The ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has unveiled a diverse list of candidates for the September 1 General and Regional Elections, featuring prominent names from across the political and professional spectrum.
Submitted second on Nomination Day, the PPP/C’s list features a blend of youth, technocrats, defectors from opposition parties, and wellknown professionals, which the party touts as reflective of national unity, sectoral expertise, and broad-based public support.
Among some of the new names on the PPP’s list of candidates are former Guyana Teacher’s Union
(GTU) President, Dr Mark Lyte, well-known cardiologist and Head of Cardiology at the Georgetown Public Hospital, Dr Mahendra Carpen, and University of Guyana lecturer, Dr Kofi Dalrymple.
Additionally, the presence of former People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) members like James Bond, Geeta Chandan-Edmond, and Thandi McAllister, along with Lenox Shuman and Dr Asha Kissoon, marks a strategic list for the PPP/C.
The list also includes over 25 candidates under the age of 25, many of whom are active in fields such as STEM, health, agriculture, media, and education - underscoring the PPP/C’s push to elevate
young leaders into positions of national decision-making.
At the PPP/C’s massive campaign launch on Sunday, Dr Mahendra Carpen delivered a stirring endorsement of President Irfaan Ali, Prime Minister Mark Phillips, and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, calling their leadership “visionary” and central to the transformation of Guyana’s healthcare sector.
“I stand here proudly as the son of a cane cutter who has risen to the ranks to be the Chief of Cardiology in this country and I endorse the People’s Progressive Party and I endorse Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali as President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana… 5 more years,” he
chanted.
“This is true visionary leadership that comes from a very talented group of leaders,” Dr Carpen expressed.
Similar sentiments were echoed by former People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) stalwart Thandi McAllister.
“It is true that I contributed most of my youth in politics to the People’s National Congress Reform… and it is also true that today I stand a proud member of PPP family”.
“Open your eyes look around and tell me why not support the PPP… (you) will see real investment in the people of this country, will see massive infrastructural development, historical-
ly unprecedented and for the first time in this country (you) will be connectivity from communities on the East Bank to communities on the East Coast of Demerara and when (you) drive on the current Demerara Habour Bridge (you) will have a good look at a new modern better bridge almost at completion,” she said.
Youth engagement
As the election season intensifies, the PPP/C’s expanding tent of candidates appears aimed at consolidating support across ethnic, regional, and generational lines, while showcasing governance as a platform of opportunity and inclusion.
This was addressed by Prime Ministerial candidate for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips on Sunday.
The Prime Minister who was at the to responding to leader of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Aubrey Norton, who had said at his party’s campaign launch that the absence of young people there was because young people tend to not be involved in politics noted that PPP/C has demonstrated its commitment to young people by not only ensuring their development but also including them in the leadership of the country.
“For them diversity is an afterthought, we believe in diversity from day one –75 years ago. They asked him again, what happen to the youths? And he said the youths not interested in politics. But you see here a demonstration of youth leadership… The PPP was formed by youths, the PPP today is led by youths, so nobody cannot tell us that the PPP is not interested in youths”.
“A vote for the PPP/C is a vote for 5 more years of development, a vote for the PPP/C is for 5 more years of visionary strategic leadership. Comrades be focus and be serious,” he said.
BRIDGE OPENINGS
The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, July 15 – 03:55h-05:25h and Wednesday, July 16 –20:55h-22:25h.
The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, July 15 –07:15h-08:45h and Wednesday, July 16 – 08:00h-09:30h.
FERRY SCHEDULE
Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily.
WEATHER TODAY
Thundery showers are expected during the day, with sunshine in the late-afternoon hours. Cloudy skies followed by thundery showers are expected at night. Temperatures are expected to range between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.
Winds: East North-Easterly to Southerly between 0.89 metre and 3.13 metres.
High Tide: 07:34h and 20:01h reaching maximum heights of 2.63 metres and 2.54 metres.
Low Tide: 13:33h reaching a minimum height of 0.61 metre.
“Continuity
n its bid for re-election, the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) on Monday submitted what leaders have described as the winning lists of candidates with ‘continuity and renewal’ as the main theme and youths in focus.
President Dr Irfaan Ali and Prime Minister (PM) Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips – both of whom are seeking re-election for a second term in office, joined PPP/C General Secretary (GS) and Head of the party’s lists Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Monday morning as they led a massive crowd from the party’s Freedom House headquarters to the Umana Yana in Kingston, Georgetown, where their Lists of Candidates were handed over to Chief Election Officer (CEO) at the Guyana Election Commission (GECOM), Dr Vishnu Persaud. Those lists
included professionals, women and youth as well as sugar workers, miners and rice farmers.
“We bring together all of Guyana… Our lists have continuity…representing all segments of our population,” President Ali declared.
“So, this is a winning list because we know, in that list, we represent all of Guyana. In that list, we represent every sector and in that list we represent what is good for Guyana and we’re presenting what is good for Guyana,” the President stressed.
Ali went onto emphasise that the PPP/C believes in preparing the next generation of leaders, giving them exposure and experience.
“We believe in Guyana 30-40 years from now, and the only way we can deliver that Guyana to successive generations is if we prepare leaders, if we prepare our young people, if we give them a chance and that is what we’re doing on the lists,” President Ali stated.
His running mate PM Phillips, similarly expressed
“On the 1st September, is the continuation of development, continuation of growth, continuation of focusing on having our youths in the forefront of leadership and management of Guyana. Development 2.0; growth 2.0,” Phillips declared.
In fact, among the youth representation on the PPP/C lists are 27 candidates who are below the age of 25 –something which GS Jagdeo says sets the party apart. He noted there is a clear differentiation between the PPP/C and its competitors in all aspects – outlook, plans for the future, performance and track record.
“The People’s Progressive Party has a demonstrated
track record of laying out… sustainable plans and implementing those. We have a track record of implementing what we promise. We have a clear vision for the future…”
That vision, he added, has something for every category of Guyanese – something which is lacking from the PPP/C’s political opponents. He pointed to the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance For Change (AFC), which had five years of failed policies, broken promises and attempts to steal elections whereas United States (US)-sanctioned Azruddin Mohamed is marred in criminality.
that the PPP/C believes in having youths at the forefront of leadership and management of Guyana.
President Dr Irfaan Ali and Prime Minister Brigadier Retired Mark Phillips led by PPP General Secretary Dr Bharrat Jagdeo (centre) as they march alongside thousands of supporters on Nomination Day
APNU Presidential Candidate Aubrey Norton and Prime Ministerial Candidate Juretha Fernandes with other party officials heading into the Umana Yana on Nomination Day to submit their lists of candidates
Guyana’s implementation of free university education has not only fulfilled a major national promise, but it has struck a deeply emotional and practical chord with those it matters to most: the students. Across faculties and fields of study, learners have welcomed the move not as a symbolic gesture, but as a tangible and life-changing intervention that directly confronts the realities they face.
From the lecture halls of the University of Guyana to vocational classrooms across the country, students have long wrestled with the heavy costs of tertiary education. The recent removal of tuition fees is being described by students as “visionary”, “timely”, and a “financial lifeline” for thousands who previously walked a tightrope between academic ambition and economic hardship.
The cost of completing a university degree has long been a major barrier for aspiring professionals, especially in specialised fields such as law. For students pursuing legal studies, the burden does not end with undergraduate coursework but extends to additional costs tied to acquiring the Legal Education Certificate. It is within this context that the policy’s financial implications are most clearly felt. Students no longer face the prospect of exhausting family resources before even embarking on the next stage of their career paths. The removal of tuition fees has brought a recalibration of how students approach their academic and professional planning, freeing up funds that can now be directed to future development rather than immediate survival.
This reprieve comes after years of uncertainty for many. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored how fragile access to education can be during times of economic instability. Students who began their tertiary education during this period faced not only academic pressures but significant financial hardship. For them, the current policy change is more than a benefit – it is a form of closure to an era defined by constraint. It removes the threat of being derailed by circumstances outside one’s control and affirms a commitment to inclusivity in the education system.
Among the most significant impacts has been the easing of burdens on low-income households. Medical students, for instance, often face additional expenses for equipment and materials specific to their field. In families where more than one child is enrolled at university, the challenge is multiplied. With fees eliminated, essential expenses – previously deferred or compromised – can now be met with greater confidence and dignity. This shift strengthens not only academic performance but overall well-being.
The removal of tuition also carries weight for those previously dependent on the Government’s loan programme. While the loans offered a path to university, the looming debt discouraged many high-potential students from enrolling. The new policy has effectively closed this gap. It has made higher education genuinely accessible, not just technically available. Those who once walked away from their ambitions due to fear of debt now have a reason to return, and to dream again.
The collective responses from students point to a deeper truth: education policy is most effective when it addresses the lived realities of those it serves. What has unfolded is not a uniform narrative but a diverse set of personal accounts that reflect the complexities of class, geography, and family structure in Guyana. Yet, the consensus is clear – this is a policy that meets the moment.
Equally significant is the optimism now being voiced, particularly among students in science and technology. Those pursuing degrees in Computer Science view the shift not only as financial relief but as a strategic national move. With fewer barriers to entry, the country stands to benefit from a more robust knowledge economy driven by local research, development, and innovation.
The introduction of free tertiary education, and the concurrent abolition of enrolment fees at technical and vocational institutions, is a social contract, one that acknowledges education as a right, not a privilege. The testimonies captured by the Department of Public Information (DPI) in a recent interview that was published in this newspaper today, showed what policy looks like when it lands in the real world: a sense of empowerment, renewed direction, and collective uplift.
As students across disciplines and backgrounds begin to adjust their aspirations upward, Guyana must ensure that this momentum is supported by continued investment in quality, infrastructure, and academic support services. The foundation has been laid, and the voices of students serve as both affirmation and reminder of what is at stake.
Education, in its truest form, builds nations. And through this policy, a new chapter begins for the students whose lives will define the next era of Guyanese development.
Empowering youth through AI, digital tools: A holistic approach to climate and health
By LaLita RamLaL-ChiRkoot, kevin RamsooBhag & DeLamae WiLson
In commemorating World Youth Skills Day on July 15th, under the theme “Youth empowerment through AI (artificial intelligence) and digital skills,” we remember that our planet’s future and its peoples’ well-being depend heavily on how well we teach young people today. In a world threatened by accelerating human-caused climate change and global health crises, an urgent question emerges: Are we giving youth the right digital and AI-driven skills to respond effectively to these complex, interconnected challenges?
Young people are entering workplaces transformed by AI, automation and digital disruption (changes to an industry due to new technology), all powerful tools, but only if our youth are prepared to harness them. We must reimagine education and training, making AI and digital skills part of students’ foundations. This isn’t only for career success; these technologies are important instruments for positive climate action and public health innovation. More than job-ready graduates, the future demands conscious, ethical leaders who can use technology to protect the planet and promote well-being for all.
AI is no longer science fiction. It is here and growing fast. Tools like ChatGPT, DALLE and Gemini are being used by over 70 per cent of teenagers globally. In classrooms, these tools can personalise learning, allow remote access globally, and create pathways to emerging careers. However, AI usage requires thought-
ful rules and regulations. Digital literacy and AI ethics are being integrated curricula-wide to help students use these tools responsibly.
Just as AI is transforming education, it is also revolutionising approaches to climate change and public health. AI models can predict extreme weather, optimise energy use, and drive sustainable agriculture innovation, while simultaneously powering disease surveillance, early-detection systems, and digital public health campaigns. Though these uses may seem very different, they aren’t; in fact, they all help to fight climate change, increasingly recognised as the 21st century’s greatest health threat, and support public health efforts.
Climate change’s triggers and causes, including rising temperatures, polluted air, unsafe water, and shifting disease patterns, also disproportionately affect young people.
Therefore, preparing youth with digital skills is crucial to survival and leadership. Youth should be equipped to create smart early-warning systems, design health apps tailored to climate-sensitive diseases, and raise public awareness using digital storytelling. Consider a young software developer designing an AIbased chatbot to answer questions about heatstroke prevention during heatwaves, or a team of student entrepreneurs creating a mobile app to map air quality in urban centres. These are real tools to help people address climate and health issues, and they begin with access to training, tools, and trust.
Achieving these aims requires societal collaboration. Governments must
invest in policies and infrastructure supporting AI and digital training for all, particularly for under-resourced communities. Institutions like the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of T&T (COSTAATT) already play a key role, working with partners like EarthMedic and EarthNurse, to raise awareness for environmental and health issues. Together, we can create solutions to provide youth with the education necessary to develop tech-based solutions for these issues. Partnerships like these must be nurtured and expanded.
The Caribbean region must also reframe how we view youth. They aren’t just learners and consumers. They are creators, innovators, and changemakers. Globally, young people are founding climate-tech startups, building AI-powered health tools, and developing ‘citizen science’ digital platforms. One example is BlueSky Analytics, founded by siblings Kshitij and Abhilasha Purwar in India. Using satellite data and AIpowered analytics, the company monitors air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and climate risks. Their flagship app, BreeZo, maps real-time air pollution levels for 200+ locations, providing smartwatch users with advice when air pollution reaches dangerous levels.
Even the United Nations agrees that inclusive AI is crucial for achieving sustainability. Youth must be central to this agenda, not on the margins.
COSTAATT recognises that working towards sustainability requires more than curriculum changes: inclusive digital entrepreneurship must be cultivated.
Governments and development agencies must fund youth initiatives that design technology at all education levels.
Within these spaces, young people use transferable, progressive skills to work on real-world problems like food insecurity, deforestation, maternal health and water quality. These spaces should also extend special outreach to marginalised groups, including young women, migrants, and rural youth, who too often face barriers to technology training and participation.
As educators, our role in this transformation is pivotal. Through ongoing professional development, peer exchange, and access to cutting-edge tools, we create spaces for students to co-design curricula, lead peer training, and launch community-based digital initiatives. Youth should actively participate in shaping their learning journey.
World Youth Skills Day isn’t just a celebration; it’s a call to action and commitment, to reimagining education as a driver for climate resilience, robust public health, and social transformation. Led by youth using AI and digital tools, and by incorporating climate and health concerns into our skills agenda, we can shape a more technologically-advanced, healthier and more sustainable world.
In 2025, let’s move from potential to progress, with young people leading the charge. (T&T Guardian) (Co-Authors from the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT): Lalita Ramlal-Chirkoot is the Dean of the School of Workforce)
Wreaths were laid at the Monument for Fallen Heroes within the Police Officers' Mess Compound at Eve Leary, Georgetown, where the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Sunday morning honoured the memory of Policemen and women who died in the line of duty during a solemn wreath-laying ceremony (GPF photo)
An election launch for the record books – Kitty was a tsunami of red
Dear Editor,
The PPP launched its campaign at the Kitty Market Square, its traditional launching site, on Sunday, July 13th. It was always expected to be massive. But clearly, this was one of the largest ever election campaign launching events, if not the largest ever, in Guyana. It was a tsunami of red. We heard the PNC-led APNU describing their approximately 1,200 strong launching on Sunday July 6th as a green wave. We heard the Mohameds describing their party’s gathering of about 300 paid supporters in Linden on Saturday July 12th as a blue wave. After witnessing the PPP’s Sunday launch, the green and blue waves look like little ripples in the water following the drop of a pebble.
Clearly, the size of the crowd at the PPP launch must have sent shivers in
the leadership of the other parties. No matter how they try to downplay the success of the PPP’s launch, the opposition parties must have had their hopes obliterated and a deep sense of defeat must have taken a firm hold. The size of the rally on Sunday is, on one hand, an exhilarating feeling among the PPP leadership and in its support-base. On the other hand, the size of the red tsunami must be disconcerting to the opponents of the PPP. But the size of the PPP rally is only part of the sinking, disconcerting feeling the opposition must be feeling. The diversity of the crowd must be even more frightening for the opposition. The ethnic make-up of the crowd signaled a significant shift away from race-based politics, with the PPP demonstrating that it is the only national party in Guyana. While all other opposition
parties continue to rely on support from a single ethic group, the PPP continues to strengthen its national credentials. The Kitty Rally crowd confirmed the growing national flavor of the PPP. There were people of every ethnic and religious group gathered in Kitty.
The overwhelming number of youths in the crowd must be disheartening for the opposition. Clearly, the PPP has become the party of and for young people of all races and religion in Guyana. That the young people have gravitated to the PPP, regardless of their families’ traditional political affiliation, is an enormous milestone happening. It signals that the PPP is uniting the nation, bringing back Cheddi Jagan’s 1953 unity movement. The PPP today is breaking the albatross of race-based politics.
What is clear from the
Bus threat over unauthorized fare hike
Dear Editor, I wish to report that I was verbally threatened by a Route 42 minibus driver after I refused to pay a fare that was arbitrarily increased without authorization. What occurred was that I entered the bus after the ‘tout’ said the bus was going ‘short and Grove.’ My destination was short; hence the fare should be $100. I exited the bus and paid. Seconds later after walking away from the Route 42 bus, I saw the bus pulled right next to me, very close to the pavement where I was walking, in an aggressive manner. After it stopped, the driver shouted “the next time you see this bus and $200 is the fare, don’t come in.” I told him that the next time
you should tell me that the fare is $200. He did not listen. And when he drove off, I shouted “you never told me the fare was $200”.
This issue has been ongoing for some time. It involves not only the Route 42 buses but also those operating on Route 32. Drivers have been unilaterally increasing fares, overloading their buses, and playing loud music with explicit lyrics. Passengers often have to raise their voices to indicate their stops, and drivers respond with hostility when passengers refuse to pay the unauthorized fare increases.
I am appealing to both the public and the police not to ignore these threats. To the relevant authori -
ties, please listen to commuters’ concerns and take action against the drivers who have issued these threats.
Sincerely, Name and address provided
Kitty Rally is that the supporters of the party have a genuine respect and love for their leaders, especially President Irfaan Ali and VP Bharat Jagdeo. The PNC leader, Aubrey Norton, does not even command respect and love even among his own party’s supporters. Many have exited the PNC and joined the PPP. Mohamed from the “blue” party has no way to know how much people respect and love him since the chief motivation so far has been how much money they have been paid. Those who expect to be candidates have been promised things- money and positions. Many have actually signed agreements. Others were paid to be backers and many feel if they hold up flags and wear blue shirts they would earn more money. There is no way for Mohamed to know what really to expect for Elections 2025.
The PPP rally featured mostly new and young candidates. According to the PPP’s General Secretary, more than 25 of the PPP’s candidates for Elections 2025 are below 25 years old. Some of them were previously up-and-coming leaders of the PNC whose pathway were stifled and stagnated by the
PNC’s lack of vision when they insist that young people must await their turn, while giving old leaders unlimited opportunities to fail. Others are young people who have been either never in politics or just became involved. Encouragingly, the new candidates of the PPP are not only young and successful, but they are of every ethnic group in the population.
The Kitty Rally for Elections 2025 was also notable for its energy. The energy was electrifying. It was celebratory. Undoubtedly, the energy was derived from the youthfulness of the crowd. While the crowd stretched almost the full length of Alexander Street and spilled into cross streets into Campbellville, the more remarkable feature was the thunderous ener -
gy that was maintained throughout the almost five-hours long rally. The PPP’s Kitty Rally for Campaign 2025 sets a new bar for comparing rallies. It also was a demonstration that the PPP is bigger than ever and that it would be very difficult for the present opposition to separately or together defeat the PPP. Twenty-two political parties had submitted symbols to GECOM as notice for their participation. It was always never going to be 22 participants in the elections. After Sunday’s PPP rally, clearly some of them decided not to bother. Nominations Day will show us how many of them will be able to contest, even if they would never be able to be competitive.
Sincerely, Dr Leslie Ramsammy
TUESDAY, JULY 15, 2025
Dividing whole numbers by decimals
Dividing a whole number by a decimal is also exactly like dividing whole numbers, except you need to remember to multiply the divisor by the smallest power of 10 that will move the decimal point all the way to the right. Then multiply the dividend by that same power of 10.
Example: Solve 2800 ÷ 0.25
Step 1: Multiply the divisor by the smallest power of 10 that will move the decimal point all the way to the right: .25 x 100 = 25
Step 2: Multiply the dividend by that same power of 10: 2800
Step 3: Set up your division and divide
Instead of leaving a remainder, you can put a decimal point at the end of the dividend and add as many placeholder zeros as you need. Then continue dividing, but don’t forget to put the decimal point in the quotient, too!
Exercises: Divide
What ‘Wood’ We Do Without Trees: Replenishing trees
Sustainable forestry means managing trees in a way that meets our needs for forest products, rec reation, clean water, and plentiful wildlife, while ensuring healthy forests grow back for future gen erations. What if trees are cut down faster than we grow them back? Forests shrink, and trees be come a diminished resource. Forest managers use numerous practices called silviculture to ensure that forests remain healthy and are growing well. Deforestation is when trees are cut down perma nently to clear land and make room for something other than forests, like farmland for animals or crops, mining, roads, or construction. This can al ter weather patterns, destroy habitats, and accel erate climate change. (Adapted from startwithabook.org)
By AngelA BAll
In memory of Adam Zagajewski
I am drinking a tree. Not exactly. Not as exactly as the branches lay, self-sectioned, over the round space they had shaded, till workers piled them at the curb. Not as exactly as I planted it, seventeen years past. A fig. The map of its leaf. Before leaving last summer, I gathered some fruit, froze it. Left much, a last harvest, disrespected. My breakfast this morning was figs, blended with other fruits, and the phone image of a tree my friend said his great friend had loved. That is, what is left of it: inexact taxonomy, sticks on a brow of ground.
Masquerade
Write a scene or story that includes a character wearing a disguise or costume.
WORD SEARCH:
7 political parties submit candidates lists on Nomination Day – GECOM
…CEO says result can be known 1 day after polls
Less than half of the political parties that had initially signalled their intention of contesting the upcoming General and Regional Elections on September 1 turned up on Nomination Day to hand in their lists of candidates to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). Initially, 22 parties had submitted symbols to GECOM, declaring their interests in contesting the upcoming polls. The Elections Commission approved 21 of those symbols after one of the parties dropped out of the race. However, during Monday’s Nomination Day activity, where parties were required to submit their respective lists of candidates to the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), only seven parties showed up present the var-
ian, Amanza Walton-Desir, which will be contesting in seven regions. The Horizon and Star Party, led by Dr Hubert Maloney, also submitted a list to GECOM. CEO, Dr Vishnu Persaud, and his Deputy, Aneal Giddings, along with several other GECOM staffers received the lists from the various political parties at the Umana Yana in Kingston, Georgetown.
This process, which lasted from 10:00h to just around 14:30h, was witnessed by both local and international observers including the US Embassy and the Carter Centre, which is currently in Guyana to monitor the upcoming elections.
In attendance also were GECOM Chair, Ret’d Justice Claudette Singh, as well as Commissioners.
Following the close of nominations and as per the procedures, GECOM said all submitted lists have been securely transferred to the Commission’s Data Processing Centre, which has been professionally organised to manage both the General and Regional Elections submissions, with clearly designated teams handling each set of nominations.
“In line with our commitment to electoral integrity, all data is being carefully entered into a secure processing system. Each list undergoes thorough verification and validation, including cross-checks against the Revised List of Electors, examination of nominators, and confirmation of candidate eligibility,” the missive from Elections Commission
ious documents.
These include the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C); A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) – which will be contesting in all 10 administrative regions across Guyana.
The other parties are We Invest In Nationhood (WIN) led by United States (US)-sanctioned businessman, Azruddin Mohamed, which will also be contesting in all 10 regions; the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP) led by former APNU/AFC Minister, Simona Broomes, which will be contesting in six regions; and Forward Guyana, led by former APNU parliamentar-
Also present during the Nomination Day activity was the team of officials from the United National Development Programme (UNDP) which is currently lending technical support to the Elections Commission for a smooth flow of the various electoral activities leading up to September 1 and thereafter.
Successful Nomination Day
In a statement on Monday afternoon, GECOM hailed the day’s activity as “successful.”
It added, “The atmosphere was peaceful, festive and with a democratic spirit reflecting the importance of this national event.
detailed.
Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the Nomination Day activity, CEO Persaud explained that a software is used to process the list and check for defects such as repetition of names on different parties’ lists.
If such defects are found, then the relevant party would be informed by the end of today.
“Statutorily, [the approval process] should end on Thursday… On Friday, we’re scheduled, as per our work plan, to have the Commission approve the approved lists of candidates to contest the elections. And that is when the final num-
ber [of parties] and those lists that would be contesting [the elections] would be known,” Persaud stated.
Once the final list of parties contesting the elections is known, the CEO said the next step would be designing the ballot paper, which will be sent overseas to be printed along with the tally sheets and Statements of Poll. In the meantime, the Elections Secretariat will continue logistical work in preparation for the upcoming polls.
“[When] the ballots come back, we do extraction for the conduct of Discipline Services’ balloting and then we pack ballot boxes for elections day – September 1,” he added.
Since police officers are required to be out on duty on elections day, and the other Discipline Services on standby, the members of these agencies customarily vote before civilians. These ranks are expected to cast their votes on August 22 – 10 days before the September 1 polling day.
National declaration
According to the CEO, there are currently a draft of 2785 polling stations across the country, an increase from the last elections held in 2020. This growth, he explained, was as a result of the numbers of voters per polling stations being restricted now to 400 from the previous 450.
Nevertheless, Persaud further assured that there is adequate security measures introduced to ensure that, unlike 2020, the tabulation of votes at this year’s election is done in a transparent manner and in compliance with the new laws that were put in place. The CEO is also confident that
the GECOM staff are fully trained and familiarised with these amended laws to ensure a smooth flow of the electoral activities.
Moreover, Persaud went on to give reassurance that the elections results could be ready as early as two days after the close of polls.
“Now the law requires that as soon as a Statement of Poll is being processed, simultaneously it goes up on the website. So, the results of the election could be known even before we are ready to declare it because you could be…doing your own tabulation. But in so far as a declaration is concerned at the district level, we are earmarked to have declarations done by the night of the day after elections,” he stated.
With regards to a public declaration of the full elections results, the CEO explained that this is dependent on whether there are requests for recount from the political parties.
“If there is [a request for recount], then naturally it holds back national declaration. If there is not, I think by the end of the
second day after elections, we should have a national declaration,” Persaud explains.
After nearly a smooth polling day on March 2, 2020, chaos erupted during the tabulation of the results at the last elections after former embattled Returning Officer for Region Four – Guyana’s largest voting district, Clairmont Mingo, sought to declare inflated numbers in favour of the then APNU/ AFC Coalition regime. That attempt to rig the 2020 elections saw Guyana being plunged into a fivemonth political and electoral deadlock. However, with push back from the opposition parties at the time coupled with support from the international community including overseas observers and after a series of litigation, a national recount was held and showed that the PPP/C won.
Mingo, along with former CEO Keith Lowenfield and other GECOM staffers as well as PNC party activists are currently before the courts facing several electoral fraud charges.
Chief Elections Officer Vishnu Persaud speaking with reporters at the Umana Yana, where he received the lists of candidates from political parties on Monday
Deputy Chief Elections Officer Aneal Giddings updating GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh; Commissioners and international observers after the close of Nomination Day submissions
US-sanctioned Azruddin Mohamed crumbles under basic media questions
…mumbles only vague promises, evades
In his first substantive encounter with the media on Monday, United States (US)-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed, who is campaigning to become Guyana’s next President –struggled to answer basic questions about his party’s policy agenda if elected.
Mohamed and other members of his team – including former A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)
Minister Tabitha SaraboHaley and Chairman of the A New and United Guyana (ANUG) Mark France, arrived at the Umana Yana in Georgetown on Monday to submit their lists of candidates to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) in order to contest the upcoming General and Regional Elections on September 1.
Their party called We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) will be contesting in all the regions. Mohamed, who has been sanctioned by the US Government for gold smuggling and is charged by the Guyana Government for tax evasion, wants to be the country’s next President.
But when pressed by the media on policies he would like to implement, Mohamed could not provide answers; instead, he told reporters “soon” or “very shortly” when asked to reveal his plans and vision if he wins the presidency.
Asked if he will be releasing a manifesto, Mohamed said “very shortly”.
After being repeatedly grilled to speak on at least
one of his policies, Mohamed went mum but his teammate, France, stepped in to rescue him with the response “we’re coming with a people-centred policy that will look at people”.
Asked directly for his ideas and plans for Guyana’s energy sector, Mohamed said “very shortly, we will be addressing all these matters. We just gotto cross all these hurdles. You know the kind of victimisation I’m in.”
Asked to reveal his prime ministerial candidate, Mohamed said “very shortly”.
Asked why should citizens vote for him, considering the serious sanctions levied against him and the risks they pose for the country, Mohamed said “the sanctions matter when it comes to my businesses”. In 2024, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had announced that it sanctioned Nazar Mohamed and his son,
policy queries
Azruddin Mohamed, as well as several of their companies.
According to a statement from OFAC, this is related to the evasion of taxes on gold exports, noting that between 2019 and 2023, Mohamed’s Enterprise omitted more than 10 thousand kilograms (kg) of gold from import and export declarations and avoided paying more than US$50 million in duty taxes to the Government of Guyana.
Maduro puppet
Recently, US Congressman Carlos Gimenez expressed that “in the US Congress we are alarmed by the regime in Venezuela’s attempt to undermine Guyana through its pro-Maduro puppet candidate Azruddin Mohamed, who is sanctioned by OFAC.”
Asked to respond to this, Mohamed said “you know where that came from.”
Mohamed, who has never hosted a press conference since he announced his bid to run for President, was asked when he will host such an important event to engage the media. In response, he said “very soon”.
Already, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and the APNU have launched their official campaigns for the elections. Asked when he will launch his, Mohamed said “very soon”.
Asked to respond to concerns that the USs’ support for Guyana in the border controversy with Venezuela could be jeoparised considering the sanctions against
him, Mohamed opted not to respond. Instead, France said “we are a sovereign nation and we have international allies that we will not be looking to jeoparise our roles with them, instead we will be building and increasing on those roles that we have”.
However, US Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar recently cautioned that “individuals sanctioned for illicit activities must not be allowed to jeopardise” the important Guyana-US relations.
Vice President (VP) of Guyana Dr Bharrat Jagdeo also recently pointed out that both Mohamed and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro are US-sanctioned individuals, indicating that if the Guyanese businessman wins the presidency, “he may very well lose the US support on the border issue.”
Meanwhile, joining the US-sanctioned businessman on Nomination Day to submit his list to GECOM was former personal assistant to former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, Duarte Hesburger. Lowenfield is among nine individuals who are currently before the court facing fraud charges in connection with the March 2020 general and regional elections. Hesburger, who was previously arrested for ‘criminal misconduct’ following the elections was fired from GECOM on allegations of tampering with computers belonging to the electoral body.
Mason gets $1M bail on break-and-enter charge
Adam Downes,31, a mason of Craig Old Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD) was on Monday granted bail in the sum of $1million on a Break-and-Enter and Larceny charge.
Downes was arrested by a rank attached to the Ruimveldt Police Station on July 10, 2025 but the
charge was later instituted by a rank from Providence Police Station after the matter was transferred to Division 4B.
The crime as reportedly committed on Andre Crowder on June 11, 2025 at the New Migrant Scheme, Providence, EBD.
However, the suspect appeared before
Magistrate Dylon Bess at the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrate Court where the charge was read to him during which the summary disposal was applied, and he pleaded not guilty to the offence. As such, he was granted bail in the sum of $1 million and the matter was adjourned to August 7, 2025.
Unidentified man found dead near Berbice River Bridge road
– Police seek public assistance to identify body
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) is seeking the public's assistance in identifying a male who died following a fatal incident on Wednesday, July 9, 2025 along the eastern carriageway of the Berbice River Bridge Road. The deceased is of African descent and believed to be in his early
twenties.
The police in a missive to the media stated that the now dead man sustained visible injuries to his face, arms and legs. He was taken to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital by unknown persons, where he was pronounced dead while receiving treatment. The body is currently at
Persaud’s Funeral Home awaiting identification. Meanwhile, the police are calling on the relatives or anyone with information that may lead to the positive identification of the deceased to contact the nearest Police Station or Regional Division No. 6 Operations Room.
Reading…
…the lists
It seems we’ve survived Nomination Day without any hitches. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for all those parties that only flattered? to deceive – by submitting Symbols but couldn’t show up at Umana Yana. Like that Eagle from America that didn’t land near the turtle outside – and gotta be exhausted after flapping its wings all this time!! Even though only seven of the NINETEEN were able to get the requisite number of backers – the others are only in the air figuratively!!
So on to the theatre that adds just the right amount of frisson to what would’ve been a dry exercise of literally delivering packets of papers to a single location. Sorta like all the postmen – and women –from the GPO all heading to one address to deliver the mail!! Your Eyewitness must say, though, he’s quite chuffed at how good-natured the process turned out. Considering these folks have been cussing out each other; unsuccessfully courting each other; poaching each other’s members – and swiping ideas from each other!!
The only ill-tempered display was by the AFC which kvetched on and on about it not getting the spot to present their list right after the PNC/APNU. Didn’t they realise GECOM had done them a favour by inserting the PPP between the two of them that had been negotiating for months to tie nuptials –but nothing happened in the end?? The unkindest cut of all was they would’ve seen the fella who was supposed to be negotiating on their behalf – Popeye the chicken man!! – in the PNC delegation. Ouch!! But it was quite pathetic in the end though, that of the seven parties that made the cut, the AFC had the smallest band even though their leader had boasted, “The AFC is back, this is the AFC of 2011!!” All your Eyewitness saw were a few friends and family – and the Middle Class don’t sashaying that well, do they?? Where have you gone Ramjhaat and Naga Man – you could’ve added numbers while lowering the tone!!??
Another surprise to your Eyewitness was one of the WPA MPs in the original APNU/AFC coalition showing up in the WIN Blue team. The WPA presidential candidate, however, is convinced the sanctioned WIN man’s working on the down low with the PPP!! Is the WPA waif gonna be condemned as a “Lick batty African”?? And yes…there WERE mostly Africans in the WIN contingent!!
Onwards, upwards to Sept 1st!!
…the (red) launch
Well, there it was – in red and red – the Kitty launch of the PPP’s campaign 2025. To your Eyewitness it was like molten lava flowing down from a just-exploded volcano!! Some have described the crowd like “a red sea” while the PPP’s GS and the Govt’s VP Jagdeo called it a “Red Tsunami”!! He was clearly thinking of Sept 1st, when the Kitty phenomenon would be replicated across the land at the 2000+ polling stations to wash away the green PNC – and the gnats that have sprung up. Tsunamis don’t leave much in their wake – and it’s for this reason your Eyewitness has been concerned about the fate of the PNC since a vibrant democracy needs a solid Opposition!!
So, what were the takeaways for your Eyewitness?
The Opposition has pooh-poohed the PPP’s massive crowd – claiming that many attendees were bussed in. Well…your Eyewitness is pretty sure that while a whole lotta PPP faithful gathered on their own – some were brought in trans-p organised by the Party. But rather than scoffing at this, the Opposition should be worried at the level of logistical organising such an effort would’ve demanded!!
Because it’s just such an organisational capability that has made the PPP punch waaay over its weight, elections after elections!!
…the morning after
So what can we look forward to next?? Well, there’s the launching of manifestos – which your Eyewitness hopes gonna be soon. He can’t take much more of the wild promises without any explanation of how they’ll be funded!!
Charged: Adam Downes
US-sanctioned Azruddin Mohamed (Newsroom Photo)
GECOM to release SoPs immediately to boost transparency on Sept 1 – Chair
Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), (Ret’d) Justice Claudette Singh, has announced that the Statements of Poll (SOPs) from the 2025 General and Regional Elections will be released immediately once available, as part of a renewed push to ensure transparency and public trust in the electoral process.
Speaking to reporters outside Umana Yana, Kingston, Georgetown following Nomination Day on Monday, Singh affirmed that seven political parties were accepted for review and that the Commission remains committed to delivering a credible and efficient election on September 1, 2025.
According to Chair of the electoral body, this mechanism is one of many being put in place to prevent a reoccurrence of the 2020 General and Regional Elections.
“Well, as far as I'm concerned, right, and from what I know, the Secretary is working very hard, and we have been looking at a lot of, many matters, and we are putting things in place…Well, it would be like this. We would be, people would be more vigilant, and there is a process involved when the SOPs, when
the SOPs are ready, they would be flushed out, and everyone would see. And if there are any significant problems, they would be flushed immediately,” Singh disclosed.
SOPs are official documents, generated at each polling station on Election Day, record the number of votes cast for each candidate or party.
According to GECOM, SOPs are the foundation of election transparency. Copies are distributed to contesting parties and posted publicly at each polling station. Their immediate release allows voters, observers and political stakeholders to verify results independently, reducing opportunities for manipulation or misinformation.
With this in mind, Justice Singh said GECOM’s Secretariat is working hard and that she is “satisfied” with the systems being put in place for upcoming elections. In fact, she affirmed that both statutory and legislative safeguards have improved since 2020, noting that international technical assistance is also being provided to bolster voter education and operations.
“Well, we have separate persons working with operations. We have somebody who is working with, well, gener-
ally, you know, like to assist us in, well, putting out more information. You will find a lot of information going on. Yes, civic and voter regulation, and you will find information going on as well,” she said.
Reform
Further, when asked about criticism of her leadership and perceived bias based on her voting patterns, Singh was direct “I am not politically bias. I’ve never been biased,” she stated. “Voting pat-
tern is a different thing. I vote on positions.”
However, Singh acknowledged flaws in the structure of the Commission itself, particularly the reliance on the casting vote by the Chair, which has often been at the centre of political contention.
“I do not think a casting vote should be in place. That
is something that needs constitutional reform. We need to revamp the commission with a different structure,” she said, suggesting Guyana could examine alternative models from other countries. Guyana’s General and Regional Elections is slated for September 1, 2025.
In 2020, during the tabulation of votes for Region Four (Demerara–Mahaica), there was a deviation from the standard use of SOPs. The election report submitted by former Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, claimed that the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition secured 171,825 votes, while the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) obtained 166,343 votes.
How he arrived at those figures is still unknown, since the certified results from the recount exercise supervised by GECOM and a high-level team from CARICOM pellucidly showed that the PPP/C won with 233,336 votes,
while the coalition garnered 217,920.
The recount exercise also highlighted that Mingo had heavily inflated the figures in Region Four – Guyana’s largest voting district — in favour of the then-caretaker APNU+AFC regime.
Nine persons were subsequently charged and are currently before the court in this case, which pertains to the March 2020 general and regional elections. They include former Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo; former Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield and his former Deputy, Roxanne Myers. Also charged are former PNCR Chairperson Volda Lawrence; PNCR activist Carol Smith-Joseph; and GECOM employees Sheffern February, Enrique Livan, Michelle Miller and Denise Babb-Cummings.
Together, these nine defendants confront 33 counts of election-related fraud, focused on alleged efforts to manipulate voting results.
Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Ret’d
Justice Claudette Singh
Breakaway APNU MPs' new parties only contesting in limited regions
Former Members of Parliament (MPs) of the Peoples National Congress (PNC)led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Amanza Walton-Desir and Simona Broomes – who also served as a Minister of Government under from 2015-2020 – have launched breakaway parties to contest the 2025 polls.
On Nomination Day on Monday, the two parties submitted their lists of candidates to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) during the event at the Umana Yana in Georgetown.
Broomes’ party, Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP), will be contesting in six regions –the minimum requirement.
Broomes says her party will not compete in Regions One (Barima-Waini); Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo).
“We have great men and women and young people in this list who wants to see that change and is working towards that,” Broomes said.
During the 2015-2020 tenure of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government, Broomes was tossed around from one Government Ministry to the next.
Broomes was first appointed in 2015 as Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection. There, she served for several months before being moved over to the Ministry of Natural Resources as a junior Minister.
Walton-Desir’s party, Forward Guyana, will be contesting in seven regions. Forward Guyana will not contest in Regions Seven, Eight and Nine. WaltonDesir said her immediate goal is to ensure more parties are represented in the National Assembly.
“This movement is less than 21 days old and we’ve been able to raise candidates in seven out of ten regions,” she pointed out, adding that “we’re not about the optics, we’re here on business”.
Last month, WaltonDesir resigned as an APNU parliamentarian, citing a culture of disrespect within the party. Walton-Desir had joined a long list of APNU members who re-
signed, over a range of issues with the Aubrey Norton-led party.
In addition to her, MPs Jermaine Figueira and Geeta Chandan-Edmond tendered their resignations. Figueira was an executive member of the PNC, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), shadow Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, and the PNC’s chairman of Region Ten – one of the party’s strongholds.
Following his resignation, Figueira released a statement to the media explaining his reasons for leaving the party, citing issues such as the PNC’s lack of visionary leadership and its embrace of ethnic antagonism.
Chandon-Edmond announced her endorsement of President Dr Irfaan Ali in the National Assembly, citing issues within the APNU such as its unpatriotic stance on the GuyanaVenezuela border contro-
versy and its condoning of vile and racist remarks against her by party allies.
Natasha Singh-Lewis, another PNC/APNU parliamentarian, recently resigned from the party. Regional Chairman and Vice Chairman of Region Four Daniel Seeram and Samuel Sandy – both PNC/ APNU members – have since resigned and are now supporting President Ali
Corentyne teen found dead after alleged beating …16-year-old son targeted by village bullies –grieving mother
Police are investigating the death of a Corentyne teenager whose body was discovered along the Number 47 Village Main Access Road on Sunday evening.
Dead is 16-year-old Justin Smith of Number 47 Village. His wounded body was picked up from the parapet along the Corentyne Highway at Number 47 Village. The motorbike he was riding was a short distance away.
The teenager is believed to have been beaten to death by villagers.
According to one villager, it was a road accident involving the teenager's motorcycle alone.
However, the teen's mother Dhanraji Seenauth called ‘Anita’, said her son was beaten by three young men from the same village.
Seenauth told Guyana Times that there was a hole at the back of her son's head which she believes was caused when he was lashed off the motorcycle he was riding. The woman said there was what appeared to be a defensive chop wound to his hand and another chop wound to his back.
“Something was wrong with the motorbike, and the bike rope wasn't riding speed. So whilst he riding they start pelting slush on him, all on his foot and his hand. Then they put a lash on his head and he fall down with the bike. According to how I see his body, I could tell it is not an accident. The bike is there, it didn't crash, but when he fall down, the bike get bruised at the side,” the mother disclosed.
Seenauth told this newspaper that her son had an ongoing feud with some of his former schoolmates. She said some of the matters got the attention of the courts.
According to Seenauth, about one week before her
son's demise, there was an altercation, and her son threatened to retaliate. Police are yet to issue a statement on the incident.
The grieving mother also related several other incidents during which her son was allegedly harassed by teenage villagers.
“One time, he took a pressure wash while on the road. he put the pressure wash on the boy, and a car miss knock him down. Another time they had a car and you run my son off the road. My son had an electric bike, that was when the electric bike had just come out. My son had to ride in the trench to save himself because you running with the car to knock him down. So when we come home from the market his stepfather go to the boys and ask them what happen and why they behaving like that, and one of them lashed my husband and blocked him out and I went and rescued my husband they take empty beer bottles and start pelting him in his head and you have to go to the hospital and get stitches. The matter end up going to court.” Seenauth said while adding that her husband settled the matter for financial compensation.
However, she claims that
the money was ‘dirty money’, and after receiving it, her husband lost his senses and eventually committed suicide.
“My son went to Havana (a local entertainment spot) one night, and the boy dealt one slap in his face, and his eye will swell up for a couple mornings. When my son was coming home, he take a gun and shoot three load at him in front of his foot, and then he drive away and gone.”
That incident, she said, was reported to the police. However, searches were carried out and the investigators were unable to locate a firearm. Additionally, persons who were said to be present during the incident told the police that they did not see or hear anything.
“So when he get a problem now, he don’t go and make a report at the station because he doesn’t get no justice. Last week they had a fight and me son walk up the same time and try to part the fight and they start to beat him; some real lix all in his head and since then they get a problem because my son tell them that it wouldn’t finish so,” Seenauth said while calling for justice for her dead son.
Simona Broomes Amanza Walton-Desir
Hubert Maloney
and the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) for a second term in office. Some other persons who have resigned from the PNC are Dr Richard Van-West Charles, Thandi McAllister, and James Bond. Meanwhile, on Monday, the Horizon and Star Party led by Hubert Maloney also made a submission to GECOM.
Dead: 16-year-old Justin Smith
“A
ISKCON’s 20th Ratha Yatra
festival of consciousness” – Pres Ali calls for unity, tolerance, spiritual upliftment
President Dr Irfaan Ali, speaking at the 2025 ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Festival of Chariots, described the annual celebration as a “festival of consciousness” and called for a deeper level of awareness among participants. He encouraged supporters and attendees to embrace a broader perspective, one that goes beyond religious observance and reflects shared values of unity and reflection.
Ratha Yatra is a significant religious and cultural festival honouring Lord Jagannath (Krishna), traditionally held in Puri, in the state of Odisha, India,
where the oldest and most revered Jagannath Deity resides. Millions of devotees attend this festival each year.
In Guyana, ISKCON devotees from the Georgetown Centre dedicate months of planning and hard work to ensure the success of their annual Ratha Yatra. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the festival in Georgetown and features four days of celebration, from July 10 to 13.
Addressing the gathering, President Ali reiterated the theme of consciousness, “so today at ISKCON, we celebrate once again a festival—a festival of consciousness. But conscious -
ness about what? It’s not only consciousness about what happens in this building. It’s not only consciousness about the spirituality that is needed. It’s not only consciousness about what is needed to keep the work of ISKCON alive. It is consciousness that is built on many different platforms.”
He stressed that consciousness involves awareness of critical values necessary for human coexistence. “It’s consciousness about how important tolerance is for the world to survive. The consciousness of what humanness is all about. What being a member of humanity is all about. The consciousness about love and peace. The
consciousness about our environment, our social conditions, the consciousness about living together as neighbors.”
He also spoke candidly about the importance of maintaining emotional and spiritual well-being by resisting negativity. He said he actively works to master the art of removing negativity from his life, as it can weigh the soul down and rob individuals of positive energy.
According to Ali, “and I said, because I try to master the art of removing negativity. Not allowing negativity to weigh the soul down. Because when negativity weighs the soul down, it removes positive
energy. It removes our ability to uplift ourselves.
And if we can’t uplift ourselves, we can’t uplift the persons around us. We can’t uplift the members of the Mandirs, members of ISKCON, members of society, members of the community.”
This, the Head of State posited, is why community is so important. He said spiritual and cultural gatherings play a vital role in fostering connection, support and collective growth.
President Ali highlighted the importance of community, emphasising that it is through unity that people uplift, protect, share and live together. He noted that while individuals
may act alone, it is within a community that true societal living takes place. He explained that spaces like these are created to bring people together, to strengthen connections, and to foster a shared sense of consciousness.
The Ratha Yatra festival has become a common sight in most major cities worldwide since 1967, through the Hare Krishna movement. Its founder-acharya, His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, successfully transplanted this ancient celebration, which now occurs annually in London, Paris, New York, and other major cities around the globe.
“Continuity and renewal” – Pres Ali...
“Any impartial person in this country, who had to choose a political party with a clear conscience, would choose the PPP,” Jagdeo emphasised, adding that the PPP is about “bringing people together”.
Predicting a massive victory at the September 1 polls, Jagdeo pointed out that the party has grown tremendously in every single community, among every race. While noting that supporters are energized about the party’s impending win, he, nevertheless, cautioned not to be complacent on Elections Day.
“We have the support, but now it’s to translate the support into votes on Election Day [and] that means high-turnout. We have to get people not to be complacent,” Jagdeo noted.
For those who are sitting on the fence, Jagdeo urged “Let’s show this country, we can break this pattern of racial voting. Let’s make this 2025 the year when we do that as a country… You can trust us.”
APNU’s Meanwhile, former coalition partners, A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change have also expressed confidence af-
ter presenting their respective lists of Candidates to GECOM.
The party’s front runner, Aubrey Norton, believes that APNU’s lists of candidates are strong and balanced enough to deliver victory at the September 1 polls.
“We have a well-balanced list. It has some grassroots people as well because we believe there is need to be in touch with the average people. You have professional people, you have political experience, you have youths,” the APNU presidential hopeful told reporters after submitting his list.
Banking on professionals – like lawyers including Dexter Todd and Paul Williams; businessmen like
Terrence Campbell and Saiku Andrews as well as WPA’s David Hinds, among others - Norton said he sincerely hopes that “…this composition of people will help us to win.”
Despite the mass exodus from the People’s National Congress Reform, the leading party in the APNU coalition, Norton remains confident, explaining that supporters understand how politics work and are galvantised.
Having been in the field since 2021, Norton says they were in touch and are well aware that supporters are energized.
“We have a strong team… I believe we have the best team,” he stated.
APNU’s ticket features
Norton alongside his Prime Ministerial Candidate, Juretha Fernandes, who told reporters that she is ready for her role. According to Fernandes, while she is young, she has political experience to beat her contenders.
AFC without a PM candidate Fernandes, a former AFC member, was poached by APNU to be their Prime Ministerial Candidate after negotiations collapsed with its former coalition partner.
In fact, the Nigel Hughesled AFC presented the party’s lists of candidates to the CEO but is yet to name a Prime
Ministerial Candidate Hughes told reporters outside the Umana Yana on Monday that the party’s National Executive will be deciding on the PM candidate later this week.
“The highest-decision making body in the party… has to consider all the names on the list as potential candidate for prime minister… There are quite a few, in excess of four [names],” Hughes told reporters.
But while it seems as the AFC is yet to recover from the impact of the APNU fallout, Hughes dismissed this, stating that the party has gotten
“new fresh blood” in the person of Jaipaul Sharma, who previously served as Junior Finance Minister under the APNU+AFC Coalition government.
The AFC’s presidential hopeful, who will be contesting in all the regions, believes his party has reflects Guyana.
“This is perhaps the broadest of representatives we can get. Fifty per cent of Cabinet, if we’re lucky enough to be elected, will be women. Almost fifty per cent of our candidates on the list are females and they’re also ethnically diverse,” Hughes stated.
ISKCON Guyana Festival of the Chariot 2025
Nigel Hughes and other AFC officials submitted the party’s lists of candidates to GECOM officials at the Umana Yana on Monday
The PPP leaders presented the Party’s lists of candidates to GECOM officials on Monday at the Umana Yana
General & Regional Elections
Guyana Elections Commission
The Horizon and Star Party
People's Progressive Party/Civic
Elections – Nomination Day Scenes
(WIN)
"Johnny Walker" turns 103, still reads without spectacles
John Rudder, called "Johnny Walker" of Islington, East Bank Berbice (EBB), celebrated his 103rd birthday on Saturday.
Rudder was born on 12th July 1922. He grew up at Kortbradt and other villages on the EBB where he attended the Friends Primary School.
His first wife, Kulsum, passed away 68 years ago. She died in childbirth. The couple had six children. Three of those children have since passed away.
Within three years after his first wife’s death, Rudder was up for grabs again, and he said it was the aunt of his now-wife,
who set things up for him.
Rudder and Margaret are still together today and have four children. She is 95 years old. At 103, Walker can still read but has difficulty hearing.
“She was a very nice partner. That girl was an East Indian and she would help me by cutting the cane. She assists me to court and I do the fetching. My parents were poor, and we had to work to help them. I had to work because they were poor. As a young man, I had a terrible time. My old lady used to cut cane, but she got old, and I had to stop her. I had a terrible time. Nevertheless, I was a young man I had my full
strength, so that didn't bother me too much,” he told this publication.
Walker said he start -
ed working as a cane harvester even before he became a teenager. His first wife was also employed on
Free university education
the cane plantation.
Walker says his father, who was a Pastor, had set rules which ensured
that he was home before 20:00h.
One of the things he had to do was, to read his bible and at 103 Walker still reads and does not need glasses.
Reading a verse from the Bible Rudder stumbled a bit on the second sentence and after a brief pause admitted that his eyes or not as bright as they used to be before he continued reading. Johnny Walker does not use alcohol and is not selective about the food he eats. He believes that parents have a role to play in instilling proper values in their children which will be able to guide them as they go through life.
Students hail game-changing move as “visionary”, “life-changing”
Across the world, the biggest hindrance towards furthering one’s education is the costs attached to it. Countries like the United States of America and the United Kingdom have amassed some of the largest student loan debts globally as a result of their continuously high tuition fees.
Even worse is the burden that some developing countries have shouldered to ensure a more educated population. The World Bank notes in a 2025 report that tertiary education remains “out of reach” for a large portion of people in Latin America and the Caribbean.
But Guyana has managed to chart a new course, joining countries like Germany, Sweden, and Norway by officially offering free education at its prestigious University of Guyana.
In October 2024, President Dr Irfaan Ali reaffirmed his govern -
ment’s plans to make university free by the end of his term. The promise was fulfilled in January 2025. Since then, students have lauded the move as visionary, forward-thinking, and a heavy weight off their shoulders.
One law student, Akiela David, spoke about the huge sum that had to be forked up by students pursuing their law degree at the university. This, coupled with the enormous amount that would have to be paid to obtain their Legal Education Certificate (LEC), made it extremely difficult.
“We would have to find a lot of money to go to law school after we finished our law degree here, and I think making UG free would help us save the money we would have to spend here so that we can use it in the future,” she noted. Annastaysha Marcano, who is completing an undergraduate degree in
International Relations, recounted how difficult it was to begin paying for her studies in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When I started, I was somewhat unsure because it was in the middle of the pandemic… persons were unable to survive on the little that they had, much less afford tertiary education,” Marcano explained.
“I think it is a really good initiative that the government is doing [to make university free]…I think it will benefit persons from all different backgrounds,” she added.
Medical student Nikhil Sankar, who lives in a single-parent family, also has a sibling attending the University of Guyana. He underscored the strain this placed on his household so that he and his brother could enjoy a better life.
“This move has now practical -
ly alleviated a significant financial burden off my mum. That money which could have gone to tuition can now go to, perhaps, school supplies…medical equipment like a stethoscope…and of course, more food on our table,” the 23-year-old highlighted. Krystelle Harris was a recipient of the government’s student loan programme. Not only did she have her student loans written off, but she will now continue to further her studies free of cost.
“I know so many people, especially in my year, that would have graduated CSEC and are smart enough to come to UG… but they just couldn’t afford to take out student loans and they knew the debts that would’ve come behind it and they just decided to give up on their dreams…and I think that’s why free education to the tertiary level is beneficial,” Harris said.
Final-year Economics student Emanuel Assanah added, “When I saw the news first, I smiled because that is one of the things that will help a lot of people in Guyana…the impact will be far-reaching. We will have a more educated society, and it’s just going to be a beautiful thing for our country and the development of our human resources in general.”
The Computer Science degree students have also welcomed the move, indicating that this will allow Guyana to become a research and development hub.
About 3,000 persons are set to benefit from another major announcement made by President Ali – the abolition of fees for enrolment in all technical and vocational institutions across Guyana, including the Government Technical Institute and the Carnegie School of Home Economics. (DPI feature)
103-year-old John Rudder, called "Johnny Walker" and his wife Margaret
Emanuel Assanah
Annastaysha Marcano
Krystelle Harris
Medical student at UG, Akiela David
Nikhil Sankar
Over 1.4 million children missed routine vaccines in 2024 – PAHO
Childhood immunisation in the Americas has shown encouraging signs of recovery in 2024, but significant gaps remain.
According to new data released on Monday by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF, over 1.4 million children in the Americas did not receive a single dose of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP)-containing vaccine, marking an increase in socalled “zero-dose” children.
According to the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), these findings are part of the 2024 WHO and UNICEF Estimates of National Immunisation Coverage (WUENIC), which show that while global childhood vaccination coverage has largely stabilised, nearly 20 million children worldwide missed at least one DTP vaccine dose, including 14.3 million zero-dose children.
In the Americas, the number of zero-dose children rose by 186,000 compared to the previous year, reach-
ing 1,465,000.
“The Americas has shown a firm commitment to protecting its child population, but the gaps in vaccination coverage remind us that more must be done,” said Dr Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO, the regional office of WHO for the Americas. “Vaccination remains one of the most effective tools to prevent diseases and save lives. We cannot allow any child to be left unprotected,” a release from PAHO stated.
Regional progress
Immunisation coverage in the Americas improved for several key antigens MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella): Coverage of the first dose increased from 86 per cent to 88 per cent and the second dose from 75 per cent to 77 per cent; pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV3): Rose from 76 per cent to 79 per cent and Hepatitis B at birth: Increased from 64 per cent to 68 per cent, a key step toward hepatitis B elimina-
tion.
For the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, the Americas has the highest coverage globally, with 76 per cent of girls under 15 years of age receiving at least one dose. However, more effort is needed to reach the target of at least 90 per cent.
Persistent
challenges
Despite these gains, DTP1 coverage in the Americas declined slightly from 90 per cent in 2023 to 89 per cent in 2024, reversing a positive trend and contributing to the increase in zero-dose children. DTP3 coverage remained steady at 86 per cent, but 9 of 35 countries and territories reported coverage below 80 per cent, raising the risk of disease outbreaks. Additionally, three countries reported dropout rates above 10 per cent between the first and third DTP doses.
These gaps reflect ongoing barriers in equitable access to immunisation, and
retention, especially in marginalised and underserved communities.
Strengthening immunisation
PAHO said that it is working closely with countries to strengthen national immunisation programmes through Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Maturity Assessments, completed for 12 countries in the last two-and-ahalf years and already underway in Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Bolivia.
The Organisation is also supporting countries to target children who missed vaccines during the
COVID-19 pandemic, with expected coverage increases of 1–4 per cent in affected cohorts.
Priority actions recommended by PAHO include Identifying and reaching zero-dose children with locally tailored strategies; strengthening follow-up systems to reduce dropout rates; ensuring adequate vaccine supply and accessibility; training health workers and engaging communities to counter vaccine hesitancy and embedding immunisation in strong primary health care to reduce missed opportunities.
“Member States must remain committed to strengthening immunisation strate-
gies through joint efforts so that the region can reclaim its historic leadership in vaccination and protect the health of present and future generations,” emphasised Dr Barbosa.
Global context
The findings in the Americas reflect global trends outlined in the WHOUNICEF report. While 85 per cent of children globally completed the full DTP3 series in 2024, progress has plateaued, and global gains remain fragile amid conflict, misinformation, and strain on health systems.
The global data also underscore the need for urgent action, particularly in regions with rising zero-dose rates. WHO and UNICEF have called for increased domestic investment in immunisation; closing the funding gap for Gavi’s next strategic cycle (2026–2030); reaching children in fragile, conflict-affected settings; combating misinformation and strengthening data systems.
The Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan, MSS, recently welcomed Christina Basil and Graeme Alli to his office, along with their children, Kai and Lily-Jean. Young Kai Alli reported to the Chief of Defence Staff with a clear mission, he’s ready to serve in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
Female Officer earns MSc at prestigious US military institute
The Chief of Defence Staff, Officers and Ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) have extended congratulations to Colonel Lorraine Foster, MSM, who successfully completed her Master of Science in National Resource Strategy, along with a diploma for the United States (US) Joint Professional Military Education Phase II and Senior Level Education, at the Eisenhower School of the National Defence University (NDU) in Washington DC.
According to the GDF, Colonel Foster began her training in 2024 after a competitive process and approval of the Guyana Defence Board, which is chaired by His Excellency, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and Commanderin-Chief of the Armed Forces.
Her candidacy reflects the renewed position of the Force to integrate and expose female officers and ranks to strategic defence training.
Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan MSS, praised her accom -
plishment, calling it a reflection of the calibre of leadership the GDF continues to cultivate.
“Colonel Foster represents the evolving face of military excellence in Guyana, strategically minded, highly patriotic, and deeply committed to service,” he affirmed.
Brigadier Khan also extended the Force’s appreciation to the Government and Military of the United States of America (USA) for affording Guyana this remarkable opportunity to have its military officers
trained at and amongst one of its most prestigious of military institutions, the GDF noted. With this milestone achievement, Colonel Foster is the first and highest-ranking female officer to undergo such training. Her graduation comes at a critical juncture of the Force’s strategic development and consolidating further the military partnership with the US along with Guyana’s growing geopolitical relevance within the hemisphere.
China's 2nd quarter GDP growth tops forecast even as US tariff risks mount
China’s economy slowed in the second quarter even as it topped market forecast in a show of resilience against U.S. tariffs, though analysts warn of underlying weakness and rising risks that will ramp up pressure on Beijing to roll out more stimulus.
The world's No. 2 economy has so far avoided a sharp slowdown in part due to a fragile U.S.-China trade truce and policy support, but markets are bracing for a weaker second half as exports lose momentum, prices continue to fall, and consumer confidence remains low.
Data on Tuesday showed China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 5.2% in the April-June quarter from a year earlier, slowing from 5.4% in the first quarter, but just ahead of analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a rise of 5.1%.
"China achieved growth above the official target of 5% in Q2 partly because of front loading of exports," said Zhiwei Zhang, chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management.
"The above target growth in Q1 and Q2 give the government room to tolerate some slowdown in the second half of the year."
On a quarterly basis, GDP grew 1.1% in AprilJune, the National Bureau of Statistics data showed, compared with a forecast 0.9% increase and a 1.2% gain in the previous quarter.
Investors are closely watching for signs of fresh stimulus at the upcoming Politburo meeting due in late July, which is likely to shape economic policy for the remainder of the year.
Beijing has ramped up infrastructure spending and consumer subsidies, alongside steady monetary easing. In May, the central bank cut interest rates and
injected liquidity as part of broader efforts to cushion the economy from U.S. President Donald Trump's trade tariffs.
Further monetary easing is expected in the coming months, while some analysts believe the government could ramp up deficit spending if growth slows sharply.
But China observers and analysts say stimulus alone may not be enough to tackle entrenched deflationary pressures, with producer prices in June falling at their fastest pace in nearly two years. Zichun Huang, China economist at Capital Economics, said the GDP data "probably still overstate the strength of growth."
"And with exports set to slow and the tailwind from fiscal support on course to fade, growth is likely to slow further during the second half of this year."
Data on Monday showed China's exports regained some momentum in June while imports rebounded, as factories rushed out shipments to capitalise on a fragile tariff truce between Beijing and Washington ahead of a looming August deadline.
China is aiming for fullyear growth of around 5%.
The latest Reuters poll projected GDP growth to slow to 4.5% in the third quarter and 4.0% in the fourth, underscoring
mounting economic headwinds as U.S. President Donald Trump's global trade war leaves Beijing with the tough task of getting households to spend more at a time of uncertainty. China's 2025 GDP growth is forecast to cool to 4.6% - falling short of the official goal - from last year's 5.0% and ease even further to 4.2% in 2026, according to the poll.
June activity data also released on Tuesday painted a mixed picture: industrial output grew 6.8% year-on-year in June, quickening from the 5.8% pace in May and beating forecasts, but retail sales growth slowed down. Fixed-asset investment grew 2.8% in the first six months from a year earlier, slowing from 3.7% in January-May and missing analysts’ forecast of 3.6%.
China's property downturn remained a drag on overall growth, with investment in the sector falling 11.2% year-on-year in the first six months, after slumping 10.7% in January-May.
New home prices in June tumbled at the fastest monthly pace in eight months, separate data showed on Tuesday, underscoring the challenges policymakers face in reviving demand in the sluggish sector even after multiple rounds of support policies. (Reuters)
2 Bahamians reportedly killed in Haiti
Two Bahamian men were reportedly killed in Haiti, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
“The reports from Labadee, Cap Haitien today are that three Bahamian males and a Jamaican male, while on a speed boat, where shot at from unknown persons, which resulted in two of the males being killed and another hospitalized.
“One male remains unaccounted for.
“The ministry awaits official confirmation from the Haitian National Police.” (The Nassau Guardian)
Colonel Lorraine Foster, MSM
People walk on a pedestrian bridge at Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai, China, July 14, 2025
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Bahamas Embassy in Port-au-Prince has received unconfirmed reports of the deaths
2 years later
PSC delivers Mahdia fire relief after donation controversy
Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Gerald Gouveia Jr, together with Executive Director Nayteram Ramnarine, met with the families affected by the 2023 tragic Mahdia fire on Friday and hand over financial donations and support packages contributed by PSC corporate members to the affected families.
Gouveia extended condolences on behalf of the PSC and its membership, reaffirming the private sector’s support for those impacted the tragedy.
As part of that pledge, the Chairman and Executive Director also spent the day engaging with community members and visiting the
site of the fire.
In 2025, the PSC was placed in the spotlight regarding funds that were raised by the commission to bring relief to the Mahdia dorm fire victims and families, immediate past chairman of the PSC Komal Singh had set the record straight about the usage of the funds raised by the organisation.
Two years after the Mahdia Secondary School dormitory fire claimed the lives of 20 children, it was revealed that nearly $30 million in donations collected by the PSC were not disbursed to the families.
The 2024 report of the PSC revealed that under the Chairmanship of the imme-
diate past Chairman Komal Singh. The organisation accumulated $29,941,375 under the designation “Contributions for Mahdia Fire Relief.” However, to date none of these funds has been distributed to the victims’ families or applied to any relief efforts.
In this regard, Singh, during a recent edition of the Guyana Dialogue programme, cleared the air surrounding the usage of these funds. According to Singh, the almost $30 Million in funds raised was donated by members of the commission and not members of the public.
Singh had noted that with the new council in place, members of the public
will soon be notified on the usage of the funds.
The Mahdia dormitory fire in Guyana was one of the most tragic incidents in Guyana’s history that occurred on May 21, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 20 individuals, including 19 students and a 5-year-old boy.
The deceased students were: Tracil Thomas, Lisa Roberts, Delicia Edwards, Lorita Williams, Natalie Bellarmine, Arriana Edwards, Cleoma Simon, Subrina John, Martha Dandrade, Loreen Evans, Belnisa Evans, Mary Dandrade, Omerfia Edwin, Nickleen Robinson, Sherina Daniels, Eulander Carter, Andrea Roberts, and Rita
Jeffrey. Additionally, fiveyear-old Adanye Jerome— the son of the dorm parents who were attempting to rescue other children at the time—also tragically lost his life.
The Mahdia school dormitory housed approximately 59 students from the communities of Karisparu, El Paso, Micobie, and Chenapao in Region Eight.
The fire was allegedly set by a 15-year-old student who was reportedly upset after her mobile phone was confiscated by the dorm parent.
The teenager was charged with 20 counts of murder.
She had reportedly been previously suspended for violating dorm rules and had been involved in an argu-
ment during which she allegedly threatened to cause “trouble.” The fire was reportedly set in the bathroom area of the dormitory.
According to a Guyana Fire Service (GFS) press release, 14 youths died at the scene, while five others succumbed at the Mahdia District Hospital. Another child later succumbed to injuries. Several of the victims were initially airlifted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) as part of a medical evacuation effort coordinated by President Dr Irfaan Ali, who was present at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport in Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD), during the early hours of 21 May 2023.
India donates IT equipment to Saraswati Vidya Niketan
As the Guru Purnima celebrations came to a close, several pieces of Information Technology (IT) equipment were handed over to the IT lab of Saraswati Vidya
Niketan School in Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara (WCD) Guyana by India. Swami Aksharanandji, speaking at the handing-over ceremony, recalled the historic visit of
the Prime Minister (PM) of India, Shri Narendra Modi, to Guyana and to Saraswati Vidya Niketan in November 2024. He expressed his gratitude for this symbol of friendship
Several persons present at the event
and the strong historical bonds between India and Guyana.
The gift of equipment, described as a symbol of friendship between the people of India and
the people of Guyana, was presented by India on Friday to Saraswati Vidya Niketan, a school recognised for its academic excellence and value-based education, which
preserves and promotes the shared culture, heritage and traditions of both nations, stated the High Commissioner of India, Dr Amit Telang.
The handing-over ceremony
PSC Chair, Gerald Gouveia Jr meeting with some of the families on Friday
Victims of the Mahdia fire
Regional
Brazil still waiting for US reply to May trade proposal – Vice President
Brazil has yet to hear a response from Washington about an offer it made in trade talks two months ago, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin said on Monday, after US President Donald Trump slapped much higher tariffs on Brazil last week.
Speaking to reporters at the presidential palace, Alckmin said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had set up a task force to start discussing a response with business leaders on Tuesday.
Last week, Trump imposed what he called a reciprocal tariff targeting Latin America's largest economy, rising to 50 per cent from 10 per cent starting in August, and demanded an end to the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro for allegedly plotting a coup.
Alckmin added on Monday that the Brazilian Government would also seek talks with US companies affected by the mea-
sure.
He said the Government had not yet asked for a delay or reduction in the new tariffs after Trump's announcement, but was instead engaging with the most-affected industries to ensure the Private Sector mobilises and coordinates with US counterparts to help reverse Trump's measure.
Lula will sign on Monday
a decree setting criteria for his Government's response to foreign trade measures hurting the Brazilian economy, his chief of staff Rui Costa told Journalists earlier in the day.
His decree regulating the trade reciprocity law, which Brazil's Congress passed in April, should be published in the official gazette today, Costa added.
(Excerpt from Reuters)
Dominica announces gun amnesty
The Dominican Government on Monday announced plans for a limited gun amnesty, the establishment of a special unit to deal with firearm offences, as well as the payment to people providing information resulting in the seizure or discovery of illegal firearms.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit made the announcement after several people were injured, including a member of the Logos Hope, the world’s largest floating book fair, who was shot in the buttocks last week as he walked in the capital, Roseau.
The man has since undergone surgery at the Dominica China Friendship Hospital and his condition is not considered to be life threatening. Several of those shot have died.
Skerrit, who was flanked by National Security Minister Rayburn
Blackmoore, Police Commissioner Lincoln Corbette and other senior Police Officers, told reporters that over the past days, Dominica has witnessed troubling acts of gun violence.
“These incidents, brazen and reckless, have disrupted the peace and shaken the sense of safety that we hold dear as a people,” Skerrit said, offering his “deepest condolences to the family of the victim of these violent
US imposes 17% tariff on
acts” and wishing them “a full and swift recovery”.
He said that upon his return to the country on Sunday, he convened an emergency meeting with law enforcement and security officials “to thoroughly assess the situation and review the response to these incidents”.
He said that this was in addition to the strategies and plans which the Police have been implementing.
(Excerpt from CMC)
Mexican tomatoes after withdrawing from agreement
The Trump Administration announced on Monday a duty of about 17 per cent on fresh tomatoes from Mexico, which account for two-thirds of the tomatoes eaten in the US, and the end of an export deal between the two countries.
The Commerce Department said the US was withdrawing from a 2019 agreement with Mexico that suspended an antidumping duty investigation on Mexican toma-
toes, whose exports to the US are valued at US$3 billion a year.
The move comes as President Donald Trump's Administration seeks to negotiate comprehensive trade agreements with virtually every trading partner after the President launched a dizzying series of tariff announcements in April.
The US and Mexico first struck an agreement in 1996 to regulate Mexican tomato exports and address US complaints of unfair compe-
tition. The pact was last renewed six years ago to avert an antidumping investigation and end a tariff dispute.
Mexico said in April it was confident that it could renew the tomato agreement when Washington said it intended to withdraw from the deal.
The 17.09 per cent antidumping duty is set at the percentage by which exported Mexican tomatoes have been unfairly underpriced in the United States, it said.
(Reuters)
US-Jamaica Diaspora mobilising immigration Attorneys to help undocumented nationals
The Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC) for the Northeast United States has sent the Government a series of proposals it says are aimed at raising the level of engagement with the Diaspora.
The Council said it was convinced that, if implemented, the proposals would help the Administration to tap into and maximise “the vast contributions the Diaspora
can make to Jamaica’s development”.
Michelle Tulloch-Neil, the GJDC representative for the Northeast US, told the Jamaica Observer that the proposals were dispatched to senior director for diaspora affairs at the Foreign Ministry, Lloyd Wilks.
The proposals are based on a set of key agreements and recommendations which were reached at the recently-concluded, inaugural US
version of the Governmentsupported Global Jamaica Diaspora Council conference, held from June 12-14, 2025 in the Pennsylvania city of Philadelphia.
Describing the Philadelphia conference “as extremely successful”, organisers said five specific areas of concerns were identified for the Government’s immediate focus.
(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)
Cuban economy continues 5-year decline, Economy Minister says
Cash-strapped Cuba's gruelling crisis shows no signs of improvement, Cuban Economy Minister Joaquin Alonso said on Monday, announcing growth fell 1.1 per cent last year on top of a 10 per cent decline since 2019, official media reported.
Alonso was speaking to the Cuban Parliament's economic commission where he also indicated there was little hope for improvement this year, given toughening US sanctions and a complicated international situation.
The import-dependent Caribbean island nation has
seen foreign currency revenues fall by around 30 per cent in recent years, causing shortages of food, fuel, medicine, and inputs for agriculture and manufacturing.
A lack of fuel and equipment has crippled the energy grid, leading to daily blackouts in the Communistrun country of as much as 16 hours or more.
Agriculture, livestock farming, and mining have fallen 53.4 per cent over the last five years, and manufacturing 23 per cent, Alonso reported.
The Minister was quoted as saying that this year and last had been marked "by the
intensified impact of the blockade, the fierce persecution of financial flows, and barriers to international transactions that have hindered payments to suppliers".
Alonso said hard currency earnings this year were nine per cent below the same period last year while imports were running seven per cent above last year's rate.
"Cuba is importing more than it exports, which increases the debt," he was quoted as stating.
The country last reported its foreign debt as US$19.7 billion in 2020.
(Reuters)
3 dead after gunmen open fire in Gonzales
Three men are dead after gunmen opened fire on a group of people liming in Gonzales, Belmont, on July 13.
The victims have been identified as Michael Ross, 24, of Thornhill Terrace; Police Constable Davy La Maitre, 32, of Upper Terrace, Cocorite,
and Josiah Maloney, 23, of Rudolph Charles Link Road, Gonzales.
According to reports, around 18:20h, the men were among a group gathered along Lange Street in Gonzales when a black Nissan Almera pulled up. Two armed men got out of the car and opened fire on the group before fleeing the scene along Prosperity Road.
La Maitre was taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital by residents, while Police transported Ross and Maloney. All three were later pronounced dead.
(Trinidad Newsday)
Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attend a ceremony at the Planalto Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, July 14, 2025 (Reuters/Adriano Machado photo)
Cranes dot the skyline in Havana, Cuba, May 16, 2017 (Reuters/Stringer)
Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit (GP)
Around the World
OOIL NEWS
Oil edges down as market contemplates potential sanctions, tariffs
il prices edged down on Tuesday as the market digested US President Donald Trump's 50-day deadline for Russia to end the Ukraine war and avoid sanctions on buyers of its oil, while worries continued to linger over Trump's trade tariffs.
Brent crude futures fell five cents to US$69.16 a barrel by 0000 GMT, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell to US$66.89, down nine cents.
Both contracts settled more than US$1 lower in the previous session.
Trump announced new weapons for Ukraine on Monday, and threatened sanctions on buyers of Russian exports unless Moscow agrees to a peace deal in 50 days.
Oil prices had climbed at the news of potential sanctions, but later gave up these gains as the 50-day deadline raised hopes that sanctions could be avoided, and traders dwelled on whether the US would actually impose steep tariffs on countries continuing to trade with Russia.
"The pause eased concerns that direct sanctions on Russia could disrupt crude oil flows. Sentiment was also weighed down by rising trade tensions," ANZ senior commodity strategist Daniel Hynes wrote in a note to clients.
Trump said on Saturday he would impose a 30 per cent tariff on most imports from the European Union and Mexico from August 1, adding to similar warnings for other countries and leaving them less than three weeks to hammer out framework deals that could lower the threatened tariff rates.
Tariffs risk slowing down economic growth, which could sap global fuel demand and drag oil prices lower.
Elsewhere, oil demand is set to stay "very strong" through the third quarter, keeping the market snugly balanced in the near term, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries' Secretary General said, according to a Russian media report.
Goldman Sachs on Monday raised its oil price outlook for the second half of 2025, pointing to potential supply disruptions, shrinking oil inventories in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, and production constraints in Russia. (Reuters)
India orders airlines to check fuel switches on Boeing jets
India's aviation regulator has ordered the country's airlines to inspect fuel control switches in Boeing aeroplanes, after their reported involvement in a fatal Air India crash that killed 260 persons in June.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the order followed Indian and international airlines already starting to carry out their own checks.
It comes after the US Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday that the fuel control switches in Boeing aeroplanes are safe.
In reversal, Trump arms Ukraine and threatens sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil
US President Donald Trump announced new weapons for Ukraine on Monday, and threatened sanctions on buyers of Russian exports unless Russia agrees to a peace deal, a major policy shift brought on by frustration with Moscow's ongoing attacks on its neighbour.
But Trump's threat of sanctions came with a 50day grace period, a move that was welcomed by investors in Russia where the rouble recovered from earlier losses and stock markets rose.
Sitting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters he was disappointed in Russian President Vladimir Putin and that billions of dollars of US weapons would go to Ukraine.
"We're going to make
some come very soon, within days... a couple of the countries that have Patriots are going to swap over and will replace the Patriots with the ones they have."
Some or all of 17 Patriot batteries ordered by other countries could be sent to Ukraine "very quickly", he said.
Rutte said Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada all wanted to be a part of rearming Ukraine.
Trump's threat to impose so-called secondary sanctions on Russia, if carried out, would be a major shift in Western sanctions policy.
top-of-the-line weapons, and they'll be sent to NATO," Trump said, adding that Washington's NATO allies would pay for them.
The weapons would in-
clude Patriot air defence missiles Ukraine has urgently sought.
"It's a full complement with the batteries," Trump said. "We're going to have
Lawmakers from both US political parties are pushing for a bill that would authorise such measures, targeting other countries that buy Russian oil.
(Excerpt from Reuters)
Israel bombards Gaza, killing 78, as truce talks stall
Israeli forces have continued to pound the besieged Gaza Strip, killing at least 78 Palestinians, including several aid seekers, as ceasefire talks stall amid a deepening fuel and hunger crisis.
An Israeli attack near an aid distribution point in Rafah in southern Gaza killed at least five persons who were seeking aid on Monday, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
The killings raised the death toll of Palestinians killed near aid sites run by the controversial Israeli
and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to 838, according to Wafa.
In Khan Younis, also in southern Gaza, an Israeli strike on a displacement camp killed nine perons and wounded many others. In central Gaza s Bureij refugee camp, four persons were killed when an Israeli air strike hit a commercial centre, Wafa said.
Israeli forces also resumed stepping up attacks in northern Gaza and Gaza City. Israeli media reported an ambush in Gaza City, with a tank hit by rocket
and later, with
arms. A helicopter was seen evacuating casualties. The Israeli military later con-
US Supreme Court clears way for Trump to gut Education Department
TThe disaster involving London-bound Flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was one of the worst aviation incidents globally in almost a decade.
Since the publication of the preliminary report on Saturday a number of different stakeholders, both in India and internationally, have taken action and issued statements in response to it.
In its order, India's aviation regulator has asked for checks to be carried out by July 21, noting that "strict adherence to the timeline is essential to ensure continued airworthiness and safety of operations".
The safety of the switches has become a key point of concern after a preliminary report on the disaster found fuel to the engines of the plane involved cut off moments after take-off.
(Excerpt from Reuters)
he US Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for President Donald Trump's Administration to resume dismantling the Department of Education, part of his bid to shrink the federal government's role in education in favor of more control by the states.
In the latest high court win for Trump, the Justices lifted a federal judge's order that had reinstated nearly 1400 workers affected by mass layoffs at the Department and blocked the Administration from transferring key functions to other federal agencies. A legal challenge is continuing to play out in lower courts.
The Supreme Court's action came in a brief, unsigned order. Its three liber-
photo)
al Justices dissented.
A group of 21 Democratic Attorneys General, school districts and unions behind a pair of legal challenges had warned in court papers that Trump's shutdown ef-
forts threatened to impair the department's ability to perform its core duties.
Democracy Forward, a liberal legal group representing the school districts and unions, said the court's
action "dealt a devastating blow to this nation's promise of public education for all children".
"We will aggressively pursue every legal option as this case proceeds to ensure that all children in this country have access to the public education they deserve," said Skye Perryman, the group's President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Created by Congress in 1979, the Department of Education's main roles include administering college loans, tracking student achievement and enforcing civil rights in schools. It also provides federal funding for needy districts and to help students with disabilities.
(Excerpt from Reuters)
Demonstrators write messages during a Defend Our Schools rally to protest US President Donald Trump's executive order to shut down the US Department of Education outside its building in Washington, DC, US, March 21, 2025 (Reuters/Kent Nishimura
US President Donald Trump, flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, where President Trump announces a deal to send US weapons to Ukraine through NATO, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 14, 2025 (Reuters/Nathan Howard photo)
fire
small
firmed that three soldiers were killed in the incident.
(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)
Israeli forces also resumed stepping up attacks in northern Gaza and Gaza City
A change will clear your head and help you envision lifestyle choices. Set a budget and make some necessary cuts. Leave nothing to chance regarding your home, family and finances.
Interact with others, fulfill your promises and let what you do for people lead the way. Less talk and more action will offer hope, boost your reputation and be your calling card.
Trust your instincts, not your emotions. Home improvements or lifestyle changes will brighten your day. Spending time with someone you love will lead to special plans or projects.
You can dream, but don't go overboard. Too much of anything will lead to backtracking. Take your time and consider every angle. Charm trumps aggression, and kindness outmaneuvers intimidation.
Your charismatic presentation will captivate people who can contribute to your success. Personal improvements are evident. Let domestic improvements enhance your professional life.
Choose your confidants cautiously to avoid emotional backlash. Share information with people who have similar concerns. Avoid people trying to convince you that they know what's best for you.
Keep a low profile. The less others know about you and what you're up to, the better. Change begins with you and what you know; learn and practice until you are ready to show off your skills.
You'll shine at events if you display your talents. An opportunity will develop if you are gracious with your time, talent and advice. Apply what you discover about yourself to your everyday routine.
Hold tight; don't feel obligated to share every detail with everyone you encounter. There is safety in silence when you are trying to get something done without interference.
Engage in events that connect you with people heading in the same direction. Invest your energy into an outlet that propels you toward your desires. Spend time with someone who makes you shine.
Make your surroundings more conducive to your needs. How you feel in your chosen environment will determine your accomplishments, so strive for peace of mind.
Make a to-do list and get moving. The sooner you rid yourself of the pressure that comes with unfinished business, the more you will enjoy the rewards. Your happiness is your responsibility.
ARCHIE
Jadeja's defiance in vain as England seal dramatic win
Six years ago, Ben Stokes raised his hands in apology. Now he was clenching his fists in triumph. On the anniversary of the day when he made England world champions, he found them a route to victory again. It felt like he couldn't rest without it.
He bowled seven overs with the second new ball on Saturday, and the coach Brendon McCullum dispatched a member of his staff down to the boundary line to remind him that he is still flesh and bone. On Monday,
his wicket, or even just a mistake. But nothing was forthcoming. India's allrounder was every bit as heroic as his red-haired, red-faced, red-hot counterpart, scoring a fourth successive half-century and shepherding the tail towards something legendary. Only it wasn't to be.
In the fifth over after tea, a man with a broken finger got the ball to spin off the middle of the No. 11's bat and onto the stumps. Lord's. On July 14. It is not a place for the faint-hearted. Mohammed
nobody dared to interfere. Stokes pushed through a 9.2over spell, came back to deliver a 10-over spell and was essentially such a lord and master of proceedings that a member of the opposition felt the need to ask his permission for a bathroom break.
Ravindra Jadeja was the one who needed to sprint off. Apparently, nature doesn't care if you're the only thing standing between your team
Siraj did not belong on his feet. Sorrow engulfing him. Shoaib Bashir invaded the sky. Joy propelling him. He had just sealed the closest Test match victory this old place has ever seen.
India had come to Lord's this morning looking for 135 runs. Instead, they ran into 21.5 overs of hell in the morning session. They'd dished it out four years ago. England felt compelled to return the fa-
There's been plenty of needle over the past three days, starting with Shubman Gill's irate response to their delay tactics and peaking with Siraj's sendoff to Ben Duckett.
Even the totally chill Jofra Archer couldn't help but get in Rishabh Pant's face after knocking back his off stump. It was the third over of the day. He had just been smashed back down the ground, one-handed, and it rubbed him just enough the wrong way that he began to pump his legs harder as he ran in. That extra effort meant the ball bit into the pitch that little bit extra and breezed past the outside edge to make friends with off stump, which couldn't help but do cartwheels.
Archer usually celebrates the wickets that mean something to him by running off into the distance. The one he took in his first over of this, his first Test in four years, would've had him leaping into the crowd if not for Bashir's intervention. Here, he was starting to do so but quickly changed direction and ran up towards the retreating batter to fire off a few words.
Stokes had demanded this. He wanted noise. He wanted belief. He wanted energy. He wanted India to feel trapped behind enemy lines. "Bang, bang," he'd said just a few minutes before the Pant dismissal and turned it into prophecy when he got rid of India's best hope, KL Rahul, 18 balls later. He was on the floor appealing for lbw, every bit of him straining to convince umpire Sharfuddoula to lift the finger. He didn't.
Immediately, he poured all of himself into figuring out a reason to review. Really there was only one thing he need ed to know. Was height an is sue? No, said Joe Root from the slips. He'd seen Rahul was well back in his crease.
The review confirmed Stokes' instincts. The ball was good. The movement down the slope was devilish. The impact was pad first. And HawkEye revealed three reds. Stokes pumped his fists. Many of the 24,281 people at the ground roared with him. Ten of them were right there beside him. His team-mates, who have seen him do impossible things and who believe they can do similar things just because he says they can. That was the picture of this Test match. Stokes at the centre surrounded by the rest of England.
India lost three wickets for 11 runs in four overs. Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy were thrown into the fire and for a while they coped. The ball got soft. The runs came at a trickle. Efforts to rouse the crowd landed on the wrong set of ears as chants of "Indiaaaaaa! Indiaaa!" rang out. The eighth-wicket stitched a partnership of 30 runs in 89 balls and through it they resisted not just good bowling but their own base impulses.
"Not in the IPL," Harry Brook chirped at Reddy. "Jaddu's got to score them all." Stokes tried to engage him too, adding to his own workloads during that marathon spell by extending his followthrough, but the India allrounder just calmly shook his head. "Not saying anything." It felt like the partnership had survived its biggest test and safety in the form of the lunch break was almost at hand.
That's when Chris Woakes arrived and turned the game on its head. Although his pace had dropped, and England looked elsewhere when the day started, now they were grateful to their wizard for securing a crucial edge through to the keeper. Reddy, so solid when the ball was close to his body, flirting with a wider line and throwing his head back when the mistake led to his undoing. England walked off the field to resounding cheers.
Jadeja didn't lift up the anchor even though he only had the bowlers for company and was nearly made to regret it. He was given out lbw to Woakes in the 48th over, with India still 68 runs away. But though the on-field umpire had thumbs-upped the appeal, DRS had other ideas. Jadeja realised how close he'd gotten to disaster and sent the next ball soaring into the
stands behind midwicket. That, apparently, was nothing more than a little venting of the nerves. There would be no more boundaries for 11 overs as Jasprit Bumrah showed great resilience and Jadeja, trust in his plan. They were going to do it in singles, particularly off the fourth ball of every over. India's ninth-wicket partnership held England off for 131 deliveries - 53 of those faced with no trouble by Bumrah but the 54th became a problem.
Stokes again, in the sixth over of another Iron Man spell, went short. He had refrained from doing so previously because the pitch had gone to sleep and digging it in didn't seem to make sense. Now he was desperate enough to ignore the signs and just have a bit of faith. Bumrah invited the plan when he tried to hook a couple and missed, at which point Jadeja at the other end shook his head so disapprovingly, normal people would
Ravindra Jadeja 8-1-20-0 Washington Sundar 12.1-2-22-4
have just burst into tears. All this effort and you had to go and do that?
Bumrah didn't learn his lesson though. He still went hooking and a top edge settled England's nerves and left India on the brink.
Stokes closed out the over and finally allowed his aura to fade and show some signs of exhaustion. He straight up forgot to pick up his cap from the umpire. He still continued to bowl though. He was still embedded in the fight, exhorting Archer to attack the ball at long-on, cheering Jamie Smith when he prevented a slower ball from sneaking past him, surging towards Ollie Pope when he thought he'd taken the match-winning catch at short leg, slipping under the lid at bat-pad. When what he had worked for finally happened, he just watched the rest of his team take off. He was too tired to join them. So, they all came to him instead.
(ESPNCricinfo)
Ben Stokes received the Man-of-the-Match award
England take a 2-1 series lead
Jofra Archer had an immediate impact on his Test return
Starc six-for, Boland hat-trick consign West Indies to 27 all-out and 0-3 defeat
There was a feeling that the stars had aligned for Mitchell Starc, playing his 100th Test with the pink ball he has so often dominated with, but few could have imagined the carnage that unfolded on the third day at Sabina Park as he claimed three wickets in his first over and the
quickest five-wicket haul in history including his 400th.
Yet that was not the end of it. Scott Boland claimed a hat-trick, removing Justin Greaves, Shamar Joseph and Jomel Warrican, leaving West Indies 26 for 9 and in danger of equalling the lowest-ever Test total – made by New Zealand against England in 1955. They edged past it courtesy of a Sam field in by
for 27, and Shamar shared nine wickets as Australia's last four wickets fell for 22 runs but that was nothing compared to what followed.
ed the Text next ball to finish with a career-best 6 for 9. West Indies were
Starc's incredible performance propelled Australia to a 176-run ries margin after they had set West tory in another match dominated
ers. Alzarri Joseph, with a career-best 5
Starc produced one of the great opening overs. He removed John Campbell first ball, the fourth time in his career he had struck with the opening delivery of an innings, when the left-handed edged a perfect outswinger to substitute wicketkeeper Josh Inglis who was standing in for the concussed Alex Carey.
Four balls later, Kevlon Anderson shouldered arms as the ball swung back to strike his shin in front of middle stump yet he reviewed the plumbest of lbws. Next delivery, another one arched back between Brandon King's bat and pad to demolish the stumps. It was the sixth time in Test history a team had been 0 for 3.
Mikyle Louis survived
five-wicket haul in just 15 deliveries, the fastest from the start of an innings - beating the previous record of jointly held by Ernie Toshack, Stuart Broad and Scott Boland by
lievable 11 for 6. In the eighth over, Greaves became the first batter into double figures as he and Alzarri managed to reach the tea interval which at one stage had been in doubt.
After the interval, Boland
not long later there was only one quick bowler being talked about. (ESPNCricinfo)
aaa
Australia 2nd Innings
Usman Khawaja
b S Joseph 14
Sam Konstas c Chase
b S Joseph 0 Cameron Green
b S Joseph 42 Steven Smith
b AS Joseph 5 Travis Head c Anderson
b Greaves 16
Beau Webster
b AS Joseph 13 Alex Carey † c King
b AS Joseph 0 Pat Cummins (c) c Anderson
b AS Joseph 5 Mitchell Starc not out 11 Scott Boland
b Starc 0 Mikyle Louis lbw b Starc 4 Kevlon Anderson lbw b Starc 0 Brandon King
b Starc 0 Roston Chase (c) c sub (JP Inglis)
b Hazlewood 0 Shai Hope † lbw b Starc 2 Justin Greaves c Webster b Boland 11 Alzarri Joseph not out 4 Shamar Joseph lbw
b Boland 0 Jomel Warrican b Boland
Jayden Seales b Starc
Extras (lb 6) 6 Total 14.3 Ov (RR: 1.86) 27 Fall of wickets: 1-0 (John Campbell, 0.1 ov), 2-0 (Kevlon Anderson,
the hat-trick ball at the start of Starc's second over, but fittingly his 400th wicket came with another trademark inswinger as he trapped Louis lbw becoming the fourth Australian bowler to the landmark after Shane
four deliveries.
Starc's monopoly ended when Josh Hazlewood had Roston Chase caught behind to leave West Indies on a scarcely be-
got into the act as Greaves edged to slip and Shamar was lbw via the DRS. Then, with the hat-trick delivery, he speared one through Warrican. Few would have bet against four-in-four, but Starc ended with the honour of wrapping up one of the wildest passages of play imaginable.
The ball had dominated from the very start of the day when Cameron Green shouldered arms to one from Shamar, which shaped back to cannon into off stump. Green had played superbly the previous evening to given Australia a cushion for the fourth innings, although in the end they didn't come close to needing it.
Shamar took his series tally to 22 wickets at 14.95, the most for a West Indies bowler against Australia since Courtney Walsh in 1999, but
Mitchell Starc picked up five wickets in just 2.3 overs
He becomes the fourth Australian and the third left-arm bowler to reach 400 Test wickets
Scot Boland picked up a hat-trick
West Indies recorded the second lowest total in all of Test cricket
Three Miles book
Nyron Barrow (on ball) netted a brace for Chase’s boys in the semifinal round
Apacked day of do-ordie action was on the cards at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground on Sunday as organisers Petra staged the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the sixth ExxonMobil Guyana Boys’ and Girls’ Under-14 football competition.
The youth football action began with the quarter-finals where Waramuri Secondary, Bartica Secondary, Chase’s Academic Foundation, and Marian Academy’s girls booked passage to the next round, all with high scoring.
Waramuri drubbed Abram Zuil Secondary 8-0 on the back of a Nikeisha Williams hat-trick in the 2nd, 9th and 28th minutes. Zabita Harris (13th), Shanesa Thomas (18th), Breanna Henry (26th), Darwina Boyal (36th) and Tina Williams (45th) later added one each to the massive tally.
Similarly, Bartica defeated East Ruimveldt by
the same margin. Nerismar Williams was the star of the Bartica show, netting in the 27th, 29th and 38th minutes while Kelys Williams registered a brace in the 3rd and 11th minutes. Alesha Gonsalves (7th), Ronelly Williams (15th) and Virlerkys Simon (30th) accounted for the remaining goals.
Marian Academy then overcame Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary 6-2. Skylar Denobrega was the marksman to watch, finding the back of the net in the 14th, 20th, 36th and 29th minutes while Kaleigh Todd (17th) and Haley Haberkorn (50th) had one goal each. Tanizah Gilbert (4th) and Nakiesha Gafoor (48th) replied on behalf of Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary.
Chase’s Academy brought up their biggest win of the tournament with a 5-1 beating of Bush Lot Secondary. Leandra Henrito had a brace in the 12th and 20th minutes
ExxonMobil U14 final spots
and Diana Edwards completed her hat-trick in the 18th, 35th and 40th minutes for their win. Ashante Scott had earlier opened the scoring for Bush Lot in the 8th minute.
On the other hand, boys’ defending champions Chase’s Academic Foundation thumped Bygeval Secondary 7-0. Aaron Vasconcellos opened the scoring in the 3rd minute and completed his brace in the 34th while his teammates Fabio Kowlessar, Nyron Barrow (16th); Jashan Haynes (19th); Trevon Glasgow (28th) and Jadan Christian (29th) added their names to the scoresheet once each.
Three Miles Secondary cruised past East Ruimveldt 4-0 with Isaiah Daniels (7th); Akeem DaSilva (13th, 31st) and Joshua James (35th) among the goalscorers.
Two dramatic quarter-finals followed, both going down to the wire for a result.
West Ruimveldt Secondary found themselves tied 2-2 with St John’s College at the end of regulation time, but eventually prevailed 6-5 on penalty kicks. Joel Griffith (12th) and Dominic Lesperance (30th) found the back of the net for West Ruimveldt while Omarion Matayre (5th) netted first for St John’s followed by Robinho Abrams’s 25th minute strike.
An identical regulation
time result was witnessed between Waramuri and Dolphin Secondary, with Waramuri coming out on top 3-2 from penalties. Tyler Abrams’ 28th minute strike and an own goal in the 7th accounted for Dolphin’s 2 while Denzel John (15th) and an own goal in the 45th drew Waramuri level.
Over in the semi-finals, Chase’s girls cruised past Marian Academy 3-0, with goals from Diana Edwards and Leandra Henrito in the 1st and 9th minutes, in addition to an own goal in the 5th.
Nerismar Williams netted a brace in the 10th and 50th minutes, accompanied by a goal off the boots of Ronelly Williams in the 5th to lead Bartica Secondary to a 3-1 victory over Waramuri Secondary. Shanesa Thomas registered Waramuri’s consolation in the 13th minute.
Meanwhile, Chase’s boys ensured they would defend their title in the final with a 4-1 victory against West Ruimveldt in the semis. Nyron Barrow opened the scoring in the 4th and completed his brace in the 21st while Jashan Haynes and Fabio Kowlessar added to their tally in the 31st and 50th minutes. Issey Williams netted a screamer of a freekick in the 10th for West Ruimveldt’s lone response.
Simeon Martinlade’s 5th
Kares One Guyana T10 Blast…
minute strike made the difference between Three Miles and Waramuri Secondary’s boys in a win for the Region Seven outfit.
The ExxonMobil boys’ and girls’ finals are scheduled for Sunday, July 20 at
the same venue. The teams are competing for a $400,000 grand prize in both boys’ and girls’ categories while second, third and fourth place will receive $200,000, $100,000 and $75,000 all for a school project of their choice.
Eccles All Stars crowned EBD/WBD Zone champions
At Police Sports Club Ground, on Sunday, July 13, the One Guyana Kares T10 Tapeball Blast continued in the East Bank Demerara/West Bank Demerara Zone, as Eccles All Stars prevailed in a blockbuster encounter. Due to bad weather conditions, the semifinal match-ups were reduced to 7 overs per side. In the first semi, the Guards took on the Diamond Gunners. Batting first, the Guards posted a total of 85 for 3 in their seven overs. Kevin Boodie top-scored with a
blistering 46 from 22 balls, an innings that included 2 fours and 4 sixes. In reply, Rickey Sargeant's wonderful innings of 50 from a mere 15 balls took the game away from the Guards as the Diamonds booked their place in the final, chasing down the target score in just 4.4 overs.
In the second semifinal, Eccles All Stars registered a comfortable victory by nine wickets. Trendsetters batted first and posted a below-par total of 54 for 4 in their seven overs. Spearheaded by an innings
of 29 off 7 balls from Jonte Thomas, the Eccles All-Star team reached a total of 55 for 1 in just 2.5 overs.
Eccles All Stars and Diamond Gunners competed in the East Bank/West Bank Demerara Zone finals for a spot in the final at Providence's national stadium. In the 10-over contest, Diamond Gunners batted first and posted an astonishing total of 179 without loss in their innings. Sagar Hatiramani produced a magical innings as he made 144 from just 45 balls. His innings comprised 20 tow-
ering sixes and two boundaries. Gunners had one eye on Providence, but it wasn’t to be, as Quazim Yusuf had
other ideas. Yusuf blasted his way to 131 in 38 balls, which also included 20 sixes. His innings saw the
and
Edge Series 3x3… Renegades crowned champions
The Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, on Sunday, July 13, witnessed the conclusion of the Republic Bank Edge Series 3×3 Basketball tournament with the star-studded Renegades being crowned champions. Following an equally-exciting preliminary round, the quarterfinal match-ups began as the Renegades took on the Mambas. The Renegades overcame their first hurdle as they swatted the Mambas aside and claimed a 20-10 victory. KK/ Untouchables narrowly defeated Team P by a scoreline of 21-17 in the second quarterfinal. Quarterfinal 3 was also a nail-biting affair as Team Agricola defeated the Su Warriors 17-16. In the final quarterfinal, Linden Shooters overcame a gusty Young Gunz by a 19-17 scoreline. Renegades and KK/ Untouchables went headto-head in the first contest
of the semi-finals. Both teams played hard and had great commitment, but it was the Renegades that would emerge victorious, winning the game 21-19. Semifinal 2 was between Team Agricola and Linden Shooters. Agricola fought hard, but didn’t put enough points on the board and Linden Shooters came away with a 13-17 win. The grand final between Linden Shooters and the Renegades took place in front of an excited crowd. Renegades showed off their strength once more when they easily defeated
The victorious Renegades outfit
A solitary goal came out of the battle between Three Miles (yellow) and Waramuri Secondary (Jemima Holmes photos)
Nerismar Williams (#5 grey) led the charge for Bartica Secondary against Waramuri
Eccles All Stars now join the Montra Jaguars in the final
Linden Shooters 21–13 to win the Republic Bank Edge Series 3×3 title.
Eccles All-Stars chase down the total in just 8.1 overs
be crowned champions.
“Just starting to fire at the right time” – Moeen Ali
Though they stumbled in their first match out on the park at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, local franchise the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) have rebounded with two commanding victories in the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL) T20.
Their latest victory came on Sunday night, by 57 runs, against the Dubai Capitals in which England in -
ternational Moeen Ali put in an all-round effort.
As such, following the win, Ali dubbed their backto-back victories as a confidence booster, opining that they were now clicking at the right time.
Ali expressed, “Really good performance, more of a confidence booster than anything. I think we still want to try and get more runs, we’re still lacking at the end, but it’s not easy, these wickets are difficult. Just to get points on the board is amazing.
“I think we’ve just been clicking a little bit as a side, just really good players. Great to see Sheppy back, bowl and hit a few the way he did. He’s massive for us in this competition, so, yeah, we’re just starting to fire at the right time,” the all-rounder went on to add.
Discussing his own performance on the night, which saw him contributing a handy 40 runs and claiming the prized wicket of Shakib Al-Hasan, Ali hinted at a lingering disappointment at not being able to stick around longer.
“I was actually a little bit disappointed in the end, because I thought, I was happy until then, but I felt like another 2-3 – quickly at the end is why I played the way I did, but obviously, having bowled second, I think it was the right sort of knock on this wicket,” Ali noted.
He added about having to stick around the crease, “Yeah, I feel like all the teams that have won, somebody sticks around. Kyle Mayers has done it a couple of times; he stayed there all the way to the end. Just having, again, a score on the board and pressure chasing it’s very difficult, but yeah, we do talk about these
things and somebody’s gotta stay from the top four or five.
“Imran, unbelievable. He keeps going, he’s been amaz ing for years and he’s world class. The work he puts in behind the scenes, the way he puts in for this team, he gives every thing he’s got left for this side. So, hopefully there’s a few more years left in him,” the all-rounder later shared about his Captain’s perfor mance.
Ali also marveled at the ExxonMobil Guyana GSL crowd which showed up in their numbers to support the local franchise.
“The fans are unbelievable. I mean, every game I’ve played I don’t think the crowd’s been down or anything. So, it’s been amazing, it’s just great to be part of a team that has this sort of fol lowing in the CPL and GSL,” he shared.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors will be back in action on Wednesday, July 16 against the Hobart Hurricanes.
The GSL T20 will continue on Tuesday evening with a battle be tween New Zealand’s Central Stags and Australia’s Hobart Hurricanes.
Both games will bowl off at 19:00h.
Fans of the Guyana Amazon Warriors are in for a special treat as the team connect with their fan-base, during the second edition of the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL).
According to a Guyana Amazon Warriors release, players from the star-studded squad will be at the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Box Office, located at 233-234 Camp Street, on Tuesday, July 15, from 10:30h for an exciting meet-and-greet session with fans.
This is a golden opportunity for cricket lovers to meet their favourite players up close. Among those ex pected to attend are Imran Tahir, Romario Shepherd, Shimron Hetmyer, Gudakesh Motie, Akeal Hosein, Sherfane Rutherford, Moeen Ali, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, along with several other members of the Warriors line-up.
Fans will be able to take photos, get autographs, and inter act with the team as they prepare for their final round-robin match of the GSL en route to Friday's final. The event is free and open to the public, and supporters of all ages are wel come to attend.
Fans will also be able to purchase tickets for the matches which are coupled with the Super Concert featuring Mical Teja, Nilah Blackman and more. Tickets are priced from $1000.
Moeen Ali had an all-round stellar performance on Sunday night
