Kaieteur News

Israeli attack

‘Guyana being

Two killed in Linden Highway smash-up

-FormerFinance MinisterJordan

…believestruefigure“doubleortriple”

APNU scrapes 2,007 votes across

hospital unaware

…onlytwocouncilseatswithin4regions Father of dead schoolgirl in of her demise

Tourist guide stabbed to celebrations death at Heritage all interior regions

...Manickchand vows as Bamia Primarycrawlstofinishline ‘It will be done’ kills over 80, 25 from one family

other

‘Guyana being fooled on true oil reserves’

- Former Finance Minister Jordan

…believes true figure “double or triple” 11.6 billion barrels touted by Govt.

Former Minister of

Finance,WinstonJordan believes the Stabroek Block oil reserves is far more oil than the 11 6 billion barrels announced.

Jordan, who served under the previous APNU+AFC coalition government from 2015 to 2020, appeared on Sunday as a guest on “The Countdown” hosted by AndrewWeekes.

The former minister said that even at the current pace of extractionbyExxonMobilGuyana Limited(EMGL),hebelievesthere isenoughoiltolastanother30to40 years.

The question of Guyana’s true reserves gained attention in 2024.

That August, the Ministry of Natural Resources announced that reserves grew by 600 million barrels to 11.6 billion, following eightnewdiscoveriessincethelast updateinApril2022.

But Exxon disputed the government’s figure, providing its own lower estimate of below 11 billionbarrels.

“Ibelievequitehonestlythatwe are being fooled and we are doing nothing about it, about how much oil has really been discovered,” Jordan said, citing the last eight new discoveries made by the oil company

Hearguedthattherehasbeena blackout on information about the trueestimateofGuyana’soilfinds.

“All those 11.6 billion barrels that they are telling us I believe it is double or triple that. So, we got oilthatcouldlastus40yearsor50

extraction,”Jordannoted.

Jordan further estimated that at a conservative US$60 per barrel, Guyana stands to earn massive revenues “That’s huge money comingtoasmallcountryinterms of population, 10 years’time with good investment and all these things, all of us here could be not super rich but we should have a decentstandardliving,”headded.

Oil was discovered offshore

Guyana in 2015 and by December 2019, production commenced Exxon has already received government approval for six developments in the Stabroek Block.

The first four are in operation, producing an average of 650,000 barrelsofoilperday(bpd)withan installedcapacityof900,000bpd.

The company has also submitted applications for a seventhproject,Hammerhead,and

aneighth,Longtail. Thecompanyisaimingtobring all eight developments into production by the end of the decade, with a combined target of 1.7millionbpd.

Following the disclosure by government that the Stabroek Block oil reserves grew to 11.6 billion barrels, EMGL came out disputing the figures released by government, providing its own resourceestimate.

Former Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan

T

manager, Alistair Routledge at a press conference last year said the Stabroek Block reserves are less than11billionbarrels.

Routledgewasaskedhowmany of the eight discoveries were appraisedforthecompanytoarrive atthenewresourceestimateof11.6 billionbarrels.

H e e x p l a i n e d , “ T h e government released a number of 11.6 billion oil equivalent barrels, ExxonMobil’s estimate is lower than that number our number remains a little under 11 billion oil equivalent barrels.” Furthermore, he noted that the company is obligated to make such reports to the US Securities and Exchange Commission,makingthepointthat Exxon was not keeping the figures away

Explaining the variation betweenExxon’sfigurescompared to the reserves announced by government, Routledge noted that the state conducts independent studies,althoughitissuppliedwith databythecompany “Theyalsodo independent studies (and) verificationswithotherconsultants and the work that they do themselves and the GGMC and Ministry of Natural Resources so it’s quite normal to have a slightly different view of the number,” he reasoned.

BoG says Mohamed misrepresented facts of governor’s advice on bank account closures

TheBankofGuyana(BoG)has rejectedclaimsbyleaderoftheWe InvestinNationhood(WIN)party, Azruddin Mohamed, stating that the US-sanctioned businessman misrepresentedthefactsonadvice given to him by the governor, Dr Gobind Ganga in relation to the closure of bank accounts party candidates.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the BoG said, “Mr Mohamed has misrepresented the facts on social media The governoradvisedMr Mohamedto withdraw his case against the commercialbanksandaffiliatesto seek reevaluation of their money laundering/terroristfinancingrisks

persons associated with his party are to be paid by the government. As such, Mohamed said on Friday thathecontactedthegovernorfora statusontheaccounts.“So,Icalled thegovernoryesterdayandIasked him what is the status on the accounts and he told me that we shouldgetthelawyerstowritethe banks Our candidates, a lot of them will be on the RDCs serving as councillors, they would be at different boards, they would be working at GECOM, they would bemembersofparliamentandthey would be receiving money from theGovernment,”hetoldKaieteur News.However,theBoGhas Continued on page 10

KaieteurNews

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Publisher:GLENNLALL-TEL:624-6456

Editor:NIGELWILLIAMS

Tel:225-8465,225-8491. Fax:225-8473,226-8210

EDITORIAL

Wemustkillthisnow

“And we will intensify our efforts against domestic violence-wemustkillthisnow”,saidPresidentMohamed IrfaanAliduringhissecondturnattheinauguralpodium. We are in complete agreement with President Ali, becauseifthedomesticviolencescourgeisnotbroughttoa grinding halt at the soonest, there is no telling how many more Guyanese women could be killed by their partners, someinthemostgruesomeofways. Theremustbeanend tothisnationalembarrassmentknownasdomesticviolence, andthateffortfromthegovernmentmuststartrightaway President Ali is known to have made powerful statementsinthepastabouthowmuchhisGovernmentwill do relative to sensitive issues of national importance in Guyana. Then he and his statements that gave so much encouragementallbutdisappeared. Nationalunitywasone suchissue,andthatwasaccompaniedbytransparencyand accountability Threeissuesofnationalsignificance,buton eachofwhichthegovernment’srecordissopoorthatithas tobekeptunderlockandkey

Whocanforgetwhatwastantamounttoanoathmadeby PresidentAlito“reviewandrenegotiate”allcontracts,only forhimtowalkbackhiswordsonthebiggestcontractofall, the 2016 ExxonMobil oil contract? The President didn’t look too vigorous, and still has not recovered from his seekingshelterunder“sanctityofcontract.”

Sinceitisthetimeofanewbeginning,andinthatsame spirit,weatthispaperarereadytoletyesterdaystayinthe mists of yesterday However, that vile and barbaric oil contractcannotstand,mustnotbeallowedtostand. Itisa national humiliation that prompts the world to laugh at Guyana,fromthesamepeoplewhoreportonhowgrandly Guyanaisdoingwithitshugenationalbonanza.Inthesame way,ExxonMobiloilcontractisanationaldisgrace,soalso is the ugliness of domestic violence, which makes every self-respectingGuyanesemanwanttohidehisface. Dueto thisstateinthelocalenvironment,PresidentAlihasalarge groundswell of favorable sentiment and public opinion behindhimrelativetodoingsomethingofsignificancewith domesticviolence.

“Wemustkillthisnow”,andthoughthePresidentcould havechosenadifferentverb,fewaretheGuyanesewhowill take objection to his declaration of intent The circumstanceswarrantsuchstrongleadershiplanguage,and thesituationisnowsooutofhandthatthereislittletimefor nuanceandtactfullanguage. Thereisgrowingimpatience with the episodic violence in homes, and sometimes what reachesasfarasworkplacesandpublicspaces. Toomany Guyanesewomenhavebeenbatteredintoacatatonicstate, andtoomanyofthemhavepaidwiththeirlives,ofteninthe mostharrowingofcircumstances. Evenworse,thechildren are also made into fatal victims, on occasion. In the first eightmonthsofthisyearalone,astaggering13womenlost their lives at the hands of their domestic partners, their socalledlovedones.

One woman was brutally beaten to death, another was set on fire and killed, a third was shot twelve times and succumbed. These represent less than a quarter of the women in this country killed by people they knew and loved,andthiswasjustinslightlyoverthefirsthalfofthis year Something has to be done to stop this carnage that occurs in what should be thesafest placefor a womanand herchildren,herhome. Thishastostop,cannotbeallowed to continue, and whatever radical action the President and Governmenthaveinmind,wedonotthinkthattherewillbe much pushback from the public. When women are brutalised,itisnotjustthefamiliesthatarewounded. The communities live with the horror and the shame, and the known beast lurking in the vicinity is seen as a danger to everyone. It seems that counseling and court orders are largely impotent, and that awareness and interventions are of limited value. “We must kill this now” will send a messagetointendedabusersthatthetableshaveturned.

Any plan to revitalise Georgetown must involve City Hall

DEAREDITOR, PresidentIrfaanAlimust not only talk the talk, but he must also walk the talk. His September 7th swearing-in addresswasfilledwithlofty promises to the people of Guyana people he is constitutionally bound to servewithoutfear,favouror ill will, whether they voted for him or not The President’s salary is paid by all citizens, and so too must behisservice.

Eventhecasualobserver would

borrowed heavily from the campaignplatformsofother political parties and echoed many of the long-held positions of civil society They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery But Guyanese don’t just wantapresidentwhoparrots theideasofothers,theywant on

s Attribution is not the issue; actionis.

Yetitismostunfortunate thatlessthantwoweeksafter pledging to build a society that includes all, as outlined in our nation’s political objectives, the President now appears to be

undermining citizens input through their elected local representatives.

Guyana’s Constitution, Article13expresslystates:

”The principal objective of the system of the State is to establish an inclusionary democracy by providing increasing opportunities for the participation of citizens, andtheirorganisationsinthe management and decisionmaking processes of the State, with particular emphasis on those areas of decision-making that directly affect their wellbeing.”

With inclusionary democracy enshrined in the supremelaw,itisnotforany government to decide whether or not to honour it. This is a constitutional obligation The electorate has a duty to hold the GovernmentandOpposition accountabletoit.

Those who speak of inclusionary democracy only when it suits them, or use it to beat others into s u b m i s s i o n , a r e demonstratingaclearlackof understanding of their constitutional role, and a dangerous disregard for the

rightsofothersinsociety

No reasonable person would argue against the fact that Georgetown needs urgent attention. But those whohavefollowedhowthis central government has treated local democratic organs, particularly those outsideitscontrol,knowfull well the playbook—starve them of resources, undermine their authority, andbypasstheirmandates.

Any plan to revitalise Georgetown must involve City Hall, which is legally empowered to govern the affairsofthecity Thisisnot merely a matter of courtesy It is a matter of law The functioning of local democracy and citizen participation must be respected.Developmentthat comes at the expense of constitutional rights is not development It is overreaching.Itiscontempt.

The workers and communities who have fought for self-governance and the right to vote did not do so to have their voices silenced by central interference dressed up as development.

President Ali must be reminded that Article 75 of the Constitution clearly states:

“

democratic organs shall be autonomous and take decisions which are binding upon their agencies and i n s t i t u t i o n s , a n d communities and citizens of theirareas.”

Local government is not just about holding elections every few years or having councils hold statutory meetings It carries the responsibility to manage community development, identifyandcollectrevenue, and ensure transparent governance on behalf of the people.TheConstitution (Continuedonpage06)

And those in the private sectorwhoarequicktoheap praise on the President’s decisionsmustalsobequick to remind him of the importance of upholding constitutional principles. If they are serious about building a nation under the motto “One People, One Nation, One Destiny,” they mustbewillingtochallenge decisions that undermine thatgoal.

Revitalising Georgetown and Embracing National Development

DEAREDITOR

Congratulations are in order for President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on the successfulcompletionofthe Demerara River Bridge—a historic achievement that paves the way for further infrastructural progress. We are confident he will also make history with the longawaited bridging of the Corentyne River. Suriname has shown respect and compassion to our people in the past, offering over 25,000Guyaneserefugeand dignity when they needed it most That friendship is special, and further, it will integrateGuyanawithSouth America.

I welcome President Ali’s plan to revitalise the capital city, Georgetown For too long this city has been poorly administered due to divisive politics and c o r r u p t i o n I t i s unacceptablethatintheheart ofourcapitalcity,peopleare forced to eat near open, stinking sewers. The trench running alongside Bourda Market and extending past

Sleepin Hotel to the Queenstown Mosque is a health hazard stagnant, foul-smelling, and infested with mosquitoes and sand flies. This is not just an eyesorebutathreattopublic healthanddignity.

Thedrainsalongmanyof our market areas are choked with human waste, garbage, and other refuse. This situation reflects years of neglect. Our people deserve better and the President’s p l a n w i l l r e m a k e Georgetown that we can all beproudof. Weneedtolook to modern, sustainable models such as the Netherlands’ advanced water management systems, where pumping stations keep canals and drains circulating constantly We must implement similar infrastructure here. Drains and trenches should be properly backed with concrete or reinforced with steel to ensure durability Furthermore, those who violate environmental and sanitation laws must face strict penalties. Enough is enough. Oururbanspacesarealso plagued by uncontrolled noise and vulgarity The chaosincentralGeorgetown mustbeaddressedwithclear enforcement of public decency and noise regulations.

resource-rich regions. The timing is perfect. We must notallowNicolásMaduroor anyone else to intimidate or

o f Essequibo a land that belongstoallGuyanese. Guyana remains a lush, greenhaven—arisingstarin both local and international tourism. From its vibrant rainforests and countless waterfalls to serene lakes, majestic mountains, open grasslands, and scenic coastlines,Guyanaisatruly blessed land. Unlike many regions gripped by growing economic, ethnic and religiousconflict,ournation stands as a beacon of peace and natural beauty Let us rise together - clean our cities, modernise our infrastructure, and defend every inch of our beloved homeland.

In President Ali’s plan, we will see a radical shift in urban planning. Car parks and bus terminals will be moved outside the city core to reduce congestion and pollution.Accesstotheinner city, especially around Parliament and key government buildings will be restricted. This aligns with the government’s current initiative of decentralising essential servicesandrelocatingthem out of central Georgetown a move that will be accelerated. On a national scale, I suspect that the Essequibo Riverwillbebridgedtofully integrateandconsolidateour territorial sovereignty Not only will this improve defense capabilities, but it will also open vast opportunitiesforsettlement, investment, and economic

Regards RayChickrie

Corruption in Guyana

DEAREDITOR

Corruption is a worldwidephenomenonthat is deeply ingrained in our socio-political landscape. It is so ensconced in the daily fabric of our public and governance systems that, paradoxically, some corrupt practices are normalised as administrative efficiency Corruption, while without a universally accepted definition, is widely understood to be the misuse of public office for private gain, whether that gain be material, political, or otherwise.

Corruption in Guyana does not only occur through covert monetary dealings but also through the systemic manipulation of our institutions for personal or partisan advantage. The pervasiveness of this problemissuchthatcitizens rarely question its presence, particularly when the practiceisofbenefittothem. A clear example is the payment of “expedition fees” for public services such as the issuance of a passport If the state possessestheadministrative capacitytodeliverapassport within three (3) days, we must interrogate why this is not the standard practice. Instead, efficiency has been commodified, and those withthefinancialmeanscan secure preferential treatment.Thistransactional cultureextendsacrosspublic institutions, including law

enforcement and the

judiciary, where monetary inducementsorbribesaswe know it, can make for the avoidanceoftrafficcharges, disappearance of evidence, and even prosecution failures.

Such realities raise critical questions about the governingphilosophyofthe current administration. The Ali government and by extension the PPP, while rhetorically acknowledging corruption, appears structurally dependent on it. Our constitutional framework itself, in some respects, allows for individuals who lack integrity to have significant discretionary power in the office of the presidency Point to note is that key public offices like the Director of Public Prosecutions and the C o m m i s s i o n e r o f Information falls under Presidential appointments, and those office holders are protectedbytenuresecurity While these public offices are designed to preserve institutional independence, inpracticetheappointments are often given to political loyalists, thereby eroding any semblance of impartiality they are meant tosafeguard.

There are many other examples which reinforce this and other trends. May I posit that the government’s refusal to release the 2022 census data ahead of the

2025 election raises legitimate concerns about electoral transparency and the manipulation of information flows for political survival Such practicesaresymptomaticof a governance system in which corruption is not merely incidental but systemic, serving as a structural and main pillar of politicaldominance.

President Ali’s public rhetoric about combating corruption must be placed against this backdrop Comparative political analysissuggeststhathighly corrupt governments rarely dismantle the very mechanisms that sustain their power, as such efforts would amount to political self-destruction. Indeed, if we were to take a look at Ali’s first term, budgetary allocations specifically targeting anti-corruption measures were negligible, and what little was done amounted to performative gestures.Symbolically,even the prohibition of the word “corruption” in the National Assembly reflected a government uneasy with scrutiny,preferringsemantic censorship over substantive reform.

It is my belief that repeatedstatementsfromthe UnitedStatesgovernmentin highlighting corruption involving high-ranking officials within Guyana has promptedPresidentAlito

(Continuedonpage06)

Guyana must act now!

DEAREDITOR

U.S. new electricity is being sourced fromsolar(50%)andawayfromnaturalgas (8%)makingitclearthatsolarshouldbethe preferred long-term option (Reference: Visual Capitalist, September 17, 2025, What’sPoweringNewU.S.Electricity?)

In addition, Venezuela’s recent showing oftheirRussianmadejetsinresponsetothe U.S.militarybuildupintheregionincreases tensions and shortens the timeline of a possiblemilitarystrikeoccurring,whichwill lead to an escalation in the current global conflict. As a nation we must also consider the dangers that an operational natural gas plantwillposeintheeventofGuyanabeing bombed.Thepowergridandbridgesthatare critical for supply chain and military needs

are usually key targets at the beginning of a war

As previously mentioned, bringing the U.S. and China together for a discussion on our national security with the purpose of findingajointsolutionthatboththeU.S.and China can agree upon will help reduce tensions between Guyana, Venezuela and other countries that will be affected by a largerglobalconflict.Itwillalsohelpreduce themilitarybuildupalongourwesternborder and the risk of Guyana being involved in a war The President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperationmustmakethisatoppriorityin theimmediatefuture.Wemustactnow!

Withurgency, Mr.JamilChanglee

Continuing Improvement and Expansion in Healthcare

DEAREDITOR, Thescepticscandoubtif they want to, but it is wellestablished that fighting kidney related health problem is a very mammoth undertaking, personally and governmentally, and most times, the cost is quite prohibitiveformany,evenin the supposed welldevelopedcountries.

Onthisnote,andthiscan be checked too, it is that the cost of dialysis in the US is very high, with Medicare paying about $99,325 per person per year for hemodialysis in 2021 and $86,976 for peritoneal dialysis.

Annualcostsforpatients can range from $40,000 to over $100,000, though Medicare covers most of these costs for eligible patients.

Private insurance generallypaysevenmorefor dialysis services. The fact I wanttoestablishhereisthat wearetalking‘bigmoney.’

Imagine how delighted I am then to read that “A total of 15 new dialysis units will come into operation in the public healthcare system before theendoftheyear ”

This was the news of welcome from President Dr IrfaanAli,onTuesday, during his first press conference in his second terminoffice

The details show that “ the stations will be established in Regions T w o ( P o m e r o o nS u p e n aam), Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara),Four(DemeraraMahaica), Five (MahaicaBerbice), Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).”

This must breathe a ‘sigh of relief’from many q u a r t e r s a n d understandably so, as dialysis can extend the lifespan of people with kidney failure, with average life expectancies of 5 to 10 years, though many live much longer, some for 20-30 years or more, depending on

various factors like age, overall health, and the type of dialysis they receive

We know it is not a cure, but dialysis is a lifesustaining treatment that replaces the filtering function of failed kidneys, allowingpatientstolivewith kidney failure for a significantly longer period than they would without treatment.

I know of many, who simply lost hope when the dreaded diagnostic reports werestudied.

Thesewerefolksofnot too long ago who needed dialysis because of kidney failure (end-stage renal disease) or acute kidney injury (AKI), as their kidneys were no longer able to effectively filter waste and excess fluid fromtheblood

Without adequacy of funds, to travel and seek intervention, and Guyana at that time not in a position to meet the need, the reality was ‘early demise ’

But look at this turna r o u n d , a s “ W e (Government of Guyana) have added dialysis stationsineveryoneofthe sixnewhospitals

In addition to that, beforetheendofthisyear, we will have 15 additional dialysis units operational I think that is also a tremendous improvement that we are advancing in the early days of our government ”

I fully agree with this pronouncement from the GuyanaHeadofState

He elaborated that “ this decision was made after it was brought to his attention that there is a need for more stations across the country (that was) during the People’s

Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) manifesto consultations ahead of the recently concluded September 1 General and RegionalElections.”

Now with the PPP/C’s retaining governance, this timely input just further enhances the ‘seriousness in delivering’ as per its manifesto, allowing for the party to generate growing and wide-spread confidence from all s e g m e n

population

Editor, where the W o r l d H e a l t h Organisation (WHO) is concerned, it recognises that global dialysis access is unequal, with high-income countries having greater access

g significant challenges due to cost, workforce, a

limitations

In a 2025 WHO resolution, the goal “ aims to reduce the burden of chronic kidney disease by promoting prevention and integrating kidney h e a l t h i n t o noncommunicable disease agendas

Efforts by the WHO and its partners, like the International Society of Nephrology (ISN), focus o n d e v e l o p i n g frameworks, advocating for public policy, and sharing knowledge to improve sustainable and equitable access to kidney careworldwide ” Honestly, this seems too long-term and complicated Guyana is in a welcoming fast-track mode, and I have great hope that this will get biggerandbetter

Yourstruly,

HargeshB.Singh

Palestine

bySaayaPrasad

Everyday,ababydiesinthemostgruesomeway

Every day, a mother cradles a lifeless body against her broken,beatingheart.Wishingtoexchangethisfate.

Afatherbuildsatombtoburyhisfamilyinplaceofahome.

A child looks into his father’s eyes and whispers, “I’m starving.”

Achildlooksintohermother’seyesandcries,“I’mafraid.”

Palestine-youhadnodebttorepay

Palestinians - you were only born at the wrong time, in the wrongplace.

Palestine,whereprayerstrailacrossbloodyland,whilethose whokillgohomewithcleanhands.

Palestine,wheretheinnocentsufferinsilence,becausetheir screamsmeannothingtoaworldthatthrivesonviolence.

I cannot imagine myself in your place - living each day in fearofdeath.

Iwouldnotwishthisonmyworstenemy: Todie,simplybecauseyouhadbreath.

CorruptioninGuyana...

Frompage05 make bold declarations about addressing corruption in his second term. Whether these promises materialise into meaningful reform or merely constitute another facade, timewilltell.

In concluding, the entrenchmentofcorruptionin Guyana is neither accidental nor peripheral, it is systemic, institutionalised, and sustainedbyapoliticalculture that conflates governance

with patronage The persistence of any People’s

d administration in power is, to

, facilitated by this culture of corruption.

F o r g e n u i n e transformationtooccur,every citizen must critically observe, interrogate, and reject the normalisation of corrupt practices, both subtle andovert,whichcompromise national development and undermine democ

c governance.

Regards ClayonF Halley

‘Gov’t must find new market for rice’-Former Finance Minister

Minister of Finance under theAPartnership for National Unity+ Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) administration, Winston Jordan said that with the premium market for rice with Venezuela obsolete, there seems to be no strategy by the government fornewexportoutlets.

Jordan appeared on ‘The Countdown’ with Andrew Weeks on Sunday, where he addressed the current uproar by farmers acrossthecountryoverrice price, reminding that there were days when Guyana had a huge market in Venezuelaatasubstantially, premium price, way above theworldmarketprice.

He said that this was an incentive to perform and increase rice production, relayingthatricewassoldto Mexico,Cubaandtheusual Europeanmarket.

Jordan explained that there is currently a glut on the market. According to him, if the situation is temporary, then there is nothing to worry about,

once there are silos to take off the excess rice until things are normalised and thestoredricecouldbesold.

“…ifyoudon’thavethe silos, and the outlook for rice is for prices not to return even to the glory days,thenyoumustbeable to tell the farmers that, and marginal farmers, you’re going to have to work with them in some other crop,” Jordanstressed.

The former minister advised that government shouldworkwithfarmersto further improve their production Marginal farmers should however be informed on what is happening and be assisted into new productive ventures,henoted.

President IrfaanAli last weekpromisedricefarmers in Region Six to invest in buildingstoragecapacityto stockpile rice and new varietiestoensureincreased yields.

During a meeting at the Skeldon Sugar Factory, Ali informed the farmers that government, over the next

Any plan to

Frompage04 gives this legitimacy

Article 76 states that Parliamentmayprovidefor regional democratic councils to raise their own revenues and spend them for the benefit and welfare oftheirareas.

Article 77 further requires

that each region’s development programme

two weeks will engage in a series of meetings to find a solution for the low prices currentlybeingoffered.

“You have to be involved. We have to be involved,themillershaveto be involved, and of course, the markets have to be involved.Youhavetotalkto the markets. We agree that this is not us, anybody fighting each other One thing y’all know for sure is that you got a government who support you and a government that represents you andwalkwithyou. So, there will be a lot of opportunistscomingaround now, political opportunists, and I’m very frank with you, who would come around as if they love you andcareaboutyouandthey want to represent you,” he said.

Ali assured the farmers that his administration will work with them because they love them and genuinely want them to succeed. However, taking into consideration the complex situation at hand

with dumping prices, markets with outstanding monies and over supply, they must find ways to maneuver

“…as government, we are trying to navigate through that programme. You know, we’ve already said that in all of the rice producingregions,wehave to now build storage capacity the government, where we will stockpile also. So, we can stockpile, wehavetohavethecapacity nationally to stockpile maybe 5 million tons of rice, because we want rice to succeed,” the president said.

He urged farmers that they need to continue to cultivate the crop, as the governmentwantsto

(Continuedonpage16)

revitalise Georgetown...

must be integrated into the national plan, with government allocating f u n d s t o s u p p o r t implementation.

The Constitution of Guyanapromises“asystem of governance based on democratic values, social justice,fundamentalhuman rights and the rule of law.”

That promise must not be

trampled on under the pretext of expediency It must be honoured in both spirit and practice Guyanese people are not unreasonable. Theyarenotopposedto development. But they will notacceptthatdevelopment be used as a cover to erode their democratic rights or bypass their elected

representatives President Ali must govern not according to political convenience, but according to the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

That document is not a suggestion. It is supreme law

Regards LincolnLewis

RATIOATCROSSROADS

signals partial relinquishment of Kaieteur Block says drilling decision deadline is Nov. 2025

to return block if no partner by deadline or no extension granted

Ratio Guyana Limited (RGL), operator of the Kaieteur Block, says it has notified the Government of Guyanaoftheportionofthe block it is prepared to relinquish, even as the company hunts to secure a new partner ahead of a critical November 2025 drillingdeadline. A few months ago, this publication reported that no part of the 3.3 million acres block had yet been relinquished Under the Kaieteur Petroleum Agreement, upon applying

toenterthesecondextension period, the oil companies RGL and Cataleya Energy Limited (CEL) had until February 2025 to commit to drilling a well before relinquishing 20 per cent of the block, or if they wished, theentirecontractarea.

It was reported that on November 17, 2024, Ratio Petroleum announced a one-year extension was granted for the drilling decision date An unofficial Englishtranslationofits announcement stated that a request was submitted to the Ministry of Natural Resources(MNR)foran extension of the exploration period Previously,ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL), the block’s former operator, had sought an extension citing the coronaviruspandemic.After Exxon and the other block partnerHesswithdrew,Ratio applied for another extension on similar grounds.

According to a recent report published by Ratio, thereviseddeadlineisinfact November 2025, not February2026,aspreviously suggested by the oil company “On November 17, 2024, the partnership announced that the

Guyanese Ministry of Energy approved the request Accordingly, the deadline for the partners in the block to notify the state whether they intend to conduct further drilling in the block or abandon it was also postponed by one year, until February 2026 (the actual notification date is November 2025),” the documentclarifies. Tothisend,itwasstated, “Ratio Guyana has notified the state of the area it is willing to relinquish. The partnership will report in

accordancewiththelawafter the state approves the decision ” Under the Kaieteur Block agreement, partners must relinquish 20%oftheblock’sarea. Further, the company also disclosed that it is seeking to bring in another partner or several, with the intention of one becoming the operator and lead future drilling.

Ratio said it has contacted many energy companies since Exxon’s exit.Whileseveral

Continued on page 16

Touristguidestabbedto deathatHeritagecelebrations

A21-year-oldtouristguidewasstabbedto death during the early hours of Sunday morning during Heritage celebrations in Annai Village, North Rupununi, Region Nine.

Dead is John Elliot, a tourist guide attached to Atta Lodge and a resident of SuramaVillage,NorthRupununi.

Police said Elliot was killed around 01:30hrs. A female police officer attending the celebrations reportedly saw when Elliot wasattackedandkilled.

Sherecalledthathewasstabbedduringa confrontation with three young men, one of them identified as a Juvenile (16-year-old schooldropout).

Theothertwoyouthshavebeenidentified as brothers, 20-year-old Ronaldo Williams, and 18-year-old OrlandoWilliams, ofAnnai Village.

Thepolicerankallegedthatitwasthe16year-old who fatally stabbed Eliott to the chestduringtheconfrontation.

Policerankslaterfoundhimhidingoutin the home of the brothers, but they were not around.Hewasarrestedandtakenintopolice custody Hewasquestionedinthepresenceof hismotheranddeniedstabbingElliot.

Heclaimedthatitwasoneofthebrothers, 18-year-old Orlando Williams who killed Elliot. “Effortsarebeingmadetoapprehend thetwoothersuspects,policesaid.

Stabbed to death during Heritage Celebrations, John Elliot

Meanwhile tributes poured in following Elliot’skilling.

His employer,Atta Lodge in a Facebook Post stated, “Atta Rainforest Lodge mourns thelossofourcolleagueanddearfriend,John Elliott. John was a remarkable person who was passionate about birding, and biodiversity conservation, and it showed through his interactions with his peers and visitors. His great personality, warm smile and commitment to excellence will be missed.Weofferourdeepestcondolencesto hisfamilyandfriendsatthisdifficulttime.”

The strength in numbers

Politics is often measured in votes, in the neatnessofthetallysheet,in the arithmetic that delivers one party into Office and consigns another to Opposition. But politics, in its truest sense, is not arithmetic;itischemistry It is the strange alchemy that happens when human beings discover themselves in numbers, when they recognise that their cause is not solitary but collective. Andwhentheirvoices,even if denied the volume of official microphones, find resonance in the chorus of thestreet.

The We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), having crossed the threshold of parliamentary life, must accept that the chamber it enters will not be its kingdom. Parliament, with its time-honoured rules and its ironclad majorities, will allowWINitsseats,avoice, perhaps even a question or two. But it will not allow W I N p o w e r T h e Government will dominate theagenda,stiflethedebate,

andmockthosewhodissent. The role ofWIN’s members in the Assembly will be, at best, that of prophets in the wilderness: earnest, unwelcome,oftenridiculed.

WIN has another, more powerful calling: to be a movement It was not arithmeticbutchemistrythat gave WIN 109,000 votes. Those ballots were not just ink and paper; they were hopes, grievances, convictions,and,aboveall,a declaration that citizens wished for something different Those votes represent the power of the underclasses.IfWINforgets this and reduces itself to the sterile life of parliamentary opposition,itwillbetraythe energy that lifted it from obscurity to significance in threeshortmonths.

Already, WIN is being encouraged by the establishment to enter into the small quarrels of letterwriting—to petition banks that closed accounts of its candidates, to seek redress where private decisions trespass on public rights. WIN should resist the

temptation Banks that sought to curry favour with power or acted in cowardly hastedeservenotaletterbut anabandonment.

Let WIN’s candidates carry their accounts elsewhere and in so doing, expose the folly of institutions that chose complicity over fairness

The strength of numbers is the best rebuke When customers walk away, the ledger shrinks, and even the most timid banker understands.

But the matter of the banks is only one stone in a vastquarryofinjustice.WIN campaigned on issues that stirred a people the weaponisation of the State against its leaders, the throttling of Opposition voices, the need for fairness in economics and justice in governance. These were not passing slogans but urgent cries. If WIN wishes to remainrelevant,itmustkeep thosecriesaliveinthepublic square.Itmustmarch,notin anger but in dignity It must assemble, not to disrupt but to remind. It must protest,

‘Gov’t must find new market for rice’...

Frompage06 continue to invest in “better variety to give you higher yield.” In order to do this, the appropriate infrastructure is needed to supportit.

Farmershadtakentothestreet,protesting the prices being offered for their paddy and thehugeamountthathasbeenlefttospoilon theirhands.

Kaieteur News had received reports that some millers are offering a mere $2,800 per bag of paddy, $1200 less than what they received last crop, when the $400 governmentsubsidywasadded.

Farmers complained that the prices currentlybeingofferedareunsustainable.

DEM BOYS SEH

TalkLess,AnswerMore!

Dem boys seh press conference does normally follow one holy order De man or lady who hosting does give a lil opening statement - short, sweet, and to de point.After that, dereportersdoesgettofire dem question like is rapidfire at a police shooting range Simple, neat, everybodyhappy

ButGuyanaalwaysgot to be different. De other day, almost a miracle almost happen. Before de host even get to read de opening script, questions were almost invited from the sitting media corps. Somepeoplecallitalapse, but dem boys seh it might have been a blessing if de questions did come before theopeningstatement. Because leh we be honest: who really listening to dem opening statement these days? It suppose to be short, but instead it turn into one long, winding sermon. By de time de man done, half of de press pack already gone into REM sleep, snoringsoftlikelullaby De poor cameraman does wakeupwidonejoltwhen hetripodnearlytopple. An, is not like de questions does be based upondestatement.No,bai. Dejournalistssitdowndeh itching fuh ask about road, school, crime, sugar, or who thief what. But de statement does start off a b o u t “ s t r a t e g i c development initiative in a l i g n m e n t w i d transformational vision” and end off wid “we

not to disorder but to bear witness Numbers, when harnessed peacefully, become a mirror that Governmentcannotignore.

The danger forWIN lies not in defeat but in drift. Movements dissolve not becausetheyarevanquished but because they forget themselves WIN must guardagainsttheslowcreep of self-interest—the lure of office, the comforts of parliamentary privilege, the subtle intoxication of being included, however peripherally, in the official machinery The test of its leadership is whether it can persuade its base that WIN was never only about sanctions, nor about personalities, but about a broader vision: the resurrection of People’s Power

There is no shortage of causes.Thereisthecauseof fair treatment for its candidates, the cause of transparencyingovernment, the cause of dignity in economic life. There is the defense of rights too easily

trampled, and the assertion of freedoms too casually dismissed. Each of these, when pressed in the streets with discipline and persistence, can remind the country that democracy is not measured only in parliamentary votes but in the living energy of its citizens.

History,afterall,teaches us that parliaments change little without pressure. The most profound movements of reform have come not from the decorous exchangeswithinlegislative halls but from the stubborn voices outside, demanding to be heard. WIN should knowthis.Itsvitalitywillbe foundnotinthetranscriptof debates but in the footsteps of its followers, not in the clippedlanguageofmotions but in the banners carried downastreet.

To become such a movement requires leadership. WIN’s leaders mustrisetothistask,forthey have already been given the raw material: numbers. One hundred and nine thousand

is not a footnote; it is a multitude.Itisaforcethat,if keptaliveandmobilised,can turndespairintochange.

To its leaders, falls the responsibility of reminding their followers that they are notmerelyvoterswhocasta ballot and returned home, butcitizenswhoseworkhas onlyjustbegun.

If WIN succeeds in this—if it keeps its base awake, engaged, and peacefully insistent—it can write a new chapter in the nation’s politics Not a chapter about parliamentary speeches but about the underclasses who found strength in numbers and turned that strength into the quiet, determined power of change.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)

continue to pursue a p e o p l e - c e n t e r e d approach.” All de while, people stomach grumbling louderthandemicrophone. Sodemboyssehmaybe Guyana invent something new skip de opening statementandgostraightto de questions. Save time, save battery, save j o u r n a l i s t s f r o m narcolepsy After all, a press conference is fuh de press,notfuhpreach. Detruthis,delongerde statement, de less confidence de speaker got in facing de real question. Andeverybodyknowit.So next time, leh dem cut out de lullaby and face de music. Talk less, answer more. That is de real press freedom. Talkhalf.Leffhalf.

US will find ways to work around sanctioned individuals

Th a n k y o u ,

E x c e l l e n c y

Theriot. The US always does, doesn’t it?

That is, find ways to work around troubling, tricky situations. From‘concerns’, as previously articulated by the US Ambassador to Guyana to “find ways” to coexist with the sanctioned AzruddinMohamed,nowof WIN ascendancy, covers muchground.

ItisbetterforExcellency Theriot to tell it in her own words:“Idothinkwehaveto wait until the final results, theofficialresultscomeout. ButIcantellyouwe’vehad O FA C - s a n c t i o n e d individualsingovernmentin other places in the world, several in fact and we find ways to work around that… You just have to be creative in ways to work around it.”

Creativeitwillbe,andthere isnonemoreskilledthanthe US at coming up with the innovative to facilitate its owninterests. Inthinkingof this, and the surety of American footsteps in a challengingsituation,Ican’t help looking at Guyana and thatExxonoilcontract. Itis just standing there daunting and seemingly impregnable, because Guyanese political powersfromGovernmentto Opposition, with a few lonely and desultory exceptions, dare to think creativelyrelativetofinding ways to working around it. Going head-on against it is out of the question; but findingwaystocirclearound it could lead somewhere,

once the effort is genuine. Guyana’s interests are at stake,remember AmbassadorTheriotisso unlike her predecessor As Guyaneseknow,shedoesn’t say much. But when she does, it has considerable weight. I continue to try to get the measure of her, knowing that she speaks not for herself, but for the US. Excellency Theriot first spoke in general terms, then swiftlycuttothechase. Her wordsfollow,andagainthey carry much meaning. “We wouldn’t be able to work directly with Mr Mohamed in any sort of transaction or financial situation…but we could work with the people, the other parliamentarians, I assumehe’llbeinparliament a n d t h e o t h e r parliamentarians and other people on the particular committees that we’re dealingwith.”

Mr Mohamed is part of the sweep of consideration, then he is not. It is up to a point only, and never directly He will have to accept that, which I think is more than a generous development, and learn to live with it. As a practical matter, what choice does he have? Thereis,however,an opening for the WIN group that I discern in the ambassador’s carefully craftedwords. Considerthe following: “we could work with the people, the other parliamentarians…” Note how tight that was. “We could”, not that we would. There are no guarantees.

FromwhatIcangleanoutof this,Mr.Mohamedisforced to operate within the confines of two restraints. First, he is handcuffed; and, thenheis inisolation. Take it or leave it, buddy. That’s thewayitis,that’sthewayit will be. Now, the challenge forTeamMohamedishowto get creative itself in scoping out ways to work with the Americans. Or,atleast,bein the frame of their good graces,ifImaybepermitted to say it in such a manner

Notwithstanding this narrowest of openings in which the Mohamed team has to maneuver, its members should be wise. That is, don’t get too creative. Takewhatisgiven, and function with it. Be content. Itisaformofhouse arrest,butdon’texpectmore. In taking in all of this, another lesson peeked through,whichGuyanesedo welltoponder Accordingto the ambassador, direct dealings with Mr Mohamed isout.

No transaction No financial situation. Clear as midday and hard as steel. But consideration can be extendedtohisteamrelative toparliamentarydealings. I hope that the private commercial banks in Guyana absorbed that standard, that slice of flexibility Though said before, I say it again Americans are not superior beings;thesolerepositoryof perspicacity and sagacity Supermen and wonder women,whencircumstances

BoG says Mohamed misrepresented...

Frompage3 statedthatMohamed’srecollectionisnotthe factsoftheadvicegiventohim.

This publication had reported that following the publication of WIN’s list of candidatesinJuly,localfinancialinstitutions, cut ties with the members, with some citing the OFAC sanctions imposed on Mohamed by the United States as the reason for the decision.

Last year, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Mohamed and his father Nazar Mohamed, citingallegationsofdefraudingtheGuyanese government of US$50 million in taxes

through gold smuggling, as well as bribing publicofficials.

Mohamed maintains that what happened to the supporters’ accounts is a case of victimisationandpoliticalpersecutionbythe government.

Butinapre-electioninAugust,theCarter Centresaidthatlocalcommercialbankswere over-complying with the U S sanctions imposedonMohamedwiththemclosingthe accountsofseveraloftheparty’scandidates. The center said that the action undermined political participation and electoral integrity by discouraging people from participating fullyinthepoliticalprocess.

demand. But they are not superior beings, infallible. Guyanese politicians have groveled before the Exxon contract, and Guyanese banks went on bended knee when the OFAC sanctions gave this whole country a chill. Be men not mice. Consult and do not selfdestruct reputationally Whether oil contract

reaction (sanctity) or OFAC overkill (sanctions), find ways to work with, work around, the challenges that standbefore.

I close with words from Excellency Theriot. “So, there are ways to work around it, and we will just follow the U.S. law as it prescribes working with O FA C - s a n c t i o n e d individuals.” Thanks again, Excellency Whatever US lawsprescribe. Guyana,asa sovereign nation, should have some laws of its own. Let those apply, take precedence,prevail.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)

PAHO intensifies call to strengthen vaccination amid rising measles cases

The Pan American

Health Organisation (PAHO) is urging countries

in the Americas to strengthen vaccination e f f o r t s , i m p r o v e surveillance, and accelerate outbreak response following a rise in measles casesintheregion.

As of September 12, 2025, 11,313 cases and 23 deathshavebeenconfirmed in ten countries—a 31-fold increase compared to the 358 cases reported in the same period in 2024, according to PAHO’s latest epidemiological update “Measles is a preventable disease thanks to vaccination, but low coverage in vulnerable communities is fueling these outbreaks,” said Dr Daniel Salas, Executive ManagerofPAHO’sSpecial P r o g r a m m e o n C o m p r e h e n s i v e I m m u n i s a t i o n “ S t r e n g t h e n i n g immunisation knowing that the measles vaccine is s a f e a n d h i g h l y effective is essential to protect millions across the Americas.”

Ten countries have reported cases this year, withCanada(4,849cases,1 death), Mexico (4,553 cases, 19 deaths), and the United States (1,454 cases, 3 deaths) accounting for 96% of total cases in the Region Additional cases have been reported in Bolivia (320), Brazil (28), Argentina(35),Belize(34), Paraguay(35),Peru(4),and CostaRica(1).

The outbreaks have

primarily affected communities with low vaccination coverage or

resistance to vaccination.

The most affected group waschildrenunder1yearof age (6.6 cases per 100,000 population), followed by children aged 1 to 4 years (3.6per100,000).Over71% of confirmed cases were unvaccinated, while vaccination status was unknown in an additional 18%.

Data indicates regional transmissioninitiallydriven by imported cases, with 71% classified as importation-related and 16%asimportedcases.This highlightstheurgentneedto b o l s t e r b o t h e p i d e m i o l o g i c a l s u r v e i l l a n c e a n d vaccinationcoverage.

In 2024, the Region observedaslightincreasein measles vaccination coverage, reaching 89% for the first dose (MMR1), up from87%in2023,and79% for the second dose (MMR2),comparedto76% thepreviousyear However, only 31% of countries and territories achieved MMR1 coverage equal to or above 95%, and just 20% reached thatthresholdforthesecond dose. Moreover, 49% of countries reported MMR2 coverage below 80%, underscoring persistent immunisationgaps.

Vaccine hesitancy and limitedaccessinvulnerable r u r a l a n d u r b a n communities remain significant barriers. To effectively prevent measles outbreaks, population-level coverage of at least 95% withbothdosesisrequired.

At the global level, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported 164,582 confirmed measles

casesin173countriesasof9 September2025,basedona total of 360,321 suspected cases. The most affected regions are the Eastern Mediterranean (34%), Africa (23%), and Europe (18%).

PAHOrecommendations To stop transmission, PAHOurgescountriesto:

Achieve vaccination coverage of at least 95% with two doses of measlescontaining vaccine in every municipality Immediately vaccinate all contacts of confirmed or suspected cases up to 39 years of age, ideally within thefirst72hours.

Intensify vaccination campaigns in areas with outbreaks or at risk of spread, and administer vitamin A to confirmed cases to reduce the risk of complications.

Strengthen surveillance in high-risk, border, and silent transmission areas, including active case finding.

Implement rapid response plans, including trained teams, situation rooms, and adequate hospitalisolationprotocols.

Vaccinate international travelers without documented measles immunisation, including childrenaged6to11months as an exceptional measure, at least 10 days before traveling to areas with activetransmission.

PAHO also emphasises training health personnel and engaging communities to combat misinformation, using tools such as online courses available through the PAHO Virtual Campus forPublicHealth.

Father of dead schoolgirl in hospital unaware of her demise

Education Minister, Sonia Parag consoling Supriya Khan’s mother who is still coming to grips with her tragic loss

The father of eight-year-old Supriya KhanwhowaskilledinanaccidentatParika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) on Friday remainshospitalised,andisunawarethathis daughterhaddied.

Doctorshaveadvisedfamilymembersto keep Supriya’s death a secret because of his criticalcondition.

Imran Khan, 32, had just picked up his daughter from school on his electric bike when a pick-up driven by a drunk driver knockedthemdown.

Theaccidenttookplacearound15:05hrs. alongtheParikaBackdamMainAccessRoad andaccordingtopolice,thedriverhitthetwo frombehindwhiletryingtoovertakethebike.

Supriya was pronounced dead on arrival attheDeKinderenHospital,whileherfather wasadmittedandisreceivingtreatmentfora fracturedskull.

On Sunday, Minister Education, Sonia Parag visited Supriya’s mother, Romana

Rackbar at her Naameyck Koker, East Bank Essequibo(EBE)home.

Rackbar told the Minister “The doctors told us not to tell him, because of the conditionheisin.Hethinksthatsheishome andsheisokay.”

Meanwhile the ministry described Supriya as a bright, bubbly and well-loved pupiloftheParikaBackPrimarySchool.

“Theyoungmotherisstillcomingtogrips with her new reality - a life without her daughter, and one where her five-year-old son would have to grow up without his big sister”,theMinistrystatedinFacebookpost.

Theeducationministeralsoexpressedher condolencestothefamily

“Thepainyou’refeelingisunimaginable, but you have our love and our support. You and your family are not alone,” Minister Parag reportedly assured the grieving RackbarasshepledgedthattheMinistrywill offeritssupporttothefamily.

New APNU Region Six Councillor vows to keep Govt. on its toes

Afterbeingpummeledat the recently concluded general and regional elections, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has turned its effort to coordinating its own representatives to assume seats on the R

(RDCs)countrywide.

For the East BerbiceCorentyne region, the party released the names of its threeRDCcouncillors.They are: Mehalai Natasha McAlmont,ColinEmannuel

Moore of Kildonan, Corentyne and Candy

Ramona Stewart of Springlands,Corriverton.

McAlmont, an educator of the Tutorial Academy SecondarySchool,isgearing to not only take a balanced approach, but to hold the government accountable in the region when she sits on theRDC,whichiscontrolled by the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

She intends to use her stage to bring to the fore

critical issues, foremost among which is what she regarded to as political pettiness on the part of the government towards her partyatthelocalgovernment level “Too many times, becausethePPPgovernment understands that they are in charge, they tend to silence ourpeopleandtendtobebias in their provision for the council that we are managing.”

Using the APNU-ran

Hogstye/Lancaster

Neighbourhood Democratic

Council (NDC) as a reference, the party member disclosed that the organ is starved of means to execute its mandate, in striking contrast to the PPP-backed NDCs being given preferentialtreatment.

“Too many times when you look at those playfields and those NDCs that are managed by us, they are poorly run because they are limited in resources,” she reasoned, adding that the NDCs cannot only depend onratesandtaxes.

Natasha McAlmont

The APNU has lost significant parliamentary seatstoAzruddinMohamed’s We Invest in Nationhood (WIN),asthepartysuffereda sharpdeclineinsupportatthe polls Notwithstanding, the educator is confident in her party’s capacity to keep the government on its toes, and even pitched her admiration fortheparty’sleader,Aubrey Norton.

“If you’re saying to me that Aubrey Norton is the problem,thenIwouldbegto differ, because I’ve seen his leadership styles that I’ve admired, and I’ve seen the leadership styles that allowedme,ayoungperson, tonotonlyflourishunderhis leadership,butapproachhim when things go wrong or when I feel aggrieved,” she stated.

‘It will be done’

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Priya Manickchand has vowed that the Bamia Primary School will be completedaspromised,evenasthe contractorcontinueswork.

The $346 million contract for theschoolwasawardedtoSt8tment InvestmentInc.inNovember2021. Sincethen,theprojectexperienced several delays due to a range of challenges, including labour shortages,increasedmaterialcosts, and unfavourable weather conditions.

The setbacks collectively impacted the original timeline and contributed to extensions; the contractorclaimed.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the Minister said provided an updatetohervisittothefacilitylast Sunday, mere hours after she was sworn in as the new Local Government Minister Her post Sunday read “BAMIA Primary First week update. It has been one week since we met with the contractors As I said we are treating and managing this like a project with presence there every day Things have moved although not at the pace promised. This schoolWILLfinish.”

Last week, Manickchand warned the contractor that the

school needed to be completed by Octoberortheworkbetakenaway

Thatpostwasalsomadeonher Facebook page. “Just visited the site of Bamia Primary School just outside of Linden in Region 10 whichisbeingbuiltbytheMinistry of Local Govt and Regional Development. This school will be completed and the children will enjoy the benefits that the government intended. No ifs and buts. It will finish.The contractors have been made aware that they either finish the project in

...MANICKCHAND VOWS AS BAMIA PRIMARY CRAWLS TO FINISH LINE

accordance with our newly set timelinesorsomeoneelsewill.”

In a separate video post at the school site, the Minister further explainedthattheschoolwillcater for the entire Bamia catchment area. She explained that primary school students are currently on shiftsystem.

“We can’t continue that. So, we’ve just had a meeting with the contractor and their subcontractors andgonethroughallthethingsthat needtobedone,andwe’regoingto be putting someone here fully to

make sure that these finishing workswillbefinished,becausefor thelongestwhileI’vebeenreading thattheyareclosetofinishing.But I’ve also seen other schools where there isn’t a push, and other buildings that the last leg of finishing takes forever We can’t affordthathere,”sherelated.

“So, we’re going to make sure we put a project manager on the premises, and run down the things that have to finish And the contractors have been told that it’s either they finish this or come off

the project. So, we’re very clear aboutwhatwewantforthechildren whoaregoingtoattendhere.That’s aseriousbusinessforus,”shesaid.

In 2024, the national assembly approved an additional $127 million towards the completion of theschool.

The modern educational building is expected to include 44 classrooms, a fully equipped gymnasium, an auditorium, a sciencelaboratory,amusicroom,a library, smart classrooms, and modernrestroomfacilities.

APNUscrapes2,007votesacrossallinteriorregions

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has suffered a significant political blow in Guyana’s interiorregions,managingto secure only 2,007 votes across Regions One, Seven, Eight, and Nine during the September 1, 2025, regional elections.

Thisfigurecomesfroma total of 67,340 valid votes recorded in the hinterland regions, excluding Region 10.

Once a dominant political force in many of these areas, especially among Indigenous

…only two council seats within 4 regions

In the official release of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) election results,thegazetterevealed:

Leader of the APNU Aubrey Norton

populations, APNU now faces a sharp decline in support The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has confirmed that the party was only able to win two council seats acrossthefourregions.

• In Region 1, APNU collected just 344 votes, failingtosecureasingleseat. In contrast, the newly formed We Invest in Nationhood(WIN)party,led by businessman Azruddin Mohamed, gained 5,830 votes and secured six seats, while the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)secured9,021votes

and nine seats. TheAlliance ForChange(AFC)earned25 votes, and the Forward Guyana Movement received 61.

• In Region 7, APNU secured 980 votes, earning onlyoneseat.WINledagain with 5,085 votes and eight seats, while PPP/C captured 3,508 votes and five seats. The AFC gained 414 votes, andtheAssemblyforLiberty and Prosperity (ALP) received65.

• In Region 8, APNU managed 253 votes, gaining one seat. WIN took 2,558 votes and seven seats, while

PPP/C secured 2,847 votes and seven seats. The AFC garnered54votes.

• In Region 9, APNU earned 430 votes and no seats. WIN won 4,794 votes withfiveseats,whilePPP/C dominated with 9,853 votes and ten seats.AFC took 265 votes.

Overall, APNU not only received the lowest vote count among the major part

significantly outpaced by WIN and PPP/C in every region. This result marks a drastic departure from APNU’s past performance. In the 2020 RDC elections, APNUgarnered33,597

Continued on page 16

2 killed in Linden Highway smash-up

The mangled Raum in which two people were killed following an accident with a truck along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway

TwomenwerereportedlykilledSaturdaynightaftertheir car, a Toyota Raum, crashed into a truck along the Linden SoesdykeHighway

Whilepoliceareyettoreleaseanofficialstatement,East BankDivisionPoliceCommanderWayneD’Harteconfirmed the deaths. Information reaching Kaieteur News are that the menwereidentifiedatthesceneonlyasSherwinandMarlon, alsoknownas‘Alex.”

SherwinwasreportedlydrivingthecarwhileMarlonwas apassengerwhenthecarcrashedintothetruckinthevicinity of“IdealRoad”.

Kaieteur News understands that the two men were workmates and had just left a heritage celebration when tragedystruck.

The men’s colleagues said they need help in locating Marlon’s relatives.All that is known about him is that he is fromLethem. Investigationsareongoing.

A defining moment…

Trinidad and Tobago at a crossroads as oil runs out

(THE GUARDIAN) Fossil fuels made the nation prosperous but as reserves dwindle, do they drill deeper, even as the Caribbean feels the heat of the climate crisis, orshifttoagreenereconomy?

In 1930, Trinidad and Tobago produced more than 40% of the British empire’s oil. By the 1970s, the newly independent republic was producing 278,000 barrels of crudeoiladay Foracountryofjust 1 million people, after the collapse ofitssugarandcocoaindustries,oil provedtobetransformative.

Today,withapopulationof1.5 millionandoilproductiondownto less than 54,000 barrels a day, Trinidad and Tobago is at a crossroad The country’s only petroleum refinery closed in 2018 due to mismanagement and declining production by the stateownedPetrotrincompany.Arecent analysis noted that the energy revenues plummeted 48.4% to $14.7bn(£10.9bn)inthelastfiscal year, while non-energy revenues grewby26%to$32.7bn.

With crude oil production declining since the 2000s (while gas increased, then sharply decreased), the country faces a standoff Environmentalists are calling for a greener economy, while the new government, like its predecessors, pushes for more deepwaterexploration.

“We have fallen victim to ‘Dutch disease’– a dependence on one single sector – which has defined who we are from an economic and social perspective,” saysInderaSagewan,aneconomist and director of the Caribbean CentreforCompetitiveness.

“Non-energy economic diversification is imperative as the way forward for Trinidad and Tobago. We are living a defining moment.”

Unlike other oil-dependent states, such as Norway, the UAE andQatar,TrinidadandTobagohas failed to maximise the benefits of the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund, which was established in 2007toinvestsurplusrevenuesasa means of consolidating the legacy ofoilwealth.

Now, the country faces the prospect of chronic low growth, according to an OECD report published in December Last year, GDP grew by an estimated 1.7%, up from 1 4% in 2023 The government also faces rising unemployment rates and fiscal pressures, with public debt reaching 64.5% of GDP in 2024 –higherthantheaverageof51.9%in CentralAmericaandtheCaribbean, accordingtotheOECD.

To escape the low-growth trap, expertssuchasSagewanhavelong argued that Trinidad and Tobago

should diversify its economy, a challenge for a commodityexportingcountryreliantonoiland gas. Introduced in 2022, the country’s green hydrogen strategy isastepinthatdirection,aimingto overhaul the energy sector by shifting from grey to green hydrogen (the former produced from gas, which creates CO2 emissions;thelattersplittingwater using renewable energy), using exi

infrastructure, and producing 4m tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2065. The country has also announcedplanstoinstall57GWof offshore wind capacity by 2065 with the aim of achieving 30% renewableelectricitygeneration.

Yet, all of that remains just a “veryearly-stage”plans,according toSagewan.

On13August,theGovernment and the Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, signalled its intent to press on with fossil fuels bysigningadealwithExxonMobil to explore a vast ultra-deepwater block off the country’s east coast, coveringmorethan7,000sqkmin waters more than 1.2 miles (2km) deep.

If reserves are found, the investment could reach up to $21.7bn, according to the energy Minister, Roodal Moonilal. The deal underscores the new Government’s commitment to deepwater drilling, seeking new discoveries in unexplored Atlantic waters like the oil rush in nearby GuyanaandSuriname.

“There is no real strong stakeholder movement here that says:‘Stopexploringforoilandgas inTrinidadandTobago’,”saysDax Driver, chief executive of the Energy Chamber, the industry’s lobbygroup.Fromthefirstoilwell drilled in the 19th century to the discovery of offshore gas fields in the 1990s, fossil fuels have been Trinidad and Tobago’s economic lifeblood, bringing infrastructure and wealth far beyond Caribbean neighbours.

The oil money transformed lives for the better in many ways: freeuniversityeducation,extensive public-sector employment, subsidisedelectricity,gasandwater that were among the cheapest utilities in the world, and petrol prices at a third of UK levels. A thrivingmiddleclassandawealthy elite emerged; highways, hospitals andairportswerebuilt.

But wealth also fuelled corruption, inequality and violent crime.Thecountryremainsheavily dependentonoil,whiledrillingand spills threaten the fragile ecosystems.Now,expertsquestion howcloseTrinidadandTobagoisto

a crunch point.A2019 report by a US consultancy estimated there were10yearsofgasreservesleft.

Last year, Stuart Young, then energy minister, said reserves had risen to 11 years, or potentially 20 withefficientextraction.However, the oil cartel Opec’s data indicates that crude oil output is in freefall, and gas production is also declining.Driversays:“Oncurrent evidence, Trinidad and Tobago’s reserve-to-production ratio for gas isabout10years.”

By contrast, Guyana and Suriname have discovered vast offshore reserves with hundreds of years left, driving fossil fuel revenues. The discoveries raised hope that new fields could also be

Trinidad and Tobago’s only oil refinery in 2015. The state-owned plant was closed in 2018, when local production fell so low that oil had to be imported to supply it.

developedinTrinidadandTobago.

“You can find new reserves using new technology,” says Driver “Or drill deeper.” A recent gas find betweenTobago and Barbados has increased optimism among fossil fuel advocates. But uncertainties persist since much of the deep Atlantic remains unexplored Offshoreacreageextends125miles into the Atlantic, though recovery ratesarelow–about10to15%for eachoilfield.

Still, investing heavily in oil andgasexplorationhasonceagain become a priority after April’s elections in Trinidad and Tobago restored the United National Congress (UNC) party to Government under Persad-

Bissessar Moonilal says the G o v e r n m e n t s u p p o r t s decarbonisationinitiatives,suchas the Brechin Castle solar farm, the largest in the region, which could supply 10% of the nation’s electricity However, fossil fuels remainthepriority “Weneedtobe finding more natural gas,” the energyministersays.

“Natural gas production declined by 34% from 2015 to 2024,andoildeclinedby35%over the same period,” he says. “At the end of 2022, proven gas reserves stood at 57tn cubic feet [1.14bn tonnes].Thatrepresentssignificant potential for future discoveries, particularlyindeepwateracreage.

Continued on page 16

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From page 8 expressed initial interest and reviewed data, all ultimately declined due to geological risks and the challenges of achieving a commercial discovery.

Importantly, Ratio added, “If no partner is found who can serve as an operator and conduct drilling in the block in the coming months and who will be willing to commit to conducting drilling and the associated costs, and if no further extension is granted for the decision deadline stipulated in the Guyana agreement for further drilling in the block, Ratio Guyana will

find it difficult to make a decision to proceed and commit to drilling by the deadline stipulated in the Guyana agreement.”

In light of this, the company said if no drilling decision is made by November 2025 and no extension is granted, the state may demand the return of the block. “It should be clarified that if no suitable partner is found within the relevant deadlines, the partnership will be forced to consider how to proceed under the law, including the possibility of returning the block or parts of it to the state,” Ratio explained.

The agreement for the Kaieteur Block was signed in 2017, under the condition that the oil companies were only allowed to conduct oil exploration in 40 per cent of the block, to steer clear of aggressive tactics from Venezuela. A 3D seismic survey acquired for the southern portion of the block covered 5,750km2 and provided the foundation for a significant prospect inventory on the block.

Notably, a single prospect has been drilled to date, which resulted in a sub-commercial oil discovery. The ExxonMobil-operated Tanager-1 well, which was drilled

in August 2020, encountered 16 metres of net oil pay, a discovery of approximately 65 million barrels of oil in the prospect area, based on independent estimates by Netherland, Sewell & Associates Inc. (NSAI). However, this discovery was considered to be non-commercial as a standalone development. However, in spite of a number of postponements, the operator at that time, ExxonMobil, had decided not to exercise its option to drill a second well on the block. Exxon subsequently pulled out from the Kaieteur Block.

APNU scrapes 2,007 votes across all interior...

From page 14 votes in the hinterland regions and secured 26 seats in these regions.

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In a previous interview, APNU’s hinterland representative, Juretha Fernandes, reflected on the party’s rejection by Indigenous communities. While she did not offer a definitive explanation for the shift, she promised that the party would continue to represent hinterland communities.

“At no point in time where we do not have seats will those persons be left unrepresented. I believe as I will be going back into parliament, it is my duty to represent everyone, particularly Indigenous people that have been deprived of resources for a number of years. It is our responsibility to get on the ground in these regions re-

gardless of having a seat or not, we have to go there and do the work,” she said.

When asked about the disappointing vote count, Fernandes responded that the reasons behind the electorate’s decisions were ultimately for the voters themselves to explain.

“We could have a lot of assumptions as to why it went in a various direction, but the electorate went into a certain way and it is our job to get on the ground to speak with them and hear from them, themselves to hear what is the reason and what is that they need from us to do for them in order for us to regain the confidence and their support,” she explained.

Meanwhile, a senior APNU official speaking with this publication on Sunday offered further insights into

the party’s dwindling support. According to the official, a lack of authentic Indigenous representation on the ground was a key factor.

While both WIN and PPP/C showcased high-profile Indigenous candidates during their campaigns, APNU fell short. The official acknowledged that the candidate presented by APNU to represent Indigenous issues, Fernandes, did not resonate with Amerindian communities and was not well-versed in their specific concerns.

The official further pointed out that the party might have done better had they chosen a well-known and longstanding hinterland figure like PNCR member Norma Thomas or other credible Indigenous representatives. The official said because of the misrepresentation of

Amerindian interests, the Indigenous people rejected Fernandes and shifted their support to WIN, noting that WIN featured strong Indigenous representatives such as Dawn Hastings-Williams and Deon LaCruz.

This electoral fallout follows APNU’s overall disappointing performance in the general elections.

WIN secured 16 parliamentary seats, pushing APNU to third place. The ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), led by President Irfaan Ali, won 36 seats, securing Ali a second term in office.

As Norton continues to grapple with the fallout from the party’s electoral defeat, he is also faced with the unexpected resignation of one of PNCR’s most longstanding members.

Trinidad and Tobago at a crossroads as oil...

From page 15

Deepwater exploration is important to us.”

Moonilal adds that Trinidad and Tobago hopes to also export its energy expertise. “Guyana, Suriname and Grenada are at different hydrocarbon development stages. We have great human resource expertise and infrastructure. We also have plants that need raw material,” he says. “We see a winwin scenario.”

Going against this enthusiasm for oil and gas, environmentalists and economists warn that such reliance on fossil fuels exposes Trinidad and Tobago to ecological harm, price shocks and socioeconomic collapse in a region vulnerable to extreme weather events. The climate crisis has cost Caribbean countries an average of 2.13% of regional GDP annually from 1980 to 2020, according to the OECD. Meanwhile, Trinidad’s per capita emissions rank eighth highest globally, at 22.8 tonnes, which is more than five times the rate of the UK.

Aidan Farrell, of the University of the West Indies, says the Caribbean has warmed by about 1C (1.8F) since 1960, with a similar rise expected by 2050. “There is a lot of attention on how we will be able to produce enough food. The Government is preparing for more frequent tropical storms, sealevel rise and coastal erosion, where most economic activity, including oil and gas, is located,” he says. Environmentalists argue that the ecological toll is already high.

“Oil spills, gas flaring and industrial waste have degraded ecosystems, impacted fisheries and exposed coastal communities to real harm,” says Dizzanne Billy, regional director of Climate Tracker Caribbean.

“We’re faced with a troubling paradox: a small island bearing the brunt of climate impacts while contributing significantly to the problem.”

The country has faced several environmental disasters in recent years. In 2024, a capsised barge triggered a

national emergency, with oil spreading hundreds of miles to the island of Bonaire, contaminating beaches, mangroves and coral.

Billy stresses the urgent need to pivot away from fossil fuels. “The urgency isn’t just environmental; it’s economic, social and generational,” she says. “Fossil fuel wealth hasn’t trickled down equally. Frontline communities face underinvestment while absorbing environmental fallout. That’s not just economic – it’s a climate justice issue.”

For campaigners such as Billy, a continued focus on fossil fuels is shortsighted.

“Our dependence leaves us vulnerable to global price shocks,” she says.

The problem is that diversification remains at an early stage. Tourism is marginal outside carnival week in spring, and agriculture needs a dramatic boost to fill the oil void. Still, Sagewan sees the country as a potential exporter of food globally. Michael J Cooper, an expert in energy

finance and a former analyst at the energy ministry, sees banking and insurance expanding with a development strategy over the next decade.

He lists manufacturing, tourism, film, entertainment, shipping, shipbuilding and ship repair, as well as food production, as viable alternatives.

“We have a very educated workforce, with many highly skilled people relative to other developing countries,” he says. “While energy production decline is slow, the Government should act early to stimulate other sectors.”

Billy calls for a new model that focuses on renewables, regenerative agriculture, digital services, community tourism and the creative economy. “We need policies empowering workers to transition with dignity through reskilling, support systems and clear pathways into new industries,” she says. “It means shifting power to communities most affected by our current economic model, placing them at the heart of the redesign.”

UK,Australia,CanadaandPortugalofficiallyrecognise

Palestinian statehood

(Reuters) - Britain, Canada and Australia all recognised a Palestinian state on Sunday in a move borneoutoffrustrationover theGazawarandintendedto promote a two-state solution, prompting a furiousresponsefromIsrael.

The decision by three major Western nations, which have been traditional alliesofIsrael,alignedthem with about 140 other countries also backing Palestinians’ aspiration to forge an independent homeland from the Israelioccupiedterritories.

Portugal also joined

Britain, Canada and Australia in formally recognising the state of Palestine on Sunday in a majordiplomaticshiftahead oftheUNGeneralAssembly meeting in New York this week,wherethequestionof a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be front and centre.

Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the move as a “reward to terrorism”, vowing to expand Israeli settlements in the West Bank Britain’s decision

carried particular symbolism given its major role in Israel’s creation as a modern nation in the aftermath of World War Two.

“Today, to revive the hope of peace for the PalestiniansandIsraelis,and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine,” said Prime MinisterKeirStarmer

“Th e man - mad e humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches new depths. The Israeli government’s relentless and increasing bombardment of Gaza, the offensive of recent weeks, the starvation and devastation are utterly intolerable.”

Other nations, including France, are expected to follow suit this week at the United Nations General AssemblyinNewYork.

Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu condemnedthemove.

“I have a clear message to those leaders who recognise a Palestinian state afterthehorrificmassacreof October 7:You are giving a huge reward to terrorism,” he said, referring to Palestinian militant group Hamas’2023attackonIsrael thattriggeredthenearlytwoyearwarinGaza.

…joining 140 other countries

“And I have another message for you: It will not happen. A Palestinian state will not be established west oftheJordanRiver.”

TheHamas-ledattackon Israel killed 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage,accordingtoIsraeli tallies Israel’s ensuing campaigninGazahaskilled more than 65,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to local health authorities, spread famine, demolished most buildings and displaced most of the populationoftenmultipletimes.

PALESTINIANS WELCOME RECOGNITION

“It is a human duty of every respectful and free humanbeingintheworldto support Palestinians during the ordeal they are going through and Britain’s role nowcomeswithinthis,”said Sharaf Al Tarda, a Palestinian resident of Hebron in the IsraelioccupiedWestBank.

Hamas welcomed the move but said it must be accompanied by “practical measures” to end the war in GazaandpreventIsraelfrom annexingtheWestBank.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said recognitionwouldhelppave the way for the “State of Palestinetolivesidebyside with the State of Israel in security, peace, and good neighbourliness” Starmer wrote to Abbas to confirm Britain’s decision, noting that London had backed a Jewish homeland in 1917 while also pledging to

Displaced Palestinians, fleeing northern Gaza due to an Israeli military operation, move southward, using a vehicle packed with personal belongings, after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south, in the central Gaza Strip, September 21, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa.

protect the rights of nonJewishcommunities.

Western governments have been under pressure from many in their parties andpopulationsangryatthe ever-rising death toll in Gaza, images of starving children and their states’ inability to rein in Israel, even continuing to provide arms.

Londonersvoicedmixed reactionsonSunday “A whole lot needs to happen and peace needs to come to that region,” said 56-year-old charity director MichaelAngus. “This is the first step in actually acknowledging that those

people have a right to have somewheretocallhome.”

Announcing his country’s decision, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said it would empower those seeking peaceful co-existence and the end of Hamas. “This in no way legitimises terrorism, nor is it any rewardforit,”headded.

The United States, Israel’s closest ally, did not comment immediately on the decision by three of its allies to recognise a Palestinian state, but PresidentDonaldTrumphas previously made clear he opposessuchamove.

Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would propose that the cabinetapplysovereigntyin another Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory, the West Bank That would represent de facto annexation of land seized in a1967war

BRITAINPLAYEDA KEYHISTORICROLE

British troops captured JerusalemfromtheOttoman Empirein1917,andin1922 the League of Nations

awarded Britain an international mandate to administer Palestine during the post-war deal-making that redrew the map of the

MiddleEast.

Mandy Damari, the British mother of released British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari, told Reuters on Sunday that Starmer was “underatwo-statedelusion” given that the Gaza Strip’s governmentwasstillHamas whose mission was to destroyIsrael.

“HeisrewardingHamas for the 7th October barbaric and savage attack on Israel when the hostages are still notback,thewarisnotover andHamasarestillinpower inGaza.”

Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK, watched on his phoneasStarmerannounced Britain’s recognition of a Palestinianstate.

A t t h e L o n d o n headquartersofthemission, whichmaynowbeupgraded to an embassy, there were smilesandembraces.

“Today is a moment whentheUKPrimeMinister and the British government, on behalf of their people, stand and say: ‘We must correct history, we must right the wrongs’,” Zomlot said.

Reporting by Catarina

D e m o n y, A n d r e w MacAskill, Hannah Confino, Alistair Smout, Marissa Davison and Vitalli Yalahuzia, Bhargav Acharaya, May Angel, Michelle Nichols and Alexander Cornwell, Writing by Andrew Cawthorne and Gareth Jones, Editing by Ros Russell

Demonstrators march against policies of Prime Minister Mark Carney's government and in support of Palestinians in Toronto, Canada, on September 20, 2025 [Carlos Osorio/Reuters]

Israeli attack kills over 80, 25 from one family

(AL-JAZEERA) - The Israelimilitarykilledatleast 25 members of the same family in the Sabra neighbourhoodofGazaCity on Sunday, as it ramps up strikes across the besieged enclave.

A group of homes were bombedintheearlyhoursof Sunday by Israeli warplanes intheSabraneighbourhood, where Israeli tanks began advancing in late August as part of a plan to destroy and seize the area. At least 17 people have been rescued in the aftermath of the strike, and rescue work was ongoing as people and emergency responders dug with their hands, and family members at the scene said they feared as many as 50 people were trapped under the rubble Another 55 Palestinians were killed in attacks on the city since dawn,with37killedinGaza City The Palestinian family made an urgent appeal for helptotrytofreeothersstill trapped. Family members at thescenesaidtheycouldstill hearvoicesfromtherubble. “I appeal to the whole

world: Please lend us a helping hand,” one family member said. “Our relatives are buried alive. We keep hearing their screams from under the rubble, but we cannotreachthem.”

He said Israeli drones were firing on rescuers workingintherubble.

“Every time we try to reach them, the Israeli drones open fire on us. For every five men making an attempt, four are killed, and onlyonesurvives.”

Footage circulating online showed casualties beingrushedawayinasmall vehicle surrounded by people. The video below shows a mother crying out that she lost “all of my children”intheIsraeliattack intheSabraneighbourhood, locatedsouthofGazaCity

Seven Palestinians, including four children, werekilledinanotherIsraeli airraidintheBureijrefugee camp in central Gaza, an emergency source told Al Jazeera The attack reportedly hit near a clinic operated by the United Nations Relief and Works

Agency for Palestine Refugees(UNRWA).

TheMinistryofHealthin Gaza reported on Saturday afternoonthatatleast65,283 people have been killed and 166,575 others wounded by the Israeli army since the start of the war in October 2023. It said at least four more deaths due to Israeliinduced starvation and famine were recorded over the past day, bringing the totaldeathtollto440people, including147children.

More buildings were blown up by the Israeli militaryonSundayasittries toforciblydisplacehundreds of thousands of Palestinians and seize Gaza City despite international criticism and oppositionfromthefamilies of captives held in the enclave.

Many Palestinians are refusing to step outside where they are sheltering since nowhere is safe due to drone strikes and remotely controlled explosive robots planted inside displacement camps and roads, said Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud from the Nuseirat refugee

campincentralGaza.

“As of now, people’s movement has been very limited by the use of these explosives. The air is still thickwithsmoke,”hesaid.

The Israeli military estimates that more than 450,000 people have been forcibly displaced from Gaza City since the start of September Hamas puts the

number at under 300,000 people, saying about 900,000remain.

The Israeli military said on Sunday that three divisions are leading a ground invasion in Gaza CityandnorthernGaza,with anotherdivisionoperatingin KhanYounisinthesouth. It claimed that its soldiers killed “many

terrorists who were on their waytocarryoutterrorplots” overthepast24hours.

Pope Leo spoke out against the forced displacement of civilians in Gaza on Sunday, saying, “Togetherwiththepastorsof the churches in the Holy Land,Irepeatthatthereisno future based on violence, forcedexile,andrevenge.”

H-1B workers abroad race to US as Trump order sparks dismay, confusion

(Reuters) - Panic, confusionandangerreigned as workers on H-1B visas from India and China were forced to abandon travel plans and rush back to the U.S. after President Donald Trump imposed new visa fees, in line with his wideranging immigration crackdown.

Tech companies and bankssenturgentmemosto employees, advising them toreturnbeforeadeadlineof 12:01 am US Eastern Time Sunday (0401 GMT), andtellingthemnottoleave thecountry

A White House official on Saturday clarified that the order applied only to new applicants and not holders of existing visas or those seeking renewals, addressing some of the confusion over who would beaffectedbytheorder

Fearing they would not be allowed back once the new rule took effect, several Indian nationals at San Francisco airport said theycutshortvacations

“It is a situation where we had to choose between family and staying here,” said an engineer at a large tech company whose wife had been on an Emirates flight from San Francisco to Dubai that was scheduled to depart at 5:05 p.m. local time(0005GMT)onFriday

The flight was delayed by more than three hours after several Indian passengers who received news oftheorder or memos from their employers demanded to deplane, said the person

B u t T r u m p ’ s proclamation a day before had already set off alarm bellsinSiliconValley RUSHBACKTOUS

who spoke on condition of anonymity At least five passengers were eventually allowed off, the engineer said A video of the incident was circulating on social media, showing a few people leaving the plane Reuters could not independently verify the veracityofthevideo.

The engineer’s wife, also an H-1B visa holder, chose to head to India to careforhersickmother

“It’s quite tragic. We have built a life here,” he toldReuters.

On the popular Chinese social media app Rednote, peopleonH-1Bvisasshared their experiences of having to rush back to the U.S. - in some cases just hours after landing in China or another country

Some likened the panic they felt to their experience during the COVID-19

pandemic, when they urgently flew back to the U.S.beforeatravelbantook effect.

“My feelings are a mix of disappointment, sadness, and frustration,” said one womaninapostwithauser handle “Emily’s Life in NY.”

The woman said she had boarded a United Airlines flight from New York to Paris, and it started texting, but after some back-and-forth with the airline the captain agreed to return to the gate to let her off the aircraft.

Feeling what she described to Reuters as “shaken,” she canceled her trip to France, abandoning plans with friends, including some who were flying in from China, after she received a letter from her

company’s lawyers asking employees abroad to return totheU.S. Companies including Microsoft (MSFT O), opens new tab, Amazon (AMZN O), opens new t a b , A l p h a b e t (GOOGL O), opens new tab and Goldman Sachs (GS N), opens new tab were among those that sent urgent emails to their employees with travel advisories.

AsofSunday,someof the panic had dissipated, said IBM Vice Chairman Gary Cohn on CBS’ “Face the Nation” program, as more details cameout

“I think it caused a panic over the weekend because people weren’t sure what was going on with the existing H-1B visas,” Cohn said “It’s been cleaned up over the

weekend, so at this point, there’s not a panic in the system.”

Cohn praised the move as ultimately good for the economy

“Iactuallythinkthisisa good idea, if you understand the H-1B visa program in the United States, ” Cohn said “Historically, it has been a lotterysystem.”

TRUMP’S U-TURN ON H-1B

Since taking office in January, Trump has kicked off a wide-ranging immigration crackdown, including moves to limit some forms of legal immigration.

This step to reshape the H-1B visa program r e p r e s e n t s h i s administration’smosthighprofile effort yet to rework temporary employment visas

BLUNT BLUNT BLUNT BLUNT

Oppositionintatters

The APNU lost the elections by a huge margin.

The APNU lost key people,then more people

The APNU lost crucial Regions (strongholds).

The APNU lost its meager credibility.

What does the APNU have to hold on to?

What do Guyanese have as a viable political Opposition?

What do Guyanese think of leaders who hold-on for dear life?

What are the merits for staying,when so much was lost under one’s watch?

The PPPC Government is seemingly already back to its old tricks.

The PPPC leaders are all promises,from which they promptly distance

The PPPC Gov’t doesn’t mean to change.

The PPPC leader has better live up to their promises,or they will learn.

Let the lot of APNU be a warning,a lesson taken to heart.

G.H.RenoCricketClubcrownedORSCAGoldCupT20champions

G.H. Reno Cricket Club was recently crowned champions after beating Phoenix X1 by four wickets with 15 balls to spare in the 2025 Ontario Round-Arm Softball CricketAssociation

(ORSCA) Gold Cup DivisionT20final.

Playing at Dixee4 0 7 g r o

B

P

x took first strike after winning the toss They talliedupacompetitive185-

7fromthe20-overs. Aseeb Khan struck a blistering 128 to fire G H Reno Cricket Club to the target with a pugnacious118.

T

Khan slammed 13 sixes and four fours

K

from Iftikhar Hassan and f

a Under-19 player Kevin George with 26 and 23 respectively In Phoenix

X1’s innings, Avinash Sukhraj scored a tops

of 49

KunauthHarrymade47and 42fromDevoRamsawak.

G

with the ball to prove h

capability by snatching two wickets for 17 runs fromtwoovers Khan was chosen as

performance

The

Monday September 22, 2025

ARIES

You'll find that things are slipping nicely into place for you today, Aries. Your persuasivemannerandgentle nudges are just enough to get peoplewhereyouwantthem.

TAURUS

When faced with ten entrees onthemenu,itmightbehard for you to choose just one. Feelfreetoordertwoormore, Ta u r u s D o n ' t l e t indecisiveness slow you down.Atthesametime.

GEMINIS

Your dreams won't come true unless you believe in and act onthem,Gemini.Nooneelse is going to do it for you. Unless you have a fairy godmother, you need to take mattersintoyourownhands.

CANCER

If people hassle you or give you a hard time about your appearance today, pay them nomind,Cancer Youhavethe righttoliveyourlifeanyway youwantto.

LEO

Reachforthepotofgoldatthe end of the rainbow, Leo. It's closerthanyouthink.Indeed, your dreams are completely within your reach, and there are huge forces at work helping you achieve your goals.

VIRGO

Today is your day to dream and dream big, Virgo. Think aboutwhatitisthatyouwant most out of life. Aim your arrow to the stars and pull back your bow as far as possible. There's no limit to howfaryoucango.

Expand your mind to its furthest reaches today, Libra.

e'

nc

edible opportunity opening up for you in which you can make great strides in a creative realm.Followthemusic.

SCORPIO

Your mind may seem rather cloudy today, Scorpio, but don't let this hinder you. In fact, you'll find that you can use this feeling of fantasy to your advantage. Try to bring moremagicintoyourlife.

SAGITTARIUS

Today is an excellent day for you,oneinwhichyou'llfinda great deal of strength in your emotions, Sagittarius Trust that your instincts are serving youwell.

CAPRICORN

Things might get a bit confusing for you today, Capricorn. Don't feel like you needtomakesenseofitall.In fact, this task may be impossible. Just be yourself. Let your creative nature shine through.

AQUARIUS

Mix your reality with a bit of fantasytoday,Aquarius.Allow your feet to come off the ground for a little while. Give yourselfarest.Takesometime to meditate and clear your mindofyourdailyworries.

PISCES

Let yourself go into high creative mode and drift into a whole other world, Pisces. Escape your present reality and explore your fantasies through any sort of artistic endeavor Dreamasbigasyour mindallows.

BacchusXIcartsoffwith2ndannual CBCLRegion3SoftballCup

Bacchus XI of Meten-Meer-

Z o r g h a s outplayedNotoriousAllstars XI by 27 runs to lift the 2nd edition of the Caribbean Building Concepts and Logistics Inc Region 3 SoftballCricketCupon14th September, at the MetenMeer-Zorg sports club ground.

The encounter began with the semifinals one, which saw Notorious

Allstars defeat Anna Catherina by 69 runs to secure their place in the finals. Notoriousbattedfirst andscored196-1offtheir10 overswithDrakesslamming a brilliant 73 off 23 balls, Gill 66 off 18, andAllicock 50 off 19. While Fowley took1/24.

In reply,Anna Catherina made127/6off10overswith Khantopscoringwith43off 22 While Courtman grabbed2/17.

In semifinal two,

Bacchus XI defeated Falcons by 18 runs and booked their place in the finals.

Bacchus XI batted first and made 116 for 8 off their 10 overs with Poloram 29(15) and Hubert 25(13).

Bowling for Falcons Rampersaud picked up 3/25

andMatura3/29. In reply, Falcons scored 98 for 6 off their 10 overs with Narine 36(21) McAllisterpickedup2/13. In the finals that were playedunderlights,Bacchus XI batted first and scored 149for2off10overswitha brilliant knock from Smith, who made 81 off 32, and supported by Joseph, 42 off 23.Allicock picked up 1 for 22 In reply, Notorious mustered 123 for 6 off 10 overs with Drakes 78(22)

and Gill 30(24). Joseph 1/16. The best batter and player of the final award went to Smith for his knock of 81 runs in an innings. Best bowler in an innings went to Breon for his 3 for 14. Smith was also awarded player of the tournament for scoring114runsandtaking4 wickets.

Chief Executive Officer of Caribbean Building Concepts and Logistics Neil Hitlallsaidthathiscompany

wasverypleasedtobepartof the tournament and it showcased the talents that are available in the game at thevillagelevel.

Mr Hitlall,whoisafan of the sport, hinted that many of the players who took part have a long way to go if they continue to playwiththeirbestoftheir abilities and respect for the rulesofthegame.

He further went on to say that the sport is not only being played by

swearing in for a second terminoffice

Hetookthetimetomeet and greet the players and spectators and had a firsthand look at the newly installedlightsatthevenue.

The organisers thanked theministerforattending.

The organisers also thank the management of Paint Palace, Rewind Restaurant and Lounge, Khrishna Mangal & Sons Sawmill and Lumber Yard, S.

Maraj Contracting Services, 3 S Legacy Enterprise, Century Spring Water, Amit’s (Deen) Cell PhoneandRepairShop,and Caribbean Building Concepts and Logistics (CBCL Inc.) for supporting thetournament.

players but brings out the f a n s i n v a r i o u s communities together in unity as they support their team

He encourages the players to continue in the game and head for higher heights in the game of cricket.

The coordinator thanked Mr Hitlall and his company for being on board with the tournament and promised him that the competition would be bigger and better in the 3rd editionnextyear

Gracing the event was the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, the Hon Charles Ramson Jr Minister Ramson made the appearance one day after

According to the organisers,softballcricketis the grassroots of all cricket, allowing young, local, talentedplayerstoshowcase anddeveloptheirskillsinthe game, and helping them progress to various levels of cricket.

The organisers further stated that softball cricket at the grassroots level not only allows local players to showcase their talents but also brings people together, regardless of race, religion, social status, or political affiliations.

According to the organisers, softball players (male and female) across Guyana can gear up for the much-anticipated 2nd InterRegion Softball Cup, which isslatedforNovember

Port Mourant Secondary School wins BCB/RBL Inter Secondary Schools Region 6 Cricket Competition

BySamuelWhyte

The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) / Republic Bank Limited (RBL) Inter Secondary School cricket competition has ended. In the final, Port Mourant Secondary School (PMSS) easily defeated Canje Secondary School (CSS) by eight wickets to become the Region6champions.

The game that was played at the Rose Hall Community Centre ground inEastCanjebeganabitlate duetoovernightrain.

Askedtotakefirststrike, CSS found the going tough andweredismissedfor84in 21 overs of the 30-over encounter Kelston Kisten (4x4,1x6)topscoredwith36 while Lakeram Singh made 31(4x4,1x6).

Bowling for PMSS, captain Feaz Baksh bowling leg spin, was the destroyer withfiguresof5for8.Hegot support from off spinner

Rovin Lalbeharry, who pickedup3wickets. In reply, Port Mourant Secondary raced to 85-3 with Munesh Rampersaud strikinganunbeaten31(2x4, 2x6)andRomeshBharrat25 notout(2x4,1x6).Asgarally Nabbiemade17(3x4).

Manager of Republic Bank Limited NABranch, Seema Brijmaul (L), with the winning Port Mourant Secondary School team along with other staff, teachers and BCB officials

Manager of the RBL New Amsterdam Branch, Seema Brijmaul, was

respectiveteams At the presentation ceremony, the winning P M S

Women’s Division One League…

GDF stay flawless; Mainstay bag first win

The Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) Women continued their ruthless campaign in the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) Women’s Division One League, this time with an18-0victoryintheirmost recentoutingonFridaylast.

Sandra Johnson was, again, the leading lady for the Soldiers’ women, sending five goals past the goalkeeperwhentheytook on Santos Football club at theGFF’sNationalTraining C e n t e r ( N T C ) a t providence.

trophy and monetary incentive by Ms Seema Brijmaul

Runner-up CSS was presented with their reward by Bank employee Sudesh Dhanai.

Feaz Baksh was adjudged the man of the

match for his outstanding bowling performance He received his incentive fromMsBrijmaul Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Brijmaul thanked the BCB for organising the tournament and the schools

for participating She congratulated PMSS for winning the tournament and wishedtheothersbetterluck nexttime.

She said the sponsorship was part of the Bank’s cooperate responsibility in giving back to the community

L o n g - s e r v i n g administrator, Angela Haniff, thanked RBL for coming on board and assisting the BCB in sponsoringthecompetition.

Some 17 schools were listed to participate in the Region6tournament.

The schools were divided into zones and playedonaknockoutbasisin thevariouszones.

Senior coach and BCB executive member Leslie Solomon stated that the competition helped to unearth new talent Solomon also served as one ofthecoordinators..

Johnson netted in the 2nd, 10th, 14th, 24th and 30th,followedbyahelmettrick off the boots of Shanesa Cornelius in the 5th, 17th, 51st and 52nd minutes. Braces went the way of Jalade Trim (19th, 36th),GlengieLewis(40th, 59th) and ZurunaAli (51st, 58th) while Glendy Lewis (7th), Abioce Heywood (48th) and Patsy Walker (51st)alsofoundthebackof thenetforGDF Thatgamewasfollowed by another lopsided, highscoringencounter,inwhich Mainstay Goldstars FC reboundedfromanopening loss to defeat Ann’s Grove United’sWomen10-0.

Sanika Fredericks opened the scoring for Mainstay in the 5th minute while Leisha Fredericks extendedtheirtallyto3-0in the9thand11thminutes. It was then that Ashley

Cozier put on a show, netting in the 14th, 15th, 29th, 45th and 48th minutes Kacy Thomas (30th+2) and Ruth Wilson (57th) also added their names to the scoresheet as Mainstay secured their first 3 points of the tournament. TheWomen’sDivisionOne League continues this Wednesday, September 24th with another doubleheader at the same venue. At 18:00hrs, Fruta Conquerorswilltakeonthe unbeaten Guyana Police Force (GPF) FC while at 19:30hrs,MonedderlustFC battlesRivers’ViewFC.

The teams in the Women’s Division One Leaguearecompetingfora $1Mgrandprize.

BCB Two Days First Division Tournament… RHTNamilcoThunderbolt

Flourclinchessemifinalspot

The strong Rose

H a l l T o w n

N a m i l c o

Thunderbolt Flour First DivisionTeamhasadvanced to the semifinals of the Berbice Cricket Board

organised two-day competition. They crushed the Skeldon Community Centre Cricket Club by an innings and 75 runs in a fourth round match at the Skeldon Ground to advance as the runner-up leader in ZoneB.

In glorious weather, the hometeamwonthetossand

elected to bat, despite the presence of preparation moisture on the pitch. Their openers, A Ali and D Reynold gave them a slow butsteadystartbyadding18 runs from 14 overs before Reynold was bowled by the impressive left arm spinner

Keith Simpson The introduction of West Indies

Off-spinner Kevin Sinclair created problems for the home team as he extracted great spin and bowled from thepitch.

Sinclair took five wickets for 11 runs from n

wickets for six runs from nine overs. Jeremy Sandia tookonewicketforfiveruns as the home team was bowled out for a meagre 35 from33overs.

Kevin Sinclair and Romesh Bharrat added 40 for the first wicket for the visitors before left-arm spinnerNMathuragotoneto bounce sharply to dismiss Sinclair for 30 National Player Junior Sinclair then blastedtheSkeldonbowling attack to all parts of the

ground during an innings of 73 runs that included seven huge sixes and five fours. The visitors reached 160 for four before declaring with a first innings advantage of 125runs.

Kevin Sinclair and R o m e s h B h a r r a t supported with 30 and 35 runs, respectively, while MatthewPottayachippedin with18.

The best bowler for Skeldon was A Ali with three wickets for 47 runs fromeightovers

Facing a first innings

deficit of 125 runs, Skeldon were bowled out for50runsintheirsecond innings as only S Rasheed offered resistance with 15

Former national pacer

Clinton Pestano produced a fiery spell of fast bowling and took four wickets for eight runs

Matthew Pottaya with two for 10 and Kevin Sinclair two for 15 also bowled well while Jeremy Sandia and Keith Simpson tookawicketapieceasRose Hall Town Namilco

Thunderbolt won by an inningsand75runs.

The Clinton Pestanoled Namilco Thunderbolt Flour team finished as the runner-up leader in zone B and now awaits the results from Zone A, w h i c h i n c l u d e s Blairmont, Tucber Park, Young Warriors,RoseHall Canje and West Berbice. Rose Hall Town Namilco Thunderbolt Flour recorded outright victories versus Police, Port Mourant and Skeldon but went down by nine wickets against arch rivalAlbion.

Junior Sinclair has been their leading batsman so far with 301 runs at an average of 75 25, while left-arm spinner Keith Simpson is the leading bowler with 28 wickets at an average of6 10

The match versus Skeldon also saw the team welcoming back wicket keeper Chanderpaul Govindan, after an absence of two years due to his educational studies in Canada.

Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League…

Trinbago Knight Riders secure fifth title; Warriors stumble again

Dwayne Pretorius struck inside the powerplay once again (Getty Images

BYCLIFTONROSS

Trinbago Knight Riders broke the hearts of all the Guyana Amazon Warriors fansandsupportersalikelast night, by capturing the coveted championship title in dominant fashion for a record 5th time; in arguably one of the more dramatic finalsinhistory

It was a nail-biter from the first ball with drama thickening right up until the very end. But with Akeal Hosein intent on bringing

Iftikhar Ahmed top scored for the Guyana Amazon Warriors (Getty Images)

the title home, the lefthander smashes a six and a fourtohelpsealanemphatic wininthemidstofastunned Guyana Amazon Warriors soldoutProvidencefanbase.

Clinical bowling from Surab Netravalkar who snared 3-25 while left-arm spinner and match hero Hosein (2-26) helped keep the Warriors to a modest scoreof130-8in20overs. Ben McDermott (28), Iftahkar Ahmed (30), Dwaine Pretorius (25) and

Romario Shepherd (13) werethekeybattersamidsta horriblebattingcard.

The in-form duo of opener Quentin Sampson (0), Shimron Hetmyer (4) and leading scorer this season Shai Hope (12); departed cheaply as the Warriors misfired by being 4-59atthehalfwaystage.

Chasingalowtargetfora piece of CPL history, TKR

finishedon133-7inthe18th over after a string of scores fromAlex Hales (26), Colin Munro (23), Sunil Narine (22),KieronPollard(21)and a 7-ball 16* including the match-winning boundaries comingoffthebatofHosein.

Warriors captain Imran Tahir bagged 3-34 in a huge effort, with pacers Pretorius (2-21) and a brave effort from Shamar Joseph (2-9)

headlining a near-missed opportunityatvictory

Veteran opener Munro punched three fours and a six whileHales,whobattedalmost the entire innings had just a solitary 4 as TKR lost three wickets inside the first powerplay Failures for Nick Pooran (1), Darren Bravo andothers(11)failedbefore the mission was completed by some solid contributions

from Pollard who hit three sixesandNarine,whonailed to ; all of which aided in reducing the deficit while laying the foundation for what would be Hosein’s whirlwindminiknock.

This is the first title in five seasons for TKR, the first for Pooran as skipper and the first chip that the franchisehaswonoutsideof theirhometurf.

Trinbago Knight Riders secure fifth title; Warriors stumble again