Top Cop urges national road safety reset as fatal accidents surge by 20% 4 modern buildings commissioned as GPF pushes major infrastructure overhaul
BRIDGE OPENINGS
The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:
Wednesday, July 30 –20:55h-22:25h and Thursday, July 31 – 21:15h-22:45h.
The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:
Wednesday, July 30 –07:20h-08:50h and Thursday, July 31 – 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, interrupted by sunshine during the afternoon hours. Clear skies followed by thundery showers are expected at night. Temperatures are expected to range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.
Winds: East North-Easterly to East South-Easterly between 1.34 metres and 3.13 metres.
High Tide: 08:00h and 20:18 reaching maximum heights of 2.47 metres and 2.43 metres.
Low Tide: 13:53h reaching a minimum height of 0.79 metre.
$55.4M Skills Development and Certification Centre commissioned at Corriverton
inance Minister
FDr Ashni Singh on Tuesday commissioned a new training facility on the Upper Corentyne, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne).
The $55.4 million Skills Development and Certification Centre at Corriverton falls under the Labour Ministry and will be facilitating training through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT). Singh in pointed out that in Guyana there is now a greater demand for labour. In explaining the importance of the Government ensuring that there is training opportunities available said this is more important to Guyana as a rapidly growing economy noting that more persons are investing in the economy thus making more jobs available.
“As a result of that rapid expansion in investments, there are new jobs being created and there are new opportunities being created. We are seeing more investments in every single sector of the economy than at any other time in the history of our country. We are seeing more skills demanded, both in terms of the skilled types, and in terms of the numbers of people within skilled types,” the Finance Minister explained. The BIT has trained more than 15,400 persons in the last five years. Despite that there is still a shortage of labour within the country.
“You cannot find enough heavy equipment operators right now in Guyana. There are businesses right here in Berbice that have equipment parked up because they cannot find operators for those equipment.” He encouraged persons to utilise the facility and to take full advantage of the opportunities being provided by the
Government. Meanwhile, Labour Minster, Joseph Hamilton alluded to the thousands of persons who have already been trained, have graduated and have been adding to the growing labour force in the country.
According to the Labour Minister, the Government has moved into another phase of its training programme and is constructing training units with the most being the one at Corriverton. Others are at New Amsterdam, Unity, Tuschen, Port Kaituma, Mahdia and Lethem in Region Nine.
Hamilton said the in Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), Government is tasked with training 2,400 for one of the largest gold
mines being developed there.
Between 2020 and 2025, Government’s BIT invested $1.14 billion in skills training to the benefit of over 15,000 persons across the country of which almost 3,000 persons benefitted in Region Six through partnerships with technical institutes, community organizations, private workshops, and beauty and catering enterprises. This effort spanned over 35 villages, including New Amsterdam, Port Mourant, Rose Hall, Canje, Albion, and Black Bush Polder. Meanwhile, Chairman of BIT David Armogan speaking about the need to have more skilled persons, said there is a gap between the avail-
able skills and that which is required.
According to Armogan, BIT is trying to bridge that gap as there are not enough skills to satisfy the demand. “If you go into many other areas where they need skills development and training, where they need skilled persons, you will find that people complain on a daily basis that they are finding difficulty getting, you know, proper people, certified people to work. Regardless of how skilled you are, one of the things that people who are coming in to invest in our country, what they look for is certification. And this is what the board offers, certification,” Armogan explained.
The $55.4M Skills Development and Certification Centre, which was commissioned at Corriverton, Berbice
Secure Eye & redefining the culture of road use in Guyana
The launch of the Secure Eye mobile application by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is a commendable advancement in the country’s efforts to modernise its approach to public safety and road traffic management. This real-time reporting tool, unveiled during the 2025 National Road Safety Stakeholders Forum, is an opportune intervention aimed at improving the responsiveness of law enforcement to road accidents and other public safety incidents. But while the app is a step in the right direction, the deeper and more difficult task remains transforming the entrenched culture of road use in Guyana.
Technology, no matter how advanced, is only as effective as the attitudes and behaviours of the people who use it. The Secure Eye app empowers citizens to report accidents and violations directly to the GPF's Operations Room, allowing for immediate dispatch of law enforcement. It also offers the functionality to report other crimes and public safety concerns, moving beyond traffic incidents to address the wider security landscape. However, its success hinges on collective discipline, civic responsibility, and a national culture that values life over spectacle.
The problem on Guyana’s roads has never been solely about infrastructure or enforcement. At the core lies a pervasive disregard for traffic laws and an alarming trivialisation of reckless behaviour. Far too often, serious incidents are treated as content for entertainment or virality, with videos of crashes and carnage circulated on social media for likes, shares, and comments. This spectacle-driven response desensitises the public to the gravity of road tragedies and also delays meaningful intervention in moments when every second matters.
As emphasised during the app’s unveiling, the objective is to record and to act. The current trend of filming accidents without alerting the Police speaks to a misplaced sense of involvement. Bystanders feel they have contributed by broadcasting an event, but often fail to take the critical step of notifying emergency services. The Secure Eye app is designed to close this gap, transforming smartphones from passive tools of voyeurism into instruments of life-saving action.
Nonetheless, even with improved reporting systems, road safety will not be achieved without a shift in mindset. This means rejecting the normalisation of traffic violations, speeding, and drunk driving. It requires the elevation of responsible driving to a national ethic, where obeying the law is not seen as a burden but as a civic obligation. This change must be reflected not only in law enforcement strategies, but in how families, schools, workplaces, and communities talk about and model road use.
The introduction of a digital platform should be complemented by strengthened road safety education and consistent public awareness campaigns. These efforts must go beyond seasonal enforcement blitzes and one-off forums. They must aim to instil a lifelong understanding of the risks associated with reckless driving and the personal and national cost of preventable fatalities.
Additionally, traffic enforcement must evolve alongside these innovations. The GPF must ensure that reports submitted through the app are followed up on, with visible and consistent action. If road users begin to feel that their submissions lead to meaningful results, be it arrests, citations, or improved emergency response, trust in the system will grow. Conversely, if the app is reduced to a digital suggestion box, the culture of indifference and social media sensationalism will persist.
Importantly, misuse of the platform must be swiftly and transparently addressed. Bogus reports, abuse of the system, or malicious submissions risk undermining the credibility of the initiative and wasting critical resources. Citizens must treat this tool with the seriousness it demands, recognising that public safety is a shared responsibility.
The loss of life on Guyana’s roads, many of them preventable, has reached distressing levels. While the data speaks volumes, the impact is most profoundly felt in the emptiness in families and the communities left reeling from senseless tragedy. No app, however innovative, can substitute for human accountability, compassion, and caution.
The launch of the Secure Eye app should serve as a technological leap as it presents an opportunity to reimagine what it means to be a responsible road user, to replace complacency with vigilance, and to move from spectacle to substance in the pursuit of safer roads.
President Dr Irfaan Ali on Tuesday officially received Letters of Credence from Seijoong Kwon, the Non-Resident Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Guyana, at a ceremony held at State House. During the meeting, President Ali and Ambassador Kwon expressed a strong desire to advance bilateral cooperation between Guyana and South Korea. He emphasised that opportunities for collaboration have matured, allowing the relationship to move from potential prospects to tangible outcomes
How much more can the West Indies public bear?
Dear Editor,
At last, the West Indies cricket fans nightmare has come to an end. Darren Sammy tenure as overall coach and selector has presented us with an enviable result of 0 -3 in Test and 0-5 in T20 against Australia. And for good measure add the disgraceful lowest score in the history of cricket for the West Indies of 27 which Australia inflicted at Sabina Park, for good measure.
It is important to put things into context because he took over a young team that drew test series in Australia and Pakistan after about three (3) decades. That team was coached by Mr. Andrew Coley and it comprised a bunch of young players who demonstrated grit and determination and the capacity to dig deep when needed. In fact, it was under Coach Coley that confidence was shown in Shamar Joseph who bowled West Indies to victory after the stubborn DaSilva and Sinclair battled the pink ball at Brisbane to give West Indies a competitive total to defend, which they eventually did.
In fact, against this same bowling attack at the GABBA in Brisbane, an Australian fortress, the then young West Indies middle order in the first innings produced 206 runs out of a first innings total of 311 and in the second innings 138 out of a total of 193. The top three scorers were Kavem Hodge, Joshua DaSilva and Kevin Sinclair. And we all know that Shamar Joseph took seven wickets to give West
Indies that famous victory over Australia in Australia after 27 years.
Against Pakistan at Multan in January 2025, the then young West Indies team defeated Pakistan in the second test to level the series on a spin friendly pitch tailor made for the Pakistani spinners. In that match Gudakesh Motie top scored with 55 in the first innings after West Indies were 8-54. Kemar Roach and Warrican gave him good support and they ended up with a competitive total of 163. Significantly, in the second innings Tevin Imlack, Kevin Sinclair, Motie and Warrican held things together and West Indies ended up winning by 120 runs. Motie who opened the bowling got 3 wickets while Warrican and Sinclair got 5 and 3 respectively. It was the last series for Andre Coley as coach.
Then came the Dr. Shallow with his lunacy. He replaced Andre Coley with Sammy as the head coach and chief selector, who in a brilliant display of idiocy, dismantled the young team that was building a reputation as a fighting bunch and replaced them with tested and proven test failures with absolutely nothing to demonstrate any improvement in their technique. Kavem Hodge, Athanaze, DaSilva, Imlach, Sinclair and Motie were all discarded and replaced by Chase, who was made captain, Warrican as his vice-captain, Hope and Campbell.
Despite brilliant bowling performances by Shamar
Joseph, Seales and Alzarri Joseph, the West Indies middle order of Carthy, Chase, Hope and Greaves were exposed as total failures. In fact, apart from taking 22 wickets in the series Shamar Joseph scored the second highest runs in the test series second only to Hope by five (5) runs. Even the smallest child will tell you that the middle order failed the West Indies and their performance was exactly the same as before they were dropped two or three years ago. In fact their mode of dismissal was identical to the previous years and how and by what criteria they gained selection is a question only Sammy can answer.
The Dr. Shallow in response to calls for Sammy’s axing declared in disgusting arrogance that the only reason why people were calling for Sammy’s axing was because he was from St. Lucia. You got the distinct impression from his ramblings that he had high expectations that West Indies would have fared better in the T20 which we all now know ended up in another embarrassing trashing. Australia basically playing a team void of big stars except the captain, demolished West Indies in such a disgraceful manner that it was just as painful as the historic 27 test total. The results were very similar to the embarrassment they faced in England in June and even a first-year student can tell the Dr. Shallow that his and Sammy’s credentials make a mockery of leadership.
When you look at those T20 matches their strat-
egy has been the same as what caused them to lose the T20 World Cup, the series against England and now Australia. I will be the first person to acknowledge technical issues with some of the batsmen but how can you justify WI’s dismal and embarrassing performances when a young team that this Sammy dismantled, fought and leveled a test series against this very opposition and these recycled failures cannot even make 30 runs in an innings?
Tell me in God’s name, how can you justify sacking a coach who took a young team and created history against Australia and Pakistan and replace him with a lunatic who cannot even win a single T20 on home ground? It is very clear to me that the Dr. Shallow, who is blaming insularity for the call to sack Sammy after disgraceful performances, used the same insularity to appoint him in the first place. There was no justification for sacking Andre Coley. There was no justification for Sammy to kick out the young players who made history and replace them with tested and proven failures.
The West Indies public needs to tell these charlatans to get the hell out of West Indies cricket and let successful knowledgeable legends take over. This embarrassment is too much to bear and we deserve better. Its time to say ‘GOOD RIDDANCE’ to Shallow and Sammy.
Yours truly, Eric Whaul
GBTI cuts ties with US-sanctioned Azruddin Mohamed’s WIN candidates
The Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) has closed the accounts of several candidates affiliated with the political party We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), which is led by United States (US)-sanctioned Azruddin Mohamed, an action driven by elevated risk concerns and compliance with policies set out by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regarding dealings with sanctioned individuals. While GBTI has not disclosed any specifics on the closed accounts, a source close to the bank confirmed that several accounts were shut down following a review of the clients' risk profiles.
“From time to time the bank will review the risk profile of its customers when it does not fit into our risk appetite, which is driven by local legislation as well as international best practice, we would exit such a relationship,” the source stated.
GBTI’s decision now mirrors similar action previously taken by Demerara Bank.
Among the candidates who have publicly said that their accounts were closed are Duarte Hetsberger and Natasha Singh-Lewis, who is a former A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) member of parliament, while Hetsberger is a former personal assistant of former Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield.
Banks have been compelled to review their compliance measures in line with international banking regulations, particularly those mandated by AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) laws, which are designed to prevent the use of illicit funds. In fact, when asked recently for comment regarding the bank’s recent decision Demerara Bank’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dowlat Parbhu revealed in an interview with Demerara Waves that the
decision was made to ensure the bank complies with international financial sector rules governing relations with sanctioned individuals. He was quoted saying, “I don’t think it should be unclear. If they had read all the provisions of international compliance legislation and protocol dealing with an individual that was sanctioned by OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control), then they should be very clear. If those who are interested go and read it, they will find the reason why Demerara Bank had to take such a decision.”
Banks justified
Last week, during his weekly press conference General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) and the country’s Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo had rubbished claims by candidates of the WIN political party, founded by US-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed, that the Government is influencing commercial banks to close their accounts.
“They’re quick to say everything is ‘PPP discrimination – this bank is closed to the Peoples Progressive Party; that is why the accounts were closed’.” Jagdeo said during his party’s weekly press conference on Thursday.
While the candidates have alleged discrimination by Demerara bank, Jagdeo explained that all
cial, Mae Thomas, for their alleged involvement in public corruption in Guyana.
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
banks will be forced to derisk their services to protect relations with US banking facilities. “The banks in Guyana, if they lose two things: access to the SWIFT that allows them to transfer money –it’s a code used by all banks around the world – when you transfer money abroad, you have to access that system,” he explained.
“If you lose correspondent banking relations with the US or you lose access to the SWIFT, you might as well shut down the bank; you can’t function, you can’t send a wire transfer abroad,” he further outlined. In 2024, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against Nazar Mohamed, his son Azruddin Mohamed, several of their companies, and a Guyanese Government offi -
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.”
Additionally, US Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar recently cautioned that “individuals sanctioned for illicit activities must not be allowed to jeopardise” the important Guyana-US relations.
Local tax evasion
Mohamed is currently before the local court charged with allegedly fraudulently under-declaring the value of a Lamborghini Aventador, which is currently at the centre of the dispute between him and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The US Department of Justice (DOJ), under the
Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), provided an original invoice for the Lamborghini Aventador, which was billed to Azruddin Mohamed himself, to the tune of US$695,000.
However, in his previous declarations to the court, Mohamed claimed to have spent US$76,000 on the luxury car. A difference of some US$619,000.
In April, GRA officials, backed by police, attempted to seize several luxury vehicles – including a Lamborghini Roadster, Ferrari, Rolls Royce, and Land Cruisers – from the Mohamed’s residence in Houston, Greater Georgetown. The operation was aborted after a hostile crowd, reportedly paid by Mohamed, blocked access to the premises. GRA has said that the vehicles were imported under the remigrant scheme but failed to meet key requirements, including residency status and proper declaration of value. The total tax liability in the matter is estimated at nearly $900 million. Among the outstanding amounts are: $479.7 million for a 2020 Ferrari registered to Hana Mohamed; $371.7 million for the Lamborghini tied to Azruddin Mohamed; $320 million for a 2023 Rolls Royce registered to Bibi Mohamed; and additional millions linked to a Range Rover and Toyota Land Cruisers under various family names.
WIN’s leader, United States-sanctioned Azruddin Mohamed
Solving equations by addition and subtraction
You have learnt about the Equality Properties of Addition and Subtraction, which say that if you add or subtract a number to one side of an equation, you must add or subtract the same number to the other side of the equation. This rule is important when you are trying to solve equations that use addition and subtraction.
Examples:
Problem:
Can you add 10 to the left side of the equation to leave x by itself? You can do that, but you also have to add 10 to the right side of the equation.
Step 1: Add the same number to both sides of the equation.
Step 2: Add
Problem:
This time, you can subtract 17 from the left side of the equation to leave y by itself? But you also have to subtract 17 from the right side of the equation, too.
Step 1: Subtract the same number to both sides of the equation.
Step 2: Subtract
Exercises: Solve
Trees often get taken for granted, but we’d be in trouble without them there to improve our air, give us food, and slow the impact of climate change. Without trees, life on Earth would be much harder, if not impossible!
Trees have played important roles throughout history, inspiring art, architecture, literature, and serving as the main fuel and building material of every society until the middle of the 19th century. Trees are also important cultural and religious symbols: the olive branch has symbolised peace since ancient Greece. You can learn more about the many benefits of trees, then create something – like a poster, handout, colouring sheet, video, slideshow, song, game, skit, or signs –to educate others, raise awareness about how trees help us all, and issue a call to action to help trees.
• Books about trees
By Alvin FeinmAn
Supplies
• Writing and drawing materials
• Materials to make your chosen project
• Computer and printer (optional)
• Internet access to research kid-friendly sites (optional)
• Tools to make a video or digital slideshow (optional) (Adapted from startwithabook.org)
This this will it always be, and why To ever argue for: here walking In its life, or sprawled, or loitering Down shallow valleys of the lawn: The trees that are there
The pigeon bobbing through Its fallowgray ellipse of ground— The comfort of this ground Is physical: the sun
Goes through your shirt like liniment, The tilting
Child in fact now finding Its first step, the blue balloon, the string Of ducks drawn through the pond, The twined twain, the air that hears
The day’s gamegame, and where Up through the cross-rack oak
Deep gladed lofts of leaf, green Overtaking green and light and green Array and hold Their silent chord, To where the vergemost Quibble at clear nothing—there Is not a purer ledge of opening; nothing Here is not enough to be without All need to ever argue for.
Write a scene or story that explores your character's most embarrassing moment.
CJ dismisses challenge to PR electoral system as “baseless”
…slaps Chris Ram, Vishnu Bandhu with $1M costs
Chief Justice (ag)
Roxane George has thrown out a legal challenge mounted against Guyana’s Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system, ruling on Tuesday that the application was without merit and failed to establish any constitutional violation in the structure governing national elections.
The challenge was brought by chartered accountant Christopher Ram and Vishnu Bandhu, both of whom had questioned the legality of specific provisions under the Representation of the People Act (ROPA), arguing that they infringed on citizens’ constitutional rights to participate in elections. However, the court ruled against both applicants, noting that their claims misinterpreted the Constitution and disregarded the intent and functioning of the PR framework.
In her decision, Chief Justice George underscored that the PR system and ROPA work together cohesively to uphold Guyana’s electoral framework, which has been in place since the country shifted from a firstpast-the-post system in 1964. Referencing Article 160 of the Constitution and Section 11 of ROPA, the judge stated that the requirement for parties to contest both the geographical and top-up seats is not
unconstitutional, but instead a necessary feature to maintain electoral proportionality. “Section 11C, which is not challenged, clearly establishes that one cannot focus on contesting only geographical constituencies… To do so… would affect the proportionality granted by the system,” she noted in her ruling. The judge found that the applicants failed to prove that the PR system hindered democratic participation or violated human rights. Instead, she said the system had been carefully structured through constitutional reform and broad-based consultation. In dismissing the application, the Justice George concluded that the arguments were legally flawed and constituted a misuse of the court’s resources. She ordered Bandhu to pay $250,000 each to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and
the Attorney General (AG), amounting to $500,000 in total. Christopher Ram, on the other hand, was ordered to pay $500,000 in costs to the AG.
“Frivolous”
The AG and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, SC, who represented the State, described the claims as “frivolous” and politically motivated.
Following the ruling, Nandlall provided further insight into the substance of the two applications, breaking down the arguments presented and how the State successfully rebutted them in court. In Ram’s case, he argued that Article 160 of the Constitution provides for an individual candidate, not only party lists, to contest national elections. Ram contended that because ROPA only facilitates a list system, it contradicts Article 160 and is therefore unconstitutional. However, Nandlall refuted this, explaining that Ram’s interpretation was “completely inaccurate.”
“Article 160 entrenches a Proportional Representation system, which by its very character, does not allow for independent candidates,” he said. “There is no single candidate that can run by him or herself under this system. Nowhere in Article 160 or in ROPA does it say that.”
He said the applicants
had “plucked words out of the Constitution to suit their political expediency,” and ignored well-established legal interpretations from prior rulings affirming the legitimacy of Guyana’s PR model.
Turning to Bandhu’s case, the AG noted that the politician initially challenged the entire constitutional structure as undemocratic. “Good sense prevailed,” he added, “and that argument was later abandoned.”
Instead, Bandhu focused on Article 147, which guarantees freedom of association, and argued that the law unconstitutionally restricts his political rights by requiring parties to contest a minimum number
of seats. Bandhu wished to contest a single seat—a practice not permitted under ROPA. Nandlall emphasised that Article 147 offers no such right to contest elections in any desired format. “He says, ‘not only must I belong to a political party and form one, but I must be allowed to contest elections in a particular way,’” Nandlall explained. “And that is enlarging the language of the Constitution beyond what the drafters intended.”
Bandhu also attempted to invoke international law, referencing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. But Nandlall dismissed the argument, warning of the “dangerous road” of using international treaties to override national law.
“If that was allowed, then a Government without a two-thirds majority in Parliament could enter into a treaty and amend the Constitution through the backdoor. That is not permitted under our legal framework,” he said.
Nandlall concluded that both applications lacked substance and were an ill-conceived attempt to derail the country’s electoral preparations.
“These were frivolous and vexatious applications,” he said. “They were dismissed because they were deeply flawed, without legal merit, and they wasted the court’s time.” Responding to whether there was an ulterior motive, Nandlall was candid: “This one was clearly intended to delay the elections. That was the driving factor behind it. But when they saw our submissions, I believe they quickly realised they couldn’t achieve that objective.”
With the cases now struck out and costs imposed, the AG said the outcome reaffirms the stability and constitutionality of Guyana’s electoral system and ensures that no legal cloud lingers over the next elections.
Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George
Vishnu Bandhu
Christopher Ram
Taxi driver, Essequibo Coast labourer face courts in separate assault cases
Two men were taken before the court this week in connection with separate acts of violence, one in the capital city and the other on the Essequibo Coast, with charges ranging from assault to unlawful wounding. In Georgetown, a 30-year-old taxi driver was on Tuesday granted bail after he was charged for allegedly assaulting his reputed wife. Leslie Dey of Thomas Street, Kitty, Georgetown, appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Faith
McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where he was charged with assault, causing actual bodily harm.
The charge alleged that on Monday, at Norton Street, Lodge, Georgetown, Dey assaulted his reputed wife, Devi Surijban, during a domestic dispute. Initially, Dey pleaded guilty with an explanation, but following his account of the incident, the Magistrate recorded a not-guilty plea on his behalf. In his explanation to the court, Dey claimed that
Surijban had armed herself with a chopper during an argument and approached him. “It wasn’t supposed to reach this far. I tried to take away the chopper, and I hold her hands and she sink she nail in my hand, and I bite her hand and take away the blade and hide it,” the defendant told the court.
He was granted $20,000 bail on the condition that he stay away from and have no contact with Surijban. The matter was adjourned to
August 13.
Sentenced in absentia
Meanwhile, over on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) a 28-year-old labourer who was sentenced in absentia for unlawful wounding was arrested two days after his sentencing.
Rohit Lall, of Paradise, Essequibo Coast, was charged with unlawfully wounding 31-year-old construction worker Hardat Bacchus of Walton Hall. The offence occurred on April 21, 2025, at Walton Hall, and Lall was charged under Section 30(b) of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act, Chapter 8:02. His case was heard on Wednesday last, at the Anna Regina Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Tamieka Clarke. Lall failed to attend the hearing, prompting the court to proceed with an ex parte trial. He was found guilty and sentenced to one year in prison in his absence. Lall was subsequently arrested on Friday, and is now expected to begin serving his sentence.
What’s in… …the name “Scrapes”
There’s this perennial argument as to what’s more influential our behaviour – nature or nurture? Fancy words to distinguish between what we brought with us when we come into the world from our mothers’ wombs and HOW we were brought up? Now these arguments are usually confined to poorly-attended academic conferences – so your Eyewitness is kinda surprised it’s now spread to poorly-attended opposition political meetings in the runup to the Sept 1 elections!!
It concerns a new expression – new to your Eyewitness, that is! - to describe what his generation used to call “ghetto youths” or “lumpen elements” - but evidently are now dubbed “Scrapes” or “Scrapeheads”! He’s been expanding on this moniker quite frequently since it literally blew up into the public’s consciousness following the Adriana Young tragedy - when they burnt, looted and created all sorts of mayhem in Georgetown! A goodly number of them were later arrested and charged. As best as he could tell - and his research could inform him - the name was CHOSEN by the youths themselves as a badge of honour - in a kinda reverse snobbery way!! As your Eyewitness has written, this phenomenon of lumpen elements ain’t new being around ever since England’s industrial revolution that disgorged millions of peasants into cities like London. They huddled in slums like Devils Acre around Westminster Abbey as described by Dickens, ‘there is no district in London more filthy and disgusting, more steeped in villainy and guilt, than that on which every morning’s sun casts the sombre shadows of the Abbey’.
Our post-Emancipation slums in Albuoystown and Tiger Bay in GT duly followed the example from the “Motherland”. As one historian wrote, they rejected “the Victorian social norms of modesty, dignity, orderliness, productivity and decorum, and exhibited counter values of gregariousness, bravado, loudness, ribaldry, rowdiness, aggression and coarse vulgarity”!! In 1905 they terrorized the entire GT by burning and looting the stores of the White Europeans. They were called “centipedes”!!
So it doesn’t matter what these folks are called – or call themselves – but what they DO!!! If we want to progress as a country shouldn’ we have a common position on those anti-social actions mentioned above?? So your Eyewitness is quite flummoxed to see the AFC leader raising the Scrape-name issue once again – after he and a gaggle of political small fries along with PNC’s Norton had tried to disassociate themselves from what he Scrapes did – but blamed law enforcement for calling them by the name they’d chosen!!
One micro leaders even invoked “labelling” theorypart of the “nurture” prong on character formation – to justify that claim!!
So maybe we should now call them “choir boys” –even though they’ll continue burning, looting and creating mayhem??
…Burkina Faso??
Burkina Faso ain’t one of those Africa countries whose name just roll off your tongue like Congo or Ghana, innit?? But it soon will!! Its leader Ibrahim Traore had taken power in Sept 2022 in a coup d’etat that had depressingly come to typify African governments – as opposed to being democratically elected!! But in a “man bites dog” development, he was just nominated by Pope Leo XIV for the Nobel Peace Prize!! What gives??
Well, in less than three years Traore has upended a hundred years of African post-colonial history to actually do what all previous coup leaders had promised but never delivered – actually develop their country and not THEIR bank accounts and power!! The fella has built thousands of schools; hundreds of hospitals; brokered peace with ALL the rebels and taken over lands from the French – whose forces he kicked out - and returned them to farmers for “ecological restoration”!!
The country’s now at peace for the first time in decades and development is palpable everywhere!! Viva Traore!!
…the wish to join America
Someone upped the ante on G-AMERICA’s program for us to become a US associated territory to call for us to become a STATE!!
Why should America buy the cow when it’s already getting the milk??
Leslie Dey
Rohit Lall
“No tolerance for corruption” – Deputy Commissioner on crackdown on rogue cops
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration)
Ravindradat Budhram
said the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has a serious stance against corruption and misconduct within the organisation and among its ranks.
Speaking during this week’s “Safeguarding Our Nation” programme, Budhram drew a hard line stating "we take this issue very seriously."
“Frankly speaking, I understand the public's view of corruption in the force. While there are some rogue elements within the force, majority of our officers are good officers and they are here to serve the public. For this reason, we take this issue very seriously. We have done training in integrity and monitoring at all levels. If there is an allegation of misconduct, our office of professional responsibility would investigate and after advice is sought, action will be taken,” Budhram explained.
The Deputy Commissioner confirmed that recent disturbing incidents, including a police officer caught with narcot -
ics on the East Bank and another found with an illegal firearm on the East Coast, are under investigation and have been placed before the courts.
According to Budhram, the GPF is actively pursuing a zero-tolerance policy on corruption and misconduct. Against this backdrop, he acknowledged that rebuilding public trust requires more than promises—it demands transparency, reform and consequences for wrongdoing.
“There are some incidents recently on the east
bank where a policeman was arrested with narcotics. There was also one recently on the east coast where a policeman was arrested with a firearm, illegal firearm. Those matters are presently before the court. “At no time at all will the force tolerate misconduct and turn a blind eye on them. Additionally, our main focus and aim is to have a zero tolerance on misconduct in offices. We are working to build a professional force,” he reassured. A recent example of the GPF taking action against their fellow
servicemen and women for misconduct includes charges brought before Former Assistant Police Commissioner Calvin Brutus.
The case stems from a 2024 investigation into the use of the Welfare Fund. Brutus, his wife Adonika Aulder and three other individuals, including two businessmen and a former police sergeant are accused of fraud, larceny and money laundering. Brutus is individually accused of laundering hundreds of millions through various personal and business accounts. The court granted bail to the trio, with Brutus required to post $6.2 million, his wife $1 million, and George $500,000. One of the conditions of their bail was that they had to report to the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) on the second Friday of each month. As the investigation deepened, prosecutors brought 201 additional charges against Brutus in November 2024, bringing the total to 231. The charges further strengthened the case against him, leading to an increase in his bail amount by $ $10,050,000 million.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration), Ravindradat Budhram
Top Cop urges national road safety reset as fatal accidents surge by 20%
olice Commissioner
PClifton Hicken has called for road safety to be treated as a national priority, emphasising its critical role in reducing road incidents and saving lives, given the alarming increase in fatal accidents. The Commissioner issued this plea at the Guyana National Road Safety Stakeholders Forum 2025, urging all citizens to treat road safety with utmost seriousness to reduce casualties on the country’s roadways.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has reported 70 road deaths as of 26 July 2025, marking a 6 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2024. There were 66 fatal accidents, representing a 20 per cent rise. Meanwhile, 166 serious accidents fell by 7 per cent, 235 minor accidents dropped by 4 per cent, and 428 damage-only accidents decreased by 3 per cent. Only
Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken
two child fatalities were recorded—a 50 per cent reduction.
Integrity, responsibility, strategic focus
Hicken stated that the GPF, regulatory bodies and public transportation associations must uphold their duties with integrity, responsibility and strategic focus.
“Road safety must be
a national priority. This means embedding it into Guyana’s policies, designing safe infrastructure, investing in education and enforcement and cultivating a culture where every life is valued and protected.”
The top cop admitted however, that enforcement alone would not solve the issue.
“The GPF can increase
patrols, implement speed cameras and prosecute offenders — and we will. But unless people change their collective attitudes toward road use, Guyana will continue to bury its children, family members and friends.”
He added that this forum is an opportunity to move beyond rhetoric into real partnerships, real solutions, and real behavior change for drivers in Guyana. Hicken urged all road users to “do the right thing” by slowing down, avoiding alcohol and drugs while driving, wearing helmets, respecting traffic laws and caring for one another.
“Let this forum not be just another event. Let it be a turning point where we shift the national consensus, where road safety becomes second nature and where the phrase ‘do the right thing’ is not just a slogan but a way of life,” he said.
He noted that while overall accidents have decreased by 3 per cent compared to the same period last year, fatal accidents have increased by 20 per cent claiming 70 lives on Guyana’s roads which is very concerning. “This sobering figure is more than just a statistic. It is a heartbreaking reminder that behind each number is a life lost, a family shattered and a future stolen. This forum is not solely about data, reporting, or strategies. It is fundamentally about accountability in three essential forms:
Personal accountability – Individuals must accept responsibility for their actions on the road. Every decision, whether speeding, texting while driving, ignoring a signal, or failing to wear a seat belt, can mean the difference between life and death.
Institutional accountability – Agencies must
take responsibility for implementing effective strategies to keep the roads safe. Societal accountability –Communities must work together to change behaviours and attitudes.”
Hicken also pointed out that a high percentage of road accidents involve men, a concern also echoed by the Minister of Home Affairs.
“We men have to do better. The police force already has a difficult and strenuous task in dealing with reckless drivers, and too many men engage in dangerous behaviour — playing loud music, speeding and driving carelessly in minibuses and cars. It won’t change overnight, but we have to take action. We must confront this problem because too many lives are at stake. We must engage men directly, hold them accountable and break the cycle of insecurity and recklessness on our roads.”
Over 600 cops trained abroad to strengthen security system, boost crime-fighting
In a push to modernise and professionalise law enforcement, more than 600 police rank from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) have received international training in recent years. The initiative is part of the Government’s ongoing effort to enhance national security, improve investigative capacity and bolster public trust in the police force. The training, facilitated through partnerships with countries including the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), India, and China, focused on areas such as cybersecurity, forensic science, counterterrorism, community policing, intelligence gathering, and human rights enforcement.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration) Ravindradat Budhram, unprecedented move is a central pillar of the Security Sector Reform Strategy, aimed at building a force that is smarter, more accountable, community-driven and restore public trust across the nation.
“I am jealous at the moment, simply because the present training has been modified to include gen-
der-based training, domestic violence, computer training and a whole host of other training. One area that I would like to highlight under the recruitment is diversity… Over the years, we have trained over 600 officers at different institutions, economies and countries. The US, India, Canada, to name a few. They have trained in the area of information technology, domestic violence, investigation, to name a few”.
“Our officers on the job, we treat them with privilege because they are a human asset. Firstly, on the job training, we ensure that we have overseas training. At the moment, we have persons who are at law school in Trinidad and Bahamas, six who are pursuing their legal studies,” the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration) said. A particularly striking transformation Budhram noted is in diversity and representation. He revealed that, today, over 380 Indigenous officers have been trained—a historic achievement already paying dividends in remote communities. “After then, I did not see any other indig-
enous unit at the training institution. Today, there are over 380 indigenous police who are trained at the economy. Complete training and the serving back in their communities at Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine”.
“In some communities, we have to rely on the indigenous people to guide us, especially at border locations… They know all the corners in the interior, regions one, seven, eight and nine. The language barrier that we would have experienced many years ago, that has been eliminated because the recruits are from the respective regions and they speak the dialect. Trust is building,” he added.
With a budget of $250 million allocated to human resource development within the GPF, Government is aiming to bolster the crime-fighting capabilities of the GPF and enhance law enforcement efficiency. One of the most recent trainings undertaken by GPF saw some 2,000 police officers and 762 detectives engaged ahead of the September 1 General and Regional Elections.
Labourer killed by fisherman over old grievance
ACorentyne labourer is now dead after attempting to kick down the door to a fisherman’s house at Moleson Creek, Corentyne River, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) on Monday night. Dead is 38-year-old Gavin Daniels, called ‘Talk to Me’ dead. Police have since identified the suspect as a 23-year-old fisherman of Jackson Creek and has been taken into custody.
According to the police the incident occurred at about 20:00h on Monday.
Neighbours said that the now-dead man went into the fisherman’s yard and was attempting to break into his house when the labourer raised an alarm and alerted neighbours. One of the neighbours, Nafeeza Hussain said it was the suspect, who telephoned her informing her that someone was attempting to break into his home.
“Come out on a road and see this boy ah kick down me door. Come out a see wha ah go on hay,” the woman said she was told.
Hussain said she telephoned her neighbour’s
Dead: 38-year-old Gavin Daniels
mother and asked her to call the police. She said when she went outside, she saw her neighbour and Daniels entangled in a fight. The fight was parted and shortly after restarted on the road but then Daniels fell while her neighbour ran away.
“I didn’t get a chance to see who had weapon or anything but he fall motionless and we did not touch him and we call the police and about one hour after the patrol jeep come,”
she related.
Daniels’ motionless body was taken to the Skeldon Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The two men had an ongoing feud dating back to Father’s Day. They were reportedly imbibing and an argument developed and escalated into a physical altercation. The suspect left shortly afterwards for sea and Daniels learned that he was home and went to confront him on Monday night.
GPF launches Secure Eye app to boost real-time crime reporting
Aiming to ensure that incidents on Guyana’s roadways are swiftly addressed by the relevant authorities, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has launched a mobile application that empowers witnesses to report accidents in real time and upload sup-
porting photos. The Secure Eye App was launched today during the Guyana National Road Safety Stakeholders Forum 2025, hosted at the GPF Officers’ Mess Annexe, Eve Leary, Georgetown. The GPF’s very first app of its kind is designed to enhance road safety by allowing citi-
zens to report incidents directly to the Operations Room of the police force. These reports will prompt immediate responses from the relevant police stations and regional divisions.
Speaking at the launch, System Analyst Priya Seepaul highlighted the app’s key features and emphasised its importance in improving safety and response systems across the country. Seepaul encouraged road users to utilise the app to report violations rather than merely posting videos and photos to social media. She also warned that the app must be used strictly for the real-time reporting of incidents and should not be misused or abused.
“This app was created to help address some of the ongoing challenges
we face with road safety,” Seepaul said. “Far too often, when an accident happens, people rush to record it on their phones. But then what? It ends up on social media, generating likes and hashtags like #caraccident or #carcrash. Now imagine if, instead, that footage was shared on an official platform, one where it could prompt real action, offer timely support, and possibly even save lives. That’s the difference this app can make.” She further highlighted that the app was developed because of the growing number of lives lost due to road accidents. A key focus of the app is to speed up the process of notifying officials about incidents, enabling them to respond more quickly.
“Many of these lives can
be saved, not by luck, but by faster reporting and a faster response system. Today, our major challenge remains timely and accurate reporting. Too often incidents go unreported. Confusion, long waits, and uncertainty prevent people from getting updates,” she said. In addition to road incidents, the app can also be used to report other crimes, including theft, robbery, assault and domestic violence. Citizens can further report disorderly behaviour, fires, vandalism, noise nuisances, and any other threats to public safety.
System Analyst Priya Seepaul
Ramsammy’s Ruminations
In the homestretch of elections 2025, the PPP stares
at a landslide victory
Elections 2025 is truly now in the homestretch. The PPP is a tried and tested election machinery. No political party has had the experience and the resilience of the PPP when it comes to elections, not in Guyana or anywhere else in CARICOM. Outside of a track record, ideas and policies and the trust people have for the leaders in the party, the PPP’s formidable election machinery is due to its strength in raising funds. The PPP has never relied on government funding for its elections’ campaigns. Unlike the PNC which up until 1992 and then in 2020 generously utilized government resources and the power of incumbency to force businesses to donate funds, the PPP raises its own funds.
Tens of thousands of Guyanese continue to pay to attend fundraisers organized by the PPP. It is the only reason why, in- or out- of government, the PPP out-performs its opponents in the utilization of elections paraphernalia. The sea of red shirts and caps across Guyana, with people freely and proudly wearing red shirts and red caps, during Elections 2025 campaign is as a result of its supporters willing to fund the party’s campaign.
In a letter prominently featured in Stabroek News on Monday July 28, Annette Ferguson alleged that the PPP is utilizing government funds for its paraphernalia that is resulting in the tsunami of red one sees in Guyana. Outside of her deliberate lies, she misses the point totally. If Annette and her colleagues truly believe that the PNC presently enjoys mass support, enough to even return as the major opposition party, then it should be easy for the PNC to raise funds. Ferguson’s anger is directed at the PPP because her own party is unable to match the PPP with election paraphernalia. Its inability to raise funds is due to the dwindling support-base. In stronghold after stronghold, the PNC has been stunned by the low turnout to its meetings. It has so far been a shocking rejection of the PNC by its support-base.
The PPP had 10,000 people for each of several fundraising dinners in Leonora, East Bank Demerara and East Coast Demerara. Ten thousand people paid to see a cricket match featuring the president as a player and captain of an international side. The PNC is unable to match these numbers even for free attendance to a rally. The PPP has always relied on its supporters to fund its campaigns. In the old days, the PPP passed around hats at public meetings to raise funds. Times have changed and now party supporters are attending dinners and cricket matches to donate to PPP’s election campaigns.
If the public response to fundraisers, political rallies and public meetings is any indication of the results for Elections 2025, the PPP is looking like winning in a landslide. The PPP rallies at Kitty (for the launching of the 2025 campaign), Albion and Anna Regina have been electrifying, with totally positive vibes and with record-breaking crowds. The same thing is happening with its public meetings. Public meetings across the country are showing every sign of a landslide victory. The recent public meetings at Tarla Dam (Meet-en-Meer Zorg) and Industry were bigger than rallies of the other political parties. PPP community meetings so far in New Amsterdam, a stronghold of the PNC, has encouraging signs that the PPP might well end up winning in New Amsterdam. In Linden, public meetings so far held by the PPP, provides encouraging signs that the PPP is likely to win more votes in that town than it has ever won.
In stark contrast, the PNC-led APNU has so far had a dreadful response as they take the Elections 2025 campaign on the road. Faced with the lowest turnout to their rallies and public meetings, they are blaming the PPP. The PNC leader, Aubrey Norton, blamed the PPP for the low turnout to its launching rally at Square of the Revolution a few Sundays ago. He claimed that people were there, just not seen. The people were there, just like the PNC’s copies of the SOPs, there, but not seen.
Ganesh Mahipaul takes the cake this week for ridiculous excuses. According to him, people should not estimate the PNC’s strength by the size of the crowds at their rallies and public meetings. He said they should pay more attention to the telephone calls and messages of support he receives in his what’s app every and each day. Norton says they are there, but not seen; Mahipaul says they are there in his phone.
Shocked by the low turnout, Dexter Todd claims it is because of unfair labeling. Todd railed at a recent public meeting that it is a lie that the PNC tried to rig the 2020 elections. He dared the PPP to provide proof. The first proof is within his reach – the PNC’s invisible copies of the “winning “ SOPs. Can Todd tell us if he has seen the “winning” SOPs? The other trove of evidence is presently in court where senior PNC members, together with senior GECOM staff, are charged with electoral fraud. The third trove of evidence has been published in the form of observer reports, all of which described the clumsy theft attempt. The 4th trove of evidence is available in the report of the International Commission of Inquiry into the 2020 elections. The 5th trove of evidence is with the thousands of Guyanese who the PNC accused of being “dead” voters or “absent” voters. The truth is the PNC led a wicked plot to thief Elections 2025.
In the meanwhile, Mohamed’s party is rapidly disintegrating because whenever they hold a public meeting without mobilization, they literally speak to themselves or they have to clumsily make up stupid excuses for cancelling. As for the AFC, the FGM and Broome’s party, they have literally given up already.
Media access restricted as election fraud case site visit proceeds today
Asite visit to the former Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Command Centre at Ashmins Building, a key location in the ongoing election fraud case, is set to proceed today under strict conditions laid down by the court. Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty has ruled that while journalists will be permitted to witness and record the arrival and departure of participants, no video recording or filming will be allowed inside the premises. The decision was made following a request submitted by members of the media through the Supreme Court
of Judicature, seeking permission to film the evidentiary visit. The request came after the court announced earlier this week
that the parties would visit the location on Wednesday to contextualise elements of the 2020 elections tabulation process, which is at the heart of the charges.
The Magistrate sought input from both the prosecution and defence on the issue. Lead prosecutor, King’s Counsel (KC) Darshan Ramdhani, raised no objections, noting the importance of public trials. However, Defence Attorney Eusi Anderson, who represents multiple defendants, voiced concern that full media access could jeopardise the fairness of proceedings. He proposed allowing journalists to capture the general comings and goings at the site, but not the more sensitive parts of the visit, especially those that could risk attorney-client confidentiality or create a spectacle of any disagreements among the parties.
Dr Leslie Ramsammy
Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty
Those charged with electoral offences are, top row, from left: Volda Lawrence, Keith Lowenfield, Denise Babb-Cummings, and Michelle Miller. Bottom row, from left: Enrique Livan, Sheffern February, Clairmont Mingo, and Carol Smith-Joseph
The former GECOM command centre
“PPP/C Govt has employed me & that speaks volumes” – Min Rodrigues on support for LGBTQ+ community
The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) Guyana has launched a manifesto, ahead of the 2025 General and Regional Elections, calling for political parties to commit to addressing legislative, socio-economic and other critical issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) Guyanese.
The document lists ten priority issues for political parties to address.
On Tuesday, SASOD hosted a town hall meeting where representatives of five of the six political parties contesting the September 1 elections shared their views on several issues relating to the LGBTQIA+ community.
The Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) was represented by Susan Rodrigues while the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) was repre-
sented by Ubraj Narine, the Alliance For Change (AFC) by Beverley Alert, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) by Odessa Primus and Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) by Dorwain Bess.
Workplace discrimination
One of the questions posed to the panelists was if their organisation would support legislation ensuring workplace non-discrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ people. In response, Rodrigues explained that while legislative reforms are needed, what is equally important is changing the culture of society.
“We know that discrimination of LGBTQ persons is wrong but we live in a society where we don’t want to impose that on others and that’s why stakeholder engagement is extremely important to try to change attitudes, belief and patterns,” Rodrigues, who is the Minister within the Ministry
of Housing and Water, highlighted. Nevertheless, she emphasised that as a political party, the PPP/C does not support any form of dis-
crimination against citizens, including discrimination based on sexual orientation.
In fact, she expressed that “the [PPP/C] has employed
me and that speaks volumes, to be able to be comfortable in my own skin and to have a public portfolio.”
Meanwhile, APNU’s representative shared that his party does not support discrimination and that if elected into Government, “we will move forward with policies and so on for this organisation or this sector of society because we feel that it is too long that this sector of society has been marginalised.”
FGM’s representative said his party believes that all Guyanese should be treated as equals whereas WIN’s spokesperson contended that any minority group should be able to access jobs without discrimination and there should be published rules on nondiscriminatory practices in the workplace.
AFC’s Alert stated that all forms of discrimination are wrong and when it affects a person’s fundamental human right, then it becomes criminal; she said under an AFC Government, there would be systems in place for persons who have been discriminated against to file complaints.
Criminalising same-sex intimacy
Another question posed to the participants is if they would support overturning local laws that criminalise same-sex intimacy. Most of the political representatives expressed that law reform must take into consideration feedback from wider society. Alert said the AFC supports review and discussions that “lead us where we want to grow and develop as a nation”. Similar views were expressed by Primus who said “I’m not a gay man, this law does not affect me by any stretch of the imagination and I may not understand a lot of the intricacies in terms of challenges that may be facing”.
APNU and FGM were in full support of amending the law with Narine stating “that is a must…yes, we will go down that road”. For her part, Rodrigues explained that public policy is driven by society but she affirmed that “the Peoples Progressive Party Civic does not support discrimination based on sexual orientation…Nobody should be discriminated against based on sexual orientation.”
She admitted that there is much left to do when it comes to law and constitutional reforms but highlighted that the PPP/C Administration has made significant strides in the last five years towards modernising several pieces of legislation, many of which were inherited from the colonial system.
Access to Govt services
The panelists were also asked if they would support comprehensive legislation ensuring nondiscrimination protections for all Guyanese, inclusive of sex-
ual orientation and gender identity. The question was premised on the basis that many LGBTQIA+ Guyanese report facing discrimination in many facets of their lives, including when accessing public services, such as health, education and social services. The FGM representative said “yes, we will support” while APNU said it would develop a national LGBTQ+ commission which will be funded by the State to monitor, advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, investigate complaints and make recommendations. AFC indicated that the root cause of this problem is a lack of professionalism among public servants and that they would seek to better train public sector workers. Meanwhile, both PPP/C and WIN indicated that law reform may not necessarily address the issue.
Primus said “we can change as many laws …come up with greatest of policies and have awesome projects” but what is truly needed to tackle the issue is a change in culture among the population.
Rodrigues explained that the PPP/C does not support any form of discrimination but emphasised that laws do not mean prevention. She too explained that change in attitudes and culture is needed. Rodrigues pointed to situations in other parts of the world where laws were amended to support gay marriage but yet it is still not safe for gay couples to “hold hands and walk down the streets”. In this regard, Rodrigues said “of course, we support laws that prevent discrimination but we also strongly have to change attitude.”
Bullying in schools
Another question was “would you support developing a policy to keep Guyanese students safe by addressing bullying and violence in Guyanese schools, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity?”
All parties were in favour, many of them emphasising the need for societal changes outside of the school environment. For instance, Alert explained that homophobic tendencies are oftentimes learned outside of the schools and in the homes.
Narine, in his response, emphasised the need for sensitivity training among educators, noting that sometimes, teachers contribute to the problem.
Rodrigues echoed similar sentiments, sharing her own example whereby her son took a doll to school as part of a project to display their favourite toy but the teacher informed that a doll cannot be his favourite toy since he is a boy. The Minister stressed that these types of learned perspectives must be changed and it is not just limited to a school environment.
Minister within the Housing Ministry, Susan Rodrigues
Kwebanna Secondary under construction to serve 700 students
Construction at the Kwebanna Secondary School is advancing smoothly, according to observations made during a site visit by the Education Minister, Priya Manickchand on Tuesday. According to the Minister, the brand-new Kwebanna Secondary School will cater for approximately 700 children.
She also stated that the
school will be built in a very modern style for the comfort of student and teachers.
“These are classroom blocks built in a campus-style setting, which parents and children are currently being allowed to view,” she explained. Most significantly, she noted that several parts of the school are well underway.
“The teachers’ quar-
ters—it is beautifully being done—it will provide teachers with their own modern living spaces. That area will serve as the dining area and cafeteria and behind it will be a dormitory,” she added. Additionally, she pointed out that one of the rooms is outfitted with a sitting area and its own bathroom.
The Minister explained that the school will help
Media access restricted as...
In response, Ramdhani echoed the broader principle of transparency and suggested that live broadcasts of court proceedings could benefit Guyana’s justice system in the long run. He referenced the outdated nature of court processes, which were designed before modern media technology became widespread, but emphasized that the original intent was always to ensure openness and public scrutiny. Magistrate McGusty, while agreeing in principle, maintained that certain aspects of court proceedings must remain private due to their sensitive nature.
The site visit is scheduled to commence at 09:30h, beginning at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before moving to the Ashmins Building.
Apart from the magistrate, only lawyers, the nine defendants, and witnesses who have already testified will be allowed to participate
Those who have already taken the witness stand include Minister of Local Government Sonia Parag, Head of the Diaspora Unit Rosalinda Rasul, ANUG executive Kian Jabour, and Assistant Commissioner of Police Edgar Thomas. During the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections, Parag served as a PPP/C agent, Rasul was an observer with the American Chamber of
Commerce (AmCham), Jabour represented ANUG as an agent, and Thomas was Commander of Police Division 4 ‘A’.
The defendants are all linked to the tabulation process at the Ashmins Building and include several high-profile figures: PNC/R member Carol Smith-Joseph; former APNU+AFC Minister of Health Volda Lawrence; former GECOM Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield; former Deputy CEO Roxanne Myers; and former Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo. GECOM staffers Sheffern February, Enrique Livan, Denise Babb-Cummings, and Michelle Miller are also facing charges.
They are collectively facing 19 counts of conspiracy to commit electoral fraud, all of which they have denied. They remain on bail pending the outcome of the trial.
Prosecutors have accused each of the nine defendants of playing a direct role in manipulating the results of the 2020 general elections. It is alleged that they engaged in a coordinated effort to inflate votes in favour of the APNU+AFC coalition while simultaneously reducing vote counts for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).
According to the prosecution, the fraud charges stem from discrepancies in
A section of the school under construction achieve universal secondary education in this part of the Moruca sub-district.
“It will accommodate children from Barima-Waini, the Barama River and the Waini River. Villages such as, Santa Cruz, Kariako, and Warapoka along with Kwebanna itself and surrounding communities, will benefit as parents are consenting to have their children attend this school,” she said.
the initial election results declared by Lowenfield, which suggested an APNU+AFC victory with 171,825 votes, compared to the PPP/C’s 166,343. However, a national recount supervised by a CARICOM delegation revealed a different outcome: the PPP/C had actually secured 233,336 votes, defeating the APNU+AFC’s 217,920. The recount ultimately led to the swearing-in of President Dr Irfaan Ali on August 2, 2020.
The five-month electoral standoff saw Guyana’s courts flooded with injunctions, appeals, and other legal filings from both sides of the political divide. Following the conclusion of the recount and the PPP/C’s return to power, criminal proceedings were initiated against the nine accused. In August 2021, GECOM officially dismissed Lowenfield, Myers, and Mingo.
The prosecution has indicated that it plans to call approximately 70 witnesses in the case. Today’s site visit is intended to help contextualize the evidence already presented, including testimony about the layout of the Command Centre and procedures used during the contentious tabulation process.
The trial continues before Magistrate McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Drawing comparisons to schools in Georgetown, the Minister stated that Kwebanna Secondary is expected to be even nicer than any Georgetown school that
we have. Meanwhile she stated that in addition to Kwebanna, work is currently being completed on the Waramuri Secondary School and the Hosororo Secondary School in the Mabaruma sub-district whilst revealing other accomplishments made in completing the building for other schools.
“Guyana has also completed the Northwest Secondary School, which was destroyed by arson, and we are building Matthews Ridge Secondary School… In Region One alone, five secondary schools are being built to bring about universal secondary educa-
tion,” the Minister stated.
“Wherever communities grow and we see the need for a school—primary, nursery, or secondary—it will be built. That is our commitment, and you can see that now. Forty-two secondary schools are under construction across Guyana, with 24 located in hinterland communities alone. I am really pleased by that because that’s where we had the deficit before. This will lead to more retention of children in secondary school because if children have a school to attend, we will clearly be able to retain them,” she concluded.
Guyana, DR sign agreement for large-scale cocoa, coffee cultivation in Reg 1
The Government of Guyana, through the Agriculture Ministry on Tuesday, signed an agreement with the Government of the Dominican Republic to commence large-scale cocoa and coffee cultivation in Region One (BarimaWaini).
This initiative aims to establish approximately 200 acres each of coffee and cocoa as part of Guyana’s broader efforts to boost economic diversification, enhance rural livelihoods, and expand regional trade.
The agreement underscores the importance of sustainable agriculture and technical cooperation and will support the development, cultivation, processing, and marketing of both crops. It will also pave the way for joint research and development programmes, as well as value-added production and trade facilitation in the cocoa and coffee sectors.
At peak production, the project is expected to yield approximately 8000 metric tonnes of cocoa. Additionally, nearly 3000 individuals are projected to benefit both directly and indirectly from employment and economic opportunities generated through the initiative.
This agreement builds on President Dr Irfaan Ali’s strategic vision for agricultural revitalisation in Region One.
During a 2024 outreach
to Waramuri Village in Barima-Waini, President Ali highlighted the region’s enormous agricultural potential and announced plans to establish a 10,000-acre coffee plantation featuring Arabica and Liberica varieties. He noted the Government’s commitment to restoring Region One as a prominent coffee-producing area through strategic investment and the distribution of thousands of cocoa plants.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand at the construction site
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha and his team from the Ministry along with Dominican Republic officials at the signing on Tuesday
4 modern buildings commissioned as GPF pushes major infrastructure overhaul
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Tuesday commissioned four newly reconstructed facilities at its Police Headquarters, marking a significant step in the ongoing countrywide infrastructural transformation
Branch’s Blacksmith Shop, were officially opened by Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn. He was joined by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Andre Ally, and Deputy Commissioner ‘Operations,’ Errol Watts. Constructed
to the needs of the Force and the public.
“These projects reflect our commitment to creating a modern and professional police service,” Minister Benn said at the commissioning ceremony. “We are not only investing in struc-
of the Force.
The facilities, the Tactical Services Unit (TSU), Transport Workshop, a new Barracks at the Georgetown Academy, and the Mounted
as part of the GPF’s plan to modernise its operations and infrastructure, the new buildings replace old wooden structures and are now purpose-built, concreteand-steel facilities tailored
tures but also in the future of policing in Guyana.”
The newly constructed Tactical Services Unit, critical to the Force’s operational capacity, was built at a cost of $276,382,940.
The redesigned Transport Workshop, which now includes improved storage and servicing space for the GPF’s vehicle fleet, was completed for $157,679,280.
The Barracks, located on the western side of the Georgetown Academy campus, were constructed at a cost of $398,019,759. They will house recruits in a modern, air-conditioned environment designed to promote comfort and facilitate study and training. The Blacksmith Shop, located in the Mounted Branch Compound, plays a key role in the operation of the branch through the repair of saddles and the production and installation of horseshoes. This facility was reconstructed at a cost of $10,021,696. All four facilities were designed to enhance the working conditions of officers while ensuring accessibility and professionalism in service delivery to the public.
Also present at the commissioning ceremony were Director of the GPF Academy, Woman Senior Superintendent Sonia Herbert; Head of the Information Technology
New disability unit to streamline services, provide hassle-free access to PLWDs
The Human Services and Social Security Ministry has announced the establishment of a new unit dedicated to decentralising and streamlining services for Persons Living with Disabilities (PLWDs) across Guyana.
The unit is aimed at ensuring greater accessibility, reduced bureaucracy and enhanced service delivery for PLWDs in both urban and hinterland regions.
Subject Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud made the announcement during the opening of the UnleashAbility Summit, a dynamic, multi-agency forum hosted on Tuesday at the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre in collaboration with United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The summit is aimed at deepening national awareness of the rights of PLWDs and operationalising key elements of the Persons with Disabilities Act (2010).
According to Persaud, the unit which will be commissioned in coming weeks is set to become the central hub for all disability-related programmes under the Ministry, drastically reducing bureaucracy and offering seamless application processes, among others.
“This year we're also going to open a special
unit at the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security focusing exclusively on people with special needs. I yesterday received the strategic plan on that so this will happen in a few short weeks and with that happening we will be able to separate all the services, decentralise those services so that persons living with disabilities will have direct access and have easy access hassle-free access to our services.”
“So today as you listen to the work of Government and across agencies you can see that there is laser-sharp focus on ensuring persons who live with disabilities not only dream of a quality of life but have
that quality of life and we will continue to work with all of our partners to listen to their recommendations and their ideas on policy and programmes so that as a Government we continue to have the kind of transformational impact for that community,” the Minister disclosed. The initiative, Persaud said builds on Government’s massive expansion of permanent disability assistance, which now supports nearly 30,000 persons nationwide, with that number increasing daily. She also revealed plans to further eliminate long-standing barriers affecting persons living with disabilities. In fact, for those facing mo-
bility and sensory challenges, the Ministry has taken its assistive aids programme to unprecedented heights, with over 1,000 aids distributed directly to homes in every region. “We have been, over the last four years, providing over 1,000 plus of these
assistive aids in every region. We have done so in such a way where we even deliver these assistive aids to homes of persons living with disabilities. And this would mean things like wheelchairs, walkers, white canes and canes. And we have done this to ensure that quality of life is very pivotal in what we are trying to achieve. We have partnered with the Ministry of Health through a referral system to ensure that the hearing aids are made very much open to all persons who require them,” she added.
Essequibo Coast labourer jailed for threatening behaviour
A50-year-old labourer with a prior conviction has once again found himself on the wrong side of the law, this time for threatening a fellow villager.
Moniram Singh, also known as ‘Gabla’, of Westbury, Essequibo Coast, was on Tuesday sentenced to 90 days’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to a charge of threatening behaviour committed against Jennifer Ramcharran, a 50-year-old housewife from the same village.
The incident occurred on Friday, and the matter was heard before Magistrate Ravindra Mohabir at the Anna Regina Magistrate’s Court. Singh admitted to the offence during his court appearance and was promptly sentenced to three months behind bars.
This is not Singh’s first brush with the law. Just four months earlier, in March, he was convicted of theft and sentenced to six months in prison by Magistrate Tamieka Clarke at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court.
In that matter, Singh was found guilty of stealing a cellphone valued at $180,000 from
Essequibo Coast, on March 10.
Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud
Moniram Singh
Parsram Singh at the Long Xin Supermarket in Richmond,
Department, Senior Superintendent Jermaine Johnson; 2I/C Operations, Superintendent Dennis Stephen; Officerin-Charge of TSU,
Senior Superintendent Brian Lowenfield; Superintendent Mohan Khan; along with several other senior and junior members of the Force.
Some of the buildings that were commissioned
Around the World
OOIL NEWS
Oil prices rally on US pressure on Russia, trade deal optimism
UK to recognise Palestinian state unless Israel meets conditions
The United Kingdom will recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes "substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza", Sir Keir Starmer has said.
The UK Government has previously said recognition should come at a point when it can have maximum impact, as part of a peace process.
il prices gained more than three per cent on Tuesday as US President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine and on optimism that a trade war between the US and its major trading partners was abating.
Brent crude futures settled US$2.47, or 3.53 per cent, higher at US$72.51 a barrel while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained US$2.50, or 3.75 per cent, to settle at US$69.21. Both contracts settled at their highest since June 20.
On Tuesday, Trump said he would start imposing tariffs and other measures on Russia "10 days from today" if Moscow did not make progress toward ending the war in Ukraine.
"We've amped it up. We have a hard deadline of 10 days," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst with Price Futures Group. "And there's a suggestion that other countries are going to join us."
Also on Tuesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he had told Chinese officials that, given US secondary tariff legislation on sanctioned Russian oil, China could face high tariffs if Beijing continued its Russian oil purchases.
Bessent was speaking after two days of bilateral talks aimed at resolving longstanding economic disputes and stepping back from an escalating trade war between the world's two biggest economies.
Also supporting oil prices, the trade agreement between the US and the European Union, while imposing a 15 per cent import tariff on most EU goods, sidestepped a full-blown trade war between the two major allies that would have rippled across nearly a third of global trade and dimmed the outlook for fuel demand.
"There is definitely some optimism around the trade deals," said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho. "It's not perfect, especially for the Europeans, but it is better than it could have been by a long shot."
The agreement also calls for US$750 billion of EU purchases of US energy over the next three years, which analysts say the bloc has virtually no chance of meeting, while European companies are to invest US$600 billion in the US over Trump's term.
In the US, crude stockpiles rose by 1.54 million barrels last week, market sources said, citing American Petroleum Institute (API) figures on Tuesday. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) is due to release weekly inventory data today.
Market participants also await the outcome of the US Federal Reserve policy meeting scheduled for Tuesday and today. The Fed is widely expected to hold rates steady, but could signal a dovish tilt owing to signs of cooling inflation, said Priyanka Sachdeva, senior market analyst at brokerage Phillip Nova. (Reuters)
NYC skyscraper shooter's 'suicide note' blamed NFL for brain disease
The man who shot four person dead with an assault-style rifle inside a midtown Manhattan skyscraper was carrying a "suicide note" that blamed the National Football League (NFL) for a degenerative brain disease he said he had, New York City's Police Commissioner said on Tuesday.
Police have identified the gunman as Shane Tamura, 27, a Las Vegas casino security officer and former high school football player with a documented history of mental illness.
Tamura killed two security guards, one of them a city Policeman on security detail, as well as a real estate executive and a business manage-
ment associate, before taking his own life on the 33rd floor of the Park Avenue skyscraper. An employee of the NFL, which has its headquarters in the building alongside offices of major financial firms, was gravely wounded in the attack, which was the deadliest mass shooting in New York City in a quarter century.
The NFL worker was among several people shot in the lobby before Tamura, targeting the football league, used the wrong elevator bank and ended up in the 33rdfloor office suite of Rudin Management, a real estate company that owns the building, city officials said.
(Excerpt from Reuters)
The UK Prime Minister said Israel must also meet other conditions, including agreeing to a ceasefire, committing to a long-term sustainable peace that delivers a two-state solution, and allowing the United Nations to restart the supply of aid, or the UK would take the step at September's UN General Assembly.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move "rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism".
However, the PM has been under growing pressure – including from his own Members of Parliament (MPs) – to act more quickly.
Last week France also announced it would officially recognise a Palestinian state in September – the first of the G7 group of the world's richest countries to do so.
Giving a news conference after holding an emergency Cabinet meeting, Sir Keir said he was announcing the plan now because of the "intolerable situation" in Gaza
and concern that "the very possibility of a two-state solution is reducing".
He told reporters that the UK's goal of "a safe secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state" was "under pressure like never before".
(Excerpt from BBC News)
UN holds emergency talks over skyhigh costs for COP30 climate summit
The United Nations' climate bureau held an urgent meeting on Tuesday over concerns that sky-high accommodation prices for this year's COP30 climate summit in Brazil could price poorer countries out of the negotiations, according to diplomats and a document seen by Reuters.
Brazil is preparing to host this year's UN climate summit in November in the rainforest city of Belem, where nearly every government in the world will gather to negotiate their joint efforts to curb climate change.
Concerns about logistics have dogged preparations for COP30. Developing countries have warned that they cannot afford Belem's accommodation prices, which have soared amid a
shortage of rooms.
In an emergency meeting of the UN climate body's "COP bureau" on
27 killed in Russia’s attacks on Ukraine
At least 27 persons, including 16 inmates and a pregnant woman, have been killed in Russian air attacks on mostly southeastern Ukraine, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and regional officials.
The attacks came overnight on Tuesday, a day after United States President Donald Trump set Russia a new deadline of “10 or 12 days” to reach a peace deal in its war on Ukraine or face tough new sanctions, shortening a 50-day deadline he had set earlier this month.
Ivan Fedorov, head of the military administration in Zaporizhia, on Tuesday said Russia carried out eight overnight air attacks on his
region alone, hitting a prison near the city of Zaporizhzhia.
“Russia bombed a penal colony near Zaporizhzhia overnight – 16 killed, 35 injured. Civilians continue to suffer. Another blatant war crime,” Fedorov said in English on X.
Zelenskyy said a pregnant woman was among three killed in a Russian missile attack on the city of Kamianske in the central region of Dnipropetrovsk, targeting a hospital.
Also in Dnipropetrovsk, a person was killed and several were wounded in the Synelnykove district, according to Serhiy Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk military administration.
(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)
Tuesday, Brazil agreed to address countries' concerns about accommodation and report back at an-
Unsung
other meeting on August 11, said Richard Muyungi, chair of the African Group of Negotiators, who called the meeting.
"We were assured that we will revisit that on the 11th, to get assurances on whether the accommodation will be adequate for all delegates," Muyungi told Reuters after the meeting. He said African countries wanted to avoid trimming their participation because of the cost.
"We are not ready to cut down the numbers. Brazil has got a lot of options in terms of having a better COP, a good COP. So that is why we are pushing that Brazil has to provide better answers, rather than telling us to limit our delegation," Muyungi said.
(Excerpt from Reuters)
hero behind hula hoop invention dies aged 101
Joan Anderson, who coined the name for the hula hoop and played an unsung role in its rise, has died age 101.
The former model was visiting her native Australia from her home in the US when she spotted groups of people swivelling wooden hoops around their waists.
She was so mesmerised by the growing craze in Australia that she had one of the strange new toys shipped to the US.
The 2018 documentary “Hula Girl” retold Anderson's story of dubbing it the hula hoop after the hip-swivelling Hawaiian dance, and how it was she and her husband who first showed it to a toy company
boss. It went on to sell millions and become a global sensation – but the couple went uncredited for their role in its rise.
Recounting meeting the boss of American toy conglomerate Wham-O in the early 1960s, Anderson told documentary makers: "We told him, 'we've called it the hula hoop,'.
"He said, 'looks like it has some merit, if it makes money for us, it's going to make money for you'."
Anderson claimed the deal was sealed with a "gentleman's handshake" and it began to fly off the shelves in the US.
(Excerpt from BBC News)
A drone view shows a hotel under construction ahead of the COP30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil, July 16, 2025 (Reuters/ Wagner Santana photo)
UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer
Meanwhile, Sir Keir said Hamas must immediately release all hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm and accept that they will play no part in the Government of Gaza.
SUDOKU
Participating will help you connect with people who motivate you and inspire you to trust and believe in yourself. Redefine your qualifications to suit the sector you want to work in.
Focus on what's possible, and distance yourself from anyone trying to take advantage of you. Pay attention to your work and responsibilities. Working alone will help you achieve the most.
Put your energy where it will bring the highest return. Participate in events that inspire you to act and bring about positive change. Turn any situation into an opportunity to meet and connect with individuals.
Keep a low profile, and you'll achieve more. Taking on responsibilities that don't belong to you will lead to resentment. Focus on easing stress and maintaining good health.
Say no to temptation. Going into debt, neglecting to pay attention to what you consume or taking risks with your emotional, financial or physical well-being will lead to regret.
Take precautions. Refuse to let someone else make choices for you or lead you down a path that can damage your reputation or position. Take responsibility, and you'll deter others from trying to take control.
Letting your emotions run the show will backfire. Do your research, consider what's feasible and affordable, and build your plans around what makes sense and has a chance to succeed.
You'll have to stay on top of matters if you want to reach your goal. Lay the foundation and see matters through to the end. Take precautions to avoid injury when engaging in physical activity.
Put your money somewhere safe. Spontaneity and spending will lead to regret. Updating your image and surrounding yourself with upbeat people and plans will help you achieve positive results.
Initiate change and put your energy where it will bring the highest monetary returns. An opportunity to team up with someone who is just as ambitious as you will give you the momentum you require to reach your goal.
Find your niche and your purpose, and adjust your skills. Rearrange your surroundings to accommodate what you want to do, and address concerns with those whose plans will be affected by the choices you make.
Observe rather than participate in events or protests that can lead to negative results. Instead, sign up for something that will help you gain knowledge, skills or interests.
ARCHIE
Australia put on a final display of their batting power to secure a 5-0 T20 International (T20I) whitewash over West Indies. Tim David and Mitchell Owen launched seven sixes between them, as the overall series tally ended as the second-highest for a bilateral series, with Aaron Hardie then finishing the chase after Akeal Hosein had kept West Indies' hopes alive. The victory was set up by an excellent performance with the ball after Mitchell Marsh had won his fifth toss – making it all eight for Australia on the tour –and declining the opportunity to have his side set a target. They claimed three wickets in the powerplay to set West Indies back and kept chipping away each
sharp piece of work off his own bowling to end the innings as he under-armed into the stumps, while Adam Zampa claimed a wicket in his 100th T20I –the fourth Australia men's player to reach that milestone.
Australia's powerplay was hectic as Holder struck twice in his first over, Marsh was cleaned up by a beauty from Alzarri Joseph and David bludgeoned 30 off 12 balls with four sixes all inside five overs. From there, the asking rate was never an issue, it was just a question of whether West Indies could keep taking wickets. Their chances took a blow when Joseph limped out of the attack and while Hosein was excellent, there were not enough runs to work with in the end.
middle-order might power Australia to 5-0 sweep
Dwarshuis is building a handy record for Australia as the left-arm pace option in this attack. He may well have pushed himself to second in the pecking order ahead of Spencer Johnson, who missed this series through injury, and behind Mitchell Starc.
Having been rested for the fourth match, he returned with a brace of early inroads, responding to a pair of boundaries from Shai Hope by spearing one through him, then having Brandon King taken at midwicket to bag West Indies' in-form openers.
His figures were dented in his final over that cost 19, including a big full toss to Hetmyer which resulted in a free hit that was sent for six. Next ball, Hetmyer
went to his half-century from 30 balls, but could not stay to finish the innings when he was well caught by Sean Abbott running in from long-off to give Dwarshuis his third wicket.
Maxwell's match-up win
It was not quite as memorable a night for Glenn Maxwell. He dropped a sitter at mid-on to reprieve King (although it did not prove costly) and would later collect a first-ball duck when he edged Holder to short third. However, he did have one key moment when he won his brief match-up with Sherfane Rutherford as the left-hand batter, who has struggled for form since last year's T20 World Cup, was threatening to turn the innings around.
Rutherford had moved to 35 off 16 balls, lifting West Indies from 32 for 3
that slid on. He was aiming too square with his stroke and the ball cannoned into middle stump. With one of the left-hand batters gone, Maxwell's work with the ball was done for the night.
Only one way in the powerplay
It is pretty much all-out aggression for Australia with the bat. After Maxwell's early departure – courtesy of a juggling catch by Jediah Blades –Josh Inglis missed a reverse scoop first ball and collected two boundaries before finding mid-on in the same Holder over. Marsh, who has had a lean series, found the boundary twice off the middle and once off the inside edge before Joseph produced a terrific delivery to nip past the inside edge to leave Australia 25 for 3 in the third.
David's response was
to take 16 off four balls against Holder then two further sixes against Joseph as he threatened a repeat of the record-breaking 37-ball hundred in the third match. But for once, he couldn't get enough elevation on an attempted six and he was well taken at deep square leg.
Hosein's late entry
Owen picked up where David left off, taking consecutive sixes off Matthew Forde and sent another onto the roof against Blades. Hope had held back Hosein,
no doubt conscious of what Australia's hitters could do, but when he was introduced in the 10th over, he removed Owen second ball when he skewed to short third.
Cameron Green, later named Player of the Series, was shaping as though he would finish another chase, but found longoff with 30 still needed to give West Indies a glimmer. However, Hardie produced a composed hand and by the time Hosein removed Dwarshuis it was too late. (ESPNcricinfo)
Hosein, 19.4 ov)
inside the powerplay, when he exposed the stumps to Maxwell against a delivery
Australia clean up West Indies for 170
Mitchell Owen made 37 off 17 balls
Shimron Hetmyer scored his first T20I fifty since August 2023
A historic 5-0 victory sealed by Australia
Rameez Mohamed records fastest time at Wallerfield Championship Final
ameez Mohamed lit up the quarter-mile in Trinidad over the weekend, posting the fastest time of the day during Round 3 of the Wallerfield Championship Final (WCF). Driving the BM Soat Ford Mustang powered by a Toyota 2JZ engine, Mohamed clocked an impressive 8.32-second run on Sunday.
This event marked the Mustang’s highly-anticipated return to competition after a major wreck in Guyana a few years ago. Since then, the car has undergone a complete rebuild, and its comeback proved to be nothing short of spectac-
The BM Soat team worked tirelessly throughout the weekend, even testing the car during the
event to fine-tune its performance. Mohamed credited his success to the dedication and hard work of his crew, especially his head mechanic, Daniel Gaffoor, known as “Wing Man”, along with the rest of the BM Soat team.
“Since the incident in Guyana, we’ve been working hard to get the car back,” Mohamed said. “We wanted to take advantage of the prep track here in Trinidad and were aiming for an even better time.”
The highly-anticipated final showdown was set to feature a head-to-head race between Mohamed and Trinidad’s top dragster Sheldon Bissessar. However, the clash was sadly abandoned as a result of oil being spilled on the track, making conditions
IUSA level U19 series against Windies Women
n a low-scoring encounter, the United States of America’s Under-19 Women levelled the series against the West Indies Under-19 Women at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, St Augustine, on Tuesday afternoon.
USA Under-19 Women chose to bat first after winning the toss. As the USA batswomen laboured throughout their innings, Brianna Plummer and Theanny Herbert-Mayers' discipline and superb bowl ing robbed them of any gen uine momentum. During their spells, both bowlers took two wickets. With an undefeated 28 off 26 balls, Taranum Chopra top-scored while Maahi
for a final pass. Despite the missed opportunity to go even faster,
Appadu Racing Stables eye success at Guyana Cup 2025
Veteran jockey and trainer of the Appadu Racing Stables, Winston Appadu has his eyes locked on success at the upcoming Guyana Cup horse race. The golden showdown is set for August 17 at Rising Sun Turf Club, and for the first time, it will be a race of high order, given that there is legislation which now governs local horseracing.
According to Appadu, this Guyana Cup will be a fair battle between small horse owners and the proverbial big boys. “With legislation in place, everything will be fair now. Small owners and trainers will be equal like the big boys, because the rule is lay out,” Appadu said.
The Berbice-based trainer and veteran jockey is preparing Firemaker for the threeyear-old Guyana bred race, and he is confident of a good showing from his horse.
“I am preparing; I have another for the Guyana Cup three-year-old Guyana bred race. I think he has a fair chance (of winning), because he bred well and he is going well during exercise,” Appadu said.
This year’s Guyana Cup will be bigger and better. The total prize money for this year’s event will be in excess of $50 million, and this has motivated more horse owners to give full effort during preparation.
“This is the biggest event for the year, and everyone is hoping to win that event. This is like the Kentucky Derby in Guyana. Everyone wants to win at the big race on that day. It is a big race in Guyana, the Guyana Cup, and the sponsors are doing a good job,” Appadu noted.
The sport of kings is known for the largest crowds in
Guyana, after the Caribbean Premier League, and the 2025 Guyana Cup will perhaps match a CPL crowd.
“For the Guyana Cup I am hoping to see the Berbice people to represent horse racing. The Guyana Cup is big, and it is an annual race,” Appadu explained.
The 2025 edition of the Guyana Cup will see 11 races, and the action will begin at 11:00h on race day.
The races on the provisional card are Guyana Bred Non-Earners (four years and older); Guyana Bred (three years and older) classified K-Class and Lower; Guyana Bred (three years and older) classified J-Class and Lower; Guyana and West Indian Bred juveniles classified as H-Class and Lower; Guyana and West Indian Bred classified as G-Class and Lower; Guyana Bred Derby; Sprint Classic Open to all Classes (three years and up); Imported Juveniles (new event), and Brazilian and West Indian Bred Derby (new event).
Rameez Mohamed and team
Rameez Mohamed unsafe
the team still met their goal, recording the fastest time of the day and proudly flying the Golden Arrowhead high in Trinidad.
Immadi with figures of 4 for 16 and Aditi Kumar with
Veteran jockey/trainer Winston Appadu
Samara Ramnath
Player of the Match Aditi Kumar
The Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) box office was a hive of activity on Tuesday morning as patrons awaited their opportunity to get their hands on coveted tickets for the upcoming Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and Massy Women’s CPL.
With some arriving as early as the afternoon prior, the GAW fans were very eager to secure their passage into the Guyana National Stadium,
Eager fans get their hands on
Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD) next month. Guyana Times Sport caught up with a few ‘early-bird’ fans who spoke of the waiting time, their expectations for the season, and their favourite players.
“The wait was okay. I was here since 1:30pm yesterday and it was okay. The system was very smooth this year, so I must say it was a nice system,” said Melanie Winter, who was among the first five fans to get their hands on tickets. She added, “I’m very excited this year, very, very excited.”
For Yougeshwar Birbahadur, it was a long wait, but tickets for the 2025 Republic Bank CPL were well worth it.
Birbahadur told this publication, “Well, it was real hectic, to left house since yesterday afternoon, since like 6. Line up in the line, nothing to eat, people pushing. I went to work and then I came back, I got back here and it was hectic to even get in. I thank God I get in and I’m so excited.
“I really want Ayub, I don’t know if he’s playing back, but we have Tahir, Shepherd; those are my favourite players,” Birbahadur went on share, in listing the players he wants to see in action for the local franchise.
Meanwhile, Marlon Solomon was another fan who endured the hours-long wait to be among the first to get his hands on tickets.
“Oh my gosh, since yesterday like 5 o’clock, since 5”, Solomon said he was waiting.
He continued, “Well, I’m excited at having the tickets yeah, but the waiting period is really, really stressing. But
GDF bow out of CFU Club Shield
After starting on a high, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Football Club suffered a narrow, crushing loss as the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Shield resumed on Monday afternoon.
Under the tournament’s Swiss Format group system, the local Elite League champions were tasked with taking on the Dominican Republic’s Moca FC after both teams pulled off respective victories on Saturday last.
At the Larry Gomes Stadium, Trinidad and Tobago on Monday afternoon, the GDF’s passing became their biggest problem as the reigning Elite League champions struggled to find the back of the net.
Moca, however, did not waste time to go one-up in the contest, doing so in the 14th minute.
Capitalising on a set piece coming in from the corner, Moca’s Yohan Parra stood waiting at the ‘first post’ where he lost his footing in redirecting the ball into the net, way out of reach of GDF’s keeper.
The strike went on to become the game winner when neither side came close to piercing the goals again. As such, Moca FC will move on to the competition’s semifinals, alongside the winners of Groups A, C, and D.
Following the narrow loss, GDF Head Coach Joseph “Bill” Wilson summed up his team’s performance in what was a must-win game for them.
“It’s just another day and I would kind of dispute
that, because I thought that the players gave their best. They gave their all, sometimes it works, sometimes it don’t and, unfortunately, this evening it didn’t work for us. I thought the commitment was there and in the last 20 minutes of the game, I thought we had them on the back foot, but it’s just a little bit more patience in terms of getting the ball into the box and finishing, I think that was the main cause,” Wilson explained.
“Like you might rightly have said, it’s the anxiety to score and anxiety to win the game [that cost the game].”
The experienced Guyanese gaffer went on to discuss the team’s preparation in the tournament’s lead-up, noting that his squad was quite confident.
“We did a lot of work, yeah. We played a lot of practice games back home against the top local clubs and we were satisfied in terms of the progression being made and the ideas that we tried to imple -
ment in the game coming into this tournament and we were fairly confident of getting past, at least this stage in the tournament,” he shared.
However, Wilson also took the time to highlight the high points of his team’s performance across their two-game outing.
He expressed, “We enjoyed attacking runs, we enjoyed possession in the middle third, I think our defending has been fairly solid in the last two games; our goalkeeper did a good job, our second goalkeeper is a national Under-20 goalkeeper and I must congratulate them. I should not, and I cannot, fault my boys for this afternoon. I thought that they represented themselves…, on another day, the results may have been different.”
The GDF FC will now shift their focus back to their title defence in the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Elite League which just resumed for the second part of season seven.
you know, I’m happy that I got my ticket and ready for the game.”
“Well, I support them. Sometimes they get me on nerves, but you know, we’re Guyanese and we support them to the end, that’s cricket. But I’m hoping that we do it again for the second time,” Solomon stated, revealing his championship hopes for the local franchise.
The Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will bowl off in Guyana on Saturday, September 6 with the anticipated clash between the Guyana Amazon Warriors and the Trinbago Knight Riders at 19:00h. That game will be preceded by the start of the Massy Women’s CPL on the same day with another battle between the Guyanese and Trinidadian franchises, beginning at 14:00h.
The GAW box office will be opened from 08:00h to 16:00h from Monday to Friday and 09:00h to 13:00h on Saturdays.
to adopt ICC T20 International playing conditions
The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will adopt the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 International play ing conditions starting with the upcoming sea son. This strategic align ment brings CPL match es in line with the global standard, ensuring the tournament remains one of the premier cricketing showcases in the world.
The recent updates to the ICC’s T20I playing conditions – particular ly the stricter over rate rules – have led to notable improvements in match completion times across international cricket. By adopting these same rules, the CPL aims to ensure more predictable match durations, enhanc ing the experience for fans, broadcasters, and all stakeholders involved.
“We’ve observed how impactful the ICC’s over rate regulations have been in reducing delays during T20 Internationals,” said Michael Hall, CPL’s Tournament Operations Director. “We are committed to delivering a world-class product that
is efficient, entertaining, and in step with the global game.”
The CPL has always served as a critical platform for nurturing Caribbean cricketing talent. Aligning with ICC T20I standards ensures that players, es -
pecially emerging stars, operate under the same conditions they will encounter on the international stage. This move is designed to streamline the transition for players entering or returning to the West Indies set-up.
GDF’s starting XI before Monday’s clash with Moca FC
More GAW fans secured their CPL 2025 tickets
GAW fan Marlon Solomon (Jemima Holmes photos)
GAW fan Melanie Winter
Fans flock box office on CPL ticket sales opening day
Lines wrapped around the building and overflowed onto the sidewalk along Camp Street, Georgetown on Tuesday when the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) box office finally opened its doors for the 2025 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season ticket sales.
Eager patrons made their way to the box office as early as 13:00h on Monday afternoon to secure their spots, where they were able to add their names to a list.
As more fans visited the office throughout the night, the turnout was even more overwhelming on Tuesday morning, when GAW Event Operations Coordinator Romario Samaroo spoke of the impact of the CPL and their fixtures-based expectations.
Samaroo told Guyana Times Sport, “The Caribbean Premier League has become something that is synonymous with Guyana’s cricket. It’s the pinnacle of what competitive cricket is in Guyana and we see from the turnout, people are interested in, people want to come and witness cricket, they want to see the local Caribbean talents, the international stars that’re going to be participating; and of course, the support
that the Guyana Amazon Warriors had throughout the years is phenomenal.”
“What they can expect is a long line currently. We had people here since 3pm yesterday, lining up and it is anticipated because we’re off to a banger. The first match for the Guyana leg of the Caribbean Premier League 2025 is Guyana versus Trinidad, that is probably the most sought-after match people want to come out and see in the entire CPL and to kick off the Guyana leg with that match, it sets the standard for what we’re to expect.”
Patrons can purchase up to 10 tickets for each game with the most affordable being the grass mound going at $2500. The green stand is priced at $7000, red stand $6500 and orange stand $4000.
In addition, the Amazon Warriors’ merchandise store is also open for business with this year’s players’ replicas on sale.
“Right behind me, you’ll see some merchandise that are on sale, every person that is coming to purchase tickets wants to know where you can get it and it’s right upstairs at the ticketing office. So, at our office at Camp Street, it’s an all-encom-
passing environment. The persons can come get their memorabilia for the Guyana Amazon Warriors and purchase their tickets all in one block,” the Operations Coordinator informed.
Addressing the double-header deal that will allow fans access to the Massy Women’s CPL, Samaroo urged support for the Amazon Warriors Women who will be playing at home for the first time.
“Women’s cricket in Guyana has garnered a lot of support. This is the first time that the Guyana Amazon Warriors Women will be playing in Guyana, if we’re to anticipate the support that we give the men, we’re going to have a massive crowd at the stadium, supporting the GAW female team. We have the Trinidad Women’s team as well and Barbados. Barbados have won it, Trinidad has won it, Guyana is yet to win it and I feel as all of us say ‘this year is we year’,” Samaroo shared.
The GAW box office will be opened from 08:00h to 16:00h from Monday to Friday and 09:00h to 13:00h on Saturdays. Further, tickets for the Republic Bank CPL playoffs and final will go on sale from Tuesday, August 12.
Scenes from the GAW box office on Tuesday (Jemima Holmes photos)
