appears to have been “ill-advised” in pursuing the matter through both judicial and legislative channels.

“I don’t know if Mr Campbell is not seeking legal advice, or those advising him are ill-advising him,” he remarked. “These are established, uncontroverted principles of law and Parliamentary practice that at least one should familiarise themselves with as you are about to go into Parliament.”

The Attorney General also dismissed the proposed amendments as trivial and lacking any substantive change to the current law.

The existing section of the NRF Act reads: “All withdrawals from the Fund shall be deposited into the Consolidated Fund and shall be used only to finance – (a) national development priorities, including an initiative aimed at realising an inclusive green economy; (b) essential projects that are directly related to ameliorating the effect of a major natural disaster.”

“When I examine what Mr Campbell is seeking to

amend the Act to achieve, I come to the conclusion that the purported amendment is more stylistic. It is more a matter of form than of substance. It’s a matter of splitting hairs,” Nandlall said.

Comparing Campbell’s proposed wording to the existing provisions of Section 16(2) of the Act, he argued that both versions say virtually the same thing.

“Look at what Mr Campbell wants to add and look at the Act. And tell me if there’s any material difference,” he stated.

“Apart from the prohibition imposed by the standing order, the purported amendments themselves lack merit, and it’s almost an abuse of the Parliamentary process. And it would be insultive to any Government that this amendment is invited to review the Government’s legislation but to make no serious changes to it.”

Nandlall was unequivocal in his assessment of the bill’s merit, declaring, “This set of amendments that Campbell wants the National Assembly to consider, in my humble and respectful view, ought not to see the light of day. Because it’s abysmal and fails to meet the required standards, and it is prohibitive by the relevant standing orders.”

The Attorney General further suggested that the move highlights the inexperience of the Opposition benches in the new Parliament, describing the APNU cohort as “perhaps the most inexperienced grouping of parliamentarians since independence.” Campbell’s bill – Bill 12 of 2025 – was submitted on November 3, the same day the 13th Parliament convened. It seeks to amend provisions governing withdrawals from the fund, including how deposits to the Consolidated Fund are treated.

APNU MP Terrence Campbell

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC

BRIDGE OPENING

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, November 13 –11:55h–13:25h and Friday, November 14 – 12:50h–14:20h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Sunshine and scattered thunderstorms are expected during the day, followed by mostly clear to cloudy skies at night. Temperatures are expected to range between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 13:25h reaching a maximum height of 2.30 metres.

Low Tide: 06:55h and 19:21h reaching minimum heights of 0.95 metre and 0.91 metre.

Guyana’s oil production hits

900,000 barrels per day …production capacity from 8 developments expected to reach 1.7M barrels of oil by 2030

Guyana’s offshore oil production has reached a new milestone, with daily output hitting 900,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the Stabroek Block, according to ExxonMobil Guyana Limited and its co-venturers Hess Guyana Exploration Limited and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Petroleum Guyana Limited.

This record output follows the full ramp-up of Yellowtail, the country’s fourth offshore development, which has achieved its initial average production capacity of 250,000 bpd. Combined with strong performances from the Liza Phase 1, Liza Phase 2, and Payara projects, the operations are now producing at record levels.

“We continue to safely deliver industry-leading performance, providing the oil and gas the world still demands,” said ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge. “Guyana’s story is one of continuous achievements because of the close collaboration with the Government of Guyana, our co-venturers, suppliers, contractors, and employees. Together, we are building a world-class energy sector that is delivering significant value for the people of Guyana.”

To date, the Stabroek co-venturers have committed more than US$60 billion to develop seven Government-approved projects on the offshore block, including Uaru, Whiptail, and Hammerhead.

The Uaru and Whiptail developments – Guyana’s fifth and sixth offshore projects – are each expected to produce approximately 250,000 bpd, with start-up projected for 2026 and 2027, respectively. Hammerhead, the seventh development, is projected to add another 150,000 Bpd when production begins in 2029.

An eighth project, Longtail, is currently under regulatory review. Once approved and opera-

tional, ExxonMobil Guyana expects total production capacity to reach 1.7 million bpd by 2030 from eight developments.

These future projects are expected to broaden the production space beyond oil to include natural gas and condensate.

ExxonMobil operates the Stabroek Block with a 45 per cent stake, while Chevron, following its acquisition of Hess, holds 30 per cent, and CNOOC owns 25 per cent. Together, the consortium has driven a rapid scale-up of oil production offshore Guyana since first oil in 2019.

More projects are set to come onstream, with drilling ongoing at Block S4 offshore Guyana. On Tuesday, the Government of Guyana, through the Natural Resources Ministry, officially signed a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) for shallow-water Block S4 offshore Guyana with a consortium comprising QatarEnergy (35 per cent), TotalEnergies (40 per cent, operator), and PETRONAS (25 per cent). The award was made under the 2022 Guyana Licensing Round, the country’s first-ever bid round, marking another major milestone in Guyana’s efforts to responsibly develop its hydrocarbon resources. The PSA for this block carries a signing

bonus of US$15 million.

Block S4 spans approximately 1788 square kilometres (km), located 50 to 100 km off Guyana’s coast in water depths ranging from 30 to 100 metres.

Exploration activities will be conducted in compliance with Guyana’s regulatory standards and international best practices for environmental protection and resource management.

PSAs before the end of 2025

Further, the Ministry is aiming to finalise ongoing negotiations and sign at least two additional Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) before

the end of 2025. When asked whether the signing of the Block S4 agreement indicated that the model Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) for both shallow and deep-water blocks had been finalised and standardised, Minister Bharrat confirmed that this was indeed the case.

According to Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat, that progress also depends on the awardees’ ability to secure their signing bonus and demonstrate financial and technical capacity to execute their respective work programmes.

Editor: Tusika Martin

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Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Culture of unity from the classroom up

The launch of the Ethnic Relations Commission’s (ERC) second Harmony Club Pilot at St Gabriel’s Primary School is an important step in cultivating a generation of Guyanese who value inclusivity, respect, and coexistence. At a time when global and local societies continue to grapple with divisions rooted in ethnicity, religion, and social class, initiatives such as these serve as crucial instruments in shaping the national consciousness toward peace and tolerance.

The Harmony Club initiative, a collaboration between the ERC and the Ministry of Education, is a social investment in the country’s human capital. It seeks to guide children to understand and appreciate the essence of Guyana’s cultural diversity, instilling in them the principle that strength lies in unity. In a plural society such as Guyana’s, this message bears particular significance. The goal is to make cultural literacy and mutual respect integral parts of the educational experience, not as an afterthought but as a foundation for national development.

The ERC’s Chairman, Shaikh Moeenul Hack, underscored a simple yet powerful truth during the launch: “We are all equal and should treat each other with respect.” These words go beyond moral instruction; they highlight the fundamental philosophy behind the Commission’s mandate. Inculcating respect and equality within the school environment ensures that the next generation enters adulthood with a deeper appreciation for Guyana’s multicultural fabric. If peace, unity, and love are nurtured in the classroom, they are more likely to manifest within communities and, ultimately, across the nation.

As Deputy Chief Education Officer (Development), Volika Jaikishun, noted, initiatives like the Harmony Club have longterm benefits that transcend ethnic harmony; they also combat harmful social behaviours such as bullying and discrimination. When children are taught empathy, tolerance, and kindness from a young age, schools become safer and more inclusive spaces for all learners. These lessons, though simple in expression, have profound implications for building a more just and cohesive society.

The Headmistress of St Gabriel’s Primary, Shonnette Pompey, expressed optimism about the club’s potential to transform school culture. Her remarks reflected the understanding that mutual respect and compassion among pupils are not only desirable values but also essential to maintaining a healthy learning environment. The call for children to “treat each other with respect and compassion regardless of race, creed, or economic background” reinforces the need to bridge social divides that can, if left unchecked, harden into barriers within the broader society.

Beyond awareness, through activities, cultural exchanges, and guided discussions, students are encouraged to explore the similarities and differences that make up the Guyanese identity. Such experiential learning provides young people with the tools to think critically about diversity and their roles in maintaining harmony within their communities. Importantly, these clubs create safe spaces where difficult but necessary conversations about ethnicity, inclusion, and identity can take place constructively.

The pilot programme’s phased expansion to other schools demonstrates a careful and measured approach. By testing engagement strategies and evaluating outcomes before national rollout, the ERC and the Ministry of Education are taking a pragmatic path to ensure the initiative’s sustainability and effectiveness. This model of pilot testing and refinement also signals institutional maturity, reflecting a commitment to evidence-based policymaking.

As a constitutional body mandated to promote good relations among all ethnic groups, the ERC has a unique responsibility to lead by example. Yet, fostering harmony cannot be the Commission’s task alone. It must be viewed as a shared civic duty that calls for consistent reinforcement in schools, communities, workplaces, and institutions of governance.

Guyana’s strength lies in its diversity, a fact often celebrated but not always fully embraced. The real test of nationhood is not in the coexistence of multiple groups under one flag, but in the daily practice of unity, respect, and understanding. If the values taught in these clubs take root, they will help to define a generation that views it as a source of pride and strength.

The ERC’s Harmony Club initiative, therefore, deserves support.

from the ER

and Innovation” (Tourism Ministry photos)

Sugar industry’s recovery a national rehabilitation project

Dear Editor,

The recent comments by APNU’s Member of Parliament, Mr Vinceroy Jordan, labelling the Government’s reported 136.7 per cent growth in the sugar industry as “misleading propaganda”, reveal a troubling lack of economic and policy context. It is necessary to respond – not politically, but analytically – to restore clarity and integrity to the public discourse.

1. The context of growth and the misuse of statistics

The Government’s 2025 Mid-Year Report’s reference to a 136.7 per cent growth rate must be understood in its proper statistical and economic context. Growth is reported year-on-year relative to the corresponding period of the previous year –this is a standard practice in fiscal and sectoral reporting.

Given that 2024 was an underperforming base year, following the slow reactivation of the Rose Hall and Skeldon estates, it is both expected and legitimate that percentage growth would appear steep in relative terms. The metric reflects recovery momentum, not a declaration of a “boom”.

In simple terms, output

is rising, even if targets are still being missed. Since the PPP/C’s reopening of estates post-2020, sugar production has shown a steady upward trajectory. This is verifiable through GuySuCo’s actual production data and national accounts reporting.

2. APNU’s Record: destruction, not investment

To properly assess current outcomes, one must recall the state of collapse inherited in 2020. During the APNU+AFC Administration, four estates – Wales, Enmore, Skeldon, and Rose Hall – were shuttered, thousands of workers displaced, and key production infrastructure destroyed or sold.

Worse, no capital investment was made to modernise or diversify the industry between 2015 and 2020. Instead, the APNU Government ignored its own Commission of Inquiry (COI), which explicitly recommended against closure and called for a managed diversification strategy, including ventures into ethanol, refined sugar, and co-generation.

The COI report, funded by taxpayers, acknowledged the profound socio-economic damage such closures would

inflict – not merely on sugar workers, but on entire village economies, small businesses, transport operators, and retail ecosystems tied to estate livelihoods.

To close the industry despite that evidence was not reform – it was economic vandalism.

3. PPP/C’s capital investment and the path to structural recovery

Since 2020, the PPP/C Government has injected $24.6 billion in capital expenditure (CAPEX) into the sugar industry across factory rehabilitation, land re-cultivation, and mechanisation upgrades. This investment must be seen not as a subsidy but as a capital replacement cost – the unavoidable expense of rebuilding a gutted industry. Recommissioning mechanical harvesters, repairing boilers, dredging drainage canals, and restoring irrigation networks all carry significant capital costs.

Indeed, the drainage and irrigation systems maintained by GuySuCo extend beyond factory gates. These networks protect entire communities and agricultural regions from flooding – including rice farmers,

cash-crop producers, and residents who depend on estate-maintained waterways.

Thus, the sugar industry’s economic contribution cannot be viewed solely through a narrow profit-andloss lens. The industry generates substantial social and public goods – employment, community stability, flood protection, and regional spending power.

4. Economic profit vs accounting profit

Critics often cite GuySuCo’s accounting losses as proof of inefficiency. But accounting profit differs from economic profit. Accounting profit measures short-term financial return; economic profit captures social return on investment – the value of employment, rural consumption, and community resilience that Government-owned enterprises provide.

To this end, GuySuCo’s annual payroll circulation of approximately GY$11 billion fuels direct and indirect consumption across villages, retail sectors, and the banking system. This spending supports the multiplier effect – injecting liquidity and growth across the wider economy.

Painters

Burrowes School of Art Student Society adding the final touches to murals at the entrance of the National Exhibition Centre, setting the stage for this year’s showcase of creativity, culture, and commerce. GuyExpo 2025 will be hosted from today to November 16, 2025, themed “Transformation through Entrepreneurship

Gold sales can bring in more revenue

Dear Editor, I’ve been following Guyana’s gold production since my foray into the Mazaruni in August 1974. It’s inconceivable that over the past five years gold production has been falling at a time when the price of gold has been breaking all records! I have a nine-point plan to plug the gold loss/ smuggling haemorrhage, as follows:

1. Visit each gold camp for a week under the guise of rendering gold-recovery support to establish true production. This will be compared with declared pro-

duction.

2. Encourage the miners to declare true production. Such figures can be used to obtain a loan from the lending agencies. This will form the basis of an annual gold production certificate.

3. Stimulate the miners to declare true production/sales, as this will be the modus operandi of a possible sale or merger. The formula being: value of asset = 3 x annual sales

4. Check on workers who suddenly take a day’s leave and stay in camp. Are

they taking a laxative while in camp? Some workers have been known to swallow nuggets while diving!

5. Can the mine afford a body scanner? It can be used to scan each worker leaving the production area.

6. Ban the flight of drones over the mining areas apart from those on medical missions and forestry surveillance duties.

7. All motor vehicles must be thoroughly searched at the borders. Examination ramps must be constructed at such borders to check vehicles for false bottoms.

8. Body scanners must be installed at all borders.

9. A mining camp should be a restricted area. Entry of outsiders should be prohibited, unless by prior arrangement. By corollary, employed miners should be debarred from leaving the camp between the hours of 18:00h and 06:00h. Such a curfew should be rigorously enforced.

I'm convinced that gold sales can bring in more revenue to the exchequer than oil ever will.

Yours sincerely, Ken Seecharran

Sugar industry’s recovery a national...

When the APNU Government closed the estates, the consequences were devastating: 10,000 workers displaced, 48,000 dependents affected, and billions lost in rural GDP. That is not efficiency; that is economic contraction disguised as fiscal prudence.

5. Accountability, not propaganda

To accuse the Government of “propaganda” for reporting factual year-on-year growth figures is disingenuous. What matters is that actual production has been rising since 2021, supported by measurable replanting, factory rehabilitation, and modernisation.

Yes, GuySuCo has missed certain crop targets – but it is producing more sugar, more consistently than it did when the estates lay abandoned. Recovery is not a switch; it’s a process.

Moreover, unlike APNU’s tenure, where the industry was stripped and neglected, the PPP/C Administration has committed to a longterm industrial diversification plan, which includes consideration of a sugar refinery and renewable energy co-generation initiatives – both designed to move the industry toward higher value-added products and export competitiveness.

6. The broader socio-eco-

nomic reality

Sugar remains more than a commodity – it is a rural economic stabiliser.

GuySuCo is one of the country’s largest employers, injecting billions annually into local economies through wages and procurement.

The estates’ drainage and irrigation infrastructure are not merely operational assets; they are part of Guyana’s broader climate resilience and agricultural sustainability system. To dismantle them, as APNU did, was to dismantle environmental infrastructure as well.

When Mr Jordan speaks of “wasted billions”, he ignores the multiplier impact of those billions – the sustained employment, the economic dignity of thousands of households, and the protection of agricultural lands.

7. The way forward: measured realism

There is no denying that GuySuCo must continue to reform. Efficiency, productivity, and governance are ongoing challenges. But recovery must be judged against the condition from which the sector was rescued, not against theoretical ideals devoid of historical continuity. Guyana’s sugar industry is emerging from a period of near-total collapse. The challenge now is to con-

solidate recovery through modernisation, energy integration, and diversification – exactly the direction now under active consideration, including the proposed refinery.

The narrative of “failure” being peddled by the Opposition is neither objective nor economically literate. The facts show:

• The PPP/C Government has invested $24.6 billion in capital recovery. Production is rising, even as targets remain ambitious.

• The industry’s socio-economic role remains indispensable to rural Guyana.

The refinery proposal and diversification plans align with long-term viabil-

The COI’s own report – commissioned under APNU – warned not to close the estates.

It is easy to destroy; rebuilding takes time, vision, and capital.

The Government’s task is to rebuild value and capacity; the Opposition’s responsibility is to critique honestly and constructively – not to erase historical facts for political convenience.

The sugar industry’s recovery is neither a “boom” nor a “sham”. It is, in truth, a national rehabilitation project – one that demands realism, patience, and policy continuity.

Yours respectfully, Ministry of Agriculture

Getting back on to the rails

Dear Editor, Recently, there was an announcement by the President of Guyana that there will be the establishment of a railway system connecting the East Bank to the East Coast of Demerara. This is a welcomed initiative, in that it is a major infrastructural development that will transform the transportation system in this country, placing Guyana in that elite group of developing countries.

Now, rail transport has enormous benefits, of which I shall explain:

1. First on our list of benefits is the fact that railroad transportation eases the traffic congestion on our roads in a significant way.

2. It is a cost-effective means of transport; it is the most cost-effective form of transport; it has a lower fuel consumption than road vehicular traffic.

3. Rail transport is reliable; trains operate on fixed schedules and dedicated tracks, making them less susceptible to traffic jams and weather conditions compared to road transport.

4. Transport by rail facilitates the movement of

bulk transport, which transport by road cannot. Rail transportation moves volumes of cargo over long distances; it has the ability to move massive goods in a single journey.

5. It is the train and the rails, with no competition from other vehicular treaffic. Railroad travel offers a more relaxing and comfortable means of transportation for the general public.

6. Rail transport will, and I repeat, will cut down, if not eliminate, the wanton vehicular accidents in our transport system; rail travel is safer than road transport. The naysayers who have already labelled this venture as being unsuccessful should weigh in on the enormous benefits that will redound to the benefit of all, that is, to the Government and people of Guyana. Our country is on an upward trajectory, and one of the ways that progress is enhanced is by a modern and efficient railway system. My suggestion to the relevant authorities is to extend that railroad system to all regions of our country.

Yours respectfully, Neil Adams

Page Foundation

◄ Area

The area (A) is the measurement of space enclosed by a closed geometric figure. The area of the shape is the space covered by the figure.

If two objects have a similar shape, then it’s not necessary that the area covered by them will be equal; the area of shapes depends upon their dimensions and properties.

The table below shows the formulae to find the area for two-dimensional shapes:

Example 1:

Find the area of the circular path whose radius is 7m, given π = 3.14.

Area of a circle = π r²

A = 3.14 x 7 x 7

A = 3.14 x 49

A = 154m².

Example 2:

Materials Water

• Red cabbage leaves Colanders

• Vinegar Lemon juice

• Baking soda

• Detergent Glass jars of a similar size

Instructions

1. Cut the cabbage leaves into small pieces.

2. Boil separate cups of water, as they will be required to submerge your pieces later on.

3. Place the cabbage pieces into a bowl and pour the water into the bowl. Keep it for several minutes so that the cabbage pieces get soaked. You can also use a mixer to grind the leaves and obtain a solution.

4. If you are not using

The side length of a square plot is 5m. Find the area of a square plot.

Area of a square = a²

A = 5 x 5

A = 25m²

Example 3

Find the area of a triangle whose base is 4cm and height is 3cm.

Area of a triangle = ½ × b × h

A = ½ × 4 × 3

A = ½ × 12

A = 6cm²

Practice

1. A rectangle has a length of 8m and a width of 5m. Find its area.

2. A triangle has a base of 10cm and a height of 6cm. Find its area.

3. Find the area of a circle with a radius of 7cm. (Use π = 3.14.)

4. The length and width of a rectangle are 11.5cm and 8.8cm, respectively. Find its area.

5. If the height of a triangle is 19cm and its base length is 12cm, find the area.

6. If the length of the side of a square is 11cm, find its area.

7. A parallelogram has a base length of 16cm, and the height is 7.5cm. Find its area.

8. If the radius of a circle is 21cm, find its area. (Use π = 3.14.)

the mixture, then separate the juice from the leaves.

5. Take glass jars and place them about two inches apart. Pour every chemical (lemon juice, vinegar, detergent and soda) into each jar.

6. Now to determine whether the substance is a base or an acid, pour the cabbage juice into each jar. Here, if the mixture turns pink or red, the chemical is an acid,

and if it turns bluish-green, the chemical is usually a base. How it works:

Red cabbage indicator is a purple-coloured solution that is used to test whether a substance is acid or base. The cabbage basically contains a pigment molecule called “flavin” or “anthocyanin” that changes colour depending on the acidity of the solution. (Adapted from byjus.com)

CONTINUED FROM WEDNESDAY

By Percy Bysshe shelley

Like a Poet hidden In the light of thought, Singing hymns unbidden, Till the world is wrought To sympathy with hopes and fears it heeded not:

Like a high-born maiden In a palace-tower, Soothing her love-laden Soul in secret hour

With music sweet as love, which overflows her bower:

Like a glow-worm golden In a dell of dew, Scattering unbeholden Its aëreal hue Among the flowers and grass, which screen it from the view:

Like a rose embower'd In its own green leaves, By warm winds deflower'd, Till the scent it gives Makes faint with too much sweet those heavy-winged thieves:

Sound of vernal showers On the twinkling grass, Rain-awaken'd flowers, All that ever was Joyous, and clear, and fresh, thy music doth surpass. Teach us, Sprite or Bird, What sweet thoughts are thine: I have never heard Praise of love or wine

That panted forth a flood of rapture so divine.

Chorus Hymeneal, Or triumphal chant, Match'd with thine would be all But an empty vaunt, A thing wherein we feel there is some hidden want.

Write a story about a nostalgic memory – but your protagonist or narrator realises they’ve remembered it wrong.

Guyana, Cerebras sign MoU to build AI data centre at Wales

…partnership sets stage for Guyana's rise as regional digital innovation leader

In a bold step toward shaping the future of technology in South America and the Caribbean, the Government of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and Cerebras Systems have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to build and operate a stateof-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) data centre of up to 100 megawatts (MW) in Wales, Guyana. This transformative initiative marks a new chapter in Guyana's journey to become an AIfirst nation and the regional leader in digital innovation. Cerebras' investment will deploy its cutting-edge CS-3 AI supercomputers and infrastructure to serve international demand, as

well as position Guyana as a global destination for startups, researchers, and enterprises seeking high-performance compute capabilities in a favourable country environment. The facility will serve as the cornerstone of a thriving technology ecosystem, catalysing economic growth, job creation, and educational advancement across the country.

"This partnership is more than an AI data centre; it's a declaration of Guyana's ambition," said Guyana's President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali. "Guyana is building a future where Guyanese talent powers global innovation, where its infrastructure supports frontier technologies, and where the nation

leads the region in digital transformation."

The MOU also outlines a shared commitment to data sovereignty and protection, with forward-looking legislation to safeguard national interests in the digital age. Cerebras will further invest in upskilling Guyanese talent, launching training programmes and research initiatives, and sponsoring partnerships with international universities and internship opportunities to ensure that the benefits of this partnership are felt across every community.

"We are delighted to partner with the Government of Guyana to build this 100 MW data centre. This collaboration is a key cornerstone in our

Cerebras for Nations initiative. Guyana is leading the way in this global programme in which we help world governments build, accelerate, and scale their sovereign AI initiatives," said Andrew Feldman, CEO and co-founder of Cerebras.

Lamborghini tax evasion case

DPP discontinues

charges

The project sparked interest from other global players in AI, cloud computing, and infrastructure, with additional partnerships under discussion. The Wales Data Center, located near the Gas-to-Energy plant, will anchor the broader vi-

sion for digital prosperity, including education hubs, star-tup incubators, and advanced research centres.

"EY is thrilled to facilitate this transformative collaboration with Cerebras and the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. As a proud member of the Guyanese diaspora, I am excited to see how this ground-breaking collaboration will transform lives and inspire the next generation," says Jay Persaud, EY Global Partner and Energyto-Intelligence Leader.

As Guyana continues to diversify its economy and harness its energy resources, this partnership with Cerebras stands as a beacon of what's possible when vision meets action. (Business Wire)

against Azruddin Mohamed to facilitate US extradition

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), has discontinued charges filed against United States (US)-sanctioned and indicted businessman Azruddin Mohamed, who is currently the subject of an extradition request from the US.

This decision comes about one week after the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) confirmed that tax charges against Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed were withdrawn and discontinued due to a request from the US for their extradition.

The charges related to tax evasion following the purchase and importation of a Lamborghini were withdrawn in accordance with Article 187(1)(c) of the Constitution of Guyana.

The offences included making a false declaration to the Revenue Authority, contrary to Section 217(1) (a) of the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01, and knowingly being concerned in fraudulent evasion, contrary to Section 218(e) of the same Act.

According to the DPP, the charges were filed before the Government of Guyana received a formal extradition request from the Government of the US for Mohamed.

The statement explained that the discontinuation was made “in light of this extradition request and the hearing of the said extradition request, and taking into account all relevant legal principles, including international comity, appropriateness, and fairness to the defendant.”

The GRA had instituted criminal charges against

Mohamed in May after the Authority had received official documentation from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) showing an invoice from International Speed Consulting Inc billed on October 7, 2020 for the payment of US$695,000 for the Lamborghini. The invoice was stamped as paid. The particulars of the Lamborghini identified in the invoice were the same as Mohamed’s Lamborghini. The US$695,000 payment exceeds the US$75,300 value for the vehicle that Mohamed declared in his tax filings for the vehicle. However, it was not until May 13 that the GRA received the evidence.

Defraud US & Guyana

The Mohameds are accused of conspiring to defraud the US and Guyanese Governments between 2017 and June 11, 2024. The father-son duo is accused of using a scheme to unlawfully obtain property by trans-

mitting communications via interstate and foreign commerce in violation of US laws. According to the prosecutors, the goal was to enrich themselves and defraud the Government of Guyana by evading taxes and royalties on gold exports. They allegedly reused Guyana customs declarations and official seals on multiple shipments to make it appear that taxes and royalties had been paid when they had not. The indictment stated that Mohamed’s Enterprise would pay taxes and receive official Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Guyana Gold Board (GGB) seals for one shipment, then reuse those same seals and documents on subsequent, untaxed shipments.

The indictment further alleges that the Mohameds arranged for empty wooden boxes bearing intact GRA and GGB seals to be shipped from gold buyers in Dubai to Miami and then sent to Guyana. These box-

es were then used to export gold while falsely appearing to have cleared customs and tax obligations. US authorities allege the scheme resulted in more than US$50 million in lost taxes and royalties to the Government of Guyana.

Additional indictments detail similar conduct involving shipments of gold, emails allegedly from Nazar Mohamed requesting the sealed boxes from Miami, and exports of over 165 kilograms (kg) of gold per shipment destined for Dubai. Charges six to nine focus on mail fraud, referencing the shipment of sealed empty boxes from Dubai to Miami, while charge 10 addresses money laundering, which alleges that the Mohameds knowingly transferred funds within the US with the intent to promote unlawful activity. The other charge has to do with Azruddin Mohamed purchasing and importing a Lamborghini sports car to

Guyana in 2020. The indictment states that he directed someone to purchase the car for US$680,000, then falsify the invoice to state a value of US$75,300 to understate import taxes. The sanctioned businessman, who is also the leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, is presently before the local courts in relation to the importation of the sports vehicle and, more so, for evading more than $380 million in taxes in violation of Section 217 of the Customs Act. He has also been charged with fraudulent declaration under the same act.

Forfeiture of certain assets

The US Government is seeking forfeiture of certain assets connected to the accused. If convicted, most charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and fines of up to US$250,000, while the money laundering charge carries a fine of US$500,000 or the value of the laundered property. The indict-

ment follows sanctions imposed over a year ago by the US Government on the Mohameds, their businesses, and Permanent Secretary (PS) Mae Thomas in relation to the same allegations. The sanctions are related to the evasion of taxes on gold exports, with OFAC noting that between 2019 and 2023, Mohamed’s Enterprise omitted more than 10,000 kg of gold from import and export declarations and avoided paying more than US$50 million in duty taxes to the Government of Guyana. Since the imposition of the sanctions, the Guyana Government had suspended the licences of the Mohameds’ various businesses, highlighting that the US-sanctioned businessman is a risk and a threat to Guyana’s financial stability, sovereignty, and diplomacy. Subsequently, several Government entities and local businesses, including commercial banks, have cut ties with the Mohameds.

US-indicted Nazar Mohamed and his son, Azruddin Mohamed, leaving court on Monday

Mobil gas station bombing Prosecutor presents new evidence as suspects return to court

The four main suspects in the fatal explosion at the Mobil Gas Station in Georgetown were back before the court on Wednesday, as the terrorism case against them continued.

Appearing virtually before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty were 33-year-old Venezuelan national Daniel Alexander Ramirez Poedemo, believed to be the mastermind behind the attack, along with 44-year-old Alexander Bettencourt, 27-year-old Johnny Boodram, and 33-year-old Krystal LaCruz.

The quartet has been charged with terrorism in connection with the October 26 explosion at the Regent and King Streets gas station, which claimed the life of six-year-old Soraya Bourne and injured several others.

During Wednesday’s proceedings, Police Prosecutor Mandel Moore submitted a file of new evidence documents to the court and indicated that further disclosures would be made when the matter returns on December 3.

However, Attorney Mikel Puran, who represents Boodram, pressed the prosecution to hand over additional materials, including Police diaries and related records, which he said are critical to his client’s defence.

Puran, maintaining that Boodram was simply a taxi driver caught up in the incident, told reporters after the hearing that the requested documents would demon-

strate his client’s innocence.

According to the attorney, Boodram operates out of Region Three and frequently provides transport for Krystal LaCruz, who runs a bar in the same region. On the day of the bombing, Puran said, LaCruz hired Boodram to drive her.

ed the coordinated attack. Police have since said that between 11:00h and noon on the day of the bombing, Poedemo and his accomplices conducted surveillance at the fuel station to prepare for the attack. Later in the day, he attempted to conceal an explosive device in

into Guyana with Poedemo and assisted in carrying out parts of the plan, while Boodram, a 27-year-old taxi driver, transported some of the suspects to the gas station hours before the explosion in what authorities believe was a surveillance exercise.

The four accused, Poedemo, Bettencourt, Boodram, and LaCruz, remain on remand pending the continuation of the case.

Meanwhile, the three others, charged separately, Wayne Corriea, Ramesh Pramdeo, and Jennifer Rodriguez, are scheduled to return to the Leonora Magistrates’ Court on November 24.

Investigations have revealed that Poedemo, who reportedly entered Guyana illegally on the morning of the attack, orchestrat-

a garbage bin near the gas pumps. When stopped by an employee, he placed the device at another section of the facility and fled moments before the explosion.

CCTV footage and digital evidence, including photos of the explosive and clothing believed to have been worn during the attack, were recovered from a house in Vergenoegen, Region Three (Essequibo Island – West Demerara), where Poedemo was later arrested.

Investigators stated that Bettancourt crossed

According to investigators, Correia contacted Pramdeo to transport LaCruz and another Venezuelan from Parika to a hotel in Meten-Meer-Zorg. Pramdeo allegedly accepted payment in cash, believed to be the proceeds of raw gold worth over $600,000, and later drove Bettancourt and Poedemo to meet LaCruz. Rodriguez is accused of assisting in coordinating the group’s movements and communications before the attack.

Crystal ball…

…on oil

Remember all the talk and pontifications on “peak oil”?? That point in time when the world will reach its maximum production – based on demand, which will then both fall as the switch to renewables really kicks in. From then onwards, the lower demand would also lead to lower prices, leading to oil production making no sense when even the lowest production cost would exceed acceptable selling prices!! Thus, the largest industry on planet Earth for over a hundred years would come crashing down!! You can begin to understand why this scenario scares the living daylight out of a whole lotta big ones – the biggest!!

The body that monitors world oil production and offers projections is the International Energy Agency (IEA) – formed back in 1974 following the crisis precipitated by the launch of OPEC!! For the longest while, it has been predicting that “peak oil” would be reached this decade –2030 to be exact!! And it was for this reason some were questioning whether it was wise for us to be putting all our development eggs in one (oil) basket!!

Well, good news for us!! The IEA looked at the actual production of O&G – along with investment decisions being made across the world in exploration – versus the promises that weren’t being kept on switching to renewables and announced yesterday that global demand could grow until 2050!! So, all of us in Guyana can now not only let out a sigh of relief but should be bursting out some heartfelt hosannahs – seeing as how our oil-fuelled money spigot will continue to flow with increased gusto!! Happy days are here to stay!!

But this shouldn’t have come as a surprise to any of us – after we heard the news out of COP 30 going on in Brazil. The fact that the world ain’t gonna be meeting the 1.5 per cent cap on global temperature rise clearly means that enough cutbacks ain’t being made in oil and gas production and usage – but are actually rising!! The production charge is being led by the US – the world’s largest producer! With President Trump at the helm – not believing global warming is caused by fossil fuel usage – we can confidently predict that peak oil mightn’t even be in sight come 2050!!

In the meantime, we’ve got the best of both worlds!! As we head towards one million barrels per day of oil and beyond – not even counting in the natural gas!! – we can virtue signal to the rest of the world about our 85 per cent forest coverage that “sequesters” carbon and our energy production from renewables like water (Amaila Falls) and solar power!!

Hey!! We may even become a model for the rest of the world!!

…becomes real

A proof of the accuracy of our energy strategy is the news that a consortium of the French oil giant TotalEnergies (40 per cent), along with QatarEnergy (30 per cent) and Malaysia’s Petronas (30 per cent), has just signed a PSA with our Government for a shallow water field between 30 and 100 metres – off our coast!! That these very experienced companies would shell out a $15M bonus for a 1788-square-kilometre block – and announce a $20 million seismic exploration programme for next year – means they KNOW oil ain’t going out of style for quite a while!!

His signing is the first coming out of our very first auction back in December 2022. There had been six bidders submitting 14 offers for eight of the 14 oil blocks. In addition to the bonus, the royalty rate will be 10 per cent – five times the two per cent the PNC signed with Exxon!! The cost recovery ceiling’s also been slashed from 75 per cent to 65 per cent, with a 10 per cent corporate tax!! Profits will be split 50-50 per cent!

Whoopee!!

…on extradition

There’s an old bit of folk wisdom answering the question, “Where does an elephant sit?” – anywhere it damn well pleases!! Those who question why we’re going along with the US’ request for Sanction Man’s extradition should take note!!

Those charged for the terrorist attack

The car in which the six-year-old was an occupant when the bomb detonated

Application filed for court to strike out FGM election petition

…as AG Chambers seek already-awarded $4M in costs by Nov 14

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister

Anil Nandlall, SC, has filed a summons to strike out the election petition brought by the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) at the Court of Appeal. He is also calling on the political party to pay its $2 million court-ordered costs by November 14.

Speaking on his weekly programme “Issues in the News”, Nandlall condemned the FGM for what he described as a “series of frivolous and misconceived legal actions”, accusing the party of abusing the court’s process with baseless filings. He reminded that during earlier hearings, both his team and lawyers of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) exposed what he called the party’s “com-

Prior litigation

Before the September 1 elections, FGM – a party founded by former A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament Amanza WaltonDesir – filed legal proceedings against GECOM after the party was excluded from the ballot in Regions Seven, Eight, and Nine – regions where the party did not submit the required lists of candidates to contest. FGM was only approved by GECOM to contest seven of the 10 regions.

In his August 29 ruling, acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh noted that GECOM’s decision to exclude the party from the ballots in the three regions was consistent with constitutional principles that ensure the

plete misunderstanding” of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act.

“This is FGM – Forward Guyana Movement – because they have embroiled the Attorney General in a series of litigation,” Nandlall stated. “You would recall, days before the elections, they filed a challenge in the High Court claiming that their name was wrongly excluded from the ballot papers. That case was heard and determined by the current Acting Chief Justice, Justice Navindra Singh.”

The Attorney General recounted that during that case, he and the Attorneys representing GECOM made submissions demonstrating what he termed a “complete and utter misunderstanding” by the FGM of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act.

“I said publicly and in court that I have never seen such a misapplication and misunderstanding of clear English language,” Nandlall said. “The Judge upheld all of our submissions and dismissed the case.”

ballot access reflects parties contesting within specific constituencies. In dismissing the case, the acting Chief Justice said the applicant, Crystal Fisher, failed to prove her claims of discrimination, describing the assertion as “malicious”.

This decision was then appealed at the Court of Appeal, where it was unanimously rejected.

Acting Chancellor Justice Roxane George declared in her October 10 decision that the case had no merit, reiterating that GECOM acted lawfully in excluding the party from the ballot in the three regions. Moreover, the Chief Justice noted that the case was improperly before the court; that is, it did not arise from an election petition, and as such, the court had no jurisdiction to entertain it.

Dissatisfied with the Appeal Court’s judgement, the FGM has filed leave to appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) – Guyana’s final appellate court, and that matter comes up for arguments on December 10.

Election petition

Now, the party has filed

an election petition. Filed in the High Court on October 14 in the name of Randolph Critchlow, the election petition challenges the validity of the September 1 elections, claiming that Guyana’s electoral laws and GECOM’s en-

forcement of those laws violated citizens’ constitutional right to participate freely, fairly, and fully at any and every level of the electoral process across the country.

Nandlall previously indicated that when this matter

is thrown out by the court, he will not only file an application for costs from the litigant but also from the lawyer leading the case.

The High Court will set a date for the election petition hearing.

The Attorney General maintained that the FGM’s continued attempts to litigate election-related matters despite multiple dismissals demonstrate a “pattern of reckless disregard for judicial time and process”.

Recovering sums owed

Meanwhile, Nandlall has written FGM, reminding the party of two court-ordered costs totalling $4 million which are required to be paid by Friday, November 14.

These costs were awarded by the courts after FGM

lost its ‘ballot exclusion’ case that was filed prior to the September 1 elections.

Nandlall said decisive steps would be taken to recover the sums if FGM failed to comply with the payment order.

“Owing to the Attorney General is a million cost for the High Court action Chief Justice Navindra Singh dismisses, and another million dollars that the Court of Appeal granted, when they dismissed the appeal… In advance, we have sent out letters demanding payment in compliance with the order on or before November 14. That is $2 million to the Attorney General and $2 million to GECOM, so that’s $4 million,” Nandlall explained during his weekly “Issues in the News” programme.

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC

FGM Leader Amanza Walton-Desir in the High Court

Teen carpenter dies days after Bath Settlement crash; best friend critical

Seventeen-yearold Colwin Collis

Sealey, known as “Collo”, a young carpenter of Zeskendren, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, has died days after being critically injured in a car crash along the Bath Settlement Public Road, West Coast

Berbice.

Sealy, the only son in a family of five children, succumbed at the Georgetown Public Hospital after suffering severe head, spinal, and neck injuries sustained in the early-morning accident.

His close friend, 15-yearold Jayden Edward, of Novar Secondary School, remains in critical condition.

In an emotional interview with Guyana Times, Sealy’s sister, 22-year-old Candida Sealey, recounted the final moments she shared with her brother and the events leading up to the tragedy.

“My brother came home from work around 3:30h that afternoon. He changed his working clothes and told me, ‘Sis, I’m renting a car.’ I said, ‘Bro, you can’t rent a car because you don’t have a licence,’” Candida recalled. “Then he told me, ‘When I die, I want you to bury me in white, and don’t play no oldies song for me.’ I

told him to stop talking stupidness; I was hurrying to go to work.”

Colwin, who worked as a carpenter alongside his father, had only recently completed studies at Mahaicony Secondary School and had attended his school’s prom a few hours before the crash.

According to Candida, the teen returned home around 11:00h that night and later went out again, telling her he was just going to “line up in front by the road.” Not long after, he was seen with his friend Jayden and a rented car parked nearby.

“One of his friends said he was waiting for my brother to come home so he could drive the car. I said, ‘what car…’?” she recalled. “I was worried because I didn’t see him come home yet. My brother went out in front [their yard] and was there until around one o’clock. I came inside and fell asleep in my work clothes.”

Tragic

news

The following morning, the family received the devastating news.

“Around 6:30h, my cousin came and told us Colwyn was in an accident. We rushed to the Fort Wellington Hospital, then he was taken to Georgetown Hospital,” Candida said. “The doctor told us he had a brain injury and two fractures in his neck. He said it was fifty-fifty.”

Colwin was later trans-

ferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where his family visited him twice on Monday.

“At the four o’clock visit, we were crying, and my brother raised up and held us,” Candida recalled tearfully. “He took a deep breath. He was still alive when we left, but on our way home, we got a phone call saying he had passed away. I told the person 'no'. I said, 'When we just left him, he was alive.'”

“On Tuesday, we got a call from the hospital, and they told us to come down. I asked what happened, and they can’t tell me over the phone. When we went down, they had already covered up my brother with plastic.”

The young man, who had lost his mother 11 years ago, was described as a devoted son, brother, and friend, known for his humour, kindness, and hard-working nature.

Dead: Colwin Sealey

The car the teen was driving at the time of the accident

“We value your input”

– Housing Minister as

National Drainage Task Force engages GT residents …calls made for tougher action against dumping of construction materials into drains

The multi-agency National Drainage Task Force on Wednesday continued its series of community consultations, engaging residents of Constituency Three during a meeting at the Bel Air Primary School.

The forum brought together residents from Bel Air Gardens, Bel Air Springs, Prashad Nagar, Belvoir Court, New Haven, Bel Air Promenade, Bel Air Village, Blygezight, Campbellville Housing Scheme, and Sections L-M and A-D Campbellville. Another session was held at the Campbellville Secondary

School with residents of Lamaha Gardens, Newtown, and Campbellville.

Leading the discussions were Housing Minister Collin Croal, Minister within the Ministry Vanessa Benn, and Head of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Lionel Wordsworth.

Croal explained that the Task Force was established by President Dr Irfaan Ali to work directly with communities in Georgetown to identify drainage challenges and develop sustainable solutions. He said the consultations are part of a phased and long-term approach that will address drainage maintenance, environmental management, orderly development, parapet clearing, parking regula-

a Japanese research team, will help guide the development of strategies.

“At the end of this process, we will present recommendations to His Excellency, along with both short- and long-term action proposals. We value your input, and today is about hearing your concerns and solutions,” he added.

NDIA Chairman Lionel Wordsworth provided a technical overview of Georgetown’s drainage sys-

tions, and beautification.

“If we do not address the management of rainwater and improve the existing drainage system, our other efforts will not yield the results we want,” Croal said. He noted that studies conducted by international partners, including

tem, explaining that the city’s low-lying coastal geography makes it vulnerable to flooding, especially during heavy rainfall. He said this challenge is compounded by ageing and inadequate infrastructure, climate change effects, and

blockages caused by improper waste disposal.

Wordsworth noted that recent hydrological studies have identified several

success of the restoration efforts.

“Your presence demonstrates your commitment to being part of the solution.

bottlenecks within primary drainage channels that restrict water flow to the outfalls. The NDIA is preparing targeted interventions aimed at improving drainage efficiency and resilience.

maintenance of wastewater systems. Participants also called for stricter enforcement of regulations and stronger collaboration

While some of you have had difficult experiences, your recommendations are valuable as we move toward a more holistic approach to restoring Georgetown,” she said.

among communities to prevent clogged waterways.

Meanwhile, Minister Benn thanked residents for their participation and emphasised that community involvement is vital to the

During the interactive session, residents raised concerns about the dumping of construction materials into drains and the poor

The team was supported by representatives from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), the Sea and River Defence Department, and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission.

Head of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Lionel Wordsworth, speaking at the engagement

Housing Minister Collin Croal speaking at the consultation

Minister within the Housing Ministry, Vanessa Benn interacting with a resident

Police step up school outreach with

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) continued its educational outreach to schools across the country, with several interactive lectures held this week focusing on road safety, discipline, and positive behaviour among students.

On Wednesday, Inspector Alfred and other ranks from the Lethem Police Station,

Region Nine (Upper TakatuUpper Essequibo), visited the St Ignatius Nursery School, where they engaged pupils and teachers in a brief educational session. The discussion centred on proper behaviour and discipline in school. Inspector Alfred urged the children to respect their teachers and take their studies seriously. Pupils were also

encouraged to share their future aspirations, which they did with enthusiasm. The school engagement forms part of a series of ongoing educational initiatives within Regional Division Nine.

On Tuesday, Inspector Hilliman and Sergeant Crandon conducted a similar session at St Cuthbert’s Mission Secondary School.

Welcomed by Headmistress Winnett Samaroo, the ranks delivered a lecture addressing topics such as the 2025–2026 Road Safety Theme, road safety rules and regulations, the kerb drill, discipline, drug abuse and its effects, harassment, and peer pressure. They also discussed the launch of the “Pak Curi” Youth Group, aimed at pro-

moting positive engagement among young people. About 100 students participated in the session, asking questions and sharing views on the topics discussed.

In observance of Road Safety Month, themed “Careful Driving Saves Lives”, the Bartica Police Station’s Traffic Department, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni),

conducted two educational sessions on Tuesday also.

At St John the Baptist Primary School, Sergeant Callender and Corporal Hanoman led an interactive lecture with Grade Six pupils, focusing on topics such as pedestrian safety, the dangers of playing near roadways, and safe practices for boarding and exiting vehicles. A road

Bartica Police Station’s Traffic Department at the Agatash Primary School, Region Seven, on Tuesday

Bartica Police Station Traffic Department ranks during a road safety lecture with students of St John the Baptist Primary School on Tuesday

St Ignatius Nursery School students interacting with ranks of the Lethem Police Station during a lecture

with road safety, discipline lectures

safety role play was also held to demonstrate proper use of pedestrian crossings. Six students and one teacher were trained to serve as members of the school’s Road Safety Patrol. The ranks also handed over one stop sign and six patrol belts to the school.

The same team later visited Agatash Primary School, where Corporal Hanoman engaged Grades Five and Six pupils on similar issues. Students were advised on the importance of bright clothing at night, safe travel practices, and maintaining proper

behaviour both in and out of school. Teachers actively participated and raised questions that were addressed during the session.

Meanwhile, in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), ranks from the Traffic Education Department visited the Abram Zuil Secondary School on Monday, where they conducted a lecture attended by 673 students and 70 teachers. The session addressed a range of topics, including pedestrian safety, road accident prevention, youth crime, and peer pressure. Students were also cautioned about the dangers of drug and alcohol use, gang involvement, and travelling in overcrowded vehicles.

On Tuesday, Police ranks conducted a lecture for the students and teachers at St Cuthbert’s Mission Secondary School

Ranks of Regional Police Division No 2 Traffic Education Department, at the Abram Zuil Secondary School on Monday during an educational lecture

Motorcyclist succumbs days after accident; drunken driver charged, granted bail

Days after he was involved in an accident along the Sparendaam Public Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD), a motorcyclist has succumbed to his injuries while being treated in hospital.

The dead man has been identified as 32-year-old Steven Kumar of Block 12, Non Pareil, ECD.

Reports indicate that on the day in question, at about 2:30h, a motor car bearing registration number PAB 2495, driven by Adrian Evans, was proceeding along the roadway when

it made a right turn and collided with Kumar, who was driving motorcycle CP 5910.

Due to the impact, Kumar fell onto the roadway, sustaining multiple injuries, including lacerations and a broken right leg. He was picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was admitted.

Nevertheless, he succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday while being a patient in the Intensive Care Unit. At the time of the accident, Evans was reportedly under the influence of alcohol.

However, he was charged on Wednesday with causing death by dangerous driving and prohibited tinted glass. He appeared before Magistrate Clive Nurse at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court and was not required to plead to the causing death charge, while he pleaded not guilty to the prohibition of tinted glass.

He was granted $600,000 bail on the causing death charge and $25,000 bail on the prohibition of tinted glass charge. He will make his next court appearance on December 23, 2025.

Corentyne fisherman recovering from injuries seeks justice after car accident

Sixty-one-year-old fisherman Jagdat Bridgemohan of Third Street, Letter Kenny, Corentyne (Region Six), is now recovering from serious injuries he sustained following a road accident in October. The father of three is calling for justice as he continues to endure the physical and emotional effects of the ordeal.

Bridgemohan recalled that on the evening of October 23, 2025, he was hit by a car that had veered onto the wrong side of the road and crashed into him as he stood waiting for transportation to get home.

The incident has left him with multiple broken bones and unable to walk.

On the day of the incident, Bridgemohan said he was asked by his wife to pick up something at a nearby supermarket.

When he left the supermarket situated at Port Mourant along the Corentyne Highway, he was on the road shoulder waiting to get a vehicle to take him back home when the vehicle slammed into him without warning.

“When I stop a vehicle to go home, a car coming from the Port Mourant side come and hit me. It knock me down. After that, I didn’t know nothing; I get unconscious. When I catch myself, I in the car trunk lock down. I start to holla and then take my one foot and start to kick the car door, and somebody open the trunk, and I come out,” he recounted, still visibly shaken as he spoke from his home where he has been

recuperating.

The fisherman explained that after the accident, he was rushed to the Port Mourant Hospital but lost consciousness before he arrived and was later transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital, where he remained for several weeks. He sustained multiple injuries, including a broken leg, shoulder, jaw, and rib, in addition to severe lacerations which required sutures.

“I can’t move around to do anything for myself. I have to depend on my family for everything: bathing, eating, even turning in bed,” he said.

Bridgemohan, who has been a fisherman for over three decades, recalled that the incident not only left him physically scarred but also took away his ability to work and provide for his family.

From the age of nine, he started going to the high seas to earn a living as a fisherman. In early 2023, he stopped, but continued as a fisherman ply-

Teen carpenter

“He was very funny, kind, and always willing to help anyone,” his sister said. “He always worked for his money and didn’t depend on anybody. He loved football, and he was the best player on his team.”

Rental car

According to Sealy’s sister, the car involved in the crash had been rented without their knowledge; there were conflicting accounts about how the teen gained access to it.

“When we came out [of the hospital], the guy that rented my brother the car, his mother came,” Candida recalled. “She was like – my brother went by her and stole the car out of the yard. This is what she claimed.”

Candida explained that the woman’s son, who had reportedly rented the vehicle to Colwin, later admitted he had tried to keep the transaction from his mother.

“Her son said that he didn’t want his mother to know that he rented my brother the car because, you know, my brother is an unlicensed driver and my brother is 17 years old. He’s underage,” she said.

ing his trade by catching fish just off the beaches off the Central Corentyne Coast.

The father of three now depends entirely on relatives for his daily needs. Weeks after the crash, he says no one has been held accountable, and he has never seen or heard of the driver.

“Fishing is all I know. That is what I depend on to look after my family,” he lamented.

His wife, who has been caring for him since the accident, said the family has been struggling financially as their main source of income has been cut off. “It hard on us,” she explained.

Meanwhile, Regional Police Commander Assistant Commissioner Shivpersaud Bacchus says the Police are in the process of preparing a file on the incident which will be sent for legal advice on the way forward.

Bridgemohan says he hopes those responsible will be brought to justice soon.

dies days...

Family devastated

Colwin’s father, who raised the children alone, is said to be struggling with the loss of his only son.

“We are trying, but my father isn’t coping,” Candida admitted. “I can’t even look at his picture. We were so close; we shared everything.”

The dead teen’s father, also named Colwin Sealy, said he is struggling to come to terms with the loss of his only son, a boy he described as hard-working, kind, and full of potential.

“I really feel hurt for my son because he’s the only son I have. I work night and day to raise them children. Their mother died about 11 years ago. Today, my only son died.”

He said that despite the hardships, he shared a close and joyful relationship with his son.

“Me and he get a wonderful and happy relationship,” he said. “Me and he go and work and catch fish. Me and he playing all kinds of games. He’s a football player; he plays cricket. Me, my son and my children have a wonderful relationship.”

The elder Sealy said his son had big plans for the future.

“He told me he wanted to go to TI to learn to be an electrician,” the father explained. “He said, ‘Daddy, I want to work with you.’ I said, Okay, my son, you’re going to work with me.”

He recalled the final evening before the tragedy, filled with laughter, affection, and a father’s simple words of caution.

“When I came from work, I saw my son happy, happy. He rubbed my head and said, ‘Daddy, [he's] going out.’ I tell him to take your time and enjoy yourself,” Sealy said. Hours later, the father would be awakened by the devastating news.

“All I hear, a knock on the door. My nephew come and say my son was in an accident.”

He said the family is now left heartbroken, struggling to understand the sudden loss.

“I love my son,” Sealy said quietly. “He’s gone, and I can’t get him back.”

Up to press time on Wednesday, Police have not released a statement on the accident. However, the family is now preparing to lay the teen to rest, fulfilling his final wish to be buried in white.

Charged: Adrian Evans

Jagdat Bridgemohan is left with multiple broken bones and is unable to walk

GPS begins electronic ankle bracelet test programme in prisons

The Guyana Prison Service (GPS) has begun testing electronic ankle bracelets to improve the monitoring of inmates assigned to work inside and outside correctional facilities.

According to a Department of Public Communications (DPI) report, Director of Prisons Nicklon Elliot said that the technology has the potential to transform how the service supervises and rehabilitates inmates, particularly those involved in reintegration and skills development programmes.

“By utilising advanced technology, these devices will allow prison officers to know the exact location of an inmate and alert them quickly if they are outside the authorised zone,” Elliot explained.

The bracelets, which operate using radio frequency signals that communicate with a central monitoring station, are tamper-resistant and must be worn at all times.

Moreover, the director added that discussions will continue with the Minister of Home Affairs to expand the initiative to other key priority areas aimed at creating a meaningful impact for inmates and communities.

Similar to this program

is the installation of state-ofthe-art walk-through body and bag scanners, which will soon come on board in a bid to prevent attempts to smuggle weapons and drugs into prisons.

Elliot noted that smuggling can occur through construction works within prisons, dishonest officers, items being thrown over fences, and visitors concealing prohibited goods.

In addition to the scan-

ners, body cameras will be introduced to improve transparency and accountability.

AI-powered surveillance systems will also be installed, supported by a central command centre overseeing all prison operations.

Searches will be intensified at various levels, and the prison service will continue to collaborate with the Police, CANU, and intelligence agencies to reduce contraband in prisons.

Tourism Ministry launches Rupununi Ranchers Rodeo 2026

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Susan Rodrigues on Wednesday officially launched the Rupununi Ranchers Rodeo 2026 in Georgetown under the theme “Wild & Bold, Rupununi Stories Unfold”.

The launch was for the first time held in the capital and highlighted the cultural, sporting, and economic significance of the popular event, which draws thousands of visitors to the Rupununi each year.

Minister Rodrigues emphasised the rodeo’s role in showcasing Guyana’s heritage, boosting tourism, and creating opportunities for local businesses, accommo-

dation providers, and communities. She also noted that the Ministry’s new seat on the Rodeo Committee reinforces the Government’s commitment to strengthening partnerships and promoting the event nationally and internationally.

Chairman of the Rupununi Livestock Producers Association, Kyle Joseph, in his remarks, highlighted the dedication of ranchers and cowboys for nearly 60 years and spoke about the rodeo’s ability to unite communities while putting the Rupununi on the map as a unique tourism destination.

On its Facebook page, the Ministry of Tourism,

Industry and Commerce noted that through initiatives like the National Tourism Awareness Campaign, the Ministry continues to ensure that every visitor experience reflects the warmth, authenticity, and hospitality of the Rupununi, positioning the Rodeo as not only a cultural celebration but also a driver of economic growth for Region Nine and Guyana.

The Rupununi Ranchers Rodeo is to be held at the Triple R Rodeo Ground, Lethem, from April 3–5, 2026, promising another year of exciting displays of skill, culture, and community pride.

Chevron suggests Guyana’s oil reserves greater than 11B barrels

Chevron said on Wednesday it expects that a prolific oilfield in Guyana could hold more than the current estimate of 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent in recoverable resources.

"When you think about 11 billion barrels, big fields getting bigger, although we haven't forecast it, I would expect upside," Chevron Vice Chairman Mark Nelson said at the company's investor day in New York City.

Chevron gained a 30 per cent stake in the Stabroek Block in Guyana earlier this year when it acquired Hess after prevailing in a lengthy legal dispute with Exxon Mobil, which operates the block with a 45 per cent interest. Chinese firm CNOOC holds the remaining 25 per cent.

Chevron's investor day event provided financial guidance through 2030, incorporating Hess, and included a presentation slide showing production capacity growth over time in Guyana. Nelson said there was room for more exploration in Guyana and that Chevron was eager to help.

"There's some deeper reservoirs to test, and we look forward to working with the

partner to do that," he said. In September, during a Barclays conference, Exxon Senior Vice President Jack Williams said 11 billion barrels was the "best number" the company had for an estimate of the resource, while more exploration would continue.

Separately, Exxon said on Wednesday that daily oil production at Stabroek had reached 900,000 barrels a day. The company eventually expects to have a total output of 1.7 million barrels per day from eight developments in the country.

"Everything that we have shared today reflects the operator's view," Chevron's Nelson said, referring to Exxon. "That's what a good partner would do." (Reuters)

An ankle monitor being installed on an inmate (DPI photo)

Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Susan Rodrigues speaks at the launch, which was held for the first time in Georgetown

“I was determined

that I had to become something in life” – UG graduand

The path to graduation is often difficult, marked by late nights and gruelling exams. But for Maria Blucher, who is set to receive her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Guyana later this month, that path wasn’t just difficult; it was forged through fire, grief, and the weight of community stigma.

Maria is the second eldest of five siblings, and she is the first in her family to earn a university degree. Her story isn’t about inherent privilege or a network of guidance; it’s about a stubborn, self-made resolve born in the challenging communities of Agricola and Albouystown. “I feel super proud of myself to know where I came from…it is like magic; I can’t believe it,” Maria says as she reflects on a life that demanded resilience almost from the start.

Maria’s earliest struggles were defined by loss and instability. She spent her early years with her mother in a rental home in Agricola, a community often unfairly defined by negative stereotypes, a stigma Maria was aware of. During her primary school years, tragedy struck. “We lived in a rental home in Agricola, and we lost our home in a fire. That was a very difficult time for

us. My mom started over from scratch. All we had was the clothing on our backs that night.” The family re located to Albouystown, an other community grappling with social challenges, only to face more hardship when their new rental place was severely affected by flood ing. Three years later, while Maria was still a child, her mother passed away.

“That was a very devas tating time for me as a child,” she recalled. Along with her other siblings, Maria moved in with their paternal grand mother, Wendy Blucher, a pensioner who had to raise them under severe financial strain. While her father of fered support when he could, the household was stretched thin. Despite the bleak land scape, a quiet determination began to form within Maria. She recognised that without positive role models to guide her education, she had to become one.

“I was determined that I had to become something in life; I had to set the example for my younger siblings. I said I will go to school; I will not leave school; I will not get pregnant.” The traditional safety net of strong financial and academic guidance was simply not there. The motivation for her relentless drive came from a more personal and painful

“I got the drive when my mom died. What drove me is I know people say ‘when mother dead, family done.' My mother was a vendor, selling drinks in front of Demico. I would help her sell, and when she died, I said I did not want that for me.” Her initial goal was just to complete CXC, get a good job, and secure stability. University wasn’t even a consideration until a friend, a UG graduate, stepped in and encouraged her. Suddenly, she began desiring to work in the sci-

Thailand extradites gambling kingpin She Zhijiang to China

Wanted gambling kingpin She Zhijiang is being extradited to China from Bangkok on Wednesday, Thai police said, after a Thai court earlier this week upheld an order that followed a legal battle lasting more than three years.

She Zhijiang, 43, a Chinese national who also holds a Cambodian passport, was arrested by Thai police in August 2022 on an international warrant and an Interpol red notice re-

quested by Beijing, which accused him of running illegal online gambling operations.

A Thai criminal court ordered his extradition in May 2024, and another court upheld the decision on Monday after an appeal by She’s legal team.

“The Chinese have asked for this suspect, which is a high priority for China,” Police Lieutenant General Jirabhop Bhuridej, an assistant commissioner-general, told reporters.

She will be extradited to China to stand trial for operating illegal casinos and gambling websites, as well as using Myanmar as a base for these illegal operations and to launder money, a Thai police statement said on Wednesday.

China, which has dispatched a plane to pick She up at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, also expressed its gratitude to the Thai authorities for their handling of the case.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

derstanding aunt, Laurel Duncan, who lives in the US and who agreed to support her with finances to rewrite CXC and to write CAPE, she moved closer to relatives to cut transportation costs, studied relentlessly, and rewrote the exams. Even when the initial results showed another failure, she was not deterred. She demanded a

“The results of the review came back and showed I passed. Oh my God, I jumped for joy,” she recalled. Acceptance into the University of Guyana was a triumph, but the battle for the degree had only just begun. The transition from the secondary school system to UG was a brutal shock, especially while juggling a demanding job at a call centre.

tually settling on dentistry. After writing eight subjects at CXC and passing five, she was rejected from the CAPE programme to pursue Science subjects at St Stanislaus College because she had only passed Biology, failing Chemistry and Physics, but was accepted to do two units of CAPEPure and Applied Math. "My world was shattered at the time," she recalled, having been so excited about her dentistry plan.

She refused to be defeated. With the help of an un-

“First year of UG was very, very difficult for me. I wanted to drop out. Jumping from CXC level to UG level was really a hard transition,” she noted. Maria struggled with core academic requirements she had never been taught in secondary school, such as plagiarism and proper referencing. She failed a course, missing assignments because she hadn’t grasped the seriousness of university-level deadlines.

But her Christian faith became her anchor. She

eventually left her call centre job and transitioned into teaching with the support of her partner. But the challenges continued as she fought to complete labs and exams while working. Ultimately, she persevered, driven by a self-imposed promise to not just graduate but to excel with her Bachelor of Science. Today, Maria is a teacher at Diamond Secondary School, pursuing a path that will see her continue in the education field before potentially revisiting her dream of becoming a dentist.

“It does not matter where you come from; as long as you have a passion and you want to pursue it, go ahead,” she said. Her advice, hardened by years of struggle, is simple and powerful. “No community can define you. University does not decline your application because of where you are from. You determine where you want to end up.” Maria is living proof that self-determination can change the narrative, turning the ashes of loss into the triumph of academic achievement.

(Feature by the Department of Events, Conferences and Communication (DECC), Office of the Vice-Chancellor, University of Guyana)

Chinese businessman She Zhijiang (second right) is escorted by Royal Thai Police out of the Suvarnabhumi Airport Police Station in Bangkok on November 12, 2025, before being extradited to China

GGGI, NAREI collaborate to address ecosystem resilience, restoration

– as Coastal Resilience and Mangrove Restoration Project pilots green-grey infrastructure

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), in collaboration with Guyana’s National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), in a bid to advance the Coastal Resilience and Mangrove Restoration Project, funded by the Korea Forest Service (KFS), held a series of activities aimed at addressing coastal ecosystem resilience and restoration.

According to the GGGI, the technical team conducted a field visit to the project site situated in the predominantly agriculture-based Dantzig community, which has previously suffered severe sea flooding and breaches, leaving sections of the shoreline highly vulnerable.

The project, GGGI noted, aims to address these challenges by piloting

green-grey infrastructure, combining engineered structures with nature-based solutions to strengthen coastal resilience. This integrated solution supports mangrove ecosystem restoration, promotes sustainable livelihoods, and contributes to long-term climate adaptation.

Haskoning, Deltares, and their local partner SRKN’gineering & Associates are in the process of developing preliminary designs for the green-grey structure. During a validation workshop, the engineering team presented these designs and consulted with key stakeholders to identify the most suitable and cost-efficient green-grey solution for implementation.

By supporting Guyana’s Mangrove Management Action

Plan (2022–2032) and Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, the initiative will help the country advance its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

Through data-driven design and cross-sector coordination, the efforts will enhance integrated coastal zone management capacity and promote innovation and youth participation in nature-based solutions to drive green growth and climate action.

In partnership with the University of Guyana (UG), a public lecture was held to promote and build awareness of coastal protection strategies that apply science-driven approaches, integrating both nature-based and engineering solutions to strengthen resilience.

Students, researchers, and practitioners participated in the session, which explored the evolving role of green-grey infrastructure in coastal defence.

Presenters from GGGI Guyana, NAREI, Haskoning, and Conservation International Guyana highlighted scientific innovations, data-driven planning, and the importance of cultivating a new generation of professionals dedicated to resilience and environmental stewardship.

Sea flooding and breaches

The US$3M Coastal Resilience and Mangrove Restoration project seeks to improve the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities and mangrove ecosystems. It also seeks to manage systems to mitigate flood-

ing, enhance urban resilience, and manage the mangrove ecosystem.

The area being looked at covers six miles along the coast and 500 metres outwards from the shoreline to the ocean.

Project Manager for the Coastal Resilient Project, Hangoo Lee, had pointed out last year that the longterm goal is to get an assessment report for the mangrove and develop a business model guideline for mangrove ecosystem service.

It will also upgrade Guyana’s mangrove information system for integrated mangrove data management while at the same time, providing training for a data management system.

Lee had said then that the project will be running for a decade and

hopes to get the silt to build up along the foreshore, when it will be possible to start replanting mangroves there. He explained that currently mangroves cannot be planted along the Dantzig foreshore because the mud has been washed away after the 2019 & 2020 sea defence breaches.

NAREI’s Programme Coordinator, Keen Mosley, had said back then that NAREI has been working from the mangrove end to implement what is called the Green Grey Infrastructure approach, while some 500 metres of a timber breakwater were expected to be completed in 2023-2024 in Dantzig to help in what is called the grey aspect, which is focused on using conventional engineering.

ERC's 2nd Harmony Club pilot extends to St Gabriel’s Primary

The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) on Wednesday launched its second Harmony Club Pilot at St Gabriel’s Primary School, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, to promote greater ethnic and religious respect, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence, in keeping with its mandate.

According to the ERC, as part of its national initiative to foster understanding of Guyana’s cultural diversity and shared national identity, the event, which was held in the reading room of St Gabriel’s Primary School, followed the successful first launch at Stella Maris Primary School in October.

Chairman of the ERC, Shaikh Moeenul Hack, during the launch of the Harmony Club reminded the

students about the oneness of humanity and urged them to learn more about the cultures of all the ethnic groups residing in Guyana.

“We are all equal and should treat each other with respect,” he advised, while noting that if peace, love and unity exist within the school, then it will be the same outside the learning institution, as the pupils inculcate the values taught in the harmony club.

Deputy Chief Education Officer (Development), Volika Jaikishun, who was also at the launch, pledged her ministry’s continued support and noted the long-term benefits of the harmony club initiative in tackling negative issues, including bullying in schools.

“So, you will spread the word, demonstrating love, peace and uni-

ty wherever you go,” she told the young audience.

Headmistress of St Gabriel’s Primary, Shonnette Pompey, in providing remarks on behalf of the school, expressed gratitude to the ERC for working with their school to launch the Harmony Club.

“I know that this club will be beneficial to us teachers and our pupils. We would like every child to treat each other with respect and compassion regardless of race, creed or economic background. Our pupils must know to live in kindness, love, give a helping hand and kind words, creating a happier and a more peaceful environment,” she noted.

The ERC said that Harmony Clubs are designed to provide a safe and structured environment for pu-

pils to learn about, appreciate, and celebrate the diverse cultures that make up the Guyanese population.

The clubs are envisioned as safe and inclusive spaces where students can learn and openly discuss topics related to ethnic diversity, national identity, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence.

Through guided activities, games, cultural exchanges and interactive sessions, students will be encouraged to appreciate similarities, celebrate differences and work collaboratively.

The pilot programme is slated to be rolled out next at St Ambrose Primary, North Georgetown Secondary, and Comenius Primary. These schools will serve as the initial testing ground for the

club structure, engagement activities, and student-driven initiatives. Feedback and outcomes from the pilot phase will inform how the programme will be expanded to schools across all regions in Guyana.

The ERC expressed its gratitude to the Education Ministry, school administrators, teachers, and parents.

Teacher Associations and students for their support and enthusiasm towards this initiative.

As a constitutional body mandated to promote harmony and good relations among all ethnic groups, the Commission remains committed to ensuring that every Guyanese child grows in an environment of mutual respect and shared national pride, the ERC stated.

A technical team conducts a field visit to the project site (Photos: GGGI)

In partnership with UG, a public lecture was held to promote and build awareness of coastal protection strategies

ERC Chairman Shaikh Moeenul Hack with students of St Gabriel's Primary during the launch

A St Gabriel's teacher and student paste “Harmony Words” on a tree cut-out in one of the club’s launch activities

St Gabriel's headmistress Shonnette Pompey presents a package of tokens to a student at the event

Jamaica: 5661 kg of food condemned after Hurricane Melissa

Venezuela launches massive drills as largest US warship USS Gerald R Ford arrives in Region

The Jamaica Public Health Department has condemned 5,661 kg of food in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa which has left several south-western parishes with little or no electricity since it impacted Jamaica on October 28.

The food was ordered destroyed after 5,052 food handling establishments were assessed, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton disclosed in Parliament on Tuesday.

Tufton, in a ministerial statement, gave an update on the damage to the health sector and the Government’s response.

“Large farms and food processing farms were visited and continued to be monitored to ensure that unsafe food is precluded from the country’s food supply chain and to prevent the outbreak of food-borne diseases,” said Tufton.

He assured that “safety interventions will be strengthened in the coming weeks as greater access is gained into the communities that were marooned and unreachable”.

For his part, Opposition spokesman on health Dr Alfred Dawes, while stressing that the country must stand united in its response, warned that vigilance must be maintained to prevent the outbreak of disease.

Tufton told the House that the health ministry has so far received no unusual reports of outbreak of diseases in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. He said surveillance teams within the public health system have been actively monitoring health trends, with special attention to water-borne and vector-borne illnesses that often emerge after such weather events.

“The ministry continues to urge citizens to practise proper hygiene, use safe water sources, and to promptly report any symptoms of illness to the nearest health facility,” he encouraged.

Tufton also shared that a rapid infrastructure assessment has revealed that there has been extensive damage to the health infrastructure across the island. He said the ministry’s response will cover three phases; the first be-

ing the relief phase that involves the reinstatement of health services, the saving of lives, and the prevention of diseases. Phase one will occur over three months, while phase two of the programme has the objective of re-establishing all health services to pre-hurricane levels.

“Phase three is our reconstruction phase, where we build back better,” Tufton said before displaying a map which showed that the areas managed by the Southern Regional Health Authority, Northern Regional Health Authority and Western Regional Health Authority bore the brunt of Melissa’s fury.

These regions cover the parishes St Elizabeth, Clarendon, Manchester, St James, Hanover, Westmoreland, St Ann, and Trelawny. (Source: Jamaica Observer)

Indigenous activists storm COP30 climate summit

in Brazil, demanding action

Hundreds of people have joined an Indigenous-led protest on the second day of the UN climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belem, highlighting tensions with the Brazilian government’s claim that the meeting is open to Indigenous voices.

Dozens of Indigenous protesters forced their way into the 30th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) on Tuesday evening after hundreds of people participated in a march to the venue.

“We can’t eat money,” said Gilmar, an Indigenous leader from the Tupinamba community near the lower reaches of the Tapajos River in Brazil, who uses only one name, referring to the emphasis on climate finance at many of the meetings during the ongoing summit.

“We want our lands free from agribusiness, oil exploration, illegal miners and illegal loggers.”

A spokesperson from the UN, which is responsible for security inside the venue, said in a statement that “a group of protesters breached security barriers at the main entrance to the

COP, causing minor injuries to two security staff, and minor damage to the venue”.

Indigenous participants taking part in rolling protests in and around the climate change meeting say that more needs to be done, both by Lula’s left-leaning government at home and around the world.

The statement also called for Indigenous territories to be excluded from mining and other activities, including “in particular, the Amazon, Congo, and Borneo-MekongSoutheast Asia basins”.

Country delegates returned Wednesday to ne-

gotiating actions, policies and financing for tackling climate change with an air of calm.

The reopening had been slightly delayed for repairs to damage at the entrance from the previous night's clash. (Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters)

The government of Venezuela has ordered a full-scale military readiness exercise with 200,000 armed troops deployed, just as the United States’ USS Gerald R Ford the largest aircraft carrier and warship ever constructed—entered Caribbean waters.

Yesterday, the US Navy officially announced the arrival of the USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) and its entire strike group to the area of responsibility of the Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM).

The Ford is moving with over 4,000 sailors and dozens of tactical aircraft on board. The next-generation carrier can launch and recover aircraft simultaneously, day and night.

It was stated that the operation was ordered by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth “to support the presidential directive to dismantle transnational criminal organisations and combat narcoterrorism in defence of US territory.”

The Pentagon said the enhanced presence of US forces in the Southern Command area will increase the ability to “detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that threaten the security and prosperity of the United States and the

Western Hemisphere. These forces will strengthen existing operations to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle transnational criminal organisations.”

The strike group will reinforce joint forces already deployed in the region, including the USS Iwo Jima’s amphibious group and its expeditionary Marine unit. The group includes the guided-missile destroyers USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan, and the integrated air and missile defence command ship USS Winston S Churchill.

The announcement of the Ford’s arrival in the region sparked an immediate reaction from Venezuela and injected fresh tension into the Caribbean security landscape, raising fears of a potential confrontation between the United States and Venezuela.

On Tuesday day, Venezuela’s Defence Minister

Padrino López announced that the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) were implementing the higher phase of Plan Independence 200, a national mobilisation exercise aimed at enhancing command, control, and communication across all military branches. Venezuela began largescale military drills yesterday, deploying 200,000 troops with sophisticated equipment including fighter jets, tanks, and missiles.

The operation, ordered by President Nicolás Maduro, began at 4 am Tuesday and was expected to run until yesterday (Wednesday).

Last week, US President Donald Trump said he was doubtful about going to war with Venezuela; however, he had previously indicated the possibility of ground operations and strikes.

(Source: Trinidad & Tobago Guardian)

At least 37 dead, 26 survivors after bus plunges into ravine in Peru

At least 37 dead, 26 survivors after bus plunges into ravine in Peru

A double-decker bus carrying approximately 60 passengers and traveling towards Arequipa, Peru on the Pan-American Highway South, in the early hours of Wednesday, November 12, plunged into a ravine at least 200 meters deep, very close to the Ocoña River.

The regional health manager of Arequipa, Walther Oporto, confirmed that 37 people died and many were injured. The victims were taken to the nearest health centers, while the most seriously injured were evacuated to the city of Arequipa.

The Regional Government of Arequipa, through the Regional Health Management and the Camaná-Caravelí Health Network, reports 26 injured people so far.

According to preliminary information, the accident occurred after a head-

at the crash site conducting rescue operations

on collision between the bus and a white pickup truck, causing the interprovincial bus to plunge off the road. Firefighters from the Camaná fire station, highway patrol officers, and local residents have been working on rescue efforts at the scene since early morning.

The head of the Arequipa police region, General Olger Benavides, reported that the driver of the pickup truck that collided with Llamosas' bus tested positive for alcohol in the qualitative test.

The results of the quantitative test are pending to determine the exact level. He was identified as Henry Bandi Rey Apaclla Ñaupari (35), who is currently hospitalized in Camaná with multiple injuries and under police custody. The same PNP officer reported that, so far, in joint work with the Prosecutor's Office, 29 bodies have been recovered, a number that may increase depending on the ongoing investigations.

(Excerpt from La República)

Antigua Police Officer stabbed after intervening in altercation

Antigua police are investigating an incident in which a police officer and another man were injured during an altercation on Lower All Saints Road. Reports indicate that around 9:35 p.m. on Tuesday,

a member of the Police Force was in the vicinity of Sammy’s Supermarket when he observed two men involved in a fight.

The officer intervened, and during the process, one of the men reportedly used

a broken glass bottle to stab him on the right side of his face.

In defence to the attack, the officer discharged his service firearm and shot his attacker. Both men were subsequently transported by

ambulance to the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, where they were treated for injuries that were later deemed non-life-threatening. The matter remains under active investigation. (Excerpt from Antigua News Room)

Vladimir

The USS Gerald R Ford Sailors assigned to USS Gerald R Ford and Carrier Air Wing are now assigned to the enhanced counternarcotics mission in the Caribbean (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nolan Pennington) (TWZ)

An aerial view of a section of Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital, which was extensively damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday, October 28 (Photo: JIS)

Authorities remain

An Indigenous demonstrator is held by a staff member as protesters force their way into the venue hosting the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), in Belem, Brazil, on Tuesday

OIL NEWS

Oil prices fall as oversupply concerns overshadow US Government reopening

Oil prices fell more than US$2 on Wednesday, weighed down by an Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies (OPEC+) report saying global oil supply will match demand in 2026, marking a further shift from its earlier projections of a supply deficit.

Brent crude futures fell US$2.15, or 3.3 per cent, to US$63.01 a barrel by 10:11h CST (1611 GMT) after gaining 1.7 per cent on Tuesday. US West Texas Intermediate crude was down US$2.07, or 3.39 per cent, at US$58.97 a barrel, after climbing 1.5 per cent in the previous session.

The OPEC+ noted that world oil supply would match demand next year due to the wider OPEC+ group's production increases – a shift from its earlier projections of a supply deficit in 2026.

"The prospect that the market is in balance is definitely what drove down prices," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst with Price Futures Group. "I think the market wants to believe it's balanced. I think the market took OPEC more seriously than IEA."

The International Energy Agency, meanwhile, forecast in its annual World Energy Outlook on Wednesday that oil and gas demand could continue to grow until 2050.

The projection was a departure from the IEA's previous expectation that global oil demand would peak this decade, as the international body moved away from a forecasting method based on climate pledges back to one that takes into account only existing policies. (Excerpt from Reuters)

19 bodies, black box recovered after Turkish army plane crash in Georgia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that 19 bodies of the 20 soldiers on board a Turkish C-130 military cargo plane that crashed in Georgia had been recovered, along with the aircraft’s flight recorder.

The Turkish leader gave the update on the recovery efforts on Wednesday at a meeting of provincial heads of his governing Justice and Development (AK) Party in Ankara, the Anadolu news agency reported, hours after Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defence confirmed that all 20 soldiers on board the plane had died.

“Ongoing work at the crash site is being closely monitored, and all necessary investigations will be done meticulously to clarify every aspect of the incident,” Erdogan said, adding that search efforts were continuing to locate the remaining victim’s body.

The Ministry said a

Turkish accident investigation team, in coordination with Georgian authorities, had begun inspecting the wreckage at the crash site in the Sighnaghi municipality of Georgia’s Kakheti district early on Wednesday.

The crash, Türkiye’s deadliest military incident since 2020, happened about five kilometres from the Georgia-Azerbaijan border on Tuesday after the aircraft took off from the Azerbaijani city of Ganja.

“Our heroic comradesin-arms were martyred,” Defence Minister Yasar Guler said in a social media post with photographs of the soldiers in their uniforms.

The wreckage was spread across a plain that includes farmland and is surrounded by hills, Turkish private broadcaster NTV reported from the crash site, with debris scattered across multiple locations. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Around the

Russia “ready” to help Venezuelan military

Russia is "ready" to help Venezuela as the US beefs up its military presence near the South American nation, Russia's foreign minister said.

Caracas and Moscow signed a strategic partnership in May. The Kremlin is "ready to fully act within the framework of the obligations that were mutually stipulated in this agreement with our Venezuelan friends," Sergey Lavrov said in comments reported by Russian state media on Tuesday.

Russia and Venezuela have long-standing diplomatic, economic and military ties stretching back to Venezuela's former leader, Hugo Chávez. A factory to pump out Kalashnikov munitions opened in Venezuela in July, and a Russian cargo aircraft, sanctioned by the US and known for transporting defence equipment to Venezuela, landed in the

country late last month, according to flight records.

The overwhelming show of force – augmented by the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, arriving in waters close to Venezuela along with three warships on Tuesday –has raised questions about whether US President Donald Trump hopes to topple Venezuela's authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro. Caracas has loudly protested

the gathering of US military forces close to its coastline, at once appealing for peace and insisting Venezuela is ready to respond to any American attack.

The agreement between Caracas and Moscow hasn't yet come into force but is "getting close" Lavrov said. The leaders of both countries have ratified the strategic partnership.

"Now it is at the final stage of ratification [by the Russian

Legislature]," Lavrov said, Tass reported. "It states the need to continue our security cooperation, including military-technical cooperation."

Venezuela has not requested military assistance or that Russian weapons be deployed in the country, Lavrov said. But a senior Russian official suggested this month that Russia could furnish Venezuela with its experimental Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, which Moscow debuted to the world in a strike on central Ukraine a year ago.

"We supply the country with virtually the entire range of weapons, from small arms to aircraft," said Alexei Zhuravlev, who sits on the defence committee of Russia's state Duma, the lower parliamentary house.

"The Americans could be in for some surprises," Zhuravlev said. (Source: Newsweek)

Jeffrey Epstein said Trump "knew about the girls" in 2019 email

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday released emails exchanged between Jeffrey Epstein and others about President Trump.

Among the documents is a 2011 message from Epstein to Ghislaine Maxwell, his longtime associate, that said Mr Trump "spent hours at my house" with one of Epstein's victims, whose name is redacted. In another email in 2019 to author Michael Wolff, Epstein wrote, "Of course he knew about the girls, as he asked Ghislaine to stop."

Maxwell was convicted of conspiring in Epstein's sex trafficking ring and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Wolff has written several books about Mr Trump. House Democrats said the emails were turned over by Epstein's estate, which they said released more than 23,000 documents that law-

makers are now reviewing.

The full Oversight Committee also released more than 20,000 pages of records from Epstein's estate Wednesday and claimed Democrats "cherry-pick" from the material "to

generate clickbait". The latest batch includes emails, records from court proceedings, transcripts from depositions, press clippings and other material. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Democrats of selectively leaking emails to "create a fake narrative" to harm Mr Trump. She said the unnamed victim in the emails is the late Virginia Giuffre, who met Epstein in the summer of 2000, just before she turned 17, while working at the spa at Mar-a-Lago, Mr Trump's South Florida club. Mr Trump has previously said he cut ties with Epstein years ago, and he has not been accused of wrongdoing. (Excerpt from CBS News)

Deal to end longest Government shutdown in history clears Congress

Deal to end longest Government shutdown in history clears Congress

A deal to end the longest Government shutdown in US history cleared Congress on Wednesday, after the House of Representatives voted to restart disrupted food assistance, pay hundreds of thousands of federal workers and revive a hobbled air-traffic control system.

The Republican-controlled

chamber passed the package by a vote of 222-209, with President Donald Trump's support largely keeping his party together in the face of vehement opposition from House Democrats, who are angry that a long standoff launched by their Senate colleagues failed to secure a deal to extend federal health insurance subsidies.

The bill has already passed the Senate and the White House said Trump will sign it

into law later on Wednesday, ending the shutdown.

It would extend funding through January 30, leaving the federal Government on a path to keep adding about $1.8 trillion a year to its $38 trillion in debt.

Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill, who last week was elected as New Jersey's next governor, spoke against the funding bill in her last speech on the US House floor before she resigns

from Congress next week, encouraging her colleagues to stand up to Trump's administration.

"To my colleagues: Do not let this body become a ceremonial red stamp from an Administration that takes food away from children and rips away healthcare," Sherrill said.

"To the country: Stand strong. As we say in the Navy, don't give up the ship." (Excerpt from Reuters)

Dire warnings over aid, hunger following RSF’s capture of Sudanese city

There are grave fears for civilians who survived the capture of El Fasher by a Sudanese paramilitary group last month, as the United Nations (UN) warned relief operations were on the brink of collapse and an aid group said malnutrition in displacement camps had reached “staggering” levels.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured El Fasher –the capital of North Darfur

state and the last urban centre outside of its grasp in the wider Darfur region –on October 26. Survivor accounts and video and satellite evidence suggest more than 1500 persons were killed in ethnically targeted massacres in the immediate aftermath.

The International Organization for Migration (ION), a UN agency, said the humanitarian situation in North Darfur had deteriorated in recent weeks. “Despite

the rising need, humanitarian operations are now on the brink of collapse,” the IOM said in a statement.

“Warehouses are nearly empty, aid convoys face significant insecurity, and access restrictions continue to prevent the delivery of sufficient aid.”

Amy Pope, the IOM director general, said, “Our teams are responding, but insecurity and depleted supplies mean we are only reaching a frac-

tion of those in need. Without safe access and urgent funding, humanitarian operations risk grinding to a halt at the very moment communities need support the most.”

The IOM said nearly 90,000 persons had left El Fasher and surrounding villages in recent weeks, undertaking a perilous journey through unsafe routes where they have no access to food, water or medical assistance.

(Excerpt from The Guardian)

(From left to right) Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell at a party for Epstein's 50th birthday at his Palm Beach mansion in 2000

Debris litters the crash site of a Turkish military cargo plane in Georgia's Sighnaghi municipality, close to the Azerbaijani border

SUDOKU

Mixed emotions can be costly. Review contracts, sharpen your negotiation skills and prepare to move forward with strength and confidence. Take control and responsibility for your future.

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Think twice before you share your thoughts or plans. Not everyone in the room will agree with you. Put a foolproof plan in place before you reveal what you plan to pursue.

Refrain from taking risks to avoid illness or injury. Maintain a safe environment at home and protect yourself and your possessions from environmental hazards.

Research to get valid facts. An emotional plea will get results and generate both negative and positive responses. Focus more on self-improvement instead of criticizing others.

Pay attention to detail, send out your resume and update your skills to fit current job opportunities. A chance to explore different ways to earn a living looks promising.

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Maintain focus and put one foot in front of the other. How you use your insight and imagination will determine what's next. Take the path that leads to what makes you happiest.

Eden Gardens conditions could weaponise India, SA quicks

When you're about to play a Test match on an Indian pitch, the question to ask the curator isn't if it will turn but when. Spin, at most venues, is a given.

This is probably true of Eden Gardens too, where both India and South Africa are likely to line up with threespinner attacks during the first Test that starts on Friday.

But from all pre-match indications, and the even, straw-coloured look it wore two days before the match, this Kolkata pitch looks like one that will only really start turning on day three or thereabouts, and possibly later given the mild weather the city is experiencing. All signs point to a classic Eden Gardens surface with the potential for big first-innings totals, which will mean a lot of work not just for the spinners but the fast bowlers too.

"I think, just from the early looks at the wicket, it looks like a good wicket that should spin later," India Assistant Coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on Wednesday. "So yes, it's not just going to be about the spin.

"Importantly, the batters as well, they have to bat really well on the first few days when batting should be slightly easier, and of course, both teams have got quality sets of fast bowlers. So I guess the challenge for both teams is the combinations we go in with.

"But certainly, we are going to be relying a lot on our seamers to make early inroads in the first couple of days. And I guess that's what you want

northwest. There could be early moisture in the first sessions, from the pitch perspiring under the covers. Reverse swing is a possibility, given the practice pitches on the outfield and their roughening effect on the ball.

And history suggests that Eden Gardens is probably India's most pace-friendly venue. Among all the Indian grounds that have hosted at least five Tests since the start of 2010, it has the best fastbowling average (27.44, with Bengaluru next-best at 30.04) and strike rate (47.1, with Bengaluru, once again, nextbest at 53.6). And fast bowlers have taken 19.14 wickets per Test here, which is significantly better than Mohali's 13.80 in second place.

Now these figures are skewed by three outlier tests. In 2016, a newly re-laid surface offered India and New Zealand both seam movement and uneven bounce. In 2017,

combined 85 wickets.

The Eden Gardens pitch of 2025 looks nothing like those pitches and will certainly not play in a similar way. But fast bowlers could still come into play, given how often they've made a telling impact even on normal Kolkata pitches. Umesh Yadav, playing just his second Test match, was India's most successful bowler with seven wickets in the 2011 Test against the West Indies. In 2012, James Anderson and Steven Finn bowled matchshaping spells of reverse swing in both innings in a historic England win. In 2013, Mohammed Shami made an eye-catching debut on his home ground, picking up match figures of 9 for 118 against the West Indies.

"I think everybody talks about spin in India, but on both sides they've got world-class fast bowlers," South Africa

Head Coach Shukri Conrad said. "And again, if history is

the spinners and then the batting match-ups. It's certainly a mouth-watering contest, and if you're a fan of cricket, I know what you're going to be doing [over the next few days]. So there are so many exciting battles to look forward to, and you've got to earn the right to get to the spin by taking care of the fast bowlers properly." Take care of the fast bowlers before you get to spin. If any team knows this about India tours, it's South Africa, whom India whitewashed 3-0 on flat pitches that called for bowlers of all kinds to get through a lot of work. And that result came down, perhaps even more than India's spin superiority, to their fast bowlers taking 26 wickets at 17.50 vis-à-vis South Africa's quicks taking 10 at 70.20. Seventeen versus seventy.

Rabada was on that tour, his second Test tour of India, and bowled better than figures of seven wickets at suggest. testing newball spells in all three Tests, but where he only picked up three newball wickets (first 30 overs) while drawing 43 false shots (14.3 false shots per wicket), Mohammed Shami, Umesh and Ishant Sharma took a combined 19 new-ball wickets from 84 false shots (4.4 false shots per wicket). And India had the good fortune of winning every toss, batting big each time, and declaring late on day two to give themselves two cracks at South Africa's top order with the ball still new and their quicks still fresh. It wasn't all luck, of course. Over the years, India's fast

bowlers have tended to outbowl visiting counterparts in a few key respects, including attacking the stumps more, harnessing reverse swing better, and just having a more intuitive understanding of Indian pitches. They've also tended to have better spin-bowling support, which means they get longer breaks between spells and tend to bowl more often in more favourable situations. In that series, Shami and Umesh were lethal for all these reasons.

This series begins with South Africa looking in better health than in 2019-20 in many respects. One of them

is the depth of their pace and spin departments and the experience Rabada, Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer bring from both past India tours and recent subcontinent tours. They could be dangerous opponents for that reason, and India will be more than wary, with the bruises from last year's 3-0 loss to New Zealand still to fully heal. This could be an exceedingly tight series if South Africa's sails can catch the winds of form and luck. And from their perspective, it couldn't begin at a better place than Kolkata. (ESPNcricinfo)

Home Zone Guyana adds comfort to LGC

Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) continues to enhance its facilities, thanks to a timely donation from Home Zone Guyana, which presented two stylish furniture sets now featured in the club’s lounge area.

The new additions bring a refreshing and comfortable space for golfers and guests to relax and socialise after a day on the course, a fitting complement to the club’s growing list of upgrades aimed at improving members’ experience.

Home Zone Guyana, established in late 2023, has quickly become a household name for quality and affordability in furniture solutions across the country. Proudly 100 per cent Guyanese-owned, the company continues to expand its reach, with a 120,000-square-foot warehouse facility nearing completion at Little Diamond and a growing fleet of 10 delivery vehicles ensuring quick and efficient service.

The company’s gesture towards the Lusignan Golf Club

reflects its commitment to community development and supporting institutions that bring people together through sport and fellowship.

Speaking on behalf of the club, Public Relations Officer Dr Joaan Deo expressed appreciation for the partnership:

“We’re extremely grateful to Home Zone Guyana for this wonderful donation. Golf is as much about camaraderie as it is competition, and this contribution helps us provide an even more welcoming environment for our members and guests,” Dr Deo shared. Home Zone also announced that it now offers financing on selected items, making it even easier for customers to furnish their homes with quality products while supporting a proudly local business. As the Lusignan Golf Club continues to grow and attract players from across the region, partnerships like this highlight the strong link between sports and community development, proving that teamwork extends far beyond the fairways.

Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir take a look at the Kolkata pitch

South Africa will be looking to Kagiso Rabada and co to make an impact

A look at the comfier accommodations at the LGC

Ishowers at the National Park’s Rugby Field on Sunday, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Falcons played unbeaten to claim yet another title this year, this time in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Anniversary 7s.

Panthers triumph in GDF Anniversary 7s

the cherry on top with another conversion.

Then, the Falcons overcame the Panthers 125. Owen Adonis had a try for Falcons, while Theodore Henry added to their tally through a penalty try. On the other hand, Rashaan Dathorne-Howell had the Panthers’ lone try of the encounter.

Festival City, Bent Street A, Back Circle, and YMCA were among the winners on Tuesday night in the second edition of the Bent Street/VP “Champion of Champions” Futsal Cup, thus securing their spots in the Round of 16.

At the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue, Festival City downed Gunners 2-0 in the opening clash. Joshua Browne and Colwyn Best scored one goal each. Likewise, Bent Street A crushed West Ruimveldt 3-0. Jemar Harrigon scored twice, while Bevney Marks netted the other conversion.

On the other hand, Back Circle edged Young Stars 1-0. Jermaine Beckles netted the only goal of the contest. Meanwhile, YMCA of Linden squeaked past North Ruimveldt 4-2 on penalty kicks after regulation time ended 1-1.

In other results, Wash Bay Boys overcame LA Ballers 1-0, while Gaza Squad edged Team Family 6-5 on sudden-death penalty kicks after regulation time ended 0-0.

Similarly, Make It Happen battled past Kingston 4-2 on penalty kicks after full time ended scoreless, while Melanie edged Spaniards 4-2 on penalty kicks following a 0-0 score at the end of normal time.

The event, which will cover six nights overall, will resume tomorrow with another round of elimination matches.

At 19:00h, Stabroek Ballers will oppose Eastside, while North East La Penitence battle

Pike Street Sports Bar at 19:30h and Corinthians tackle Albouystown at 20:00h.

In the fourth match, Bent St B matces skills with Marad Ballers at 20:30h, while defending champions Gold is Money engage Gladiators at 21:00h, and Team Spirit face off against Victoria Eagles at 21:30h. In the final match, Sparta Boss will take aim at Harmony Ballers at 22:00h.

The other playing nights are November 18, 21, 25 and December 3. The winner of the event will receive $1,000,000 and the championship trophy, while the second-, third-, and fourth-place finishers will pocket $500,000, $300,000, and $200,000, respectively, and the corresponding accolade.

The event will also feature a women’s and youth segment which will commence at the semifinal round of the main draw. The sum of $150,000 will be given to the winner of the women’s section, while $100,000 will be awarded to the victor of the youth division. Both second-place finishers will receive $50,000.

A masterclass from the experienced Holder followed as he had three tries and three conversions for 21

Blairmont

points in Falcons' encounter with GDF B. Adonis added another try for Falcons, while GDF B found themselves unable to respond in the 26-0 assault.

In the third-place playoff, which preceded the final showdown, GDF A got the better of Panthers 10-

5. Laurex Stewart scored two tries for GDF A, while Panthers’ lone try came from Dathorne-Howell.

In the final clash, Falcons scraped past GDF B 15-14 in a nail-biting encounter.

Adonis’ two tries, in addition to Oneal Charles’ try, put Falcons in a comfortable position, even when GDF B responded with a try and a conversion from Silverton Jack.

However, it was Yannick Burnett’s last-minute sprint down the wing that entertained the boisterous gathering in the National Park, but his try and Shaquille Dyte’s conversion were not enough to surpass Falcons, who went on to lift the trophy.

Doomsday Cricket Tournament… Brilliant Sinclair leads RHT NAMILCO Thunderbolt to championship honour

Two magnificent innings from West Indies player Kevin Sinclair spearheaded the powerful Rose Hall Town NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour team to championship honours in the Blairmont Cricket Club Doomsday one-day tournament. Despite poor weather in the morning sessions, the fair-sized crowd was treated to cricket of a high standard at the Blairmont ground as Sinclair tore into the opposition bowlers with total disregard, hitting several huge sixes and delightful fours.

Seven teams participated in the day’s tournament. They were RHT Thunderbolt Flour, Albion, Young Warriors, Tucber Park, Blairmont, West Berbice and Cotton Tree.

In the first round, West Berbice edged past Cotton Tree by four runs, and Rose Hall Town NAMILCO Thunderbolt defeated arch rivals Young Warriors by eight wickets, while hard-hitting all-rounders Damon Vantull and Leon Swammy led Tucber Park to a seven-wicket victory over the Gudakesh Motie-led Albion Community Centre Cricket Club.

The two semifinals were contested between Blairmont and West Berbice, while RHT NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour clashed with a strong

Park Cricket Club. Tucber Park was off to a flying start with Vantull being his usual destructive self, but his dismissal by left-arm spinner Keith Simpson was the key turning point. Tucber Park was restricted to 53 for 8 off their reduced quota of five overs. Vantull fell for a top score of 20, and left-arm pacer Javed Karim then claimed a helmet trick, removing four wickets in four balls as Tucber Park collapsed. Karim ended with 4 for 5 from one over.

In reply, RHT lost Jonathan Rampersaud (06) and Javed Karim to be at 16 for 2 in the second over. Sinclair, who was strangely left out of the Guyana Super 50 team, then took 29 runs from the helpless Jamin La Fleur as RHT NAMILCO Thunderbolt romped home to victory with an over to spare.

Sinclair was unbeaten on 42, and skipper Clinton Pestano was on three not out. West Berbice defeated hosts Blairmont by 20 runs in the second semi-final. Due to fading light, the organisers were forced to reduce the final to two overs per side. RHT NAMILCO Thunderbolt won the toss and elected to bat with Sinclair hitting the first three balls of spinner Andrew Dutchin for huge sixes, while Pestano also struck Vivek Lalsa for three fours in the second over as RHT

reached 45 for 1 from their two overs. In response, West Berbice were restricted to 25 for 3 and lost by 22 runs. President of the Blairmont CC, Shabeer Baksh expressed gratitude to the teams for playing in the well-organised tournament, despite the early morning showers. Sinclair was named Player of the Tournament and Man of the Final. The championship honour was the 131st for the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club since its formation in 1990.

Tucber

The winning NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour team

Rutherford, Shepherd named in Windies

ODI squad for New Zealand series

Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Wednesday announced the 15-member squad for the three One Day Internationals against New Zealand scheduled for November 1622. This series, against a number two-ranked opponent, presents a prime opportunity for the Men in Maroon to gain ranking points and enhance the team’s prospects for automatic qualification for the 2027 ICC Men’s 50-over World Cup. Left-handed top-order

3rd President’s Futsal Championship… Hercules Construction Services contributes to schoolboys, senior segments

The countdown is now on for the third edition

of the President’s Futsal Championship, which was launched on Tuesday morning at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Corporate Guyana will play a major role towards the success of this yearend spectacle, which for the first time has introduced a schoolboys' segment.

Already on board is Hercules Construction Services, which has contributed the fourth-place prize ($250,000) for the senior tournament and $100,000 towards the inaugural schoolboy’s tournament.

General Manager Okeisha Douglas handed over her company’s contribution to CoDirector Kashif Muhmmad of the organising group, Kashif & Shanghai Organisation.

Douglas, in brief remarks, said that her company was elated to play a part in this tournament, which has three components.

“Hercules Construction Services is really elated to be contributing to this event, which will offer clean entertainment for fans and offer players an opportunity to showcase their skills whilst still being able to be rewarded.”

She shared that sports over the past six years have really shown tremendous improvement, and this is their way of giving back to society.

“We are really happy to see that the schools have been included, and this will offer more than 200 players a chance to showcase their talent at a venue that has really been transformed into international standards.”

Muhammad, in response, thanked Douglas and her company for coming on board and promised that the high standards which his organisation has set over the years will be maintained.

Action is set to kick off on December 9 and end on January 2, 2026.

batsman John Campbell returns to the 50-over setup following his recent Test success in India and strong performances in last year’s CG United Super50 Cup. He replaces Brandon King, who has been omitted following a decline in form.

Matthew Forde, who was called up for the T20 squad to make his first white-ball appearance since rehabilitating from injury, will once again be featured. He, along with Johann Layne and Shamar Springer, will provide support to the pace bowling unit that will be missing Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph,

Team Management Unit (TMU)

Head Coach: Daren Sammy Manager: Rawl Lewis

Assistant Coach (Batting): Floyd Reifer

Assistant Coach (Bowling): Ravi Rampaul

Assistant Coach (Fielding): Rayon Griffith

Physiotherapist: Dr Denis Byam

Mental Skills/Performance Coach: Krisnan Hurdle

Strength & Conditioning Coach: Darc Browne

Massage Therapist: Fitzbert Alleyne

Performance Analyst: Avenesh Seetaram

Content & Media Officer: Jerome Foster

Match Schedule

1st ODI: November 16 – Hagley Oval, Christchurch, at 21:00h AST/20:00h in Jamaica

2nd ODI: November 18 – Mclean Park, Napier, at 21:00h AST/20:00h in Jamaica

3rd ODI: November 21 – Seddon Park, Hamilton at 21:00h AST/20:00h in Jamaica

and

Blades due to injuries.

West

Annai Secondary crowned Blue Water champions after tense penalty shootout

Annai Secondary School from Region Nine made history on Sunday, November 9, 2025, capturing the title of 2025 Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Blue Water Shipping Girls’ Under-15 National Champions after defeating Marian Academy in a thrilling penalty shootout at the National Training Centre (NTC), Providence.

Both Annai Secondary and Marian Academy were first-time entrants in the national competition, and their remarkable journey to the final highlighted the growing strength, talent, and reach of girls’ football across Guyana.

After two days of competitive play, Annai Secondary was crowned champions, while Marian Academy finished as runnerup. President’s College secured third place after an intense battle with Waramuri Secondary that went all the way to sudden death. The two teams were tied even after the initial round of penalty kicks, forcing a dramatic shootout that stretched to 15 penalty attempts before President’s College’s Shermel Blake scored the decisive goal to clinch victory.

The final standings were:

Annai Secondary – champions, Marian Academy – runners- up, President’s College – third place, Waramuri Secondary – fourth place, Bartica Secondary – fifth place, Bush Lot Secondary –sixth place, and Wauna Primary – seventh place.

Both the final and thirdplace matches were decided by penalties, showcasing just how closely matched the teams were and the high level of competition throughout the tournament.

Individual awards went to Makayla Walker of President’s College, who earned the Best Goalkeeper title, while Ashanti Scott of Bush Lot Secondary and Kimora Edwards of President’s College shared the Most Goals Scored award, each netting 12 goals. The MVP award went to Aliyah John of Annai Secondary School.

at a national level. This year’s edition was a proud milestone for the GFF and its partners, as two debutant schools rose to the top, underscoring the tournament’s impact in discovering new talent and inspiring the next generation of female footballers.

Andre Gonsalves, CEO, Rights of the Child Commission, and Nicole Cole, Commissioner, Rights of the Child Commission, took the opportunity to solidify their partnership with the GFF by conducting a short session on the rights of the child

The General Secretary of the GFF, Pushpargha Chattopadhyay and Jennifer Faulkner, Senior Vice President of Operations of Blue Water Shipping, the event's title sponsor, were joined by Aeon Deviera, Ministry of Education representative, and Andrea Johnson, President of the Women’s Football Association, in greeting the players of the two teams vying for the championship.

The presentation ceremony featured remarks from the GFF General Secretary and Blue Water Senior VP Faulkner. Both commended the athletes for their commitment, sportsmanship, and enthusiasm throughout the competition and reaffirmed the importance of sustained investment in women’s football development nationwide.

The GFF Blue Water Girls’ U15 Championship forms part of the Federation’s broader initiative to advance women’s football at the grassroots level, creating equal opportunities for young girls to compete, develop their skills, and represent their communities

with the teams on Saturday, November 8, 2025.

The GFF-Blue Water Shipping partnership continues to serve as a vital driver of youth and women’s football development through consistent support for school programmes, youth tournaments, and community outreach.

Congratulations to Annai Secondary – 2025 GFF Blue Water Girls’ U15 National champions. Their historic victory represents another step forward in the growth of women’s football in Guyana and the promise of future stars emerging from every region.

Ramon Simmonds

Jediah

Indies ODI Squad: Captain Shai Hope, Alick Athanaze, Ackeem Auguste, John Campbell, Keacy Carty,

Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo, Johann Layne, Khary Pierre, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd and Shamar Springer.

General Manager of Hercules Construction Services, Okeisha Douglas, hands over the sponsorship cheque to K&S Co-Director, Kashif Muhammad

Marian Academy finished the tournament as runners-up

A scene from the final day of the Blue Water Girls' U15 Championships

West Indies will take on New Zealand in a three-match ODI series beginning next week

Republic Bank CPL makes hefty donation to Hurricane Melissa relief in Jamaica

In the wake of the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa, the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has pledged a donation of US$100,000 to support relief and rebuilding efforts across Jamaica. This contribution will be made through the Office of the Prime Minister of Jamaica, ensuring that the funds are distributed effi ciently and directed to the areas where they

are most urgently needed as communities begin the long process of recovery and reconstruction.

Recognising Jamaica’s vital role in both Caribbean cricket and the CPL’s history, the league stands in solidarity with all those affected. Many within the CPL family – from players and coaches to staff and fans – have deep ties to Jamaica, making this initiative especially meaningful.

In addition to this donation, the CPL will be collaborating with Chris Gayle to amplify his ongoing fundraising efforts. Through its extensive network of social media channels, media partners, and broadcast platforms, the CPL will help raise awareness globally and encourage fans to contribute to the relief initiatives that are supporting those most in need.

Pete Russell, Republic Bank CPL’s CEO, said, “The people of Jamaica have always been an integral part of the CPL family –as players, fans, colleagues and friends. Seeing the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa has deeply affected us all. We hope this contribution can offer some support to those rebuilding their lives, and we encourage everyone across the world to dig deep and donate what they can in helping Jamaica recover. We will be working with the Jamaican authorities, our sponsors and franchise teams to continue to see what more can be done to further support Jamaica over the coming months.”

Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, thanked the CPL, “Its very kind support of Jamaica in our time of need. We have been hit hard. Approximately 90,000 families in western Jamaica alone were directly affected by Hurricane Melissa, and we need every support to provide relief. So, we’re very grateful for this contribution by the CPL towards the relief effort.”

CPL extends its heartfelt support to the people of Jamaica during this challenging time and remains committed to playing its part in the Region’s collective recovery.

Annai Secondary crowned Blue Water champions after tense penalty shootout

Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica just weeks ago

CPL has also pledged to partner with former Jamaica Tallawahs Captain Chris Gayle to amplify fundraising efforts