Guyana Times -Thursday, June 8, 2023.pdf

Guyana’s oil & gas sector sets up positive economic outlook – World Bank report

Driven mainly by its burgeoning oil and gas sector, Guyana’s economic outlook for 2023 continues to be at an unprecedented high, as the country is set to record double-digit growth.

This is according to the World Bank’s latest report – Global Economic Prospects, which was published on June 6.

The report states that growth in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is expected to slow sharply, from 3.7 per cent in 2022 to 1.5 per cent in 2023. With regard to the Caribbean specifically, economic output by countries is projected to expand by 5.1 per cent this year, compared to the strong 7.9 per cent growth recorded last year.

“The subregion’s outlook partly reflects the oil boom in Guyana, where GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is expected to grow by 25.2 per cent this year and 21.2 per cent in 2024 as produc-

tion at new oil fields continues to ramp up,” the report detailed.

Currently, United States oil major ExxonMobil and its co-venturers – Hess Corporation and CNOOC – are producing crude at the Liza Phase One and Liza Phase Two development fields in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana. While the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels are being used to pump approximately 375,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) from those two operations, production is expected to further ramp up later this year when the third FPSO – the Prosperity – becomes operational. This new vessel, from the Payara development, will add another 220,000 barrels of daily capacity from Stabroek Block.

The US oil giant has set a target to have at least six FPSOs online by the end of 2027, bringing Guyana’s

production capacity to more than 1.2 million barrels per day.

Nevertheless, based on the recent World Bank report, Guyana is the only country with a double-digit growth projection, since economic output in the other Caribbean nations is expected to grow at an average rate of 3.3 per cent in 2023, boosted by continued recovery in tourism and by buoyant remittances.

Guyana’s outlook for 2023 is followed by a 5.7 per cent growth in St Vincent and the Grenadines, and a 4.9 per cent growth in Barbados. This is contrasted by Haiti’s -2.4 per cent projection, as the country’s economy is expected to continue to contract amid increased violence and instability. This, it was noted, will further worsen the country’s food security situation, as almost half of households have recently experienced limitations in accessing food, as report-

ed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2022.

Meanwhile, the World Bank report further highlighted that, for 2024, apart from Guyana, the Caribbean is expected to grow by 3.9 per cent, as external demand from advanced economies recovers.

The report went on to

outline that the slowdown of growth in the LAC region is expected to dampen even further, especially with core and headline inflation above most central bank targets across the region, causing monetary policy to likely remain tight in the near term. It added, too, that policy uncertainty in some countries is damaging business and consumer

confidence, while downside risks to the baseline forecast include slower growth in major trading partners, as well as tighter monetary policies and renewed financial stress in advanced economies, which would have adverse spillovers in the region through weaker trade or more restrictive financial conditions.

World Bank table

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, June 8 – 04:15h-05:45h and Friday, June 9 – 22:00h-23:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Thursday, June 8 – 07:30h-09:00h and Friday, June 9 – 08:20-09:50h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery showers and sunshine are expected during the day, with light to thundery showers at night. Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 07:32h and 20:15h reaching a maximum heights of 2.55 metres and 2.37 metres.

Low Tide: 13:41h reaching a minimum height of 0.67 metre.

US high-level executives explore investment opportunities in Guyana

tor and guided a presentation on opportunities for investment and development within the various agricultural sub-sectors.

Qatar and Guyana established diplomatic relations in 1996. Qatar is among several Arab nations that have expressed serious interest in investing in various sectors in Guyana.

Agroup of high-level executives from some of the United States’ leading financial services companies are currently in Guyana to explore the potential investment opportunities available here.

The team of investors from major US and Global Fund managers group met with President Dr Irfaan Ali on Wednesday at the Office of the President on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown.

The large visiting delegation spoke to the

Meanwhile, also on Wednesday, Minister Singh led a Government team in conjunction with the Foreign Affairs Ministry for a meeting with a visiting Qatari Government delegation.

The Qatari officials were led by Head of the Caribbean and South American Division from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar, Shafi Newaimi MN Al-Hajri. Also here is Investment & Analysis Director of the Americas from the Qatar Investment Authority, Abdulhadi Ali

with Qatar’s Emir, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and members of his Cabinet at the Amiri Diwan Palace in Doha. During that visit last month, the Guyanese Head of State had opened a Guyana Embassy in Doha.

President Ali, during the momentous occasion, noted that Guyana and Qatar shared a number of similarities including promoting peace, stability, and sustainability. The two countries had advanced discussions on a number of investments and develop-

Last October, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Engineer Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi had led a delegation to Guyana to explore various opportunities here. During Al-Kaabi’s visit, discussions between the two countries centred on potential collaboration in the areas of energy, food, infrastructure, and aviation.

In April 2022, President Ali and his team also met with a delegation from the Qatari Investment Mission, to advance discussions on investment opportunities in the country. The Qatari Investment Mission representatives were the Group Chairman of Power International Holding, Moutaz Al Khayyat; the Group Chief Venture Officer of Power International Holding, Ali Kazma; and the company’s Chief Business Development

Officer, Mazen Alsbeti.

Guyanese Head of State about potential investment opportunities, and highlighted their areas of expertise. They also enquired about the Government’s vision for the country and ways in which they can participate in the overall development.

Among the officials visiting were representatives from the Bank of America, Hess Corporation, Capital Group, MFS Investment Management, Aristotle and Black Rock and other corporations.

During the engagement, President Ali was joined by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo; Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh and Director of Presidential Affairs, Marcia NadirSharma.

FA Al -Hajri; Analyst, Investment & Analysis Region, Americas – Qatar Investment Authority, Abdulaziz Ahmad AA AlBaker; Project Manager – Qatar Fund for Development, Mohd Ahmad MA AL-Emadi; Project and Development Researcher – Qatar Fund for Development, Fahad Ali SA Al-Kuwari, and Director of International Cooperation from the Qatari Ministry of Finance, Hamad Madi HA Al-Hajri.

According to a statement from the Finance Ministry in Georgetown, the team is in Guyana to meet and discuss a number of developmental opportunities and projects.

Their visit serves as a follow-up to President Ali’s recent trip to Qatar where he met and held discussions

ment sectors.

Minister Singh had accompanied President Ali during that Qatar visit.

The Finance Ministry said the Qatari delegation while here will be participating in various meetings with Government and Private Sector stakeholders with a number of presentations on development areas and projects in Guyana to be made. The team will also be taken on tours of several investment projects.

Also present at the engagement on Wednesday were Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, and other senior officials from the Ministries of Finance, Foreign Affairs, and Agriculture.

During the meeting, Minister Mustapha elaborated on the vast potential of Guyana’s agriculture sec-

Also, in November 2021, President Ali had met with senior officials of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) – the Sovereign Wealth Fund of the Middle Eastern State. The visiting team comprised two QIA executives, Abdulhadi FA Al-Hajri and Dany Farah Nakhoul. Their visit was a follow-up to talks started by President Ali and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

And in February this year, it was announced that Guyana would be receiving help with the oil and gas sector from Qatar. Specifically, Qatar would be helping Guyana create a gas utilisation and monetisation plan ahead of the commissioning of the Government’s model gas-to-energy project. (G8)

The visiting Qatari delegation with Guyanese officials in Georgetown on Wednesday

President Dr Irfaan Ali and his Cabinet members meeting the high-level US delegation at the Office of the President on Wednesday

Editor: Tusika Martin

News Hotline: 231-8063Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761

Marketing: 231-8064Accounts: 225-6707

Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown

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

Helping fathers fulfil their roles

The issue of fathers and their roles and responsibilities in the family and society as a whole will take centre stage June 18, when Guyana joins other countries — mainly those in the West — in celebrating Father’s Day.

Normally, once Father’s Day approaches, religious organisations and other social groups utilise the opportunity to re-emphasise the need for fathers to take up their responsibilities more seriously, so as to help create and build stronger family units. Some also use the occasion to highlight the sacrifices some fathers make in raising their children, especially in those homes where the father is the only parent present. There are many fathers out there who each make sacrifices daily to ensure that their respective families enjoy the best of what life has to offer, whether in material things, education, security, a stable home, etc; and they should be recognised for this.

In Guyana, while there are no readily-available statistics, it is believed that there is a huge percentage of children growing up in single parent-headed homes, in most cases without the much-needed guidance and support of a father figure. No one can deny the importance of fathers in helping to nurture and care for children, especially in the children’s early stages of development.

According to a UNICEF analysis, more than half – or 55 per cent of children aged between 3 and 4 years old in 74 countries, approximately 40 million – have fathers who do not play or engage in early learning activities with them. The UNICEF analysis, which uses Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) data on parenting behaviours, looked at whether children aged 3 and 4 engaged in any play and early learning activities with their fathers. The activities include having their father read to them; tell them stories, or sing with them; take them outside, play with them; and naming, counting or drawing with them. The MICS is the largest collection of comparable data on parental behaviours in the world.

According to UNICEF, advances in neuroscience have proven that when children spend their earliest years in a nurturing, stimulating environment, new neural connections can form at a once-in-a-lifetime speed of 1000 per second. These connections help determine the children’s health, and ability to learn and deal with stress, and even influence their earning capacity as adults. Research also suggests that exposure to violence and a lack of stimulation and care can prevent neural connections from occurring; and when children positively interact with their fathers, they have better psychological health, self-esteem, and life satisfaction in the long term.

The Lancet Series, Advancing Early Childhood Development: from Science to Scale, revealed that nearly 250 million children under 5 years old were at risk of poor development due to stunting and extreme poverty. International organisations such as UNICEF have embarked on a campaign to encourage Governments and the Private Sector to increase spending and influence policies to support early childhood development programmes that focus on providing parents with the resources and information they need to provide nurturing care to their children.

As stated by UNICEF: “We must break down the barriers that prevent fathers from providing their babies and young children (with) a conducive environment for them to thrive, including love, play, protection, and nutritious food. We must ensure that all parents have the time, resources, and knowledge they need to fully support their children’s early development.”

That said, it is generally accepted that when both parents are present in a home, and carry out their roles fully in nurturing and providing the necessary guidance and support for children, the children turn out to lead more responsible and progressive lives as adults. Certainly, much more could be done to encourage more fathers to play active roles in their children’s development. The relevant Government agencies, religious and community organisations must continue to highlight the importance of love, play, protection, and good nutrition for the healthy development of young children’s brains.

On Father’s Day this year, it would be good if communities: meaning the religious organisations, community leaders, and NGOs, spend some time reflecting on, and reviewing, what our fathers are doing at present, and what more could be done to help them better fulfil their roles in their homes.

Dear Editor, My attention was drawn to a letter from Mr. Hamilton Green, which takes issue with my rebuttal of certain assertions made by Mr. Darren Wade and Mr. Nigel Hughes to the Second Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum of People of African Descent, held during the period May 31-June 2, 2023.

In my original letter, I outlined six specific assertions made by Messrs. Wade and Hughes, which I maintain were manifestly false. In taking issue with my response, Mr. Green has not addressed a single one of those specific matters. Instead, he has “in -

vited” me to join him on an excursion into a number of other enquiries, which, with all respect due to Mr. Green, I decline to do.

The fact is that many of the issues Mr. Green raised have been the subject of fruitless, perhaps even futile, discussions focused on apportioning blame in some cases for almost seventy years. In addressing the inaccurate comments made last week, I find little utility in referring to contested versions of events which occurred as far back as 1957.

Mr Green ascribes to me ignorance of certain issues, which obviously loom large in his conception of our national journey.

While I am well aware of the conventional wisdom that those who know not their history are doomed to repeat it, there is an equally compelling wisdom which holds that history is capable of entrapping and imprisoning us in the past. In the final analysis, however, I can assure Mr. Green that there is one thing of which I am certainly not “blissfully unaware”, and that is of his own not insignificant contribution to difficulties we continue to face as a nation. It should go without saying that the Government of the PNC, between the years 1964 and 1992, did nothing to

address specific issues confronting people of African descent. As for the APNU/ AFC Government of 20152020, notwithstanding Mr. Hughes’s submission to the Permanent Forum that the aborted Land COI was the “only” progress made by the State in addressing African issues, their best attempt may well have been the passage of Act No. 13 of 2017 – The Prime Minister Hamilton Green Pension Act 2017.

Sincerely, Hon Oneidge Walrond Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce

How, not only why, PPP/C will win LGE in a tsunamic sweep

Dear Editor

The Guyanese electorate can be quite sophisticated. Developments around the current LGE campaigns have brought this out in ways that are observable. To find the underlying cause of this, we need to distinguish between WHY the PPP will win and HOW it will achieve its electoral goal -- which is to sweep the electoral map.

Why the PPP will win big is well known; namely, that it is a party that keeps its promises to voters. If you review the 2020 election manifesto of the PPP/C, and

then check it against what has been transpiring in the country, you will quickly establish that its leaders do what they say they will do.

A combination of 50,000 house lots and homes were promised, and the pace of development in that regard is well on track. Ministers Collin Croal and Susan Rodrigues have silenced every critic on housing.

The PPP/C promised to return the Because We Care grant to Guyana’s children. That promise has not only been kept, but the disbursement is now $40,000 –

well above what it was when the APNU-AFC heartlessly stopped it.

The PPP/C promised better road infrastructure, and the progress on that is massive. In addition to hundreds of residential roads, access roads, and farm to market roads, construction or contracts are in place to build the Linden-to-Lethem Road, the East Bank Demerara corridor from Diamond to Timehri, the conversion of the line-top road (ECD) to a four-lane conduit, and of course the continuation of the Ogle-to-Diamond road,

eventually leading all the way to Timehri.

Multiple new hospitals are already under construction, and the infrastructure for telemedicine is well underway. Job creation was promised, and the promise has been kept to such an extent that there is a shortage of skilled and qualified Guyanese to fill new positions that are being generated. Space does not allow for a full review of the promises made and promises kept, but I am sure you get the picture.

Dancers of the Morenada fraternity perform during the Jesus del Gran Poder (Jesus of the Great Power) religious festival, in La Paz, Bolivia, June 3, 2023 (AFP)

PNC did nothing to address specific issues confronting people of African descent

Remembering things that changed our lives How, not only why...

Dear Editor,

As a young man growing up in Sophia, a community that was heavily populated and dominated by children whose life were much different from those in other developed communities, I have always cherished the fond memories of the Christmas season, and the endless possibilities of hope it offered me.

Sophia was then deemed underdeveloped because of its lack of adequate infrastructure, including proper sanitation, safe water supply, electricity, and street drainage. Despite the hard reality of our lives, the children rallied with excitement during the Christmas season, as they knew that Christmas Day was fast approaching, and the Sophia Annual Christmas Party was a sure event.

The Christmas Party was an annual event hosted at the residence of Ms Cameron, a volunteer and social activist in ‘B’ Field, Sophia. This party was sponsored by the children of Hope Outreach Program, run by Ms. Cameron…

This party catered to, and touched the lives of, hundreds of children throughout the community. The then President and now Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, made it his duty to attend. This made the day for us, to know the then President would join

us and sit on the ground of my mother’s living room to have pepperpot and bread with us. It was a joy to see and be a part of that. When Christmas was finished, the talk of the day was the President who took time out from his busy schedule to spend time with us, the children of Sophia, on Christmas Day. It was an honour. It made us feel we mattered, even though the roof, made of old zinc, was leaking, we mattered; we were human.

It gave us hope, and it made a big impact in our lives today, to dream outside the box that all things are possible. His generosity and dedication to this event cemented my mind and the minds of many others that experienced these festivities. The children would then get engaged in games, singing, etc., be served lunches and be presented with their gifts, and then they left. The smiles on their faces were priceless, and for this one day, all their worries went away. This would be their day, and it would be constantly brought up until the next

year. So, I feel a way when I see people trying to make him out to be a hater of black people. Jagdeo never asked for our votes, and never brought the press/ media, but he was there every Christmas. In fact, I never voted for the PPP/C (People’s Progressive Party/ Civic) until the last election.

My mother told us about what happened in the 1990s, when I was about three years old. She was a squatter residing in Sophia when David Granger led the Army and they came and broke down our houses and beat some persons in the village. She had to hide with me, along with my brother and sister, in trenches until they were gone. President Cheddi Jagan then sold the people in Sophia house lots for only (8000) eight thousand dollars Guyana currency. Much is needed in my life and in the lives of Guyanese, but I would gain nothing by lying on this man and spreading hate.

Regards, Jermaine Cameron

THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 2023

Now, let us turn to HOW the PPP/C will record the biggest victory in the history of Local Government Elections in Guyana. The answer is simple, but the details are complex. The HOW of the victory is because the PPP/C is an exceptionally well-organized political party, with an extraordinary ground game. Freedom House has been engaged in detailed election planning for months. Considerable time and energy have been devoted to listening to the electorate through scores of outreach meetings. Meetings with local communities across the country provided detailed information on the priorities of citizens, both at the national and local levels.

I attended many of these meetings and can attest to the quality-time spent with citizens across the country.

As an aside, while the PPP/C was doing these outreaches, the PNCR and APNU affiliates were wasting their time around petty issues. More than that, they spent a lot of time trying to convince traditional PNC supporters to refuse new roads, houses, and other benefits desired by the people and delivered to communities across the

country. The PPP/C also invested a lot of time listening to complaints from those within the PNC who no longer had confidence in that party. Many of these folks no doubt heard the promise by President Ali, Prime Minister Phillips, and General Secretary Jagdeo at Babu Jaan and elsewhere, to diversify the PPP/C. Patricia-Chase Green of Georgetown and Jason Ramjohn of Port Kaituma, among several others, took the rational and courageous decision to become PPP/C candidates. Courageous because many former APNU supporters who are now with the PPP/C have expressed feelings of harassment from the party they left behind.

The hard work of the PPP/C has yielded better results than the empty rhetoric of APNU and their absentee supporters in the letter sections.

Finally, the PPP/C will win because it is not only a grassroots party in name, but also in action. The party has activists in every single constituency in Guyana. Go to the most remote part of this country, cut up by giant rivers and insurmountable forests and mountains,

and you will find a PPP flag. Not one or two, mind you, but flags and PPP/C posters on light posts, bus stops, tree trunks, private residences; and, as I witnessed with my own eyes in Port Kaituma, flags flying from pickup trucks, SUVs, and cars.

The PPP/C will win because it has a brilliant ground-game that has already been pressed into action. Senior members of the party are across the country providing leadership and support, both logistical and technical, where needed. In the meantime, APNU is busy pulling down those same flags I just mentioned. Their leadership is engaged in an internal struggle rather than being out there with the supporters who are begging for some leadership.

The PPP/C will win a massive victory at the LGE 2023 simply because it is a better political party. And it is a better political party because it has exceptional leadership, and supporters who give their all to defend the democracy we now have.

Sincerely, Dr

Randolph (Randy) Persaud

14:30

15:00

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Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir

S1 E19

Star Wars: The Clone Wars S4 E18

Indian Soaps

Power Rangers: Super Ninja Steel S2 E21

Zeke & Luther S1 E9

& The Restless

Problem-solving with proportions

There are many kinds of proportion problems that you may run across in the real life. Just remember the basic steps:

Example:

Step 1: Express your proportion problem using two ratios.

Step 2: Use your proportion problem to set up an equation. Then cross-multiply.

Step 3: To find the unknown number, divide both sides of the equation by the same known number.

Exercises: Solve

1) Rihanna wants to expand her grass-cutting business. She currently cuts 12 yards with 3 workers. How many workers will she need if she plans to cut a total of 100 yards?

2) If a bus can travel 100 kilometres on 5 litres of diesel, how far can it travel on 8 litres?

3) John studies 2 hours each week day for 4 subjects, how many hours would he need to study if he took 6 subjects?

4) Each cashew tree in Farmer Rodrigues’ farm bears 20 kilograms of fruit each harvest. If there are 20 trees, how many kilograms will he expect each harvest?

5) It takes John five minutes to inflate the wheels of the 2 bicycles belonging to his brothers. How long will it take to inflate the wheels of 70 bicycles?

6) Seema plans to save the money her mother gives her to take the bus to and from home every day, to buy a bicycle. If the bicycle costs $20,000 and Seema gets $200 in bus fare per day, how long will it take her to save the money needed?

By EgBErt Martin

I saw my darling standing

Beneath the arbour where A flood of golden sunlight fell And bathed her golden hair And I loved her more that moment Because she was so fair. The purple grapes in clusters Hung tempting from the vine Their hearts well-nigh to bursting In rivalry of mine

For the joy that burned within me I could not well define.

She knew my thoughts were of her They lived upon my face

And gladdened from my eyes that loved

To feed upon her grace, The gentle outlines of her form Once and again to trace. But when she smiled upon me With all a maiden’s pride, And beckoned with her tiny hand A welcome to her side

My cup of gladness overflowed And I was satisfied.

WORD SEARCH

South Georgetown to be an epicentre of new development – VP

…as Aubrey Barker Road link to Ogle-Eccles highway, other plans in works

Anumber of infrastructural developments in and around the city are slowly coming together to form massive development. This is according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who says that South Georgetown, Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), will be at the centre of this development.

In a broadcast interview on Wednesday, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo spoke of the Government’s infrastructural plans for the city. This includes plans to upgrade and connect Aubrey Barker Road to the four-lane Ogle to Eccles highway being built.

“South Georgetown is going to be the new epicentre of development. Historically, North Georgetown has always been. All the hotels, the buildings, the shopping centres, Region Street, businesses there. With the investments we have planned, the four-lane road going to the airport…

“As you come out of South Ruimveldt too, you’re going to have an international hotel there; you’re going to have a world class hospital there; will have two shop-

ping malls there, along the same stretch, maybe three minutes from here. You already see the businesses migrating south, as you come down the main road, you’ll see it getting brighter,” Jagdeo said.

Jagdeo also spoke about the $1.4 billion being spent in upgrades to Independence Boulevard, commonly called Punt Trench Dam. In fact, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill had conducted a walk through and site visit with contractors and workers only a few days ago. This was to ensure all specifications of the beautification project were met. Following some minor final touches, it is expected to be completed soon.

The 1.8 km project, stretching from Saffon Street to Cemetery Road, has a double-lane carriageway on the northern side and a single-lane carriageway on the southern side. Between these two carriageways lies a promenade outfitted with lights, benches, concrete drains, and strategically placed garbage bins to ensure the maintenance of a clean and environmentally-friendly space.

In addition to increasing property value and easing traffic congestion, the project is aimed at creating job opportunities, as contractors were encouraged to hire residents within the area.

Phase One of the project –Saffon Street to Penitence Street – was executed by Rim Construction Inc. Phase Two –Penitence Street to Garnett Street – was awarded to IB Contracting and Machinery Rental; and Phase Three –Garnett Street to Cemetery Road – was done by CLL

Contracting Inc.

The Boulevard Project extending to Cemetery Road also saw Avinash Contracting being responsible for the transformation of the road into four lanes.

According to Jagdeo, the properties lining the boulevard will skyrocket in value.

“People will buy out the properties, that’s why I say to people, ‘Don’t sell now, property values are going to escalate in South. Don’t sell now’. So, along with that, you will see a Regent Streettype of environment develop there. Aubrey Barker Road will be widened, connected to the four-lane highway that we’re building from Ogle to Eccles”, he explained.

“Now, that takes you out the city. So, five minutes down or ten minutes from here, you will then have an international hospital - the women and children hospital. Major hospital we’re building at Ogle, and about three hotels will be there,” Jagdeo further said.

The Vice President meanwhile noted that the

hotels under construction in Georgetown alone would need some 3,000 persons to work in them. There are a number of hotels currently progressing, ranging from the Sheraton Hotel & Resort to the AC Marriott Hotel and the Hilton. In keeping with Guyana’s push to increase the number of hotel rooms that can accommodate visitors to the country, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has been intent on creating an enabling environment for new hotels.

It is an initiative the Government expects would add 2,000 hotel rooms over the next two years. Given Guyana’s growing demand for accommodation for visitors, the Government of Guyana, through its GOInvest office, had launched an Expression of Interest (EoI) in 2021 for hotel developers. (G3)

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

Man attempts suicide after jury finds him guilty of raping teen

Aman has left persons in a courtroom traumatised after he made an attempt to take his own life upon learning that a jury had found him guilty of raping and engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl.

Wesley Bazil, called “Tappy”, had been on trial before Justice Navindra Singh and a mixed 12-member jury at the Demerara Sexual Offences Court for the offences of rape of a child under 16, and sexual activity with a child under 16. After hours of deliberation on Wednesday, the jury unanimously found him guilty on each charge. He has been remanded to prison pending his sentencing hearing.

State Counsel Nafeeza Baig, Tiffini Lyken, and Praneeta Seeraj presented the case for the prosecution, while Bazil was represented by Attorney-atLaw Euclin Gomes.

Following the jury’s verdicts, Bazil attempted suicide by harming himself with a razor blade. Swift intervention by the court marshals, however, prevented him from further injuring himself, but he nonetheless lost consciousness and collapsed. He was immediately rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he remains under Police guard.

In December 2020, Bazil touched the girl inappropriately. The follow-

ing month, he raped her. Her parents only found out that she had been sexually abused after her mother came across text messages between her and a friend on her cell phone.

A report was filed with the Police,

Moving...

…on up

Is oil important, or what?? Here it is, your Eyewitness didn’t even know Guyana was in the running for a seat on the UN Security Council and – braddaps!! –it’s announced that we are!! So, either our diplomatic representatives were working overtime – but in stealth mode – or, more likely, we’re now recognized as one of the world players that count. Back in the day, when Burnham was busy as a beaver, building bridges with the Third World so’s to be seen as a big fish in that overcrowded, povertystricken pond, we became members of the Security Council twice – first in 1975-1976, and then again in 1982-1983.

So, what’s with the Security Council?? Just that it’s the part of the UN system where the real power lies. It now has reps from 15 countries, and the remaining 180 or so countries in the General Assembly can jump up and down on whatever they want –it’s the Security Council that can nix their decision at any time. That’s power!!

and Bazil was arrested and prosecuted.

To speak with a professional counsellor, please contact the Suicide Prevention Hotline on 223-0001, 2230009, 600-7896, or 623-4444. (G1)

So, how’d it come about?? Well, as WWII was winding down, the victorious powers saw they wouldn’t be able to hold back the demand for greater inclusivity in world affairs, after the failure of the League of Nations to prevent the war. So, the US, UK and Russia met, and - after the US proposed China (actually, Taiwan) and the UK proposed France as a counterforce to Germany -- a five-member Security Council was formed, with any one of the five being able to veto General Assembly decisions!! That’s eating your cake and having it too!! After two decades of criticisms by the newly formed states, in 1965, the Security Council was expanded to 15 Member States. Ten additional members are elected for two years by the General Assembly, in accordance with geographical distribution. Each regional group has an assigned number of seats: for the African Group; 2 for the Asia-Pacific Group; 2 for the Latin American and Caribbean Group; 1 for the Eastern European Group; 2 for the Western European and Others Group. Half of the elected member seats are renewed annually.

So, this year, we’re really replacing Brazil - which was the member from the LAC!! But since LAC has 33 members states, it wasn’t a walkover to be the Security Council’s new rep. So, with the five permanent members retaining their vetoes, what do the other ten do? They vote on issues that come before the UNSC, that’s what – which can force a veto on occasions. With a war going on in Ukraine and the world divided on how to end it, our vote in the Security Council’s gonna be quite important.

Then we’ll be there when the World Court rules on Venezuela’s controversy!!

…on down

Some folks are born troublemakers – they just can’t help themselves!! Hamilton Green’s one of them. After committing more than his fair share of trouble on the ground from the sixties to the nineties, he’s now turned to hurling provocative missives with all sorts of concocted incendiary assertions. He recently challenged Minister Walrond to “say who encouraged the use of the Hindu phrase ‘Apan Jaat” -- which in our circumstances means vote for your own race, so that in the 1957 Elections, a popular figure on the East Coast lost his seat to Balram Singh Rai for no other reason than racial voting, of which the PPP, based on a demography, were the beneficiaries.”

He thus slyly implies the PPP introduced the phrase “Apan Jaat” into Guyanese politics. Yet the ”popular figure” he mentions – Eusi Kwayana – has repeatedly clarified that it was Debideen who did so!!But more germanely, it was Burnham, after he split the PPP in 1955, who started the actual practice of racially “voting for our own”!!

Gwan da side, Hammy!

…to absurdity

After asserting the PPP’s an Indian “Apan Jaat” party, Green claimed “as a corollary, there was the other destructive phrase of “awe pun top.” But wouldn’t Indian Guyanese have said, “Abee pan tap”??

Yuh lie, Hammie!!

Wesley Bazil being aided by medical professionals

Guyana wins regional award for upgraded $5000 banknote

…“We’re very ecstatic” – Governor General

The Bank of Guyana (BoG) on Wednesday won a regional award for its upgraded $5,000 bill at the High Security Print Conference in Nassau, the Bahamas.

One of the highlights of the regional conference, which was held from June 5 to 7, is the awards for the best banknotes and ID documents.

Guyana’s upgraded $5000 note, produced by Oberthur Fiduciaire, was named ‘Best New Banknote.’

It was explained that “Although the same design as its predecessor, the previous DualTrack™ thread on the reverse and holographic stripe on the front have been replaced with a 5mm wide Pulsar thread from Oberthur Fiduciaire. The note also benefits from the addition of a SPARK® Live Truspin image in the shape of a jaguar (Guyana's national animal). The colour shift in both the SPARK feature and the thread are a synchronised gold-to-green.

“This is the first circulating note to feature the Pulsar colorshift thread, which was launched last year, and combines two colours with micro-optics to create dynamic movement, colour and optical effects.”

Following the announcement

of the win, Governor General of the BoG, Dr Gobin Ganga, told Guyana Times that the win is a recognition of all the hard work that had gone into the design of the upgraded note.

“We’re very ecstatic to see the efforts that we have put in to a note, using the best technology we have available to ensure that we have a note that stands out and is very difficult to counterfeit,” Dr Ganga stated.

According to the Central Bank Head, prior to this award, Guyana had received the praises of many international printers on the design of the new $5000 bill, which was issued on December 20, 2022.

This is first time Guyana has won the regional award for its new series of bills. Last year, the $2000 note was submitted and shortlisted, but did not reach the final round.

Guyana’s upgraded $5000 note was the joint winner of the Best New Banknote award with Argentina’s 1,000 Pesos under the Banknote of the Year Award category.

According to its website, the regional ‘Banknote of the Year Award’ recognises outstanding achievement in the design, technical sophistication and security of a banknote or banknote series, the key judging criteria being that successful banknotes should combine visual artistry and high levels of technical and security sophistication with considerable emphasis placed on reflecting the cultural heritage of the issuing country in the note, and the relevance of the overall design and symbolism to the issuing country.

Hosted by Reconnaissance International, the High Security Printing conferences are annual

events with a specific regional focus. They cover government-specified and issued documents, including currency, fiduciary documents, excise stamps, ID cards, e-passports, visas, vehicle documents and licences, with a particular emphasis on banknotes and emerging technologies for ID and travel documents.

Running in tandem with each event is a trade exhibition of 30-40 companies supplying technologies and systems for these sectors.

Reconnaissance held the first High Security Printing Latin America conference in July 2012 to address the needs, issues, challenges and opportunities for specifiers and producers of Government documents in the region. This was in recognition of Latin America’s

growing importance – not just as a future economic powerhouse, but in the context of Government documents, as a market for high security printing. Many of the countries are becoming key innovators in specification, procurement and distribution – serving not only their own growing economies, but the wider region too.

This year’s conference in the Bahamas – Regional Forum for Secure Document Technologies –focused on the latest technologies and techniques in the production and issue of banknotes, ePassports, ID cards, visas, and other secure documents across Latin America.

The next HSP Latin America event will take place in Santiago, Chile in June 2024. (G8)

Guyana offers support to Haiti following flood disaster

…expresses solidarity as a member of Caricom family

In the wake of floods that have wrought devastation across Haiti, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has expressed not only Guyana’s solidarity with Haiti, but has also offered

any assistance the country requires.

In a letter addressed to acting Haitian President Ariel Henry, President Ali expressed deep sadness for the displacements, injuries

and deaths- said to number 43- that the country has experienced.

in solidarity with the country and is ready to provide any support the country will need. He was also confident that with support from its allies, Haiti could overcome the tragedy.

According to the latest reports from BBC world, torrential rains displaced more than 13,000 Haitians and floods have killed at least 42. In the aftermath of these floods, at least three people were also killed in an earthquake in the Haitian city of Jérémie, The 4.9-magnitude quake struck in the early hours of the morning,

the US Geological Survey said. According to Prime Minister Ariel Henry said his government and international partners were taking “urgent measures” to deal with the flooding.

Haitian authorities said the three people who died were crushed when their home collapsed. More than a dozen people have also been injured. Jérémie is a coastal city in the southwestern Grand’Anse department. Two years ago, the region was also badly hit by an earthquake which killed more than 2,200 people.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme, an agency of the United Nations, were quoted saying that it would start providing hot meals to the displaced.

Guyana’s oil & gas sector sets...

Moreover, it was noted that climate change also poses a significant risk, given the increasing frequency of extreme weather events.

According to the World Bank, potential output growth in the LAC region has weakened in the past decade, 2010-2019. In this current decade, it is expected to be the lowest among emerging market and developing economy (EMDE) regions as a result of below-average growth of both total factor productivity and the labour force.

“As LAC economies move on from pandemic-driven recessions and subsequent recoveries, low potential growth underlies the gener-

FROM PAGE 2

ally weak growth prospects for the region,” the report stated.

Moreover, the Global Economic Prospects report went on to project that global growth will decelerate from 3.1 per cent in 2022 to 2.1 per cent this year.

“The surest way to reduce poverty and spread prosperity is through employment — and slower growth makes job creation a lot harder,” said World Bank Group President Ajay Banga. He added, “It’s important to keep in mind that growth forecasts are not destiny. We have an opportunity to turn the tide, but it will take us all working together.” (G8)

The letter penned by President Dr. Irfaan Ali to acting Haitian President Ariel Henry

Residents cross the submerged Route Nationale 2, 37 km west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN photo)

Man confesses to robbing businessman of $2.3M …money recovered

Aruka river accident

Body of boat captain recovered

The body of a 25-yearold boat captain who went missing after an accident in the Aruka River, Region One (Barima-Waini), has been found.

The body of Terry LaCruz, a father of one, was discovered on Tuesday at around 19:30h in the Aruka River.

The incident occurred on Sunday night and involved two vessels, one operated by LaCruz and the other piloted by his father, Percy Thomas.

Asuspect apprehended on Tuesday in connection with a break-and-enter and larceny case has confessed to the crime, leading to the recovery of millions of dollars in stolen cash. The incident took place at a businessman’s office in Hubu, East Bank Essequibo, between Monday and Thursday, According to the Police, the businessman reported that a total of $2.3 million was stolen af-

ter his business premises were closed on Monday. Reports are that at 06:50h on Tuesday, an employee arrived at the premises for work and discovered that the bathroom window on the lower floor was pushed up. Upon further investigation, the employee found that the window and the door to the storeroom were also open. Further inspection revealed that the cash was missing.

According to reports,

the businessman contacted the Police, and when detectives reviewed CCTV footage, the perpetrator was identified.

Investigators subsequently arrested the 23-year-old male suspect, who initially denied involvement. However, after further interrogation, he confessed to committing

the theft, and led the Police to a residence in Hubu where the cash was hidden.

Upon searching the residence, law enforcement officers found a black plastic bag hidden inside a washing machine. The cash recovered amounted to $2,120,000. The suspect remains in custody, pending charges. (G9)

Thomas has expressed a sense of relief that his son’s body has been recovered, but noted that the family is now awaiting a Post Mortem Examination (PME) before proceeding with funeral arrangements.

According to Thomas, the accident happened as the family was returning home from church. As they approached their landing, they noticed a boat speeding as it approached them. Thomas explained that they attempted to signal the oncoming vessel by shining a light, but their warnings went unnoticed.

Tragically, the speeding

boat crashed directly into theirs. “All we heard was the impact, and we couldn’t see anything else,” Thomas shared in an interview. Only later did they realize the other boat involved in the collision belonged to LaCruz. As a result of the impact, LaCruz’s small boat disintegrated, and he fell into the water. Fortunately, Thomas and his family sustained no injuries during the collision. They were travelling in a larger 42x5ft boat, which only suffered a dent from the accident. (G9)

Dead: Terry LaCruz

The money that was found by Police in Hubu

The washing machine in which the cash was hidden

Guyana’s global position enhanced by UN Security Council appointment – political parties

ed onto the Security Council in one of (the) non-permanent member seats. This is the new Guyana. Less than three years ago, the headlines around the world were ‘Guyana: democracy under threat’. ‘Rigged elections’. ‘Sanctions’. What is the headline today: ‘Fastest growing economy’,” President Ali said.

President Ali attributed this turnaround to the presence of effective leadership. According to the President, the ultimate aim is for Guyana to be a world leader when it comes to climate, food and energy security.

Both main political parties have responded to Guyana securing a seat on the United Nations (UN) by reflecting on the boost it provides to Guyana’s global position and the country’s ability to meaningfully contribute on the world stage.

On Tuesday, the news emerged that Guyana was voted in as a non-permanent member of the

United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for 20242025. During a People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) rally at Anna Regina, ahead of Local Government Elections 2023, President Dr. Irfaan Ali spoke about this decision and how much it would benefit the country.

“Today, our position in the globe has been further enhanced, as we were elect-

“We are living in a new Guyana. We’re preparing the way in this new Guyana to ensure that, in the world 2030 and beyond, Guyana will be a leader in energy security, food security, and climate security. That is what we’re working on: positioning Guyana to provide leadership on the three most crucial issues Guyana will face in 2030 and beyond,” the President said.

APNU

Meanwhile, A Partnership for National

Unity’s (APNU’s) shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amanza Walton-Desir, welcomed the decision on behalf of her party. According to her, the fact that Guyana has for the third time been elected to the Security Council is a positive development.

“The APNU/AFC Parliamentary Opposition welcomes the announcement that Guyana has once again secured a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 20242025…Guyana’s appointment to the Security Council provides us with an opportunity to advocate for these principles, and contribute meaningfully to the Council’s work,” she said in the statement.

The party also expressed gratitude to the foreign service personnel who advanced the efforts towards Guyana gaining this seat, as well as the international community for their support.

On Tuesday, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd joined Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, to cast Guyana’s vote for elections of the non-permanent members. Guyana’s candidacy was uncontested, being the sole candidate for a single seat available to the Latin America and Caribbean Region, where it garnered the highest vote count at 191 out of 192. The other non-permanent seats

will be held by Algeria, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia.

“A journey that began 12 years ago reached an important milestone this morning (Tuesday) with Guyana’s election to the

ment, President Ali had penned that Guyana is honoured and humbled by the confidence that has been expressed by the international community in electing it to this most important position of responsibility on the global stage.

United Nations Security Council…the international security landscape today is extremely complex. Threats to global security and rising crises are proliferating. These challenges must be carefully managed through adherence to international law, trust building, and dialogue,” Minister Todd shared after the elections.

He also pledged that Guyana would work with all Council members and the wider UN in contributing useful ideas and encouraging partnerships.

UNSC

In lauding the achieve-

The United Nations Charter establishes six main organs of the organization, including the Security Council. It is given primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Its functions and powers are: to maintain international peace and security in accordance with the principles and purposes of the United Nations; to investigate any dispute or situation which might lead to international friction; to recommend methods of adjusting such disputes, or the terms of settlement; to formulate plans for the establishment of a system to regulate armaments; to determine the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression, and to recommend what action should be taken among others.

In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions, or even authorizing the use of force, to maintain or restore international peace and security. Temporary members hold their seats on a rotating basis by geographic region. Guyana will serve a two-year term on the Council from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025. (G3)

…“This is the new Guyana” – President Ali

Opposition MP Amanza Walton-Desir

President Dr Irfaan Ali

Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd and Permanent Representative to the UN, Carolyn RodriguesBirkett, represented Guyana at the UNSC election on Tuesday

US-based Guyanese lawyers admitted to local bar

brawl for hire, or a system of legalized plunder, where craft and not conscience is the rule, and where falsehood and not truth is the means by which to gain his end, then he has forfeited all right to be an officer in any court of justice, or to be numbered among the members of an honorable profession." These remarks were made by Chief Justice Andrews in 1891.

Following a ceremony held at the Victoria Law Courts in Georgetown, Justice Navindra Singh admitted two United States-based Guyanese lawyers to practise law in their homeland.

The new additions to the Guyana Bar are Stephanie Prashad and Mohindhar Doodnauth, who are both recent graduates of the Eugene Dupuch Law School in The Bahamas, where they completed their Legal Education Certificate (LEC)— the final academic qualification to practise as an Attorney-atLaw in the English-speaking Caribbean.

During their address to the court, both lawyers expressed gratitude to their parents and the many other persons who have contributed to their academic and professional journey.

Cognisant of the responsibilities imposed upon them, they vowed to uphold the ethics of the legal profession, and to execute their duties to the best of their ability.

Before the Attorney’s Oath was administered, Justice Singh told the lawyers about the many opportunities for service as career lawyers, and urged them to always maintain high standards.

In so doing, he recited the following from Chief Justice Andrews: "It is not enough for an attorney that he be honest. He must be that, and more. He must be believed to be honest. It is absolutely essential to the usefulness of an attorney that he be entitled to the confidence of the community wherein he practices…But…if once the practice becomes to him a mere

Given that Prashad, 35, has years of practise under her belt, Justice Singh especially advised 25-yearold Doodnauth that since this is the beginning of his career, he should set new goals. “Excellent advocacy will always be admired by the Bench,” he said, while imploring them to always be honest and well-researched in light of the constant evolution of law.

The presiding Judge, who was admitted to practise law in the State of New York, told the new admittees that their experience practising law overseas would be a great asset to the local Bar.

Prashad attended the Boston College Law School, where she was awarded a Juris Doctor (JD)in 2017. She then wrote and passed the Bar Exam for the State of Massachusetts, and has been admitted to practise law in that State.

Doodnauth holds an un-

Guyanese urged to apply for Ireland’s funding to address oceans, climate action

dergraduate law degree from the University of London, and a Master of Law degree from the Fordham University School of Law, New York. He then wrote and passed the Bar Exam for the State of Wisconsin, where he was admitted to practise in 2021.

Eager to practise in Guyana, they both attended The Bahamas-based law school, where they completed a six-month transitional course and were both awarded the LEC on April 14. They did their in-service training at the law firm of Mohabir A. Nandlall and Associates.

Following her admission to the local Bar, an elated Prashad told Guyana Times she knew she wanted to become an attorney from a very young age.

“I graduated from law school very quickly. I jumped straight into practise with a series of law firms. And I found that law was the perfect combination to match my passion for finance and business, as well as understanding the framework that works with them…”

In sharing her experience at the Caribbean law school, Prashad related that she was not only able to explore the history of Guyana,

but also the country’s various legal systems. She plans on opening her own law firm in Guyana in the near future.

Doodnauth shared that his plans for the future are “wide open”, as he intends to practise law in Guyana and further his education.

It was at the Eugene Dupuch Law School that Prashad and Doodnauth met, and they became very good friends since there were not many Guyanese students at the institution.

Their Bar admission petition was presented by Attorney-at-Law Manoj Narayan. (G1)

Ireland’s Mobility and Travel Grants 2023 are one of several competitive opportunities available to Guyanese seeking to address specific ocean, climate and sustainable blue economy-related challenges faced by small island developing states (SIDS).

The grant also provides a platform to support the building of scientific and technical capacity to address such challenges, and promote the exchange of knowledge and expertise between Irish institutions and their counterparts in SIDS to underpin longer-term cooperation.

This grant and seven others, available under the “Our Shared Ocean” programme, is funded through Irish Aid, Ireland’s pro-

gramme for overseas development, and managed by Ireland’s Marine Institute (MI).

The three award categories under the Mobility and Travel Grants 2023 are: research conferences and workshops, for which a minimum grant aid of €500 and maximum grant-aid of €2,000 can be received; training courses, which award the same amounts as the prior category; and research visits, for which the maximum grant-aid available is €6000.

The research conferences and workshops category offers students and early-stage researchers from eligible SIDS to present their marine research on international platforms. As such, applications for this award are

open to students currently carrying out an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in a marine-related discipline, and registered at an academic institution; research assistants carrying out marine-related research and employed at academic or research institutions; early-stage postdoctoral contract researchers carrying out marine-related research and employed at academic or research institutions, with early stage being within six years of PhD awards; and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and other representative organisations, though SME/NGO representatives, are not required to present at international conferences/ workshops.

The newly admitted lawyers are flanked by Justice Navindra Singh (right), Attorney-at-Law Chandanie Dyal (second from right), and Attorney-at-Law Manoj Narayan (left)

Attorneys-at-Law Stephanie Prashad and Mohindhar Doodnauth

Sisters ages 3 & 9 die as fire guts Mahaica home

By La’Wanda McaLLister

Screams echoed from the upper flat of a Belmont, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD) home on Wednesday as a three-year-old girl stretched her hand towards her uncle, desperately hoping he could save her from the devastating fire engulfing their house.

Tragically, both the toddler and her nine-yearold differently-abled sister lost their lives in the inferno. Dead are three-yearold Shameena Hardat and her nine-year-old sister,

Cove and John, ECD, which is just a few villages away.

“This morning (Wednesday) all of them get up, the two of them prepare fuh go school, me two son, and me don’t normally carry me disability child everyday school, because she don’t really do nothing… me went to Cove and John because of the kids and child support with the other father,” the grieving mother said.

Shabeeka, a mother of four, explained that the house is owned by her 79-year-old father and was occupied by a total of 13 people, including her fam-

mon-law husband, the children’s stepfather, had gone to Georgetown to make some purchases.

According to her, she received the news of the fire as she was returning home.

“Me tell them, me can’t reach back in time, when them call me, me still nah believe what them seh ‘cause I’ve had pass through an incident like this…,” she said.

Neighbours told this publication that they did try to save the girls, but they were confronted with about two doors before getting to the area where the children were located.

“I tried to stop he and try to out the fire and he chop off my finger. This happened June 26th last year. Since then, he threaten me that he gonna burn this house down and kill me, my family, and my children,” the grieving woman revealed.

The neighbour who faced jailtime for his actions has since been released from prison.

Despite the previous traumatic experience, the

I take them to Masjid every Friday so that Allah can take care of them and protect them. I can’t even afford to take them. I use to put them on the bicycle, but I am asthmatic so I save and buy a trolley so I can push all of them.

“The nine-year-old one she has a disability. She even get documents at the hospital where I been trying to get disability help for her so many years, she used

and say look you gutter is on fire…so he does normally talks jokes…meh still come out a from here and meh watch, when meh watch up top there, I see the fire and me husband wasn’t round and nobody big wasn’t in the yard, everybody left to go to school to collect they kids.”

The woman said the first thing that came to her mind was to check on the girls who were in the upper flat of the house, but by the time she checked, the entire stairs were covered in flames.

Animika Hardat.

According to the Guyana Fire Service, the cause of the fire is still unknown.

The horrifying incident occurred about 13:00h after the children were left unattended as their mother had stepped out to run an errand.

When Guyana Times arrived at the scene, the mother of the two girls, Bibi Shabeeka Hardat, was still grappling with the demise of her two daughters and revealed that she had left the girls in the house to go to

ily of six. She added that the house consists of several apartments, and she had built an additional apartment at the upper part of the house at the back.

At the time of the fire, her apartment was locked with a padlock while the children were inside. All the other occupants of the home were not present except for the children's aunt, who was on the road, not far from the house.

The woman said her two sons were at school at the time, and her com-

“At the set time we keep calling and say bruk the lock and let’s save the child and do what we have to do, left the house, and do whatsoever we get to do. While we travelling coming back, we keep calling, we still not believe that that tek place as well because… we can’t rush an come here because the bus full and come here, we were so worried about it,” the children’s stepfather said, adding, “I woulda tek a burns fuh save them two kids…. but we couldn’t reach in time.”

Not the first fire

Shabeeka related that this was not the first time their home had been targeted.

Just last year, a neighbour had set their house ablaze, causing not only property damage but also physical harm to Shabeeka.

The woman said she was slashed in the throat, and her finger was chopped off by the neighbour, who attempted to burn their house down.

mother said she and her children had persevered, striving to rebuild their lives.

She said she could not work because of her child living with disability and the need to care for her and the other children.

She added that she would usually leave the children at home alone, because she could not afford to transport her child around with her.

“I feed them and everything and I hide all the matches and everything. I turned off everything. I don’t know what went wrong,” the woman cried.

She said she has been taking care of her children

to go to the clinic, she used to go to the disability clinic, she used to go to the Unity for therapy, foot therapy…

“The next daughter was like me mommy, she was like the mother, she used to help me daughter, help all of them, feed them, do things for them, put on clothes, everything, everything.”

Child stretching for help

“I call my husband and he come in a hurry and we run to the back and the door was padlocked, he had to break two doors to get in when he reach pun the other step was a fire already there, me tell he don’t bother with that, run to the window when he run to the window, he start break the window, but the heat was coming forward to him and the smoke was too much,” the aunt recalled.

with the help of her common-law husband and has not seen or heard from the children’s father in five years.

“I pray for my children;

Meanwhile, the children’s aunt told Guyana Times that she was on the road, with her kids when her neighbour came to her and told her their house was on fire. She said she paid the man no mind because he would usually joke around.

“I was sitting down here and my kids were playing and so I was focusing on them playing and my neighbour come from over there

“He put in his foot and grabble them [the girls] from them hand, the lil one stretch her hand but they skin was sliding off and the heat was pon he, he couldn’t make it so, he leave them and somebody run out and call a couple of boys and them come in and start pull out everything from the downstairs, the woman explained.

The woman said while some persons went to the scene to genuinely help them save their belongings, others had their own intentions. She claimed that her money was taken from the spot in which she kept it.

“While they were pulling out and so we had like $200,000 but I don’t know who can take it but everybody was just hurrying to pull out everything, because I buy a washer and a fridge yesterday, but everything was broken…” she said.

As news of this heart-wrenching incident spread, Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony made a solemn visit to the bereaved family. Expressing heartfelt sympathy, he assured them of the Government's commitment to providing assistance during this trying time.

Efforts are underway to secure temporary accommodation for the family, offering them a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness that has enveloped their lives. The probe into the incident is ongoing.

Robbed

Dead: Three-year-old Shameena Hardat

Dead: Nine-year-old Animika Hardat Mother of the two girls, Bibi Shabeeka Hardat

$668.1M in contracts signed to rebuild Christ Church Secondary School

Months after the devastating fire that destroyed much of the Christ Church Secondary School building in Georgetown, the Education Ministry on Wednesday signed sev-

al contractors -- for example, as someone is doing windows, simultaneously somebody else is doing doors or electrical [infrastructure]. So, they all combine to shorten the time without compromis-

as the $17,600,000 contract for the installation of plumbing infrastructure and fixtures.

Zeco Group of Services Inc. was given the $295,137,706 contract to complete the superstruc-

and Sons General Contracting were given both the $10,745,000 contract for the installation of air conditioning infrastructure and units as well as the $6,759,000 contract for the installation of fire prevention units.

In ensuring better fire prevention practices, Special Projects Officer in the Ministry, Ron Eastman, clarified that the building would include features such as fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and some materials that are not highly flammable.

tractors and the consultant to be aware of the penalties that can be activated if there is a failure to deliver on their contractual obligations, as work is to commence within two weeks.

en contracts amounting to over $668 million to rebuild the school.

Upon the advice of several engineers, the Ministry is taking a multi-component approach, by which the project has been divided into seven lots, and construction is expected to be fully completed in seven months.

“When you have sever-

ing strength or safety,” said Education Minister Priya Manickchand. As such, seven contracts were awarded following a competitive bidding process that was advertised since March.

BM Property Investment Inc. was awarded the $303,595,000 contract for construction of substructure, as well

ture. N. Balgobin & Sons Contracting Service and Electrical Supplies was awarded the $41,938,500 contract to complete the installation of electrical infrastructure and fixtures; and Pantheon Construction Inc. was given the $12,385,800 contract for masonry and finishing work.

Meanwhile, A. Ograsein

Guyanese urged to apply for...

On the other hand, the second award category allows researchers to undertake training courses of a short duration in a topic that is beneficial to their marine research. This award is open to researchers in marine or marine-related research from eligible SIDS hosted in a public or private researchperforming organisation.

The third award category –research visits – provides visits by researchers of up to one calendar month to exchange information between Ireland and SIDS, to test research methods or technology, and to establish new international partnerships in marine research of mutual interest.

This award is open to researchers in marine or marine-related research from eligible SIDS hosted in public research-performing organisation (RPO) in Ireland as well as an Irish public or private RPO hosted in a RPO (public or private) in an eligible SIDS.

The Mobility and Travel Grants call will remain open on a two-monthly rolling basis, subject to continued funding availability and submission deadlines, which are: July 7, September 1 and November 3 (for events up to March 31, 2024).

Applications must be submitted via the Marine Institute's online Application System

FROM PAGE 13

Research Information Management System (RIMS). Application forms are available to download from RIMS.

Though prior to applying, it is recommended to familiarise yourselves with the opportunities available and the applicant guidelines made available on the Marine Institute’s website, or email oursharedocean@ marine.ie for further clarification, if necessary.

Among the other seven opportunities available are the Our Shared Ocean Fellowship 2023, Networking and Marine Research Communication Awards 2023, and Our Shared Ocean Master’s Degree Scholarships 2023.

Innovative Engineering Consultancy Services has also been selected as a consultant on the project, following a similar competitive bidding process.

The Education Minister has encouraged the con-

This new three-storey building, to measure 209 feet x 70 feet, is intended to accommodate up to 500 students. It is expected to feature 20 classrooms, science laboratories, TVET laboratory, electrical and woodworking laboratory, Information Technology (IT) laboratory, Home Economics laboratory, Art and Music rooms, teachers’ accommodation, and a sanitary block.

On January 12, the Christ Church Secondary School was gutted by a fire which was determined to

be arson, although to date no one has been charged over the offence. The displaced students are currently continuing their education as normal at the Cyril Potter College of Education at Turkeyen, ECD.

Minister Manickchand has also noted that, before September, the construction works at Queen’s College, the Bishops’ High School, St. Rose’s High School, Good Hope Secondary School, Yarrowkabra Secondary School, Abrams Zuil Secondary School, East Ruimveldt Secondary and St. Winefride’s Secondary will be completed. Work at North Ruimveldt Secondary School should be completed by October.

Rendered images of the new Christ Church Secondary School

Education Minister Priya Manickchand, Permanent Secretary Alfred King, and Special Projects Officer Ron Eastman stand alongside contract awardees

File photo: The scene of the fire in January 2023

Judge to rule on merits of EPA’s appeal today

unreasonably, in defiance of logic, irrationally, and without any jurisdiction.

He, inter alia, found that Esso was engaged in a “disingenuous attempt” which was calculated to deceive when it sought to dilute its liabilities and settled obligations stipulated and expressed in Condition 14 of the permit, while simultaneously optimising production in the Stabroek Block.

plication of the combined effect of Clause 14 of the Environmental Permit… and erroneously concluded that the financial assurance to be provided by the third respondent herein, EEPGL, in relation to the said permit was unlimited,” the Agency outlined as one of its grounds of appeal.

The EPA has been keen to point out that the very permit at the heart of the case is critically important to Guyana’s economic growth. It argued that should the permit which pertains to the Liza 1 and Liza 2 fields be cancelled, it would have catastrophic consequences on the economy.

poses no obligation on the permit holder to provide an unlimited Parent-Company Guarantee Agreement and/or Affiliate Company Guarantee Agreement.

Aruling is expected today on whether the Environmental Protection Agency’s appeal against High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon’s order for ExxonMobil (Guyana) to provide unlimited parent-company guarantee insurance coverage for offshore oil operations it is engaged in with its co-venturers in the Stabroek Block, has merit. That decision will be delivered by Justice of Appeal Rishi Persaud at 11:00h.

On May 3, Justice Kissoon issued an order directing the EPA to issue ExxonMobil’s local affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production (Guyana) Limited (EEPGL), with an Enforcement Notice on or before May 9, for the company to provide, within 30 days, unlimited Parent Company Guarantee Agreement and/or unlimited liability Affiliate Company Guarantee, together with environmental liability insurance, as is customary in the international petroleum industry.

EPA’s Executive Director, Kemraj Parsram has since confirmed that the

Agency has issued EEPGL with the Enforcement Notice and the oil company has until today to comply with same.

Non-compliance will result in the suspension of Exxon’s Environmental Permit.

The order has its origin in a case filed in September 2022, by the President of the Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc (TIGI), Frederick Collins and Guyanese citizen Godfrey Whyte who had moved to the court to get the EPA to enforce the liability clause in the permit.

They wanted the court to ensure EEPGL takes full financial accountability in the case of harm, loss, and damage to the environment from a well blowout, oil spill, or other failures.

On the issue of whether the EPA acted in breach of its statutory duty and unreasonably permitted Esso to carry out petroleum production operations in the absence of compliance with the terms of the permit, Justice Kissoon ruled that the EPA has committed an illegality, acted unlawfully, ultra vires,

Mahdia Secondary dorm fire

“The insurance obtained by the EEPGL from its Affiliate Company AON UK Ltd, both for the Liza Phase 1 and Phase 2 Projects, does not satisfy the stipulation and obligation set out at Condition 14:5 of the Environmental Permit, or even what is considered en-

Another ground was that “The trial court erred in law and misconstrued the Environmental Protection Act and its regulations to determine that the appellant [EPA], a statutory body, had specific statutory powers which in fact it did not have.”

“Guyana as a nation now earns billions of dollars annually from the petroleum

The Senior Counsel also pointed out that this ruling could have profound ramifications and grave economic as well as other impacts on the public interest and national development. He noted that the EPA and

vironmental liability insurance according to international standards of the petroleum industry,” the Judge held.

In the end, the EPA and Esso were ordered to pay Whyte and Collins $1.5 million in court costs.

Several days after the High Court ruling, the EPA filed a Notice of Appeal in which it advanced several grounds on which it is seeking to set aside the ruling, among them being that the lower court’s reasoning was flawed and that the Environmental Permit was in keeping with the law.

“The trial court erred in law in its interpretation, consideration, and ap-

Another contention of the EPA is that the court wrongly ascribed meaning to the Environmental Protection Act that was contrary to specific provisions in that very Act.

It is also contended that the court “in effect substituted its own discretion as the decision of the appellant [EPA] when the appellant, at all material times, had exercised its discretion and acted well within its statutory and regulatory powers.”

According to the EPA’s legal documents, the orders granted by Justice Kissoon are coercive and entirely remove the EPA’s discretion, which would have severe consequences, including severe disruption to the national economy if the order is allowed to stand.

activities conducted on the Liza 1 and Liza 2 fields, both of which are subject to the permit. The suspension or cancellation will have a catastrophic effect on national funds for development, and also the Private Sector, which supports the activities on the said Liza 1 and Liza 2 fields,” the EPA averred.

The Agency has maintained that its appeal has a reasonable prospect of success.

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, had pointed out after the ruling that the Environmental Permit im-

EEPGL had spent almost a year negotiating a Parent Guarantee and Indemnity Agreement to the tune of US$2 billion in liability coverage, in compliance with the EEPGL’s financial assurance obligations under the Environmental Permit and the Environmental Protection Act.

“These negotiations only concluded [recently]. These negotiations and their material details were placed before the court for its consideration, but unfortunately to no avail,” a statement from the Attorney General’s Chambers had disclosed. (G1)

Students given option to rewrite exams next year

Following the tragic fire last month that destroyed much of the Mahdia Secondary School female dormitory and took the lives of 20 children, the Education Ministry has offered alternative learning options to those affected.

Students across the school, regardless of whether they lived in the dorms or not, have been presented with the opportunity to write their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations in the following year.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand made this disclosure on Wednesday during a contract signing ceremony.

“[The Ministry] offered

them the option of writing in January. Some students chose that option, and some felt they needed to write it now. We let it be completely a choice, like we did with everything else for the students and their parents,” Manickchand said.

For those who chose to continue their exams now, the Ministry has facilitated them with a caveat that, if after the results are released and they wish to retake the exams, they would be given a second chance –a first for the Ministry to offer to public school students.

“For the children directly affected by the fire, we have begun to talk to them and their parents about what options can work for them, given all kinds of other present

circumstances, including their psychological state of

mind,” Manickchand said.

The Education Minister noted that community members within Micobie, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) suggested either provision of a bus service or a school within their community. Both options are being considered.

“Some students have indicated their reluctance and inability to return to that secondary school. In which case we’re looking at where else we can comfortably and safely accommodate those students,” Manickchand said.

“Our insistence is that every single student that was affected by the fire, whether directly or indirectly, will finish high school

successfully,” Manickchand added.

Since the fire, the displaced students have either returned to their homes within their home villages, primarily Micobie, Karisparu, El Paso and Chenapau, or are being accommodated in a building organised by the Government.

On May 21, the Mahdia Secondary School’s female dormitory was set ablaze, taking the lives of 19 students and the five-year-old son of the dorm’s caretakers. Police investigations found the cause of the fire to be arson, and has since remanded the 15-year-old accused to the Juvenile Holding Centre in Sophia. The matter has been adjourned to July 4.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand

Justice of Appeal Rishi Persaud High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon

Fire safety inspections launched at school dorms, hostels nationwide

In its ongoing commitment to enhance fire safety measures, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) has embarked on a comprehensive inspection campaign targeting school dormitories and hostels countrywide.

GFS Public Relations Officer Silyne Griffith told the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Wednesday that the dorms and hostels were also equipped with the necessary fire safety equipment.

This exercise comes on the heels of the deadly fire at the Mahdia Secondary School dormitory, that claimed the lives of 20 persons.

To date, inspections were conducted at locations including the University of Guyana, President’s College, Dennis Irvine Hall of Residence, as well as the Mahaicony, Paramakatoi and Anna Regina dormitories, Essequibo Technical Institute, Aurora Secondary, Charity Secondary, Three Miles Secondary, and the Bartica Secondary School dormitories.

Hostels including those at Supenaam, Suddie, Anna Regina, and Charity,

Essequibo Coast, Region

Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) were also inspected. Similar exercises will be conducted at other facilities to ensure there are fire prevention equipment present.

These inspections come on the heels of two fires in Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni) and Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

The Mahdia school’s dormitory, which housed students from the communities of Karisparu, El Paso, Micobie and Chenapao, Region Eight, was set ablaze and 20 children died.

About two weeks later, the St Angela’s Girls Hostel at Karasabai, Region Nine was partially destroyed after four male students set it on fire. All the occupants of the building escaped unhurt.

The GFS has also conducted several outreaches at various markets to educate persons on fire safety and prevention. Several outreaches were conducted at the Kitty, Mahaica, and Mon Repos Markets to date.

On Saturday last, more than 500 Mon Repos residents benefited from this

Bandits tie up guards, escape with safe from Eureka Laboratory

public awareness programme.

In addition, 136 individuals received free blood pressure and blood sugar testing, that was administered by the Service’s Emergency Medical

Technicians (EMTs) on the ground at the Mon Repos Market.

Persons also had the opportunity to interact with senior officers, including Chief Fire Officer (ag) Gregory

Wickham, to learn about fire safety.

“The Guyana Fire Service will continue to conduct outreaches at markets as we strive to reach as many citi-

zens as possible, both young and old, and educate everyone about the dangers of fires, thus preventing them from happening,” the GFS said.

Over $1.9B road contracts signed for Region 6

Bandits on Tuesday night pounced on two security guards at the Eureka Medical Laboratory, Thomas Street, North Cummingsburg, Georgetown and bound them while they robbed the medical facility.

According to Police, about 23:45h two gunmen approached the guards at the facility and ordered them to take them to the “boss” office.

Police said that one of the guards reported that he was in a guard hut located at the front of the lab while the other guard was in a guard hut on the eastern side of the building, when he was approached by one of the suspects who pointed a gun at him.

The guard told Police that the man instructed him not to press the panic

button and he was then taken out of the hut while the same was done to the second guard after which they were both forced to open the building.

“On entrance the perpetrators ordered the guards to take them to the boss’s office, where they were ordered to lay face down on the ground, and the suspects zip-tied their hands behind their back with plastic zip ties,” the Police statement said.

According to Police, the bandits then carted off a metal safe, with an undisclosed amount of cash and made good their escape in a white Toyota IST motor car bearing number plate PPP 4592, which was parked on the eastern side of Thomas Street facing north.

An investigation has been launched.

The Government through the Public Works Ministry continues to invest heavily in the infrastructural development of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

On Wednesday, contracts for the rehabilitation of roads across the region totalling in excess of $1.9 billion were signed. The signing took place at the Regional Democratic Council Boardroom at Vryman’s Erven, New Amsterdam.

The projects are being executed under two programme heads – miscellaneous roads and urban roads.

The rehabilitation of miscellaneous roads programme consists of 28 roads spanning 14.7 kilometres at a total value of GY$1,112,869,915 across the region while the rehabilitation of urban roads programme consists of 22 roads stretching 9084 metres.

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill explained that the work entails the rehabilitation of existing alignments to either asphaltic concrete, rigid pavement, concrete pavement or in some cases square pavers.

He pointed out that all of the contracts had a dura-

tion of 3 to 12 months. The contracts form part of the Ministry’s 2023 work programme.

“While we are having 3 to 12 months, we will be pushing to ensure all of you get your work done before the close of 2023,” he told the contractors.

In warning the contractors – some of whom would be executing government contracts for the first time – that he did not want a repeat of what transpired last year with some contractors who were executing road rehabilitation projects in the region.

In some instances, contractors dug up a road and then realised that there was no crusher-run or other construction material available, causing great inconvenience to residents. In some cases, it was months before residents could have got use of the road.

“Stockpile your material before you start construction so that once you start construction the inconveniences that people suffer would be minimised and we will be able to deliver a quality road in the shortest possible time,” the Minister said.

Among the roads to be rehabilitated are: Sideline Dam, Heath

Burn Village, East Bank Berbice; McGowan School Embankment Road, Manchester Village; 8th Street, Fort Ordnance; Main Street, Belvedere; Primary School Street, Auckline; Sideline Dam, Number 73 Village and Middle Walk, Whim under the miscellaneous roads programme.

The roads up for rehabilitation under the urban roads programme include the main road network in Glasgow Housing Scheme; Strand, New Amsterdam; Number 58, Stanleytown; the main entrance to Savannah Park, New Amsterdam; High Dam, Angoy’s Avenue; Kent Street, New Amsterdam along with several streets in Smithfield and Mount Sinai, which is referred to as Angoy’s Avenue.

These roads were selected as a result of presidential and vice-presidential outreaches, Edghill explained: “Where people asked that these roads be fixed because of their condition”.

He added that this phase of the infrastructural works programme was

an attempt to meet the demands of residents.

He said some residents in the past have not been kind to contractors, saying that the roads cannot be fixed if the contractor did not work.

“We have had situations in Berbice where people run the contractor with cutlasses, block the road from them coming in... these are the same people who asked for the road,” he noted.

The Minister instructed that the engineer and contractor meet every community where a road is going to be built. The engineer is required to provide the community with an unpriced bill of quantity and introduce the contractor to the community.

“The community must be aware of when the work is starting and when it is expected to finish, so they must be mentally prepared and make the necessary adjustments.”

The more we do, the more people are demanding because the sense of hopelessness that nothing will happen has gone. People are seeing things happening...” the Minister said. (G4)

The Mahdia Secondary School female dormitory fire in which 20 children died

The damaged Karasabai Hostel

Regional Brazil’s top court Justice hands Congress more time to pass bill curtailing Indigenous rights

ABrazilian Supreme Court Justice on Wednesday asked for more time to study a case pitting the country's Indigenous people against its powerful farm sector, a decision that is likely to give lawmakers more time to pass the measure favouring Big Agriculture.

The decision by Justice Andre Mendonca, an Evangelical pastor who was appointed in 2021 by far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, represents a set-back for the rights of Brazil's roughly one million Indigenous people.

The proposal would impose a cut-off date for ancestral land claims. It has already been approved in the lower house and awaits a vote in a newly-conservative Senate. If it passes Congress, all eyes would turn to leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has the power of veto.

Lula has staked his glob-

Brazil's Indigenous chief Raoni Metuktire takes part in a session of the Brazilian Supreme Court to debate the so-called legal thesis of 'Marco Temporal' (Temporal Milestone) in Brasilia, Brazil, June 7, 2023 (Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino)

al reputation on protecting Indigenous rights and preserving the environment, but he is also increasingly reliant on the ag sector to drive domestic growth.

The landmark case in front of the Supreme Court involves a claim by the Xokleng people of southern Santa Catarina state, whose

Man drowns while in Tobago for family funerals

Tragedy has once again struck the Alleyne family of Mt St George, Tobago.

This time, the family, who recently lost their daughter Teresa AlleyneAdams and her husband Christian Adams in a vehicular accident, has lost their grandson, 24-yearold Justin Arthur. According to reports, shortly after 15:00h on Tuesday, Arthur was swimming with his girlfriend and another relative at the Argyle Waterfall when he went into deep water and got into difficulty.

land was bought decades ago by farmers of European descent. The Xokleng say they have an ancestral right to the land, while the farmers argue they are rightful owners.

Any ruling would set legal jurisprudence for hundreds of other land disputes.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Wiretapping scandal thrusts Colombian Government into crisis

Illegal wiretapping, stolen cash, expletive-laden leaked audio messages, allegations of campaign finance violations and two of his closest political allies sacked — the past week has been a rough one for Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

The Petro Administration is engulfed in a complex political crisis, sparked by a scandal involving two key members of the President’s inner circle: his chief of staff, Laura Sarabia, and the Colombian Ambassador to Venezuela, Armando Benedetti, who formerly served as Petro’s presidential campaign manager.

On Friday, both Sarabia and Benedetti were dismissed from Petro’s Administration after the Attorney General’s office had launched an investigation into their actions on Thursday. Both parties deny any wrongdoing.

The scandal began with reports in Semana magazine last month that Sarabia accused her child’s nanny of stealing US$7000 in cash from her home, so she allegedly subjected the nanny to a polygraph test.

Colombia’s Attorney General also indicated that the nanny’s phone had been wiretapped by Colombian Police, with Sarabia suspected of orchestrating the

Barbadian landlady may have to pay burn victim

Alandlady who threw a saucepan of hot water on a tenant she wanted out of her house, leaving her with second- and third-degree burns, could end up paying compensation.

This comes after Sophia Lorene Hoyte appeared in the No 2A Supreme Court, Barbados on Tuesday.

Hoyte, of Shop Hill Terrace, St Thomas, was arraigned with causing serious bodily harm to Katrina Wharton with intent on June 23, 2016.

She denied that count, but pleaded guilty to the lesser, alternate count of unlawfully and maliciously inflicting serious bodily harm on Wharton on the same date.

Attorney Angella Mitchell-Gittens, who represented the woman, requested a pre-sentencing report and did not object when Senior State Counsel Oliver Thomas, who appeared with State Counsel Anastacia McMeo-Boyce, made an application for compensation.

(Nation News)

illegal monitoring.

Benedetti, who employed the same nanny, alleged that Sarabia sought his help to keep the story from reaching the press. Sarabia, meanwhile, accused Benedetti of leaking the story, following a confrontation over his request for a new government position.

But the scandal only escalated from there.

On Sunday evening, Semana published a series of expletive-laden audio messages that Benedetti allegedly sent Sarabia, who spent years serving as Benedetti’s personal secretary prior to joining the Petro Administration. Semana did not reveal how it acquired the leaked messages.(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Emergency responders, both Police and fire, were called but could not retrieve him. The Tobago Emergency Management

Agency (TEMA), along with divers assisted in the body’s recovery. He was pronounced dead, and his body taken to the Scarborough Mortuary.

Newsday understands

that Arthur, a citizen of the United Kingdom, was in Tobago to attend the joint funeral service of his aunt and her husband a week ago. (Trinidad Newsday)

Scientists find crocodile 'virgin birth' at Costa Rica zoo

known example in a crocodile.

In FP, a female's egg cell can develop into a baby without being fertilised by a male's sperm cell.

In making an egg cell, a precursor cell divides into four cells: one becomes the egg cell and retains key cellular structures and the gellike cytoplasm, while the others hold extra genetic material.

Scientists have documented the firstknown instance of a "virgin birth" by a crocodile, which had been living in isolation for 16 years at Costa Rican zoo, according to a study published Wednesday.

The female American crocodile laid 14 eggs in 2018 within her enclosure, a not-uncommon phenomenon among captive reptiles. The more puzzling fact, however, came after three months of incubation when one egg was found to contain a fully formed stillborn

baby crocodile.

According to the study published in the journal Biology Letters, scientists tested the crocodile foetus' genetic makeup. They found DNA sequences showing it was a result of facultative parthenogenesis (FP), or reproduction without the genetic contribution of males.

The phenomenon of FP, which some scientists have referred to by the shorthand of "virgin birth", has also been documented in other species of fish, birds, lizards and snakes. The scientists said this is the first-

Then, one of those cells essentially acts as a sperm cell and fuses with the egg to become "fertilised".

The American crocodile is considered vulnerable and at risk of extinction in the wild. According to one hypothesis, FP may be more common among species on the verge of extinction, the study said.

The scientists said the Costa Rica "virgin birth" could lead to new information about crocodile ancestors that walked the earth in the Triassic Period some 250 million years ago.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Mexican Foreign Minister's departure primed to spark more resignations

More top officials could soon follow the Foreign Minister in quitting to compete for the presidency, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday, as the race to succeed him begins to thin out the Government.

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, one of the favourites to be Mexico's next leader, said on Tuesday evening he would resign next week

to focus on his campaign to become the candidate for the ruling leftist National Regeneration Movement (MORENA).

Ebrard made the announcement after months of making the argument that MORENA's presidential hopefuls should step down to ensure a level playing field in the contest to succeed Lopez Obrador, whose term will end on September 30, 2024.

It appears Ebrard is winning that argument, and several aides to the President look poised to follow him soon.

Interior Minister Adan Augusto Lopez also plans to resign next week to focus on his own presidential bid, two Government sources told Reuters.

The party is due to hold a board meeting on Sunday to set out the rules for the internal contest.

MORENA party chairman Mario Delgado said after Ebrard's announcement that the presidential contenders would ultimately need to step down to ensure the competition was fair.

Lopez Obrador did not immediately name a replacement for Ebrard, who is due to step down next Monday.

"I have time to think about who can replace him," he said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Argyle Waterfalls and Nature Park, Roxborough, Tobago (Jeff K Mayers)

Around The World OIL NEWS

Canada’s record wildfires should be “wake-up call” – experts warn

“Do you smell smoke?”

Oil prices rise as Saudi output cuts outweigh weak demand signals

Oil prices climbed about one per cent on Wednesday as Saudi Arabia's plans for deep output cuts more than offset demand woes stemming from rising US fuel stocks and weak Chinese export data.

Brent crude futures settled 66 cents, or 0.9 per cent, higher at US$76.95 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained 79 cents, or 1.1 per cent, to US$72.53.

Both benchmarks jumped more than US$1 on Monday after Saudi Arabia's decision over the weekend to reduce output by one million barrels per day (bpd) to nine million bpd in July.

"Futures seem to be in a 'tug of war' with slowing demand for manufacturing, and lighter diesel demand, against expected production cuts coming from OPEC & Saudi," said Dennis Kissler, Senior Vice President of trading at BOK Financial.

US crude stocks fell by about 450,000, according to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), compared with estimates for a one-million build.

Diesel inventories rose by 5.1 million barrels, while markets had estimated a build of 1.33 million. Gasoline inventories also rose more than expected at 2.8 million barrels, compared with estimates for a build of 880,000 barrels.

The unexpected build in fuel inventories raised concerns over consumption by the world's top oil user, especially as travel demand grew during the Memorial Day weekend.

Prices fell earlier in the session on weak Chinese economic data.

China's exports shrank much faster than expected in May and imports fell, albeit at a slower pace, as manufacturers struggled to find demand abroad and domestic consumption remained sluggish.

Wednesday's data also showed that crude oil imports into China, the world's largest oil importer, rose to their thirdhighest monthly level in May as refiners built up inventories.

A JP Morgan note said forward crude cover in the country has climbed, indicating refiners have not increased processing rates, but are instead storing oil.

Also, supporting prices, the dollar dipped as chances faded for a Federal Reserve rate hike next week. A weaker greenback helps demand as oil becomes cheaper for foreign buyers.

Global economic growth will pick up only moderately over the next year as the full effects of central bank rate hikes are felt, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said, the latest to flag the impact of monetary tightening. (Reuters)

Pope Francis, 86, has abdominal surgery

Pope Francis has undergone abdominal surgery "without complications", the Vatican says.

The hernia operation at Rome's Gemelli hospital lasted three hours. The 86-year-old is expected to stay in hospital for several days to recover.

All of his commitments for the next 10 days have been cancelled as a "precautionary measure".

The Pope has faced a series of health issues in recent years, and uses a cane and a wheelchair.

In a statement, the Vatican said the pontiff's medical team had decided in recent days that surgery was needed.

Earlier on Wednesday, Pope Francis carried out his weekly audience as normal and did not mention his planned operation.

That’s the question people in Canada have been asking each other this week as hundreds of wildfires are burning in what has been described as an “unprecedented” start to the 2023 Canadian fire season.

Tens of thousands of people in communities across the country have been forced to evacuate as firefighters battle to contain the blazes that have scorched more than 3.8 million hectares (9.4 million acres) so far.

But the emergence of smoke-filled, discoloured skies in parts of Canada that typically aren’t affected by wildfires has spurred widespread public concern and calls for authorities to better prepare for a problem that experts say is only going to get worse.

“There’s this eerie sight of very smoky skies. It puts a yellow, greyish fil-

ter over the sun and the sky. There’s also a smell of wood-fire burning,” Caroline Brouillette, executive director of Climate Action Network Canada, said in an interview on Wednesday from Ottawa, the Canadian capital.

“It does really bring home that the climate crisis is happening here and now,” Brouillette told Al Jazeera.

Images shared on social

Ukrainians face homelessness, disease risk as floods crest from burst dam

Ukrainians abandoned inundated homes on Wednesday as floods crested across the south after the destruction of a huge hydroelectric dam on front lines between Russian and Ukrainian forces, with their Presidents trading blame for the disaster.

Residents slogged through flooded streets carrying children on their shoulders, dogs in their arms and belongings in plastic bags while rescuers used rubber boats to search areas where the waters reached above head height.

to the flooding, urging a "clear and rapid reaction from the world" to support victims.

"The situation in occupied parts of the Kherson region is absolutely catastrophic. The occupiers are simply abandoning people in frightful conditions. No help, without water, left on the roofs of houses in submerged communities," he said.

media this week showed orange-tinged skies over Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto, where a thick haze obstructed views of the CN Tower and the downtown skyline of Canada’s largest city.

In New York City and Washington, DC, hundreds of kilometres from the fires burning north of the United States-Canada border, smog has filled the air.

Air pollution advisories have been issued in places across Canada as well as in states in the US Northeast and Midwest, fuelling questions about the wildfires’ effects on the health of millions of people in North America.

“From the gloom over Yankee Stadium to the smoky haze obscuring our skyline, we can see it, we can smell it and we felt it. And it was alarming and concerning,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters on Wednesday.

“This is an unprecedented event in our city, and New Yorkers must take precautions,” said Adams, who urged residents to stay inside, close their windows and limit outdoor activity.

Hundreds of North American flights have been cancelled.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Mike Pence tears into Donald Trump at 2024 campaign launch

The Pope was at the same Rome hospital on Tuesday for a scheduled check-up, months after he was taken to hospital with bronchitis.

He spent three days in hospital in March to treat a lung infection.

In 2021, Pope Francis spent 10 days in hospital after having a part of his colon removed.

Last month, he pulled out of his Friday audiences due to a fever.

But while his predecessor Benedict XVI quit in 2013, the Pope has dismissed the possibility of leaving office too.

"You don't run the Church with a knee but with a head," he is said to have told an aide last year.

The Pope is considered to have been in general good health during his decade leading the Catholic Church.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Ukraine said the deluge would leave hundreds of thousands of people without access to drinking water, swamp tens of thousands of hectares of agricultural land and turn at least 500,000 hectares deprived of irrigation into "deserts".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address that it was impossible to predict how many people would die in Russian-occupied areas due

Visiting the city of Kherson downstream from the dam, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said over 80 settlements had been affected by the disaster, and that the flooding had released chemicals and infectious bacteria into the water.

The Nova Kakhovka dam collapse on Tuesday happened as Ukraine prepares a major counteroffensive against Russia's invasion, likely the war's next major phase. Both sides traded blame for continued shelling across the populated flood zone and warned of drifting landmines unearthed by the flooding.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan accused in lawyer’s murder

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been formally named in connection with the killing of a lawyer who accused him of high treason. Khan has called the accusation “foolish”.

Lawyer Abdul Razzaq Shar was on his way to the Balochistan High Court complex in Quetta on Tuesday when he was shot by unknown gunmen, according to a criminal complaint filed on Wednesday. Police officials told Al Jazeera that Shar was shot more than 10 times in his car and died instantly.

Shar’s son, Siraj Ahmed,

filed the complaint against the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, accusing the ex-premier of abetting murder, saying he believed his father was killed in connection with the case he had filed against Khan.

“My father filed a case against Imran Khan under Article 6, and I am certain this is why [Khan] and his PTI people killed my father and spread terror,” Ahmed said in the statement, adding that his father had received death threats after filing his petition against Khan.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Former US Vice President Mike Pence has offered his most forceful repudiation of Former President Donald Trump to date during a speech launching his 2024 campaign.

The Republican accused Trump of being unfaithful to the US constitution and of abandoning conservative values.

The former Indiana Governor and Congressman formally commenced his White House campaign on Wednesday.

The move pits him against his two-time running mate, who he served under in the White House from 2017-21.

At a speech in Ankeny, Iowa, Pence argued that Trump had encouraged the mob that attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and had incorrectly asserted that Pence had the power to overturn the election result.

"But the American peo-

ple deserve to know that on that day, President Trump also demanded that I choose between him and the Constitution," he said.

"Now, voters will be faced with the same choice: I chose the Constitution and I always will."

He added that Trump's actions on January 6 should disqualify him from returning to power.

"I believe that anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be President of the United States," he said.

"And anyone who asked someone else to put them over the Constitution should never be President of the United States again."

Pence, 64, also took shots at Democratic President Joe Biden as well, arguing that neither he nor Mr Trump are similar to average Americans who know how to "treat each other with kindness and respect even when we disagree".

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Images of orange, hazy skies across Canada and parts of US fuel calls to tackle climate crisis making wildfires worse

Mike Pence at the launch of his campaign for the White House

DAILY HOROSCOPES

Make your presence felt and command attention, and you'll enlist the help of qualified people. Love and romance are favored, and personal improvement is apparent.

(March 21-April 19)

Don't underestimate the extent of a job or let anger set you back. The simpler your plans, the easier it will be to get others on board. Home improvements or expenses must remain within budget.

(April 20-May 20)

PEANUTS

(May 21-June 20)

Step up and use your talents to get ahead of the competition. Face a challenge head-on, and refuse to let anyone take charge or interfere with your progress. Dominate the stage.

For help, contact an expert or someone reliable. Once you assess what's needed to reach your goal, you'll find it easy to put a plan in place that meets your criteria.

(June 21-July 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

(July 23-Aug. 22)

Put your heart, not your cash, into whatever you pursue, and something good will transpire. Forming a partnership or getting help from someone with skills you lack will be crucial.

An open mind will lead to information that inspires you to go after your dreams. A change of attitude or direction looks promising if you stick to a budget. Don't let anyone talk you into anything.

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Participate in something that will help increase your awareness or qualifications. What you learn will distinguish you from your rivals. Don't underestimate a situation.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Attend an event that brings you in contact with people who share similar interests. Control your emotions when discussing lifestyle changes or where or how you live. Listen to your intuition.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Conversations will lead to confusion. Don't hesitate to ask questions and verify information you receive. Adjust anything that doesn't fit your agenda.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Limit your spending, and say no to temptation. Look for an alternative way to make your money grow. Build your equity and make cost-efficient changes. Get involved in activities.

Take a deep breath and revisit your options. Be responsible for your happiness, and you'll figure out how to improve. Life is too short to put up with outside interference.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

Simplify your life and cast your fate to the wind. Eliminate temptation and those who make your life miserable. Taking charge of your happiness will lower stress and motivate you.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

World Test Championship…

Head, Smith thoroughly dominate India on day one

Travis Head and Steven Smith feasted on India’s wayward attack in what weren’t easy batting conditions, to put Australia in the box seat of the WTC final by the end of day one at The Oval.

Head scored his first century outside Australia, and Smith was five short of his 31st overall, as they took Australia from 76 for 3 to 327 for 3 at stumps. Head turned his century - the first in a WTC final - into a big one: an unbeaten 146 off 156, with 22 fours and a six.

The big talking point for India remained the selection of a fourth fast bowler over R Ashwin, a strategy that worked for them against England in 2021. They perhaps were influenced by the 6mm of grass cover on the pitch and the overcast skies in the morning, but they didn’t find close to the kind of control you expect from the third and fourth quicks of a four-man pace attack.

Between them, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur bowled 32 overs for 129 runs and one wicket.

Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj were good as usual with the new ball, after India put Australia in. The 12 overs in the first hour conceded just 29 runs, produced the wicket of Usman Khawaja for a duck, and the 21 false responses created suggested there could have been one or two more wickets around the

corner.

However, the change-up bowlers, Umesh and Thakur, provided relatively easy runs at various points after that opening spell of play. Umesh provided David Warner a half-volley second ball into the attack, and was then hit for four boundaries square or behind square on the off side in his second over.

Warner would have thought that was the reward he deserved after roughing it out in the first hour, but India enjoyed some good fortune, as Thakur had him caught down the leg

side off a short ball just before lunch.

India went to Siraj and Shami, the likeliest bowlers to produce a wicket, post lunch. Shami’s first ball was a peach, seaming in to uproot Marnus Labuschagne’s off stump. India still had a chance there, if they could get it right for long enough periods.

Head, who lost his #5 position in a horses-for-courses policy in India, had other ideas. Shami had a left-hand batter in sight, he was fresh into a new spell, the ball was still seam-

Reggae Girlz Women’s World Cup stint…

ing, he beat Head early on, but Head soon imposed his intent on India. The fifth ball that Head faced was only slightly wide and slightly short, and he crashed it away for four.

His attacking game through the off side soon had India fumbling for ideas. They moved a slip out to put a sweeper back on the off side, but then Head was quick to cash in on anything too straight. Siraj conceded two such boundaries.

In a small byplay at the other end, Smith found it difficult to adjust to the uneven bounce

Donaldson says upcoming camp will suffice

Lorne Donaldson has expressed concerns about aspects of his senior Reggae Girlz transitional play ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup; but, at the same time, he remains optimistic that the playing philosophy would come together in time for the global showpiece.

Donaldson's preparation and plans around the makeup of his final 23-player squad for the July 20 to August 20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand has been dogged by injuries to key players and unconvincing performances at times, more recently in a 2-0 win over Sheffield United in England. That has forced the tactician and his assistants, Xavier Gilbert and Ak Lakhani, to conduct further assessments, with an upcoming camp scheduled for June 11-20 in Kingston representing the last opportunity for players to impress the coaching staff.

"We didn't get a chance to do what we wanted to do in England. So, after this camp, we can select the final 23 and then we fly to Amsterdam on July 1, and the real preparation to fine tune our team chemis-

try, the speed of our transitional play, and playing philosophy starts there," Donaldson shared.

"We will, of course, also take a close look at how we defend, but that's something the whole team must be involved in, not just the back line. So, our final decision in terms of the players we take to the World Cup is going to be done on the basis of who is ready to play right now," he declared.

Though the initial plan in bringing the team to the is-

land was for a two-match sendoff series, Donaldson explained that there were logistical issues in securing the games, and so the just-over-a-week-long camp will have to suffice.

"We would have loved a sendoff game, but the logistics around the game is very difficult, and that is nobody's fault. So, there is disappointment that we won't get a game, but I think we will get a lot out of the camp, because we need to look at some players and I think that will help us to get a better evaluation of where the players are," Donaldson added.

Former captain Konya Plummer, who is still working her way back to full fitness coming off maternity leave, and winger Trudi Carter are among the 26 players Donaldson intends to invite for the camp.

"Players like a Konya and Trudi and other players have been without a club, so we need to make sure that we know where they are, and we still might have one or two young players come in. But again, our final decision is going to be based on who is ready to play right now,” he said.

"Yes, there are some play-

ers who are safe, but they still have to show something, because the players coming in are going to push them. We can't live in the past, we have to look at what we have now, and select the best team possible to show up at the World Cup and perform," the head coach stated.

But beyond that, Donaldson pointed out that he is already looking to position the programme for the next cycle.

"The younger players will be key for the next World Cup cycle, so we have to look at the squad to find a balance. We have a lot of young players with potential, and as you know, the next cycle includes the Women’s Gold Cup and all those games that we will be playing," he reasoned. "So, it's a good to start getting those players involved from now in international competition, because we won't always get the English-based and Europeanbased players for those games. We have to broaden the pool of players and make sure other people are getting a chance to see what the international stage is like," Donaldson ended. (Sportsmax)

and the side - ways movement. His response was different to Head’s. He continued to fight it out, whereas Head didn’t mind attacking. On the surface, Head looked better, but he offered false responses more often than Smith: Smith’s control percentage was 90 to Head’s 69. Those, again, are their roles. Smith builds, Head counterattacks.

Things became easier for Smith when Thakur went searching once too often. Thakur is an ambitious bowler who bowls full and straight more often than the others. It probably works when you are bowling off the pressure created by three world-class quicks. Playing as the third seamer practically, he probably went full once too often. Smith cashed in, and a 16-run over resulted.

the short ball, but the runs kept flowing.

Umesh began to leak to Smith from the other end.

Woefully behind the over rate, the two-and-a-half hour final session began to look even longer for India. Head took 32 off the first 18 balls he faced in the session. Siraj and Shami then placed a fine deep third to block the ramp, had men catching on the hook, and kept bending their backs. Shami bowled a seven-over spell, Siraj kept drawing uneven bounce, Head went through the 90s looking uncertain, but riding his luck. He was hit on the head twice, but kept hooking.

By the time Head brought up his hundred, India were forced to make bowling changes, and batting seemed easier again. India took the new ball 20 minutes to stumps, which brought about more plays and misses from Head, but also three more boundaries for him. Smith ended the day with an ominous cover-drive for four off the last ball. (ESPNCricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Australia 1st Innings BATTING R B

David Warner c †

Bharat b Thakur 43 60

Usman Khawaja c †Bharat

b Mohammed Siraj 0 10

Marnus Labuschagne b

Mohammed Shami 26 62

Steven Smith not out 95 227

Travis Head not out 146 156

Extras (b 1, lb 5, nb 5, w 6) 17

TOTAL 85 Ov (RR: 3.84) 327/3

Yet to bat: Cameron Green, Alex Carey †, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan

Lyon, Scott Boland

With the ball still doing a bit for the quicks, it said a lot for India’s options that they went to Ravindra Jadeja before Umesh in the middle session. For a while, Thakur went to the leg attack that worked for India in Australia, but Smith was well-set and was willing to ride the period out.

Australia went into tea at 170 for 3, with Head on 60 off 75 and Smith on 33 off 102. India began the final session with Umesh and Jadeja, the least likely bowlers to take a wicket at that point. That told you all about the state India found themselves in.

Soon Shami came back, and India began to test Head with the short stuff, probably too late in the piece. Head took it on, going hard at it. He bottom-edged two hooks from well outside off, but then began ramping the ball. He was by no means at home against

Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Usman Khawaja, 3.4 ov), 2-71 (David Warner, 21.4 ov), 3-76 (Marnus Labuschagne, 24.1 ov) •

BOWLING O-M-R-W

Mohammed Shami 20-3-77-1

Mohammed Siraj 19-4-67-1

Umesh Yadav 14-4-54-0

Shardul Thakur 18-2-75-1

Ravindra Jadeja 14-0-48-0

India Team: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Srikar Bharat †, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj.

Travis Head has struck his first Test century outside Australia

Reggae Girlz Head Coach, Lorne Donaldson

Steven Smith did not compromise on helping himself to cover drives

Mohammed Shami zeroing in with the ball

BCB/Brian Ramphal U17 Inter-Zone tournament…

Lower Corentyne crowned NA/Canje champions

96 for 1 in the 20th over. He was well supported by Tulsiram Ramcharran who was on 24 not out at the end.

KFC Elite League…

Den Amstel bag first win, GDF/Western

Tigers

draw

The dominant Lower Corentyne team emerged champion of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB)/Brian Ramphal U17 Inter Zone tournament last Sunday with a crushing eight-wicket victory over arch rivals New Amsterdam/ Canje at the Area H Ground at Rose Hall Town.

West Berbice defeated Upper Corentyne by nine wickets to gain third place at the Number 48 Ground, as the active BCB successfully hosted another finals despite the current rainy season.

At the Area H Ground, the visitors won the toss and were bowled out for a meagre 88 off 30 overs. Zadeen

LaRose top scored with 24,

and support was received from Avenash Persaud with 12 and Devan Wharton with 11.

Bowling for Lower Corentyne, national player Matthew Pottaya took 3 for 17 from seven overs, while Kumar Deopersaud and Afraz Budhoo each took three wickets, for 15 and 16 runs respectively.

Needing to score 89 from 50 overs to take the title, Lower Corentyne raced to 90 for 2 from 21 overs, as West Indies youth player Rampertab Ramnauth scored 29 and his younger brother Rampersaud recorded an unbeaten 31. Romesh Bharrat was also unbeaten on 10 when victory was

achieved.

The wicket takers for the runner-up team were D Wharton and A Beharry with one apiece for 39 and 20 runs respectively.

At the #48 Ground, Upper Corentyne were bowled out for 95 from 31.4 overs, with only G Yacoob on 16 and Mohan Baichan on 12 reaching double figures. Bowling for West Berbice, Guyana-under 15 fast bowler Arif Khan took 2 wickets for 16, Rashad Gaffoor took 2 for 12, and Jerrel Hemerding took 2 for 18.

Gaffoor returned with the bat to complete a brilliant all-round performance and remain unbeaten on 46 when victory was attained at

BCB President Hilbert Foster described the tournament as another successful one for the board, and hailed the work of the Leslie Soloman led Competition Committee for their hard work. The BCB President also hailed the work of the junior selection committee headed by former national junior player Balram Samaroo. The selectors were present at the matches in the tournament, and would select the Berbice U17 team based on performance in the matches. Foster noted that the BCB is currently hosting junior tournaments, with the next set being at the Under-11 and Under-13 levels during the August holidays.

BCB Competitions Chairman Leslie Solomon has disclosed that the board would be hosting numerous finals at the primary and secondary school levels during the course of the next few weeks. He also announced that the annual cricket academy would be hosted in early August at the Port Mourant Ground.

Deep gratitude has been extended to Brian Ramphal for his sponsorship of the tournament.

The

encounter

Den Amstel have FC picked up their first win in this year’s KFC Elite League on Tuesday night, after edging a valiant Ann’s Grove United in a 3-2 thriller.

Western Tigers resulted in a stalemate began.

In the 73rd minute, Keanu Lawrence beat the Ann’s Grove defenders and executed a brilliant cross to find the back of the net.

Locking horns at the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF’s) National Training Center (NTC) at Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD), Den Amstel took an early lead by way of a Tyrek Grant goal in the 16th minute, but it was in the second half that the fireworks

Messi to join Inter Miami after leaving PSG

Europe.”

Messi, 35, had a more

He added: “It’s true that I had offers from another European team but I didn’t even think about it because in Europe, my idea was only to go to Barcelona.

“Obviously with the same responsibility and desire to win, and to do things well, but with more calm.”

The ex-Barcelona forward was keen on a return to the Catalan club this summer but the FFP limitations that will be in place for next season in La Liga made any ambitious plan to bring him back an impossibility.

The Spanish club were unable to keep Messi in 2021, leading to a tearful news conference as he left the Nou Camp and signed for PSG.

“I was afraid that it would happen again,” he said.

“I really wanted, I was very excited to be able to return [to Barcelona], but after having experienced what I experienced and the exit I had, I did not want to be in the same situation againwaiting to see what was going to happen.

“I heard that they had to sell players or lower players’ salaries and the truth is that I didn’t want to go through that, nor take charge of obtaining something that had to do with all that.”

The Miami deal includes collaboration from brands like Adidas and Apple.

Messi won the Ballon d’Or award for the world’s best player seven times and is expected to win it later this year after World Cup success.

This is the first time Barcelona icon Messi has played outside Europe.

With a Barcelona return failing to materialise, he had the straight choice between Inter Miami or Al-Hilal.

He was heavily tipped to be favouring a move to Saudi Arabia, where he would have joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in the league in a deal that could not be matched financially.

But Messi was ultimately tempted to Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami for a variety of reasons including lifestyle, and a deal with big brands that extends beyond football.

He already owns a house in Miami, which he rents out.

Paris St-Germain won Ligue 1 in both his seasons at the club but went out in the Champions League last 16, which means his time in France was not seen as a huge success.

He netted 32 goals in 75 games for the club - and ended this season with 16 goals and 16 assists in Ligue 1.

Messi’s two-year contract comes to an end this summer and both parties agreed to go their separate ways, with the forward suspended for two weeks in May for an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia.

His legacy comes from his time at Barcelona and win-

ning the World Cup with Argentina in December.

He left Barca in 2021, after 21 years with the club, because of the club’s financial problems.

Messi is Barcelona’s record scorer with 672 goals and won 10 La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues and seven Spanish Cups.

‘If it was about money I’d have gone to Saudi’

Messi said he had chatted with close friend Xavi, the Barcelona manager, about returning to the club but “very little, once or twice at most” with president Joan Laporta.

“We were very excited, because when something came out we would discuss if he really wanted me to come back, if it was good for the team and for him, and we kept in communication,” Messi said.

“We never even got to talk about the contract. A proposal was passed over, but never a formal, written, signed proposal, because there was still nothing and we did not know if it was going to be possible or not.

“There was the intention, but we couldn’t advance anything, we didn’t even talk about money formally.

“If it had been a matter of money I would have gone to Saudi Arabia or elsewhere.”

(BBC Sport)

Four minutes later, Grant made it a 3-0 game in Den Amstel’s favour after tapping in an assist.

However, Ann’s Grove fought back, as Alden Lawrence pulled off the perfect header for their first goal in the 81st. Then, in the 83rd, the Den Amstel keeper was tried and tested multiple times, until he could not hold on to the final goal-scoring shot from Ryan Seales.

Try as Ann’s Grove did, they were unable to find the equalizer with little time left on the clock.

Following the match, Den Amstel captain Rondel Hutson expressed relief at bagging their first win.

“Well, we were training a lot. we have a lot of youths in the team right now, most of the players were adopted by other teams, but so far, with the youths, we’re working with them, and along with a good coach, we’re getting there. Constantly practice and more games to come, we’ll get better,” Hutson shared with this publication.

In the following game, the smattering of fans gathered at the NTC were treated to an entertaining draw between the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) FC and Western Tigers FC. The likes of Ryan Hackett and Eusi Phillips from either side of the coin were ‘knocking on the door’ early on, but it was a defender’s game, resulting in the nilall draw.

The Elite League will continue this evening at the same venue, where Santos FC will take on Fruta Conquerors FC at 19:00hrs. That will be followed by a clash between Guyana Police Force (GPF) FC and Milerock FC at 21:00hrs.

Argentina legend Lionel Messi will join American side Inter Miami after his exit from French champions Paris StGermain.

The winning Lower Corentyne team

Den Amstel clashing with Ann’s Grove

GDF

with

Lionel Messi is set to move to the USA’s MLS

Guyana Amazon Warriors Women to open CPL against Barbados

The 2023 Massy

Women’s Caribbean Premier (WCPL) League will take place from 31 August to 10 September 2023. There will be an expanded tournament, with increased number of matches this year, giving more opportunities for the best players from the West Indies and beyond to showcase their talents in front of the vibrant crowds at the Biggest Party in Sport.

Massy Group have confirmed that they will be returning as title sponsors for the tournament in a threeyear deal that renews their commitment to support and grow women’s sport in the region.

In 2023 there will be seven matches played in Barbados and Trinidad. The three teams who will be taking part are the Barbados Royals, Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinbago Knight Riders.

The teams will be announced at the end of June, with the squads made up

of nine senior West Indies players, two emerging West Indies players, and four overseas players. The emerging players will be under the age of 21, and would be chosen from a list provided by Cricket West Indies.

The fixtures for the 2023 tournament are as follows:

Pete Russell, CEO of

wait for the start of an expanded tournament this year. These hugely talented players deserve the best chance to showcase their talents, and the WCPL is the perfect stage for this.

“Women’s cricket is growing rapidly, and it is pleasing for CPL to play a significant part in that growth.”

Dr Kishore Shallow, President of Cricket West Indies, said: “CWI is committed to greater investment in the growth and development of women’s cricket. Consistent with this is the expansion of the WCPL 2023 to feature more matches and playing across venues in the region. This opportunity for our regional cricketers is invaluable. Additionally, there is no doubt that the spectacle of the tournament will

Happy to be back! - Digicel

inspire more young female cricketers to take up the sport. It is certainly an exciting time for all parties involved.”

Ambikah Mongroo, Senior Vice President –Massy Group, said: “Last year the Massy Group shared its new Vision - A Global Force For Good, An Investment Holding Company with a Caribbean Heart. This Vision is underpinned by our belief in the

unique advantages that the warmth and vitality of our Caribbean identity lends us on the global stage. As Massy celebrates our 100th anniversary in 2023, supporting the WCPL exemplifies what we believe to be truly representative of our Caribbean heart. It’s the passion for the game of cricket, it’s the energy of our Caribbean women, and the combination of both to have global reach through the CPL platforms. (CPL)

GCB Girls Under-19 Inter-County bowls off today in Port Mourant

Heavy rainfall in the capital city of Georgetown has forced the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) to host the Girls Under-19 Inter-County tournament in Berbice.

The tournament was initially set to bowl off on Tuesday with all matches at the Everest ground. However, rainfall on Tuesday kept the players indoors, forcing the GCB to take the games to the Port Mourant ground.

Three rounds will be played over two days, June 8 and 9.

On the first day, Berbice will play Essequibo from noon, while on the second day, Demerara will take on Essequibo from 09:30h, fol-

Latchman, Tamica Simon, Sheniya Mangra, Areah Ally, Anessa Chetram, Shoba Harnaraine, Canna Barkoye, Tilleya Madramootoo, Chelsea Latiff, Melanie Dover, Emalissa Whyte and Alliya Clarke. The coach is Heema Singh, while the Manager is Abena Parker.

Essequibo squad: Cyanna Retimiah(Captain), Lavina Ragobeer (Wtk), Nickesha Narine, Roxanne Hendricks, Laurene Williams, Neesa Samuels, Qzel Sampson, Aliah Da’Silva, Jayara Rodrigues, Engrid Gouveia, Anasia Mangra, Nikefa Allen, Thalia Hack and Ashanti Mohamed. The Coach is

For 7 years, the Digicel Schools’ football championships had given schools across Guyana’s 10 Regions the opportunity to anticipate a massive platform on which they could display talent.

However, the tournament’s last edition was witnessed in 2017, when Chase’s Academy lifted the title. Now, with new coordinators, the Petra Organization, the tournament is set to return with 128 schools vying for top honours from Saturday, June 24th.

During the launch on Tuesday evening at the Marriott Hotel, Kingston, outgoing Digicel CEO Gregory Dean expressed the company’s elation at the re-

sumption and being able to lock in some assistance in organizing.

“We were able to pull it off for seven years and I think then it got to the stage where we realise it was something we just couldn’t manage anymore internally and I think we’ve been looking to go external or with other organizations for some time,” Dean shared with the gathering.

The outgoing CEO went on to add, “COVID and a few other things came in between as well, but look, we’re very happy to be back. We’re thankful that the Petra Organization has taken up the challenge. We’re happy that you’ve taken some of the headache from us.”

While the inter- regional rounds will feature in excess

of 100 schools, changes made by the Petra Organization will see a grand Round of 32 being played between schools from around the county, instead of one team representing each region at the National leg. the breakdown will see the winners from Regions 1, 2, 5, 8 and 9, top three teams from Region 3, top two teams from the East Coast of Demerara, top two teams from East Bank, top three teams from Region 6, top two teams from Region 7, top two from Region 10 and 13 teams from Georgetown.

As such, Petra CoDirector Troy Mendonca promised an entertaining and well put together tournament.

Mendonca remarked, “I would like to congratulate Digicel for their consid-

eration to sponsor another edition of this football tournament that we think will definitely continue to contribute to the development of the sport, especially where it provides an opportunity for schools throughout the ten regions to participate,”

“We expect a very a competitive and entertaining tournament. We guarantee you that Petra will put our best foot forward in delivering this programme,” Mendonca further vowed.

The Digicel Tournament is set to conclude on Sunday, August 13 and will see the champions pocketing the customary $1M for a school project. Second, third and fourth place will receive $500,000, $300,000 and $200,000 respectively for same. (Jemima Holmes)

West Indies Under-19 Women's captain Ashmini Munisar will be in action for Berbice

Outgoing Digicel CEO Gregory Dean

Petra Co-Director Troy Mendonca

Some of the faces one can expect to see on the football pitch when the Digicel Championships return

Team Guyana Amazon Warriors

Barbados will play Guyana in the opener

Deandra Dottin will be a key player during the CPL