Guyana Times -Thursday, July 6, 2023

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, July 6 –04:15h-05:45h and Friday, July 7– 04:15h-05:45h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Thursday, June 6 –06:20h-07:50h and Friday, July 7 – 07:10h-08:40h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

There will be thundery showers and sunshine during the day. Expect thundery showers at night. Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to East South-Easterly between 1.34 metres and 3.56 metres.

High Tide: 06:35h and 19:09h reaching a maximum height of 2.7 metres and 2.60 metres.

Low Tide: 12:40h reaching a minimum height of 0.50 metre.

Guyana welcomes US Secretary of State Antony Blinken today

…as another US$5.5M injected to help Caribbean farmers, boost productivity

With the aim of enhancing bilateral relations between the two countries, United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will be meeting with President Dr Irfaan Ali and other senior Government officials in Guyana today to discuss a wide range of priority issues.

Secretary Blinken is travelling to Georgetown for a one-day visit. He recently attended the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Heads of Government Meeting in Trinidad and Tobago, where he engaged several regional heads. During today’s visit, the US Secretary of State will meet with President Ali and his Cabinet to discuss priority bilateral issues, including food and energy security and decarbonisation, climate resilience, regional migration, and building local capacity.

President Ali and Secretary Blinken previously met in Washington DC nearly a year ago, in July 2022. At that engagement, President Ali said Guyana welcomes the opportunity to further strengthen its relationship with the US as a strategic partner, particularly during its period of growth. He had also highlighted the countries’ shared values and their quests to strengthen the region.

LOTTERY NUMBERS

In his remarks at the time, the US Secretary of State had said Guyana has been a very strong partner for his country, and has been a global leader. The two countries, he added, will continue to advance discussions and collaboration in areas for cooperation.

Secretary Blinken’s one-day visit to Guyana is part of efforts by the US Government to strengthen ties with Guyana and other Caribbean nations.

At a media briefing last Friday, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti at the State Department’s Bureau

of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Barbara Feinstein, said Secretary Blinken’s visits to Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago will further deepen the US diplomatic engagement with 14 steadfast democracies.

“On July 6th, the Secretary will meet with President Irfaan Ali in Georgetown, Guyana.

Secretary Blinken and President Ali will discuss priority bilateral issues, including food and energy security and decarbonization, climate resilience, regional migration, and building local capacity.

“Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana are among our closest partners in the Caribbean. We look forward to engaging with their leaders and partners across the region to discuss a range of shared priorities, and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Caricom,” Feinstein had noted.

This visit by Secretary Blinken to the region is building on Vice President Kamala Harris’s historic June 8 visit to The Bahamas, where she co-hosted the U.S-Caribbean Leaders Meeting.

Partnering with Caribbean

During his remarks to the Caricom Plenary session in Trinidad on Wednesday, the US Secretary of State reiterated his country’s commitment to partnering with the Caribbean to address the growing food insecurity across the region, which he acknowledged has dramatically intensified in recent years due to a combination of global issues such as climate change, COVID-19, and the Russia/ Ukraine war.

To this end, Secretary Blinken announced today that “…we’ll dedicate an additional nearly US$5.5 million to help small farmers in the Caribbean boost productivity, increase access to technology and markets, and adopt climate smart practices.”

In recognition of a clear resolve and desire by regional leaders to grow sufficient food for their people, the US official noted that his country is lending its expertise from across the entire Government to help achieve that goal; that is, from the Department of Agriculture to

the Environmental Protection Agency to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Meanwhile, today’s high-level visit is the second time that a US Secretary of State will be in Guyana under the current People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government.

Back in September 2020, shortly after the swearing in of the Irfaan Ali-led Administration, then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had paid a visit to Guyana, during which he announced US$3 million for a “locally-led programme for citizens’ involvement in the Government”, and another US$1.5 million for “the youth of Guyana will be involved in democracy as well”. These fundings were from USAID.

Pompeo had also announced the allocation of US$5 million to assist Venezuelans in Guyana who were forced to flee their country due to severe economic hardships and other political issues which have gripped the nation in recent years. (G8)

President Dr Irfaan Ali and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington DC last year

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Editor: Tusika Martin

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Welcome Secretary of State Antony Blinken

All Guyana extends a most hearty welcome to United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken who is gracing these shores on a one-day visit today.

While in Guyana, Secretary Blinken will hold high-level discussions with President Dr Irfaan Ali and his Cabinet among other officials. Among the priority bilateral discissions today will be issues including food, energy security and decarbonisation, climate resilience, regional migration, and building local capacity.

Guyana is, indeed, particularly honoured to host Secretary Blinken, not merely because he is the highest-level official from the world’s greatest superpower to come to Guyana in recent times, but also because of his ability and the extremely significant role his country plays in world affairs.

It should be pointed out that Secretary Blinken’s one-day visit to Guyana is part of efforts by the US Government to strengthen ties with Guyana and other Caribbean nations.

In Guyana, the forces of dictatorship and anti-democracy had preened themselves to establish a Burnhamist electorally-rigged dictatorship after the December 21, 2018 no-confidence motion in Parliament went against them. The incumbent at the time (APNU/AFC) ignored the Constitution of the country and even tried to sideline the Judiciary. They were bent on establishing a dictatorship and did so by every means possible, but countries like the United States of America, among several others, are wary of countries going along this path.

Local democratic forces, which included the PPP/C, along with civil society groups, were tirelessly in their struggle to assert democracy, but certain key elements were bent on seizing power by hook or crook. It was only when the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and ABCE countries, particularly the US and its able Ambassador, Sarah-Ann Lynch, let it be known that they would not tolerate a government remaining in office through fraudulent means, that the forces of democracy were encouraged and given strength and a new lease of life. Victory was eventually achieved and a democratically-elected government is in place. This, we know, was not an easy task.

Secretary Blinken’s visit to Guyana and his participation at the Caricom Heads of Government Meeting in Trinidad and Tobago, where he engaged several regional Heads on Wednesday, are an assertion and strengthening of democracy and send a clear message to everyone that the Western World, and the USA in particular, will not tolerate dictatorships. The modern world values democracy and the rule of law and will support various endeavours in this regard.

Additionally, the US has always been an important development partner of Guyana, and it is our belief that Secretary Blinken’s visit is an indication of Washington’s confidence in President Ali’s Government.

Certainly, Blinken’s visit to Guyana would strengthen the Guyana-US relationship, which is bound to grow stronger and stronger because of the many ties that bind us together –we were both British colonies, we speak the same language, we share the Common Law and the same parliamentary institutions.

Further, it should also be mentioned that Guyana has strong familial links with the US, with hundreds of thousands of Guyanese residing there.

Over the years, the US, through its development agencies, has funded several projects in Guyana, including in the areas of governance, HIV/AIDS, small business development, the environment, health, and education. This support has really made a difference in achieving our development objectives.

With Guyana now being an oil-producing nation and major US businesses investing here, we firmly believe that there would be an increased interest in terms of creating partnerships with this country.

In this regard, we are certain Secretary Blinken’s visit will open a new era of closer social, economic, and political cooperation.

Has Caricom lived up to expectations?

Dear Editor, The Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom) observes, this week, the 50th anniversary since its founding on July 4, 1973. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will be the special guest at the historic anniversary commemoration in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Guests from the Commonwealth and other inter-governmental organisations from around the globe have also been invited.

Has the organisation lived up to its expectations on regional cooperation and people-to-people contact and on an open economy? I think not.

Caricom is a successor to the regional integration of British colonial territories called the British West Indies Federation. The Federation was formed in 1958, and collapsed in 1962, when the leaders of each territory could not come to an agreement on the way forward; each felt the others would be a financial burden on it. Independence was granted to Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago in August 1962, followed by Guyana and Barbados in 1966. Although independent nations, the leaders of each nation state spoke of the need for close political and economic cooperation. The precursor to Caricom was Carifta, or

Caribbean Free Trade Area, formed in 1966 and officially launched in 1968. It would take some eleven years after the collapse of the Federation, and five years after Carifta, for an agreement to be reached for the formation of Caricom. All Anglophone territories, independent or with a self-government, became members by 1971.

At the Seventh Heads of Government Conference in October 1972, leaders agreed to transform Carifta into a Common Market and establish the Caribbean Community of which the Common Market would be an integral part. The Treaty of Chaguaramas establishing Caricom was signed in Trinidad.

Initially, the Prime Ministers of: Barbados, Errol Barrow; Guyana, Forbes Burnham; Trinidad and Tobago, Eric Williams; and Jamaica, Michael Manley, signed the treaty. The leaders of other independent countries joined later.

At the Eighth Heads of Government Conference of Carifta, held in April 1973 in Guyana, a formal decision was taken to establish the Caribbean Community with the signing by 11 members of Carifta (the exception being Antigua and Montserrat). They also later joined the regional inter-government organization. The nations or

territories have collectively come together to expand their trade and economic relations.

The Accord provided for the signature of the Caribbean Community Treaty on July 4, and its coming into effect in August 1973, among the then four independent countries: Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago.

The Guyana Accord also provided that the other eight territories – Antigua, British Honduras (now Belize), Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Montserrat, St. Kitts/Nevis/Anguilla and St. Vincent and the Grenadines would become full members of the Community by May 1, 1974. The Bahamas became the 13th Member State of the Community on July 4, 1983, but not a member of the Common Market.

Caricom has expanded, with other territories joining in various capacities.

In July 1991, the colonies of British Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands became Associated Members of Caricom, followed by Anguilla in July 1999. The Cayman Islands became an Associated Member on 16 May 2002, and Bermuda on 2 July 2003. Suriname became the 14th Member State of the Caribbean Community on July 4, 1995. Haiti secured provisional membership on 4 July 1998, and on 03 July

2002 was the first Frenchspeaking Caribbean State to become a full Member of Caricom. The Dominican Republic occasionally is invited to meetings of Heads of Governments.

Just prior to the entry of Haiti, a revised Treaty of Chaguaramas established the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME), and was signed by the Caricom Heads of Government on 5 July 2001 at their TwentySecond Meeting of the Conference in Nassau, The Bahamas.

Since 2013, the Caricom bloc and the Dominican Republic have been tied to the European Union via an Economic Partnership Agreement known as CARIFORUM. The treaty grants all members of the European Union and CARIFORUM equal rights in terms of trade and investment.

The USA has also been working closely with Caricom member states, granting certain privileges in trade, doling out developmental assistance, and assisting with regional security. The region and the Caribbean diaspora look forward for Secretary Blinken's feature address -- what new benefits does he bring to the table when he addresses the Heads of Governments.

Yours truly, Vishnu

Bisram

Canada’s Parliamentary Secretary Maninder Sidhu visited projects at several Indigenous communities that support women in farming, gender-based-violence awareness, migrants and early childhood development (Canadian High Commission photos)

Guyana’s agriculture industry has never been neglected by PPP/C

Dear Editor, Drainage and Irrigation was always under the Government’s microscope, especially in support of the agriculture sector; and the continuum of interventions included, but was not limited to:

• Significant improvement in operation and implementation of flood control structures;

• Construction of additional drainage outlets countrywide;

• Major rehabilitation of approximately 600 miles of canals and drains, as well as the Dawa Pump Station;

• Rehabilitation of pump stations, structures and drainage outlets;

Negotiations for financing to optimise efficiency and

capacity of conservancies, especially with the objective to maximise availability of arable lands for farming activities;

• Installation of the Doppler Weather Radar; Expansion of the hydro-meteorological monitoring network

• The Hope Canal; among others.

The rice sector is the second most important agricultural industry in Guyana, contributing about 40% of the agri-sector’s GNP, or 12% of GDP. Through CIDA, support from BCCP concretised an RPA dream of accessing farmers’ top-quality seed paddy at competitive prices.

Before Hurricane Coalition, RPA General Secretary Dharamkumar

Seeraj said the Association was also working towards establishing fuel depots and importing fertilisers in an effort to reduce and stabilise, as much as possible within the constraints of world market prices and other factors, the price of inputs in agricultural production.

The Agriculture Sector again came under threat by the Coalition Government.

Guyanese have, since the days of our ancestors, been producing enough food to feed ourselves. However, with the Jagdeo Initiative on Agriculture and Guyana’s “Grow More Food” campaign, Guyana entered a new dimension in food production, and under Jagdeo’s tenure as President, broke grounds in vital rice markets, in-

cluding the Venezuelan and Colombian markets, which the failed Granger-led administration lost within weeks of accessing the Government.

Having lost some of our niche markets in Europe, the PPP/C Government was not prepared to buckle under.

As in the case with sugar, when the EU tried to cut the ground under our feet with its restructured import policies and prices, Guyana’s policy-makers in the PPP/C rose to the challenge and strategised to ensure that our rice sector emerges from every setback stronger and more competitive in the global arena. The ground-breaking Venezuelan market is a case in point; and this was just the beginning of Guyana’s ascent into being a world player in

Welcome, Secretary of State Antony J Blinken

Dear Editor, Allow me this opportunity to bid US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken a very warm welcome. I would also like to share a few points with Secretary Blinken, and this not least, because I can speak from both the Washington and Georgetown sides of things. From the DC angle, I spent twenty-five years at the School of International Service, American University, where I taught International Affairs. It is the largest and among the highest ranked schools of International Relations in the world. During that time, I also consulted and/or interacted with the State Department, World Bank, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Council on Foreign Relations, and inter alia, the Carnegie Corporation. I was Director of Comparative & Regional Studies, and served as Interim Director for the Council of the Americas. Professor Robert Pastor (who played a leading role in Guyana via the Carter Center), and I shared a strong professional relationship. Based on the above, I feel comfortable sharing some ideas with Secretary Blinken. I offer five considerations.

Firstly, Mr. Secretary, I would like to take you back to a meeting you had with Jose Cardenal in April 1983. You will recall that Cardenal, having contributed to the removal of Anastasio Somoza, came to Boston with high credibility. Yet, you did not take at face value his charge that the Sandinistas were illegitimate. Here is what you wrote, “Some of the “facts” that Cardenal uses --for example, “90-percent of the Nicaraguan people are against the Sandinistas" -- are impossible to verify” (Blinken, April 23, 1983).

Sir, the quick analytical determination employed then on Cardenal could be extremely apt and appropriate for Guyana exactly 40 years later. You may recall that on Cardenal you also wrote, “…he carries a certain authority, a certain legitimacy, simply by virtue of having lived in Nicaragua. It's hard to debate Cardenal when you've never set foot in Central America” (Ibid).

Well, Guyana is full of Jose Cardenal-type personalities even though they were ones on the wrong side of history. The very persons who replaced state institutions with “party paramountcy” will come in with heavy doses of narrational flourish, banking on their localness as the source of legitimacy. I feel compelled to request you don the Crimson cap of April 1983. To use that famous expression of President Reagan, “Trust but verify.”

Secondly, and if I may get directly into substantive matters, you will be bombarded with several standardised talking points that have been professionally rehearsed. The most important of these is that the primary problem in this country is racial division. No doubt, many who push this line will prey upon the difficult race relations that obtain in the United States. There is no comparison between the two cases, and the most elementary employment of ideographic or comparative analysis will quickly expose – shall we say the “Cardenal” dimensions of the claim, namely, “impossible to verify.” Note that many foreign experts make the same mistake on race relations here.

Thirdly, in contradistinction to the claim that race is the number one impediment to progress, I have determined that the real is-

sue is that there are still authoritarian social forces in Guyana. What do I mean by this? Simply stated, those social forces from the mid1960s that backed the capture of state power through rigged elections, combined with coercion and violent intimidation, are still alive and well. Ask about Mr. Ogunseye’s threats. If I may put it in the words of the Italian theorist Antonio Gramsci Sir, “[t]he crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum, a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.” Well, we don’t quite have a crisis per se, and the symptoms aren’t necessarily “morbid.” What we do have is the stubborn refusal of elements from the People’s National Congress and its coalition to abandon their old ways, and to instead embrace the resolution of political and policy differences through constructive political engagement.

Fourthly, the ABCE configuration had placed much hope in the AFC when they were cajoled into existence more than a decade ago. They have turned out to be a real disappointment, not least because of their transparent attempt to help with election theft in 2020. They now lie prostrate in the bent heat of ignominy. Yet they have the uncanny proclivity to claim movement towards moral recompense.

Another crucial point for your consideration, Secretary Blinken, is that the Guyana diaspora is an immense resource for our national development, but a small element of that diaspora breaks American law by long-distance cultivation of conflict, including violent conflict in Guyana. While I have written extensively on migration, sovereignty, and related matters, I am not

agricultural products, until the failed Granger-led administration drove the growth trajectory of Guyana’s forex earners plummeting underground once more, even as they trumpet their own praises to the skies.

Under the administration of the coalition, the sugar industry was inexorably strangled, cash-crop farmers lost hope; and the rice sector again became imperiled. The nation’s agriculture sector once again awaited the re-emergence of a PPP Government to rescue it and ensure the continued fructification of Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s vision for national, regional, and global food security.

The current PPP-led Government has taken the agri sector to new levels, as

did previous PPP-led administrations, and is introducing more non-traditional cash crops in efforts to reduce Guyana’s food import bill and avail Guyanese of fresh produce – broccoli, soya, corn, carrots and more in largescale quantities, untainted by preservatives.

Under every PPP/C administration, Guyana’s traditional industries, especially agriculture, would never be superseded by the gas and oil sector, even though the additional revenues and accompanying adjunctive benefits are welcome; but would always be foremost in its national developmental paradigm.

Yours truly, Alvin Hamilton

sure if it is legal for persons in the United States to cultivate violent racial antagonism in a foreign country.

Fifth, and finally, you no doubt know the old adage of political realism – “small states don’t matter.” We respectfully differ, and I feel confident that you do not subscribe to this realpolitik ‘dictat.’ Against those who reduce international affairs to international POLITICS, where small states have no belonging, I suggest that a functioning world order is impossible without a moral compass that unremittingly points to global justice, to the equality of existence, and to the proposition that nous sommes petits mais avons de la dignité. I know you are aware and reject how President Wilson reacted to that most foundational Japanese proposal on world equality at Versailles.

In so many ways, it is odd that this country has been discursively reduced to oil and gas. Guyana is in fact a delightful land of immense cultural and natural diversity. People here have struggled against a formidable Maginot Line of economic and political isolation. Through the sheer dint of hard work and unflagging determination, the people of this soil have taken history into their own hands, climbing the ladder of upward social mobility, creating opportunities for themselves and others both here and abroad. This is a place that has now found its voice, its step, its mojo. We are enjoined here to do nationally what President George W. Bush said of education in America, namely, to rid ourselves of “the soft bigotry of low expectations.” Your presence here is a moment of that path. Welcome again.

Sincerely,

Dr Randolph Persaud

Commutative and Associative Properties

order without changing the sum.

An addend is any number in an addition problem. It does not matter the order in which you add those numbers. The sum will always be the same.

The Commutative Property of Multiplication: Numbers may be multiplied in any order without changing the product.

The Associative Property of Addition: Addends may be grouped in any order without changing the sum. The Associative

of Multiplication: Numbers may be grouped in any order without changing the product.

Example:

Exercises:

BY SIR WALTER RALEIGH

As you came from the holy land

Of Walsingham, Met you not with my true love By the way as you came?

“How shall I know your true love, That have met many one, I went to the holy land, That have come, that have gone?”

She is neither white, nor brown, But as the heavens fair; There is none hath a form so divine In the earth, or the air.

“Such a one did I meet, good sir, Such an angelic face, Who like a queen, like a nymph, did appear By her gait, by her grace.”

She hath left me here all alone, All alone, as unknown, Who sometimes did me lead with herself, And me loved as her own.

“What’s the cause that she leaves you alone, And a new way doth take, Who loved you once as her own, And her joy did you make?”

I have lov’d her all my youth; But now old, as you see, Love likes not the falling fruit From the withered tree.

Know that Love is a careless child, And forgets promise past; He is blind, he is deaf when he list, And in faith never fast. His desire is a dureless content, And a trustless joy: He is won with a world of despair, And is lost with a toy. Of womenkind such indeed is the love, Or the word love abus’d, Under which many childish desires And conceits are excus’d. But true love is a durable fire, In the mind ever burning, Never sick, never old, never dead, From itself never turning.

WORD SEARCH

Govt to strengthen laws to allow for forfeiture of assets, proceeds of crime

In an effort to enhance its legislative landscape to comply with the necessary AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) requirements, the Guyana Government is strengthening its laws to allow for the forfeiture of assets and proceeds of criminal conduct.

This is according to Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, S.C.

During his weekly programme, Issues In The News, Nandlall explained that Government is constantly updating its AML/ CFT framework in keeping with recommendations from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and its Caribbean arm, CFATF. On this note, he pointed out that Guyana has embarked on “tremendously” strengthening its legislative capabilities when it comes to the forfeiture of assets and proceeds of crimes.

“It (is) recognised now worldwide that one of the most effective ways of dealing with the criminal is to hit him in the pocket, or to hit them finan-

cially; and the way to do that is not only to convict and sentence, but to go after the proceeds of crime (and) go after the assets acquired from the criminal conduct. Our law was not strong as it should be in that regard,” the Legal Affairs Minister stated.

Nandlall disclosed that Guyana has sought help from the Regional Security Services (RSS) in the Caribbean and from the National Center for State Courts in the United States, as well as considered similar legislation in other regional countries in drafting its updated laws.

“We have a slew of amendments, that we are going to implement now, that will allow for forfeit of assets to take place and for proceeds of crime to be adequately provided for in law, so that we can enforce this aspect of crimefighting. Internationally, it has been very successful. If you’re able to dismantle the criminal empire, then you dismantle the criminal conduct; and that is where our laws are now going, and that is the type of enforcement that we will have to focus on in the next few years,” he

posited. According to the Minister, these and other amendments are ready, and will be tabled in the National Assembly soon.

Guyana is schedule to undergo an onsite evaluation and examination of its financial sector in September. In preparation therefor, the Government continues to work on ensuring that the country’s AML/CFT framework is updated. This includes implementing a number of administrative decisions and measures, as well as strengthening many aspects of its legislative architecture.

Compliance Commission

Another initiative aimed at addressing the gaps in Guyana’s financial sector in accordance with the AML/CFT stipulations is the establishment of a Compliance Commission, that will supervise the operations of agencies and/or sectors in the country that do not have a direct regulatory body.

To this end, Government will soon be tabling the Guyana Compliance Commission Bill 2023 in the National Assembly.

“In our AML/CFT structure, it has been recognised that there are agencies that have no regulator or supervisor… We have been forced to use other (state) agencies that are not really regulator or supervisor to perform these functions, and it has not been very effective. The system remains weak,” the Legal Affairs Minister noted.

One such agency is the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), which he said has been tasked with a number of administrative functions over other agencies/sectors that do not have that regulatory framework in place. For example, the auto sale industry does not have a direct regulatory body.

The GRA, which is the country’s taxation body and revenue collector, is required to issue certificates of registration but not regulate or supervise that sector. As such, Government will be establishing a Compliance Commission.

“We are going to set up a Compliance Commission, and wherever one cannot find a proper regulator or a proper supervisor for

any given area of economic or financial activity, this Compliance Commission will act as the regulator and act as the supervisor. And that will make us compliant, fully, with international standards held by CFATF (Caribbean Financial Action Task Force) and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). We are promulgating that bill to bring us into compliance, so that we cannot be faulted for not having such an apparatus within our AML/CFT framework,” AG Nandlall has posited.

Meanwhile, another critical element to Guyana’s fourth round of mutual evaluation by the

CFATF and FATF is the enactment of a Real Estate Bill. The draft Real Estate Agents & Brokers Bill was prepared in consultation with the various stakeholders in the local real estate industry, and was published for public feedback.

According to Minister Nandlall, the Bill is current before Cabinet for approval before it is laid in the National Assembly. The local real estate sector has been identified as a risk if not properly monitored. Hence, Government moved to regularise the industry in compliance with AML/CFT requirements. (G8)

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC

Mahdia dorm fire…

Girl, 15, slapped with 20th murder charge

Searching for…

…political morality?

The 15-year-old girl accused of torching the Mahdia Secondary School Girls’ Dormitory has been slapped with a twentieth murder charge following the recent death of another child.

The accused girl, whose name and other particulars cannot be published for legal reasons, appeared before Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Diamond/ Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts.

She is now charged with the murders of Tracil Thomas, Lisa Roberts, Delicia Edwards, Lorita Williams, Natalie Bellarmine, Arriana Edwards, Cleoma Simon, Subrina John, Martha Dandrade, Loreen Evans, Belnisa Evans, Mary Dandrade, Omerfia Edwin, Nickleen Robinson, Sherina Daniels, Eulander Carter, Andrea Roberts, Bibi Rita Jeffrey, five-year-old Adanye Jerome, and Sherana Daniels.

She has not been required to plead to the indictable charge, and has been remanded to the Juvenile Holding Centre, while the matter has been postponed

until July 20 for further report and the filing of additional statements.

The May 21, 2023 inferno, which caught the attention of international media, resulted in the deaths of 19 female students between the ages of 12 and 17 and a fiveyear-old boy, who was the son of the dorm parents.

Days following that horrific incident, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) disclosed that the fire had allegedly been started by the 15-yearold student, who had also lived at the dorm, after her cellular phone had been taken away by the dorm’s mother and a teacher.

Initial information received from sources close to the investigation had revealed that the teen in question had reportedly previously been suspended for engaging in activities contrary to the rules of the institution, and was involved

in an argument with the administrators during which she allegedly threatened to cause “trouble.”

The Mahdia school’s dormitory had housed students from the communities of Karisparu, El Paso, Micobie and Chenapau in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni). The fire was allegedly set in the bathroom area of the dormitory.

According to the surviving female students, they were awakened from sleep by screams, and upon checking, they saw fire and smoke in the bathroom area. This quickly spread in the building, causing several students to receive burns to their bodies and to suffer from smoke inhalation, while several managed to escape.

Several of the injured students were air-dashed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) for treatment. On May 27, a 13-year-

old girl was flown to the Northwell Health Burn Care Centre in New York to seek advanced medical care. She is expected to make a full recovery.

According to the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), the dormitory housed 59 students. At the time of the fire, there were 56 females and a fiveyear-old boy inside. The remaining students had gone home for the weekend. The dormitory’s 26 windows were heavily grilled, and the five doors were locked with keys when the fire started.

President Dr Irfaan Ali recently announced that retired Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Major General Joe Singh, will chair a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the deadly blaze. He also announced that the victims’ families would be compensated by the State. (G1)

Security guards get $150,000 bail on gun, ammo charges

Two security guards were on Tuesday placed on $75,000 bail each after their arraignment before acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus on charges of unlawful possession of firearms and rounds of ammunition.

It is alleged that on June 27, at the Fantasy Casino at the Giftland Mall at Pattensen, Greater Georgetown, Derwin Drakes, called 'Polo', a 27-year-old resident of Roxanne Burnham Gardens, Georgetown, and Sherwyn Quincy Davis, a 31-year-old resident of East Ruimveldt Housing Scheme, Georgetown, each had a firearm and a quantity of am-

munition in their possession when neither of them was the holder of a firearm licence.

They both pleaded not guilty to the charges, and bail was granted to each of them in the sum of $75,000.

Well, after the announcement that the Ministerin the eye of the firestorm over accusations that he’d raped and sodomised a then 15-year-old Indigenous child – resigned, your Eyewitness took a bath, but he still feels dirty. What with all the dirt coming out since the accusation was made public over social media! The Opposition have certainly been having an orgy!! We’ve all read about that Hollywood producer Epstein and his high-end ring of perverts who procured young girls for sex…but that was, erm, HOLLYWOOD, where anything and everything goes. But here in Guyana??

Now, don’t get your Eyewitness wrong…he never ever thought that our politicians were Boy Scouts or Girl Guides. Far from it. He’s been around long enough to know that, once these fellas get into office, the power doesn’t only get into their heads, but over their necks!! It’s not for nothing that it’s been said “power is the ultimate aphrodisiac”!! And especially in our neck of the woods - where women were raped by those with power as a matter of course since slavery and indentureship – sex seems to be part of the spoils of victory. Didn’t we end up with a major segment of our population called “Coloured” because of such rapes??

But this accusation was different. It detailed – and God knows it was DETAILED – a pattern of events wherein the child claimed to’ve been stalked like a prey, and finally was trapped and violated in the crudest way possible. And it was this graphic account that made this case different. There’ve been other accusations of politicians having sex with children in the press. Your Eyewitness remembers one by the sister of a PNC candidate back in the 2016 LGE for a GT constituency, who claimed the latter had violated a child. Nothing came out of it, and the fella went up for election once again THIS year and was re-elected. But with no sordid details flooding the newsfeeds, it didn’t shock the sensibilities.

Anyhow, your Eyewitness asks, “What now??” With the victim asserting she doesn’t want to go forward with the prosecution, the DPP indicated there was nothing she could do about proceeding. There are some who claim that, since details of the accusation were RETRACTED by the child, the case could’ve gone forward “in the public interest”. Your Eyewitness doesn’t know about that, since, after almost a year, it doesn’t appear that there was any PHYSICAL evidence on which to proceed for the case to have any chance of succeeding - without the victim being there to be cross-examined.

There is, of course, the presumption of innocence in our legal system. And this we cannot abandon, lest the floodgates of vindictive accusations overwhelm our societal foundations.

…a big brother

We’re at a delicate juncture of history. As your Eyewitness has been saying, we’re in the midst of a new Cold War, wherein the US and Chinese adversaries are still locked tightly in economic relations that were forged by the former. As the US tries to untangle itself by seeking new sources of cheap labour to supply its goods, its only economic weapon seems to be to deny China its advanced microchips, that run everything nowadays.

The challenge for minnows like us – and with our 13 billion barrels of oil, we’re STILL minnows! – is how to engage both of them without teeing either off!! In other words, how do we dance between the raindrops!! Now, some might say if the US is still China’s BIGGEST trading partner at US$.5 TRILLION annually – how can they be annoyed with us for our comparative peanuts?? But that would be missing the point in big-power politics, wouldn’t it?

The rule is, “Do as I say, and not as I do”!!

…secure borders

At “independence”, the colonials, who arbitrarily carved up Africa, left over 100 border disputes. Yet, only 18 out of the 55 AU member states have signed the Niamey Convention, to agree on the peaceful settlement of the disputes.

The matters have been transferred to the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court. (G1)

Derwin Drakes

Sherwyn Quincy Davis

The firearms and ammunition that were seized by the Police

Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce

The 20 children who perished in the Mahdia fire

BoG monitoring Visa Card breaches at RBL Guyana – Governor

reimbursed

The Bank of Guyana (BoG) is monitoring the recent fraudulent activities experienced by a significant number of Visa cardholders at Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited.

Over the past few weeks, several customers of Republic Bank in Guyana have complained about their Visa OneCard being used for fraudulent transactions with international merchants.

Last week, the commercial bank said in a notice that it was alerted by its monitoring systems about the unusual Visa OneCard activity at some global online merchants. The Visa OneCard is a debit card that can be used to access funds at ATMs, make electronic payments, and shop online.

“Based on the reports received, the Bank took immediate steps to block related sites to minimise the possibility of further fraudulent attempts,” it noted. Republic Bank also indicated that all fraudulent transactions, which have ranged from zero dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars, will be reimbursed.

Contacted on Wednesday for a comment on the situation, Governor of the Bank

of Guyana, Dr Gobind Ganga, told Guyana Times that the issue is being monitored. He explained that the breach did not occur at the commercial bank’s end, but at Visa – a global digital payment technology service provider.

“We continue to follow what is happening, and what, for example, Visa is doing, and what this bank is doing with respect to their interaction with Visa; and also to know what this bank is doing with its ongoing monitoring and the kind of restrictions that are being put in place, and some of the fraud management rules that they’re implementing. So, Central Bank is in continuous assessment of all of these,” he noted.

Local banks are re-

quired to report such breaches to the Central Bank, and according to Dr Ganga, Republic Bank had complied with this requirement. However, the Governor related that while the commercial bank has reported this matter, it is yet to provide the details as to how many customers/ cardholders were affected, and the amount of money involved.

Prevent fraudulent activities

Nevertheless, the BoG Head pointed out that, despite these recent breaches being external in nature; that is, on Visa’s end, the Central Bank is continuously working with local banks to prevent such fraudulent activities.

“We ensure that there are certain standards that

have to be put in place… They’re looking at their fraud management rules, and those are things that they have to put in place. Whatever system is put in place…we will ask what else can be done to ensure that this system becomes much more robust,” Dr Ganga stated.

Further questioned, the BoG Governor pointed out that there is not much that can be done locally to prevent such breaches, especially in this particular case, where the fraudulent activities emanated from an external source.

He added that Central Bank’s priority in this case is to ensure that customers are reimbursed for any fraudulent transactions detected on their accounts.

“It is indeed a situation where you have to be involved with the bank to ensure that the customers are reimbursed and their Cards are not compromised…[But] there is not much that we can do from our end. This is an international agreement between the commercial bank and Visa…” he explained.

“…What we try to do is to protect the customers here, as a regulator, and to ensure that if there is a fraud,

that is it being rectified and is being taken care of. And so the commercial banks have to know who they’re signing up with, and what they’re doing. They have to know the risks involved when they’re doing these things,” Dr Ganga stressed.

Online breaches

This is not the first time that customers of Republic Bank, which is based in Trinidad and Tobago and operates throughout the Caribbean, have experienced online breaches in Guyana.

Back in August 2020, the Republic Bank Guyana Limited had detected fraudulent online payment card activities at some global online merchants. There were confirmed cases of custom -

ers’ cards being compromised and their accounts debited for those transactions. A similar situation had played out the previous year.

However, while the financial institution had maintained at the time that these attacks are “quite common” when there is online card usage, Republic Bank Guyana Limited has recently reassured local media entity News Room that its Visa OneCard is safe to use.

Meanwhile, besides Republic Bank, persons have taken to social media to complain about similar fraudulent activities at Citizens Bank. However, the BoG Governor indicated that he has not gotten any such report.

…says priority is to have affected customers

Bank of Guyana Governor Dr Gobind Ganga

Deadly Charlestown fire was electrical in origin – fire official

Days after a fire at Drysdale Street, Charlestown, Georgetown claimed the lives of 40-year-old Michael Richards and his two children - six-year-old Somaya Richards and four-yearold Supreme Richards - officials of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) have confirmed that the fire was electrical in origitn.

This information was confirmed by an official on Wednesday. The Fire Service launched the investigation last Friday and has now revealed its findings.

Reports indicate that the Fire Department was alerted about the fire at around 06:45h on Friday and dispatched water tenders from the Alberttown, Campbellville, and West Ruimveldt Fire Stations to the location.

Upon arrival, the building was already engulfed in flames. The firefighters managed to contain the

blaze to one location, but they were unable to save the man and his two children who were trapped in the inferno.

Based on the information received, Richards' body was found near the door, suggesting that he may have been attempting to escape, while the remains of his two children were discovered in the bedroom. The mother of the children was not at home at the time of the fire.

At the scene of the fire,

Guyana Times was informed that several occupants of the upper floor of the house were able to escape to safety, but Michael and his two children were not as fortunate.

Recently, the GFS urged the public to ensure the safety of the wiring in their homes after noticing an increase in electrical fires. The GFS highlighted overloaded circuits and loose or illegal connections as some of the main contributing factors to electri-

The house that was destroyed by fire

cal fires.

Consequently, individuals were warned against using illegal connections for electricity and were advised to promptly report any external faulty electrical problems to the Guyana Power and Light

(GPL).

Additionally, it was recommended that all electrical cables be placed in a conduit (PVC pipe), certified electricians be employed for electrical works, buildings undergo an inspection every five years

by certified electrical inspectors, and the electrical system not be overloaded.

Furthermore, they said that the quality of circuit strips, wiring, and electrical appliances used should be of the highest standard. (G9)

Linden woman raped in car

Afemale resident of Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraUpper Berbice), has allegedly been raped in a car by an unidentified suspect, and the Police are currently conducting a manhunt to apprehend the perpetrator.

The incident has allegedly occurred on Monday, when the victim was on her way home from a salon. She was allegedly picked up by the suspect and taken to a location in Amelia's Ward, where she was raped. After the assault, the suspect dropped her off at a different location.

According to a source closely involved in the investigation, the suspect had forcefully pulled his victim into the car while she was walking home, and had proceeded to carry out the act. Once the victim reached home, she immediately informed her relatives about the incident. This newspaper was told that she was taken to the hospital and the Police were notified. Law enforcement officers have so far confirmed that an official report has been filed, and they are actively pursuing the suspect.

Two days before this incident occurred, a similar incident had taken place in Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), wherein a 20-year-old woman was allegedly raped in a car.

Police have said that on the day in question, at about 18:00h, the suspect, who is known to the victim, invited her for a drink at Sixth Avenue Beach. While taking the drink, it started to rain, resulting in both the suspect and victim taking shelter in the suspect’s car.

The victim told the Police that the suspect forcefully took off her clothes, and had unprotected sex with her against her will. The ordeal lasted for about four minutes.

The suspect then dropped her home, and she related what had transpired to a friend, who advised her to make a report to the Police. Police are currently looking for that suspect as investigations continue.

That incident had also occurred three days after a 13-year-old had been attacked and raped at a village along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

Relatives have reported

that that teenager had gone to a nearby shop, and was on her way home when she was attacked and knocked unconscious by two men, who are said to be in their 20s.

They then carried her to an abandoned shop, placed her on a bed, and allegedly raped her before making good their escape, leaving her there.

She subsequently regained her composure and managed to walk home. When she returned home that afternoon, she reportedly went to use the washroom, but after spending an extended time there, her guardians began questioning her.

She later collapsed, and was rushed to the community’s health centre before subsequently being transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) for further treatment.

It is still unclear whether these two suspects have been arrested. (G9)

Dead: Somaya and Supreme Richards

$2B Reg 1 Kwebanna Secondary School will change lives – Education Minister

In keeping with its goal of providing universally accessible secondary school education across Guyana, the Education Ministry on Wednesday signed six contracts, totalling $2.017 billion, to build a new high school at Kwebanna in Region One (Barima-Waini).

During the contract-signing exercise, Education Minister Priya Manickchand stressed the need for a secondary school to be built in this community, as high school-level students are currently being accommodated in a primary school with no trained teachers.

“The children in the Kwebanna area are going to a primary school where there are no secondary-trained teachers, so there are children along various rivers [who] are just marking time in primary school until they age out,” Manickchand said.

“So we need this school,

particularly to be able to offer quality education; it’s going to change lives,” she said.

Some 600 learners would be able to seek an education at this new facility, and a dormitory would be built to accommodate about 250 of them. A teachers’ living quarters would also be constructed to house some 25 teachers, as the Ministry intends to send trained educators to teach at the new institution with an eventual goal of having a pool of educated, trained personnel available within the community itself.

“If we didn’t graduate high school children from these areas, then we can’t get teachers in there from the area. We now have to take (trained) teachers in, and they have nowhere to stay…so we’ll need (the living quarters),” Manickchand explained.

“There’s going to be a point, about 10 to 15 years

from now, where the children going to this school are going to be the teachers. The children who come out (of this high school) will go to Teachers’ Training College and University of Guyana, and go back to (their community), and we won’t even need teacher housing anymore,” Manickchand added.

Following a competitive bidding process, open since January, this new building was divided into six lots among three companies to allow for simultaneous work, and as such, is expected to be completed within seven to eight months.

Supreme Contracting & Supplies was awarded both the $187,735,280 contract to complete site development works as well as the $205,242,780 contract for sub-structure works of the school building.

Bree’s Enterprise received the $189,413,616 con-

tract to complete sub-structure works of the dormitory, while AS Construction was given the $157,196,650 contract to complete sub-structure works of the teachers’ quarters.

Meanwhile, Singh & Son Constructure were awarded both the $1,08,915,650 contract for external works as well as the $196,916,430 contract for finishing works. CB & Associates was also earlier selected as a consultant on the project.

This one-flat building, which would measure 559 feet by 25 feet, is expected to feature over 30 classrooms, a science centre with Physics, Chemistry and Biology Labs,

a TVET centre with Industrial and Home Economic Labs, a student canteen and cafeteria, and a sanitary block. Permanent Secretary of the MoE, Alfred King, has noted that the building would also include a number of fire prevention facilities.

“Given all of our recent experiences and reports from the Guyana Fire Service, it will be fitted with firefighting equipment, the appropriate escape exits and doors, fire alarm systems, extinguishers, and so on,” King has said.

The Education Ministry continues on its aggressive agenda of providing a high-quality level of education for all, having signed several

multimillion-dollar contracts last month to rebuild Christ Church Secondary School, St George’s High School, and St Mary’s Secondary School. Most recently, the US$5.15 million Good Hope Secondary School on the East Coast of Demerara and the Gy$585 million Abram Zuil Secondary School on the Essequibo Coast were also commissioned.

Minister Manickchand has noted that works on the Yarrowkabra Secondary School, St. Rose’s Secondary, Queen’s College, East Ruimveldt Secondary, North Ruimveldt Secondary and St Winefride’s Secondary are expected to be completed soon.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand and Permanent Secretary Alfred King standing alongside contract awardees

Guyana discusses training, investment opportunities with South Korea

…country willing to enter economic, tech education partnerships

The 45th Caribbean Community (Caricom) Heads of Government Meeting in Trinidad and Tobago has also presented opportunities for bilateral meetings. Accordingly, President Dr. Irfaan Ali on Wednesday met with Prime Minister of South Korea, Han Ducksoo.

At that meeting between the two leaders, which occurred on the sidelines of the conclud-

ing Heads of Government Meeting on Wednesday, a number of matters were dealt with, including education and training opportunities, manufacturing and technology.

“Prime Minister Han congratulated President Ali on Guyana's election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, while indicating his government’s willingness to support Guyana through a "framework of economic cooperation" and the country's technological movement by means of tailored education,” a statement from the Office of the President has said.

Last month the news emerged that Guyana was voted in as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for 2024-2025. The UNSC is one of six main organs established by the United Nations Charter. The Council is given primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.

Meanwhile, President Ali has lauded South Korea's development trajectory while noting its "highly-skilled and developed human asset". He also highlighted his Government’s drive in the areas of food, energy and climate security.

“He told the Prime Minister that his Government would like to enhance Government-toGovernment relations and the partnership between the Private Sectors of both countries,” the statement added.

The South Korean Prime Minister, who has already committed to having his country multiply its investments fivefold in Caricom, has had a number of meetings with other Caricom leaders, including Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Opportunities

South Korea has, for some time, been exploring opportunities in Guyana. Last November, South Korean company Yeachon Architect and Urban Planners, whose representatives were in Guyana along with United States-based companies exploring opportunities for partnership and investment, had made a presentation of what their seven-year plan would be for the transformative Silica City.

The presentation on Silica City was made before President Ali at the Arthur Chung Conference Center (ACCC). The President was accompanied by several cabinet members, including Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, Prime Minister Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips, Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, and Public Works Minister Juan Edghill.

The South Korean company made a video presentation laying out how they would develop Silica City, which is the brainchild of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) and is being built by the Government along the Soesdyke/Linden Highway.

According to their proposals, the city would be carbon-free, and would be complete with housing, energy, transportation, healthcare, educational and recreational facilities. Mention was made of smart farms, a hypermarket and a commercial centre. They are proposing that the city could be completed by 2030.

Other Korean and US companies had meanwhile made video presentations on what value they could provide; and President Ali had stressed during the proceedings that the local Private Sector should take up the opportunity for partnership, especially in areas such as agriculture.

Other meetings

This meeting with South Korean leader Han Duck-soo comes one day after President Ali had discussions with China’s Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hua Chunying, during which the President assured the diplomat that China remains a long-term strategic partner, and Guyana came in for high praise on its leadership in food security. According to a statement from the Office of the President, during the talks, the Chinese official congratulated President Ali on Guyana’s election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Also discussed during their meeting was the dynamic lead role Guyana has taken on when it comes to spearheading the country and Region’s food security drive. This is even as Guyana currently chairs the Caricom Special Ministerial Task Force on Food Production and Food Security through Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha. As such, Guyana has been spearheading efforts to slash Caricom’s US$5 billion food importation bill.

“She (Hua Chunying) also lauded Guyana’s climate mitigation efforts. President Ali said China remains a long-term strategic partner of Guyana and is active in the development thrust of the country. The Head of State is expected to make an official State Visit to China at the end of July,” the Office of the President has said.

Meanwhile, President Ali also exchanged pleasantries with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda on the sidelines of the Caricom Heads of Government Meeting on Wednesday. Following these discussions, the Rwandan leader then took part in a special plenary session with the region's Heads of State. (G3)

South Korean PM, Han Duck-soo (left) meeting with President Dr Irfaan Ali

The Guyanese and South Korean teams during the meeting in Trinidad and Tobago

Guyana urges expansion of trade links within MERCOSUR

…as PM reaffirms Govt’s support for regional bloc

Prime Minister

Brigadier (ret’d)

Mark Phillips on Tuesday reiterated Guyana’s commitment to regional integration and the MERCOSUR objectives of advancing the possibilities for business, investment, and expanding commercial relations.

The Prime Minister made this reiteration during the 62nd Summit of Heads of State of MERCOSUR and Associated States in Puerto Iguazu, Misiones Province, Argentina.

The Southern Common Market – MERCOSUR for its Spanish initials – is a regional integration process established by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay that promotes a common space to generate business and investment opportunities through the competitive integration of national economies into the international market.

Guyana - alongside Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Suriname - is an associate member of MERCOSUR, and all these states are thereby allowed to receive tariff reductions when trading.

“Guyana remains committed to partnering with the Member States of MERCOSUR in working to advance the objectives of this regional bloc for the economic and social development of our countries and the prosperity of our peoples,” Phillips said during the Summit.

Acknowledging the benefits of being associated with MERCOSUR, the Prime Minister further called for the expansion of trade partnerships.

“Guyana appreciates that, as an Associate Member, it can benefit from trade arrangements that would afford it preferential access to markets. We can

do more to expand these arrangements and to encourage increased trade, particularly with the Associate Member States Guyana and Suriname,” Phillips said.

Additionally, Phillips noted that conscious efforts have to be made to pursue solutions towards effective strategies to overcome the barriers to trade, and bridge structural disparities and gaps within societies and across countries.

Further, Prime Minister Phillips advocated for the formulation of strategic partnerships in the postCOVID period, emphasising food security, climate security, and energy security.

“We can develop strate-

gic partnerships to achieve these objectives. In particular, we must raise our collective voice at the upcoming COP28 to ensure that the right decisions are taken with regard to adequate support for adaptation and climate finance,” Phillips

has said.

He also offered his best wishes and assurance of Guyana’s continued support to President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has taken up the pro-tempore presidency of the alliance.

Prime Minister Mark Phillips at the 62nd Summit of Heads of State of MERCOSUR and Associated States in Argentina

Govt to build 'young professional' houses in Regions 3, 6

The Housing and Water Ministry is set to expand its housing programme by constructing ‘young professional’ houses in Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara) and at Palmyra in Region Six (East Berbice–Corentyne).

This was announced by Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal during a recent episode of ‘The Guyana Dialogue’, wherein he noted that land clearance should have already begun in the identified area(s) in Region Three.

“The land clearance

Lifting of EITI suspension…

Guyana reaffirms

With Guyana fulfilling its obligations and submitting the necessary report to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) to lift its suspension, the Ministry of Natural Resources has assured of its commitment to continue working with stakeholders to improve transparency.

Five months ago, Guyana was suspended from the EITI for failing to submit on time a report on transparency in the extractive sector. That suspension has now been lifted after Guyana submitted the 2020 report on June 30, before the extended deadline.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Natural Resources Ministry assured that it remains committed to working with stakeholders. According to the Ministry, Guyana’s suspension on February 1, 2023

was a result of the delay in submitting the report on time.

“The report provides full disclosure of government revenues from Guyana’s extractive industries, as well as disclosures of all material payments made to the government by companies operating in the oil, gas, mining, forestry and fisheries sectors.

“The report’s submission highlights the gov-

should have started. Region Three will see some ‘young professional’ houses being constructed. In terms of Region Six, we have to take into consideration the level of income for individuals, but just to assure you, the Palmyra development will have some ‘young professional’ houses. Palmyra will be one of our flagship new development areas. You see a lot of development started there already in terms of facilities,” the minister shared.

He also noted that, since taking office in 2020, the PPP/C administration

has distributed more than 23,500 house lots to date, and is working aggressively to meet the target of 50,000 by the end of its 5-year tenure in 2025.

The Ministry has been constructing ‘young professional’ homes in several areas across the country. During the Linden Building Expo held in May, Croal announced an investment of approximately $600 million towards constructing 200 core homes in Silica City on the SoesdykeLinden Highway. According to Croal, Silica City is envisaged

to tackle the issue of non-coastal urban settlement development and the challenges of climate change and sea-level rise through the creation of a vibrant, sustainable, resilient, and modern city that is in keeping with the Low Carbon Development Strategy.

Additionally, during a walk about at the La Bonne Intention (LBI) Housing Scheme earlier this year, President Dr. Irfaan Ali had announced that a total of 700 ‘young professional’ houses are expected to be built in that area.

commitment to transparency

ernment's commitment to transparency and its dedication to upholding global best practices. Notably, the government has already begun working on the 2021 report,” the Ministry explained.

The Ministry noted that, without compromise, the report was submitted one month ahead of the new July 30, 2023 deadline. This, the Ministry noted, was possible through

collaboration between the Government, EITI and relevant stakeholders.

In this vein, the Ministry of Natural Resources has committed to continue working with all relevant stakeholders to ensure transparency is upheld within the extractive industries sector, which includes oil and gas.

“The ministry reaffirms its commitment to advancing transparency, accountability, and good governance in the extractive industries. We will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to strengthen systems, improve reporting mechanisms, and promote the sustainable management of Guyana's natural resources,” the Ministry has added.

In a statement on the lifting of the suspension on Tuesday, President Dr Irfaan Ali said the Government remains confident that all systems would remain in place to ensure that Guyana is not placed in a similar position in the future.

“The Government of Guyana is pleased that the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Board lifted a temporary suspension on Guyana, which it had put in place on February 1, 2023 due to the country’s inability to pub-

lish its 2020 EITI Report.

Guyana published the report on June 30 within five months of the sixmonth deadline.

“The Government remains confident that all systems will remain in place to ensure that Guyana is not placed in a similar position in the future,” he said in the statement.

In February, after it was revealed that Guyana had been given an extension for the final submission of the report, President Ali had said that he would ensure that, this time around, the report is submitted in advance of the new May 2023 deadline.

He had also revealed that there may have been deliberate attempts to sabotage the submission of the report at the level of the Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG) of the EITI, which had delayed approval of the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the consultant hired to complete the report.

The EITI is an international body that requires implementing countries to publish comprehensive reports which include the full disclosure of Government revenues from the extractive sector, as well as the disclosure of all material payments made to the Government by companies

operating in the oil, gas, and mining sectors.

Guyana’s first report was submitted to the International Secretariat on April 25, 2019. Membership in the EITI means that Guyana will have to adhere to the 12 principles of the EITI standards voluntarily. These 12 principles include encouraging corporate social responsibility, sharing of information, revealing beneficial ownership, and promoting revenue transparency. Failure to do so could be met with suspension from the EITI.

Guyana’s next validation commences on April 1, 2024.

The EITI had previously allocated Guyana a score of 52 for implementing the 2019 standard, commending Guyana for the strides taken to make information available and consult with stakeholders, while also providing recommendations to further strengthen the system.

Guyana’s score of 52 included a score of 42 on “outcomes and impact”, 60 on “stakeholder engagement”, and 53.5 per cent when it comes to transparency.

According to EITI, Guyana did manage to establish a functioning platform for multi-stakeholder discussions.

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal

The Ministry of Natural Resources

Not all work done by children is child labour – Chief Labour Officer

Chief Labour Officer Dhaneshwar

Deonarine has highlighted that not all work done by children is referred to as child labour.

Deonarine made this comment while delivering remarks on Wednesday at the awards ceremony for the social justice and child labour art competition, which was held by the Ministry in observance of World Day Against Child Labour. That competition was held under the theme ‘Social Justice for All. End Child Labour’.

“Note that not all work done by children should be classified as child labour. According to the United Nations, children or adolescents’ participation in work that does not affect their health and personal development, or interferes with their schooling, is generally regarded as something positive. This includes activities such as: helping their parents around the home, assisting in the family business, or earning pocket money during the school holidays,” Deonarine outlined.

According to Deonarine, “These kinds of activities contribute to children’s development and to the welfare of their families. They provide them with skills and experience, and help them to be productive members of society during their adult life.”

Speaking at this same occasion, Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton shared that, since assuming office in 2020, the PPP/C administration has worked assid-

uously to tackle the issue of child labour across the country. The Minister also noted that Government is committed to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal to end child labour by 2025.

“Importantly, we didn’t just establish a Ministry of Labour; we expanded the Ministry of Labour! In every region throughout the length and breadth of Guyana, you have a Labour Office and you have Labour Officers. Services like attempting to stop child labour cannot be done from Georgetown, you have to have people located in the areas where activities like child labour exist,” the minister shared.

The minister also implored businesses to ensure that child labour is not occurring within their companies. He highlighted that businesses play an active role in this issue.

“I wish to remind employers that they have a re-

sponsibility to prevent and eliminate this…in society, and to ensure that the necessary due diligence in their business processes and supply chain is done to discourage the involvement of child labour in the business system,” the minister posited.

Competition

Meanwhile, the firstplace winner of the competition, Joanna Manauf, shared that she initially entered the competition for the fun of it. However, given the topic, she decided to put her all into the drawing, and came out victorious.

“It’s most likely not right; I’m not a supporter of it, and I’m really glad the Ministry of Labour is here to try to get rid of it, because children need their freedom, they need to learn and they need to be a part of their own social life. I don’t think children should be living like this. The reason I said ‘puppets of pover-

ty’ is because some parents really put a lot into making their children do these things, and I don’t think it’s right. The hammer on the painting signifies how the Ministry tries to break child labour,” Manauf told this publication.

Child labour is prevalent worldwide, but especially in Third World countries and in countries at war. The International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF inform that child labour has risen to 160 million worldwide – and counting.

In information coming out of Geneva in ILO News in 2021, it stated that the two organisations warn that nine million additional chil-

dren were at risk as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most likely, that is a conservative figure. This figure is an estimated increase of 8.4 million children in the last four years.

The report points to a significant rise in child labour among children aged 5 to 11 years, who now account for just over half of the total global figure. The number of children aged 5 to 17 years who are engaged in hazardous work – defined as work that is likely to harm their health, safety, or morals – has risen by 6.5 million to 79 million since 2016.

The ILO-UNICEF report indicates that 8.2 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 are engaged

in child labour in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Here, in Guyana, the Government has passed legislation and enacted laws that mandate severe penalties for infringements that could cause harm to children, while yet recognising that the Guyanese culture allows children to be involved in family income-generation activities, as well as children’s efforts to engage in odd jobs in their spare time, once such activities do not affect their education and/or jeopardise them or their health in any way.

Guyana purposes to end child labour by 2025, especially in rural communities where this matter is prevalent.

Date set for commencement of PI into Sir Mars’s murder

Adate has been set for the start of the preliminary inquiry (PI) into the murder charge laid against 24-year-old Brian Richards in connection with the murder of educator Kirwyn Mars, aka “Sir Mars”.

Richards, a labourer and father of three, of John Fernandes Squatting Area in Georgetown, is accused of killing Mars, 51, of Lot 211 New Settlers Street, Mocha, East Bank Demerara, on Sunday May 7 at Perseverance, EBD.

When the matter continued on Tuesday before Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Diamond/ Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts, the Police Prosecutor served addition-

al statements on Richards, who is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Bernard Da Silva. Richards has been

further remanded to prison, and will return to court on August 8 at 13:00h for the commencement of the PI.

The body of Mars was found pinned between his car and the fence of an apartment building at Perseverance, EBD. An autopsy revealed that he had been stabbed eight times; including to his chest, right shoulder, collarbone, left hand, and right elbow. His cause of death has been listed as injuries to the chest as a result of being crushed, compounded by “multiple cutaneous wounds.”

It has been reported that two days after committing the crime, Richards was arrested at his place of employment, and has since allegedly confessed to the

murder. In his alleged confession statement, he detailed that, on the day in question, he and Mars had been at the Green City Bar

in Georgetown, where they had consumed about two cases of beer altogether before departing the bar to travel to Diamond, EBD via the Mandela-Eccles Highway.

However, on their way to that location, a misunderstanding arose between them and a scuffle ensued, during which he had picked up a bottle and struck Mars to the head, but in retaliation, Mars had collected a knife that was in the car and had attacked him.

He alleged that he had managed to relieve Mars of the knife, and in turn had stabbed him several times.

Further, he told investigators that, after receiving the stab wounds, Mars had

brought the car to a stop at a location in Providence, EBD, then exited from the driver’s seat and walked to the back of the vehicle. And while he, Richards, had been trying to retrieve his phone which had fallen in the car during the scuffle, his hand had touched the lever and accidentally put the car in reverse, ultimately crushing Mars.

After realising that Mars was motionless, he said, he panicked and fled the scene.

Mars, who had been Deputy Principal of the New Central High School in Georgetown, had been a teacher since 1992. Beloved as a teacher, Mars had also been involved in theatre arts. (G1)

Dead Kirwyn Mars

Murder accused: Brian Richards

First-place winner Joanna Manauf and Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton displaying her art piece at the awards ceremony

Chief Labour Officer Dhaneshwar Deonarine

Guyana’s food security leadership praised by Caricom Chair

…says States mobilising resources to tackle food security challenges

By Jarryl Bryan

Guyana’s leadership on agriculture in the region has come in for high praise from new Caribbean Community (Caricom) Chairman, Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit. So much progress has been made that, according to Skerrit, Caricom states are mobilizing resources even now to tackle food security challenges.

At a closing press conference on Wednesday evening, PM Skerrit gave an update on all the discussions Caricom leaders have had over the course of the twoday Heads of Government conference. Those discussions included strategies for accelerating the push towards slashing the regional food import bill by “25 per cent by 2025.”

“Coming out of our respective countries, there’s a heightened interest on the part of farmers for investments in agriculture, and so there are some concrete plans. We are mobilizing the resources, both financial and technical,” Skerrit has said.

“There are agreements being signed among ourselves. There’s sharing of knowledge, expertise and resources. It is truly a united front, in seeking to improve and increase the quality and production of agriculture products in the community,” Skerrit added.

He has emphasized, however, that at the end of the day, Caricom must eat what it produces. This includes local stores making the conscious decision to prioritize stocking their shelves with local goods and goods produced within the region, as opposed to imported goods.

“The power really is not in the hands of the Government. The power of reducing the food import bill is in the hands of the people, the consumers of the Caribbean. The supermarkets will sell, and we buy. For the ladies, we can say that, with regards to the eyelashes, you will see a major importation of eyelashes in the Caribbean because we’re buying it,” Skerrit said.

“And if we can buy the agricultural produce and demand the agricultural produce, then the supermarkets and the restaurants will sell to you what you want to buy. And all of the acrylic nails and so forth, when we go to the supermarkets, let us demand the items from Guyana, or Trinidad, or Barbados, or St. Lucia, and you will see how quickly we can reduce the import bill.”

August retreat PM Skerrit went on

to reveal that a retreat is planned for August 2023 in Dominica, during which regional Heads of Government will do follow ups on the

crease in corn and soya. As a region, our forward planning capacity in terms of storage for corn, rice and soya, we can only store 20 per cent of what we require. So, when there’s a glut on the market and the price, we cannot make use of that because there’s no storage capacity,” President Ali said.

According to the President, regional heads are looking to partner with the Private Sector to address this issue, and already, progress has been seen in some countries. He further assured that, as a region, they are well on track to achieving their original target, and the agricultural agenda has been revitalized in all Caricom countries.

member states even more free.

“The heads have agreed that we are moving beyond just the free movement of skills to freedom of movement of people. Out of an abundance of caution, there are some aspects within the Treaty that will require amendment.

Therefore, we are giving ourselves between now and the 30th of March, 2024 to make the amendments. Because we recognize as well that there may have to be an approach that does not make countries liable to any sort of suit with regards to the rights,” the Prime Minister said.

According to Mottley, these efforts will have to be financed, and consideration is being given to using

the Caricom Development Fund for this very purpose. Mottley further drew attention to the fact that the revised Treaty of

Chaguaramas contains restrictions for national security and balance of payment purposes.

“We have determined that in order to facilitate freedom of movement, we have to do it in a way where we guarantee the minimum level of rights. And that may relate to primary and pre-primary education and emergency health care,” Mottley said.

With the regional conference completed, United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was in Port of Spain as a guest of the conference, is expected to make a stopover in Guyana today. While in Guyana, he will have high profile meetings with President Dr Irfaan Ali and cabinet.

2 remanded for armed robbery, discharging loaded firearm

Two men have been remanded to prison following their arraignment before acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus on Tuesday at the Georgetown Magistrates Courts.

commitments given during the conference. These follow ups would include addressing trade barriers, which was raised by President Dr. Irfaan Ali during a plenary session on Tuesday, and the matter of Haiti’s security woes.

“You have issues of trade barriers. The President of Guyana, in his presentation on food and nutritional security, highlighted the need for us to address the issue of trade barriers. The issue of governance within the Caribbean Community. The issue of security,” Skerrit further explained.

President Ali, as the Lead Head of Government for agriculture in Caricom, also provided further clarity on some of the bottlenecks affecting food security that were addressed during the meeting. He assured, however, that these are being resolved.

“There are some structural problems, some institutional problems, that we are resolving. Take, for example, the issue of poultry. From 2020 to now, there are three key inputs in terms of feed production: rice, corn and soya. You had a 100 per cent increase in the cost of rice as an import, and between 65 and 55 per cent in-

President Ali had made a presentation on Tuesday at the plenary session of the 45th Conference of Caricom Heads of Government in Port of Spain. The presentation was themed “Advancing the Caricom Agri-Food System Agenda – Prioritizing Regional Food and Nutrition Security”. Also provided was an update on the progress made towards regional food security.

Among the accomplishments is the cultivation of 1284 acres of corn, which were cultivated for the 1st crop, and 1000 acres of soya bean, which were all planted in the first quarter of 2023. Additionally, Guyana constructed 25 shade houses during the first quarter, and a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was developed between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.

Free movement

Meanwhile, Barbados

Prime Minister Mia Mottley provided an update on discussions regarding the free movement of skills.

Under the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, certain categories of skills are guaranteed the right of free movement among Caricom states. According to Mottley, however, they are working on making travel by citizens of

Akeem Bourne and Michael Cumberbatch, both 28-year-old residents of Lot 2 Rasville, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, have been charged for allegedly committing armed robbery and discharging a loaded firearm.

It is alleged that on June 27, at Riverview, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Bourne and Cumberbatch, while armed with a firearm, robbed Tyron DeGrutt of a Samsung cellphone valued at $25,000 and Dillon McRae of a Samsung Galaxy cellphone valued at $35,000.

Further, it is alleged that on the same day and location, Bourne discharged a loaded firearm with the intent to cause disfigurement or grievous bodily harm to businessman Travis Farley.

It is further alleged that on June 28, at Norton and Chapel Streets, Lodge, Georgetown, Bourne had a 9mm pistol along with three matching rounds in his possession while not being the holder of a firearm licence.

Both men have pleaded not guilty to all the charges, and the Police prosecutor has objected to bail being granted Bourne by citing his known history with the Police and his alleged status as a serial offender.

Consequently, the court has remanded both men to prison, and the case will continue on July 26.

According to reports, Farley and his 23-year-old reputed wife were inside

their shop, located in front of their Riverview, Ruimveldt home, when they noticed the two men approaching from the western direction on the Main Road at Riverview, Ruimveldt. As the men reached the shop, one of them pulled out a handgun from his waist and fired a round in Farley's direction, but Farley was not hit.

In response, Farley and his wife quickly sought safety by running into their yard, even as the suspects fled the scene on foot, heading east of Riverview, Ruimveldt, and continuing south on Ruimveldt Public Road.

The incident was reported to the Police, and the following day, acting on information received, Police arrested the two suspects at Norton and Chapel Streets Lodge, Georgetown. Bourne was allegedly found in possession of a 9mm pistol and three matching rounds without a valid firearm licence.

In 2018, Bourne was one of two men who were found by the High Court in Berbice not guilty of the murder of a Whim Village businessman in 2012. Elton Haynes, a former Policeman

of Manchester Village, Corentyne, and Bourne, who lived at Whim Village, Corentyne, were on trial in the High Court for murdering Winston Ragnauth, 56, of Lot 2 Whim Public Road between November 6 and 7, 2012, during the course of a robbery.

When the mixed jury, after close to two hours of deliberation, had returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty, the two men had run out of the court with smiles on their faces after Justice Sandil Kissoon had told them they were free.

The prosecution had argued that Haynes had killed Ragnauth by slashing his neck, while Bourne had allegedly been involved in the planning. The defendants had provided confession statements to the Police, which had been accepted as evidence by the court.

However, both men had claimed that the statements were not given voluntarily. Haynes had escaped from custody, but was later re-arrested, and Bourne had alleged that he was coerced into signing a statement after being beaten by the Police. (G9)

Remanded: Michael Cumberbatch

Remanded: Akeem Bourne

President Dr Irfaan Ali

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley

Caricom Chairman Roosevelt Skerrit

Berbice labourer found murdered in shack

Police in Berbice are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of 29-year-old Leon Kum, a labourer who had lived in a shack at Kilcoy Squatting Area on the Corentyne, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), who was discovered dead in the wee hours of Wednesday.

Residents have said Kum’s body was discovered at around 01:00h on Wednesday, and he was bleeding profusely from his upper body. Police, in a release, have said the incident took place at about 01:30h, and added that two males are suspects in the murder.

“The deceased went to a camp house which is located about 15 feet from his camp, to collect eatables and a cup of drink from a relative. He went back into his camp house, and sometime later, relatives heard noise from the area. As a result, they came out, and saw two males (jumping) over the fence where the now dead

man was sleeping and (run) towards the western direction,” a Police release has said in part.

Relatives found Kum lying face down on the ground in his shack, with lacerations across the throat and to the left side cheek. He was taken to the Port Mourant Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, the Police have said.

Reports reaching this publication indicate that two persons: one armed with a sharp object, were seen running from the wooden structure where the man lived just moments before he was discovered dead.

According to Sattie Ramoutar, a relative of the late Leon Kum, her sonin-law had given chase after one of the suspects who was seen running away. She explained that at about 01:00h, while cooking, she heard the sound of something hitting zinc, and thought it might have been a goat. The sound was re-

peated twice, but louder. The woman said she looked through the window to see what was happening, but could not see anything.

“So I go and open the kitchen door after ah hear the noise again,” she ex-

plained. Ramoutar said she saw her son-in-law running after someone, but by the time he got to the bridge, the person had gotten to the road, but he did not give up the chase. However, the suspect picked up a bicycle

and escaped.

According to Ramoutar, she heard sounds of anguish coming from the late Leon Kum, and she called to her daughter-in-law to bring a light so she could see what had happened.

“When she come with the light, I see the blood running, and I call my son…”

The woman said the man was in a slumped position, and there was blood in the area of his neck and on his shirt.

Residents say one of the two suspects escaped on the bicycle and the other on foot.

Meanwhile, residents reportedly apprehended one of the suspects, and he was handed over to the Police. The man has reportedly named his accomplice. Police say four suspects have been taken into custody. Ramoutar said her sonin-law was also taken into custody.

“My son-in-law name Michael Ramnarine. He was running behind one of them. He run bare hand, and then my daughter throw a cutlass and tell him not to go bare hand, but the person ride and gone with the bike,” she detailed. The investigation continues. (G4)

GPHC to soon provide open-heart surgery

cedures, who may have otherwise had to travel out of the country and pay to access these interventions.

With the establishment of the Department of Adult Cardiac Surgery, GPHC will have the capacity to provide elective and emergency coverage for services such as minimally invasive valve surgeries and transcatheter aortic and mitral valve replacements.

ment of a sustainable and reliable model of adult cardiovascular care, which

mimics the more successful centres worldwide, that operate independently, with

clinical, interventional, and surgical arms under their purview.

Recognising the country’s permanent need for the availability of adult open-heart surgery and management, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) Surgeon Dr. Pradeep Ramkoomar had, in 2020, embarked on a three-year fellowship training in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Madras Medical Mission in Chennai, India.

Having successfully completed this fellowship with the support of GPHC, Dr. Ramkoomar has returned to Guyana as the only adult open-heart surgeon in the country, signifying tremendous headway in the provision of world-class healthcare to Guyanese, according to a GPHC press release.

Dr Ramkoomar’s training, which included beating heart surgery and con-

ventional on-pump bypass, with exposure to robotics and minimally invasive cardiac surgery, has positioned him to pioneer the establishment of a department of Adult Cardiac Surgery at GPHC. This department will facilitate the routine provision of coronary artery bypass surgeries and heart valve replacements and repairs, among other openheart procedures for persons with coronary artery and valvular heart diseases.

Additionally, the department will augment GPHC’s current clinical and interventional arms of cardiovascular services with the provision of full-time surgical support.

Currently, at least four GPHC patients are identified as requiring open-heart surgeries on a weekly basis, in addition to a backlog of patients awaiting these pro-

Cardiovascular diseases remain one of the leading health concerns in the country, with Guyana recording one of the highest rates of cardiovascular mortality in South America, with 291.9 deaths for every 100,000 people – 54 per cent higher than the global average. This is according to recently published research undertaken by the Guyana Programme to Advance Cardiac Care (GPACC) under the Global Heart Journal.

Further, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) cites ischemic heart disease as the leading cause of death in Guyana, accounting for 15 per cent of the total deaths annually. Though significant progress has been made to address these concerns through the provision of private-public partnerships and some support provided by the Government, GPHC acknowledges the need to ensure the trajectory of Guyana’s healthcare infrastructure is positioned to address the country’s epidemiological profile.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ramkoomar continues to advocate for the establish-

Georgetown Public Health Corporation (GPHC) Surgeon Dr Pradeep Ramkoomar

The shack in which Leon Kum lived, and in which he was killed

Salvadoran court sentences ex-President Funes to another jail term

Acourt in El Salvador sentenced former President Mauricio Funes to six years behind bars for tax evasion, according to a ruling published on Wednesday, marking the second conviction and prison term doled out to the former leftist leader this year.

But Funes now lives in Nicaragua and is a citizen of Nicaragua, a country that does not allow for the extradition of its citizens.

Funes was also ordered to pay more than US$200,000 after he was convicted of dodging around US$85,000 in taxes dating back to 2014, according to the ruling.

The former President was sentenced earlier this year to 14 years in prison for his links to criminal groups and failure to comply with his duty to protect residents.

David Munguia, a former Justice and Defence

Minister, has been sentenced to 18 years behind bars in the same case. At the time of his conviction, Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado stated that both Munguia and Funes acted as gang members by negoti-

Nicaraguan Catholic Bishop back to jail after talks stall – local media

Nicaraguan Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez was returned to prison on Wednesday after negotiations between the Government and church representatives broke down over the terms of his possible release, according to local news outlet Confidencial.

Citing church and diplo-

matic sources, Confidencial reported that the talks stalled over whether or not Alvarez would consent to leave the country, as well as over the possible release of other jailed priests.

The Bishop, a prominent critic of President Daniel Ortega, was sentenced in February to more than 26 years in prison on treason

charges after he refused to be expelled to the United States.

The conflict between the Catholic Church and Ortega's Government dates back to 2018, when church leaders were asked to mediate anti-Government protests that turned violent, leaving more than 300 people dead. (Reuters)

Bus plunges into ravine in Mexico, killing as many as 27 aboard

ating a truce between criminal groups in exchange for electoral favours.

Funes was President of El Salvador from 2009 to 2014, and was granted Nicaraguan citizenship in 2019. (Reuters)

Antigua & Barbuda, Canada forge closer collaboration

request that Canada work alongside the United States and Caricom to find workable solutions to resolve the crisis in Haiti.

The delegations also discussed the issue of regional transportation, CaricomCanada relations, and further areas of bilateral cooperation between both nations.

(Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

Authorities say that as many as 27 people have been killed after a bus crashed off of a road and into a ravine in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.

The death toll was confirmed in a press conference held by the state’s Interior Minister Jesús Romero, who explained that 13 men, 13 women and one infant boy were among the fatalities.

Reports of the numbers injured varied, with Romero indicating that an additional 21 people had been hurt. State Prosecutor Bernardo Rodríguez Alamilla, meanwhile, told the news outlet AFP that 17 people were wounded.

The bus had been travelling from Mexico City to Yosondua when it veered off a highway near the city of Magdalena Penasco. It landed in a ravine that was nearly 25 metres (80 feet)

deep, according to officials.

“In view of the tragic accident this morning in the town of Magdalena Penasco of a bus from CDMX heading to Santiago Yosondua #Mixteca, motorists who circulate in the area are asked to exercise extreme caution and give way to traffic,” Oaxaca State

Highway Police director Toribio Lopez Sanchez said in a post on Twitter.

“We deeply regret the accident that occurred in Magdalena Penasco,” Oaxaca state Governor Salomón Jara Cruz wrote on social media on Wednesday. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

T&T Minister’s in-laws robbed at gunpoint 2 in custody for allegedly threatening Jamaican MP

Parliamentary Secretary to Canada’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, Maninder Sidhu met with Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to Caricom, Dr Clarence Henry, where they praised the strength of relations between both countries over the decades

Antigua and Barbuda and Canada met along the margins of the 45th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to discuss their longstanding diplomatic relations.

The Canadian delegation led by Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maninder Sidhu met with Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to Caricom, Dr Clarence Henry, where they praised the strength of relations between both countries over the decades.

The Parliamentary Secretary commented on the recent relaxation of visa re-

quirements for nationals of Antigua and Barbuda which was received positively by the Antigua and Barbuda delegation. Additionally, Sidhu commended the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, who will host the fourth United Nations International Conference on Small Island Developing States in 2024. He stated that Canada would lend its support to Antigua and Barbuda for the upcoming SIDS Conference as the issue of climate change affects everyone globally.

In response, Ambassador Henry thanked the Canadian representative for his country’s support to Antigua and Barbuda. He also took the opportunity to

The in-laws of Trinidad and Tobago Local Government Minister Faris Al-Rawi were held at gunpoint on Wednesday afternoon and robbed of cash and valuables.

According to police reports, the 87-year-old man and his 80-year-old wife were robbed by a gunman and his two accomplices as the man pulled into the driveway of their Windy Drive, Westmoorings home.

Police said that at about 10:00h, the man went to Republic Bank, Ellerslie Plaza, Maraval and conducted a transaction. He returned home around 11:45h, and on arrival a slim, brownskinned, masked gunman put a gun to his chest and demanded his valuables.

Police said the man took TT$2000 from his victim along with his Republic Bank credit card, identification card, driver's permit, and other miscellaneous items.

The bandit also took a black leather handbag containing an iPhone 14 from the man's wife. They also took a black wallet with TT$200, her Republic Bank credit card and her identification card.

The gunman and his two accomplices then left.

Corporal Ryan is continuing investigations. Calls and whatsapp messages to Al-Rawi went unanswered.

(Trinidad Newsday)

The Westmoreland

Police have taken into custody two of three men in relation to what they say are “serious threats” being made against a citizen.

The Police, have, however, refrained from divulging information surrounding who the threat was made against, noting that the case was currently at a sensitive stage.

It is alleged that one of the men was arrested in relation to threats he made against the Member of Parliament for Westmoreland Western, Morland Wilson on Saturday.

The threat was reportedly made against the MP during a boisterous protest by residents within the community of Retreat, who were upset about the

lack of water in the area for the past three weeks. The Police tried their best to calm the residents.

Officer in charge of operation for the Westmoreland Police Division, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Adrian Hamilton said one of the men was picked up at a school on Tuesday while the other was picked up along the roadway on Wednesday morning. A third man is being sought by the Police in connection with the case.

"We have two persons that are persons of interest. One was picked up this morning and we are looking for another one. We have called out for him to turn himself in to the Police, because we want the process to go through," stated Hamilton.(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Former El Salvador President Mauricio Funes

The bus had been travelling from Mexico City to Yosondua when it veered off a highway near the city of Magdalena Penasco, landing in a nearly-80-foot ravine

T&T Local Government Minister Faris Al-Rawi

Around The World OIL NEWS

US Navy says it repelled Iranian effort to seize oil tankers

The United States Navy has said that it prevented Iranian forces from seizing two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, the latest in a series of such incidents in one of the world’s most vital energy passageways.

US Naval Forces Central Command said Wednesday that a guided missile destroyer, the USS McFaul had driven off Iranian vessels attempting to intercept two oil tankers off the coast of Oman, including one incident in which Iranian forces reportedly fired on one of the tankers.

“On July 5, US forces prevented two attempted commercial tanker seizures by the Iranian Navy after the Iranians had opened fire in one of the incidents near the coast of Oman,” a news release from the US Navy read. “Both of these incidents occurred in international waters.”

The encounters came at a time of high tensions between the US and Iran, which have struggled to revive a nuclear agreement that the Trump administration unilaterally broke off in 2015. The US has long accused Iran of harassing and seizing commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has stepped up those activities in recent months, seizing two oil tankers in one week during the months of April and May.

In these latest attempts, the first incident took place at about 1am local time on Wednesday, (21:00 GMT on Tuesday) when Iranian forces approached the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker TRF Moss. The Iranian vessel left when the USS McFaul, arrived on the scene.

About three hours later, the US Navy said that it had received a distress call from a Bahamian-flagged oil tanker, the Richmond Voyager, which had been told by an Iranian naval vessel to stop.

As the US ship made its way to the scene, Iranian forces fired on the Voyager with “long bursts from both small arms and crew-served weapons”, but that no serious damage or loss of life occurred the statement from the US Navy said. The Iranian forces left when the USS McFaul arrived.

The US Navy said that it has increased its presence in the Strait of Hormuz since May, citing an uptick in Iranian efforts to seize commercial vessels. The US says that Iran has “attacked or seized” nearly 20 such vessels since 2021.

“We remain vigilant and ready to protect navigational rights in these critical waters,” US Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said in the release.

Iran, which the US placed under heavy sanctions after the Trump administration unilaterally abandoned the nuclear deal, has not commented on the incident. (Al Jazeera)

Man jailed for raping Ohio child who travelled for abortion

Aman has been sentenced to life in prison for the rape of a nine-year-old Ohio girl in a case that made headlines after the victim had to travel to another US state for an abortion.

Gerson Fuentes, 28, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of rape in last year's attack.

The child went to Indiana to terminate the pregnancy after her home state restricted access to the procedure.

It happened after the US Supreme Court overturned abortion rights.

“Steady, deliberate” Ukrainian advance meets Russian resistance

Just over a month into its counteroffensive,

Ukraine continues to make incremental advances and claims to be eroding the ability of invading Russian forces to fight back.

Ukrainian forces recaptured 28.4 square kilometres (11 square miles) of territory in the previous week, bringing the counteroffensive’s total gains to 158sq km (61sq miles), said Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar.

The Ukrainian army was “advancing steadily, deliberately working its way through very difficult minefields … 500 metres a day, 1000 metres a day, 2000 metres a day, that kind of thing,” Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley told the National Press Club in Washington on June 30. He estimated the counteroffensive could take as many as

10 weeks.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said his forces destroyed 2500 pieces of Ukrainian equipment since the counteroffensive began on June 4.

“Overall, neither of the enemy’s goals in either direction has been met,” said Shoigu during a speech at the Defence Ministry. “This confirms the prowess of Russian warriors and the obviously inflated hopes for the acclaimed Western armaments.”

Al Jazeera could not verify either Russian or Ukrainian figures, but Ukrainian officials insisted that territorial gains were not the priority at this stage.

Ukraine’s Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Oleksiy Danilov described “the number one task” of the armed forces as “the max-

Ukraine is slowly regaining territory

imum destruction of manpower, equipment, fuel depots, armoured vehicles, command posts, artillery, and air defence forces of the Russian army”.

These are softening operations in advance of a major attack, say military experts, and they reflect the tactics Ukraine employed ahead of major advances in September last year.

Ukrainian command-

er of the armed forces

Valery Zaluzhny told the Washington Post he was “pissed off” by those who complained about the slow pace of the counteroffensive.

“This is not a show,” Zaluzhny said. “It’s not a show the whole world is watching and betting on or anything. Every day, every metre is given by blood.”

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Zuckerberg-Musk fight is on: Meta launches 'Twitter killer' Threads app

Meta's Mark Zuckerberg delivered a blow to Elon Musk on Wednesday night, as the tech billionaires' rivalry went live with the launch of Instagram's much-anticipated Threads platform, a clone of Twitter.

"Let's do this. Welcome to Threads," Zuckerberg posted on the app, along with a fire emoji.

Analysts said investors were salivating over the possibility that Threads' ties to Instagram might give it a built-in user base

and advertising apparatus. That could siphon ad dollars from Twitter, whose new Executive Chief Officer (CEO) is trying to revive the microblogging company's struggling business.

While Threads launched as a standalone app, users could log in using their Instagram credentials and follow the same accounts, potentially making it an easy addition to existing habits for Instagram's more than two billion monthly active users.

"Investors can't help but be a little excited about the prospect that Meta really has a 'Twitter-killer'," said Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at investment platform firm AJ Bell.

Meta stock closed up three per cent on Wednesday ahead of the launch, outpacing gains by competitor tech companies as the broader market edged down.

Threads' arrival comes after Zuckerberg and Musk have traded barbs for

months and even threatened to fight each other in a real-life mixed martial arts cage match in Las Vegas.

The timing is opportune for Meta to land a blow, as months of Musk's chaotic decision-making has roiled Twitter.

Musk bought Twitter for US$44 billion last October, but its value has since plummeted as it faced an exodus of advertisers amid deep staffing cuts and content moderation controversies. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Tel Aviv Police Chief quits, citing Government meddling against protesters

Prosecutors noted that they could not find any evidence that Fuentes, a Guatemalan national, was in the US legally.

He will only be able to apply for parole after 25 years and could be deported. He will be required to register as a sex offender.

"Anybody who has ever been in this courtroom for the last 20 years knows how this court feels about babies, young people being violated," Franklin County Judge Julie Lynch said at Wednesday's sentencing.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Tel Aviv's Police commander said on Wednesday he was quitting the force, citing political intervention by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right Cabinet whom he said wanted excessive force used against anti-Government protesters.

Tel Aviv District Commander Ami Eshed did not name the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir who had demanded tough action against protesters blocking roads and highways in unprecedented demonstrations against the Government's contentious push to overhaul the justice system.

Soon after Eshed's announcement, hundreds of protesters carrying Israeli flags and chanting "democ-

racy" marched through Tel Aviv. Some blocked a main highway, lit fires and faced off with Police on horseback.

Meanwhile, Palestinians fear escalation after destructive West Bank assault in Jenin.

The atmosphere in Jenin

refugee camp feels like one I have witnessed elsewhere - in Gaza, after wars with Israel.

But this is the occupied West Bank; where the dynamics are very different.

Now it seems like a fast descent into something far more dangerous is already

happening.

The destruction in the camp following the Israeli army's biggest assault there in 20 years is massive.

As hundreds of troops entered the camp on Monday morning, the army fired missiles from drones – air strikes have not been used in the West Bank for two decades – and tore up roads to clear them of what it said were militants' roadside bombs.

Fierce gun battles broke out between the troops and Palestinian militants and continued until Israeli troops withdrew on Tuesday night.

Now for the first time in safety since Sunday, thousands of residents pour into the streets to see the destruction themselves.

(Excerpt from Reuters and BBC News)

DAILY HOROSCOPES

(March 21-April 19)

Rely on the people who love you, not on someone filling your head with nonsense. Express yourself through actions and kindness, and you’ll gain respect and gratitude. Change what you need to.

Discuss your plans with someone close to you. Call on experts to ensure you haven’t missed an important detail. Take a break from people you can’t count on. Live by the rules.

(April 20-May 20)

Rethink your strategy, verify information and stick to simple guidelines that lead to self-improvement and a better routine. Don’t ignore a change in yourself or in someone close to you.

(May 21-June 20)

PEANUTS

(June 21-July 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

(July 23-Aug. 22)

Pay attention to what others do and figure out how to protect yourself from toxic people and situations. Take the road less traveled and align yourself with like-minded people.

Regulate your spending. Don’t feel obligated to keep up with others when you need only to compete with yourself. Do whatever promotes peace of mind and opportunity. Put more energy into grooming yourself.

Don’t share too much information. Work behind the scenes and pay attention to detail, and you’ll devise the perfect plan. A reunion will connect you to someone who can help you excel.

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Go where the action is and participate in something energizing. Do your part, and the returns will surprise you. Actions speak louder than words. Engage in some strenuous physical activity.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Make headway at home by digging in and handling your to-do list. You’ll discover that finishing what you start leads to peace of mind and more fun. Practice makes perfect.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Take precautions, verify information and put yourself first. Boost your qualifications through educational pursuits. Consistency will be crucial when trying to advance.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Don’t feel pressured. Call the shots, stay in control and make things happen. A change at home will play in your favor and bring you closer to your desired lifestyle.

Keep an open mind, but don’t fill your head with nonsense. Don’t risk damaging your reputation, good relationships or physical well-being for someone else’s benefit or love.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

Organize your plans before you begin. Having a strong idea about how you want things to play out will help you be productive. Communication is vital. A romantic gesture will bring change.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

England pick Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali for 3rd Ashes Test

Ethe third Ashes Test, bringing in Mark Wood, Chris Woakes, and Moeen Ali.

Ollie Pope has been ruled out of the series, but England have opted against replacing him with Dan Lawrence, the spare batter in their squad.

Instead, Harry Brook moves up to number three with all-rounders Woakes and Moeen added to bolster the lower order.

Wood joins Woakes, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson in the pace attack with Josh Tongue and James Anderson rested.

The Test begins at

Headingley today with England needing to win to prevent Australia retaining the Ashes.

England team: Ben Duckett; Zak Crawley; Harry Brook; Joe Root; Ben Stokes; Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper); Chris Woakes; Moeen Ali; Stuart Broad; Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson.

Wood, who will provide a high-pace option, missed the first two Tests with a series of niggles.

He will play his first Test since England's tour of Pakistan last winter, while Woakes features for the first time since March 2022 – before Captain Ben Stokes and Coach Brendon McCullum

took charge.

In a further change, Bairstow will also move from number seven to number five.

Yorkshire's Brook has not batted higher than number five in his nine Tests to date. He has batted at three 13 times for his county, most recently in 2018.

Stokes said England's second Test defeat last week, in which he bowled a continuous 12-over spell, "took a lot out of him", and his ability to bowl was a factor in his decision to pick an extra bowling option.

The fallout from Bairstow's controversial dismissal has overshadowed the Lord's Test. For the first

New faces in India T20 squad for West Indies series – no Kohli and Sharma

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma's stellar performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) have paved a way to the Indian T20 International squad with the two quick-scoring lefthanders chosen as part of a 15-member squad to play against West Indies from August 3. It is their first call-up to the senior side in the shortest format.

Hardik Pandya captains the team which will play five games in the Caribbean and the USA, with Suryakumar Yadav named his deputy. Some of the other heavy hitters are missing though.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have not represented India in T20Is since their semi-final exit at the 2022 T20 World Cup. Ravindra Jadeja, the hero of the 2023 IPL final, was absent as well, along with fast bowler Mohammed Siraj who has not been picked either.

This is the first squad chosen by the newly-installed men's senior selection panel and they appear to have bought into the idea of needing batters who can go big from ball one, starting with the two rookies. Jaiswal has already developed a reputation as a powerplay smasher, with a particular emphasis on taking apart the first over of the innings. Varma, who had a fan in Mahela Jayawardene even before he faced a ball of IPL cricket, has only grown in stature since then. The middle-order batter averages almost 40 from 47 T20s, without compromising on his strike rate, which is a healthy 142.54.

Shubman Gill and Hardik might act as failsafes if things go wrong but Ajit Agarkar, the new chief of selectors, and his panel have put their trust in a line-up that hits boundaries first and asks questions later. Rinku Singh, who became a revelation by playing that very same brand of cricket in this year's IPL, remains on the outside. This despite the squad looking light on finishers, with Hardik being the only recognised option.

India last played T20Is in February 2023, against New Zealand, and seven members of that squad have been sidelined. They are Prithvi Shaw, Rahul Tripathi, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, and Jitesh Sharma, who has been left out without getting a go in the XI.

The bowling group will be led by Yuzvendra Chahal, who is India's highest wicket-taker in T20Is, and he will have two other wristspinners, including his old friend Kuldeep Yadav, for company. Axar Patel ticks the fin-

gerspin requirement.

The seam attack looks a bit inexperienced, but it does contain variety with Arshdeep Singh providing swing and seam from a leftarm angle and Umran Malik providing raw pace. Mukesh Kumar retains his place in the T20I team as well, having earlier secured his first-ever Test call-up. Avesh Khan, who played the last of his 15 T20Is in August 2022, has been given another shot. IPL winner Deepak Chahar, who returned from injury to play the latter half of the campaign for Chennai Super Kings, wasn't picked.

Sanju Samson, who is part of the ODI squad on tour, and Ishan Kishan are the wicketkeeping options.

India's tour of West Indies begins with the first of two Tests in Dominica on July 12. Then they play three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) from July 27 to August 1 before moving on to the T20Is, the final two of which will be played in Florida, USA.

(ESPNcricinfo)

time in the series' history, England now need to come from 2-0 behind to win an Ashes.

Stokes said it was time to "move on" from the incident and played down using the anger evident on the final day to inspire his side.

"The more we talk about it the less emphasis on the rest of the series," Stokes said.

"The message is 'we know what we have to do as a team and do whatever you have to do, feel however you have to feel to get the best out of yourself'.

"The best thing to do from our camp, and probably Australia, is shut it down and move on – concentrate on the cricket.

I'd do the same thing again – Cummins

Australia Captain Pat Cummins said he would do the same thing again, if the opportunity to dismiss an England batter in a similar fashion arose at Headingley.

While England have been branded "cry-babies" in the Australia press, some have questioned whether Australia's stumping held up when considering the spirit of the game.

"It doesn't really bother me," said Cummins, whose side would seal a first Ashes series win in England with victory in Leeds.

"I think the way our team's conducted themselves over the last couple of years has been flawless really. We've been fantastic and I think that showed again on day five at Lord's."

Cummins opted not to name his side at his press conference, but did confirm off-spinner Todd Murphy would replace the injured Nathan Lyon.

Murphy has played four Tests – all in India earlier this year – and took 7-124 on debut.

Seamer Scott Boland is likely to come into contention, given the three-day turnaround between Tests, with Josh Hazlewood the most obvious seamer to be rested. (BBC Sport)

Wimbledon 2023: Just Stop Oil protesters interrupt play twice, jigsaws taken off sale

Just Stop Oil protesters interrupted play twice at Wimbledon by throwing orange-coloured confetti and jigsaw pieces on to court 18.

The contest between Grigor Dimitrov and Sho Shimabukuro was targeted by two protesters.

A third protester then targeted Katie Boulter's match against Daria Saville. All three protesters were arrested.

Environmental protest group Just Stop Oil has targeted various sporting events, including an Ashes Test.

Followers of the group –which calls for the government to halt all new oil, gas and coal projects – also disrupted the rugby union Premiership final and the World Snooker Championship.

In a statement after the first episode, the All England Club (AELTC) said: "Following an incident on court 18, two individuals have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and crim-

inal damage and these individuals have now been removed from the grounds."

A man and woman had run on to the court, throwing confetti and jigsaw pieces from a Wimbledon 'Centre Court View' jigsaw puzzle box on to the grass. The man sat down on court 18 before he was removed.

A couple of hours later another man ran on to the same court, where British number one Boulter had just resumed her rain-interrupted first-round match against

Australian Saville.

The crowd booed the protesters with some heard shouting "get off".

Following the breaks in play, a Wimbledon shop worker told BBC Sport they had stopped selling jigsaws for now.

Just Stop Oil said in a statement its supporters had thrown "environmentally-friendly orange confetti glitter and jigsaw pieces" and that "play was briefly delayed whilst marshals picked up the pieces". (BBC Sport)

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma have played together for India in age-group cricket @ ICC via Getty

A protester is dragged away after a second disruption to play on Wimbledon's court 18

"I don't think we can be any more galvanised than we are."

Mark Wood (28); Chris Woakes (45) and Moeen Ali (65) have 138 Test caps for England between them

Women’s T20: West Indies beat Ireland in final-ball thriller to go 1-0 up

Astrong all-round performance from Captain Hayley Matthews helped the West Indies Women pull off a thrilling two-wicket victory over Ireland in the first T20 International at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia on Tuesday.

The win means the Caribbean women take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Batting first, Ireland were restricted to 112-7 in their 20 overs, thanks to economical and accurate bowling by Matthews, who took 3-22 from her four overs and CherryAnn Fraser, who returned figures of 2-22. Debutant

Ashmini Munisar took 1-16.

Ireland Captain Laura Delany top-scored with 34 and got support from Eimear Richardson with 22.

In pursuit of 113, the West Indies lost wickets regularly which slowed their scoring

West Indies Women go 1-0 up

and forced it down to the last ball for a result. Matthews led from the front with a top score of 37. Afy Fletcher added a valuable 19 when the game looked like it was slipping away from the home team, and Vice Captain Shemaine Campbelle guided

the team to a final-ball single to take victory.

Speaking after the match, Matthews said, “A lot of nerves coming down to the end, but still a lot of positives we can take from today’s game. We did a good job restricting Ireland to 112 on

SCOREBOARD

Ireland Women (20 ovs maximum)

Amy Hunter †c Henry b Fraser 15

Gaby Lewis lbw b Matthews 17

Orla Prendergast c

Williams b Fraser 4

Laura Delany (c)c & b Matthews 34

Eimear Richardson c

Fletcher b Munisar 22

Rebecca Stokell c Gajnabi

b Fletcher 5

Arlene Kelly not out 12

Ava Canning c Gajnabi

b Matthews 0

Louise Little not out 1

Extras (w 2) 2

TOTAL 20 Ov (RR: 5.60) 112/7

Fall of wickets: 1-28

(Gaby Lewis, 3.5 ov), 2-32

(Amy Hunter, 4.4 ov), 3-44

(Orla Prendergast, 6.4 ov), 4-75

(Eimear Richardson, 13.2 ov), 5-83

(Rebecca Stokell, 14.6 ov), 6-111

(Laura Delany, 19.3 ov), 7-111

a really good batting wicket. Personally, I was happy to contribute to the win. Ashmini Munisar, making her debut, how economical she bowled and taking her first wicket was one of the positives and it’s a good sign for the future.”

(Ava Canning, 19.5 ov)

BOWLING O-M-R-W

Shamilia Connell 3-0-11-0

Chinelle Henry

New traffic plan set for Guyana Cup 2023

Ahead of one of the largest events in

Cup patrons while vehicles can move freely in both direc-

Guyana Cup”, attention will be placed on the international stage set up by popular sound company Traveller’s Sound System. A huge international cast is expected to be

launched on Friday, July 7, 2023 to step up the momentum a notch. The organisers have been working feverishly to ensure promotion for the entire month reaches 70 per

cent of Guyana where persons can win tickets on the Guyana Cup Road Show or on the Sea Wall leading up to the event. Stay tuned for more info to be released soon.

est Indies Test Captain Kraigg Brathwaite and his team are gearing up for the first Test against India starting on July 12 in Dominica.

The West Indies Test skipper credited the legendary Brian Lara, who is performing mentorship/batting coach duties with the squad in Antigua.

event. Owing to massive at tendance in 2022, thousands of patrons and commuters were stuck in bumperto-bumper traffic for hours while trying to reach the venue or simply pass the festivities. After careful examination of the shortcomings in 2022, the JJTRC has collaborated with the Guyana Police Force to initiate a five-step plan to eliminate the traffic.

Traffic management plan:

1. An alternate four-lane free flowing entrance will be set to accommodate over 2000 vehicles. The said access will be designed for a non-stop flow of patron’s cars off of the public road. Patrons who do not possess a ticket will be ushered to an internal booth where they can purchase their tickets and enter through one of the 5 access lanes. Absolutely no coolers will be allowed in the venue.

2. Five hundred feet of temporary partition rails and rope will be erected to cordon off specifically for Guyana

stay left. Patrons proceeding east from Georgetown can also enter the lane on the left behind the barricades for easy access while VI’s and Horse Trailers stay right.

3. There will be a new access point for all patrons who arrive on foot minimising the huge build-up seen in 2022.

4. All horse owners would be given access to the venue with their mobile stables through the red gate which was previously used in 2022 by VIPs. All horse owners must be in the facility before 8am. Any horse arriving after 8am will not be allowed accesses and will forfeit their fee.

5. Security towers would be erected around the venue to ensure no patrons access the venue without a thorough search. Gates are expected to be opened at 8am sharp to ensure all patrons get first preference on seating and parking. Immediately after the featured race of the “The

“It’s important to start well,” he said. “We are playing against India, so you know the guys are really looking forward to it. Dominica will host the first Test match, and we call for the supporters in Dominica to come out and support us – but the guys are really looking forward to the first two Test matches of this cycle.”

Brathwaite added: “That’s great, you know, in terms of the 100th Test match against Inda, and it’s in Trinidad, and you know they love their cricket there, so I think it’s important, and we have to try to make the Region proud. The guys have put some good effort in the last three days, and they still have a few days left and you know we have kept pushing hard.”

Lara worked with the team earlier in the year on the tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa, and Brathwaite said he has a positive influence on the players.

“It’s great to have him here. In terms of the conversations we have with him, we always learn and he is big on planning… on how you are going to score your runs. His advice on situations is great and it will only help the batters,”

Brathwaite said.

Meanwhile, India are in Barbados playing an intra-squad two-day practice match, which also features eight West Indies First-Class players. The eight Caribbean players are mixed with the Indian players to compete in the two-day game.

India Test squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain); Ajinkya Rahane (Vice Captain); Shubman Gill; Ruturaj Gaikwad; Virat Kohli; Yashasvi Jaiswal; KS Bharat (wicketkeeper); Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper); Ravichandran Ashwin; Ravindra Jadeja; Shardul Thakur; Axar Patel; Mohammed Siraj; Mukesh Kumar; Jaydev Unadkat and Navdeep Saini.

West Indies Test camp

squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain); Alick Athanaze; Jermaine Blackwood; Nkrumah Bonner; Tagenarine Chanderpaul; Rahkeem

Cornwall; Joshua Da Silva; Shannon Gabriel; Kavem Hodge; Akeem Jordan; Jair McAllister; Kirk McKenzie; Marquino Mindley; Anderson Phillip; Raymon Reifer; Kemar Roach; Jayden Seales; Jomel Warrican and Bryan

Charles.

WI v India Test Match

Schedule:

Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test

Matches (start at 10am local time, (9am Jamaica time))

July 12-16: 1st Cycle

Pure Agarbathi Test Match, Windsor Park, Dominica

July 20-24: 2nd Cycle

Pure Agarbathi Test Match, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad

Brian Lara and Kraigg Brathwaite

King’s century, Shepherd’s 3-for hand West Indies 1st Super Six win

Adisciplined performance from the bowlers backed up by a century from Brandon King saw West Indies complete a clinical seven-wicket win over Oman in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Kyle Mayers and Romario Shepherd were the pick of the bowlers before the spinners bogged Oman down, never letting them move out of third gear. Chasing a below-par 222, the West Indies had little trouble controlling the pacing of the game as King and Shai Hope – who scored another half-century – led their side to their first win in the Super Six stages of the World Cup Qualifier, and did so with more than 10 overs to spare.

With both teams already eliminated, this game lacked the intensity of many

ly empty Harare ground. Oman were punctured early by Shepherd and Mayers as Jatinder Singh and Captain Aqib Ilyas fell cheaply. A streak of self-destruction ran through the Oman innings which saw three runouts. Kashyap Prajapati was the first to go in that fashion as Roston Chase pounced on poor judgment.

Akeal Hosein, Chase and Kevin Sinclair then took charge of the middle overs, running through them quickly in the absence of Oman’s intent as the run rate began to wane.

of the others, and that showed in front of a large-

Occasional outbursts of aggression were not adequate-

ly followed up by efficient rotation of strike as the litany of dot balls through the middle overs would suggest. When three quick wickets fell through the middle overs, Oman were in danger of folding early, but dogged resistance from Shoaib Khan and Suraj Kumar prevented that fate befalling them. An 85-run stand ensured they crossed 200, but the dreaded runout struck soon after. Shoaib called for a single from the non-striker’s end, which Suraj was not interested in, and West Indies were only too happy to send Shoaib

Digicel Schools Football Championships…

on his way. The innings wrapped up tamely after that as Oman stumbled to 221.

There was no pres sure because of the tour nament situation, and no scoreboard pressure either.

line neared in sight. He would not finish things off, though, as Bilal Khan had him nick off two balls later, but by now, Hope had also got to his half-century, and West Indies were speeding through to the finish.

An unbeaten 19-ball 24

Brandon King played some delightful shots

from Nicholas Pooran got West Indies a win that will matter very little, but a job that needed to be done was completed with aplomb. (ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Oman (50 ovs maximum)

Kashyap Prajapati run out (Chase) 31

Jatinder Singh c Sinclair

b Shepherd 8

Aqib Ilyas (c)b Mayers 1

Ayaan Khan c Sinclair

b Shepherd 30

Oman did strike an early blow when a lovely indipper from Kaleemullah uprooted two of Johnson Charles’ stumps, but West Indies eased their way through the rest of the first powerplay. Keacy Carty was run out, but King had found his groove by then, and found runs increasingly easy to come by. As he joined up with the side’s best batter, Hope, Oman had few answers as they eased their way through the target.

There’s little joy to be had for the West Indies in this tournament, but King managed to get to his second hundred as the finish

Mohammad Nadeem run out (Charles/Chase) 20

Shoaib Khan run out (Hosein) 50

Sandeep Goud c †Hope b Sinclair 5

Suraj Kumar † not out 53

Kaleemullah c

Charles b Shepherd 2

Jay Odedra lbw b Mayers 2

Bilal Khan not out 0

Extras (lb 9, nb 1, w 9) 19

TOTAL 50 Ov (RR: 4.42) 221/9

Fall of wickets: 1-26

(Jatinder Singh, 5.2 ov), 2-29

(Aqib Ilyas, 6.3 ov), 3-59

(Kashyap Prajapati, 13.4 ov), 4-95

(Mohammad Nadeem, 25.5 ov), 5-105

(Ayaan Khan, 28.5 ov), 6-116 (Sandeep Goud, 31.5 ov), 7-201

(Shoaib Khan, 46.5 ov), 8-209

(Kaleemullah, 48.2 ov), 9-214 (Jay Odedra, 49.2 ov)

BOWLING O-M-R-W

Kyle Mayers 7-1-31-2

Romario Shepherd 10-1-44-3

Keemo Paul 3-0-11-0

Akeal Hosein 10-1-48-0

Roston Chase 10-1-36-0

Sinclair

West Indies (T: 222 runs from 50 ovs) Brandon King c † Suraj Kumar b Bilal Khan 100

Charles b Kaleemullah 4

Carty run out (Sandeep Goud) 29

Hope (c)† not out 63

Pooran not out 19

(w 7) 7 TOTAL39.4 Ov (RR: 5.59)222/3 Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Johnson Charles, 1.6 ov), 2-87 (Keacy Carty, 16.6 ov),

Buxton crowned East Coast champs

…Vryman’s Erven in 25-0 victory

Buxton Secondary were on Tuesday night crowned Regional champions of the Region Four-East Coast Demerara division of Digicel’s Schools Football Championships.

Playing at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground, Carifesta Avenue, Buxton edged President’s College 2-1, on their way to claim the coveted title. However, both schools will have the opportunity to compete in the National Championships when it gets going.

Nearing the close of the first half of their encounter, Buxton’s Leon McFarlane and Ovid Browne netted two quickfire goals in the 27th and 29th minutes, respectively, to stun President’s College. Later, Shamar Barrington made it a 2-1 game in the 38th minute, scoring PC’s eventual consolation. However, the boys in purple were unable to find

the equaliser.

Aside from the East Coast finals, games continued in other regions on Monday afternoon. In Region Two, Abram Zuil Secondary overcame Aurora Secondary 4-0. A double from Omar Kendall

Lester Noel added one each in the 60th and 38th minutes for the 4-0 victory.

The second game in that region, also played at Tapakuma, saw Cotton Field Secondary being awarded a walkover, instead of facing

Six, as Vryman’s Erven Secondary went berserk, firing 25 unanswered goals past Central Corentyne Secondary at Scott’s Ground.

in the 27th and 43rd minutes led the charge for Abram Zuil, as Traven Evans and

Joshua Dougall opened the scoring in the 2nd minute and went on to add five more goals to his personal tally in the 23rd, 27th, 38th, 46th and 53rd. Three other teammates, Akeem Hosannah (4th, 31st, 35th 37th, 51); Royan Captain (6th, 30th, 40th, 54th, 59th) and Keron George (14th, 30th, 32nd, 52nd, 53rd) each

pierced the nets five times, while Shumar Beresford netted a brace in the 56th and 57th minutes. Stephen Frank had joined the scoring fest in the 19th minute after he found the back of the net, in addition to an own goal in the 17th, which brought them to the whopping 25goal tally.

Also in Region Six, Tutorial Academy defeated Canje Secondary 4-0, on the back of a Done Singh hat trick.

Singh registered

Tutorial’s first goal in the sixth minute and went on to find the back of the net again in the 46th and 58th. Clevon Cort netted their fourth goal in the 48th minute.

The Digicel Championships were scheduled to continue with the Region Three thirdplace play offs and Finals at Leonora, West Coast Demerara (WCD) on Wednesday afternoon. The results for those games will be published in the next edition of the Guyana Times.

Shoaib Khan struck a quick fifty

Romario Shepherd claimed three wickets for West Indies

Johanna Cecilia Secondary. There were fireworks to be witnessed in Region

The victorious Buxton Secondary receive their Region Four-East Coast Demerara championship trophy from Petra Organisation’s Nareeza Latif

The Vryman’s Erven goalscorers after their massive 25-0 victory