Kaieteur News

Defence grills foreign affairs official over

‘fast-tracked’

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International

Cooperation, Sharon Roopchand-Edwards, came under intense crossexamination on Thursday as defence attorneys challenged whether proper extradition protocols were followed in the case involvingOppositionLeader Azruddin Mohamed and his father,NazarMohamed.

Roopchand-Edwards, the prosecution's first witness, returned to the Georgetown Magistrates' Court before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman forthecontinuationofcross-

examination in the extraditionproceedings.

The Mohamed family is currently facing criminal charges in a United States federal court in Miami, Florida A 25-page indictment unsealed on October2,2025,allegesthat they orchestrated a largescale fraud scheme involving gold exports, customs fraud, bribery, and the evasion of millions of dollarsintaxesandroyalties owedtoGuyana.

Thursday's proceedings lasted approximately four hours and thirty minutes, with the bulk of the session dedicated to examining how the extradition request was received, processed, and

transferred between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Appearing for the defence were Roysdale Forde SC, Siand Dhurjon, and Damien Da Silva R e p

prosecution were Glenn Hanoman and Hubert McKenzie.

Defence counsel Siand Dhurjon led much of the cross-examination, focusing on what he described as deviations from established protocol and the unusually swift manner in which the Mohameds were arrested andbroughtbeforethecourt, reportedlywithin24hoursof therequestbeingprocessed.

Dhurjon suggested that the process was handled out of the norm compared to otherextraditionmattersand implied that political considerations influenced thespeedatwhichthematter progressed.

Establishedprotocols examined

outlined what she described astheestablishedchannelfor handling ex

tion requests. According to her testimony,oncetheMinistry of Foreign Affairs receives such a request, typically through diplomatic

Mohamed extradition

channels, it is transmitted to theMinistryofHomeAffairs

under longstanding procedures She confirmed thatwhiletheseprotocolsare establishedpractice,theyare not formally written. She also stated that since receivingtheU.S.requestin October, she had been briefed on the applicable procedures within the ministry

Under questioning, she acknowledged that the Office of the Permanent Secretaryisastatutoryoffice that retains institutional records dating back many years. However, she stated she was unaware of any recent changes to the protocols governing extraditionmatters.

Dhurjon pressed her on whether procedures in place before her tenure would still form part of the ministry's institutional memory.

Prosecutor McKenzie objected to this line of questioning,arguingthatthe witness had only held the postforadefinedperiod.The court allowed limited questioning before the defence withdrew that specificlineofinquiry

A significant portion of the cross-examination

centered on who is authorised to receive and

transfer extradition documents.

Man, 70 jumps to death at GPHC

A 70-year-old man on Thursday afternoon ended his life by jumping through the window of the male medical ward at the GeorgetownPublicHospital.

Kaieteur News has learnt that the man wasactivelyonsuicidewatchforthepasttwo weeks.

ChiefExecutiveOfficer(CEO)ofGPHC, RobbieRambarranconfirmedthatthepatient was admitted to the male surgical unit at the hospitalandwasunderobservationofanurse priortohisdeath.

He told Kaieteur News that the hospital had launched an investigation into the incident.

“I know that he tried to kill himself by…himselfupandso.Thatiswhathewasin the hospital for He was actively on suicide watchinaroom,thenurselefttogoandgetan RVS machine to test the blood sugar and when she came back in the room, he opened the window and plunged through,” the CEO noted.

Rambarran said that full details of the incidentwillbereleasedbyGPHC.

Just last month, a 22-year-old woman ended her life by jumping through the window of the female medical ward at the

Roopchand-Edwards testified that when she is available, extradition requestsaregivendirectlyto her However, in her absence,theheadofthelegal department or other competent officers may receive the documents, verifythem,andensurethey a r e t r a n s m i t t e d appropriately

She confirmed that the ministry employs a treaty officer, who assists in facilitating the transfer of documents between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs in extradition and otherinternationalmatters.

When asked whether clerks, assistants, or drivers coulddeliverdocuments,she agreed that competent officers are permitted to transfer documents if she is unavailable. However, she maintained that she is authorised,inhercapacityas Permanent Secretary, to deliver extradition documents directly to the MinisterofHomeAffairs.

Dhurjon challenged this practice, suggesting that bypassing the treaty officer raised concerns about consistency and adherence toprotocol.

“You have no business, as a matter of protocol, to take extradition documents directly to the Minister of HomeAffairs,”heputtothe witness.

Roopchand-Edwards disagreed, asserting that as Permanent Secretary, she is empowered to transfer

documents directly to the minister

When asked what made her“sounique”astobypass the treaty officer, she responded that her office carriestheauthoritytodoso.

The defence further questioned why she personally delivered the request to the Minister of Home Affairs on the very nightitwasreceived.

Roopchand-Edwards testified that although she was not strictly required to dosothatsameevening,she chose to deliver the documents because she was available and the minister wasexpectingher

“I had a reason why I tookittoherthatnight,”she toldthecourt.

She denied suggestions thatthetimingwaslinkedto the parliamentary schedule or that it was done to ensure thatacourtwarrantcouldbe obtained before the end of theworkingweek.

She also acknowledged that on the day the request wasreceived,sheanticipated that it related to the Mohameds Comparison with another extradition matter

The defence sought to draw a comparison with another recent extradition matter involving Guyanese national Ronley Floyd Bynoe Dhurjon asked whether she was aware that inBynoe'scase,theauthority to proceed was granted approximately three months after the request was received by the Ministry of

GeorgetownPublicHospital.

Marrisa Eastman of La Parfaite

Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, Region Three,whowassixmonthspregnant,jumped toherdeath.Shewasadmittedtothehospital earlier on Sunday after relatives became concerned about what they described as her increasinglyabnormalbehaviour Eastman was under observation at the hospital. She reportedly made a Facebook post and was also live prior to the incident. Following the incident, her relatives rushed down to the hospital, some of them inconsolable.Policewerealsosummonedto the scene as they conducted their own investigation.

Inastatement,thehospitalhadsaidthatit isconductingafullinternalinvestigationand that when the woman was admitted, a psychiatric evaluation was done, but there were no psychotic symptoms or suicidal thoughtsidentified.

Italsosaidthataspartoftheinvestigation process,thehospitalwillalsoreviewexisting protocols related to patient observation and mental health monitoring, including suicide watch policies, to identify any areas for strengtheningpatientsafety

Dutch offshore oil services giant SBM Offshore has announced a record US$470 million in shareholder returns for 2025— a 57% surge year-on-year following strong operationalperformanceandtheearlysaleof theFPSOONEGUYANAtoExxonMobil.

The Amsterdam-based floating productionspecialistsaiditwouldpay$2.57 persharethroughaUS$200milliondividend and a US$270 million share buyback programme.Contracted cash flows over the nextsixyearswill"morethancover"theplan to boost shareholder returns," financial officer Douglas Wood told Reuters in an interview "There's even some upside from the contracts that we already have on our order book." SBM Offshore's directional earningsbeforeinterest,taxes,depreciation, and amortisation stood at US$1.7 billion in 2025,beatinganalysts'estimateofUS$1.65 billion,asperacompanypoll.

Thecompanyusesdirectionalreporting,

PermanentSecretary oftheMinistryof ForeignAffairsand InternationalCooperation, Sharon Roopchand-Edwards

Foreign Affairs She responded that she was not awareofthattimeline.

Prosecutor McKenzie objected to the relevance of thecomparison,arguingthat the Bynoe matter was unrelated to the current proceedings. However, the defence maintained that the comparisonwasnecessaryto demonstrate what it described as unprecedented speed in the Mohameds' case.

“This process has been politically motivated No other extradition matter has been moved at such great speed as this matter,” Dhurjonargued.

Otherdevelopments

During the hearing, several additional applications were made by the defence Counsel expressed concern that certain answers provided by thewitnesswereincomplete and hindered the fairness of cross-examination.

Prosecutor Glenn

(Continuedonpage 18)

which books revenue from constructionphasepaymentsbeforeleasesbegin.

The firm's directional order backlog fell toUS$31.1billionatyear-endfromUS$35.1 billion a year earlier, as the early sale of FPSO ONE GUYANA reduced revenue expectations.

"Ifwewinnewawards,weshouldstartto see the backlog rebuild this year," Wood said.SBM expects directional revenue at a baseline of around $6.5 billion in 2026, and directional operating profit at around $1.8 billion. CEO Oivind Tangen, when asked about recent U.S. tariff-induced volatility, saiditisreinforcingoilandgasfundamentals in the Atlantic region, making business stronger and more durable. SBM Offshore operates in the deepwater segment, where production costs per barrel are relatively lower than in other offshore regions, shielding it from oil price volatility. (Reuters)

KaieteurNews

PrintedandPublishedbyNationalMedia& PublishingCompanyLtd. 24SaffonStreet, Charlestown,Georgetown,Guyana.

Publisher:GLENNLALL-TEL:624-6456

Editor:NIGELWILLIAMS

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

EDITORIAL

GPLandenergysupply

The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc., CEO, Kesh Nandlall,isprovinghimselftobearisingstarinthepublic relations arena. The CEO has all these comforting numbers,abouthowmuchtheGPLhasgrown,howmany more customers it has, and how reliable it has been in the supply of power to energy suffering Guyanese. Give the GPLalittlemoretime,andhecouldsoonbecrowingthat the GPL is more than a reliable supplier of power for the local market. It is one that its Guyanese customers are readytogiveravereviews.

AccordingtoNandlall’slogbook,theGPLhad201,000 customers five years ago, but now has 244,000 paying customers,representingasolid21%increase. Ontheface ofit,a21%increaseincustomersinfiveyearsmustcountas a solid development. In view of the massive investment neededtogetutilitiesupandrunning,theyusuallyoperate withinamonopolyframework. Inotherwords,customers in Guyana, from new local households to the influx of foreigners who need power are sitting ducks that have no placetogobuttotheGPL. Theonlycompetitionthatthe GPL has for new customers are generators and inverters (solar power) that can be purchased by individuals and businessesthatareabletoaffordthem. Truthbetold,were it not for those private power facilities, the pressure on GPL’s power generation, and the reliability of that output, wouldhaveputthebrakesonNandlall’ssellingofhowwell thesolenationalpowersupplierdid. Inotherwords,private power facilities, whatever the form they took, eased demandpressuresontheGPLsupplygrid.

It is why we have a concern with the CEO’s pitch that highlighted the availability and delivery of 260MW of “reliable, firm” electricity to the Demerara Berbice Interconnected System. GPL may have 260MW of electricityinitscapacity,astheCEOsaid. Butitisastretch oftheimaginationforanyonetomakeanyseriousclaimof what is a “reliable” or “firm” supply of electricity from GPL. Sober citizens would have difficulty agreeing with that statement. GPL and the CEO know that the energy experiences of Guyanese have been close to a plague or persistentnightmare. Weatthispapersaypointblankthat “reliable, firm” electricity supply would be the last words that suffering Guyanese use to record what they live with for years. Often, blackouts occur several times a day for longstretchesoftime,orhappenatsuchfrequentintervals thattheyreduceNandlall’ssellingeffortstothelaughable. Considering that his audience consisted of mainly foreigners hoping to get a foot in the door in exciting Oil Guyana, he can get away with his glossing over what actuallyhappensherewithelectricity Hetriesthatbefore an audience of ordinary Guyanese, and rotten onions and eggscouldbethegiftsshoweredonhim.

Todressuphispresentation,Nandlallstatedthatpower generation increased from 903 to 1465 gigawatt hours, a 65%jumpinthelastfiveyears. WecongratulatetheGPL onwhatmustrankasanotherfeatherinitscap. The65%is apositive,buttheGPLstillstruggles,fordifferentreasons, to maintain that same “reliable, firm” electricity supply to Guyanesewhohavenobackupsystems,andsodependon the company for all of their energy needs. It is a hit-andmisssituationformanyGPLcustomersacrosswideareasin Guyana, with some areas hit more often and longer than others. Since,Nandlallissohappytorollouthisinspiring numbers,itshouldpleasehimtoprovideareporttocitizens, which identifies by region how many hours GPL has left them in darkness, and worrying about the preservation of theirappliancesandscarcefoodsupplies.

Thathelps,butthere’smore. Weknowfirsthandfrom staffhowblackoutshaveaffectedhomesandcommunities, anddistantrelatives. Thelosthoursofstudentsandsmall contractors, and the costs they bear The foods that spoil, andthechallengestoreplacethose. TheGPLhasitsstats and sunny narratives. Guyanese live with different ones thatclashwithGPL’sself-servingcommercials.

ExxonMobil’s STEM Education Initiative and the Fiscal Reality of the 2016 PetroleumAgreement

DEAREDITOR

ExxonMobil,ledbyitsChief Executive Officer and Chairman,DarrenWoods,is currently visiting Guyana. On the occasion of a welcome dinner for the visiting delegation, hosted byPresidentIrfaanAlionthe eveningofthe56thRepublic Anniversaryobservance,Mr Woods unveiled a US$100 million programme to advance training in science, t e c h n o l o g y a n d mathematics. The aim is to establish a nationwide network of student STEM centres. The initiative will begin with the training of secondary-schoolteachersin mathematics and the natural sciences, in collaboration with the University of Guyana, and is expected to reach thousands of educators Ultimately, the

target is to reach tens of thousandsofstudentsacross the country. In Mr Woods’ words, “Our goal is very simple: inspiring the next generation of Guyana’s engineers and scientists.”

The US$100 million investment by ExxonMobil is to be disbursed over a period of ten years, equivalenttoUS$10million annually

Any private initiative aimedatpreparingtheyouth ofGuyanaforthechallenges of the 21st century must be welcomed Science and technology form the foundation of modern competitive nations, as they foster innovation and the technical know-how that is critical for Guyana’s economy

W h i l

ExxonMobil and the Government of Guyana

GuySuCo’s

Slow

sounds generous, it needs to beseeninabroadercontext. ExxonMobil is committing US$100 million over ten years, or US$10 million per year. Under the 2016 Petroleum Agreement between the Stabroek Block co-venturers and the Government of Guyana, the companies’ income-tax liabilities are met from Guyana’sshareofprofitoil. I

US$1.236 billion in taxes paid in Guyana in its Specialized Disclosure Report(FormSD)filedwith the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. To be clear, these are not t

ExxonM

bil’s own resources; they are paid by the Government of Guyana on the company’s behalf from Guyana’s share of petroleum revenues, for

Death:

which the Guyana Revenue Authority is contractually required to issue tax certificatestothecontractor. The annual US$10 million investment in Guyana’s STEM education, while

s approximately 0.8% of the taxes that would accrue to the Government and people of Guyana under a less lops

therefore ask: who is receiving the better end of thebargain?

Sincerely,

AndreBrandli

AlfredBhulai

JanetteBulkan

KenrickHunte DarshanandKhusial

JoePersaud

MikePersaud FortheOilandGas GovernanceNetwork Guyana(OGGN; www.oggn.org)

Patronage Over Profit, Nostalgia Over Necessity

DEAREDITOR, Lancelot Hyman’s

Kaieteur News letter rightly blasts GuySuCo’s $15-19 billion 2025 taxpayer bailouts and 355,000 tonnes of unharvested cane as indefensible, demanding “structuralchange.”

But his fix swap political hacks for Brazilian pros—scratches the surface of a patronage machine that’s squandered science, goodwill, and billions, dooming any 2030 profitabilitydreamunderthe currentsetup.

Hyman’s shock at 301,000 tonnes of “prime” 2025 cane rotting alongside 54,000 tonnes of two-yearold 2024 decay rests on a crude rule: 13% recoverable sugarat12months,plunging to11%after That’snothow caneworks. Harvest calls turn on field-lab data sucrose (pol),brix,purity,CCS—not calendars Early varieties like B69/71 peak at 10-11 months; late ones like BD69/79 hold value longer in dry soils. Leaving cane standing often means smart triage: skip low-pol, highfibre fields when factories idle from transport jams, labour gaps, or when

crushing costs top world pricesat~US$0.18/lb.

His$1.1billionrehabtab ignoresthatdecayedratoons often underperform fresh plantings; real “loss” needs sampled CCS, not napkin math.

Worse, Hyman dodges the killer math: Guyana’s costs ( US$500+/tonne)

c r u s h r e v e n u e s (~US$400/tonne at 10-11% recovery) Cane-to-sugar ratios lag Brazil’s 8-9% thanks to tired varieties, soggy drainage, and factories huffing at 60-70% capacity

Labour CARICOMl o w a t

G$50,000/month still devours 40-50% of outlays because gangs limp at 4-6 tonnes/day versus 10+ abroad. Over 100 tractors since 2020? Dead weight withoutfield-factoryrhythm orclonalseedupgrades.

No board from

Cheong to imported wizards—turns black ink if pricesstayflat.

Pin this on Paul Cheong (PPP Central Committee), Sasenarine Singh, and

T h r e b o w a n Shivprashad political

a n i m a l s , n o t agronomists—who let 67%

of harvesters miss targets, starving factories despite “investments ” GAWU cements 8,000 jobs as vote banks; while political hacks gets shielded

B i l l i o n s f o r mechanization, rehab, and mills vanish into fog, smelling of personal gain and Regent Street rallies

over field science Granger-era progress (less standing cane pre-2024) crumbled not just from floods, but PPP’s patronage parade zero

cane c

ics Min

er Mustapha mouths 2030 profits; PresidentAli vows “heads will roll” sans purge That 2019-2023 competence?Torched Science could patch it precision sampling, h y b r i d s e e d s , cogeneration, output-tied pay but patronage poisons every fix Cheong’s team chases side hustles; unions rig hours sansresults. Auditors like Ram clock the ATM drain; insiders know factories choke on overaged, fibrous cane Political hacks dread job axeequals votebleed,soestatesstagger aswelfaretraps.

Enough nostalgia Ditch sugar Flip 120,000 hectares to palm oil (20x y i e l d / h e c t a r e , CARICOM-hungry), c i t r u s , aquaculture hijacking drainage grids, roads, and mills already sunk in. Palm alone could net G$200300M/hectareversussugar’s G$50-70M.Savethehuman capital: retrain 8,000 souls for higher-wage roles in o

processing. S

politics Clawback past capex flops via audits; tie boards to performance or bust.

Hyman echoes Ram: state as an ATM for the i n d u s

m

y R e v i v a l

n d s k i l l i n g patronage, not swapping politicosforexpats

Guyana’s fields crave paying futures; while taxpayers demand leaders with spine Transform holistically experiment boldlywithcrops—orwatch sugar,andtrust,rotforgood Regards, HemduttKumar

RupertRoopnarinewillberemembered forContributionstoDemocracy

DEAREDITOR, Guyana scholar Dr Rupert Roopnarine, brilliant academic and orator, was a towering figure in postindependence politics Rupert’s writings and his contributions against authoritarianism allowed himtogainmuchpopularity in Guyana and the diaspora. For his struggle, he suffered decades of abuse as did several others who were involved in the struggle. A dark spot was his silence during the 2020 attempted rigging. The country owes Rupertadebtofgratitudefor hiscontributionstorestoring democracy in 1992, deserving of the nation’s highesthonors.

As I learn, he battled illness with fortitude, dignity, and bravery just as he lived. No amount of mental and physical torture deterred him, and several of us, from the relentless struggle to restore democracy to the homeland which eventually came in 1992 after 24 years of authoritarian rule Rupert and several of us joined Cheddi Jagan in that struggle.

Rupert,aswecalledhim, was a man of impeccable integrity His honesty was (is) in the same league as Cheddi and Janet Jagan, Boysie Ramkaran, Eusi Kwayana,Omowale,Fenton Ramsahoye, Ravi Dev, Baytoram Ramharack, Vassan Ramracha, among others He contributed immensely to the struggle for democracy, combating electoral rigging and being physically abused like severalofusalthoughinlast couple years as a Minister (2018-2020), he was silent when people were victimized on account of race and political affiliation and when attempts were made to rig the election. Nevertheless, Rupert was a

tallfigure. My first encounter with Dr Roopnarine was on the Corentyne during student protests He rendered invaluable support to us during the October 1976 student protest that I co-led at Corentyne High School and the student uprising in January and February 1977 thatIalsoco-ledatCHSand that spread across the Corentyne. Dr Roopnarine, Walter Rodney, Kwayana, Omowale, Moses Bhagwan, and others joined our protests in solidarity and o f f e r e d m u c h encouragement for our resilienceagainstaviolation of rights of students to form student societies or clubs. Faculty who supported our struggle were victimized resulting in the students two months protest In my several encounters, I found Rupert to be a repository of wisdom and knowledge RaviDevandIengagedhim jointly and I alone several times at Rodney House on Croal Street during the 1980s when we flew down from NY during our academic breaks. It was a period of widespread fear and activists avoided public protests We discussed various issues We also talked about strategies on how to combat the dictatorship and restore democracy Baytoram Ramharack also had engagements with Rupert for his studies and for polling;Baytoramandafew of us founded TRPI which was attacked by the nonaccomplished Kissoon Rupert praised our activism and contributions to the struggle against the dictatorshipandforfreeand fair elections. Although he objected to findings of our polls, he respected our independence and professionalism. We joined Rupert at several protests

holding picket signs with a number of opposition figures, including Cheddi. I interviewed Rupert, as I did Kwayana and Cheddi, among others, for my academic research. Rupert made accessible several WPA’s literature that I still possess. I still have Contact publications with his photo emblazoned following his arrestforarson.

Through the work of Rupert, Kwayana, and others, I was motivated to makefinancialcontributions to the WPA as I did also to PPP,URP,DLM,andothers. Dev and I also engaged Kwayana,Ameer and Wazir Mohamed and Moses Bhagwan, all of whom playedveryimportantrolein the struggle Tacuma Ogunseye and David Hinds were also seen working closely with Rupert and the others. Tacuma and David were also brutalized and locked up for an extended period for opposing authoritarianrule.

It is well known that Rupert’s vehicle was routinely vandalized as was that of Dr CliveThomas and other activists He, Rodney, andOmowale,werearrested, charged,andspenttimeinjail by the dictatorship for arson although they were subsequentlyfoundnotguilty ontrial

Rupert was a champion ofgenderequalityandracial unity The country will alwaysrememberRupertfor his very simple personality May his belief in unity, inclusiveness,andthepower of knowledge continue to guide us, and may his memory continue to inspire us to strive for decency and uphold the democratic values he cherished prior to 2018noconfidencevote.

Yourstruly, Dr.VishnuBisram

Guyana’s growth must be balanced with environmental stewarship

DEAREDITOR

, A s a p u b l i c communications analyst, I am proud of my Guyanese heritage. I have witnessed ournation’sjourneyfromthe days of donkey and horsedrawncartsandpittoiletsto a period of expanding infrastructure, international partnerships, and rapid economic transformation Guyana’sdevelopmentstory reflects resilience, ambition, and the determination of its people to rise beyond historicallimitations

However, amid this progress, the state of our environment remains a pressingconcern.

For years, illegal dumping, indiscriminate wastedisposal,andpollution h a v e s c a r r e d o u r communities From the streets of Georgetown to villages across Berbice and Essequibo, clogged drains, littered roadways, and contaminated waterways threaten public health, increase flooding, and diminish the beauty of our surroundings.

Guyana is not without institutions tasked with environmental protection AgenciessuchastheGuyana Marine Conservation Society, the Ministry of

Natural Resources, the Wildlife Management Authority, the Guyana Forestry Commission, the ProtectedAreasCommission, and the Environmental ProtectionAgency each play critical roles in conservation, regulation, and oversight Their mandates reflect a national recognition that ou

ecosystems are invaluable assets

Government has been making strides through a national clean-up strategic process, working with municipalities and local authorities to improve sanitation and promote community responsibility

T

e commendable,yettheymust be str

ned and sustainedtocreatelong-term behavioralchange

Anothe

ng concern is hazardous waste management. As manufacturing and industr

gradually increase in Guyana, proactive systems

for the safe handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous materials are essential. Without modern i

ct compliance monitoring, and coordinated enforcement, theriskstopublichealth,soil quality, and water sources could become severe and costly Guyana’s growth must be balanced with environmental stewardship. Development w

thout sustainability undermines future prosperity Stronger inter-agency collaboration, public education, private sector accountability, and consistent enforcement of environmental laws are necessary to ensure that our progressdoesnotcomeatthe expense of preservation. If we are to truly honor our heritage and secure a

a l responsibility must stand alongside economic advancement as a pillar of nationalpride

Sincerely:

Mr.BlaneRBunbury PublicCommunications Analyst &communityadvocate

CARICOM at a Crossroads: When Regional Unity Meets National Survival

DEAREDITOR

, As I follow the

proceedings of the

Caribbean Heads of GovernmentConferenceand listen to the speeches being delivered, it becomes increasingly clear that the

conference theme

“Beyond Words: Action Today for a Thriving, Sustainable CARICOM” — capturesboththepromiseof regional integration and its central unresolved tension. Beneaththefamiliarcallsfor solidarity and cooperation, individual nations appear to be positioning themselves

for bilateral advantage, using the regional gathering lessasaforumforcollective strategy and more as a platform for separate negotiations particularly withtheUnitedStates.What is unfolding is not an open rejectionofregionalism,but a quiet drift away from it, revealing a regional bloc struggling to translate longstanding aspirations into coordinatedaction.

To be clear, every sovereign nation has a duty to protect its own interests. For small states facing economic fragility, climate

vulnerability,atroublingrise

activity often linked to transnational organised

trafficking, and deportation-

regional security crises such as the ongoing collapse of public order in Haiti and explicitthreatsbyVenezuela toward both Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, pragmatism is not a choice but a necessity. These pressures are frequently

U.S.–Caribbeancooperation onsecurity,borders,andlaw enforcement, yet they continuetoexposethelimits of fragmented national responses.Whatistroubling, therefore, is not that individual countries are seeking opportunities, but that after decades of commitments to regional integration, CARICOM still lacks the institutional strength to act collectively w h e n i t m a t t e r s most particularly on shared security challenges that no single state can effectivelymanagealone.

IbelievethatCARICOM was never designed to function as a hardbargaining bloc. It performs reasonably well as a coordinating mechanism — aligning positions, issuing joint communiqués, and sustaining diplomatic dialogue However, when engagement shifts from declarationstoleverage—on tradeaccess,migrationrules, energy security, climate finance, or security cooperation the regional framework quickly gives waytobilateralengagement. External powers prefer oneon-one negotiations, and

a t i o n a l l

s , accountable to domestic pressures and electoral

In such moments, regional unity does not fail because of a lack of goodwill. It fails because the institutional architecture offers no credible pathway from wordstoaction.

For decades, Caribbean integration has been framed more as solidarity than as structure.Thereisnopooled negotiating authority, no sharedfiscalframework,and no integrated economic or security strategy with real enforcement capacity Without these foundations, collectiv

argaining remains aspirational. Unity becomes rhetorical rather thanoperational.

Recent developments have further exposed these fault lines Economic asymmetries within CARICOM particularly with the emergence of Guyana as a major energy producer—have altered the internal balance of interests. Divergencewithinaregional bloc is neither unusual nor fatal. Successful integration efforts elsewhere manage

such divergence through compensation mechanisms, coordinated investment strategies, and deliberate policy alignment CARICOM has yet to meaningfully develop these instruments.

What we are witnessing atthisconference,therefore, isnotcollapse,butdrift.And drift is dangerous Once leadersinternalisethelesson that bilateralism delivers faster and more tangible outcomes than collective action,theincentivetoinvest political capital in regional solutions weakens Over time, the regional project r i s k s b e c o m i n g ceremonial useful for dialogue, but marginal in m o m e n t s o f r e a l consequence.

If the theme “Beyond Words: Action Today for a Thriving, Sustainable CARICOM” is to mean anything beyond aspiration, it must prompt a hard reckoning.CARICOMmust confront a fundamental question: does it intend to remainprimarilyaforumfor consultation,ordoesitaspire to become a functional regionalinstrumentcapable (Continuedonpage09)

‘Our girls are not statistics’

—ALP , FGM demand national action after teen moms' tragedies

LeadersoftheAssembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP)SimonaBroomesand Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) Amanza Walton Desir (MP) are both calling on the Government of Guyana to do better, following recent incidents involving teenage mothers resulting inthedeathofone and another fighting for her life.

Kaieteur News reported on Thursday that Aleena Preetam a former student of Abram Zuil Secondary Schoolwasfounddeadinher bedroom. The teen had recently dropped out of school after being transferred to another institution when she discovered she was pregnant. She was found unresponsiveinherbedroom after her baby was heard crying for a prolonged period. Concerned relatives went to check on the infant and found Preetam motionlessonherbed.Also, on Wednesday this newspaper reported that another15-year-oldgirlwas stabbed 25 times by her child'sfather,inBerbice.Up to press time she was still battling for her life in the

ofForwardGuyana

IntensiveCareUnit(ICU)of the New Amsterdam Hospital.Theinjuredmother has been identified as Tiana Chapman of Pepper Street, EdinburgVillage,EastBank Berbice. The teen's lungs have been punctured and doctors have told relatives that “she is critical but stable ” Relatives told Kaieteur News that when they visited the hospital on Wednesday afternoon, Chapman was hooked up to anoxygenmachinesinceshe is unable to breathe independently

Outrage

Meanwhile, in separate statements to the media on

Thursday the two political leaders expressed their disgust with the two incidents. Broomes said that her party- ALP is both outragedandheartbrokenby the “horrific tragedies” involving the teens. “One child is dead under circumstances that remain unclear Another is fighting for her life after being stabbed 25 times by the fatherofherchild.Letusbe clear: these are not isolated incidents These are symptomsofasystemthatis failing our children. Guyana is witnessing an alarming rate in teenage pregnancies, yet the Ministry, the

Govt.movestobuildmodern controltoweratCJIA

The Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation through the Guyana Civil AviationAuthority(GCAA) intends to build a new air traffic control tower at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport,Timehri.

According to a request for proposals (RFP) issued by the ministry the contract is for the “Engineering, P r o c u r e m e n t a n d Construction”ofthecontrol tower

The tender document states that bidding will be conducted through the National Competitive Bidding (NCB) procedures, specifiedintheProcurement Act 2003 and Regulations, and is open to all eligible, qualifiedproposers.

Notably, the ministry states that RFP document willbeavailablefromtoday (February 27, 2026) at GCAA's office at Craig and Middleton Streets, Georgetown.

Bids are expected to openonApril16,2026atthe National Procurement and Tender Administration

Board(NPTAB)office. This publication understands that the control tower is important in the aviationsectorasitprovides safe, reliable and efficient air navigations services withinCJIA'sairspace.

It was reported that this year, the government allocated a sum of $3.2 billion for CJIAto continue its modernization to meet international standards and position it to become a regional transport hub with in-transitcapabilities. “Mr Speaker,tosupport our investments in the

aviation sector, and to prepareGuyanesetobenefit fully fr

m

vast opportunities that it will create,ourGovernmentwill facilitate the establishment of an aviation school to equipGuyaneseandpersons fromtheCaribbeanwiththe full range of aviation skills including certified training of pilots, engineers, inspectors,airtrafficcontrol officers and other aviation related expertise,” Senior Ministe

responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh said in his budgetpresentation.

Minister, and the Government continue to operate as though this crisis does not demand urgent, aggressive, and structured intervention.”

Broomes went on to question the existence of preventative programmes, sustained com

frameworks for vulnerable girlsandaccountability ALP

reminded that a 15-year-old is a child and belongs in school, where they are protected, nurtured and guided, “therefore they should by no means be navigating pregnancy, domestic violence, and lifethreatening abuse ” Broomes said that her party'smissionistofightfor dignity, justice, and rights and highlighted that there is no dignity in a system that allows “our girls to become statistics When violence against young mothers becomeroutinenewsthereis no justice and there are no rights being protected when children are left exposed to predators, abuse, and neglect.” “Our vision is a Guyana where children can run and play safely, learn in secure environments and grow into adulthood protected and empowered. Whatweareseeinginsteadis afailureofsocialprotection, a failure of early

intervention,andafailureof leadership,” Broomes, a formergovernmentminister, said. In order to remedy the issues, theALPis calling on the Ministry of Human ServicesandSocialSecurity to outline publicly what the concrete measures are that are being implemented to address und

raged pregnancy, while the Ministry of Education

comprehensive life skills and protection programmes across schools. The party said too that the law enforcement agencies should work to ensure that there is swift, transparent investigations followed by firm consequences for the perpetrators of violence againstminors.Additionally, the ALP said government should be treating this as a national emergency, and not as a headline that will (Continuedonpage16)

Govt. announces expansion of int’l cargo capacity capacit

…as Guyana's freight volume nearly doubles since 2020

Avianca Airlines will officially commence weekly cargo operations between Guyana and Miami on March 2, 2026.

MinisterofPublicUtilitiesandAviation

DeodatIndar,hasannouncedthatAvianca Airlineswillofficiallycommenceweekly cargooperationsbetweenGuyanaand MiamionMarch2,2026.

The introduction of this scheduled service, utilising an Airbus A330-243F aircraft, will provide 65 tonnes of dedicated cargo capacity per flight. This strategic expansionisadirectresponsetothemassive growth in Guyana's aviation sector, where international cargo volumes have nearly doubledsince2020,theDepartmentofPublic Information said in a press release. "The commencement of this weekly service by Avianca is a landmark achievement in our mission to modernise Guyana's aviation and logisticsinfrastructure.Since2020,wehave overseen a near-doubling of international c

unprecedentedtransformationofournational economy.As the Minister of Public Utilities andAviation,mypriorityisensuringthatour infrastructurekeepspacewiththisdemand,”

Indar said. He said the additional 65-tonne weeklycapacityisacriticalresourceforboth thebusinesscommunityandprivatecitizens, notingthatitprovidesareliable,high-volume link for the shipment of commercial goods, agriculturalexports,andpersonaleffects. Furthermore, the service is hailed as a vital component of government's strategy to establishGuyanaasthepremier'foodbasket oftheCaribbean.“Byprovidingourfarmers and manufacturers with direct, efficient accesstotheMiamitradehub,weensurethat Guyanese products reach global consumers quicklyandreliably Weremaincommittedto fostering an environment where both local businesses and individual shippers have the world-class logistics support they need to thrive,"theministersaid.

ThisinitiativereinforcestheGovernment of Guyana's broader commitment to attracting international carriers and positioning the Cheddi Jagan International Airport(CJIA)asacentrallogisticsandtrade gatewayfortheregion.

The outburst in St. Kitts

Online sources present clear evidencethatthe then Prime Minister of TrinidadandTobago,Kamla Persad Bissessar (KPB), attended the 2nd CELAC Summit held in Havana, Cuba in 2014. There are imagesshowinghermeeting the then Secretary General, Ban-Ki-Moon,ahandshake with then Cuban President Raul Castro, and more importantly her signing the Proclamation of Latin America & Caribbean CreatingaZoneofPeace.

TheProclamationsigned by Trinidad and Tobago, explainsaZoneofPeaceasa region committed to peace based on international law and the United Nations Charter This means that peace is more than just no war it also involves respecting each country’s sovereignty, protecting borders, and following international rules and agreements.

Theproclamationfurther establishes a permanent renunciation of the threat or use of force among states of theregion.Disputesaretobe settled exclusively through dialogue, negotiation, and other peaceful means

consistentwithinternational law Finally, the Zone of Peace rests on strict nonintervention, full respect for sovereignty and selfdetermination, and a clear commitment to nuclear disarmament.

At the United Nations General Assembly last September, KPB contested theideathattheCaribbeanis a Zone of Peace given its security realities. However, the concept of a Zone of Peaceisnotmeanttosuggest that the Caribbean is free from all security challenges or threats. Rather, it is a commitment by states to resolve disputes peacefully, respect sovereignty, and uphold international law

Statements like those raised by KPB at the United Nations General Assembly last September misinterpret the idea, equating the Zone of Peace with an absence of danger,wheninrealityitisa legal and principled framework for promoting stability and cooperation despite existing security realities.

Butthecriticismsdidnot end there. At the justconcluded CARICOM SummitinStKitts,KPBwas reported as questioning

whether CARICOM can really be a zone of peace when the stability of its members is constantly threatened by a narcodictator in Venezuela that killed thousands of civilians and imprisoned hundreds of oppositionmembers.

She was quoted as saying, “So how can it be when that regime was threatening violence to two CARICOM member states? Therewasnovoicefromthe CARICOM We were talking about a zone of peace. But in my respectful view, my country is not a zone of peace, and I’ll tell you why Because of the unreliability of the CARICOM and the above situation. We cannot bind ourselves to the same political ideologies, the same foreign issues and the samesecuritypoliciesofthe entireCARICOM.”

In September 2025, tensions rose between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago Venezuela’s Defence Minister warned that Caracas would respond in “legitimate defence” if attacks came from Trinidad andTobagoorGuyana.

The warning followed increased U S military activity in the Caribbean, i n c l u d i n g n a v a l deployments and joint exercises Venezuela portrayed these operations as hostile maneuvers aimed at destabilizing its

The facts however tell a different story CARICOM has repeatedly and unequivocally affirmed its support for Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Venezuelan threats, consistently calling on Venezuela to respect international law and the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the longrunning controversy The Community has condemned Venezuelan actions seen as aggressive (such as unilateral laws annexing territory,threatstoGuyana’s maritime and Essequibo region, and planned elections in disputed areas), urged peaceful resolution through law and court process, and reiterated its backing for Guyana’s rights and lawful dispute settlement rather than force orprovocation.

CARICOM at a Crossroads...

Frompage06 of joint negotiation in critical areas such as trade, energy, climate resilience, and regionalsecurity?

The real tragedy is not that Caribbean nations are acting in their own interest. The tragedyisthataftermorethanhalfacentury ofregionalintegrationefforts,theregionhas yettobuildasystemwhereactingnationally and acting collectively reinforce—rather

thanundermine—eachother

This conference should be remembered notforitsslogans,butforwhetheritmarked a genuine shift from words to action. CARICOM is at a crossroads. Whether it chooses renewal or quiet irrelevance will shape the Caribbean’s place in an increasinglyunforgivingglobalorder

Yourssincerely Dr.DexterPhillips

DEM BOYS SEH

Grammarkilldeparty

Aman decide tuh send out invitation to he daughter wedding. He call uphebestfriend,seh,“You designit,printit,an’sendit out by WHATSAPP — faster an’ cheaper.” Smart ting,yuhknow So de friend ask de father of de bride, ask how de invitation supposed tuh read. De father seh, “Just write:‘Yourpresenceitself isapresent.Wedon’twant any presents at de wedding.”Simple.

Now dis friend, grammar nah really good. He write it out, design it, send it out. When people readit,itseh:

“Your presence itself is a present we don’t want.

Any presents at de wedding.”

After reading it a few times, most people seh, “Nah man, we better stay home.” Wedding turn out empty… yuh understand? Grammarkilldeparty!

Dem boys laugh, dem seh it remind dem of one time when dem get invitation tuh party De card seh, “Black tie only.” Dem boys dress proper… ahhh,comedeparty,people wearing t-shirt an’ pants too Dem seh, “Wait wha?Isweover-dressedor demunder-dressed?”

An yuh know leh grammarcorrectioncanget yuhvextoo.Onefriendcall u p a n o t h e r : ”Dude, me an’Nick going tuh CPL game! Box seats, yuhcoming?”

Desecondfriendseh,“ It’s‘NickandI.’”

De first friend seh, “What?”

De second friend seh, “Yeah man, proper grammar!Mean’Nicknah correct, it suppose be Nick andI.”

De first friend seh, “Youright…itisNickand I because yuh nah invitednomore!” Talkhalf.Leffhalf.

government.ItsawTrinidad and Tobago’s cooperation with the U.S. as potentially facilitatingaggression.

In October, President NicolásMadurocondemned thehostingofaU.S.warship and exercises, saying Trinidad and Tobago was actinginlinewithAmerican strategy Venezuela also suspended certain energy cooperationagreements.

Itaccusedexternalactors of plotting provocations from or near Trinidadian territory Despite the tensions, Trinidad and Tobago insisted its actions were lawful exercises of sovereign security cooperation. The situation highlighted growing geopolitical strain in the region and the delicate balance between regional security and national sovereignty

But it is not entirely accurate to say that CARCOM did not respond. ItdidinOctober2025when it issued a statement reaffirming the principle of maintaining the Caribbean regionasazoneofpeaceand the importance of dialogue

andengagementtowardsthe peaceful resolution of disputes and conflict. The st

CARICOM remains willing to assist towards that objective.

What KPB needs to address is whether the American bombing of small vessels it says were ferrying narcotics constitutes a violation of the zone of peace; whether the kidnapping of Maduro is justified as a breach of the zone of peace and whether American bombing of Venezuela during that kidnapping does not violate theveryproclamationwhich it signed in Havana in 2014 and which calls for respect forthesovereigntyofstates.

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

H@RD TRUTHS

As the PPP goes, so go I

PPP masterminds say that digital is the way The biggestbangforthebuck,be itspentlocally,ormillionsa month for Yanks operating out of DC. I agree with Excellencies Ali, Jagdeo These all-knowing men, these princes of spreading the message to capture the largestmass,theyhavegreat skill in getting the greatest value out of money. No arguments from me. I fully agree. Now, comes the hammer. WhenthePPPsay thatdigitalistheway,Igive way. Igotheirway. Digital, brace self. Here I come. Theracetocyberspaceison.

Drs Ali, Jagdeo, Nandlall only have themselves to blame. They scoffed, didn't take to heart, two simple messages I broadcastedrepeatedly The law of unintended consequences was the first, an old one. Pyrrhic victory is of more recent pedigree. There I was, a graying dinosaur Neither anemic nor jaundiced am I. But whenpastandcurrentpublic space, the traditional arena, is deliberately constricted, the perimeter hemmed in and hemmed in, it's time to think of new premises to setupshop.

With Stabroek News on thewayout,howlongbefore thenextmediahousecallsit aday? thereissomuchstill waiting to be told, shared. Telling the story of PPP Guyanainallofitsrawness, ugliness, and malicious viciousness to Guyanese people. They are owed. I owe that to them. To my people. Mostlypoorandnot too lettered back then. Not much less poor, if at all [likely worse off], but n e e d i n g t h e b e s t enlightenment that I can givethem. It'srepayingold debtstofamily,community

Drs Ali, Jagdeo, Nandlall (no relation) made

me do it. Dip toe into the waters of cyberspace, get readytowalkonit. Sorry,I slipped: walk in it. Since that great Guyanese triumvirate is held in such heroic virtue by so many Guyanese, commonsense slowly dawned on slight feet, then held firmly It is better to take a page out of their cyber book. Literally I am following in the footstepsofsaints,amInot? Whentheycandonowrong, how can I go wrong? Imitation is the best form of homage. Astheygo,Igo.

Drs Ali, Jagdeo, Nandlall each already have theironlinepage. Iftheycan see the beauty of a cyberspace page, why can't I? Nothing is wrong with me,bitme. So,Igosoonto getmine. Yes,itislateinthe day; but they pushed me to it. Sincetheyaresosmart,I cannot afford to be so slow on the draw, fall behind. Recall what I warned just last week about pyrrhic victories. Nowtheyhaveto deal with more in the openended, swashbuckling, and lawless frontiers of cyberspace. Nolawlessness for me. Just as I have done

in Stabroek N e w s , K a i e t e u r News, Village Voice News, Demerara Waves, and the Catholic Standard for years, all will be aboveboard I promise. And,oncewordis giventhat'sit;nopretending to forget, no playing games, no backtracking, come fire or flood. Whoever among their people prefer to cavort in Dark Web fantasies and covertintrigues,thatistheir business. They are free to seek that fix for their addictions.

Now look at what they have gone and done! The PPP has tried for years to yank the carpet from under myfeet,hurlmefacefirstto theground.

Now,ithasmadematters worse. More space. More ink. More manpower (Oh yeah, that's also part of program, what's lining up).

As airline pilots seeing turbulence in the vicinity alert passengers, so I alert the PPP and those good doctors: be seated, fasten seatbelts. A ruff ride is shapingup. Dr No,Dr Slo,

andDr Bobowantedawar Theygotonecomingsoonto a theater near them. Slam one door using below-thebelt tactics and maneuvers, anotheronethat'sbiggerand richerisflungwideopen. I tried patience with the PPP and its brains trust. Didn't work. Made one petition after another to the PPP Got the back of the handfirst;thenkicksfroma steel-tipped boot. Offered prayersfortheseguys. Fell flat Again. When the PPP Govt moved a beacon of light off the local scene, the time came to shakethecobwebsandenter the worldwide web. Drs. Ali, Jagdeo, Nandlall: I am travelling Get ready Cyberspacewillneverbethe sameagain.

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

New global report highlights slow progress in expanding secure land tenure

...most land has no documented ownership, uncertainties rising

While progress has been achieved in land tenure and governance over the past 20 years, the ownership, tenure or use rights of only 35 percentoftheworld'slandis formally documented, according to the Status of L a n d Te n u r e a n d Governance, a new report releasedtoday

Some 1.1 billion people, almost one in four of all adults,consideritlikelythey couldlosetherightstosome or all of their land and housing within the next five years, and this number has risennotablyinthepastfew years,highlightedthereport, produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Land Coalition (ILC) and the French agricultural research a n d c o o p e r a t i o n organization,CIRAD.

Tenure security is a crucial catalyst of r e s p o n s i b l e l a n d governance, and rights over

the control of land and decision-making about its useenablesbetterproductive and environmentally sustainable decisions, fosters stability and peace and gives people the confidence to invest. While therehasbeensomeprogress in establishing and expanding land tenure security and governance at the international and national policy levels, it has beenslow,anditsimpacton the ground even slower, underscoring the need for stronger political commitment and inclusive policies.

“Land insecurity is one of the most damaging forms of inequality, paid for in lower productivity, weaker resilience, and poorer nutrition.Securelandtenure enables sustainable investment and is the difference between shortterm survival and long-term food security.” said FAO Chief Economist Maximo

Torero Cullen. “Too many peoplestilllivewiththefear of losing their land and homes, with women and young people remaining amongthemostexcluded-a reality that undermines food security, climate action and biodiversity protection, and shows why secure land rights are foundational to achieving all three,” said Marcy Vigoda, Director, International Land Coalition.

Thenewreportisthefirst comprehensive global stocktake designed to track howlandisowned,usedand governed.Itdrawsonawide set of inputs, complements two decades of guidance embedded most notably in the Voluntary Guidelines on theResponsibleGovernance ofTenureofLand,Fisheries and Forests (VGGT), and responds to the growing demand to link land rights with climate action, biodiversity protection, (Continuedonpage16)

Decomposed body discovered behind old Brickdam Police Station

The partially

decomposed

b o d y o f a n unidentified man was

discovered Thursday afternoon in a drain behind the old Brickdam Police

Station building in Georgetown.

According to a police source, the grim discovery

w a s r e p o r t e d a t approximately 15:40hrs by an anonymous caller who alerted authorities to a foul smell emanating from the southern side of the station's compound.

Ranks responded to the scenearound15:47hrs.Upon arrival,officersobservedthe bodyofaman,believedtobe of African descent, lying motionless in a drain to the southern section of the old building.

Police source said the body was partially covered with garbage The man's head was facing east and his feetwest.

He was clad in a blue jersey, long blue pants and a pairofwhitesneakersonhis

Teenmomdied fromheart failure,anaemia

– PME reveals

A p o s t - m o r t e m examination carried out on the body of 14-year-old

Aleena Preetam who

recently gave birth, determined that her cause of death was heart failure and anaemia.Preetam was found dead at her home in Good Hope, Essequibo, Region Two,onMonday Policesaid

the examination was conducted on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at the Suddie Public Hospital Mortuary

The procedure was performed by Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh Following the examination,theteen'sbody was handed over to her familyforburial.

Preliminary enquiries revealed that the teen, who resided with her parents and her one-month-old child, waslastseenaliveonSunday evening.

On Monday morning family members attempted to wake her but found her unresponsive She was escortedtotheSuddiePublic Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Preetam's body was examined and no marks of violencewereobserved.

P o l i c e s a i d , “Investigations are ongoing and will address all relevant offences under the law

a r i s i n g f r o m t h e circumstances of this matter.”

right foot. Visible signs of decompositionwereevident, and maggots were seen on thebody

Thescenewasprocessed and photographed by detectives from the Crime Scene Unit at the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters,EveLeary

T h e b o d y w a s subsequently removed and taken to Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, where it is awaiting a post-mortem examination. Investigations areongoing.

Kaieteur News had reported that the teen was found unresponsive in her bedroom after her baby was heardcryingforaprolonged period. Concerned relatives went to check on the infant and found Preetam motionless on her bed Regional Commander, Superintendent Khemraj Shivbaran has confirmed thataninvestigationhasbeen launchedandthatauthorities are awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination to determinethecauseofdeath.

Speaking with Kaieteur News, Preetam's sister-inlaw, Ameena Ramzan, said she had checked on the teen thenightbeforeherdeath.“I just asked her how she and thebabyweredoing,andshe said they were alright. I askedifshewassure,andshe saidyes,”Ramzanrecalled.

Germanmanufacturertosupplycompressor technologyforHammerheadFPSO

Ge r m a n manufacturer Everllence has been contracted to supply four compressor trains to Japanese shipbuilder MODEC for a new Floating Production Storage and Offloading(FPSO)vesselto operate in the Hammerhead field in the Stabroek Block offshoreGuyana.

Andrei Popescu, DirectorofSalesOil&Gas,

artcompressionsolutionsfor demanding offshore developments, in close collaboration with our partners and customers, across South America and beyond.”

U p o n s t a r t - u p , Everllence's compressor systems will help maximize the quantity and efficiency of gas production from the Hammerheadfield.

The scope of supply for

l o w - p

e g a s compressors will be driven with variable frequency drives(VFD),theexportgas compressors will be driven withfixedspeeddrives.The

designed, manufactured and testedatEverllence'sfacility inZurich,Switzerland. Notably, the scope further includes a comprehensive dynamic processsimulation,enabling

A centrifugal compressor train type RB for offshore gas production by Everllence

An illustration of what the set up would like. (sourceMODEC)

atEverllenceUSAInc.,said, “This major order for the Hammerhead field further underscores our role as a trusted technology provider in the rapid development of Guyana's energy industry It also reflects our ability to deliverreliable,state-of-the-

theprojectincludesatotalof four barrel-type RB compressor trains: two as l o w - p r e s s

g a s compressors and two as exportgascompressors.

The company said that all compressors will be electricallydriven.Whilethe

the compressor systems to operateattheirfullpotential in terms

cess efficiency

Daniel Schmidli, Head of Sales Industries SEA at Everllence, added, “We are glad to support MODEC's offshore development by

supplying our proven compressor technology Our solutions are designed for high availability and longterm performance, supportedbycomprehensive lifecycle services that help ensure reliable and safe operation of the FPSO in

Pilot grounded after runway overrun

challenging deep-water environments.” In October 2025, E

Limited (EMGL) officially contracted MODEC for the f

g , procurement, construction, andinstallationoftheFPSO for its seventh project in the StabroekBock,monthsafter it issued a limited notice to proceed (LNTP) a few monthsearlier

The Government of GuyanainSeptemberissued a Petroleum Production Licence (PPL) for the US$6.8billionHammerhead project.

The Hammerhead developmentislocatedinthe south-western portion of the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana and targets the Hammerhead reservoir H a m m e r h e a d w a s announced as Exxon's ninth

…as GCCA probes aircraft incidents at Matthews Ridge airstrip

The Guyana Civil A v i a t i o n

A u t h o r i t y (GCAA) has suspended the licence privileges of an Air ServicesLimited(ASL)pilot pending a full investigation into an aircraft incident that occurred on Thursday at Matthews Ridge, Region One. According to the GCAA, theASLaircraftlandedonthe prepared surface of the runway but overran onto an unpreparedsection,resulting inapuncturedtyreontheleft

landinggear

In a preliminary report, the Authority said the ASL pilot operated outside the provisions of a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued on October23,2025.Thenotice, issued by the Government of Guyana through the GCAA, hadadvisedpilotstoexercise heightened caution during approach, landing and takeoff at the Matthews Ridge runway, which is currently undergoingupgrades.Aspart of standard operating procedures, all air operators

are required to ensure their pilots acknowledge and sign all NOTAMs during preflightpreparationstoconfirm awarenessandcompliance.

TheAuthorityhadearlier reported two separate incidents at Matthews Ridge on Thursday morning. The firstoccurredat07:55hrsand involved a Cessna 208 Caravan, registration 8RKAB, operated by Jags Aviation The second occurred at 08:15hrs and involvedanASLCessna208 Caravan, registration 8R-

GCB Preliminary findings indicatethattheJagsAviation aircraft sustained a puncture to its left landing gear tyre while manoeuvring in the parkingarea.

Noinjurieswerereported in either incident and there wasnosignificantdamageto theaircraft.

The GCAA said it remains committed to conducting a thorough investigation into both incidents to ensure the highest standards of aviation safetyareupheld.

commercial discovery in August 2018 The Hammerhead-1 well was drilled in a new reservoir, encountering approximately 197feet(60metres)ofhighquality, oil-bearing sandstone reservoir The well was safely drilled to 13,862 feet (4,225 metres) depth in 3,773 feet (1,150 metres)ofwater

The vessel will be moored approximately 200 kilometers off the coast at a waterdepthof around1,025 meters and will have an initialproductioncapacityof 150,000barrelsofoilperday (bpd), bringing total installed storage capacity of 1.5millionbarrelsofoil.

Once operational, the newFPSOwillcontributeto Guyana'sgrowingroleinthe global energy market. First production is expected in 2029.

New Amsterdam psychiatric patient died from asphyxiation -

Autopsy

A post-mortem examination (PME)conductedonthebodyof 52-year-oldRavindraYudeshwar Bishram has attributed his cause of death to asphyxia and bronchoaspiration (brought on by blood being inhaled into the airwayandlungs).

The PME was done on Saturday morning by government pathologist, Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan at the New Amsterdam Hospital mortuaryinBerbice.

Bishram,whowasapatientat the NewAmsterdam Psychiatric Hospitalformorethanadecade, was positively identified by his caretaker Diaram Singh, a male 59-year-old mechanic of Lot 93 Palmyra Village, East Canje Berbice.

T h e p o s t - m o r t e m examination was witnessed by a team of police headed by an Inspector, and the body was subsequently handed over to the relativesforburial.

Bishram, called 'Ravi', lost his life after he was reportedly assaultedbyanothermalepatient at the institution last Friday Police reports have confirmed that the incident occurred at about 19:50 hrs. at the facility involving Bishram and another patient 38-year-old Anthony TuckerofBathSettlement,West CoastBerbice.

Preliminary investigations indicatedthatatabout19:30hrs. on Friday while a staff was on duty at the Acute Centre which houses patients, she heard gaspingsoundsandsubsequently discovered Bishram lying in a poolofblood.

He was taken to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital where he was admitted to the Accident and Emergency Department. Bishram succumbed to his injuries on Saturday morning while receiving medical treatment, the policesaidinastatement.

Meanwhile,Tucker,whoitis alleged severely assaulted Bishram, was then placed in an isolation room, as investigations continue.

WANTED

Job opening: Truck Driver, AC Technicians, Excavator and Skid Steer Operators. To apply send application via WhatsApp: 689-1111/ 608-2114.

Head cook/chef wanted.Send Application via Whatsapp to 637-1465 or Call same number.

Snackette assistant wanted.Send application via Whatsapp to 637-1465 or call same number.

Wanted drivers and porters to work in warehouse,experience is an asset.Attractive salary: Tel:673-7373.

1 male project supervisor (Road Construction Field),ages 35-50 years,must have managerial experience atleast 5 to 8 years.Email CV to rbinvestmentinc@gmail.com

Roller Operator,excavator operator,call between 9am and 5pm on 613-0855.

One kitchen assistant.Must know various duties in the kitchen. Contact: 660-4904/ 223-5031 between the hours of 10am-3pm.

Wanted one Maid. For more information please Call: 680-1282.

Famous Flavours:Wanted 1 cleaner,1 kitchen assistant 709-8131/676-5534.

Wanted skill carpenters,mason & labourers to work in Linden.Long term work.Skilled workers $15,000 per day. Labourers $ 10,000 per day . Call: 6157526/602-9469.

On Call Nail Technician Needed .Experienced,Knowledge in nail hygiene.Apply Now Call: 592 223-5273/2235274.

Sales Rep needed, ages 1830 years. Knowledge of vehicle model will be an asset. Contact: 619-1237.

SERVICES

Visa Application:U.S.A, Canada & UK:Graphics design, advertisements, wedding arch rentals.Tel:6267040.

VEHICLES FOR SALE

1 Honda CRV, includes TV, music system, alarm, reverse camera, spoiler, low mileage, PTT Series (first owner). Call: 649-0956.

Israeli strike kills 2 Palestinians in Gaza, health officials say,

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli strike on Thursday killed at least two Palestinians, who were identified by relatives as members of Hamas, and wounded five others east of Gaza City, a hospital director said. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

VACANCY

One clerk for TSI Eccles office English 1, Maths 2 call 615-9132 or email application to techserigy@gmail.com

Driver must be able to assist in workshop at Eccles, age 23-50, Car/ Van licence Call 615-9132.

Maid for East Bank area call 615-9132.

Tiler to lay small numbers of tiles call -615-9132

General Domestic (4 day work) & experiened handyman, apply at Keyfood Trading Mc Doom next to the post office.

Desk Clerk,Room Attendant,Laundry Attendant ages 20-55. 225-0198/ Kvchotel@gmail.com(all letters lowercase).

FOR RENT

Prime commercial spots on Regent st. and La-Penitence public road contact Ray's Realty 627-9685.

LAND FOR SALE

Silver Hill 20 acres, LaGrange & Bagotville W.B.D (public road to river) and Carmicheal st. G/ town.Contact Ray's Realty 627-9685.

FOR SALE

Fiat 110-90,290 Massey,Lavarda 132 , John Deere 7300 , Fiatagri L413.

the

latest deaths as truce stalls

TION CALL / WHATSAPP:+592-6883201.

The deaths and injuries were confirmed by Fadel Naeem, director of Al-Ahli Hospital, where the casualties arrived. Family members identified the men who died in the strike as Muhammad Abu Jabal and Ali al-Burdini, and said both were members of Hamas.

Deadly Israeli strikes have

repeatedly disrupted the truce since it took effect on Oct. 10.

The escalating Palestinian toll has prompted many in Gaza to say it feels like the war has continued unabated.

Separately, Israel’s military said Thursday that soldiers in southern Gaza had killed a Palestinian who had crossed the line dividing the

Israeli-held area of the strip from the area most Palestinians are crammed into. Such shootings have become a common occurrence in the territory since the ceasefire took hold.

The military said the person they killed was a militant and had posed a threat to troops. It maintains that claim

when describing most cases of Palestinians shot down in the vicinity of the line, even though some civilians have been killed, including young children, said a military official who spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity in line with military rules.

Israel launched a series of

(Continued on page 17)

New global report highlights slow progress...

From page 10 gender equality and rural transformation.

“When we generate evidence with and for all stakeholders, we create the foundation for stronger, more transparent, and more equitable public policies — both nationally and internationally,” said Sélim Louafi, Deputy Director for Research and Strategy at Cirad.

States have legal ownership of more than 64 percent of land worldwide, although this includes customary land with designated tenure rights but without documented ownership. A little more than a quarter of all land is known to be owned privately by individuals, companies or by collectives. For the remaining 10 percent or so, tenure status is unknown. More specifically, around 18 percent of the world’s land, or 2.4 billion hectares, is owned by private individuals and corporations, according to the report.

Globally, when agricultural land is considered (about 37% of the global land area), the top 10 percent of the largest landholders operate 89 percent of all agricultural land in aggregate terms.

Across regions: a patchwork of differences

Land tenure systems vary enormously across regions. In

sub-Saharan Africa, 73 percent of land is held under customary tenure, with only 1 percent formally recognized as such and most of the rest undocumented and under state ownership. In Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, state land dominates, at 51 percent, with only 9 percent of land in the region privately held. Private land ownership accounts for 32 percent of land in North America, 39 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 55 percent in Europe excluding the Russian Federation where state land dominates.

The gap between real tenure and legal documentation is exemplified by the fact that while Indigenous Peoples and other holders of customary tenure rights occupy 5.5 billion hectares or 42 percent of the world’s land, only one billion hectares, covering only 8 percent, have clear ownership rights. That leaves more than a third of the world’s stored carbon and 40 percent of its intact forests at risk of legal limbo.

Men are more likely than women to own or have secure rights to land in almost all the countries with data, and the gender gap exceeds 20 percentage points in nearly half. The report also reveals that the world’s largest farms,

‘Our

From page 8 eventually be forgotten in a news cycle. “The ALP will not be silent while our children bleed, suffer, and die. Protecting women and girls is not optional. It is a moral and national responsibility. Guyana cannot prosper while its daughters are unprotected.”

For her part, Walton-Desir said that in the span of days the country has been confronted with two devastating tragedies involving the teen girls.

“One young mother in Region Six is fighting for her life after a brutal stabbing, another in Region Two was found unresponsive just one month after giving birth, discovered only because her infant would not stop crying. Two regions, two families, two tragedies, one common thread: our girls are carrying

those spanning more than 1 000 hectares, operate more than half of all farmland, while 85 percent of the world’s farmers manage less than two hectares, or just 9 percent of global farmland. The report notes that while only 12 countries in the world have reported on all three Sustainable Development Goal indicators related to land tenure, there is currently a significant acceleration in reporting.

Exploring customary lands

The report examines customary land systems in detail, as befits their large share of the world’s land. These systems – stewarded by Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists and tribal groups – are increasingly seen as dynamic and vital for people and the planet, as they do and can deliver significant contributions to biodiversity and climate challenges. Around 77 percent of all reported customary lands, equal to 4.2 billion hectares, have been mapped, albeit often only indicatively. Thirty percent are in North America and Europe, including large tracts in the Russian Federation, 28 percent in Africa, 18 percent in Asia and 12 percent in both Latin America and the Caribbean and Oceania regions.

Those mapped customary

territories hold an estimated 45 gigatons of irrecoverable carbon – which cannot be put back in time to avoid climate damage, found mostly in forest biomes – or 37 percent of the global total. Customary lands are threatened by growing anthropogenic pressures such as urban expansion, transport infrastructure, large-scale industrial agriculture, oil and gas extraction and mining.

Paradoxically, some climate solutions geared to renewable energy, biofuels, conservation and carbon offsets are increasing such pressures, especially on lands which lack formal recognition or protections. Preliminary analysis shows that 19 percent of intact forest landscapes, 15 percent of irrecoverable carbon hotspots, and 7 percent of key biodiversity areas on mapped customary lands lack formal government recognition.

Environmental and climate concerns are increasingly driving new large-scale land acquisitions, often funded by pension funds. While data is unclear, the 2022 Land Gap Report warned that national net-zero pledges imply landbased carbon removals requiring nearly 1.2 billion hectares, about the size of all global cropland.

girls are not statistics’...

burdens that their bodies, minds, and support systems are not equipped to handle,” the Member of Parliament lamented.

Echoing the sentiments of the ALP the FGM said that at age 15 a child should be in school, where support, guidance and protection is offered. Instead, it is found that there are many adolescent girls navigating unstable relationship, pregnancy, childbirth, and in some instances violence “without structured medical, psychological, or social safeguards.”

“The patterns must be recognised and confronted as when a teenage mother intersects with limited access to mental health services, domestic instability, coupled with insufficient post-partum follow up, a condition of vulnerability is created and when

this is ignored it leads to tragedy.” “We cannot treat these incidents as isolated. They represent a deeper national issue requiring coordinated intervention across health, education, social protection, and law enforcement systems,” Walton-Desir said.

She said in the event of a 15-year-old giving birth a structured follow up should be triggered and if a minor reports abuse, then there must be a rapid protective response.

There must be a pathway back to cater for young mothers who leave school.

Walton-Desir said what is required is a structured national adolescent and maternal support protocol, which should entail the activation of automatic medical, psychological, and social follow up when a minor gives birth, “so that no

child mother is left to navigate, recovery and responsibility alone.”

“We are a nation experiencing unprecedented economic growth.

That growth cannot only be measured in bridges and buildings. It must be measured in whether a 15-yearold mother has structured support around her, whether abuse is intercepted early and whether recovery is supervised and not left to chance,” Walton-Desir noted. She said if these consecutive incidents are not a signal “to us as a society then what will be? The response must be serious, compassionate and coordinated policy action. These young girls are not statistics.

They are daughters of this soil. We cannot afford another headline before we act.”

All citizens can now benefit from govt.’s citizens govt.’s eye testing voucher – Minister Anthony

Citizenscannowbenefit from eye testing and spectaclesvouchersfromthe government, Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony announcedonThursday

The announcement was madeduringthesigningofa M e m o r a n d u m o f Understanding (MOU) with over60VoucherProgramme Service Providers at the HerdmanstonLodgeHotel.

When the eye testing voucher was introduced in 2024,onlychildren18years and under and adults 50 years and above were eligible.

“What we want to do is ensure that we open it up nowforanyonewhorequires aneyetest,wouldbeableto getthateyetestandif,when you test their eyes, if they need a spectacle, then you will also have access to the $15,000. So, I think it will now widen to everybody in thepopulationandsoIthink that would be a positive thing,”hesaidonThursday

All citizens will be benefiting from a $2,000 voucherforeyetestinganda $15,000 voucher for spectacles.

The minister disclosed thatsincethestartoftheeye testing voucher programme,

The government’s eye testing and spectacle vouchers

175, 272 eyes tests were completedandover160,000 spectacles were issued. Of the number tested, 1200 personswerediagnosedwith cataract and treated accordingly

“We also saw some people who had glaucoma, and again, we were able to offer them different treatments. We have from thestatsseenusingtheadult vouchers, we have in our population, quite a number ofpersonswhoarediabetics, andwebelievethatintheeye testing,ifwecanexpandthat

to look at people to see if they have changes, especiallyifthey’rediabetic patients, then that would be extremely helpful... If you have a patient that is diabetic, had diabetes for a number of years, then it wouldbequitehelpfultosee what’s going on in the back oftheeyes,andforustoalso get those results, it helps us with our programme, because this is not just a transactional relationship Ultimately, what we’re tryingtodohereistohelpthe patient,”hesaid.

Israelistrikekills2PalestiniansinGaza...

Frompage16

strikes Thursday in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, saying they targeted military compounds of the Iran-backed, Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Lebanon’s health ministry said a 16-year-old Syrian boy was killed. The Bekaa Valley is home to numerous camps housing Syrian refugees.

The state-run National NewsAgencysaidtheIsraeli strikes wounded 29 people. There was no immediate statementfromHezbollah.

A U S -brokered ceasefire nominally ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah warinNovember2024 Israel hascontinuedtolaunchneardaily strikes into Lebanon, saying it aims to stop Hezbollahfromregrouping

On Wednesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists released a report saying that more journalists and media workers were killed in 2025 than in any other year since the

organization began collecting data more than three decades ago. At least 129 journalists and media workers were killed, two-

thirdsofthembyIsrael. Mariam Dagga, a 33year-old who freelanced for The Associated Press, was among the war’s victims. She and four other reporters were killed last year when Israeli forces struck Nasser HospitalintheGazatownof KhanYounis, along with 17 otherpeople.

Gaza’s Health Ministry on Wednesday reported 618 Palestinians had been killed since the start of the ceasefire, bringing the cumulative toll to 72,082 killed since the start of Israel’s offensive The ministry,whichispartofthe Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. But it does not give abreakdownofciviliansand militants.

It comes as last year’s ceasefireseessomeprogress but appears to be largely stalledonkeypoints. Afteritschaoticopening weeks, officials say more Palestiniansareenteringand leaving Gaza for Egypt via the reopened Rafah crossing The Palestinian

In addition to the Eye Testing & Spectacles Vouchers, there is the Cervical Cancer Screening Voucher which is valued at $8,000, and the Universal Health Vouchers which is available for children and adults which is valued at $10,000.

These vouchers can be uplifted from health centres acrossthecountry

Dr Anthonysaidthat13, 112 laboratory tests were conductedonchildrenwhile 91, 501 were done on adults via the Universal Health Vouchers.

In terms of HPV screening for the two years, the ministry was able to conduct20,853.

The minister stated that when his ministry started to offertheHPVvaccines,they weretargetingfourstrainsof thevirus.“Butwhenwelook at the data that we’ve collected from these 20,000 tests that we’ve done, we recognize that it’s not just this 16th strain and the 18th strain that we’re seeing in Guyana.Infact,ifthey’re38

oncogenic strains, we are seeing quite a lot of them in Guyana,”heexplained.

He added that from the 20,000womenwhotookthe HPV test, they have seen about 19% positivity rates among those that have been tested.

With these data, the minister urges providers to continue to sensitize and encouragewomentotakeup the test, because if left untreated over time, it can convert to become cervical cancer

“So, we want to work with our population to help to prevent this, and that’s wherewewanttoenlistyour help. Those of you who are operatinglabsandhavebeen working with this programmewithus,wewant to see how we can extend that service so that we can get more women into this programme. 20,000 people isnotenough,soI’mhoping thatbytheendoftheyear,at a minimum, we should say wehaveabout40,000people whohavebenefitedfromthis programme.Butforustodo

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony

that, we need your help,” he toldhealthcareproviders.

Another trend he highlighted was that from the 91,000 adults using the voucher, 64% of them are women, which means the men hardly utilized the vouchers. Dr Anthony said the reality poses a “big problem”andhopestoseea change going forward. He notedthatoneofthetestson the voucher is the ProstateSpecific Antigen (PSA) test which helps detect potential prostateissues.

MinisterAnthonyshared that since the launch of the Voucher Programme, health authoritieshavebeenableto understand what is going on with the population, how theycanbringthemintocare andworkwiththem.

“So,thesevouchersare (Continuedonpage18)

technocratic committee that is supposed to oversee the territory’s daily affairs still hasnotbeenallowedtoenter Gaza Plans for an international peacekeeping force meant to provide security in Gaza are also beginning to take shape but no troops have been deployed.

IsraelandHamasremain divided over the timeline and scope of Israel’s withdrawal and the demilitarization of the enclave after nearly two decadesofHamasrule.

The war began when H

stormed into southern Israel and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, on Oct 7, 2023 The 251 hostages taken in the attack were returned to Israel in v a r i o u s c e a s e f i r e agreements, with the remains of Israeli police officerRanGvili—thefinal bodyinGaza—werefound and returned in January, paving the way for the advance of the ceasefire agreement The war has sparked worldwide protests and brought allegations of genocidethatIsraeldenies.

Men killed by Cuban forces were exiles

- had opened fire on security patrol

HAVANA, Feb 25

(Reuters) - Cuban forces killed four exiles and wounded six others who sailed into Cuban waters aboard a Florida-registered speedboat on Wednesday and opened fire on a Cuban patrol, the Cuban governmentsaidatatimeof heightenedtensionswiththe UnitedStates.

Cuba’s Interior Ministry

said the g

p was comp

d of antigovernment Cubans, some of whom were previously wanted for plotting attacks. They came from the United Statesdressedincamouflage andarmedwithassaultrifles, handguns, homemade

explosives, ballistic vests and telescopic sights, Cuba said. An additional Cuban suspect was detained inside Cuban territory in connectionwiththeplot,the statement said. “According to preliminary statements from the detainees, they intended to carry out an infiltration for terrorist purposes,” the Interior Ministry said in an official statement.

The wounded were evacuated and receiving medical attention, while the Cuban patrol commander was also wounded, the ministrysaid.U.S.Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters it was not a U.S.

operation and that no U.S. government personnel were involved. Cuban authorities made the U.S. aware of the incident, but the U S embassy in Havana would attempt to independently verifywhathappened,Rubio said.

“We are going to have ourowninformationonthis, we are going to figure out exactly what happened, and there are a number of things that could have happened here,” Rubio said. “Suffice to say it is highly unusual to seeshootoutsinopensealike that,” he said. The incident took place as the United States has blocked virtually all oil shipments to the

island, increasing pressure on the Communist-run government American forces captured Venezuelan PresidentNicolasMaduroin Caracas on January 3, removing a key Cuban ally from power, and Rubio reiteratedhisrhetoricagainst the Cuban government on Wednesday, calling the statusquounsustainableand saying Cuba needed to change“dramatically.”

BAYOFPIGS

Cuban exiles who are largely concentrated in Miamihavelongdreamedof overthrowing the Cuban government or seeing it fall and have in the past plotted against the government that was established by the late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, who died in 2016 at age90.

Cuban exiles with support and financing from theU.S.CentralIntelligence Agencycarriedoutthefailed BayofPigsinvasionin1961, an event that strengthened Castro while pushing him closer to his backers in the Soviet Union. Other Cuban paramilitaries have attemptedorcarriedoutacts ofsabotageindecadespast. Such plots have become far less common in recent years, but opponents of Cuba’s Communist government may have been emboldenedbyrecentevents thathavepromotedanimage of weakness for the country’srulers.TheU.S.oil blockade has exacerbated severe energy shortages Cubasaiditidentifiedthesix

Amember of the medical staff enters the Provincial Clinical–Surgical Hospital “Arnaldo Milian Castro,” where, according to local information, injured people were being treated after an armed incident involving a Florida-registered speedboat and a Cuban patrol, at a time of heightened tensions.

detaineesfromtheboat,two of whom were previously wantedinCubaonsuspicion of planning terrorist acts against Cuba: Amijail Sanchez Gonzalez and Leordan Enrique Cruz Gomez.

The other four were identified as Conrado GalindoSariol,JoseManuel RodriguezCastello,Cristian ErnestoAcostaGuevaraand RobertoAzcorraConsuegra. In addition, Cuba said it detainedanotherCubanman in Cuban territory, Duniel Hernandez Santos, who had comefromtheUnitedStates to the island in order to receivetheinfiltrators.

One of the dead was identified as Michel Ortega Casanova, while the other three dead had yet to be identified, Cuba said. The speedboat came within one nauticalmileofachannelon Falcones Cay, on the north coast of Cuba about 200 km (120 miles) east of Havana, when it was approached by

Frompage17 very important, and the results that we run and the things that we do behind the scenes are very important, which means getting the data is extremely important for the ministry, becausefromthedatawe’reabletorunthese analysesandreachouttopeople,andthenwe canstratifyitbylocality,byregion,bysex,by types of diseases, all those things and it helpedustodoourworkbetter So, we really want you to help us to extend this so that more people can benefit from

five members of a Cuban borderpatrolunit,Cubasaid. The speedboat then opened fire, wounding the commander of the Cuban vessel,thestatementsaid. Floridapoliticianscalled for separate investigations, saying they did not trust the Cuban account Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said he was orderingprosecutorstoopen an investigation in conjunction with other state andfederallawenforcement p a r t n e r s U S Representative Carlos Gimenez, a Republican whose district includes the southern tip of Florida, called for a federal investigation, saying he had asked the U S State Department and military to lookintothematter “United States authorities must determinewhetheranyofthe victimswereU.S.citizensor legal residents and establish exactly what occurred,” Gimenezsaid.

whatwearedoing,”hesaidonThursday

While noting the initiative has been a success since its inception, he said there are stillareasofchallenges,andthatisaccessfor personslivingintheinteriorregions.

“Aswemoveforwardthisyear,wewant toensurethatwegetallofyoutoworkwithus to do some outreaches into non-traditional areasofoperation.So,ifyou’reoperatingon your coastland, we want you to go out and operate in some of these (interior) areas as well,”hetoldproviders.

All citizens can now benefit from govt.’s... Defencegrillsforeignaffairsofficialover...

Frompage3

Hanoman clarified that the Statehadnotappliedforthe matter to proceed by paper committal He explained that references to legal provisions were made only in relation to circumstances where proceedings may continueintheabsenceofan ill defendant with consent. The prosecution later confirmed it is not pursuing paper committal in this

matter The defence also requested disclosure of communications between the Government of Guyana and U.S.-based lobby firms. That request was denied, with Magistrate Latchman ruling that full disclosure obligationshadalreadybeen satisfied.

However, the defence indicated that it is currently engagingentitiesintheUnited States to obtain those

c o m m u n i c a t i o n s independently and requested timetosecurethedocuments

“Weareintheprocessof engagingentitiesintheU.S. to assist us in purchasing documents,” counsel told the court.At the conclusion of Thursday’s proceedings, thematterwasadjournedfor c o n t i n u e d c r o s sexamination and further proceedings on March 12, 13,16,17,and18.

BLUNT BLUNT BLUNT BLUNT

Trusted by whom?

As President Irfaan Ali rolls out the red carpet for executives of ExxonMobil, hailing the oil giant as Guyana's “trusted partner,” many citizens are left wondering: trusted by whom, and on what terms? Trust, like oil, must be earned and audited.

The lopsided Production Sharing Agreement remains a sore point, widely criticised for disproportionately favouring Exxon while Guyana receives a modest royalty and limited oversight.

Previous audits have flagged questionable cost recovery claims, yet clarity and renegotiation remain elusive. Now reports suggest Exxon disclosed increased reserves to shareholders before informing the Guyanese public. That imbalance deepens unease. Investment security is vital. But so too is national equity. Partnership should not mean silence in the face of opacity.

If Guyana is to prosper, trust must flow both ways with transparency, accountability and a fairer deal at its core.

Mohameds’ lawyers seek removal of prosecutor over “biggest criminal” remark

Defence attorneys representing sanctioned businessmanandOpposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, have formally applied for the recusal of state prosecutor Glenn Hanoman after he allegedly referred to one of the defendants as the “biggest criminal” during court proceedingsonThursday

The remark was reportedly made during the ongoing extradition hearing

at the Georgetown Magistrates' Court before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman The comment arose while Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sharon Roopchand-Edwards, was undercross-examination.

Defence attorney Siand Dhurjon was questioning Roopchand-Edwards about the handling of the United States' extradition request for the Mohameds. The lawyer compared the speed atwhichtheU.S.requestwas processed to that of another Guyanese national, Ronley

FloydBynoe.

According to the defence, the Mohameds' extraditionrequestmovedat an unprecedented pace through government channels. Bynoe, who was brought before the court on February 19, 2026, had his extradition request received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 26, 2025.

“Thisextraditionprocess has been politically motivated. Every facility of government has been implied to fast-track its process. Our case is that there is no other extradition case in history that has been moved at such great speed through governmental channels, and we only wish touseonecomparator,which isthemostrecentextradition request,”Dhurjonargued.

During this line of argument, Hanoman who has been representing the state from the start of the extradition proceedings, reportedly interjected, stating, “He's the biggest criminal.”

he acknowledged making thestatement.

informed the court that Hanoman had made the remark and requested that it be formally recorded in the official proceedings

Magistrate Latchman called both attorneys to the bench and warned the prosecutor about his conduct The magistrate was heard telling Hanoman to “behave yourself in the court,” after

recusal following the morningsession.“Itishighly improper and illegal for the prosecutor to say that the defendant is the biggest criminal, and in the context inwhichhesaidit.Thisgives insight into the poisoned mind of the prosecutor,” Dhurjoncontended.

H e a rg u e d t h a t prosecutors are bound by oathtoremainimpartialand that such a statement demonstrates personal bias, potentially compromising the fairness of the proceedings.

the media after the hearing, Hanoman defended his remark, saying it was not intended for public consumption.

Despite the warning, the defence later formally applied for Hanoman's

Magistrate Latchman subsequentlyinstructedboth the prosecution and defence to submit their legal authorities via email addressing the recusal application.

Speaking to members of

“I find it very funny It wasn't meant for public consumption.Iwasspeaking to my colleagues at the bar table. The reason why I agreed to take on this prosecution, having regard totheevidenceinthiscase,is thatwhatwearedealingwith here is a family that is accused of—and there is compelling evidence to suggest that they are a criminal network on a large scale.That'swhyIagreedto it, because I believe the evidence,”hesaid. Hanoman indicated that he will challenge the defence's application for his removalfromthecase.

Pillion rider killed in Sophia crash

A 39-year-old pillion rider lost his life following an early morning accident on DennisStreet,Sophia,Georgetownlastweek Friday.DeadisHenrickSerraoofCummings Lodge,EastCoastDemerara.

Police said the accident occurred about 03:00hrs in the vicinity of the Juvenile Holding Centre and involved motor car PLL 6764, driven by a 22-year-old male of 'B' Field, Sophia, and motorcycle CN 4508, operatedbya44-year-oldmaleofCummings Lodge According to the police, the motorcycle was proceeding east along the northern drive lane of Dennis Street, allegedly at a fast rate, when the rider reportedly lost control and collided with the motor car, which was stationary on the northerngrassparapetoftheroad.Asaresult ofthecollision,boththeriderandpillionrider were flung onto the roadway and sustained injuries about their bodies. Serrao was pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.Themotorcyclistreportedlyleft

Dead, Henrick Serrao

thescenebutwaslatercontactedandarrested. He is currently assisting police with investigations.CCTV footage from the area has since been reviewed. Investigations are ongoing.

Former national fast bowler Calvin Glenroy Belgrave has passed away

Statistician Charwayne

Walker has informed

Kaieteur Sports Department that former national fast bowler Calvin Glenroy Belgrave passed away on Tuesday here in Guyana aged55.

TheGeorgetownCricket Club stalwart came through the ranks representing GCC atalllevelsstartingwithDes

Watkins Saturday morning

sessions Nicknamed ‘Tiger’, Belgrave made his Regional under19 debut versustheWindwardIslands in 1988 playing under the captaincy of the late Nezam HafeezinBarbados.

Thefollowingyearwhen Guyana hosted the Northern Telecoms Regional under19 Championship under Paul

The late Calvin Belgrave knocks out Richie Richardson’s off-stump on debut at the GCC Bourda in their 1991 Red Stripe Cup game.

Friday February 27, 2026

ARIES

Youcanexpecttorunalotof errands today, Aries, even though you would probably prefer to stay at home. You have obligations to fulfill for friends and family, and you can'tbeartoletthemdown.

TAURUS

You have energy to burn, Taurus, and you intendto use it. Ask friends to join you in the park. Or set up a roundrobin tennis match for the afternoon. Enjoy your day outdoors, but take care not to pushtoohard.

GEMINIS

Todayyoucouldreceiveword of a promotion or exciting new challenge at work

Although this is something you'vewantedforalongtime, you may hesitate to accept immediately

CANCER

Money and friendship rarely mix, Cancer Keep this in mindtodayifafriendhitsyou up for a loan.You'd be better off helping her strategize ways to earn more money

Much as you like to help the underdog.

LEO

This is unlike you, Leo, but today you're a lean, mean cleaning machine. You get it in your head that this is the day for putting your house in order, and you set about single-handedlydoingit.

VIRGO

You can't help but feel a bit frustrated today, Virgo.There are places to go, people to see, andyoucan'tseemtogetoutof thehouse Your responsibilities areathomenow,

Ifyouoverindulgedlastnight, you're likely paying the price today If your head is screaming and your blood feels like molasses, you know thattoomuchofagoodthing.

SCORPIO

Withoutadoubt,there'salotof work to be done around the house. With today's planetary configuration, you feel especially vested in making yourhomelookitsbest.

SAGITTARIUS

You probably aren't feeling your best today, Sagittarius. Nodoubtyourillnessisaresult of recent overindulgence.You can't blame anyone but yourself for your crashing headacheandqueasystomach.

CAPRICORN

There is such a thing as being too honest, Capricorn. You've experienced in the past how your determination to tell the wholetruthandnothingbutthe truth can cause hurt feelings. Today try to exercise a bit of tactanddiplomacy

AQUARIUS

Youwantnothingmorethanto be alone today For that to happen,Aquarius,youneedto turn off your phone, shut off the computer, and hang a "Do NotDisturb"signonthedoor Eventhen,

PISCES

Don't be surprised if a lot of uninvited visitors show up today, Pisces. You could host an impromptu social event as neighbors stop by to bring news of changes in the area. Youhaveenergytospareright now,

Persaud’s leadership, Belgrave finished that tournamentwith16wickets. Only Arjune Nandu took morewicketsasaGuyanese bowlerwith20.

According to Walker, Belgrave just missed out on selectionfortheWestIndies under19 that toured Canada thatyear

Later that November, 1989, the GCC speedster madehisfirstclassdebutfor Demerara vs Berbice in the inter-county final at Blairmont.

After some impressive performances in the trials in 1989,Belgravewasincluded intheRogerHarperled1990 Red Stripe Cup Guyana 13man squad and made his list a debut vs Barbados at the Kensington Oval in January 1990.

His most memorable moment in Guyana’s senior colours was February 1991 whenhesenttheoffstumpof west indies batting legend Richie Richardson flying with the ecstatic Belgrave being on his regional firstclass debut vs the Leeward Islands at his home club GCC Bourda and what wicketthatwastocelebrate.

Walkerinformedthat,He played only two regional first-class matches in the Red Stripe Cup in 1992, Guyana vs Leeward Islands at GCC Bourda and Guyana vs Barbados at Albion. He shared the new ball with the menacing Linden ‘Bibbly’ Joseph.

Belgrave’s moment of glory was in 1993 when he played an integral part with thenewballwithBarrington Browne when the Roger Harper led Guyana won the double, the Red Stripe Cup andtheGeddesGrantShield. He failed to repeat the same performance the following seasonin1994.

Belgrave,afterplyinghis trade in the English League,

migrated to the USA where he was employed with the Transit Authority He returned to is belove homeland a couple of years ago.CalvinBelgravealways represented the land of the MajesticKaieteurFallswith prideanddignity

His younger brother Cleon Belgrave represented Guyanaatthe1995regional Northern Te

coms Championship in Grenada forGuyanaledbyMahendra Nagamootoo and returned withNorttelTrophy

The president and members of the Roger HarperledDemeraraCricket Clubpaystributetothistheir fallencomrade. BothRoger

Belgraveashemadehisfirst debut for Demerara vs Berbice at Blairmont in 1989 Roger was also Belgrave’s captain when made his List A debut for Guyana vs Barbados at the KensingtonOvalin1990. Roger Harper was the manatthehelmwhenCalvin Belgrave celebrated his first senior wicket for Guyana, the icon Richardson at GCC Bourda1991.

Roger Harper and the Demerara Cricket Club mournsthepassingofCalvin Belgrave and expresses condolences to his family at hispassing.

FundraisinghorseracemeetsetforBushLotMarch1

The Bush Lot Turf Club is set to come alive on Sunday,March1,astheclub stages its highly anticipated non-promotion horserace meet,afundraisereventthat

reflects the growing momentum within the local horseracingfraternity With competition on the riseandenthusiasmbuilding across the racing community, this Sunday, all hooves will be grounded in WestCoastBerbice,fanscan expect a packed day of events, featuring five excitingraceswithattractive cashprizes.

Among the marquee eventsaretheseven-furlong J-Class and Lower race and the six-furlong L-Class Open race, both boasting an attractive $150,000 firstplaceprize.

These two races are expectedtodrawsomeofthe top competitors and deliver thrilling finishes down the stretch.

The programme also includesasix-furlongthreeyear-oldMaidenrace,where emerging talent will be on display

The winner of this contest will pocket $100,000, providing a

strongincentiveforjockey’s eagertomaketheirmark.

Adding variety to the meet are two Ranch/Farm horseevents.

Athree-furlong Group 1 and 2 race, both groups will see winners claiming $30,000 and $25,000 respectively, while the final eventwillfeatureaGroup3 Ranch/Farm race over two furlongs, this event offers a $25,000first-placeprize.

As time draws closer, organiser Kevin Ramlochan expressed confidence ahead of race day, noting that p r e p a r a t i o n s a r e approximately 90 percent

complete.

“Our team is working hard to assure the public a fantastic meet come this Sunday,” he stated, e m p h a s i z i n g h i s commitment to delivering a successfulfundraiserevent.

The Trophy Stall has thrown its support for the eventwithMrsDeviSunich presentingtrophiestoKevin Ramlochanfortheevent.

Themeethasbeenmade possible through the support of several key sponsors, including KEV, Jumbo Jet Junior, Big G Racing Stable, Ramroop Racing Stable, and Imran and Shockings Racing Stable

LABA Inter Club 5-A-Side Tournament set for tomorrow at Amelia’s Ward Court

The Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) will tomorrow,Saturday,bounceoff its season with a planned Inter club 5-ASidebasketballtournamentattheAmelia’s WardHardCourtstartingat4.00pm.

Teams from the various clubs are invited to participate with $300,000 in cash prizes at stake for the top finishes alongwithtrophies.

The team winning gets $150,000 and the runner up side $100,000 with the team placing third collecting $50,000

IndiathumpZimbabwetorevive T20WorldCuptitledefence

CHENNAI, India, (Reuters) - A rampant India piled up a record total and handedZimbabwea72runshellackingina Super Eight contest on Thursday to revive theirTwenty20WorldCuptitledefence.

Sent in, the hosts blasted 2564, the tournament’s highest score this year, after Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya smokedblisteringhalfcenturies.

It rained 17 sixes and as many fours at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium as India’s top order feasted on a modest Zimbabwean attack made even blunter by theirsloppycatching.

Left with a mountain to climb, Zimbabwe managed 184-6 Brian Bennett hitanunbeaten97butitwasnotenoughto prevent their elimination from the tournament.

India and West Indies will clash in a virtual quarter-final in Kolkata on Sunday

“The contribution from all the batters it was heartening to see,” India captainSuryakumarYadavsaid

“We could have been a little bit more clinical with the ball but it’s fine At theendoftheday,awinisawin.”

India’s title defence was on shaky ground since their Super Eights defeat to South Africa, who lead Group One after beating West Indies earlier on Thursday

India began brightly as Sanju Samson(24)pressedhiscaseonreturnand Abhisheksoughtareturntoform Samson could not kick on, but Abhishek, who began the tournament with

threeducksinarow,toreintoZimbabweas India cruised to 80-1 after the six-over powerplay

Zimbabwe’s woes deepened when Tashinga Musekiwa shelled Ishan Kishan, the tournament’s most prolific India batter, on26.

Kishan (38) could not cash in, falling to Sikander Raza’s spin, but Abhishek (55) sped to a 26-ball fifty beforeTinotenda Maposa’s change of pace undidhim.

Suryakumar, dropped on eight, departed after milking 33 off 13 balls buttherewasnorespiteforZimbabwe.

Pandya (50) and Tilak Varma (44) stitched an unbroken 84 off 31 deliveries to effectively bat Zimbabwe outofthecontest.

Zimbabwe escaped their powerplay unscathed after Tadiwanashe Marumani (20) was dropped in thedeep but the opener fell to Axar Patel in the spinner’sfirstover

Bennett raced to a 34-ball fifty but Arshdeep Singh (3-24) removed Raza (31) and Ryan Burl inthesameovertoput Indiaoncourseforvictory

“We could have executed our defensive plans better as well and we gave too many runs away,” Zimbabwe captainRazasaid.

“Oncethetraingoes,itishardtoget back We could have restricted them to 210or220 ”

Scores: India 256 for 4 (Abhishek 55, Hardik 50) beat Zimbabwe 184 for 6 (Bennett97*,Arshdeep3-24)by72runs.

MPersaud and Shamar Apple strokedhalf-centuriesaspart of Georgetown’s dominant 255-run win over Upper D

Association (UDCA) when yesterday’sdouble-headerin the ongoing U19 Inter-

tournamentcontinued.

At Police Ground, the

C

Association youngsters piled on 318-8 batting first, after Persaud hammered 80 off60(11x43x6),alongside WestIndiesU19starShamar

West Indies U19 batsman Shamar Apple

Apple, who scored another half-century, this time slamminga42-ball65with6 foursand3sixes.

punched 45 off 38 (4x4 1x6

Mentore scored a watchful 30 (1x4 1x6), to help the cityboystotheirbigtotal UDCA in reply folded under the pressure of a huge chase, sliding to 63

Ramzan scoring 27 not out (4x4)togoalongwithhis2 wicketsfromearlier.

Fast-bowler Jasani

Craig grabbed 2-17 with assistance from Ravaldo Pereira (2-4), Samuel Ally (2-13) and Lewis (1-27), returns which kept the pressure mounting on the opposition throughout the

innings

Earlier, Lewis and Apple’s 86 run partnership setthetoneforthe5thwicket 135-run stand between the pair of top-scorers in Persaud and Apple, which knocked the momentum out oftheUDCAteam.

Apart from Ramzan, who was by far the best performerontheUDCAin both departments, no other player managed to either reach double figures or capitalize on however small of a start they may have had, which resulted in a lopsided affair © Ross)

Balgobin Memorial Cricket Competition in North Essequibo

West Demerara

C r i c k e t Association (WDCA) pulled off a basic 22-run win over East Bank CricketAssociation(EBCA) yesterday when action continued at the MMZ Ground.

West Demerara, taking first strike were restricted to 82 all out in the 24th over with a whopping 32 Extras; another mixed performance byatalentedbunchofladsin thiscompetition.

Only opener Arvin Suknanan (17) and allrounder Amrit Singh (13) madeanyefforttogetgoing, as Rupie Rajaram (3-26), skipperJoshuaBudhram(316)andVineshKaploo(2-6) keptEastBankinthematch.

C

Unfortunately, WDCA

batsman Parmeshwar Ram who continues to unlock a newaspectofhisgamewith

Reliance Hustlers, IIS Challengers, Young Achievers, DC Titans record

victories

All-rounder Parmeshwar Ram snatched 4 wickets to help WDCA pull off a tense win yesterday

theball,ledhisbowlingunit well. The blossoming allrounder snared impressive figuresof4-14whichearned him the MVP match award and essentially set up his team’seventualwin.

Support came from RobinSeecharran(3-10)and Navindra Sankar (2-27), whodidaphenomenaljobin defending their below 100run total, while keeping the Extrasto13.

EBCA middle-order batsman Yeshua Huston played a good hand, scoring 20 along with Kaploo (18) but in the end failed to achieve what was an easy victory East Bank at one point looked set on course forvictorybeforeimploding at the back end of the innings, slipping from 60-7 to60-10inamatterofovers, thanksmainlytoSeecharran who mopped up the tail. ©. Ross) 2026 DCB Inter-Association

Several teams recorded victories in latest play of the Balgobin Memorial T20 Cricket Competition being played inNorthEssequibo.

Inlatestmatchescontestedrecently,RelianceHustlersvs Walton Hall Junior @ Walton Hall resulted in Walton Hall Juniorhitting166-10in19.4overswithAnthonyPersaud33 and Kevin Persaud 32 being the leading scorers. Beesham seepersaud 3-43 and Narendra Mandolall 2-23 led the bowlingeffortforRelianceHustlers,whorepliedwith168-2 in14overs.

Nathan Persaud 64 and Neilan Codogan 51 led them to victory ManojLallwith2-21tookthewicketstofall.

IIS Challengers vs Sparwin @ Sparta saw IIS Challengers rattling up 143-10 off 19.2 overs with Trivel Evans25andZameerZaman24.GaryRaghnauthbagged515 and Anmole Persaud 2-18 bowling for Sparwin who

buckledto70-10in9.1overs.DellonOsborneclaimed5-25 forthewinners.

Young Achievers vs Richmond United @ RichmondYoungAchieversreached131-10off20overs.Chandrapaul Bhoopaul 27 and Raphael David 23 was the top scorers. Glendon Smith took 2-22 and Tyrese Stephany 2-27 for Richmond United who fell just short at 130-6 in 20 overs. Punraj Singh 35 and S. Ahiram 32 led their effort. Shamir Amin2-15andRaphaelDavid1-26werethewickettakers. Renegades vs DC Titans @ Joe Jagmohan groundRenegades rattled up 146-7 off their 20 overs with Sydney Peters 48 and Alex Collins 32 the run-getters. Avinash Persaud 3-19 and Suresh Persaud 2-20 were among the wickets. DCTitanshitofftherequiredruns,endingon147-1 in 14 overs with West Indies Over-40 player, Vishan Lall, hammeringanunbeaten87*toleadthemhome.

SouthAfricacloseinonT20WorldCup semiswithnine-wicketwinoverWestIndies

(Reuters)-SouthAfrica are on the verge of securing theirplaceinthesemi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup after captain Aiden Markram’s unbeaten knock of 82 led them to a commanding nine-wicket win over West Indies on Thursday

MarkramandQuintonde Kock’s 95-run opening partnership helped South Africachasedownatargetof 177 with 23 balls to spare, going to the top of Group OneintheSuperEightswith

four points, having also beatendefendingchampions IndiaonSunday West Indies, who beat Zimbabwe in their previous game, will face India on Sunday in a battle to reach the semi-finals, after the tournament hosts take on Zimbabwe later on

Thursday

“Whether I’m captain or not, opening is a responsibility we try to make sure the team gets off to a good start especially on wicketslikethisandhopeto

continue this,” Markram said.

Put in to bat first in Ahmedabad, West Indies were struggling at 43-4 in four overs, as Kagiso Rabada (2-22) dismissed ShaiHope(16)andShimron Hetmyer (2) before Lungi NgidigotBrandonKing(21 off 11 balls) caught by keeper De Kock and Roston Chasenickeditontohisown legstump.

Ngidi (3-30) also dismissed Rovman Powell, andinthe11thoverMatthew

Corbin Bosch was also among the wickets. (Getty Images)

Forde was caught trying to hit Corbin Bosch (2-31) downdeepbackwardsquare, with the two-time championslookingclosetoa collapseat83-7.

But Jason Holder (49) partnered with Romario Shepherd,adding89runsfor the eighth wicket to give West Indies a fighting chance. Unbeaten Shepherd scored 52 from 37 balls, helping West Indies post 176-8.

MARKRAM AND DE KOCKSETUPVICTORY

SouthAfrica began their chase with Markram hitting Matthew Forde towards

point for four, and De Kock hit Shamar Joseph for two sixesinthesixthovertoend thepowerplayat69-0.

DeKock(47off24balls) fell to Roston Chase in the eighth over, but it did nothing to slow down South Africa. Markram completed his half-century in 27 balls, and Ryan Rickelton hit Chase for three sixes within four balls to get his team to 155-1in14overs.

Markram, who hit four sixes and seven fours to score82from46balls,ended his player-of-the-match innings as he began, with a boundary to bring up the

winning runs, as South Africareached177-1in16.1 overs.

“Everything will not be easy The way we play our cricket, there will be a loss, the aim was to get it out early Next game will be a quarter-final,” West Indies captain Shai Hope said, referring to their make-orbreakclashwithIndia.

Scores: South Africa 177for1(Markram82*,de Kock 47, Rickelton 45*) beat West Indies 176 for 8 (Shepherd 52, Holder 49, Ngidi 3-20, Rabada 2-22, Bosch 2-31) by nine wickets

GBAtakes Developmental Tournament to Berbice in honourof Gregory Cort

The Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) will take its Developmental Tournament to Berbice on Saturday, as several of the country’s top amateur prospectsconvergeonRose Hall, Corentyne, for a special edition of the association’s flagship grassrootsprogramme.

The event, which forms part of the Michael Paris/Pepsi Under-16 Championship series, is set to take place at the Rose Hall Primary School from 2:00pm and is expected to attract fighters from gyms across Guyana. Talented boxers in various weight categories, many already regardedamongthenation’s most promising amateurs, will collide in what is anticipated to be an actionpacked showcase of skill andemergingtalent.

President of the GBA, Steve Ninvalle, said the stagingofthetournamentin Berbice is particularly

significant, as it fulfils a commitmenthemadeatthe funeral of the late boxing coachGregoryCort.

“At Coach Cort’s funeral, I made a promise thattheGBAwouldbringa developmental programme toBerbiceinhishonour,and we are proud to fulfil that promise,”Ninvallestated.

Berbice, Ninvalle said, “…has always been fertile ground for boxing talent, and it is important that we continue to invest in the youngfightersthere.”

Ninvalle emphasised that the Developmental Tournament is a critical pillar of the association’s long-termvision.

“These programmes are not just about competition; they are about building character, discipline and providing exposure for our youngboxers.

Hosting this edition at RoseHallPrimaryallowsus to connect directly with the community and continue

strengthening the foundation of boxing in Berbice,”heexplained.

“The GBA remains committed to creating opportunities for young athletes to grow and represent Guyana with pride.”

Over the years, the GBA’s developmental initiative has unearthed budding talent, particularly from Berbice, with several fighters going on to establishthemselvesamong thebestintheCaribbean.

Cort was regarded as a central figure in that pipeline, playing a pivotal role in nurturing and guiding young boxers who later excelled at regional andinternationallevels.

Saturday’s tournament willthereforeservenotonly as a competitive spectacle, butalsoasatributetoCort’s enduring legacy and B e r b i c e ’ s p r o u d contribution to Guyana’s boxinglandscape.

Guyana’s Lady Jags resumes CONCACAF Qualifiers campaign today against Dominica.

As opportunity meets ambition, Guyana’s Lady Jags will be hunting their first win of the 2025/26 campaign when they face Dominica in their home fixture of the CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifiers today at the Leonora Track and Field Centre.

Tension is high following a pulsating openingroundthatproduced 34 matches and 102 goals. Guyana will be eager to capitalise on home advantage, especially after sufferinganearly3-1defeat to Nicaragua in their Decemberouting.

The Lady Jags currently sit third in Group B, led by Nicaragua with two wins, Jamaica in second. Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica complete the standings Victory tonight is within reach but the determined Dominicans stand firmly in theirpath.

With preparations completed, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) hasnamedthefinalsquadto represent the Golden A

LadyJagshuntfirstwininCONCACAF QualifierstodayagainstDominica

(TalladegaCollege),Adelina Ritchie (United Futbol Academy), Anya Tribune (Gardner Webb University), Shamya Daniels (Talladega College), Shanic Thornhill (Police FC) and Sandra Johnson(GDFFC).

The technical bench will be headed by Omar Khan, supported by LeadAssistant

Coach Nasser Abdalla and Assistant Coach/Video

Analyst Dirk Quik Meaghan Phillips will oversee the goalkeepers

Andrea Johnson serves as Team Manager, while Dr Charlyn Elliot (Team Doctor/WelfareOfficer)and Natisha Mokutnauth (Team Physiotherapist) head the

medicalteam.

Following tonight’s clash,Guyanawillturntheir attention to an away encounter against Antigua and Barbuda on March 5 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

At the conclusion of the qualifiers, the six group winners will advance to the

eight-team CONCACAF W Championship, joining regional powerhouses the United States and Canada. Thetournamentwillserveas CONCACAF’s qualifying pathway to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 and the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games.

formidableDominicanside.

Between the posts, three reliable shot-stoppers have been selected: Arden LaR

O

Technological University) andDeekolaChester(Police FC).

The defensive unit will feature Jenea Knight (Charlest

Mondesir-Singh (Christian Brothers University), Adia Ritchie (United Futbol Academy), Glendy Lewis (GDF FC) and Niomie Williams(GDFFC). In midfield, Brianne Desa (Pickering FC), Samantha Banfield (Pickering FC), Hannah Baptiste (Sutton United), Savannah Vivia Singh (Catawba College), Alexis Bayley (Unionville UMSC) and Glengie Lewis (GDF FC) are expected to dictate thetempo.

Leading the attack are HopeWindebank(Pickering FC), Otesha Charles (Chatham Town FC), Calaigh Copland (Impero Venom), Annalisa Vincent

Lady

ready to

as Guyana host Dominica

Track and Field Centre tonight.

Lady Jags hunt first win in CONCACAF Qualifiers

GBA takes Developmental Tournament to Berbice in honour of Gregory Cort