WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM
The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:
There will be no retraction of the Demerara Harbor Bridge on Wednesday August 7, 2024
The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:
Wednesday, August 7 – 5:35h to 7:05h.
Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily.
ith only three hearings completed, the 2020 elections fraud trial which was slated to continue today, will now be deferred until September as Senior Magistrate Leron Daly, who is presiding over the matter, has been placed on 30 days of sick leave.
This was revealed on Tuesday. As a matter of fact, the case had first been scheduled to resume on Monday, August 5, after being adjourned last week. That was when reports of Magistrate Daly’s illness first emerged, prompting the matter to be adjourned until today.
When contacted, Special Prosecutor and King’s Counsel Darshan Ramdhani, related that he found out about the Magistrate’s sick leave on Tuesday afternoon. He explained that he has already informed the prosecution’s witnesses, who were expected to continue their testimony today.
“We have notified our witnesses, who were scheduled to appear (today), not to attend. We have started the trial; we have put witnesses in the box and our witnesses are ready. And we’re ready to proceed with the matter,” Ramdhani said.
So far, Local Government and Regional Development Minister Sonia Parag has testified. In her testimony, Parag recalled acts of misconduct she witnessed from GECOM staff during the 2020 General and Regional Elections. Her testimony included witnessing efforts by GECOM staff to alter the results by deducting People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) votes and adding votes to the then-ruling A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC).
She had also testified that despite a Court Order from acting Chief Justice Roxane George which compelled GECOM to use only the Statements of Poll (SOPs) to tabulate the numbers for the Region Four (Demerara/ Mahaica) votes, Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, one of those now on trial, continued to conduct the tabulation using a projector and bedsheet.
The prosecution, led by Special Prosecutor King’s Counsel Darshan Ramdhani,
had complained that witnesses are not being allowed to freely testify as they should. At the last hearing, Magistrate Daly acknowledged that not allowing certain testimony was indeed an error. As such, she gave permission for the reopening of the examination of the witness, Minister Parag. The trial is set to last until September 13.
Nine persons are before the court in relation to electoral fraud. They are former Returning Officer for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo; former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield; his former Deputy, Roxanne Myers; former People’s National Congress/ Reform (PNCR) Chairperson Volda Lawrence; PNCR activist Carol Smith-Joseph; and GECOM employees Sheffern February, Enrique Livan, Michelle Miller and Denise Babb-Cummings.
They are facing 28 charges relating to electoral fraud. Among the offences these defendants are accused of committing are: miscon-
duct while holding public office; presenting falsified documentation; and planning to manipulate Guyana’s voters by presenting an inaccurate vote total.
These charges stem from attempts to rig the 2020 General and Regional Elections in favour of the then-ruling APNU/AFC. The election report of former CEO Lowenfield claimed that the APNU/AFC coalition garnered 171,825 votes, while the PPP/C gained 166,343 votes.
How he arrived at those figures is still unknown, since the certified results from the recount exercise supervised by GECOM and a high-level team from the Caribbean Community (Caricom) pellucidly showed that the PPP/C won with 233,336 votes, while the coalition garnered 217,920.
Following the recount, PPP’s Irfaan Ali was declared President of Guyana on August 2, 2020 – some five months after the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections. (G3)
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Guyana has taken a stance on public health, and the latest initiative — a cross-sectoral effort to promote healthier diets — is a good move by authorities for the wellbeing of its citizens. This approach, which encourages collaboration across various sectors, marks a significant leap forward in addressing one of the most pressing health challenges facing the country today: poor dietary habits.
Guyana, like many nations, grapples with rising rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, largely attributed to unhealthy eating patterns. Traditional strategies, often limited to public health campaigns and educational programmes, have struggled to make a substantial impact on dietary behaviour. Recognising the need for a more integrated approach, this newspaper reported that outgoing United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Guyana, Yasim Oruc, called on Government to strengthen collaboration in the area of food and nutrition by strategically implementing programmes that would better educate the public, particularly youths, about the physical and psychological benefits of consuming nutritious food.
The UN Resident Coordinator stated: “There is some crosssectoral work, and it's in your government's voluntary national review on the Sustainable Development Goals that we have the biggest difficulty in capturing things in SPG targets, where multiple agencies, multiple parts of government, need to contribute…at the FAO conference, the presentations made, not just for Guyana but for the region at large, is we're seeing new world problems in nutrition, from child obesity to other things like cardiovascular diseases, and I would love to see a movement, a coalition on nutrition.”
The success of this cross-sectoral initiative lies in its multifaceted approach. By engaging various sectors — such as agriculture, education, business, and community organizations — it should aim to create a holistic environment that promotes healthier eating habits. Some key components that would ensure its success would include supporting agricultural diversification and local food production. The initiative aims to make healthy foods more accessible to all Guyanese. Schools and educational institutions play a crucial role in shaping dietary habits from a young age. Integrating nutrition education into school curricula and promoting healthy meal options in school can help instill lifelong healthy eating habits in children. The food industry’s involvement is crucial for transforming dietary habits on a larger scale. By incentivizing businesses to offer healthier food options and transparently-labelled nutritional information, the initiative aims to make healthier choices easier and more appealing for consumers. Local community groups and organizations are pivotal in reaching individuals where they live. Grassroots efforts -- including cooking classes, health fairs, and community gardens -- can drive home the importance of healthy eating, and provide practical, actionable advice for improving diets.
While the initiative is promising, achieving meaningful change would require overcoming entrenched dietary habits and addressing barriers that limit access to healthy foods. Additionally, there must be a concerted effort to ensure that the benefits of this initiative reach all regions in Guyana.
The initiative’s emphasis on cross-sectoral collaboration can foster solutions. The cross-sectoral initiative to encourage healthier diets represents a progressive approach to public health. By integrating efforts across agriculture, education, business, and community organisations, Guyana is setting a powerful example of how coordinated action can foster a culture of health and wellness.
Speaking on the initiative, Agriculture Minister Zulfiqar Mustapha recently said that government is actively working to better streamline inter-sectorial collaboration to address blind spots.
The success of this initiative would not only be measured by improvements in dietary habits, but is crucial to maintain momentum, address challenges head-on, and continually adapt the strategy based on feedback and outcomes.
The victory of Bangladesh’s student movement should not surprise anyone
By Jennifer Chowdhury
Twenty-five-year-old Abu
Sayed, the son of a farmer and one of nine children, was a successful scholarship student at one of Bangladesh’s finest universities. He dreamed of one day securing a government job that would guarantee economic stability, and perhaps propel his family into upward mobility. But when the government introduced a new quota system that awarded the descendants of “freedom fighters” – the people who liberated Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971 – a shocking 30 percent of these highly coveted government jobs, his dreams were dashed.
Sayed knew that there are 18 million unemployed young people in Bangladesh at the moment, and he did not want to be part of this damning statistic once he graduated. So he became a lead coordinator in a countrywide movement to reform the quota system, which came to be known as “Students Against Discrimination”. At one protest, he stood some 15 metres (50 feet) away from the Bangladesh police and stretched his arms out in defiance.
They shot him dead.
The video of this blatant extrajudicial killing was shared like wildfire online, igniting a fire that brought hundreds and thousands of students across the country into the streets. Educators, lawyers, parents and rickshaw pullers joined them in solidarity, in anger and mourning over the death of Sayed and more than 200 other protesters who died at the hands of government-aligned student activists and armed forces.
Their efforts, and the real risks they took, were not in vain.
The High Court revised the quota system, assigning just seven percent of the jobs to the descendants of freedom fighters.
But even this massive concession did not prove enough to end the unrest. The violence inflicted on it had drastically changed the student movement. The students now wanted to achieve much more than merely fixing the quota system. They wanted meaningful, systemic change. They wanted a new government, and they wanted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign. To the shock of much of the world, their de-
mands were met earlier today. Recognising that she would not be able to break the resolve of the student movement – a movement that represents the very future of Bangladesh – Sheikh Hasina resigned from her post and hastily left the country in a military aircraft.
A student movement, led by idealistic youths like Abu Sayed, managed to get an autocrat who ruled the country with an iron fist for 15 years to escape without looking back after five short weeks. The success of this movement is the strongest proof that Bangladeshi people are no longer content with economic progress at the cost of human rights, free speech and democracy. Indeed, in the past decade, Bangladesh under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League flourished economically. But as the economy went from success to success, the government assumed that this meant it could trample on the civil rights and freedoms of the population with impunity, ban opposition parties and rule as it wished, with no respect or consideration for the country’s laws and global democratic norms.
Indeed, for 15 years, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina boasted at every chance she got about how she had slashed poverty in half in the least developing country, and used the country’s economic successes to divert attention from the large number of journalists and activists who were killed, jailed or disappeared for the sole crime of daring to criticise her government.
But Hasina’s attempt to present human rights abuses, oppression, corruption and inequality as an inevitable price that needs to be paid for economic prosperity was an attempt that massively backfired. In the last decade or so, as a new generation came of age in what is repeatedly described as a “prosperous country that is on the rise”, something started to change in the psyche of the nation.
Since Bangladesh secured its independence from Pakistan in 1971, youths in the country, traumatised by the violence inflicted on them and their elders by the Pakistani army, have largely been responding to the political imbalances and injustices that took hold in the newly founded republic in two ways: by trying to work within the sys-
tem, or leaving.
Indeed, a large number of Bangladeshis in my parents’ generation left the country in droves in the 80s and 90s for the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and even the Middle East in search of better futures. The ones who remained largely kept their heads low and refrained from resisting the government’s excesses. But in recent years, Gen Z Bangladeshis coming of age began to gravitate towards a third option. Unlike their parents, their dream and ambition was not to leave for the West, or stay and work the system. Their dream was to stay and reform the country. They were not willing to accept the human rights abuses of a corrupt government as the price they needed to pay for economic progress.
Between 2018 and 2020, I interviewed dozens of young people while working as a foreign correspondent in Bangladesh. Almost all of them were incredibly proud of the country’s rapid economic and technological progress, but were in despair over the declines in human rights and democracy. They loved their country, and they wanted to show their love by making things better, not staying silent.
At first glance, it seems the students miraculously toppled Hasina’s all-powerful government in five short weeks, but this revolution was years in the making. Those who participated in the student protests this year – those who gave up their lives – grew up watching the country prosper as the government became more and more authoritarian and abusive.
Many had spent almost all their young lives looking for ways to decouple economic progress from democratic degradation. In 2018, after a bus lost control and killed two teenagers, the road safety movement was born. Students demanded safer streets by taking over the streets for five days, checking licenses and directing traffic which is notoriously difficult to navigate in Bangladesh. That same year, a student movement successfully led to the overturn of the quota system. In 2019, they took to the streets in droves after a student was killed by pro-government activists for his Facebook post criticising the government.
Throughout all these movements, students saw for them-
selves how the government often blamed opposition parties for the violence perpetrated against protesters, even though government’s own student wing was often responsible for it. They also saw how their elders and those in power pointed to economic successes of the nation as a reason to be supportive of the current government’s actions and policies. Time and again, their revolutionary spirits were disheartened. Yet as they went from teenagers to young people in their mid 20s, they expanded their knowledge and maturity while managing to keep their passion alive. They wanted to free Bangladesh from its suffocating government and help it reach its true potential – as a democratic nation that respects and protects the rights of all its citizens.
Today, after five weeks of bloodshed, pain, fear and heartache, they achieved their dream. Young Bangladeshis are now in charge of the country and perhaps for the first time in their lives, they have reason to be hopeful for the future.
Sure, there will now be a caretaker government overseen by the Bangladeshi army. Some people are worried about this prospect, as in the past, such governments proved not ideal for protecting human rights and furthering democracy. But student leaders, who brought us to this moment, have already vowed that they will make sure this interim government will not be like any the country has seen before. They promised they will make sure this new government does not step out of line and does not take power away from the people. And I know they will hold to their word, because this is their country, their future, and their lifelong dream that they risked all they ever had to achieve.
This revolution is a clear message from youths to those who have long held on to and abused power, not only in Bangladesh, but across the world. Your time is over. Members of a new generation – not willing to give up on their rights, and ready to fight for justice at great personal cost – are now in charge. Change is now inevitable. We must all get on board, or get off the train. (Al Jazeera)
(Jennifer Chowdhury is a freelance journalist who reports on South Asian and Muslim communities all over the world)
Dear Editor, Bob Marley sang, “Better to die fighting for freedom than be a prisoner all the days of your life.” Despite gaining independence from Great Britain in 1966 to claim sovereignty, Guyana was denied the blessings of what true deliverance meant to be relieved from the grasp of the colonial masters. Guyanese ended up in the clutches of a callous conniver who morphed to become a corrupt criminal, until his ironic death in 1985. But he became an iconic sore sight for those who think they will survive from an end in order to live forever.
Guyanese had to endure to fight an internal battle to remove the knee of despotism from the necks of Guyanese, as the tyranny of the PNC led by dictator Burnham suffocated any hope of democracy. After 28 years of gruesome PNC hardship, Guyana was able to breathe a sigh of relief and strive towards recovery for the next 23 years under the astute leadership of the PPP/C government.
J R R Tolkein wrote, “Not all those who wander are lost.”
Dr. Cheddi Jagan, who was banished for 28 years by the PNC to “Banbas,” returned successfully with the
PPP in 1992 to reclaim the Government, after winning the much challenging election in 1992. A much-demurred President Hoyte had to rescind the PNC’s ruthless reluctancy and venomous violence, and caved in to the US advice to recognize and accept the unquestionable winner (the PPP), as the new Administrator.
Former US President Jimmy Carter himself led the Carter team to observe the election and to deal with the PNC” “hooliganism,” as the PNC Party took to the streets in Georgetown with their thugs engaged in illegal activities to protest and prevent Dr. Jagan and the PPP from being declared the new government.
In that perilous period, Hoyte and the PNC were in the safety net of all the armed forces, and the PPP protection was poignantly precarious. But a call from Carter to his President, George Bush, straightened the wavering and intolerable vehemence of the diabolic PNC.
The texture of emancipation changed with a different shade of freedom in 2015 when Granger and his PNC party narrowly recouped the governance by winning a questionable election -- a challenged result which re-
mains unheard in the court to date. From 2015 to 2020, the irascible PNC party absconded from the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
Instead, they unleashed a path of archaic animosity and executed a plan of destruction from day one, much to the chagrin of Guyanese, especially those from their embarrassed constituents. Crowning themselves with loyalty to royalty, the impoverished PNC band of imposters improvised the art of deceit to disfigure the 23 years of PPP/C glorious gains and to generate the next five years in glamorous galore for only the boys and girls in the PNC Party.
A positive three-letter potent word, “yes,” from one of their own (not their kit and kin), brought them to their trembling knees and back to their crumbling world, as their cushioned blanket was miraculously yanked from under their firm feet in December 2018.
Guyana is currently in the mood for Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. This state of mind has not changed the stage since 2nd August, 2020, when the PPP/C government was
Dear Editor, Allow me the space to add my few cents in response to Mr. Lincoln Lewis’s recent letter on the state of freedom and development of Afro-Guyanese.
Contrary to Mr Lewis’s assertions, I have seen serious efforts by this government to ensure that AfroGuyanese benefit equally from the nation’s resources. Some of these efforts manifest themselves in government scholarships, skills training, the distribution of house lots, increases in salaries and benefits for public sector employees, and various cash grants such as the “Because We Care” grant for every school-aged child. Additionally, the government has empowered Afro-Guyanese through numerous business opportunities and job creation, including positions within the Cabinet, as Permanent Secretaries and as heads of various government agencies. More Afro-Guyanese businesses — small, medium, and large — have been established, and continue to thrive under the PPP/C administration than during the tenure of Lewis’s party.
The government’s com-
mitment to economic empowerment is evident in the creation of initiatives aimed at fostering business development and supporting entrepreneurs within AfroGuyanese communities.
The distribution of Emancipation funds to all Afro-Guyanese groups and the active participation of President Ali and his Cabinet members in Emancipation celebrations across the country show, in my view, the government’s dedication to honouring and uplifting Afro-Guyanese culture and heritage. Unlike previous administrations, the current government has demonstrated a consistent presence and engagement in these significant cultural events. Further, numerous communities across the country have benefitted from unprecedented investment in roads, recreational spaces, and other infrastructure. But more so, communities inhabited by Afro-Guyanese, in which the opposition gains significant support, have benefitted. Sophia, Albouystown, East and West Ruimveldt in Georgetown, along with communities in New Amsterdam and Linden are
sworn in legally to legitimately manage the affairs of the country, after convincingly winning the General and Regional Elections as per the will of the people. But this subtle subtlety may become unsettled as, daily, insurgents internally and externally, attempt to tarnish the image of the country, the government and the people.
Miscreants undermine the peace, progress and prosperity of the people and nation by peddling false information.
It was an uphill task to win the 2020 mother-of-all elections because, the former PNC Government attempted to rig the election in front the eyes of the whole, wide world, and even refused to vacate their seats even after a recount of the votes validated the PPP/C victory. It was the diligence and vigilance of an entire international community which brought the PNC to its defeat and ordered them to do the right thing by respecting the law and acknowledging their loss by conceding.
From day two in August 2020, a rejuvenated, young and fully composed President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, after being sworn-in, hit the ground running and not walking, started working and not skylarking, and became proactive and not passive. With the constraints of a pandemic, provoking priority, the consternation of a pilfered Treasury, supporting bankruptcy, the contamination of a pampered bureaucracy, accruing uneasiness and, the corruption of a pained PNC, brewing vengeance, the knitted PPP/C Executive, functioned as a united team determined to overcome all obstacles and impediments. They were prepared for the worst scenario as reality slowly but surely unfolded as the days to come went by.
Man is culpable of making major mistakes and capable of minimizing instead of maximizing mistakes.
Mahatma Gandhi confirmed, “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”
The PPP/C government has
achieved most of their promises made in their 2020 election campaign. Their manifesto is almost exhausted with all the projects they have accomplished in their 4-year transformative execution which has catapulted Guyana to unsurmountable heights, envied by the rest of the world. The PPP/C has abstained from duplicating the mistakes undertaken by the PNC during their 5 years of pompous and bombastic reign of arrogant irritability. The PPP/C has been on the defence, and not to offend the nation by slipping through the cracks. Armed with the suite of resilience and the tool of vision, President Ali and the PPP/C Government have managed to harness the confidence of the country and win the worthiness of the world to establish freedom, justice, honour and hope, as a dutiful servant and patriotic party to this nation and the people, for a “One Guyana.”
Yours respectfully, Jai
Lall
Dear Editor,
It is time that we start publicly honouring our icons. I am proposing that our progressive infrastructure, which includes a number of roundabouts, be used to mount statues recognizing our icons.
In cases where there are many to honour, busts could, in some categories, be done and placed in a circle at these roundabouts.
but a few that come to mind.
A point to note is that while Lewis paints a façade of concern for the interests of Afro-Guyanese, he sought to bully an entire AfroGuyanese community from land they own and occupied for decades. In fact, he was even charged for assaulting a few of them.
Lewis’s party, while in government, increased land rental fees by as much as 400% in some instances, placing severe hardships on many Afro-Guyanese farmers without even a squeak of objection from Lewis. It is this very government that reversed that increase, in addition to the increases in over 200 taxes and fees imposed by his party while in government, which brought untold suffering on Guyanese of all ethnicities.
This PPP/C government, led by Dr Irfaan Ali, has done way more for all Guyanese, inclusive of AfroGuyanese, in the short period that it is in office. Way more than Lewis’s party has done for the 33 years it has held the reins of government.
Sincerely,
Brian Azore
Our streets could be renamed from first, second, third etc. with iconic Guyanese names.
Roundabouts would be ideal for serving this purpose, featuring our singers, creative writers, poets, sculptures and artists. These names immediately come to mind: Dave Martins, Martin Carter, Arthur Seymour, Edgar Mittelholzer, Sheik Sadeek, Rooplal Monar, Lynette and Celeste Dolphin, Billy Pilgrim, Philip Moore and George Simon; they have made significant contributions to our cultural landscape.
Take a leaf from the book of Barbados. All their roundabouts are named after iconic Barbadians.
The government could identify a committee to get this going. Indeed, some of our icons are still with us.
For instance, Dave Martins hails from Region Three. A new roundabout just beyond the Demerara Harbour Bridge on the West Demerara Coast has been recently completed. How fitting it would be to put a statue of Dave at the roundabout. His song ‘Not a
blade of Grass’ has become almost our second National Anthem in defence of our territorial integrity of the Essequibo region. Why not a statue of its creator to remind us of his enormous contribution? I look forward to our government giving this proposal serious consideration.
Yours sincerely, Gem MadhooNascimento
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2024
06:00 (Sign on) Inspiration Time
Cartoons
Evening News (RB)
Indian Soaps
Young Sheldon S2 E8
Kickin' It S4 E18
Insecure S5 E7
Use the chart below to help you convert customary units to metric units. The values may not be exact in all cases but approximations. Milk and fruit juices sometimes include labels that express their liquid volume in fluid ounces. 1 fluid ounce = 29.574 millilitres.
By Joyce Kilmer
3 yards = how many millimetres?
Step 1: Find yards on the chart above: 1 yard = 0.914 metre
Step 2: Multiply 3 x 0.914 = 2.742m.
Step 3: Multiply the number of metres x 1000 to find millimetres: 2.742m x 1000 = 2742mm
So 3 yards = 2742mm
Exercises: Calculate
When the thread shows that the air is separating away from the shape, this indicates a position where the airflow is transitioning from laminar (smooth layers) to turbulent (swirling).
The thread should be seen to move away from the shape if airflow becomes separated (shapes 1 and 2). It should be seen to stay quite close to shape 3, indicating that the airflow is attached. If the airflow separates, the air pressure will be lower in the zone of separation. This shows where a region of low pressure will be. This region of low pressure is the cause of pressure drag.
Discussion questions
• What shapes cause the airflow to separate from the surface the most?
• What shapes cause the airflow to separate from the surface the least? (Adapted from www.sciencelearn.org)
Finding shapes that reduce separation to keep the airflow close to the surface will reduce this zone of low pressure and so will reduce drag.
I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast; A tree that looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray; A tree that may in summer wear A nest of robins in her hair; Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree.
Source: Poetry (Poetry)
The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) was able to secure $47.9 Million in compensation for consumers in 2023, but with an overall decrease of 30.81 per cent in complaints received last year, the commission is optimistic that service providers are making strides in quality of service.
According to the commission in a recent report, PUC received 256 complaints last year. Out of this amount, 224 (87.5 per cent) of these
complaints were resolved by the commission. As a result of these resolutions, $47.9 million in compensation went into the hands of Guyanese consumers.
Considering the fact that the PUC received 370 complaints in 2022, the complaints received last year are a 30.81 per cent decrease. Complaints filed against the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company Inc (GTT) and the Guyana Power & Light Inc (GPL) decreased by 31.45 per cent
(from 159 to 109 complaints) and 41.78 per cent (from 146 to 85 complaints) respectively.
“Meanwhile, the number of complaints against E-Networks Inc (ENet) and Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) remained consistent at 2 and 60 respectively. The Commission in the reporting year did not receive complaints against U-Mobile (Cellular) Inc. (Digicel),” PUC said in its report.
“The decline in overall complaints against service
Campbellville
Secondary School is set to receive a major upgrade with the construction of a new teaching block valued at $143.9 million.
On Tuesday, Education Minister, Priya Manickchand, officially launched the project on with a sod turning ceremony at the school’s construction site.
providers suggests changes in the quality of service provided and consumer satisfaction levels. Whilst there was a decrease in the number of complaints received by the Commission, matters regarding technical issues remain the highest number of complaints in 2023 at 41 per cent.”
In a further break down, PUC said that 31 per cent of the complaints received were for billing issues, while 12 per cent represented matters concerning tampering with the service. The remaining 16 per cent of complaints received concerned applications, disconnections, compensations, reconnections, terminations and transfer of service.
It was revealed that PUC approached GPL seeking to have it change its Standard Operating Procedures for compensating customers for damaged appliances. This was after a forensic examination of the compensation complaints received in 2023.
As of 2024, PUC reported that the GPL was still scrutinising the proposal and they expressed hope that the proposal could be implemented in 2024
“During the year in review a total of $14,387,133 was awarded to consumers who filed complaints with the Commission. This sum represents compensation for damage to appliances, adjustments for billing errors, penalties for breach of service standards and reimbursements for services which were not provided.”
“Additionally, for cases filed before the year under review but resolved in 2023 credit adjustments and compensation were also awarded. This resulted in the sum of $47,913,418 awarded to consumers during the year 2023,” the commission added.
The PUC, guided by the Public Utilities Commission Act No 26 of 1990, came into effect on October 1, 1990. The Act was amended in
1991, 1994 and 1999. The PUC is tasked with regulating utilities and service providers, including GTT, GPL, GWI, and Digicel. In the past, it had to level fines against certain utility providers.
It was only on Monday that Dr. Nanda Gopaul was sworn in as new Chairman of the PUC by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, who also disclosed plans to strengthen the agency’s regulatory framework.
The PUC is empowered by several Acts, including the Public Utilities Commission Act, the Guyana Energy Agency Act, the Electricity Sector Reform Act, and the Telecommunications Act. These laws mandate the PUC to regulate, investigate and enforce standards that maintain the delicate balance between consumer protection and investor interests.
In outlining the various functions of the PUC, President Ali stressed that the Commission is also required to ensure that every public utility maintains its property and equipment in such condition that enables service that is adequate, efficient, non-discriminatory, affordable, and safe.
On this point, the Head of State further underscored the need for expansion as it relates to the upskilling of personnel within the agency. Aside from strengthening the regulatory framework of the PUC to enhance Guyana’s economic competitiveness, President Ali also emphasised the need for regular outreaches and engagements to far-flung communities in the hinterland and across the coastland. (G3)
The new teaching block will include eight modern classrooms, two sanitary blocks, and a dedicated staff room, significantly enhancing the learning environment for students and providing improved facilities for teachers. The contract for this project has been awarded to Kaiveri Construction Inc, with an expected completion timeline of 11 months.
Manickchand expressed her enthusiasm for the project, highlighting its importance in the Ministry’s broader strategy to upgrade educational infrastructure nationwide. “We are thrilled about this development,”
said Minister Manickchand. “It represents a significant step forward in our efforts to provide high-quality education and better facilities for our students and teachers.”
She noted that this investment underscores the ministry’s commitment to improving educational infrastructure across the country.
Just to make sure you don’t miss it, this Friday’s gonna be “International Day of Indigenous Peoples”. (IDIP). Now, don’t confuse this with “Amerindian Heritage Month” – that’s a local commemoration that we observe. On the other hand, the UN has declared that the world commemorates IDIP every year on Aug 9. And if nothing else, it should make you think a little outside of the box – here, our little Guyana box – about Indigenous Peoples the world over. And that’s the point, isn’t it?? You have to THINK about Indigenous Peoples – even though they were the first peoples EVERYWHERE - because they aren’t dominant enough ANYWHERE to have them on your mind unprompted.
Sadly, in the consciousness of most folks here, they’re like the forest, in which most of them live – just there. But think about it: the world was theirs until the rest of us moved in!! So, today, you have 500 million of them pushed to the periphery of whichever society you think about - and 7.5 billion “others” dominating them. But hold it!! Didn’t the rest of US come from somewhere?? Weren’t we “indigenous” there??
Ultimately, all of us came out of Africa, right?? So, we’re all indigenous to Africa! But that’s not how the powers-that-be classify us, do they?? From where your Eyewitness sits, it seems like “Indigenous” refers to those who remained in the forests or whatever parts of the world that no one else wants to live!! So, by definition, being “indigenous” simply means “underdeveloped” by all that “development” means today.
And that’s something else, ain’t it?? Did you realise that, even in Europe, there’s an “Indigenous” group?? That’s right – the Laplanders or Sami people, who’ve been pushed to the very top of Northern Europe. There are less than 80,000 of them left, but, believe it or not, they have the same gripes that the Aboriginals of Australia have against those descendants of British convicts who took over THAT continent.
Over in India, Indigenous Peoples were elated when one of their 100 million was elected President. But they’re still the poorest of the poor, and are scorned as, say, the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, or Africa, or anywhere else are!! In Africa, we’ve heard about the Pygmies, haven’t we?? Or, in Canada, the Innuits? Or the Incas of Peru or the Aztecs of Mexico.
Shouldn’t we begin to think of them every day of the year?? Just think if the Venezies take us over, and then maybe we’ll earn the moral right to complain about the injustices on “us”??
…that Deep Water Harbour
That Deep Water Harbour (DWH) in the mouth of the Berbice River has to be rivalling that Highway from Linden to Lethem in terms of how long we’ve been waiting for them to become reality. But, at long last, the bids are out for the Linden to Mabura leg of the Highway!! Sadly, CGX – which had stepped up to the crease as part of the development of their oil concessions off the Berbice coast – seem to’ve lost the plot!
They were killing two birds with one stone – using it as a shore base and also for shipping rice etc. - and charging fees for the service. But it appears that after going as far as clearing the land and building a road, etc… the project just can’t get off the ground. (Forgive the pun!!)
The VP has said they’ve given up on CGX and all their promises, but your Eyewitness had been wondering whether the location of the Deep Water Harbour wasn’t ill-conceived from the beginning. Crab Island is INSIDE the Bar on the Berbice River – and large ships were never gonna be able to dock at that dock they built!!
The VP pointed out we may need a causeway into the ocean!!
…Bangladesh
For decades, Bangladesh was the poster child for poverty and hunger. But recently, things have been improving - under the leadership of Sheik Hasina. But facing protests for her “iron rule”, she’s had to flee. Army rule over “iron rule”??
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Tuesday announced that Assistant Commissioner Khali Pareshram has been appointed as the new Head of the Strategic Planning Unit (SPU) removing him as Commander of Regional Police Division 4’C’. According to the GPF, in this role, Pareshram will oversee the development and implementation of long-term strategic plans.
On Tuesday, the GPF said that Senior Superintendent Michael Kingston has been assigned as the Commander of Regional Police Division 4’C’. Kingston’s new role involves overseeing policing operations in the region.
Additionally, Superintendent Nicola Kendall has been named Head of Strategic Implementation for Police Reform.
A‘Cordon and Search’ exercise by police in Regional Division Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) led to the arrest of two persons at Bartica Market/ Arcade on Monday. The operation resulted in the seizure of cocaine and marijuana.
According to Police, during the exercise, officers conducted a search of the home of a 27-year-old businessman residing on Fifth Avenue, Bartica. In his residence, police discovered a transparent plastic bag containing a whitish rock-like substance suspected to be cocaine, which was found on top of a wardrobe in the bedroom. The man allegedly admitted ownership of the substance. Additionally, offi-
cers seized $30,760, believed to be proceeds from narcotics sales, as well as lighters and zip-lock bags. The suspected cocaine weighed 24 grams. The man was arrested and taken into custody at Bartica Police Station pending charges.
In a separate search, police searched a stall belonging a 27-year-old from 5th
Street, Bartica. Ranks found leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be cannabis hidden in clothing. The suspected cannabis, which was weighed at the police station, amounted to nine grams. The man was also arrested and is in custody pending further investigation.
In July several changes were made in the command structure of the GPF, which was cited as a move to implement a series of significant changes aimed at enhancing efficiency and building capacity within the force. These reassignments, the GPF had stated were designed to strengthen leadership and drive forward key reforms including its strategic plan.
On July 5, the GPF announced that three senior ranks were rotated to foster efficiency within the or-
ganisation. In addition, this shake-up, according to the GPF is necessary as part of the modernisation plan for the force.
Deputy Commissioner ‘Administration’ Calvin Brutus was reassigned as Head the Special Branch while Deputy Commissioner ‘Operations’ Ravindradat Budhram was placed charge of ‘Administration’. In addition, the Head of the Special Branch, Assistant Commissioner Errol Watts has taken over operational duties from Brutus.
However, after the news broke about the shake-up, the GPF had initially stated that: “Relative to several so-
cial media posts and online news reports about a ‘shakeup’ in the top brass of the Guyana Police Force, please note that the rotation of officers is a management tool that is used to create and foster efficiency in an organisation.”
The GPF’s Strategic Plan 2022-2026 is geared at transforming the law enforcement organisation into a contemporary one through the development of its human resources and other capabilities at levels.
Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn had stated that in order to implement the strategic plan, officers must have the right attitude and mindset.
“There’s a lot of things going for contemporary policing interventions in relation to information technology and in particular training, but it will all go to naught if you have the physical assets and the vehicles and the best legally trained and other trained managers…nothing matters if, at the middle level, the purpose, the willingness, the activity, and the direction do not integrate [with] what has to happen at the bottom in terms of actions to guarantee security.”
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM
Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton and Alliance for Change Member of Parliament Sherod Duncan have been cited by the Integrity Commission for failure to declare their assets in compliance with Section 19 of the Integrity Commission Act.
Published in the Official Gazette on August, the Commission said that, as of July 30, 2024, numerous public officials failed to submit their required declarations for the 2023 period (June 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023). Those include officials from various regions, ministries, and councils. Among those who failed to submit their declarations were Member of Pparliament Dineshwar Jaiprashad; Head of Committees - National Assembly, Sonia Maxwell; Director of Consumer Affairs, Muriel TinnisDuke; numerous regional councillors and officers from Regions One through 10, including Region 7 Chairman Kenneth Orville Williams, and several former mayors and town clerks from various town councils. Additionally, Former
CEO of Guyana Power & Light Inc, Bharrat Dindyal; Chairman of the Guyana Revenue Authority, Saisnarine Kowlessar; and several members from the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board and the Judicial Service Commission are on the list.
The Integrity Commission has since issued a stern reminder for persons to submit their 2023 Declaration Forms by September 2, 2024. According to the Commission, failure to comply would result in penalties as stipulated in Section
22 of the Commission’s Act No. 1997. This includes a fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for up to one year. Additionally, continued non-compliance would incur an extra fine of $10,000 for each day the offence persists.
Last year, when several senior Government servants and officials were flagged for failing to submit their declarations to the Integrity Commission, Government had taken a stance that, should those persons remain incompliant, they would be asked to leave their jobs.
The government has gazetted the order to increase the excise tax applied to vehicles imported by re-migrants.
The order was published on July 30, a day after the High Court had ruled that the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) was unlawfully applying the increased rates to re-migrants.
The order, signed by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with the Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr. Ashni Singh, states that the Excise Tax (Amendment) Regulations 2024 shall be deemed to come into operation on September 1, 2023.
Under the order, re-migrants are now required to pay five per cent excise tax on vehicles of less than 1800cc, 10 per cent excise tax on vehicles 1801-2000cc, 20% excise tax on vehicles 2001cc3000cc and 30 per cent on vehicles above 3000cc.
Since July 2023, the GRA had been applying the new rates to re-migrants.
On July 29, Chief Justice Roxane George ruled that the GRA was acting unlawfully.
The matter came about after re-migrant Aditya
Basdeo sued the GRA.
It was reported that on April 8, 2024, the Commissioner General of the GRA, Godfrey Statia, had written Basdeo that he was given duty free concessions as a re-migrant. However, Statia required that Basdeo pay 30 per cent excise taxes on his new generation 2023 Toyota Landcruiser vehicle.
Basdeo took issue with this and caused his attorney to write the GRA on 15th April, 2024 explaining that there was a problem because the correct and proper excise tax rate was 10 per cent. In Basdeo’s case the 10 per cent was equivalent to over $1,500,000 but the GRA was insisting that he pay nearly $4,600,000 – a difference of $3,100,000 in illegal taxes. The GRA never responded and on 28th May, 2024 Basdeo caused his attorney, Siand Dhurjon, to sue the GRA.
The GRA’s Deputy Commissioner, Gavin Low, had subsequently responded by saying that regulations of 10th July, 2023 tripled the rate of excise taxes payable from 10 per cent to 30 per cent.
However, when the matter came up for hearing be-
fore the Chief Justice on July 29, counsel for the GRA, Nicklin Belgrave, reported that the tax body made a mistake because they realised that the Minister of Finance had merely signed the regulations of July 2023 but the regulations were not duly brought into force by being published in the Official Gazette or being tabled in the National Assembly.
The Chief Justice had ruled that GRA’s policy of requiring 30 per cent excise taxes was unlawful and she granted an order of certiorari quashing Statia’s assessment of 30 per cent excise taxes. The Judge also granted an order of mandamus to compel the GRA to apply the correct excise tax of 10 per cent. The Judge granted an order that Basdeo’s 2023 Landcruiser must be released to him forthwith upon payment of the correct excise taxes.
Basdeo’s Landcruiser had come into Guyana on 28th June, 2024 and has been on the wharf racking up storage costs ever since. The Chief Justice ordered that the GRA was to pay the storage costs as well as the costs of the lawsuit in a specified sum to Basdeo.
are
– Opposition Leader …says a PNC govt would downsize sugar industry
Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton has revealed that a People’s National Congress (PNC)-led administration would not support expansion of the sugar industry.
“I believe that sugar has to be produced in limited quantities. The task therefore is ours to find alternative employment for the people in the sugar industry. I don’t think you should close it and leave them without employment,” Norton has contended. He was at the time being interviewed by Dr Asquith Rose on the Globespan 24X7 programme on Monday. Under the David Granger-led APNU/AFC government, the administration had closed four sugar estates across the country, sending some 7000-plus workers on the breadline. In 2016, the Wales Estate was closed, and the following year, the Enmore, Rose Hall and Skeldon Estates were also shut down.
So far, the new Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) administration has reopened the Rose Hall Estate and rehired hundreds of workers, while efforts are underway to reopen the Skeldon Estate.
There are plans to convert the Enmore Estate
into a sugar refinery, while the Wales Estate has been converted into the Wales Development Authority.
Through government’s investments, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has made significant strides towards mechanization, and President Dr Irfaan Ali has revealed plans to pursue the production of organic sugar.
With an investment of $8.1 billion in 2023 to advance revitalisation efforts of the sugar industry, Guyana has seen a massive 28 percent, or 13,155 metric tonnes’ increase, in sugar production compared to 47,049 metric tonnes in 2022. This has been highlighted by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha
during the ministry’s yearend review.
Norton, however, believes there is no future for sugar in Guyana.
“I’ve been engaging people in diaspora and at home at some of the ideas we have for dealing with that issue in Regions 6, 5, and 3, and there are other forms of employment that can be found for the people there while at the same time having the sugar industry at the right size and seeking to make it as viable as it could be in the present international and national context,” he has said.
The Opposition Leader added, “Our approach has to be one in which we create [alternate] employment and bring the sugar industry to the size that is best suitable.”
Additionally, he has assured that a PNC government “will not go and just close sugar factories” –though this is what the former PNC-led APNU+AFC administration had done.
Meanwhile, according to Norton, the current government’s investments in the sugar industry are wasteful.
“The government, whether we like it or not, is throwing money down a hole,” he has said.
With just two days remaining until the highly anticipated International Building Expo 2024, Demerara Bank Limited is poised to provide eligible persons with immediate approvals for their home and car loans.
On Tuesday, the bank said that this initiative is a bid to facilitate faster and more affordable homeownership as the bank continues to introduce several attractive financing options at the expo. It also aims to provide unmatched convenience for all expo attendees.
annum. Loans between $9M and $20M carry a rate of 5.7 per cent per annum. For amounts above $20M and up to $30M, the rate is 6.9% per annum. For loans
On the heels of this also comes whoppingly low Interest rates, as the bank is offering competitive interest rates on home loans using the reducing balance method. These interest rates start as low as 3.5 per cent per annum for loans up to $4M. For loans above $4M and up to $9M, the rate is 3.7 per cent per
exceeding $30M, the interest rate is eight per cent per annum.
According to the bank, the rates are designed to make homeownership more affordable and accessible.
Additionally, Demerara Bank is offering flexible payment terms. Qualified applicants can enjoy repayment terms of up to
30 years, providing a stable and manageable payment plan. Extra benefits include a 50 per cent discount on legal fees and a waiver of all processing fees for applications made at the booth, making it even more convenient and cost-effective to secure a new home loan.
The release added that there will be no anticipatory interest stating, “Demerara Bank ensures that customers face no penalties for early repayment, allowing them to pay off their loans ahead of schedule without incurring additional charges.”
Meanwhile, the bank said that as growth goes into the exclusive home loan promotion, it is also offering an exciting promotion where 10 lucky winners will receive amazing prizes, including six months of installments paid by the bank, home furnishings for four winners, and a $100,000 repayment on five credit cards. These rates are designed to make homeownership more affordable and accessible.
The bank said on Tuesday that it is also pleased to highlight its DBL VISA Credit Cards range of credit card services. Attendees at
Building Expo 2024 can learn about the benefits of Demerara Bank’s Visa credit cards, which offer competitive interest rates, attractive rewards, and enhanced purchasing power.
Existing borrowers
The bank also said that it remains dedicated to supporting its existing borrowers and presented the
EquiLoan, a groundbreaking product designed to help homeowners leverage the equity in their property for long-term financing.
“This innovative solution is perfect for those looking to transition from short-term interim financing to a stable, long- term option. The EquiLoan offers the flexibility needed for various purposes, including purchasing a new
car, renovating a home, furnishing a living space, or financing education expenses,” the release stated.
In addition to its loan and credit card services, Demerara Bank will provide a range of other services at its booth. These include accepting new account requests and handling general banking inquiries. (G2)
Police in Regional Division 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice)
dismantled a large-scale cannabis operation during an 'Eradication Exercise'
conducted between Wiruni and St. Lust in the Berbice River. The operation resulted in the destruction of a substantial cannabis farm and associated
equipment, police said on Tuesday.
Reports are that ranks discovered the cannabis farm spanning approximately three acres. The farm contained some 250 beds, each supporting 50 cannabis plants, with the plants ranging in height from four to six feet. In total, the operation targeted 12,500 cannabis plants, with an estimated average
weight of 27,500 kg and a street value $3,875,531.
Additionally, a nursery containing about 25,200 plants and approximately 140 pounds of dried cannabis was also found and destroyed. Two makeshift camps, which included four hammocks, kitchen utensils, and various groceries, were set ablaze along with the cannabis plants.
Guyana on right road –unity will determine how rapidly we get to destination
The curtains are about to come down on the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Each one of our athletes represented Guyana with pride, and we are grateful that we were able to watch them compete at the very highest level in sports. Just to be able to qualify is a distinction, and, as Guyanese, we must be proud that several of our young people made it to Paris. Medal or no medal, we could not be prouder of our athletes. We know that the future looks bright for our young sportsmen and women.
With better facilities and more support from Government, we are certain that future Olympics will see Guyana bringing home medals.
Budget 2024 provided $5B for sports development. New facilities in Regions 2, 3, 4, 6 and 10, and upgrading of facilities in other regions send the right signal that the GoG is serious about sports development.
Guyana is on the road to a better place. From a Highly-Poor-Indebted Country (HIPC) in the early 1990s, Guyana is now a high middle-income country. The country is beginning to look different. Our infrastructure is rapidly changing. Opportunities for better and higher education are abundant, and few countries can boast of the many opportunities for education and training. There are more opportunities for employment, business, home ownership, vehicle ownership, etc. Guyana is different, and we are no longer the basket-case of CARICOM. CARICOM now looks to Guyana for leadership. With the 25 X 25 agriculture revolution, Guyana is set to finally prove that we are the bread basket of CARICOM.
As we look at the world coming together in Paris, we recognize that, as a people, we must walk with the same unity we showed as we stood behind our athletes. With One Guyana, we can navigate to a better place for our country, a far better place than most would have dreamt of in 2000.
It takes a leap of faith sometimes.
When Janet Jagan as President and her cabinet gave generous terms to attract explorers to Guyana, she demonstrated vision. Unlike many others, she and her government did not give up hope that Guyana’s natural resources include oil and gas. Exxon and partners took up an offer when the entire oil and gas industry shunned Guyana. When the Government smartly signed the Exploration Agreement, they knew fully well that the generous offer can lead to a lucrative future for our country. That leap of faith, that vision, has paid off.
Even with the bad deal that the then PNC-led APNU/AFC government signed, Guyana is benefitting from the deal, and we can benefit even more.
That we will be a developed country is no longer an impossible dream; it is inevitable. Whether we reach there quickly or we reach there with sloth is up to us as a people. United, we will get there quickly. Divided, we will eventually make it there, disgustingly slow, but with too many wounds and disappointments. It is the reason why One Guyana is so important.
Back in 1999, I witnessed the swearing in of the then young Finance Minister of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo, as our President. He quickly released a paper on building trust. Our politicians must learn to trust each other. This in no way means we must agree on everything. Indeed, in a vibrant democracy, we must have different ideas, views, approaches to solving issues and to make our country better. For example, how we rapidly transform sports so that we can ensure Guyanese bring home medals from the Olympics can generate competing ideas and vision. But unless we trust each other, the milieu in which these ideas can simmer and be thoughtfully and meaningfully incorporated into national policies remains remote.
The trust issue is one of Guyana’s biggest problems. It is not just politicians trusting each other; it is also a question of people trusting the politicians. One of the most unpopular policy decisions the previous government took was to impose a 2am curfew. They never acknowledged that the policy was a failed one. Now, in addressing a problem that Guyana faces – the rising road fatality and disability problem – the AFC politicians again threatened to impose this failed policy if they get back into government. Talk about being tone-deaf.
The backlash has been instantly fierce, forcing them to back-pedal. This same group of politicians had removed the Because We Care cash grant to school children and placed VAT on electricity and water. But they now propose a policy to share out 10.5% of the oil revenues. They did not tell the Guyanese people what that meant. As the VP pointed out, at the present rate of oil revenue generation, that gives Guyanese about G$35,000, or less than US$200 annually. The school children in 2025 will be getting $50,000 per year, and that is not sharing out oil money.
Sometimes we speak grandiosely to intentionally fool people. A political leader telling Guyanese that they will pass a law to share out 10.5% of all oil revenues sounds great, until you do the math. That is how people got fooled in 2011 and 2015. Sugar workers were promised 20% annual pay increases, rice farmers $9,000 per bag of paddy; and, in 2015, public servants were promised dramatic pay increases. The sugar workers, public servants and rice farmers got nothing in five years. The same government that had money to give themselves hefty pay increases told the public servants that the country was bankrupt and they must wait their turn. This is the conundrum we face – how can we talk to each other trusting that we all mean well.
It is why the court matter involving election rigging matters. Can we trust those in charge of our elections? Trust is critical for building unity. Unity will accelerate our development.
Govt still
The Government, through the Education Ministry, is still aggressively working to overcome and close, in the education system, gaps which were cause by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Education Minister Priya Manickchand, Guyana is finally climbing out of the COVID-19 slump, but there are still some challenges hindering the nation’s children from preforming at their best. In this regard, she disclosed that strategic programmes are being implemented to address the learning loss experienced during
the two-year period.
It has been noted that most of the interventions are tailored for high school students in Grades 10 and 11, given that Guyana is working cohesively with the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) to increase the overall regional performance in crucial topics such as Mathematics.
Last year, the region recorded a 43 per cent pass rate, compared to 37 per cent
in 2022, while Guyana independently recorded a pass rate of 34 percent for 2023 and 2022.
“We believe that we have some interventions that will make a difference, and very soon you will see us rolling that out. For one, all children at Grades 10 and 11that would be fourth and fifth form - will receive certain materials, including Geometry sets, calculators, graph books, mathematics text books, past
papers, guidance to websites about where they can access enforcement, and lessons every afternoon through our distance education means,” Manickchand has explained.
“It’s not only the books; it’s the retraining (of) teach-
at the appropriate levels,” she added.
The issue of low performance in Mathematics has long plagued the region; however, the Caribbean is determined to address the longstanding challenge at the primary and secondary school levels. In fact, Guyana has begun curating learning materials specific to the nation’s children to aid in eliminating the issue.
Manickchand explained that this particular intervention is actively being pursued, not only for Mathematics, but also for English Language.
“We have to start seeing more children being able to read at grade level. So, we are looking at, and currently creating material that will change our literacy rates. What we want is that, by Grade 3, every child is a reader, and reading and comprehending, cause it’s knowing what you’re read-
ers, it’s the involvement (of) parents, and the constant monitoring and evaluation as we go along to make sure that children are gaining the skills that they are supposed to gain
ing. We believe it can happen, we believe it has to come with a dedication from the teachers and the person who are supervising those teachers,” the Minister has posited.
The power supply for residents of Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) was expected to be restored on Tuesday evening after the Bartica Power Plant lost two of its three engines on Monday, significantly weakening the plant’s power output. In a statement on Monday the Guyana Power and Light Inc stated, “due to two engines being unavailable at the Bartica Power Plant, there will be 4-hour intervals of service within
the township.”
The Guyana Power and Light Inc on Tuesday assured residents that their team of technicians are working tirelessly to expedite the required repairs and return to normalcy within the shortest possible time.
Speaking with this publication, Bartica’s Mayor Anthony Murray said that the power plant’s Caterpillar engine, which was inoperative for some time now was scheduled to be running by 20:00h on Tuesday night. As such he noted with two en-
gines running the plant will be able to supply the electricity demand of the township.
“We should have normalcy by 8pm tonight [Tuesday], we will have two machines in the system. We will have the Caterpillar, one of the engines that will be onstream and the Cummings that is carrying the load right now, so both of them will have the
capacity to carry the megawatts” the mayor stated.
Additionally, the Mayor revealed that a team of mechanics have been servicing the second unit that shutdown on Monday. In this regard, he noted that all three of the engines at the plant should be operational by today restoring the power plant’s power supply to 100 per cent.
The Education Ministry and the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) will meet again on Thursday to further negotiate what GTU terms a proposal for salary increases for teachers.
When both parties last met on July 26, the government proposed a seven per cent across-the-board increase for 2024 and 6 per cent increase for 2025 and 2026.
GTU had outrightly rejected this counter-proposal, given that it had proposed a 39.6 per cent increase for 2024 and 30 per cent increase for 2025 and 2026 a few days prior.
As a result, they are now scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss a way forward.
In an invited comment, the union’s General
GTU is hoping that the ministry followed-up on its request to revise the said pro-
posal.
She said that the union will push for a higher salary increase for the nation’s teachers.
Discussions between the ministry and the union on the new 2024-2026 multiyear agreement commenced on July 11 after months of prolonged industrial action by teachers.
Prior to this, GTU had been pushing for a backdated collective bargaining agreement, however, the government, through the Education Ministry has maintained that it is fully prepared to work on a multi-year agreement from 2024 and not 2019 as being initially demanded by the union. The GTU subsequently recanted and agreed to negotiate from 2022 onwards – a proposal that was also rejected by the govern-
ment.
The Union has also proposed a performance-based incentive of two per cent per annum to be paid to eligible teachers during the period of the multi-year agreement, with effect from January 1, 2024.
This is in addition to an annual health/risk allowance of $25,000, and a monthly internet/mobile data allowance of $10,000 to be paid to all teachers. Moreover, the body is seeking a termly school transportation grant of $150,000 in the case of those operating on the coastland and $300,000 for hinterland/ riverain schools or alternately a mode of transport (boat, ATV etc.) to offset the cost of teachers travelling to attend meetings, workshops, orientation sessions, or emergencies at school. (G1)
In a special undertaking to enhance nutrition intake within households the Guyana Government through the Agriculture and Health Ministries will soon collaborate on several cross-sectoral ventures to encourage Guyanese to have healthier diets.
The commitment was made by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha during a recent courtesy call from outgoing United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Guyana,
Yeşim Oruç and Resident Ambassador of the Republic of Chile to Guyana Bernardo José del Pico Rubio.
During their engagement, the UN Resident Coordinator identified several mutual areas of interest Guyana can explore to further enhance its chances of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims to end all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030.
In providing her recommendations, Oruç called on
the Government of Guyana to strengthen collaboration in the area of food and nutrition by strategically implementing programmes that will better educate the public, particularly youths about the physical and psychological benefits of consuming nutritious food.
“There is some cross-sectoral work, and it’s in your government’s voluntary national review on the Sustainable Development Goals that we have the biggest difficulty in capturing things in SPG targets where multiple agencies, multiple parts of government need to contribute… I think on the nutrition thing, at the FAO conference, the presentations made not just for Guyana but for the region at large, as we’re seeing new world problems in nutrition. From child obesity to other things like cardiovascular diseases and I would love to see a movement, a coalition on nutrition,” the UN Resident Coordinator said.
In response, Minister Zulfikar Mustapha disclosed
that government is actively working to better streamline inter-sectorial collaboration to address blind spots.
He stated “we see now, not only from the Ministry of Agriculture’s perspective, but together with the Government of Guyana and other agencies, we have to advance critical areas that we were lacking, and I think that this is a stepping stone to go to greater heights”.
Meanwhile, during his engagement with Resident Ambassador of the Republic of Chile to Guyana Bernardo José del Pico Rubio, Minister Mustapha sought Chile’s support in helping Guyana
and so on, it would be great if we can help get expertise in Chile to help us in those areas,” he said.
Further, Minister Mustapha told the Chilean Ambassador that Guyana is aiming to produce food to meet not only its own needs, but be able to supply the Caribbean region and beyond. He said an entire region is counting on Guyana to help in the realisation of a 25 per cent reduction in the food import bill of Caricom by the end of 2025.
In response, the Chilean diplomat disclosed that his government would be happy to expand trade relations
cultivate new crops.
“We started the production now on the cultivation of corn and soy so, we want to be self-sufficient by next year because we are importing a lot of those. So, if we can get a bit of capacity, Chile can help us in those fields… We also started new high-value crops, things like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots,
with Guyana.
“Actually, we have interest in trying to make a deal on free trade. I mean, it’s still in the very early stages of development, but I know that you have some jurisdiction because your main objective is basically Caricom. But in the future, we are interested,” the Chilean diplomat said. (G1)
Police on mobile patrol duty in Linden in the early hours of Tuesday morning intercepted a white Premio motorcar, PNN 5981, near the Mackenzie/Wismar Bridge and found an unlicensed 9mm firearm.
Reports are that the car was stopped at about 03:30h and had two occupants –a 19-year-old laborer from West Watooka, Wismar, and a 21-year-old laborer from Andyville, Wismar.
During the search, the teen, who was seated in the front passenger seat, began to act disorderly and according to Police, despite being warned by officers, he continued his erratic behavior. This led police to search his person and they discovered a 9mm pistol, without ammunition, concealed in his pants crutch. Meanwhile, a search of the 21-year-old and his belongings, as well as the vehicle, yielded no additional illegal items.
Both men were arrested and transported to the Wismar Police Station along with the firearm.
In an effort to improve access to efficient and high-quality health services for numerous residents in the Pomeroon, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) the Regional Democratic Council handed over seven boats along with outboard engines valued at $11,724,700 to various Health Centers on Tuesday morning.
The simple handing-over ceremony was held at the Charity Water Front in Charity.
The new boats and outboard engines will benefit residents of Friendship Canal, Mora, Baracaro, Charity, Yarasharima, Hackney Canal, and Kabakaburi village in the Pomeroon River.
In an interview with Guyana Times, Regional Vice
cilities in Friendship Canal, Mora, Baracaro, Charity, Yarasharima, Hackney Canal, and Kabakaburi vil-
Chairman Humace Oodit, highlighted that over 3,000 residents will benefit from the donation of the boats and engines. He explained that this contribution will significantly aid the health fa-
lages. The boats and engines will be particularly useful for home visits, transporting medications to residents, and taking patients to Charity in emergencies.
Additionally, Regional
With a mere day away from the highly anticipated Building Expo, preparations are moving swiftly at the National Stadium, Providence. In fact, exhibitors are working around the clock to add the final touches to their booths, as the expo kicks off on August 8 – this Thursday.
Guyana Times caught up with some of the exhibitors on Wednesday. One of them was the General Manager for ANSA Motors Guyana, Sudesh Mahase, who explained that amidst his company preparing late for the expo, works are proceeding smoothly into the event.
“Preparations have been good. We got on board, I would say, a bit late, but I think the facility and the organisers managed to put things together for us, so it’s going pretty smoothly,” he said.
He added, “As you know, Guyana is the fastest grow-
as well as the construction sector. From the construction side, we have our hollow clay blocks and clay coatings, and from our automotive side, we have heavy construction and commercial vehicles,” he told reporters.
Not too far off, with a booth that was receiving its final touches, was businessman Dave Lall, who revealed what Guyanese can expect from his business booth ‘Ambit.’
foam that’s used a lot in metal buildings, and we have the open-cell foams which are used in residential construction.”
When asked about the affordability of his products by reporters, he stated that currently, there are studies being done to provide Guyanese with the best affordable payment plans for purchasing items from his business.
“We are doing a market study at the moment. That’s a good question about affordability. One of my goals here is to work with the builders and get a demonstration project to show the true value that a Guyanesestyled built home can provide in this hot and humid environment.”
This year, approximately 500 exhibitors and corporate sponsors are expected to attend the expo, themed “Building on the Foundation of Sustainability and Unity.” The
ing economy in the world. Also, with the amount of construction in the country, there is a lot of interest and hype in that sector of the market, so we expect it to be a good turnout.”
He also mentioned that ANSA Motors is combining two sectors of their business to bring a diverse opportunity for Guyanese persons coming to the event.
“We are joining two of our sectors, the automotive sector
Spray polyurethane foam (SPF) is a neurotechnology spray-applied plastic that is widely used to insulate buildings and seal cracks and gaps, making the building more energy-efficient and comfortable.
“I’ve spent the last four decades developing and working in the United States making this spray foam insulation. We’ve got different types of spray foam insulation. We’ve got what’s called the closed-cell
International Building Expo stands as a testament to unwavering dedication to excellence in the housing and building sector. It serves as an industry where leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders converge to exchange ideas, forge partnerships, and explore innovative solutions to address the evolving demands and challenges as the economy expands through the government’s transformational programmes. (G2)
Health Officer (RHO), Dr. Ranjeev Singh echoed the same sentiment as Vice Chairman Oodit, adding that it will assist the staff in conducting routine home visits to patients who cannot go to the facility, such as bedridden patients.
Medex Leauta Hubbard, a representative from the Regional Health Service, expressed gratitude to the Regional Democratic Council for such initiatives that will make things much easier for residents in the area.
"I am very happy and appreciative of the boats collected today. They will be a great asset for the staff and community to use in case of emergencies, home, school, and community visits, and for the betterment of the community," said Medex Hubbard.
Elon Musk’s X sued an advertising group and several large corporations on Tuesday accusing them of causing billions of dollars of losses by “illegally” boycotting the social media platform.
“We tried peace for 2 years, now it is war,” the billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX said on X, which he acquired in late 2022.
The antitrust suit, filed in a federal court in Texas, targets the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), Unilever, Mars, CVS Health and Orsted, a Danish energy company.
It accuses WFA, through an initiative known as the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), of conspiring with the companies and others to
“collectively withhold billions of dollars in advertising revenue” from X, formerly Twitter.
A number of advertisers left Twitter following Musk’s takeover amid concerns about the level of content moderation under the new ownership and Musk’s own controversial musings on the site.
X CEO Linda Yaccarino, in a video posted on the platform on Tuesday, said X was the victim of a “systematic illegal boycott.”
“They conspired to boycott X which threatens our ability to thrive in the future,” Yaccarino said. “No small group of people should be able to monopolise what gets monetised.”
X is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.
According to The New York Times, citing internal company documents, X earned $114 million in revenue in the United States in the second quarter of this year, down 25 percent from the first quarter and down 53 percent from the same period last year.
The lawsuit was filed one day after Musk filed suit in California against OpenAI, accusing its co-founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman of betraying the artificial intelligence company’s founding mission.
Musk invested in the San Francisco-based OpenAI in 2015 but left three years later. He is accusing OpenAI, Altman and Brockman of fraud, conspiracy and false advertising. (AFP)
razilian President Luiz
he United States is imposing sanctions on Paraguayan tobacco company Tabacalera del Este, accusing it of giving financial support to ex-President Horacio Cartes, who has been implicated in corrupt activities, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. (Reuters) Paraguay's President Horacio Cartes
shows
BInacio Lula da Silva was right to tone down his criticism of the central bank and if he taps Gabriel Galipolo to head the monetary authority later this year that would be an excellent choice, his former finance czar told Reuters.
Guido Mantega, who was finance minister during part of Lula's 2003-2010 govern-
election was stolen – but will Maduro budge?
Venezuelans opposed to Maduro displayed signs in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sunday (Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images)
It is not new for Nicolás Maduro to be accused of attempting to steal a presidential election – the US described his claim to have won re-election in 2018 as an “insult to democracy” – but the evidence for such allegations has never before been quite so overwhelming.
Analyses carried out by the opposition, academics and media organizations have offered strong evidence to suggest that the Venezuelan president lost – by a landslide – to the main opposition candidate, retired diplomat Edmundo González.
A number of countries have already recognised González’s victory, and even countries with leftwing governments once seen as sympathetic to Maduro (such as Brazil, Colombia and Mexico) are demanding proof of his alleged victory –something he has promised but seems increasingly unlikely to provide.
For now at least, the incumbent clings to power, having pulled off what one expert has described as “the largest electoral fraud in Latin America’s history”.
Independent observers agree that this election was never going to be fair and free.
From the start, the electoral process was plagued by irregularities, according to the Venezuelan NGO Transparencia Electoral.
The list ranges from blocking candidates from running – such as the opposition leader María Corina Machado, who was then replaced by González – to making it virtually impossible for millions of Venezuelans living abroad to vote.
Dozens of opposition members were arrested during the campaign, and international observers were either blocked or disinvited from monitoring the vote.
On election day, some voters found that polling stations had been moved without warning – sometimes to neighbouring states – while in historically Chavista neighbourhoods, there were reports of polling stations being kept open long after the official closing time.
After years of economic decline and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has spurred about 8 million Venezuelans to leave the country, opinion polls indicated a strong lead for González.
Javier Corrales, a professor of political science at Amherst College and the author of Autocracy Rising: How Venezuela Transitioned to Authoritarianism, said that it seemed clear that the opposition achieved the “most impressive electoral victory in the history of Chavismo and, in fact, one of the most impressive victories in Latin America”.
But this time, the opposition had prepared itself for the fraud to come.
“Everybody knew that Maduro’s last resort might be to refuse to recognise the results and claim some fake numbers. So the opposition designed a system to ensure that they could have proof of how the voting went,” said Corrales.
About four hours after voting ended, the government-controlled national electoral council declared victory for Maduro, eventually saying that the strongman leader had won nearly 52% of the vote to González’s 43%.
But thousands of opposition volunteers had managed to collect about 80% of the voting tallies from polling stations, which showed a clear victory for González, with 67% over Maduro’s 30%. Two different independent analyses, from the AP and the Washington Post, reached similar conclusions.
Walter R Mebane Jr, an election forensics professor at the University of Michigan, analysed the opposition’s voting tallies and concluded that they were legitimate.
He also worked as an independent consultant on another study, conducted through sampling at 997 polling stations, that likewise showed González winning 66% to 31% for Maduro.
(The Guardian)
ment, said in an interview on Monday that the leftist leader has "periodically" sought his advice on economic matters.
In June, Mantega was among economists who met with the president and advised him to stop attacking central bank chief Roberto Campos Neto for what Lula saw as Brazil's excessively high interest rates, currently at 10.50%.
Lula and Campos Neto, who was appointed by farright former President Jair Bolsonaro, had a public spat in June after the central bank paused a monetary easing cycle despite government pressure to continue reducing rates. Lula did lower his tone on the advice of the economists. "There was too much noise due to Lula's criticism, so I thought this kind of thing
had to stop," said Mantega, a long-time advocate of more development spending, which did not endear him to financial markets.
Mantega was Brazil's longest-serving finance minister, from 2006 to 2015, working under both Lula and his successor, Dilma Rousseff, who presided over a major economic crisis and was impeached in 2016. (Reuters)
tell T&T PM: Don’t
Economists and political scientists are rubbishing Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s suggestion that the Opposition is driving away foreign investors. Instead, they say the Government should blame crime and bureaucracy for damaging the ease of doing business.
On Friday evening, Rowley read excerpts of a letter sent to him by Indian businessman Naveen Jindal, the chair of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd, at the swearing-in of the new executive of the PNM’s Diego Martin West constituency.
In the letter, Jindal said his company would no longer bid for the Petrotrin refinery because comments made by the “government in waiting” represented a level of risk and potential instability that did not align with providing a predictable and secure investment environment.
“The character assassination I experienced merely for considering the in-
vestment opportunity in the Guaracara Refinery was deeply disheartening and discouraging,” the letter stated.
However, political scientist Dr Bishnu Ragoonath yesterday said Jindal may have had more serious reasons for pulling out, adding the Opposition was simply holding Government accountable.
“Mr Jindal took an easy approach out by simply
blaming the Opposition in saying that he’s not going to invest. If, however, his company was ready and willing to invest in Trinidad and Tobago, they would have been able to deal with that.
“His concern was that there was some degree of character assassination but how you could talk about Trinidad doing character assassination when the matter itself arose in his own country and he is before the courts?” Ragoonath asked.
Economist Dr Marlene Attzs agreed there may have been other factors that led to Jindal’s decision, but did not wish to speculate.
However, she debunked Rowley’s claim the UNC is turning investors away. She said foreign direct investment (FDI) in T&T has been less than one per cent of GDP or negative for years. Attzs said this cannot be blamed on the Opposition, as T&T has made itself unattractive to investors for varying reasons. (T&T Guardian)
AS Tobago continues to reel from a record 19 murders for 2024, Snr Supt Rodhill Kirk has urged Tobagonians to work with police as "we are not magicians."
Trinidadian Victoria Guerra, aka "Dolly Boss," became the island's latest murder victim on August 5. She was shot while liming in Argyle. She died at the Roxborough hospital.
Moriah resident Ezra Sylvester and two other men were shot while liming near a car park on Carrington Street, Scarborough on August 3.
Police said a black Matrix pulled up and five masked men got out and started firing at the group before escaping in the car. The men were taken to the Scarborough General Hospital but Sylvester was pronounced dead on arrival.
The Matrix was later found abandoned on Milford Road, Scarborough.
It was the second time in about a week that Sylvester had been attacked. On July 26 he was shot by gunmen but survived. Police said Sylvester was not co-operating with their investigation.
Kirk said gangs were targeting specific people.
He said the police had been trying to get information on gangs so arrests could be made.
"The thing is, although we have been working, we wouldn’t know when people would strike, but we know that they have the capability and who they may be targeting. And that is why we try to reach out to some of those persons to actually exercise a level of care and caution as well.
"But most of the persons are persons who are not willing to co-operate with the police and they’re willing to chance it themselves, and this is how it usually ends.”
He said murders were a national problem. (T&T Newsday)
he U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has raised its forecast for crude oil demand in the United States, according to the agency’s Short-Term Energy Outlook released today—although its price outlook for this year and next has been revised down.
The EIA now sees U.S. petroleum and other liquid fuels consumption averaging 20.5 million barrels per day in 2024— that’s up from the agency’s forecast in July of 20.4 million bpd.
Globally, the EIA left its total world consumption of crude oil and liquid fuels unchanged at 102.9 million bpd for 2024, revising its 2025 global fuels consumption slightly downward to 104.5 million bpd from 104.7 million bpd. These figures represent growth of 1.1 million bpd this year, and 1.6 million bpd next year. For Brent pricing, the EIA reduced its forecast for this year and next, lowering its projections by $2 per barrel to $84 per barrel for the full year 2024. For next year, the EIA also revised its forecast down by $2 per barrel to an average of $86 for the full year.
While prices have been recently on a downward trend and the full-year 2024 guidance has been reduced, the EIA continues to expect crude oil prices to rise in the second half of 2024. The Brent spot price ended July at $81 per barrel, the EIA said, but averaged $85 per barrel for the month. The EIA sees Brent returning to between $85 per barrel and $90 per barrel by the end of the year.
The EIA sees these prices rising as we head into the latter part of the year on the back of global crude oil inventories decreasing by 800,000 bpd in the second half. (Oil price.com)
As Kamala Harris
named Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor, as her running mate, recent polls showed the vice-president moving ahead of Donald Trump in the race for the White House.
Among recent national head-to-head polls, SurveyUSA put Harris up three points ahead of Trump, 48%-45%; Morning Consult put her up four points, 48%-44%; YouGov and CBS News made it a one-point Harris lead, 50%49%; and University of Massachusetts Amherst put Harris up three, 46%-43%.
Those results were mostly within the margin of error.
But Tatishe Nteta, provost professor of political science at UMass Amherst and director of its poll, pointed to
a key finding: a seven-point swing to the Democrat since January, when Trump led Joe Biden by four.
“For weeks after the first presidential debate in June,” Nteta said, “Democratic donors, prominent Democratic elected officials and members of the
news media made the case that President Joe Biden faced long odds to defeat former President Donald Trump and called for Biden to step down.
“In the aftermath of Biden’s historic decision to forgo his re-election campaign, it seems as if Biden’s
critics were indeed correct as his replacement, VicePresident Kamala Harris, has emerged as the frontrunner in the race for the White House.
“While there are still three months to go, the Harris campaign and the Democratic party must like their chances to maintain control of the White House and to send former President Trump to his second consecutive defeat in his quest to return to Pennsylvania Avenue.” There was also good news for Harris from the Hill, as the site’s “ultimate hub for polls, predictions and election results” showed the Democrat with a positive favourability rating for the first time, after a steep climb since mid-July, when Biden stepped down. (The Guardian)
Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus will be the chief adviser of an interim government in Bangladesh, the president's office has announced.
rime Minister Sir Keir
PStarmer said rioters will rapidly face "the full force of the law", as he chairs another Cobra emergency meeting over the disorder.
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the prime minister said the ongoing violence "is not protest - it is violent disorder and needs to be treated as such, as criminal activity".
The government said it would make more than 500 new prison places available to ensure those taking part in the violence could be jailed.
More than 400 arrests have been made so far.
Meanwhile, police sources say nearly 6,000 public order officers are mobilised to respond to any disorder in the coming days.
Disorder has now lasted almost a week, following the fatal stabbing of three girls in Southport. The subsequent unrest in towns and cities across England and in parts of Northern Ireland has been fuelled by misinformation online, the far right and anti-immigration sentiment.
There are at least 30 potential gatherings planned for Wednesday that police are aware of, sources said, but they believe the situation is "manageable".
Police hope to be "through the worst" of the disorder, but are ready to respond if the situation escalates.
Justice Minister Heidi Alexander said there was a "prison place waiting" for everyone involved in the violence, while Home Secretary Yvette Cooper pledged the government would support police with additional costs for officers working overtime.
She said 567 additional prison places would soon be available, including extra cells at HMP Stocken, Rutland, and places at Cookham Wood Young Offender Institution in Kent for adult prisoners. (BBC)
The decision was made at a meeting between President Mohammed Shahabuddin, military leaders, and the heads of the Students Against Discrimination group, the presidency said.
It comes a day after prime minister Sheikh Hasina was forced from power and fled the country, following weeks of student-led protests that spiralled into deadly unrest.
Student leaders had been clear they would not accept a military-led government and had pushed for Mr Yunus to lead the interim administration.
Mr Yunus, who agreed to take up the role, said: "When the students who sacrificed so much are requesting me to step in at this difficult juncture, how
can I refuse?"
He is returning to Dhaka from Paris, where he is undergoing a minor medical procedure, according to his spokesperson.
"The president has asked the people to help ride out the crisis. Quick formation of an interim government is necessary to overcome the crisis," the president's office said in a statement.
According to local media, more than 100 people died in violent clashes across Bangladesh on Monday, the single deadliest day since mass demonstrations began.
Hundreds of police stations were also torched, with the Bangladesh Police Service Association (BPSA) declaring a strike "until the security of every member of the police is secure".
The group sought to place the blame at the door of authorities, saying they were "forced to fire".
Overall, more than 400 people are believed to have died, as protests were met with harsh repression by government forces.
Bangladesh's national police chief was sacked on Wednesday, the president's office said.
The protests began in early July with peaceful demands from university students to abolish quotas in civil service jobs, but snowballed into a broader anti-government movement.
Weeks of unrest culminated in the storming of the prime minister's official residence, not long after Ms Hasina had fled to neighbouring India, ending nearly 15 years of rule. (BBC)
Several packages of cocaine with a street value exceeding $1m have washed up on a Florida beach after Hurricane Debby crashed ashore in the state on Monday and progressed up the eastern seaboard.
The acting chief patrol agent of the US border patrol’s division in Miami, Samuel Briggs, shared a picture of the confiscated drugs on X, showing the 25 packages – or 70lb – of cocaine washed up on a Florida Keys beach.
Briggs said a passerby “discovered the drugs [and] contacted authorities”.
“US border patrol seized
the drugs, which have a street value of over $1m dollars,” he added.
The unusual confiscation provided a humorous postscript to Florida’s encounter with Debby after the storm made landfall north of Steinhatchee, about 80 miles west of Gainesville. The storm has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. But, still packing heavy rainfall and gusty winds of 40 to 50mph, Debby on Tuesday remained a threat to neighboring states and even those farther north.
Georgia and eastern South Carolina could see “potentially historic heavy
rainfall” through Friday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Joe Biden approved emergency declarations for Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, which let the president release federal aid into the region as recovery efforts get under way.
At least five people have died amid the storm, according to local news reports. Among those who were killed in the harsh weather were a 13-yearold boy in Fanning Springs, Florida, and a 19-year-old man in south Georgia – both of whom were killed when trees fell on top of houses.
(The Guardian)
(March 21-April 19)
Open a dialogue with someone who can offer suggestions regarding something that might enrich your life. Make learning, traveling, and participating a priority, and the connections you make will help send you in a beneficial direction. A change made in secret will have a bigger impact when complete
Keep things moving forward. Use your ingenuity and charm to get others to do things for you. A sincere gesture will encourage positive change and help to finish what you started. Love and romance are favored, and socializing will lead to unexpected options.
(May 21-June 20) (April 20-May 20)
Keep moving in a positive direction. Refrain from letting anyone talk you into changing course to enhance their needs instead of yours. Emotional matters will escalate due to misinformation, criticism, and guilt. Slow down and evaluate whatever situation you face before you choose a path forward.
Recognize opportunities and lock into investments, contracts, and deals that benefit you. Your chance to get ahead will unfold if you use discipline and originality to muster up an idea or plan that speeds up productivity. Communication will change how you feel and relate to others.
(June 21-July 22) (July 23-Aug. 22)
(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)
(Oct. 24-Nov. 22)
(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)
Take pride in your work, and spread joy to those you encounter. The impact you have on others is dependent on how you react. Put your energy where it will do some good. Use your skills and originality to find solutions and make a difference in your community.
Chomp down on debt, unfinished business, and excessive behavior. Enforce change to help regain emotional equilibrium and free you from the burden and stress holding you back. Refuse to let anyone mislead or take advantage of you or what you have worked so hard to achieve.
Live, learn, and eliminate negativity. Step away from trouble, drama, and manipulative situations. Assess what’s important to you and surround yourself with people who share your concerns. Search for novel ways to rectify problems. An emotional change or difference you have with someone requires truth and compromise.
Stop worrying and start doing. Diversify and use your skills, experience, and knowledge to find a path that excites you. Refuse to let what others do interfere in pursuing what makes you feel good about yourself and gives you hope for a better future.
Look for opportunities and invest in yourself. Keep your intentions a secret until you have everything in place. The only joint venture to consider must guarantee financial support, not input or control. Trust your instincts and adjust accordingly. Distance yourself from emotionally manipulative people.
(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
You are in a better position than you realize. Don’t hesitate; strike while the iron is hot, and the opportunity promises the highest return. Uncertainty is the enemy, and those raising issues will cause confusion. Know what you want and can afford, and pursue what’s doable.
(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
Evaluate the efficiency of your home and change what isn’t working for you. Call on those you can rely on for input, and you’ll speed up the process and encourage good results. A confident attitude will inspire you to use your skills to promote something you enjoy doing.
Change what isn’t working for you, and it will help you discover an exciting passage forward. Expect criticism from someone your words or actions threaten. It’s time to follow your heart instead of bending to other’s emotional whims. Trust your instincts and find your bliss. 3 stars
Big picture: Where has the competition gone?
A rivalry that started with intensity in a one-off Test in 1992 has fizzled out into a one-sided affair, with South Africa victorious in 22 out of 32 matches against West Indies, and vanquished in just three. South Africa have never lost a Test series (the emphasis being on multiple matches in a tour) to West Indies, and have last lost a match to the West Indies 17 years ago.
But this is not the South Africa that bossed the awayfrom-home arena in the mid2000s, and with inexperience laced through the visitors' line-up, hosts West Indies would believe anything is possible in this series, ahead of the first Test in Port of Spain.
It was only six months ago that South Africa lost a Test series to New Zealand for the first time, and though that was with a makeshift squad, it suggested something about the shifting sands of long-format depth. South Africa, whose provincial players only have seven red-ball matches a season, have chosen to invest the bulk of their resources into the kind of cricket that brings in, rather than costs, money.
West Indies, on the other hand, continue to spend money developing the firstclass game. Despite having a domestic system that costs more than anywhere else in the world to run because of their island geography, West
Indies play red-ball cricket at the Under-17 and Under-19 levels, and at the academy level too; but whether they are reaping rewards remains up for debate.
This January, West Indies beat Australia in a Test for the first time in over two decades. For comparison, South Africa did not get a win in Australia in 2022-23, but the West Indies have not won a series against a World Test Championship (WTC) team since beating Bangladesh in 2022. Just before that, they beat England in a series, something South Africa have not managed since 2012.
Pound for pound, the recent history of these squads suggests they don't have much between them as they both enter yet another rebuild phase against the backdrop of continued T20 league expansion.
In personnel terms, they are similarly matched too.
Both have batting line-ups
with newcomers hoping to establish themselves: Mikyle Louis for West Indies, and Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs for South Africa. Both sides have an experienced seamer - Kemar Roach and Kagiso Rabada - and some fiery youngsters in Shamar Joseph and Nandre Burger, although the latter was not named in the XI. And both are desperate for points in this WTC cycle. At the least, that could mean we see the most competitive contest between these two sides in 30 years, which would be a very satisfactory outcome indeed.
In the Spotlight: Kavem Hodge and David Bedingham
One of the positives from West Indies' last two tours is the rise of Kavem Hodge, who scored 71 against Australia in Brisbane, and 120 in Nottingham and 55 in Birmingham against England. Given that the rest of the batters have struggled
for regular runs, it's easy to argue that Hodge has been West Indies' most consistent recent performer, which could result in more pressure on his shoulders.
But West Indies are actively working to reduce that. Head coach Andre Coley told ESPNcricinfo that he will not add to Hodge's expectations, and has just asked him to continue playing the way he has done so far. Hodge has already stood up to Australia and England's attacks, and it will be interesting to see how he performs at home against South Africa's.
His Test career is only four matches old, but David Bedingham is already been spoken of as a mainstay in the South Africa line-up. And it's easy to see why. The runs have been coming in the
county circuit since his century against New Zealand in February. With the Championship just over the halfway mark, Bedingham is currently the leading run-scorer with 926 runs in 14 innings for Durham. His haul includes five centuries, four of them scored in successive innings against Hampshire, Lancashire (two in two innings) and Somerset, and he comes into this Test series in exceptional form.
Bedingham has had a slight hamstring injury heading into the West Indies tour, but he scored 84 in the warmup match, and is expected to play a big role in this line-up.
Team News: SA go with lone spinner
Alzarri Joseph has been rested for this series, but
Roach is back as the leader of the attack, after missing the Tests against England due to injury. Roach last played a Test in January, but has been in action for Surrey, where he took 18 wickets in six matches. He bowled 13 overs in the warm-up match for the Champions XI against South Africa, and returned figures of 0 for 35.
West Indies: (probable)
1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 Mikyle Louis, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Alick Athanaze, 5 Kavem Hodge, 6 Jason Holder, 7 Joshua Da Silva (wk), 8 Gudakesh Motie, 9 Jayden Seales, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Jomel Warrican.
South Africa announced their XI on match eve. Lungi Ngidi is set to play just his second Test since December 2022, with Rabada and Wiaan Mulder being the other two seamers. Dane Piedt missed out of the XI as the second spinner, with Keshav Maharaj being the lone spin bowler. Nandre Burger missed out too.
South Africa have essentially included an extra batter in Ryan Rickelton to lengthen the batting, and have sacrificed a bowler as a result.
South Africa: 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Tony de Zorzi, 3 Tristan Stubbs, 4 Temba Bavuma (capt), 5 David Bedingham, 6 Ryan Rickleton, 7 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Wiaan Mulder, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Lungi Ngidi. (ESPNCricinfo)
The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has announced the successful completion of the FIFA Member Association training course for match officials, held from August 1 to 5 at the GFF National Training Centre at Providence, East Bank Demerara.
According to a missive from the Federation, this milestone not only enhances the GFF’s pool of skilled referees, but also signifies a major step forward in the development of football officiating standards across the nation.
The rigorous training programe, funded by FIFA and integral to the global Member Association (MA) course, aims to elevate the refereeing skills to the highest levels. Over the past five days, twenty (20) participants from various regions throughout Guyana — spanning from remote areas to urban centres —immersed
themselves in an intensive curriculum designed to refine their expertise and application of the latest FIFA Laws of the Game for 20242025.
During the closing ceremony held yesterday, Lenval Peart, Head Referee of the GFF, noted, “Guyana has capitalized on this FIFAfunded initiative which brings elite training to our shores. Given our geographical landscape, we’ve had participants from various regions of Guyana, including those who may not be considered elite but were given the opportunity to experience a higher standard of refereeing. This exposure is crucial for our development, especially considering the limited number of elite referees we currently have.”
He noted that by graduating 20 new referees, the GFF is significantly expanding its pool of officiating tal-
ent. This programme has provided the referees with invaluable insights and advanced knowledge, enhancing their ability to manage football matches with greater precision and authority.
The elite training course featured instruction from renowned international refereeing experts, who shared
their extensive experience and in-depth understanding of the latest modifications to the FIFA Laws of the Game (LoG). These experts worked closely with local instructors, who then passed on this advanced knowledge to participants. This collaborative approach ensures that the newest updates in football
regulations are thoroughly communicated and integrated into local officiating practices.
Although this programme is tailored for referees at an advanced level, it also serves a dual purpose of talent identification. “This is not an introductory course for new referees, but is tai-
lored for those who are already at an advanced level. Each year, it helps us spot talent that can be considered for future nominations,” Peart explained.
“The GFF’s dedication to referee development is a part of our broader commitment to enhancing the overall quality of football in Guyana. By investing in the professional growth of referees, the GFF not only improves the standards of officiating, but also contributes to the integrity and fairness of football matches across the country. This programme is a critical component of the Federation’s ongoing efforts to support and advance the sport at every level. The Federation looks forward to seeing these newly trained officials apply their skills on the field and contribute to the continued growth and success of football in the nation,” he said.
The Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting (CSMM) recently hosted in Paris, France, saw the attendance of Guyana’s Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, and Director of Sports, Steve Ninvalle.
The 11th edition of the CSMM, organized by the Commonwealth Secretariat, was hosted from July 24 – 25, 2024. Hosted by the Government of Canada, the meeting brought together sports ministers, senior officials, and key stakeholders in sport for development from across the Commonwealth.
The theme of the CSMM this year was ‘Building Inclusive and Resilient Societies through Sport’, and the primary objective of the meeting was to galvanise Commonwealth consensus and cooperation on key sport policy issues in the Commonwealth, and address how this can be achieved through a more united Commonwealth.
The year 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth’s 56 member states explored policy
options for ‘One Resilient Common Future’ at the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Apia, Samoa in October 2024.
Sport ministers contributed to that wider policy agenda-setting process through the discussions at the CSMM.
Sport is a catalyst for social change, and can provide opportunities for member states to adopt policies that would help build inclusive and resilient societies in pursuit of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030, as defined by the United Nations.
The policy framework of the meeting provided a comprehensive approach to implementing Sustainable Development Programme (SDP) initiatives at country level with a focus on good governance and human rights, intersectoral approaches, and ensuring evidence-based impact as a foundation for enterprise development and investment.
The Commonwealth Games are a symbol of the values, principles and potential of the modern Commonwealth. The Games
Guyana’s participation at the Paris Olympics came to an end on Tuesday morning when the final competing team member Aliyah Abrams was unable to secure a spot in the Women’s 400M semifinal by way of the repechage round.
Running out of lane 8 in Heat 1 of the ‘second chance’ round, Abrams clocked 51.84s for fifth place. The Guyanese had an impeccable start to the quarter-mile event, and remained among the front runners until the 300m mark. However, things came apart on the final bend as the eventual winner pulled ahead, leaving the remaining competitors in her wake. The Heat was eventually won by Nigeria’s Ella Onojuvwevwo,
are the most widely recognized and accessible product for most of the 2.5 billion Commonwealth citizens. In many circles, the future of the Commonwealth Games and the continued relevance of the Commonwealth institution itself are connected.
Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) President Chris Jenkins OBE, and CEO Katie Sadleir contributed to the CSMM, with Sadleir presenting the CGF's ten-year strategic plan under the title “Commonwealth United” and the President presenting the model for future Games.
There were also reports delivered on the recent suc-
cesses of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games, and discussions were had on the renewed vision for the Commonwealth Sport Movement as a whole, considering the opportunities to explore and maximize impacts and benefits of sport across the Commonwealth.
In addition, the President also provided an overview of the incredible work undertaken over the last seven years to deliver the GAPS programme to athletes across the Commonwealth. GAPS is Commonwealth Sports’ Para-sport development and inclusion pathway pro-
gramme that provides para-athletes and coaches with access to skills, knowledge, and resources that aid their personal development and training as they prepare for competition.
who stopped the clock at 50.59s for a spot in the semis.
With Abrams now out of the competition, Guyana’s run at the 2024 Paris Games comes to a close after her 5 athletes competed in various events.
Chelsea Edghill competed in Table Tennis, Raekwon Noel and Aleka Abrams competed in Swimming, and Emanuel Archibald and Aliyah Abrams competed in Athletics at this year’s games.
Note: repechage in French means “fishing out” or “rescuing.” Runners who don't immediately advance from the first round to the semifinals have a chance to “rescue” their Olympic dreams via the repechage rounds.
The programme also supports the development of inclusive sport pathways that promote positive social change in sport and communities throughout the Commonwealth.
The programme is a clear example of how sport can contribute in building inclusive and resilient societies.
Dozens of Grade Six students are now better prepared to make a transition from primary school to secondary school in September, after successfully participating in the 16th annual Republic Bank summer camp of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club. The four- week camp started on July 8 at the Rose Hall Town Primary School, and ended on Friday last with a whopping 95 students graduating at a very impressive closing ceremony. A total of approximately $700,000 worth of prizes and gifts were distributed to the top 11 awardees and other 84 students. Club
Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster has said the summer camp commenced in 2008 with 60 students in attendance.
The main aims of the academy are to prepare students to make a successful transition from primary to secondary school; to get students to see the difference between the two levels; and to assist students with what is needed for success at the higher level.
Supervised by members of the Rose Hall Town NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Under 21 and first division teams, the camp saw students being taught Mathematics, English, Social Studies, Integrated Science and basic Spanish.
Foster also disclosed that students were involved in several health and family life education sessions on peer pressure, drugs, suicide, personal hygiene, importance of education, personal discipline, and family bonding. Additionally, the students were involved in career and culture days during the camp. The longtime secretary has said that close to 1400 youths have passed through the Republic Bank summer camp during the last 16 years, and the programme is now the most popular summer holiday event. Foster extended thanks to the management of Republic Bank for their support of the summer camp and the
promotion of education to youths. Manager of the bank’s Williamsburg branch, Sattie Cox, has said she was very impressed with the high standard of the four-week camp.
Miss Cox hailed the outstanding work of the club’s executives and the two tutors as a job well done. She said the bank was very delighted to always be involved in promotion of education among youths. The veteran banking executive urged the 95 youths to remain focused and to always maintain a culture of discipline, hard work, and dedication. Also present at the impressive closing ceremony, which included several culture items by the students, were Rose Hall Town Mayor Dave Budhu and Town Clerk Natasha Griffith.
Head tutor Vish Kissama, a former CSEC and CAPE student, disclosed that all of the 95 students were fully prepared for entry into secondary school, and stated that all of the students had displayed an aptitude for hard work and to improve themselves. He praised the NAMILCO Thunderbolt flour teams and the Republic Bank for assisting the youths to make the transition to the higher level of schooling.
The RHTYSC under Basil Butcher Trust Program presented close to $700,000 worth of prizes and gifts. The
outstanding students of the 16th annual summer camp were
1. Most DisciplinedOvando Sandwell
2. Most CooperativeJayden Browne
3. Most DeterminedDakshesh Sanicharra
4. Most Committed - Seon Marimutoo
5. Most ImprovedCatalaya Grimmond
6. Outstanding LeaderLiam Ram
7. Best Social Studies Student - Calecia Narain
8. Best English StudentJonathan Gomes
9. Best Science StudentAdele Ramdial
10. Best Math StudentSanarita Satrohan
11. Runner-up Student of the Camp - Calecia Narain
12. Student of the CampJonathan Gomes
Each of the graduating students received an educational package worth $3000, while the top student received a variety of prizes including an electric bike, electric tablet, bicycles, household items, kitchen equipment, designer watches, designer clothing, cosmetics hampers among other things. The student of the camp, Jonathan Gomes, carried home $300,000 worth of prizes, including an electric bike donated by K.C Singh of the United States. The Rose Hall Town
NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour teams are the top teams at the respective levels in Berbice, and include players like Kevin Sinclair, Junior Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson, Sharmaine Campbell, Shanita Grimmond, Shabika Gajnabi, Clinton Pestano, Eon Hooper, Jonathan Rampersaud, Jeremy Sandia and Matthew Pottaya. The teams are sponsored by the National Milling Company of Guyana, located at Agricola, East Bank Demerara.
The National Gymnasium is set to be a hive of activity this weekend, with athletes from around the country converging to compete in 5 sporting disciplines.
The games will form part of the inaugural ‘One Guyana’ Sports Tournament, the brainchild of President Dr. Irfaan Ali, which is being powered through funding from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS) and the National Sports Commission (NSC).
The multi-sport event was launched on Tuesday afternoon, during which several administrators praised President Ali for the idea and shared about their respective disciplines.
“We welcome this initiative of President Irfaan Ali. We know he’s quite passionate about sport, as many other things, and we’re happy to be a part of such an event to bring forth cohesiveness. Of course, we all know that sport is quite a driving force and a vehicle for cohesion, and it aligns with the ‘One Guyana’ objective as well,” President of the Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA), Cristy Campbell, shared at the MCYS boardroom on Tuesday.
In similar thought, Guyana Table Tennis
Association (GTTA)
President Godfrey Munroe articulated, “Table Tennis is quite enthused to be part of this initiative. I think it’s a wonderful initiative. It’s inaugural, it puts together key sports and disciplines. Also, it gives us the opportunity to have tournaments and competitions, which is something, as David alluded to, that we need to have much more often and the buzz that it creates.”
Meanwhile, a few of the sporting associations would be utilizing this weekend’s competition to prepare their respective teams to represent Guyana on the international stage. On this topic, Guyana Badminton
Association (GBA) President Emilia Ramdhani divulged, “Badminton is taking a team of 20 athletes to CAREBACO, this is a Caribbean tournament in Aruba, August 22nd to the 25th, and from the athletes we’ll do a team format. We’ll have four teams, we’ve chosen four captains, and we’ll do a random draw, picking their team members.”
On the other hand, Guyana Volleyball Federation (GVF) President Levi Nedd revealed, “This is because Trinidad should be touring on the 24th of August to Guyana, and we’ll have to get these teams prepared for that. So, it’s a good use of initiative to get this going in that vein.”
While 5 of the 6 intended disciplines will compete over August 10th and 11th, the sixth, Squash, will see their part of the collective tournament unfolding in September. Guyana Squash Association (GSA) President David Fernandes gave reason for his Association’s delayed tournament when he said,
“We do have a girls’ Under- 15 team going to Pan American Junior Under-15/ Under-17 Championships in Guatemala. So, they’ll probably be there early in August as well. We have a Women’s team currently at Pan American qualifiers in Peru as we speak, so we have a lot of things happening, but it’s a great opportunity for the athletes to be exposed again to multiple tournaments.”
In addition, a number of squash players are currently overseas for various competitions.
Format
Badminton
This competition will be broken down into teams of five, featuring three boys and two girls in each group. They will compete in categories: Boys/Girls Singles and Doubles, in addition to Mixed Doubles. However, each player in the group can only compete in two of the
Kares ‘One Guyana’ T10…
three categories, ensuring every member of the group gets playing time.
Futsal
The Futsal tournament will have 24 teams competing for supremacy in a straight knockout format. The first 12 games are expected to be contested on the first day.
“In the case of Futsal, we’ve been, for 19 weeks now, hosting Sunday morning Futsal programmes at the Agricola Ground and the Buxton Community Centre Ground. So, I’m sure that the players will all be excited to be part of this event, playing for the President’s games, which the winning teams of course will be receiving the ‘One Guyana’ branded trophy,”
Assistant Director of Sport (ADoS) Franklin Wilson said about the upcoming tournament.
Lawn Tennis
This competition will be abbreviated to ‘first to four’ games, with two sets and the third set being determined by tie break. Lawn tennis will have both Open and Novice categories.
“For both categories, we’ll have no advantage. Just to ensure that we finish in a timely manner,” Campbell said about the upcoming competition.
Squash
The Squash competition tentatively set for September 9th – 15th will have a number of categories, namely; Boys and Girls Under-15 and Under 19 Singles, Men’s/ Women’s Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Further, there will be Under-19 Mixed Boys/Girls Doubles and Mixed doubles.
Table Tennis
The Table Tennis competition will feature Open Men’s/ Women’s Doubles and Junior playoffs. Moreover, to cater for the numerous training camps that the sport has currently running, a ‘Novice’ category would be contested.
Volleyball
Volleyball will feature competition in the Male and Female Under-19, in addition to the Senior Male and Female categories. The majority of players are expected to be drawn from the Berbice and Demerara Volleyball Associations.
Teams will compete in a ‘Best of 3’ format to decide victories.
The athletes across the various disciplines will be competing for a chance to clinch the ‘President’s trophy’.
The second edition of the Kares One Guyana T10
Tapeball Blast continues to produce nail-biting finishes, as most of the Roundof-16 matches at the Police Sports Club and Lusignan Community Centre had spectators’ nerves on a knife’s edge on Sunday.
Among the big names that have been eliminated from the tournament are defending champions Eccles All-Stars and the renowned Village Rams.
The formidable Titans AllStars, popular sides such as Team Corruption and Tamarc Titans, and the new team on the block, Montra Jaguars, are among those in the quarter-finals, set for Sunday, August 11, at the Enmore Community Centre Ground.
The quarter-final matches are as follows: Team Corruption vs. Montra Jaguars at 09:30h; Tarmac Titans vs. Mahdia at 11:30h; Titans All-Stars vs. The Guards at 13:30h; and Brooklyn Youth Strikers vs. Diamond Gunners at 15:30h.
Eccles All-Stars eliminated
Eccles All-Stars’ quest to defend their title has ended after Tarmac Titans, a 2023 semi-finalist, knocked them out in a sensational last-ball finish. Ten runs were needed off the final over, and Daniel
Ross smashed Anthony Antonio for four off the last ball to shatter Eccles’ hopes.
The defending champs were left to rue the missed opportunities in the field.
SUMMARY: Eccles AllStars 98-7 from 10 overs (Quazim Yusuf 29, Keshan Persaud 19*, Jonte Thomas 15; Daniel Ross 3-22, Carlton Jacques 2-18) lost to Tarmac Titans 101-6 from 10
Montra Jaguars oust Village Rams In another cliffhanger at Lusignan, the Montra Jaguars held their nerves to roar back and defeat the Village Rams in a pulsating contest that kept the audience on the edges of their seats. Led by sensational hitting
from Devendra Latchman, the Jaguars scored 17 off Rashidi Benjamin’s last over.
SUMMARY: Village Rams 102-7 from 10 overs (Jonathan Van Lange 22, Omesh Danram 19, Sheldon Alexander 15, Quincy OvidRichardson 15; Ronsford Beaton 2-27, Raymond Perez 1-18, Kevlon Anderson 1-28) lost to Montra Jaguars 1055 from 10 overs (Devendra Latchman 29*, Kevlon Anderson 24, Jonathan Foo 21; Rajpaul Basdeo 2-23, Shiveshwar Sankar 1-17) by five wickets
Ricardo Adams leads Mahdia assault on CJIA Mahdia (Movements Family) has sent a stern warn-
ing as they hammered CJIA XI by 78 runs at the Police Sports Club.
Ricardo Adams blasted 12 sixes and four fours in an unbeaten 103 from 31 balls, while Ershaad Ali got 81 (2x4s; 9x6s) from 29 balls.
SUMMARY: Mahdia 193-0 from 10 overs (Ricardo Adams 103*, Ershaad Ali 81*) beat CJIA XI 115-4 from 10 overs (Shaikel 42, Wayne LaRose 32*, Noel Evlyn; Raydon Austin 2-20, Deonarine Seegobin 1-4) by 78 runsovers (Kenroy Cox 25, Nichoise Barker 22; Daniel Ross 13*; Troy Gonsalves 2-13, Kevon Joseph 2-15) by four wickets
Corruption pulls off a stunner Looking down and out at 90-7 in seven overs, Team Corruption dug deep to snatch a thrilling victory against Upsetters.
Ntini Permaul smashed 56 from 16 balls to carry them over the line.
SUMMARY: Upsetters 130-2 from 10 overs (Seon Gaskin 64*, Jamaul Wilson 53; Ntini Permaul 1-19, Keon Morris 1-27) lost to Team Corruption 131-9 from 9.1 overs (Ntini Permaul 55, Rafael Estraido 35; Cordell Melville 3-31, Ravindra Samaroo 2-28) by one wicket
The Guards are through After being eliminated at this same stage by Eccles in 2023, The Guards overcame Lil Rams, led by national player Junior Sinclair.
SUMMARY: The Guards 171-5 from 10 overs (David Williams 47, Junior Sinclair 43, Kevon Boodie 35; Marlon Boele 1-33, Ravaldo Pereira 1-39) beat Lil Rams 1076 (Shamar Apple 54, Amir Azhar 15; Junior Sinclair 2-12, Kevon Boodie 2-14) by 64 runs
Diamond Gunners inch closer Led by a squash buckling 76 (12x6s) from 21 balls by Damion V,antull, Diamond Gunners eliminated the spirited Bartica Bulls from the tournament.
SUMMARY: Diamond Gunners 127-7 from 10 overs (Damion Vantull 76, Jason Sinclair 13*; Ashton Simmons 3-17, Kevon Stephen 2-22) beat Bartica Bulls 93-5 from 10 overs (Inzamam Bacchus 40, Haml Lamb 29; Totaram Bishun 1-19, Laurel Parks 1-28) by 34 runs
Titans All-Stars beat Premier Insurance Sachin Singh blasted an unbeaten 65 (2x4s; 8x6s) from 28 balls, and Quentin Sampson (38) gave the powerful unit a decent total, which proved too much for Premier Insurance.
SUMMARY: Titans AllStars 133-3 from 10 overs (Sachin Singh 65, Quentin Sampson 38; Akshaya Persaud 11*; Carlos LaRose 1-26, Thaddeus Lovell 1-26) beat Premier Insurance 89-9 from 10 overs (Shaquille Williams 19, Yeudistir Persaud 18; Quentin Sampson 2-5, Antony Adams 2-17) by 44 runs
A battle of the newbies: Brooklyn Youth Strikers and Green Scorpions Two new teams to the tournament, Brooklyn Youth Strikers – will now have a chance to vie for a spot in the semi-finals.
SUMMARY: Green Scorpions 80-7 from 10 overs (Tyrone Narine 26, Manieram Singh 18, Rayram Ramdeholl 17; Seon Hetmyer 4-9, Ryan Latif 1-9) lost to Brooklyn Youth Strikers 86-4 from 6.3 overs ( Alvin Mohabir 49, Ameer Mohamed 15*; Tyron Narine 3-28) by six wickets
The champions will receive G$1.5 million, while the runners-up will receive G$500,000.
The losing semi-finalists each get G$250,000.
Players will vie for the titles of Most Runs, Most Wickets, and Player of the Final. Each winner will receive a Smart TV and a $75,000 cash prize, while a motorbike and $85,000 will go to the Most Valuable Player.
