Kaieteur News

20 students top NGSA 2026 in historic first PERFECTSCORE!

ByAllyiahAllicock

For the first time in the country’s history, 20 pupils have tied for the top spot at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), each achieving a perfect standardised score of 484.52.

Minister of Education Sonia Parag announced the 2026 NGSA results on Friday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Turkeyen, calling the outcome the strongest in the exam’shistory

“From our public and private education systems, representing communities near and far, it gives me immense pleasure and pride toannouncethat,forthefirst time in the history of the NGSA,everyoneofthese20 students has attained a perfectscoreineverysubject oftheNGSAexamination… and thus they will forever share the title of top student of Guyana for the National Grade Six Assessment,” Paragsaid.

A total of 15,706 pupils sat the exams, which were written on April 29 and 30. Paragsaidthisyear’sresults are not only the strongest in five years, but the best ever recorded nationally and that Guyana’s performance exceeded the regional benchmark when compared against similar Caribbean assessments.

She cautioned, however, that the scores are standardised rather than raw marks, and should not be comparedacrossyears,since each cohort’s results are calculated relative to that year’s candidates The highest standardised scores

Yasira Mohamed from Aurora Primary School copped the best narrative at the National Grade Six Assessment 2026.

Raul Adams from St. Sidwell’s Primary copped the best letter at the National Grade Six Assessment 2026.

by subject this year were: Mathematics: 122 917, Social Studies: 121 653, English: 120.031, Science: 119.919.

MinisterParagattributed the results to years of deliberate government investment rather than chance, pointing to school construction, teacher training, textbook procurement, and literacy and numeracy intervention programmes carried out under the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C)administration.

Continued on page 8

Pres. Ali must resign!

…APNU calls for independent forensic audit

A Partnership for

National Unity (APNU) on Friday called for President IrfaanAlitoresignandmake wayforaforensicauditinto the acquisition of his 150acre ranch located at Long Creek, Soesdyke-Linden Highway

AttorneyandMemberof Parliament(MP),Dr Dexter

Todd said the party condemnstheglaringdouble standardthathasbecomethe hallmark of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government under PresidentAli.

Hehighlightedthatwhile there are thousands of hardworking citizens, especially public servants, who continue to struggle with inadequate wages and salaries while the head-ofstate is at the center of a serious sting of allegations surrounding extensive farming operations at Long Creek. The questions, he said, require answers not a politicalspun.

“The president also exercises oversight over the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission and therefore has responsibility for the policies and management of land allocation and has accumulated this land while thousands of Guyanese wait yearsforlandallocations.

Reports indicate that more than 30,000 applications for land exist along the Soesdyke-Linden corridor, yet ordinary citizens are repeatedly told to wait because land is unavailableortheprocessis delayed.”

Dr Todd said public servants,includingteachers, nurses, police officers, members of the disciplined services, and others who dedicate their lives to serving the nation, cannot secure a house lot or agricultural land after years of applying, and they are expected to survive on wages that continuously lag behind the rising cost of living,astheywatchthoseat the highest levels of government acquire substantiallandholdingsand develop agriculture mega

Attorney-at-Law and Member of Parliament (MP) for APNU Dr. Dexter Todd

projects.

Thepartyisadamantthat the government cannot justify asking ordinary Guyanese to wait years

“whilethePresident,family, friends, and favourites give themselves large pieces of state lands. This is unequal treatment, misuse and abuse of power and personal enrichmentattheexpenseof thepeopleofGuyana.”

He said further that the glaring unequal treatment is deeply disturbing and damaging to the confidence ofthepublicandcanonlybe addressed through full transparency, accountability a n d i n d e p e n d e n t investigations.

“To this end, the president should resign to facilitate an impartial and thorough forensic investigation Guyanese deserve to know how much land has been acquired, whenitwasacquired,howit was acquired, and whether every applicable fee, law, policy, and procedure was applied to ensure that the same procedures that ordinary citizens have to follow were followed,” he stressed.

APNU’s aim is to bring tothepublic’sattentionwhat it deems as an unacceptable situationinwhichallocation of land along the Linden Soesdyke Highway is carried out without land being left unencumbered, cateringforfutureexpansion of the highway It begs to question whether it is an

NGSA 2026: Pass rates rise across all four core subjects - CXC Director

Director of Operations at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Dr Nicole Manning, announced on Friday that the 2026 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) recorded increased pass rates across all four core s u b j e c t a r e a s , w i t h

Mathematics posting the most notablegain.

Dr. Manning made the disclosure during the results announcementceremonyatthe Arthur Chung Conference Centre(ACCC).

Director of Operations at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Dr. Nicole Manning

o compensate the family, friends and favourites of the government when it is time toexpandthehighwayintoa four-lane highway, Dr.Todd relayed.

In light of the recent developments the party is calling for all relevant records relating to President Ali and the other senior officials of government landholdings to be made public immediately In addition,thereshouldalsobe a comprehensive audit of land allocations along the Soesdyke-Linden corridor, including the number of applications, waiting time, acreage allocated, and allocations involving politicallyaffiliatedpersons.

“The government must stop treating public servants as an afterthought They deservelivingwages,timely access to land, and the same opportunities available to those in positions of power We demand a reduction in wasteandcorruptionandthe allocationofthoseresources to increase the wages and salaries of workers,” Dr Toddstressed.

He reminded that the country’s resources belong to the citizens and not to a privileged elite The coalition, he stated, will continue its fight for transparency,accountability, fair access to land, and a government that serves the people rather than itself and thepowerful.

In English, the percentage of candidates scoring 50 percent and above rose from 69.25% in 2025 to 73.082% in 2026. Dr Manningnotedasharpincreaseincandidates earningfullmarks,withnocandidatescoring zero.“So,therewasadditionalworkdoneand additionalstepsinrelationtowhatwesawfor English...thishadincreasedattention,sothis istruescores,justtonote,”shesaid.

In Social Studies, the pass rate moved from 64.77% to 65.28%. While the increase was less pronounced than in English, the number of candidates earning full scores jumpedsharplyfrom53to110,withnozero scores recorded Performance in Science improvedfrom63.70%to65.38%earning50 percent and above “Likewise, a sharp increase in the number of candidates receiving full scores for science, moving from227to417withnocandidatereceivinga zero,”Dr Manningsaid.

Mathematics,sawtheyear’slargestgain, rising from 55.51% to 59.8% of candidates scoring 50 percent and above. “This speaks volumes not only at this stage but also for what we know we will see in five years’

time,”sheexplained.

Dr Manning attributed the gains to interventionsimplementedbytheMinistryof Education. “This gradual improvement, as you’reseeingyearonyear,issomethingthat you should be happy about, because it is sayingtoyouthatwhatevertheinterventions that you’re doing, you are having impact,” shesaid.

Dr.ManningalsospoketoCXC’srolein safeguardingtheintegrityoftheexamination. “TheCaribbeanExaminationsCouncilhasa brand, and that brand speaks volumes for us internationally,” she said, noting that multilayeredstandardisationmeasuresareapplied at every stage, from item writing and pretestingthroughtothereleaseofresults.

On the marking process specifically, she outlined a three-tiered monitoring and improvement system, alongside postmarking quality checks A total of 350 markers were engaged this year, with continuous sampling, remarking and retrainingbuiltintoeachleveloftheprocess toensureconsistency

Kaieteur News

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

EDITORIAL

Thepoisononline

TheinternethasbecomeGuyana’slargestpublicsquare Every day thousands of Guyanese debate politics, race, religion and national issues across Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp,YouTubeandothersocialmediaplatforms Ithas givenordinarycitizensapowerfulvoice.Butwiththatpower, hascomeadangerousabusethatissteadilypoisoningpublic discourse.

The latest report from the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC)shouldconcerneveryGuyanese

DuringJunealone,theCommissionissued34cautionary warnings for ethnic and religiously offensive social media posts Thatisanincreasefrom27warningsinMay,suggesting thatinsteadofbecomingmoreresponsibleonline,sectionsof societyarebecomingevenmorereckless.

Thenumberstelladisturbingstory

Tenwarningsrelatedtoracialslurs.Nineinvolvedracially derogatory remarks. Six concerned racially prejudiced or insensitivecomments.Threeinvolvedoutrightraciallyhateful remarks. There were two racially divisive statements, one racialstereotypeandthreewarningsforreligiouslyintolerant remarks.

These are not harmless jokes or heated exchanges that disappearwiththenextnewscycle Everyracistinsult,every hatefulstereotypeandeveryreligiousattackchipsawayatthe fragile fabric of national unity They reinforce suspicion, deepenprejudiceandencourageotherstorespondinkind.

The greatest danger is that repeated exposure to hate speech eventually normalises it Language that would once haveshockedpeoplebecomesroutine Whatbeginsasinsults onascreencaneventuallyspillintocommunities,workplaces andevenpoliticallife

Guyana’s history should have taught us that ethnic division carries enormous costs The country has endured decades of political mistrust, racial polarization and social tension At a time when unprecedented oil wealth presents opportunities to transform the nation, Guyanese should be buildingbridgesinsteadofdiggingtrenches.

TheERCdeservescreditfornotsimplypolicingoffensive content but attempting to address the deeper issues Its NationalSymposium,“Guyanaat60:Unity,Diversityandthe PathForward,”broughttogethergovernmentrepresentatives, theparliamentaryopposition,diplomats,civilsociety,faithbased organisations, private sector representatives and young people to discuss ethnic relations as Guyana celebrates60yearsasanindependentnation.

Importantly,theCommissionhasinvitedthewiderpublic toparticipatethroughanonlinequestionnaire,withresponses expected to help shape a national report for the National Assembly It has also continued Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training across workplaces including EdYou FM, BanksDIH,theNationalCommissiononDisabilityandthe GeorgetownPublicHospitalCorporation.

Theseinitiativesrecogniseanimportanttruth:prejudiceis notdefeatedbyinvestigationsalone Education,dialogueand sustained engagement remain essential if attitudes are to change The report also reveals that the ERC is carrying a substantialinvestigativeworkload.

There are 83 active matters covering the period 2022 to 2026 While nearly 40 per cent have reached some level of closure,dozensremainunderinvestigation,pendingreviewor awaitinglegaladvice Thatbacklogreflectsthecomplexityof ethnic complaints but also highlights the need for continued institutional support so that cases are resolved promptly Justicedelayedcaneasilybecomejusticedenied,particularly whereracialtensionsareinvolved

Still, the responsibility cannot rest solely with the ERC Political leaders must set a better example by refusing to exploit race or religion for partisan advantage Civil society organisations must continue promoting tolerance Religious leaders must speak firmly against bigotry regardless of whom it targets. Schools should expand digital citizenship educationsoyoungpeopleunderstandthatonlinebehaviour carriesreal-worldconsequences.

Socialmediausersthemselvesmustalsoexercisegreater

The power of forgiveness

DEAREDITOR,

I googled “the power of forgiveness”.

Forgiveness does not erase the past orexcusethewrongdoing.

It replaces ill will towards an offenderwithgoodwill.

Itfreesusfromtheemotionalprison of resentment, lowers stress and blood pressure and improves our overall mentalandphysicalwell-being.

We need to move past the past and dealwithpresentissuesandmakeplans forthefuture.

Irememberthepast.Idonotlivein it.Nooneissayingthatitwillbeeasyto forgivepeople.

Eusi Kwayana once proposed “no guiltyraceasasolution”.

I propose that we are all guilty of something so let us not cast stones and learntoforgiveeachother

I propose that we harness the healingpowerofforgiveness.

Arguingofwhoharmedwhomostis not going to resolved our many social, politicalandeconomicproblems.Itwill justtrapusinaprisonofresentment.

Forgiving each other is the key to unlock the prison of resentment. I suggestweuseit.

Yourssincerely, SeanOri

Kamla’s fearless diplomacy: CARICOM, Consensus and compromise

DEAREDITOR,

Just as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) commemorated its 53rd anniversaryonJuly4,2026,leaderstook regional governance, inclusivity and integrationtoanewlevelatitsfifty-first Heads of Government summit in Castries, St Lucia on July 7 It was a magnanimous display of camaraderie, diplomacyandmaturity,hardlyexhibited bytheregionalblocinthefaceofstrong disagreements,inrecenttimes

CARICOM has often been described by analysts as a weak, toothless, comatose talk shop comprising a group of states doggedly wedded to sovereignty It is perceived by many as consisting of regional leaders and officials of a Secretariat who enjoy undeserved, luxurious joy rides to attend useless summits

characterized by a chronic implementationdeficit.

As a result, the region looked on in amazement when CARICOM leaders unanimously agreed to proposals in a twenty-two-page document submitted by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, the Honourable, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, to the Chair of CARICOM and Prime Minister of St. Lucia, the Honourable Phillip Pierre. The reaction of Chairman Pierre was a far cry from the adversarial and antagonisticmoodatthefiftiethsummit held on 26-27 February, 2026, chaired by the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Terrence Drew Instead of attempting to address the concernsraisedbyPersad-Bissessaron proceduralimproprietiesintherenewal oftheSecretaryGeneral,Drewassumed adefensivepostureandrebukedleaders fortheirabsenceattheretreatwherethe decisionwasmade.

When interviewed by the national media on whether Persad-Bissessar should attend the fifty-first summit, I replied that she should jump at this

discipline

opportunitytoraiseunsettledconcernsof hergovernmentwhichshouldnotremain bottled-upbutboldlyairedatthesummit inthepresenceofregionalleaders

Persad-Bissessar prudently attended the summit and diplomatically reaffirmedhergovernment’sunwavering commitmenttotheregionalbloc,“tothe idealsofregionalintegration,andtothe rule of law that lies at the heart of our Treaty-based Community,” She was carefultounderscorethat“Ourconcernis notdirectedtowardsanyindividual Itis neither personal nor political Rather, it concerns the legality of the process adopted, the integrity of our institutions and the faithful observance of the constitutional framework established by the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas” However, she also re-emphasized that her government “does not accept the process by which the Secretary-General was purportedly reappointed, and consequently, is unable to recognise the validityofthepurportedsecondtermof the Secretary-General”. She further affirmedthat“theprocessadoptedforthe purported reappointment of the Secretary-Generalwasinconsistentwith the Revised Treaty and the Rules of Procedure governing the Conference of Heads of Government” Moreover, she underlinesthat“ourpositionisnotheldto create division within the Community, but to preserve the constitutional order upon which the legitimacy and credibility of CARICOM ultimately depends Regionalunitycannotrestupon expediency and irregular practices masquerading as precedent It must rest uponadherencetotheruleswhichevery Member State has freely accepted and undertakentouphold”.

A cursory glance at the procedures underwhichtheSecretary-Generalwas actually reappointed under Chairman Drew, would present a cause for consternation from any reasonable onlooker as well as anyone familiar

Before posting, forwarding or commenting, every Guyanese should pause to ask a simple question: Does this contributetounderstanding,ordoesitinflamedivision?

Too many people hide behind anonymous profiles or keyboards to say things they would never dare utter face-toface The internet does not erase responsibility A racist comment typed in seconds can inflict lasting damage on individuals,familiesandentirecommunities.

Freedom of expression remains a cornerstone of democracy Citizenshaveeveryrighttocriticisegovernments, oppose policies and engage in robust political debate But freedomofexpressionwasneverintendedtobecomealicence forracialabuse,religiousintoleranceordeliberateincitement.

Guyanaisenteringoneofthemostimportantperiodsinits history The country’s future will depend not only on how

withinternationallaw Indeed,theissue prompted a regional expert to seek an independent legal opinion from UWI’s Professor of Law, Rajendra Ramlogan, who produced a comprehensive fortyeight-pagedocument,excerptsofwhich appeared in the regional media. It is uncertainwhetherthelegalissuesinthis brilliant opinion impacted the deliberations at the fifty-first CARICOM summit but it certainly attracted the attention of the regional public What is clear is that the arguments presented by PersadBissessar were robust enough to persuade all the CARICOM leaders present, including Prime Ministers Mottley and Holness, to unanimously acquiescetoherrequestforCARICOM to seek an advisory opinion from the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), pursuanttoArticle212oftheRTC.

The objections of Persad-Bissessar wereprimarilydirectedattheprocedures adopted to reappoint the SecretaryGeneral. However, her mention of “irregular practices masquerading as precedent,” also raises concerns on substantive issues such as the criteria used to appoint and reappoint a Secretary-General and other officials at CARICOM Are they political appointeesorcareerdiplomats?Arethey qualifiedforthepositionstheyhold?Are robust interviews and performance appraisals undertaken for their appointmentandreappointment?

Since CARICOM is funded by taxpayers who comprise the regional citizenry, this should concern every CARICOM citizen. It should actually be of deeper interest to Trinbagonians who contribute 22 percent of the CARICOM budget which is between US$4 million and US$5 million annually, in addition to providing financial support through regional developmentfunds,energy-related

Continued on page 5

wiselyitmanagesitsoilwealthbutalsoonwhetheritspeople can live together with mutual respect despite political, ethnic andreligiousdifferences.

TheERC’slatestreportshouldthereforeserveasmorethan astatisticalupdate Itshouldbeanationalwake-upcall

Theonlinespacedoesnothavetobecomeabattlefieldof hatred Itcaninsteadbecomeaforumwheredisagreementsare expressedwithcivility,factsovercomeprejudiceanddialogue replacesabuse

That transformation begins with each of us Every post matters Everycommentmatters Everysharematters

If Guyanese truly aspire to build “One Guyana,” then the journeymustbeginnotonlyinParliamentorconferencehalls but also on our phones, tablets and computer screens The internetshoulduniteanation,notbecometheplacewhereits divisionsaredeepened

The burden of proof is on the accuser

DEAREDITOR,

WhatIfindmostinterestingintherecent publicdiscourseinGuyanaisthatsomehave not paid attention to or frankly may have chosennottonoticetheironythatshouldnot beoverlooked.

Thosewhomostforcefullyaccuseothers of corruption without first presenting verifiable facts and evidence should themselves recognize that the principles of accountabilityanddueprocessapplyequally to every public official and political leader, irrespectiveofofficeorpartyaffiliation.

A democracy cannot credibly demand one evidentiary standard for political opponents while embracing a different and lower standard for oneself. Where a public figure has been the subject of official sanctions, investigations, or legal actions by competent authorities, whether domestic or international, those matters, like all others, should be assessed on the basis of official records,admissibleevidence,andtheruleof law,ratherthanselectivepoliticalnarratives.

Consistency is indispensable to the credibility of democratic leadership. One cannot insist that allegations alone should condemn a political adversary while simultaneouslyarguingthatdueprocessand evidentiary standards should apply in one’s owncircumstances.

Theruleoflawisnotapartisaninstrument; it is a constitutional principle that must be applied uniformly That is precisely why every allegation, against every individual, mustultimatelystandorfallonthestrengthof the facts and evidence presented before the appropriate legal institutions, and not on the volumeofpoliticalrhetoricorthepassionsof themoment

The burden of proof is on the accuser, whoever makes a claim must provide sufficient evidence to support it The defending party is presumed innocent or in therightuntilthatburdenismet

Yoursrespectfully,

JermaineFigueira, FormerMemberofParliament

Kamla’s fearless diplomacy...

Frompage4 assistanceandtradefinancingprogrammes. Persad-Bissessar has indicated that her persuasion of the regional Heads of Government to seek an advisory opinion from the CCJ is no indication that her government intends to subscribe to the CCJ as its final court of appeal, at this time. It seems that there is some confusion in the public arena surrounding this issue. By way of clarification, it should be understood that theCCJhastwinjurisdictions,acompulsory Original Jurisdiction which is guided by the RTC and to which all CSME states automatically subscribe, and an optional Appellate Jurisdiction which constitutes the apex of their domestic court system and has replacedthePrivyCouncilastheirfinalcourt of appeal. So far, only five states - Guyana, Barbados, Dominica, Belize and St. LuciahavesubscribedtotheAppellatejurisdiction of the CCJ. Therefore, Persad-Bissessar could have taken the matter to the CCJ on behalf of Trinidad and Tobago unilaterally, under the Original Jurisdiction but opted for multilateralism through CARICOM in the interest of regional integration, democracy and transparency and the collective good of theregion.TheCCJisactuallybestsuitedas thefinalarbiterinthismatter

Another major issue tabled at the fiftyfirstsummitwasthatoftheindigenizationof the University of the West Indies. ViceChancellor,SirHilaryBeckles,presentedfor CARICOM’s approval, the newly drafted Agreement Establishing the UWI which seeks to replace the colonial Royal Charter The UWI is actually one of the most longstandingandprominentofficiallyrecognized institutions of CARICOM The new Agreement was approved by the Heads of Government and now moves to the national ParliamentsofCARICOMmemberstatesfor support before being transposed into domestic law, in keeping with the dualist doctrineofthecommonlawtradition.States are urged to hasten the passage of this legislation so that The UWI can transition seamlessly towards the modernization and decolonizationofitsgovernancearchitecture as it continues its reign as the pre-eminent tertiaryinstitutionoftheregion.

Thefifty-firstCARICOMsummitsignals a new direction for a regional bloc in dire needofreform.Thetremendousgainsofthis forum through widespread collaboration,

compromise and consensus should be attributed to the exemplary leadership of Chairman Phillip Pierre and the fearless and unrelenting diplomacy of Persad-Bissessar. The other CARICOM leaders, including Prime Minister Drew, should also be commendedfor theirembraceof democracy and the rule of law in the interest of genuine regional integration. Such maturity would augur well for CARICOM as a united regional bloc as Trinidad and Tobago assumesitsnon-permanentseatattheUnited NationsSecurityCouncilin2027-2028.

In recognition of the 53rd anniversary of CARICOM and what he views as its myriad of achievements, President of the CCJ, JusticeWinstonAndersonrecentlycalledfor a CARICOM holiday in the Jamaican Gleaner He noted that “on July 4 this year, the United States celebrates 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. While Americans gather annually on July 4 to celebrate the birth of their nation, we in the Caribbean have an opportunity on that same daytoreflectuponthebirthandevolutionof our regional community…Today, Caribbean nationals enjoy opportunities unimaginable to earlier generations. Citizens can travel freely across the Community, establish businesses, provide services, pursue employment opportunities, and invest beyondthebordersoftheirownStates”.

Holidayornot,alleyesarenowonJustice AndersonandtheCaribbeanCourtofJustice.

InherlettertoCARICOM,Persad-Bissessar proposedthat“allMemberStatesaretoabide by the Court’s determination and that “upon deliveryoftheadvisoryopinion,allMembers shall accept and implement the Court’s interpretation of the Revised Treaty as the authoritative determination of the constitutional issues in dispute. If the Court determines that the reappointment was lawfully effected, The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago shall immediately recognise the reappointmentasvalid”.

Irrespective of the direction of the impending CCJ advisory opinion, the camaraderie,robustnegotiations,diplomacy, dialogue and deliberations at the fifty-first CARICOMsummit,havealreadyproduceda win-winoutcomefortheregion.

And when CARICOM wins, everybody wins!

Regards, Dr.IndiraRampersad

Iran’sHealthMinistrysays17killed,115injuredbyU.S.strikes

(AL-JAZEERA) US air strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday have killed 17 people and injured 115 others in six cities across Iran, a spokesperson for the HealthMinistryhassaid.

The escalation on

Wednesday, the most severe since both sides signed a m e m o r a n d u m o f understanding in mid-June that ended the fighting saw theUSlaunchattacksonthe eastern Iranian cities of Iranshahr, Bandar Abbas, Konarak, Chabahar, and Bushehr, as well asAq Qala innortheasternIran.

One firefighter was killed in an attack on the Iranshahr airport, state news agencyIRNAreported.

The US military’s C e n t r a l C o m m a n d (CENTCOM) said early on Thursday that it had completed “an additional round of strikes against Iran to further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping and innocent civilianmarinersintheStrait ofHormuz”.

CENTCOM said that 90 Iranian military targets had been hit” including air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile

The ministry spokesperson said the casualties included victims from various locations. (AL-JAZEERA)

and drone storage sites, naval capabilities, and military logistics infrastructure along Iran’s coastline”.

Iranian officials had told the Fars news agency that attacksonChabaharincluded strikes on a maritime control tower and a depot Iranian statemediaalsoreportedthat a railway bridge had been targetedinAqQala Hours after the US strikes, air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, and Kuwait’s Ministry of Defence reported that the

country’s air defences were confrontingrocketanddrone attacks.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards later said they attacked two US bases in Kuwait and two in Bahrain, addingthatafutureresponse could extend to other US basesintheregioniftheUS continuesitsattacks.

Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Committee, had warned of a response after Wednesday’sUSattacks.

“Waitforthehardslapby Iranians,”hewroteonX.

The US also conducted attacks on Iran on Tuesday, saying its strikes were conducted “in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz”.

CENTCOM said it hit “over 80 targets with precision munitions” before concluding the strikes approximately four hours

aftertheyhadbegun.

Eight service personnel from the country’s air force and navy were killed in Tuesday’s attacks, which struck the southern cities of Bandar Abbas and Bushehr, state news agency IRNA reported, citing a statement fromtheIranianarmy

Both the US and Iran have accused the other of violating the MoU, which ended the war, lifted the US naval blockade on Iran, and openedtheStraitofHormuz. But it left more intractable issues, like the future of Iran’s nuclear programme andtheadministrationofthe Strait of Hormuz, to be determined over a 60-day negotiatingperiod.

The key point of contention appears to be over the fifth clause of the MoU, which says that Iran “will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels, with no charge for 60 days only, from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman,andviceversa”.

Iran has interpreted the provisiontomeanithadsole

“responsibility in

determining arrangements for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz”, Foreign Ministry spokesmanEsmaeilBaghaei said Wednesday That position has been used to

transitingthestrait.

“The MoU required the US to lift its reciprocal blockade of Iran’s ports whichitdid[andit]required theUStowaivesanctionsfor the Iranian sale of oil which it did and it required Iran to not interfere with civilian shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, ” David Des Roches, former Pentagon NATO operations director, toldAlJazeera.

WhenIranattackedthese ships, Tehran was trying to instil a new normal beyond the terms of the MoU, in which ships had to go through Iranian waters, and Iran would attack them if theydidnot,heexplained.

“That’s unacceptable to President Trump So, these strikes are a retaliation to that action,” said Des

Roches

Following Wednesday’s strikes, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker, said the Strait of Hormuz “will only open with‘Iranianarrangements’, notAmericanthreats”.

“America still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put itplainly:ifyoustrike,you’ll get hit,” Ghalibaf posted on socialmedia.

Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington, DC, said the Trump administration has maintained that the MoU requires unfettered passage toallvessels.

“Sincethesigningofthe m e m o r a n d u m o f understanding, opening that 60-day window to allow for broadernegotiations,theUS hasinsistedthatanyuptickin conflict and military clashes is the result of Iran exercising sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, which theWhiteHouseinsistsisan international waterway and necessary for the global economy,”Halkettsaid.

Dr. Adams blasts GWI for ‘dangerous’ water safety claims

Former head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr Vincent Adams, has sharply criticised the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) over its response to the findings of the 2025 Public Utilities Commission (PUC) report onwaterquality

In a letter to this publicationonThursday,Dr Adams described GWI’s defence of the report’s findings as misleading and dangerous.

“I was embarrassed and astounded by the Guyana Water Inc ’s (GWI) statement reported in the July 3, 2026 Kaieteur News article that ‘Water quality issuesflaggedbyPUCaffect only taste, colour and appearance, not safety’,” he wrote.

According to Adams, GWI attempted to deceive the public by omitting the actual measurements containedinthePUCreport.

“ T r u e t o t h e government’s code of conduct,GWIhasattempted to deceive the people, not onlybyleavingouttheactual

‘They

measurements that would make it impossible to back up their ludicrous claim, but also insultingly tells the people not to believe the coffee-coloured water they seewiththeirowneyes.This GWI statement is nothing but irresponsible, callous and dangerous to the people’shealth,”hesaid.

Adams noted that the issue is personal for him, explainingthathewasoneof 11 engineers specially trained by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to establish and operate GWI whenitwascreatedin1972.

“We know first-hand the world-class water authority that was handed over to the PPP/C,” he said, adding that the institution has since descended into “an abyss of incompetenceandneglectof itssacredmandatetoprovide reliable,cleanandsafewater tothepublic.”

The former EPA head further accused GWI of recklessly assuring citizens that it is safe to consume water that scientific evidence suggests may be

hazardous.

“In a normal country, it wouldbeanoxymoronfora nation dubbed ‘the land of manywaters’tohave‘water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink’,” he said, quotingEnglishpoetSamuel TaylorColeridge.

Adams then addressed the three contaminants identified by the PUC as exceeding accepted standards pH, turbidity andiron.

Explaining the pH scale, which ranges from zero to 14, he noted that it is logarithmic rather than linear, meaning each unit represents a tenfold change inacidity

“For example, a pH of four is 10 times more acidic than a pH of five and 100 times more acidic than a pH of six. This means that the 3.7pHmeasuredatLindenis 630 times more acidic than t h e Wo r l d H e a l t h Organisation’s safe pH limit of 6.5.” He warned that highly acidic water is corrosive and can dissolve heavymetalssuchascopper and lead from plumbing

are treating us like slaves’

Second Jamaican man transferred to Eswatini by U.S. likens TCN programme to ‘slave trade’

(Jamaica Gleaner)

Despite repeated assurances from the Government that Jamaicansexpelledfromthe United States (US) would never be refused entry to their homeland, another Jamaican man has been shipped to the southern African state of Eswatini under America’s thirdcountry nationals (TCNs) agreement.

Sixty-four-year-old Junior Alves, a Christian pastor who has lived in the USforthepast44years,was among11peopletransported toEswatinionWednesday

He is the second JamaicansenttoEswatiniby theUSinrecenttimesunder itsTCNagreementwiththat country, which it pays approximately US$5 1 milliontoacceptthem.

Jamaican Junior Alves who was transported to Eswatini by American officials.

On Thursday Alves, speaking with the Jamaica Observer from a maximumsecurity prison in Eswatini, described his ordeal as similar to the slave trade wherepeoplewereroundedup and taken to countries whichtheydidnotknowand havenotiesto.

“Theyaretreatinguslike slaves. They are taking us back to the slavery days where you have no value of your own life. Basically, what they are doing to us, I say it’s slavery,” charged Alves, a father of eight c h i l d r e n w i t h 11 grandchildren who were all bornintheUS. Alves told the Observer that his ordeal began on

systems, contaminating drinkingwater

According to Adams, prolonged exposure to those metals can lead to strokes, cancer, kidney disease, memory loss, high blood pressure and reduced bone density He added that children are especially vulnerable because their bodies absorb heavy metals morerapidly Healsoargued thathighlyacidicwatermay indicate inadequate treatment, leaving harmful pollutants such as pesticides

and other chemicals in the supply

Turning to turbidity, Adams explained that it measures the cloudiness of water and serves as an indicator of filtration effectiveness.

“Thehighertheturbidity, the more particles are present, and those particles can carry disease-causing microorganisms such as viruses, parasites and bacteria,” he said. Referring to the PUC’s findings at Grove, Adams said no

technical measurement was needed to recognise the severityoftheproblem.

“The obvious coffeecoloured water at Grove already indicates extremely high turbidity The actual measurement29timesabove thelimitssetbyboththeUS Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organisation confirms the significant health risks associated with consuming such water,” he said.

He urged GWI to immediately withdraw its public assurance that the water is safe to drink and instead take urgent steps to fulfilwhathedescribedasits sole mandate providing reliable, clean and safe drinkingwater

“In the meantime, I humblywishtodissuadethe public from following GWI’s inexplicable advice thatthewaterissafe,despite its irrefutable scientific indications of being hazardoustohumanhealth,” Adamssaid.

PERFECT SCORE!

Frompage2

“They are the outcome of deliberate planning, sustained investment, and the collective efforts of our teachers, our parents, our education officers, our school leaders, our students, and the government of Guyana,”shesaid.

January 11 when he was arrested in a church yard by US Immigration and CustomsEnforcement(ICE) agentswhileonhiswaytoa shop, metres from his home inFlorida.

“They told me I was wanted and I asked them wantedforwhat,”saidAlves as he recalled how he pointedouttotheICEagents that he was a community leader and pastor who was allowed to stay in the US based on a Convention Against Torture (CAT) designation he received in 2016.

According to Alves, he was arrested before 2016 based on two deportation orders,butwhenheappeared beforethecourtshislawyers successfully applied for a CATdesignationforhim.

U n d e r t h e C AT designation the US is obligated to ban the deportationofindividualsto countries where they risk beingtortured.

Alvessaidhepleadedhis casetotheICEagentswho Continued on page 15

The minister also confirmed that the 2027 NGSA will be written on April14and15,withresults expectedonJune25,2027.

MessagestotheStudents

Parag urged the top performers not to let the exam define them “The NGSA is an important milestone, but it definitely doesnotdefinewhoyouare, nor does it determine the limits of what you can achieve, ” she said, encouragingthemto“dream boldly” as they enter secondaryschool.

President Irfaan Ali echoed the sentiment in a congratulatory message, telling students that “NGSA isnotthefinishline;itisthe starting line, ” and r e a f f i r m i n g h i s government’s commitment toensuringnochildisdenied opportunity because of circumstance.

Meetthetopperformers

This year’s 20 perfect scorers, all of whom have secured places at Queen’s College,are:

Region Two: Zaida Gonzalez (Suddie Primary),

GianaDeSilva(BetterHope Primary)

Region Three: Kayla Persaud (Windsor Forest Primary), Ieon Fredericks and Devya Sukhai (Leonora Primary), Simran Sameerah Sanichari (Belle West Primary), Hayden Solomon (Professional Learning College)

Region Four: Christina

Haripersaud and Nathalya Khan(SuccessElementary)

RegionSix:KacyHailie Kamal(TainPrimary)

Region Ten: Tyrese Abrams(RegmaPrimary)

Georgetown (District 11): Asiera Mohamed (Graham’s Hall Primary), ZahriyaNiamataliandAnjali Persaud (Mae’s Under 12 Primary), Divya Persaud (New Guyana School), Kayleigh Phillips and R

R

oon (WestfieldPrep)

Intheirownwords

For many of the top scorers, the achievement capped months of early mornings, extra lessons and longstudysessions.

Christina Doodnauth saidtheexamwas“alittlebit hard here and there, but overall,itwasok,”crediting lessons and composition classes for her preparation. “Alwaysbelieveinyourself, try your hardest, and if you

need anything come to your parents and teachers for help,” she advised future candidates.

Gaurav Deonarine said he felt “very excited and elated” on learning of his result, having worked through past papers consistently since Grade Five.

Outsidetheperfect-score group, Eudisha Williams of Port Kaituma Primary topped Region One with 475.24 marks, securing a place at Port Kaituma Secondary She said hard workandpast-paperpractice carriedherthrough.

Simran Sanichari d e s c

sacrifices had paid off. “I cried a bit but preparation was ok, I had to put in the hard work and make some sacrificesbutitallpaidoff,” she said, urging other students to “keep on pushing” despite the sacrificesrequired.

Shristi Hardeo, Region Seven’s top performer from TwoMilesPrimary,saidshe “expected to go far but not thisfar.”Hermothersaidthe journey had been an emotional one. “It’s been quite a journey for us, we have come a long way, we have had COVID to deal with and I’m both mommy andteacherandIhadtokeep with the continued encouragement,”shesaid.

A Commission of Inquiry is not a fishing expedition

ChristopherRam’slatest letter (KiskadeeWatch, July 9th 2026) culminates with what is intended to be its most dramatic flourish: a demandthatPresidentIrfaan Ali establish a Commission

of Inquiry (COI) to investigate every aspect of hisagriculturalenterprise.It isanappealingsoundbite.

Itisalsotheweakestpart of his entire argument. The call betrays either a misunderstanding of the purposeofaCommissionof Inquiry or a willingness to stretch the mechanism beyondrecognition.

A Commission of Inquiry is not established simply because someone owns a successful business or because political opponents find its growth remarkable. A COI is an extraordinary instrument of the State, traditionally reserved for investigating identifiable incidents, systemic failures, disasters, allegations of serious misconduct or matters of overwhelming public importance where there is already sufficient reason to believe that wrongdoing mayhaveoccurred.

It is not designed to investigate an investment merely because critics have questions about it The distinctionisfundamental.

Mr Ram does not identify an incident requiring investigation. He

does not point to a government decision that

has demonstrably been corrupted He does not identify any unlawful transaction He does not allege fraud supported by evidence.

Instead,hepresentsalist of questions and then c o n c l u d e s t h a t a Commission of Inquiry should be appointed to answer them. That turns the veryconceptofaninquiryon itshead.

Investigations are not launched to discover whether there might be evidence.Theyarelaunched because there is already evidencesufficienttojustify an investigation That principleisoneeverylawyer understands.

Before the coercive powers of the State are engaged, before witnesses are summoned, before documents are compelled, beforereputationsareplaced under official scrutiny and before taxpayers are required to finance months of hearings, there must first exist a prima facie basis for believing that there is someth

ng investigation.

Thephrase“primafacie” means that there is enough credible evidence, on its face, to warrant further inquiry Mr Ram’s letter never establishes that threshold.

Instead, it asks that the Commission discover whether such evidence exists. That is not how the

Dem Boys Seh...

DemboyssehGuyanaisalandofmany blessings. Oil. Gold. Bauxite, Forest. Nice people.And one more thing that deserve to beputontheCoatofArms:coincidence.

Not ordinary coincidence, mind yuh. Guyanese coincidence does arrive with perfect timing, like rain five minutes after yuhwashdecar

Now imagine this. A political leader come out with some “revelations.” Before de echoes done bouncing off de microphones, one of he security or former security suddenly end up in police custody over an investigation so old that some people thought de file had become a historicaldocument.

Demboysscratchingdemhead. Because if de investigation was alive all along, why it was sleeping like Rip Van Winkle?Andifitwassleeping,whosuddenly rememberwheretofinddealarmclock?

Now,beforeanybodystartwritingangry letters, dem boys ain’t saying one thing got to do with de other. Dem boys only observingthatinGuyana,coincidencedoes have a better attendance record than some publicservants.

lawworks.

Indeed, the factual premiseuponwhichmuchof this controversy has rested has itself begun to unravel. The original narrative suggested that this was a

e somehow created within the span of roughly a few years since while President Ali becameHeadofState.

That allegation generated understandable public curiosity Except it now appears that the chronologywaswrong.

It is now being acknowledged that the original twenty acres were acquired approximately fifteen years ago and were already operating as a chickenfarmlongbeforethe presentcontroversyerupted. Thatchangeseverything. The image of a vast agricultural enterprise springing almost overnight into existence was the very foundation upon which suspicion was built. Once thatpremisecollapses,sotoo does much of the argument that extraordinary investigative machinery mustnowbedeployed.

Expansionofanexisting agricultural operation over m a n y y e a r s i s a fundamentally different proposition from creating one from scratch in a brief period One would have expected that such an important factual correction would have prompted a

reassessment of the demand foraCommissionofInquiry

Instead, the demand remains unchanged, despite thefactuallandscapehaving shifted significantly That is difficult to reconcile with soundlegalreasoning.

There is another problem Mr Ram repeatedlyasksthePresident to produce loan agreements, financial statements, tax records, environmental permits and other private commercialdocuments.

W h e t h e r t h o s e documents ought to be voluntarily disclosed is a separate debate But the absence of voluntary disclosure cannot itself become evidence of wrongdoing Otherwise, e v e r y s u c c e s s f u l entrepreneur could be required to prove his innocence simply because critics demanded access to his business records. That wouldinvertoneofthemost basicprinciplesoffairness.

The burden rests on the accuser to establish a credible case before demandingthemachineryof investigation. One of the oldestandmostfundamental principles of law is that he whoassertsmustprove.The burden of proof rests on the personmakinganallegation, not on the person against whom it is made It is thereforeinsufficienttoraise suspicion, ask provocative questions and then demand an investigation in the hope thatevidencewillemerge.

ItisnotforthePresident or indeed any private individual to prove the absence of misconduct

simply because allegations havebeenloudlyrepeated.It isforthoseassertingtoprove theircontentions.

ButtherealdangerofMr Ram’s approach extends far beyond this particular controversy If accepted as the standard, every prominent investment could become the subject of demands for a Commission

of Inquiry based on speculation, suspicion or political disagreement

Every businessman with commercial success could find himself compelled to defend perfectly lawful investments before a public tribunal merely because questions had been raised in thenewspapers.

The demand therefore for the COI is not accountability It is institutionalisedfishing.

Commissions of Inquiry are expensive They consume public resources, occupy public officials, compel witnesses, affect reputations and often take months to complete. They

s h o u l d n e v e r b e commissioned simply because someone believes an investigation might uncoversomething.

They should be established because there is already sufficient evidence that something warrants investigation. That is the difference between the rule oflawandrulebysuspicion.

Mr Ramisentitledtoask questions. Every citizen is. But questions, however numerous or cleverly framed, are not evidence. Speculation is not a prima faciecase.

And a Commission of Inquiry should never become the mechanism by whichonehopestoconstruct the very case that ought to have existed before the inquirywaseverproposed.

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

Oneoldmanatderumshopputitplain: “When mango and coconut fall at de same time,Iwatchingdetree,notdefruit.”

Dem boys know de Police got a duty to investigate crime wherever de evidence lead.Datisexactlyhowitshouldbeinany democracy.Butjusticegotonebadhabit,it notonlygottobedone,itgottolooklikeit done fairly too. How come suddenly yuh findnewevidence?

Becausewhenlong-coldcasessuddenly wake up exactly when politics heating up, people gon naturally ask questions. And questionsarelikebushfires;oncedemstart, breezealonecan’tstopdem.

Dem boys seh perception is a stubborn mule. It don’t move because somebody shout at it. It move when people see consistency,transparencyandfairness. Otherwise, every strange development gon get filed under one heading: “What a coincidence!”

And in Guyana, coincidence getting so powerfulthesedays thatif iteverdecideto run for office, it might win by unanimous suspicion.

Talkhalf.Leffhalf.

TheAlifarm-frombankrollertoblackmailer

Almost without e x c e p t i o n , Guyaneseacross theboard,arefamiliarabout the kind of upstanding citizen and leader that Pres. Ali is. They have a good idea about the quality of his character,thebeautiesofhis activities.

Their leader is a winner He touches mud and magic happens: many minerals massed on his table. I need someofthattoruboffonme. Thus, I stay close to the president. Ashegoes,Igo.

The man, main voice, from WIN, Mr Mohamed dropped his aerial bombardment flush on the headofMohamedIrfaanAli. It’s the president and none other Sparks have since flown. Shards of expensive plate glass whizzing

dangerously close The record shows that Pres Ali has not taken what WIN Mohamed shared publicly sittingdown. Hewentonan offensive of his own. The land is ole story There are loans.

Documents to burst the archives. PresAlisavedhis secret weapon for last. It is onedippedindeadlycurare:

blackmail Azruddin Mohamed delivered his message express mail A U.S.carrier,Ithink. PresAli fired back even quicker There’s his verbal delivery Blackmail. Well, blow me down!

Wasn’t it the PPPofAli, Jagdeo, and Nandlall, who oncetreasuredtheMohamed Family above all else? Yes or no, folks? Was it not the PPPGovt.thatturnedagainst

the Mohamed family that was so good to its members (bankrolled, remember?) And turned the father and son over to the tender ministrations of Uncle Sam. It would be helpful if any of thesuperstarsintheOfficeof the President, including old Burnham ones, could say what kind of mail that is. Drink a man rum. Feast at histable.

Dancetohismusic. Tek out selfees wid he. Collect he bankroll. Then, tun pun he. Wha is dah, white mail, greenmail, or blackmail? My interest is not in who blackmail who first But how is it that blackmail enters the political frame? Pres. Ali is reported to be a v

ow Therefore,heoughttoknow (orbeadvised)thattheclaim

of blackmail doesn’t have much of a leg to stand on. Not when it’s open-air Not when everyone is watching, listening, and following the sequence of actions

Because Pres Ali enjoys such a special relationship with the U S , he should reach out to Excellency Theriot and have her check with the FBI on the validity ofwhatIassert. Further, blackmail caan wuk, Mistah President. Not when there are documents. Like transport(s) for the Long Creek lands. Like the loan applications. Like the loan approvals with rubberstamps, revenues

stamps, raised seals, authorised commercial bank personnel, and in the originals. Iwouldhopethat the loan officers and land

officers have not all left Guyana to take up permanent residence in U.S. in the last few days. Mohamedcouldtriwahevah blackmail he want. But a man of the resourcefulness andadaptabilityofDr Irfaan Ali has his own mail. They don’t give doctorates to dummies It is not snail mail. It is not mail with a different kind of gender identifier What Pres. Ali has is a mailed fist. Waan fuh mess wid mee? Ah readee!

The point I go to great lengths to make is that Pres. Alidoesn’thavetobluff. Or engage in any boisterous bacchanalian bravado. He has the best mail available. His standing with personal honesty Incumbency advantage. The numerous

tools and vast resources of the state (an oil rich state). Plus, the Guyanese people believeinhim. Well,sortof, andonlysome. How many for him this weekversuslastweek,that’s the question? Guyanese catching hell, and there’s no question about their condition. Pres. Ali has to ridebeyondtheblackmailhe claims and put out the cleanest slate. If there are hiccups, he might as well cleanouthisdesk. Graceand peace,Mr President.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the a u t h o r a n d d o n o t necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)

Regional leaders, Private Sector agree on measures to improve affordability across the region

Against the backdrop of rising cost-of-living pressures across the Caribbean Community, (CARICOM), the OECS Business Council (OBC), the CARICOM Private Sector Organisation (CPSO) and CARICOM Heads of Government held a high level breakfast meeting where they examined and agreed on practical measures to improve affordability acrosstheregion.

The OBC led discussions on removing barriers to intra-regional trade, reducing transportation and logistics costs, diversifying imports, mobilising regional investment capital. The group also spoke of strengthening tourism linkages, and addressing the DisproportionateNegativeImpacts (DNI)oftheInternationalMaritime Organisation’s Net-Zero Framework (NZF) on CARICOM Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The OECS Business Council convenedatSandalsGrande,Saint Lucia, under the theme “Meeting the Affordability Challenge: Toward a Proactive Agenda for member states and the Private Sector” on July 6th 2026, in the margins of the 51st Regular MeetingoftheConferenceofHead of Government of the Caribbean Community

According to a release from CARICOM, the discussions echoed a consensus by regional governments,thattheprivatesector and organised labour must move beyond policy dialogue to coordinated implementation, supported by clearly defined mandates, timelines and measurableoutcomes.

During her presentation, Prime MinisterofBarbados,MiaMottley made an explicit call for a formal tripartite compact among governments,theprivatesectorand organisedlabour,coveringabasket ofessentialproducts.Shecalledon the private sector to accept lower profits on essential goods to ease the cost of living for CARICOM citizens.

“Food,sanitaryitemsandbasic household goods cannot keep moving beyond the reach of ordinaryfamilieswhileotherstake every dollar they can get. There is roomforprofit,buttheremustalso beroomforconscience,”shesaid.

Mottley stressed that the proposedcompactwouldnotapply across every product category but would focus on the items families relyoneveryday.

“There is no basis, and forgive me, but Massy cannot make BDS$49 million in profit in Barbados,andmiddle-classpeople can’taffordtobuyfood,”shesaid.

“They could have made BDS$20 million in profit in these circumstances, and they would have been just as good, just as happy, and BDS$29 millionwould havebeenleftinthepocketsofthe peoplewhohavetodecidewhether toeattodayornottoeat.”

Further,shepointedtotheneed discussionswiththecontributionof ideas from all quarters were recognised.

Themeetingalsoaddressedthe costs to capital, endorsing the urgency of creating a bridge between the surplus liquidity held by regional financial institutions

opportunities in areas such as desalination, battery storage, solar, wind and geothermal power generation,andportfacilities.

Duringthesession,theregional private sector reaffirmed its commitment to climate action, decarbonisation and the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as essential to the sustainable development of CARICOMMemberStates.

At the same time, the faction expressed broad support for a cautious regional approach to implementation of the IMO NetZero Framework (which aims to impose penalties on shipping failing to convert fleets to net-zero carbon-emitting fuels), citing its disproportionate negative impacts onSmallIslandDevelopingStates, consumers and the tourism

industry, particularly the cruise sector

Investment opportunities in agriculture were singled out for listing on the platform, and a request was made for a compendium of CARICOM-wide agricultural investments to be presented at the next high-level breakfastforum. In the same spirit of building regional value chains, the discussion focused on the need for renewedsupportforcompletingthe TourismLinkagesProject.

Participants of the forum also endorsed extending the CPSO’s import-diversification work to quantify the import savings and widereconomicbenefitsassociated with the transition to renewable energy,withanupdatetobe Continued on page 17

Banks DIH hands over grand prize SUV

Bin “Crown the Road” promotion

a n k s D I H

Limited has officially closed out its “Crown the Road” promotion,handingoverthe campaign’s grand prize, a brand-new SWM SUV valued at $5.5 million, to Vijay Latchminarine of East Canefield,Canje,Berbice.

The 10-week promotion ranfromApril10toJune19, rewarding Banks Beer patrons at 15 participating bars across Guyana with instant cash prizes of $350,000 each, drawn regularly throughout the campaign In total, the

promotionhandedout$5.25 million in consolation prizes, with the grand prize draw for the SWM SUV serving as the campaign’s standoutmoment.

Latchminarine’s win caps off a campaign designed to celebrate and reward the loyalty of Banks Beerdrinkersnationwide.

“Crown the Road was about putting Banks Beer whereourcustomersalready are, at their favourite bars, enjoying time with friends and giving them a real chance to be rewarded for theirloyalty,”saidSalesand

Mechanic on $50,000 bail for sexual assault

A 2 3 - y e a r - o l d mechanic,SaifMohamedof Affiance Essequibo Coast, Region Two, was granted $50,000 bail on Thursday forsexualassault.

He is accused of sexually assaulting a woman on Monday at Number One Cricket GroundatAffiance.

Mohamed appeared at t h e A n n a R a g i n a Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Ravindra Mohabir

He reportedly pleaded notguilty Bailwasgranted with the condition that Mohamedmakesnocontact with the victim and if he seesher,hemustmaintaina

Charged with sexual assault, Saif Mohamed

Thecasewasadjourned for July 28, 2026 for disclosureofstatements.

Clerk fined $25,000 for refusing breathalyser test

clerk attached to Athe Anna Regina Town Council

was fined $25,000 on Friday after pleading guilty to refusingabreathalysertest.

Aryan Doodnauth appeared before Magistrate Ravindra Mohabir at the Anna Regina Magistrates’ Court, where he entered the guiltyplea.

Police said Doodnauth refused to take the test on June 21 after ranks stopped him along the Anna Regina Public Road, Essequibo Coast, Region Two, during a routineroadsideexercise.

Hewasorderedtopaythe fine or serve three months in prisonindefault.

Marketing Executive Lee Baptiste “Seeing Mr Latchminarinedriveawayin the grand prize SUV is exactly the kind of moment we hoped this promotion wouldcreate.”

Banks Beer, a Monde Selection Gold Quality award-winning product of Banks DIH Limited, continues to be a leading choice among Guyanese consumers, backed by a company with more than 70 years of manufacturing excellence.

ERCissues34hatespeechwarningsinJune

...AS RACIAL TOXICITY, RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY SURGE ONLINE

Th e E t h n i c R e l a t i o n s

Commission (ERC) said it has issued 34 cautionary warnings for ethnic and religiously offensive social media posts during June, underscoring what it says is the persistent challenge of hate speech even as it intensifies efforts topromotenationalunity

InitsJune2026monthly report, the constitutional body revealed that the number of warnings issued by its Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) climbed from 27inMayto34inJune,with racial slurs and derogatory remarks accounting for the bulkoftheviolations.

According to the Commission, the recorded infractions comprised 10 racial slurs, nine racially derogatory remarks, six racially prejudiced or insensitive comments, three raciallyhatefulremarks,two racially divisive statements and one racial stereotype. Three additional warnings were issued for religiously intolerantremarks.

Theincreasecameasthe ERC simultane

expand

p

blic campaignaimedatfostering greater ethnic harmony and mutual respect across Guyana’sdiversesociety

At the centre of those e f f o r t s w a s t h e Commission’s flagship National Symposium, “Guyana at 60: Unity, Diversity and the Path Forward,”stagedonJune30

at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre The event brought together representa

G

t h e Parliamentary Opposition, the diplomatic community, private sector, civil society organisations, faith-based g r o u p s a n d y o u t h representatives to examine thecountry’sethnicrelations as Guyana marks its 60th anniversary

The ERC said the discussion will not end with the symposium. It has since launched an online public questionnaire through its official social media platforms, inviting citizens

across the country to contributetheirviews.

The responses will be combined with submissions received during the symposium to produce what the Commission described as a comprehensive, evidence-based national report to be laid before the NationalAssembly

Beyond the national forum, the Commission also carrieditsdiversitymessage into workplaces through a series of Diversity, Equity andInclusion(DEI)training sessions conducted with EdYou FM, Banks DIH Limited, the National Commission on Disability and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. The sessions focused on inclusi

practices, unconscious bias and respectful engagement amongemployees.

The ERC also used the International Building Expo 2026attheGuyanaNational Stadium, Providence, to educate hundreds of visitors about its constitutional role andresponsibilities.

‘They are treating us like...

Frompage8 arrestedhim,andtheofficertowhomhewas required to periodically report, based on the CATdesignation.

Hepointedoutthathewasinitiallyheldat adetentioncentreinMiramar,Florida,before being transferred toAlcatraz, “which is one of the ‘wickedest’jails you can ever find in thehistoryoflife.”

HesaidwhileinAlcatraz,hehadalawyer fighting for his freedom and was told that a judge had ruled that he should be released, but days ago an ICE officer told him to sign somepapers,whichherefusedtodo.

“They[then]saidtome,‘Youaregoingto theAfricancountry,’andIsaid,‘Howcanyou take me to a place I don’t know?’And they said, ‘Whether you know it or not that’s whereyougoing.Andifyoudon’tgoweare going to put you in a plastic and carry you.’ Thatwastheexactwordthemanused,thathe was going to plastic me like he did the Mexicanthem,”addedAlves.

He said some 18 to 19 hours later the plane landed in Eswatini where they were met by heavily armed people who ordered them to disembark and transported them to theprison.

“Only thing these people [in Eswatini] havesaidtomeisthattheyarelookingtoget mypaperssothatIcangobacktomycountry,

ifmycountrywillacceptme,”Alvespointed out.

He and his wife operate a transport business and they were set to open a new officebeforehewasarrested.

Nowhehashissightssetonreturningto theUSwhichhehascalledhomeformostof hisadultlifeandwherehehasbeeninvolved inseveralcommunityprojects.

“I feed the homeless, over 250 every Saturday,Itakecareofthecommunity,Ilook outforthepeopledem,Igivejobstopeople who are jobless… and the people I help are whotheywanttotakeaway,”saidAlves.

HeispreparedtoreturntoJamaicawhere a sister in Kingston is his only surviving relativeandwhileinhishomelandheplansto “fightthemtotheend”.

In July, Jamaican Orville Etoria was amongthefirstTCNssenttoEswatinibythe USGovernment.

With support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Etoria wasrepatriatedtoJamaicaonSeptember22.

InconfirmingthatEtoriahadreturnedto the island the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “We reaffirm that the well-being of Jamaicansoverseasisaconstantpriorityfor theGovernmentofJamaica.”

There has been no word yet from the ministryontheAlvescase.

M e a n w h i l e , t h e Commission’s Investigative Unit reported that it is currently managing a consolidated caseload of 83 matters spanning the period 2022to2026.

Themattersincludethree cases from 2022-2023, 14 carried over from 2024, 49 from 2025 and 17 recorded so far this year No new complaints were received duringJune.

Thereportshowsthat23 mattersremainpendingSub-

Committee review, while 17 are actively under investigation. Five matters are listed as pending, three areawaitinglegaladviceand two are currently at the conciliationstage.

The Commission also reported that nearly 40 per cent of its total caseload has already reached some form of closure Twenty-four matters have been closed by the ERC, six investigations have been completed and three complaints were withdrawn. No cases have been referred to external agencies or are awaiting statutorydecisions.

The ERC said it remains committed to promoting peaceful coexistence through public education, stakeholder engagement, investigations and conflict resolution, while continuing t o d i s c h a r g e i t s constitutional mandate of fosteringmutualrespectand understanding among all Guyanese.

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2026-HC-DEM-CIV-PINTHEHIGHCOURTHIGH OFTHESUPREMECOURT OF JUDICATURE DECLARATIONOFTITLE FIZRODEEN KHAN of Sublot ‘G’ of Lot 10 Swan Street, Pouderoyen, West BankDemerara,Guyana,has presented a Petition for Declaration of Title by Prescription of the property described herein attached. Any person intending to opposethesaidPetitionmust within one month after the dateofthefirstpublicationof thisnoticefileintheRegistry of the High Court, in the City ofGeorgetown,Noticeofhis/ her Opposition and an Affidavit or Affidavits in Support upon the said Petitioner ThesaidPetitionis accompanied by a plan of the said property, which may be inspected at the Registry during office hours.

SCHEDULE In a matter of Sublot ‘G’, being portion of NorthhalfofLot10,Southof Central Dam of Plantation Klien Pouderoyen situate on the West Bank of Demerara, County of Demerara, Republic of Guyana, the said Sublot ‘G containing an area of 0.0712 (nought decimal nought seven one two) of an acre, being shown and define on a plan by G. Samaroo, Sworn Land Surveyor dated the1st dayofApril,2026and recorded in the Guyana Land and Survey Commission on the16th dayofApril,2026as plan numbered 94917. The address for service of the PetitionerattheChambersof Mohamed S.G. F. Khan and KashirA.KhanAttorneys-atLaw of 215 King Street, Lacytown,Georgetown, Demerara.

INTHEHIGHCOURTOFTHE SUPREME COURT OF JUDICA TURE DECLARATION OF TITLE

BIBIJEANETTEKHANof Sublot ‘B’ of Lot 10 Swan Street, Pouderoyen, West BankDemerara,Guyana has presented a Petition for Declaration of Title by Prescription of the property described herein attached. Any person intending to opposethesaidPetitionmust within one month after the dateofthefirstpublicationof thisnoticefileintheRegistry of the High Court, in the City ofGeorgetown,Noticeofhis/

her Opposition and an Affidavit or Affidavits in Support upon the said Petitioner ThesaidPetitionis accompaniedbyaplanofthe said property, which may be inspected at the Registry during office hours.

SCHEDULE In a matter of Sublot ‘B’, being portion of the South half and the North halfofLot10,SouthofCentral Dam of Plantation Klien Pouderoyen situate on the West Bank of Demerara, County of Demerara, Republic of Guyana, the said Sublot‘B’containinganarea of 0.0712 (nought decimal nought seven one two) of an acre,beingshownanddefine on a plan by G. Samaroo, Sworn Land Surveyor dated the18tdayofApril,2026and recorded in the Guyana Land and Survey Commission on the16thdayofApril,2026as plan numbered 94918. The address for service of the PetitionerattheChambersof MohamedS.G.F.Khanand KashirA. Khan, Attorneysat-Law of 215 King Street, Lacytown,Georgetown, Demerara.

LEGALNOTICE LEGALNOTICE

2026-HC-DEM-CIV-PINTHEHIGHCOURTHIGH OFTHESUPREMECOURT OF JUDICATURE

DECLARATIONOFTITLE

AHMADKHANofsublot‘F’ of Lot 10 Swan Street, Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara, Guyana, has presented a Petition for Declaration of Title by Prescription of the property described herein attached. Any person intending to opposethesaidPetitionmust within one month after the dateofthefirstpublicationof thisnoticefileintheRegistry oftheHighCourt,intheCity ofGeorgetown,Noticeofhis/ her Opposition and an Affidavit or Affidavits in Support upon the said Petitioner ThesaidPetitionis accompaniedbyaplanofthe said property, which may be inspected at the Registry during office hours.

SCHEDULE In a matter of Sublot ‘F’, being portion of NorthhalfofLot10,Southof Central Dam of Plantation Klien Pouderoyen situate on the West Bank of Demerara, County of Demerara, Republic of Guyana, the said Sublot‘F’containinganarea of 0.0712 (nought decimal nought seven one two) of an

acre,beingshownanddefine on a plan by G. Samaroo, Sworn Land Surveyor dated the1st dayofApril,2026and recorded in the Guyana Land and Survey Commission on the 16h day ofApril, 2026 as plan numbered 94916. The address for service of the PetitionerattheChambersof Mohamed S.G. F. Khan and KashirA.KhanAttorneys-atLaw of 215 King Street, Lacytown,Georgetown, Demerara.

2026-HC-DEM-CIV-P IN THEHIGHCOURTHIGHOF THESUPREMECOURTOF JUDICA TURE DECLARATIONOFTITLE FAIZIEKHANoflot10Swan Street, Pouderoyen, West BankDemerara,Guyana,has presented a Petition for Declaration of Title by Prescription of the property described herein attached. Any person intending to opposethesaidPetitionmust within one month after the dateofthefirstpublicationof thisnoticefileintheRegistry oftheHighCourt,intheCity ofGeorgetown,Noticeofhis/ her Opposition and an Affidavit or Affidavits in Support upon the said Petitioner ThesaidPetitionis accompaniedbyaplanofthe said property, which may be inspected at the Registry during office hours.

SCHEDULE In a matter of Sublot‘E,beingportionofthe South half and the North half of Lot 10, South of Central Dam of Plantation Klien Pouderoyen situate on the West Bank of Demerara, County of Demerara, Republic of Guyana, the said Sublot‘E’containinganarea of 0.0712 (nought decimal nought seven one two) of an acre,beingshownanddefine on a plan by G. Samaroo, Sworn Land Surveyor dated the1st dayofApril,2026and recorded in the Guyana Land and Survey Commission on the 16 day of April, 2026 as plan numbered 94918. The address for service of the PetitionerattheChambersof MohamedS.G.F.Khanand Kashir A. Khan Attorneysat-Law of 215 King Street, Lacytown,Georgetown, Demerara.

WAZIR KHAN of Lot 10 Swan Street, Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara, Guyana, has presented a Petition for Declaration of Title by Prescription of the property described herein attached. Any person intending to oppose the said Petition must, within one month after the date of the firstpublicationofthisnotice, fileintheRegistryoftheHigh Court, in the City of Georgetown, Notice of his/ her Opposition and an Affidavit or Affidavits in Support upon the said Petitioner ThesaidPetitionis accompaniedbyaplanofthe said property, which may be inspected at the Registry during office hours.

SCHEDULE In the matter of Sublot ‘C’, being portion of NorthhalfofLot10,Southof Central Dam of Plantation Klien Pouderoyen situate on the West Bank of Demerara, County of Demerara, Republic of Guyana, the said Sublot‘C’containinganarea of 0.0712 (nought decimal nought seven one two) of an acre, being shown and defined on a plan by G Samaroo, Sworn Land Surveyordatedthe1stdayof April,2026andrecordedinthe Guyana Land and Survey Commission on the 16th day of April, 2026 as plan numbered94915.Theaddress forserviceofthePetitioneris attheChambersofMohamed

S.G.F. Khan and Kashir A. Khan, Attorneys-at-Law, of 215 King Street, Lacytown, Georgetown,Demerara.

2026/333-FD-PET-DEMIN THEHIGHCOURTOFTHE SUPREME COURT OF JUDICATURE FAMILY, DIVORCE AND MA TRIMONIAL JURISDICTION FAMILY DIVISIONPetitionNo.FD333 BETWEEN: (MANOHARLALL) NATASHAneeTHOMPSON

Petitioner/Applicant -and(MANOHARLALL), APOLLOSRespondentTO: APOLLOS

MANOHARLALL,Last

KnownAddress299Fourth Street, Alexander Village, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown,Guyana.TAKE

NOTICEthatonthe25thday of March, 2026 a Petition for Divorcewasfiledagainstyou by NA T ASHA

MANOHARLALL nee

THOMPSON,thePetitioner/ Applicant in the Family DivisionoftheHighCourtin Georgetown,Demerara.AND FURTHERTAKENOTICE that as part of an Order made

on the 14th day of May, 2026 the Petitioner/Applicant was directed to effect service of her Petition on you by publicationofaNoticeintwo (2) consecutive Saturday issues of Kaieteur News, a daily newspaper printed, published and circulated in andaroundGuyanaandonthe worldwideweb(online).AND FURTHERTAKENOTICE

that if you desire you may appear or attend in person or byyourdulyauthorizedagent or Attorney-at-Law at the Registry of the Family Division of the High Court at Georgetown,Demerarawhere you will be issued with a certifiedcopyoftheNoticeof Petition together with related documents.ANDFURTHER TAKE NOTICE that if you desiretoDefendthisPetition, then upon receipt of the certifiedcopyoftheNoticeof Petition, you must file an AcknowledgementofService, Notice of Intention to Defend and/orAnswerintheRegistry of the Family Division of the High Court at Georgetown, Demerara within 35 (thirtyfive)daysfromthedateofthe second and final publication of this Notice through the https:// ejudiciary.supremecourt.gy Your access code is 6R2gye TAKE NOTICE that the PetitionisfixedforDirections HearingonMondaythe10th dayofAugust,2026at11:00 ambeforetheHonourableMr. Justice Gino Persaud via Zoom Meeting ID: 733 558 9086Passcode:Court3atthe Family Division of the High Court at Georgetown. IN DEFAULT of you filing a Notice of Intention to Defend and/orAnswer the Court may proceed in your absence and may make any Order it considers appropriate, including granting the Divorce. The Registry of the Family Division of the High Court is located at the Law Courts,Georgetown, Demerara. The office is open tothepublicbetween8:00am and 3:30 pm Monday to Thursdayand8:00amto2:30 pm on Fridays except on public holidays and on such other days as the Registry is closed. Dated this 4th day of June,2026

LEGALNOTICE

2026/421-FD-PET-DEMIN THEHIGHCOURTOFTHE SUPREME COURT OF JUDICATURE

GARFIELD EVERTON RespondentTO:GARFIELD EVERTON CARR Last KnownAddressLot2,Hyde Park, Grove East Bank Essequibo, Guyana.TAKE

NOTICEthatonthe17thday of April, 2026 a Petition for Divorcewasfiledagainstyou bySHANDELDENIACARR nee FREDRICKS, the Petitioner/Applicant in the Family Division of the High Court in Georgetown, Demerara.ANDFURTHER TAKENOTICEthataspart ofanOrdermadeonthe29th day of May, 2026, the Petitioner/Applicant was directed to effect service of her Petition on you by publication once in two (2) consecutive Saturday issues of Kaieteur News, a daily newspaper printed, published and circulated in and around Guyana and on the worldwide web (online). AND FURTHER TAKE

NOTICE that if you desire you may appear or attend in person or by your duly authorizedagentorAttorneyat-Law at the Registry of the Family Division of the High Court at Georgetown, Demerara where you will be issued with a certified copy of the Notice of Petition together with related documents.ANDFURTHER TAKE NOTICE that if you desire to defend this Petition then, upon receipt of the certified copy of the Notice of Petition, you must file an Acknowledgement of Service, Notice of Intention to Defend and/or Answer in the Registry of the Family DivisionoftheHighCourtat Georgetown,Demerarawithin 35(thirty-five)daysfromthe date of the second and final publication of this Notice through the https:// ejudiciary.supremecourt.gy Youraccesscodeis452ZZ4.

TAKE NOTICE that the Application is fixed for Directions Hearing on Monday the 31st day of August, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. before the Honourable Mr. Justice Gino Persaud via Zoom.MeetingID:733558 9086andPasscode:Court3 at the Family Division of the HighCourtatGeorgetown.IN DEFAULT of you filing a NoticeofIntentiontoDefend and/orAnswertheCourtmay proceed in your absence and may make any Order it considers appropriate, including granting the Divorce. The Registry of the Family Division of the High Court is located at the Law Courts (Georgetown, Demerara).Theofficeisopen to the public between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays and 8:00 a.m. to2:30p.m.onFridays,except on public holidays and on such days when the Registry is closed. Dated the 4th day ofJune,2026.

Regional leaders, Private Sector...

From page 10 presented to the next MeetingoftheCouncilforFinance andPlanning(COFAP).

To carry the agenda forward, participants agreed to establishworkinggroupsoperating with predefined timelines and measurable deliverables, ensuring that thecommitmentsarisingfrom the session are implemented and monitored for accountability

Also dominating the discussions was the urgent need to resolve the region’s inadequate transport capacity, which continues to constraintheCSMEcommitment to the free movement of people and goods.

Participants agreed on a September 2026 deadline for creationoftheenablingregulatoryframeworkforthemutualrecognitionofinsurance, licences and road taxes, essential to finalising arrangements for the regional ferry service to be operated by the private sector.

In the interim, heads determined that an earlier pilot ferryinitiativewillbepursued, utilisingavesseltheGovern-

ment ofTrinidad andTobago has expressed its willingness to deploy to launch the service.

The session also registered satisfaction at the commencementofservicebyExecutiveAir Cargo, which has begun transporting agri-food products among member states. Non-Tariff Barriers: Turningtothebarrierswithin the region’s own control, they adopted a ‘pairwise’ model of direct engagement between the member states implementingthefifty-seven (57)non-tariffbarriers(NTBs) identified by the private sector as suppressing intra-regionaltrade,andthemember states affected by them.

The model will be implemented under the leadership ofaleadheadofgovernment, with the active participation of the private sector and the relevantministerialandregulatory institutions, and with implementing and affected states committing to timebound remedial actions.

Participants also benefitted from a presentation of technical work on reducing the cost and increasing the

benefits, of diversifying and de-risking CARICOM’s imports. It noted that the region stands to realise expected savingsofcircaUSD$2.0billionfromthediversificationof a component of its non-fuel importsaloneandrecognised thescopeforstillgreatersavingsfromreducedfuelimports as the region transitions to renewables.

The CPSO was urged to undertakefurtherworkonthe fuelimport-energytransition nexus,asamatterofimmediatepriority

Attheinterim,“theCPSO will work closely with the CSMEPrimeMinisterialSub Committee to follow up on this structure,” the release added

The session concluded with a shared determination that the Caribbean’s affordability challenge must be addressed through practical, time-bound and resultsoriented action, and that the enduring partnership among governments,theprivatesector and organised labour will remain central to delivering meaningful benefits for the peopleofthecommunity

…Guyana to face Bermuda in final match tonight StantonRosekeepsGuyana’s

ByRawleToney

Guyana kept its FIBA

Soudal Quick-Step’s Tim Merlier celebrates after crossing the finish line to win stage 7 ahead of Uno-X Mobility’s Soren Waerenskjold. (REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq)

Tim Merlier sprints to stage seven victory as Tadej Pogacar keeps Tour de France lead

BORDEAUX,France,(Reuters)-Belgian TimMerliertriumphedinacrowdedsprintto win stage seven of the Tour de France on Friday, beating Soren Waerenskjold to the finish line with a breakneck charge in Bordeaux.

Merlier(SoudalQuick-Step)waitedforhis opportunity as Waerenskjold was led out for the final push by his Uno-X Mobility teammates,andlaunchedanattackinthelast 200 metrestooverpowertheNorwegian.

Four-timechampionTadejPogacar(UAE Team Emirates-XRG) retained the yellow jersey and his lead in the quest for his third ‘straighttitle.

“Itwasamesstobeinposition ButImade it, thanks to the team,” said Merlier, 33, after the fourth Tour de France stage win of his career

“WeweretheonlyteamwithAlpecinwho wereridingtobringthebreakawaybacksoI’m happythatit’snotanotherteamwhowon.”

Fellow Soudal Quick-Step rider Bert van Lerberghe had abandoned the race before the 175 1km flat ride from Hagetmau to

Bordeaux, and Merlier had taken to Instagram to say that he would try ‘win the stageinhisteammate’shonour

Merlier stayed in the bunch, closely following fellow sprinter Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), as Baptiste Veistroffer and Jakub Otruba attacked immediatelyaftertheofficialstart.

Thepelotonbegantoreelinthebreakaway leadersaftertheshortclimbtoCotedeBeguey, and‘with 18km to go, the bunch had caught up after trailing Veistroffer and Otruba for 157km.

Late breakaway attempts from Uno-X Mobility riders were quickly thwarted by the peloton, which went into the ‘last five kilometersinBordeauxwithaspeedofover 60kmperhour

Inthefinalkilometer,Philipsenbrieflyled thesprintwithanattack,butcouldnotkeepup ‘whenMerliermadehismove,finishingfifth asBiniamGirmaytookthirdplace.

The race continues on Saturday with another flat stage, a 1804km ride from PerigueuxtoBergerac

UAE Team Emirates XRG’s Tadej Pogacar celebrates on the podium wearing the yellow jersey after stage 7. (REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes)

Kenya’sWanyonyibreaks1,000mworldrecord

(Reuters)-KenyanEmmanuelWanyonyi brokethemen’s1,000metresworldrecordin two minutes 11.83 seconds at the Monaco Diamond League meet on Friday, shaving 0.13 seconds off compatriot Noah Ngeny’s previous‘markset27yearsago. The800mOlympicchampionWanyonyi finishednearlyafullsecondaheadofBriton Jake Wightman, while Algeria’s Djamel Sedjatiwasthird. “ThiswasthefirsttimeIran`1,000m,and directly breaking the World Record makes me so happy I want to thank the other `athletestopushmetomylimit,”hesaid. The 1,000 metres is ‘a rarely contested event that does not feature in ‘either the

Championships.

AmeriCup Caribbean PreQualifiers campaign on coursewithanimpressive6853victoryoverDominicaon Thursday night, securing its second win in three matches before an enthusiastic home crowd at the Cliff Anderson SportsHall

Withthevictory,thehome sideheadsintoitsfinalgroupstage encounter against Bermuda knowing another positive result could prove crucial in the race for qualification

Captain Stanton Rose Jr led from the front with a game-high 20 points, while narrowly missing a doubledouble after pulling down ninerebounds

Theversatileforwardalso contributed five assists and four steals in another allround performance that inspiredthehosts

Guyana enjoyed balancedscoringthroughout the contest, with Kevon Wiggins continuing his outstandingtournamentafter following up his heroics againstAntiguaandBarbuda with16points.

Umar Rashid added 10 points, nine rebounds and three steals, while Kevin Mickle embraced the physical role in the paint, finishing with a doubledouble of 11 points and 11

rebounds, along with four steals

Despite the convincing final margin, the contest was farfromstraightforward

Dominica came out with greaterurgencyandedgedthe opening quarter 16-13, forcingGuyanaontotheback footearly

The visitors continued to frustratethehostsformuchof the first half, but Guyana responded by winning the second quarter 13-8 to trim the deficit and head into the halftimebreaktrailingbyjust twopointsat26-24

As the second half unfolded, Dominica appeared poised to regain control

However, Wiggins delivered several timely baskets that kept Guyana within striking distance before Rose Jr and Mickletookoveratbothends ofthefloor

The home side’s defensive intensity increased dramatically after the interval,generatingturnovers thatwereconvertedintoeasy transitionbaskets

Rashid controlled the boards, Mickle dominated inside, and Rose Jr orchestrated the offence as Guyana gradually pulled awaytosecureacomfortable 15-pointvictory.

Guyana will now turn its attention to Bermuda in its final group-stage fixture on Friday night, with hopes of

closing out the preliminary roundonahigh

Elsewhere in the tournament,Haitirecordedits firstvictorybycruisingtoan 89-70triumphoverGrenada

Lee Dort led the Haitian charge with 22 points, while Ronaldo Segu added 18 GrenadawaspacedbyDaniel Regis with a game-high 24 points, while Kevin Cox chipped in with 22 in the losingeffort

St Vincent and the Grenadinesalsostrengthened its cam

96

63 demolition of Dominica Phillip Lawrence-Ricks scored 19 points to lead the winners, while Tyler Fraser andChrisfordTelesfordeach finishedwith15points Meanwhile,theTurksand Caicos Islands continued theirimpressiveruninGroup A,rallyingfora76-61victory overBermudatosecuretheir second win of t

tournament

F

’s

u

e promises another exciting day of basketball, with unbeatenBarbadostakingon Grenada at 12:30 pm, followedbyHaitiagainstthe Cayman Islands at 3:00 pm Dominica will then meet Bermuda at 5:30 pm before Guyana closes out its groupstage campaign against Bermuda in a pivotal encounter

ECB to face no action over Stokes retirement video

BBCSport-Englandwillfacenoaction fromtheInternationalCricketCouncil(ICC) overBenStokes’retirementvideo.

TheICCwrotetotheEnglandandWales Cricket Board (ECB) about the video in which former England captain Stokes told team-mates of his decision to retire after the thirdTestagainstNewZealand.

The footage was filmed in the England dressingroompriortothefourthdayatTrent Bridge,thensharedwithbroadcastersandon socialmediaduringplaylaterthatday

In publishing the footage and audio before the conclusion of the third Test, the ECB risked contravening standards for the players’and match officials’areas (PMOA) at international matches. PMOA rules are designed to support anti-corruption protocols.RespondingtoreportsoftheICC’s letter,Stokesjokinglywroteonsocialmedia: “Sackhim.”

TheICCwrotetotheECBon4July Itis understoodtheECBhassincerepliedandthe matterhasbeenconcludedamicably

Neither the ICC nor ECB have commented.

In its original letter to the ECB, the ICC

suggested article 2 2 11 of the PMOA minimumstandardshadbeenbreached.

It states national cricket federations should: “Ensure that there are no fixed or temporary video cameras or other recording equipment set up within any dressing room used by the teams for the purposes of broadcastingvideooraudiofootage.”

The ICC also said the ECB had previouslybeeninformedanyfootageshotin the PMOA must not carry audio or be releasedbeforetheconclusionofamatch.

Speaking at the close of the fourth day, Stokes explained why the public announcement was made during play, detailingitwasaplanbetweenhisagentsand the ECB. “I just said, ‘You guys work with Michael Lumb and Neil Fairbrother, who work with me, and you guys just come up withaplan’,”saidtheall-rounder

Stokes was in the middle of a bowling spell when the announcement was made at 15:25 BST and, with his first delivery after newsofhisretirementspread,tookthewicket ofNewZealand’sZakFoulkes.

TheTest,andStokes’internationalcareer, didnotenduntilthefollowingday

30schoolstobattleforSamarooInvestment

SecondarySchoolsTapeballtrophy

Thirtysecondaryschoolsaresettobattle for supremacy today when the Uprising PromotionGroupstagesitssecondweekend of action with the Samaroo Investmentsponsored Secondary School Tapeball CricketCompetitionattheNationalCultural Centre(NCC)tarmac.

With the race for the coveted championshiptitlesettoreachitsclimax,the tournamentpromisesafulldayofcompetitive SecondarySchoolTapeballactionassomeof thenation’sbrightestyoungcricketerslookto leavetheirmarkonthepitch

Thefirstballisscheduledtobebowledat 9:00 a m , with matches continuing throughout the afternoon as teams fight through the knockout rounds in pursuit of championshipglory

Atotalof30secondaryschoolsregistered

for this year’s competition, highlighting the growingpopularityofthetournamentandthe continued enthusiasm for school-level TapeballcricketacrossGuyana.

The competition is organised by the UprisingPromotionGroup,formerlyknown as the Georgetown Office Assistant Promotion Committee (GOAPC), under the coordination of veteran organiser James “Uprising”Lewis,whoseinitiativecontinues to provide a valuable platform for young cricketerstoshowcasetheirtalents.

Beyond team honours, individual excellence will also be rewarded. Special prizes will be presented to the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), while the eventualchampionswillreceivetophonours along with a host of additional awards sponsoredbySamarooInvestment.

Merino is hero for Spain as they get past Belgium to secure World Cup semi-final spot

BBC Sport - Mikel Merino emerged as Spain’s hero yet again as the substitute scored in the 88th minute to stun Belgium and book his side’s place in the World Cup semi-finals

Saturday July 11, 2026

ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19)

You are moving quite a bit fasterthanusualrightnow,so make sure that you're letting the right people know that you'regoingtobeunavailable for the day That doesn't have tomeandisappointment!

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

You are picking up more and more speed today—with the wind at your back like this, you can take on the world! It might seem as if you're not where you need to be but just waitandsee.

GEMINI(May21–June20)

Speak up as much as you can today—people need to hear your voice.Your great energy helps you make the most of your time and opportunities. Think up some big new schemeandsuggestit.

CANCER(June21–July22)

Your communication might find few ears today or, worse, it may find itself reaching the wrong ears! It's far too easy to misinterpret eachotherrightnow,somake surethatyou'reasclearascan be.

LEO(July23–Aug.22)

Try to be up front about what you want today—otherwise, nobody can figure it out! It's oneofthosedayswhenyou're pretty sure you know what's coming, but you might not knowhowtogetthere.

VIRGO(Aug 23–Sept 22)

You've got to make a hard choice—but you can do it. Your energy is just right for making sure that you are askingtherightquestionsand letting the right people down (ifneedbe).

LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)

Now is a good time for study ordeepthought—yourmental energy is humming along perfectly, and you should be able to grasp almost any conceptyouwish.Actquickly, becauseitcan'tlastforever!

SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov.21)

You'rehummingalongnicely, not doing anything in particular,whenyousuddenly notice something that seems like a very big deal—because itis!Smalldetailsmattermore rightnow

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21)

It's really all about you today, which could be terrific or unfortunate, depending on yourmood.Trynottopassthe buck or to just accept fate, as life is actually handing you a goldenopportunity

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19)

Your flighty side is out today—and it might be the firsttimesomeofyourpeople have seen it! Go right ahead and bounce through the day refusing to take much of anythingseriously

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

Your creative energy is just right for the task at hand—whatever it may be! Make sure that you can find new ways to solve old problems if only to alleviate yourboredom.

PISCES(Feb.19–Mar 20)

This is not a good time to makeanymoves orevento plan moves Change is all aroundyouasitis,andifyou add your own into the mix, youcouldkeepyourselffrom making progress down the line

Having come off the bench to score a 91st-minute winner against Portugal in the last 16, the Arsenal midfielder stepped up with another late strike to decide a closely contestedquarter-finaltieinLosAngeles.

Withthescoretiedat1-1andheadinginto extra time, Belgium substitute goalkeeper

Senne Lammens - brought on to replace the injured Thibaut Courtois - spilled Pau Cubarsi’s 25-yard strike and Merino capitalised by planting the rebound into the roofofthenetfromcloserange.

Fabian Ruiz had given Spain a 30thminute lead, before they conceded their first goal of the finals when Charles de Ketelaere headedhomefourminutesbeforehalf-time.

Victory meant Luis de la Fuente’s side willnowfaceFranceinDallasonTuesday,14 July(20:00BST).

RuthlessZverevspoilsFery’s Wimbledondreamtopowerintofinal

LONDON, (Reuters)AlexanderZverevendedthe remarkable Wimbledon run of BritonArthur Fery with a 7-6(0)6-26-4victoryFriday to reach the final, where he will have an opportunity to win back-to-back Grand Slam trophies after his FrenchOpensuccess.

Fresh off his Roland Garros triumph that handed him a long-awaited breakthrough after years of heartbreak, the German made his fifth major title clashandwillbattlereigning Wimbledon champion JannikSinnerorseven-times winnerNovakDjokovic.

“Whether it’s the champion or somebody who’swonhere48times,it’s not going to be easy, no matter who it’s against,” Zverev joked about potentiallyfacing`Djokovic, who will be eyeing a record 25thGrandSlamcrown.

“But I have to trust myself and I have to believe thatIcanwinandthat’swhat I’mgoingtodo.”

On a warm afternoon punctuatedbygustsofwind, Zverev took time to find his stride as he traded breaks earlywithFery,butitwasall smooth sailing in the tiebreak where the 29-yearold did not drop a point to winthefirstset.

“It was amazing Arthur,whatanunbelievable player,”Zverevsaid.

“He’sgoingtobeasenior citizenonourtour,becauseI think he’s going to play for 15-plusyears,andisgoingto

havegreatresults.Thisisjust the beginning of his career and I really think he’s going todoamazingthings.”

2026 New Zealand tour of West Indies ODI series WI vs. NZ Match 1 at Providence

Hope banking on familiarity at Providence, as Windies look to draw first blood today

- WI Captain says utilizing knowledge of Guyana could give team tactical edge over Kiwis

get the best for the team,” the West Indies skipperdetailed.

Switchingtothemoretacticalsideofthe game, Hope put on his analytical cap as he explained the importance of securing as manypointsaspossibleoverthecourseofthe series, given the circumstances which occurredbackinJunethatsomewhatcaused thema3-matchseriesagainstSriLankaafter the first and last match was subsequently abandoned due to torrential rains, as the Asians bagged the second match to seal a rain-affectedseries.

Guyana/West Indies left-arm spinner Gudakesh

Guyana/W Motie spent quality time in the nets yesterday

ByCliftonRoss

Guyanese fan-favorite and West Indies

Captain Shai Hope plans to harness all his knowledgeandexperiencegainedplayingat the Guyana National Stadium, Providence with the sole aim of giving his team the tactical edge needed to defeat the visiting NewZealanderscometodaywhenthefirstof 3Day/Nightgamesbowloff.

Speaking exclusively during the team’s finalpre-matchnetsessionatProvidence,an upbeatHopesaidthetacticalmodelheading intotheserieswillplayacrucialroleoverthe next few days in Guyana, as the Caribbean boys will look to draw first blood before headingtoBarbados.

Hope has been arguably one of the top ODI batsmen in world cricket and most certainly the team’s key component in their engine-roomforbatsmen.

Averaging a staggering 50.56 with more than 6000 runs 31 fifties and 19 hundreds in his ODI career, the Bajan’s record in this format played on Guyana soil has been a bit mixed.

With just 167 runs scored from the 9 inningsatProvidenceandabestof71in500vercricket,HopeboastsabetterT20record having spent a number of years with the GuyanaAmazon Warriors team during CPL season, thus making his relationship here even deeper than most players from across theCaribbean.

In all, the classy right-hander has played in a total of 39 games across all major formats, with 9 coming from the aforementioned ODI’s while the other 30 have been in the T20 format (CPL/T20I

games).

One huge plus for the West Indies is Hope’sT20recordatProvidencebutmoreso his general limited overs achievements at their designated battleground over the next threegames.

With1,099runscomingatanaverageof almost 43.00 and a scorching strike rate upwards of 141.00 and his lone century in Guyanabeinganunforgettableknockof106 off 44 balls, Hope himself said tapping into such data is critical for ensuring his teammates,thenon-Guyaneseandthoseless familiar with conditions at Providence; are properly equipped to tackle the formidable Kiwis.

Beloved by Guyanese, Hope touched on his relationship with the somewhat adopted hometownofGuyana,citinghisloveforthe countrywhilehighlightingtheimportanceof hisroleoverthenextfewdays;asitrelatesto puttingonashowforhislocalfanbase.

“So the key is always performing in whatever situation I’m faced with while tryingtogivemyteamthebest,”hesaid.

Hope continued, “We spoke about the conditions here and whatever experience I wouldhavehadhereplayingCPLandafew internationalfixtures,I’vegottousethatand bankonthatinformationwhileI’mhere.”

“But regardless of what happened in the past, adaptability is key here and whatever experienceIhaveIcansharewiththegroup andtrytoleanonthat.It’sgoingtobetough, we’re playing against New Zealand, one of thebetterteamsintheworld.Wehavetouse all our advantages whether we have them, we’lltrytouseourbesttrumpsandensurewe

“Yousawhowimportantthatonegamein Jamaica was, we had 3 games only one played,they(SriLanka)wonthefirstoneand won the series. So everything is important, every single game is crucial, you have to understand there’s only a certain amount of points you can get, so every game is important; we understand we can’t control whathappenedinthepast,butwecandoour bestinthisseries,”saidTheWindiescaptain.

TheWestIndiesmiddle-orderbatteralso credited the New Zealand team for their success in this format as well as their ability towingames.

“Guyanaisalwaysoneoftheplacesyou havetoadapt,thewicketseemsabitslowand asbatterswehavetofindwaystoscore.They (NZ) have good spinners and we’re taking nothing away from their pacers, they have a goodsquad,”Hopestated.

Meanwhile, New Zealand Captain MitchellSatnerpraisedthelocalgroundsmen fortheireffortstoensurethevenueremainsin peakshapedespitetheweather

Speaking on his team’s goals for the series, the all-rounder said remaining watchfulwithregardstotheconditionswhile taking the series one game at a time will encompasstheoveralldirectionoftheseries.

“Traditionally the venue is a touch slow butunderlightsitmightnipandswing,butit might be a bit slower during the day,” he noted.

“Weareexcitedaboutthegroupwehave here coming off a good England series. We have a different looking squad and the challenge will be theWest Indies conditions whichcanchange,butweprideourselvesin adapting pretty well. Barbados is different fromGuyanasowehavetotakeitonegame atatime,”Santnerended.

Today’sfirstODIatProvidencewillbowl

West Indies captain Shai Hope said banking on all his experience and success playing in Guyana at Providence could likely give his team the tactical edge over the next few days.

offfrom14:30h.

West Indies Squad: Shai Hope (Captain), Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Roston Chase, Keemo Paul, MatthewForde,JustinGreaves,KeacyCarty, John Campbell, Amir Jangoo, Ackeem Auguste,VitelLawes

New Zealand ODI Squad: Mitchell Santner (Captain), Tom Latham, Mitchell Hay, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, DeanFoxcroft,NickKelly,JacobDuffy,Ben Lister, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kristian Clarke,MatthewFisher,JaydenLennox

West Indies take part in a practice session yesterday.

Guyanastartswellat2026JuniorCASAchampionship; Arjoon,Bulkan,Gobin,Verweyamongopeningdaywinners

ReigningCaribbeanArea Squash Association (CASA)

Junior champions Guyana made a confident start to the defence of their regional crown on Friday, collecting seven early victories across fourdivisionsontheopening

d a y o f t h e 2 0 2 6 championshipsinTortola

T h e G u y a n e s e contingent announced its arrival with several commanding performances, led by strong displays in the Boys’ Under-13, Under-15 and Under-19 divisions, whileAlexisArjoonsecured the country’s lone Girls’ Under-11victory

In the Boys’ Under-11 category,JudeGobinopened his campaign in thrilling fashion, battling from two games all to edge Barbados’ Carter Farmer 3-2. After splitting the opening four games,Gobinheldhisnerve toclaimthedecisivefifth118 and seal an impressive comebackvictory ZainAlli, however, found the going much tougher, going down instraightgamestoTrinidad andTobago’sJavedIshmael, 11-2,11-4,11-5.

Hickerson and Jibril Alli both swept aside home players Devon Mellor and IanDavidCruickshankRuiz respectively, each posting convincing 3-0 victories to strengthen their hopes of reaching the knockout rounds.

While fourth seed Finn Graham also opened his tournamentontherightnote, defeating Jamaica’s Jaden Emeryinstraightgames.

The Boys’ Under-15 division produced contrasting fortunes for Guyana. Fourth seed Egan Bulkan underlined his title credentials with a commanding 3-0 victory over Jamaica’s Ethan Cherian, securing Guyana’s only win in the division. KaidenAlli,meanwhile,was beaten in straight games by Trinidad and Tobago’s Nixon Callender II, losing 11-5,11-9,11-6.

Young Arjoon ensured Guyana’s success in the Girls’ Under-11 division with a flawless display, overwhelming Trinidad and Tobago’s Gabriella Ellis 111,11-1,11-1torecordoneof the day’s most dominant victories.

Guyana’s Boys’ Under13 players also enjoyed an excellent start Zion

GFFappointsMarcoBonofiglioas...

Frompage23

GoldenJaguarsSeniorMen’sNationalTeam and Assistant Coach of the Junior Golden Jaguars U20 Men’s National Team, he possesses an intimate understanding of Guyana’s football landscape, its players and itsculture.

Mostnotably,hemadehistoryduringhis first tenure as Head Coach of the Junior Golden Jaguars U17 Men’s National Team, guiding Guyana to its highest-ever finish at the Concacaf U17 Championship That achievement marked a significant milestone in the Federation’s youth development programme and firmly established his reputationasacoachcapableofmaximizing player potential while delivering historic results.

Throughout his years of service, Bonofiglio has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to Guyanese football. His strong relationships with players, understanding of the local football environment,andunwaveringpassionforthe continued growth of the Golden Jaguars programme make him exceptionally well positioned to lead the next chapter of the Federation’stechnicalvision.

Beyond his work with Guyana, Bonofiglio has enjoyed success at club level as Head Coach of Inter Toronto FC in League1Ontario,whereheledtheclubtothe 2024 League1 Ontario Championship. His coaching experience also includes technical appointments with Vigor Senigallia in Italy and professional coaching mentorships with Vis Pesaro and the Italy U19 National Team coachingstaff.

BonofiglioholdsConcacafNationalA,B and C Diplomas, is currently pursuing the Concacaf Pro Diploma, and has also earned

JuventusCoachingClinicLevel1andLevel2 Diplomas.

Speakingonhisappointment,Bonofiglio said: “It is always an honour to represent Guyana and to contribute to the continued growth of our football programme. My objective is to build a team that reflects the pride,resilienceandambitionofourcountry I want a team that is disciplined, aggressive, hungry for success, tactically intelligent and fully committed to competing at the highest level every time it steps onto the field. Together, we will continue building a programmethatGuyaneseeverywherecanbe proudof.”

GFF President Wayne Forde welcomed Bonofiglio’s appointment, noting that the Federationisconfidentinhisabilitytobuild upon the progress already achieved while raising the standards across every aspect of themen’snationalprogramme.

“Marco understands Guyanese football. He understands our players, our culture and theexpectationsthatcomewithrepresenting our nation. Throughout his years of service, he has consistently demonstrated professionalism, commitment and an unwavering belief in the potential of Guyanesefootball.

His appointment is not simply about preparing a team for competition; it is about continuing to build a high-performance environment that develops players, strengthens our technical capacity, and positions Guyana to compete consistently at thehighestlevelsofConcacaf.”

The Guyana Football Federation warmly welcomes Marco Bonofiglio back as Head CoachoftheGoldenJaguarsprogrammeand looks forward to an exciting new chapter underhisleadership.

Guyana continued to impress in the Boys’Under19category TopseedShiloh Asregado comfortably defeated Barbados’ Caden Collymore 11-5, 11-2, 11-5, while fifth seed Joshua Verwey produced a composed 3-1 victory over the Bahamas’ Jonah Every

Third seed Eli Carpol also made a winning start, dispatching Alejandro Quiroz11-5,11-6,11-4.

The only setback for Guyanainthedivisioncame when Blake Edwards was defeated by the Cayman Islands’CharlieMakin.

Several Guyanese players were also scheduled to return to the courts later

yesterday At press time, forthcomingresultsincluded Jude Gobin against Javed Ishmael, Zain Alli versus Carter Farmer, Zion Hickerson against Savante Padmore and Jibril Alli againstEganBulkan.Shiloh Asregado and Joshua Verwey were also due back in action. All results were recordedpriortopresstime.

Guyana’s teammanagerNazeer Mohamed confident of success as teamwingsout

Guyana’s Under-19 team departed for Antigua and Barbuda on Thursday July 9 for the CWI Rising Stars Under-19 50-over Championship

LedbycaptainParmeshwarRamandvicecaptain Romario Ramdeholl, the young Guyanese will be looking to bring home the regionaltitleforthefirsttimesince2018 Guyana open their campaign against

TrinidadandTobagoonJuly11,beforefacing Jamaica, Barbados, the Leeward Islands and theWindwardIslands Thisyear’stournament will feature only the 50-over format, with all matchessettobowloffat9:30hrs

Squad: Parmeshwar Ram, Romario Ramdeholl, Shamar Apple, Adrian Hetmyer, Justin Dowlin, Yannick Newton, Dhanesh Persaud, Khush Seegobin, Joshua Budhram,

Meanwhile, team manager Nazeer Mohamed has expressed confidence of the guysreturningsuccessful

Justbeforethecontingentlefttheshoresof Guyana, Mohamed mentioned, the preparations were excellent and that would

certainlyboosttheguysthemtremendously

According to Mohamed, the players workedhardoneveryaspectoftheirgameand no-doubtitwillhelpmotivatethemaswell

“Therearesomegoodplayerscomingback from last year and the team is well-balanced; wearereadytocompeteandIampositivewe can be the winning team,” Mohamed, the Essequibian,related

Mission creep: FIFA’s embrace of technology backfires in controversy-riven World Cup

MIAMI, (Reuters) - If FIFA President Gianni Infantino imagined his embrace of technologymightfinallyputanendtodisputes over refereeing decisions, the World Cup wouldhavedisabusedhimofthenotion.

Theuseoftechnologyhasbeenattheheart ofeverymajorcontroversyatthetournament, including the saga around the red card for Folarin Balogun that drew in US President DonaldTrump.

Criticism of technology has ranged from charges of over-reach and inconsistency of application,tofull-blownconspiracytheories that VAR was being used to determine the outcome of matches in favour of certain teamsorplayers.

EgyptcoachHossamHassangavevoiceto allthreeonTuesdayafterhisteamhadagoal scratchedoffbyVARbecauseofafoulatthe otherendofthepitch,andapenaltyshoutthat went unchecked, before losing 3-2 to Argentinainthelast16.

“What’shappeningisn’tfair,”hesaid FIFAreferees’chiefPierluigiCollinasaid in an interview on Wednesday that he was happy with how things were going and in particular defended the decision to disallow theEgyptgoalforafoulinthelead-up.

“Thereisnodefinedlimitregardingeither the distance from goal or the amount of time betweentheincidentandthegoal,”hewrote

“Webelievethatafoulisafoul Regardless of whether the foul appears ‘obvious’, if the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VARcanintervene.”

The ‘VideoAssistant Referee (VAR) was initiallydevelopedasaremedyfor“clearand obvious” refereeing mistakes such as Diego Maradona’s famous ‘Hand of God’ handball goalagainstEnglandinthe1986tournament.

TheintroductionofVARattheWorldCup wasresistedbySeppBlatterwhenhewasFIFA president but it was quickly adopted by Infantinowhenhetookoverthejobin2016.

There were 20 VAR interventions in 64

matchesatthe2018WorldCupandfewerthan 30 in the same number of games in Qatar in 2022,butthosenumberswerequicklydwarfed in the early stages of the 2026 tournament, whichwillhave104matches.

MOREINTERVENTIONS

Thiswasdeliberatewiththeexpandedrole ofthenowfourmatchofficialsinthetelevision boothakeyplankinCollina’sstrategyforthe WorldCup

In collaboration with the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the custodians of the rules of the game, Collina introducedfourmoreareaswhereVARcould intervene.

Network scientist Brennan Klein said a future where a panopticon of cameras andAI adjudicated the match in real time, while possible,wasunlikelysimplybecausefanshad alreadyreachedtheirlimit.

“This kind of dystopian future of overrefereeing everything kind of fails to address whatit’soriginallydesignedtointerveneon,” Klein, who with his team at Northeastern University has been analysing data

throughoutthetournament,toldReuters.

“My sense is that fans in the stadium, by and large, just hate this They’ve sort of been informedthatthisistherightwaytodothings, butnotreallyhadasayin`it.

“I think fans seem to be voting with their boos”

“ABUSEOFTECHNOLOGY”

Had the round-of-32 match between Croatia and Portugal taken place at the 2014 World Cup, it would almost certainly have endedup2-2attheendofregulationtime

Josko Gvardiol found the net in the 13th minute of stoppage time to equalise for Croatia,butVARsaidtheballhadtouchedIgor Matanoviconthewaythroughtothedefender, rendering his teammate offside. The touch wasnotcleartothehumaneyeandtheballdid not noticeably deviate from its course, but a sensorembeddedintheballregisteredcontact, possiblyfromMatanovic’shair

“(The sensor) is capable of determining any slight contact allowing officials an unprecedented level of data to make fast, accurate decisions,” FIFA said in a social

mediapost.

CroatiagreatLukaModric,whose24-year WorldCupcareer‘cametoanendwiththe2-1 defeat,wasunimpressed

“Forsomethingsit’suseful,butit’seither being used incorrectly or selectively, dependingonthesizeoftheteamorwhatever else,”hesaid “Ifit’sa200%mistake,thenyou intervene Ifit’snot,ifit’sinagreyarea,then there’snoreasontogetinvolved”

The Croatian football federation (HNS), who are in favour of the use of VAR, have writtentoFIFAaskingforanexplanationofthe call,callingit“anabuseoftechnology”.

Kleinsaidredcardshadmorethantripled in comparison ‘with the 2018 and 2022 tournamentswith13issuedtoplayersupuntil theendoftheroundof16,albeitin94games compared to 64 for the two previous World Cups.

Atleasttwoofthemwouldnothavebeen shown before VAR with US striker Balogun andEnglanddefenderJarellQuansahsentoff forfoulsmissedinrealtimebythereferee.

Trump cited the “unfairness” of the red card when he revealed that he had contacted InfantinoinabidtohaveBalogun’sone-match ban overturned, even if the FIFAchief later said he had nothing to do with it ultimately happening.

At least Quansah’s red card and a VAR penalty awarded against his captain Harry Kaneintheirround-of-16contestdidnotresult inEnglandgoingoutoftheWorldCup.

Thatdidnotdomuchtocalmthemoodof England manager Thomas Tuchel after the dramatic 3-2 victory over Mexico at the AztecaStadium.

“VAR overturns (but) is this a clear and obvious error for the penalty? For sure not,” saidthefuriousGerman.

“They overturned a situation where (the referee) doesn’t even give a foul. Referees justnotgoodenough,fourthofficialsjustnot goodenough.”

GFF appoints Marco Bonofiglio as Golden Jaguars Head Coach

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has announced the appointment of Marco Bonofiglio as Head Coach of the Guyana Golden Jaguars Senior Men’s National Team and the Junior Golden Jaguars U20Men’sNationalTeam.

Bonofiglio assumes responsibility for leading Guyana’s men’s elite national programme at a pivotal moment as the Golden Jaguars prepare for the 2026 Concacaf Nations League and the next phase of the Federation’slong-termfootballdevelopmentstrategy

AsHeadCoach,Bonofigliohasbeenentrustedwith responsibilityfortheoveralltechnicaldirectionofthe programme.InadditiontopreparingtheSeniorMen’s andU20NationalTeamsforinternationalcompetition, hewillspearheadinitiativestofurtherprofessionalize the national team environment by strengthening technical standards, reviewing the performance of the coaching and support staff, identifying and recruiting high-quality personnel to enhance the programme, expandingandmanagingthenationalplayerpool,and implementing a clear football philosophy that will guidethefutureofGuyana’smen’snationalteams.

His appointment reflects the Federation’s commitment to building a high-performance programmefoundedonaccountability,excellenceand long-termsustainability

Bonofiglio is no stranger to Guyanese football. HavingpreviouslyservedasAssistantCoachofthe

Continued on page 21

GFF appoints Marco Bonofiglio as Golden Jaguars Head Coach

2026 New Zealand tour of West Indies ODI series WI vs. NZ Match 1 at Providence Hope banking on familiarity at Providence, familiarit as Windies look to draw first blood today - WI Captain says utilizing knowledge of Guyana

West

take part in a practice session yesterday.