Blog

Attorney General Anil Nandlall on Friday urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue a clear, explicit and unambiguous judgment in the long-running Guyana–Venezuela border controversy, warning that any ambiguity could allow Venezuela to continue challenging Guyana’s sovereignty over the Essequibo region.

Speaking during Guyana’s final oral submissions before the court, Nandlall rejected Venezuela’s arguments and said they were legally unfounded, historically inaccurate, and inconsistent with both international law and past conduct.

Nandlall told the court that the controversy carries an “existential quality” for Guyana, stressing that Venezuela’s longstanding claim to more than 70% of Guyana’s territory has placed generations of Guyanese under what he described as a “long and threatening shadow.”

He said the impact of the controversy on Guyana’s development, security, and prosperity could not be overstated, adding that the country would effectively cease to exist in its current form if the claim were upheld.

Emphasising Guyana’s reliance on international law, the Attorney General said the country’s approach to the case is rooted in a deep institutional and national commitment to the rule of law.

“International law is the bedrock of the international order,” he stated, describing it as the foundation for peaceful relations between states and a core national principle for Guyana.

He added that Guyana entered the proceedings in 2018 with full confidence in the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award, the authority of the United Nations Secretary-General’s referral to the ICJ, and the impartiality of the court.

A significant portion of Nandlall’s address focused on rejecting Venezuela’s legal and historical claims.

He said Venezuela’s challenge to the 1899 Arbitral Award lacked merit and was unsupported by both the text and history of the 1966 Geneva Agreement.

He also dismissed arguments questioning the award’s validity, noting that issues such as the absence of written reasons or the timing of the decision do not affect its legal standing.

“The award was and remains valid and binding on the parties,” he told the court, describing it as the “full, perfect and final settlement” of the border between the two states as established under the 1897 treaty framework.

Nandlall further accused Venezuela of attempting to distort historical facts, including what he said was a false claim made during the hearing that the Essequibo River was named after a Spanish explorer.

He clarified that the name is derived from an Indigenous word meaning “fire side,” later adopted by Dutch and British settlers.

He said such assertions formed part of a broader pattern of what Guyana considers efforts to “rewrite the history” of the region and undermine Guyana’s sovereignty.

The Attorney General also pointed to Venezuela’s post-independence conduct, alleging continued efforts to assert control over the territory, including legislation and administrative actions aimed at incorporating the Essequibo region.

He referenced Venezuela’s creation of administrative structures and renaming efforts as part of what Guyana views as ongoing attempts to assert jurisdiction over the disputed area.

Nandlall stressed that the ICJ’s final decision must be clear, comprehensive, and legally conclusive.

He warned that any ambiguity could be exploited by Venezuela to continue asserting claims over the territory, prolonging the controversy.

“The clarity and specificity of your judgment are vital to the effective resolution of this long-standing dispute,” he said.

He concluded by urging the court to affirm the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award and confirm the established boundary without qualification, calling it essential to ending what he described as a decades-long international controversy.

The post Guyana urges ICJ for clear ruling as Venezuela falsely claims Essequibo named after Spanish appeared first on News Room Guyana.

The Government of Guyana, through Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL), has signed a landmark US$27.3 million contract with PowerChina International Group Limited for the construction of a major Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) aimed at improving the stability and reliability of the country’s electricity network.

The agreement covers the engineering, procurement and construction of a 60 MWh / 30 MW Battery Energy Storage System, along with associated substation expansions and systems integration, at a contract sum of US$27,366,171.06.

The contract signing was led by Head of GPL’s Executive Management Committee, Kesh Nandlall, alongside Divisional Director Ryan Ross and representatives from both GPL and PowerChina International Group Limited.

Under the project, two 30 MWh / 15 MW lithium-ion battery systems will be installed at the New Sophia and Goedverwagting substations in Region Four.

The systems are expected to add 30 MW of power to GPL’s grid while significantly strengthening the stability of the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS), which serves the country’s most populated regions.

According to GPL, the battery systems will play a critical role in reducing fluctuations and improving overall grid performance as electricity demand continues to rise across Guyana.

The project will also see the new battery infrastructure integrated with the Guyana National Control Centre (GNCC) using modern Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Energy Management and Automatic Generation Control systems.

GPL said the contract additionally includes spare parts, maintenance services and technical training for GPL engineers to support long-term operations and sustainability.

The project is expected to be completed within eight months.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, Nandlall described the initiative as a major milestone in modernizing Guyana’s electricity infrastructure.

He explained that the Battery Energy Storage System will help reduce the frequency and duration of power outages while improving restoration times through its “black start” capability — the ability to restart sections of the power grid independently following a major shutdown.

The project is also expected to support the integration of renewable energy sources into Guyana’s electricity system as the country advances its Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 goals.

The signing comes amid continued government efforts to expand and modernize Guyana’s power generation and transmission infrastructure as rapid economic growth drives increased electricity demand.

GPL said it remains committed to investing in modern infrastructure to improve the reliability, efficiency and sustainability of electricity supply across the country.

The post Guyana signs US$27.3M deal with PowerChina for major battery energy storage project  appeared first on News Room Guyana.

A new wedding and cultural showcase is set to debut in Guyana with ambitions of transforming the local wedding industry, supporting young creatives, and positioning the country as a destination wedding hotspot in the Caribbean.

Speaking at the media launch of the inaugural Land of Many Loves event, co-founder of Sheishonen Guyana, Julianna Lopes, said the initiative was born out of years of observing gaps in Guyana’s entertainment, tourism and wedding sectors.

“This name felt appropriate given Guyana’s multicultural and multi-ethnic society,” Lopes said, explaining that the event’s title is a playful spin on Guyana’s well-known slogan, The Land of Many Waters.

According to Lopes, the event aims to create a more connected and accessible wedding industry while also highlighting Guyana’s rich cultural traditions surrounding marriage and family.

Lopes noted that while weddings play a major cultural and religious role in Guyanese society, the commercial side of the industry remains fragmented, with vendors often operating independently and clients relying heavily on word-of-mouth recommendations.

“There isn’t a general seamless integration between both service providers and clients,” she explained.

The event comes at a time when Guyana is seeking to expand its tourism offerings, particularly after the Government announced the removal of the longstanding 14-day residency requirement for destination weddings — a move expected to make Guyana more attractive to overseas couples.

Lopes said the policy change has opened the door for Guyana to market itself more aggressively as a wedding destination.

One of the headline features of Land of Many Loves will be a social media campaign launching on May 11, through which three couples will be selected to receive fully curated wedding experiences.

Interested couples will be asked to submit personalized videos explaining how they met, why they want to get married, and why they should be chosen.

According to Lopes, the initiative is designed not only to celebrate love, but also to support couples who may not otherwise have the financial means to afford large weddings.

“The Land of Many Loves aims to work alongside both the private and public sectors to directly support couples who may not have the financial means to afford décor or venue bookings,” she said.

The event will also spotlight Guyanese wedding customs and traditions from various ethnic and religious communities, including pre-wedding ceremonies and cultural rituals.

Organizers say the initiative is intended to educate both locals and the diaspora about the country’s diverse traditions surrounding marriage and family life.

In addition, the event is expected to provide opportunities for photographers, videographers, musicians, wedding planners, content creators, stylists and other creatives.

Lopes said Sheishonen Guyana intends to continue building partnerships across the private and public sectors as Guyana develops its wider tourism economy.

“Tonight we’ll be sharing just a sneak peek of what you can expect at the Land of Many Loves,” she told attendees at the launch.

The inaugural event is expected to blend entertainment, culture, romance and tourism into what organizers hope will become a signature Guyanese experience.

The post ‘Land of Many Loves’ aims to transform Guyana’s wedding industry  appeared first on News Room Guyana.

New Zealander Finn Allen hit a brutal 47-ball century to lead Kolkata Knight Riders to a dominant eight-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals and boost his side’s unlikely push towards the Indian Premier League play-offs.

By hitting the winning runs with a six, Allen finished exactly 100 not out as KKR completed a chase of 143 with 5.4 overs to spare.

He had 20 from 17 balls and, having been dropped on 42 by Tristan Stubbs, was on 45 from 31.

At that stage KKR were 75-2 after 10 overs but Allen, who scored 33-ball hundred in this year’s T20 World Cup semi-final, hit eight of his remaining 16 balls for six.

Fifty-five of KKR’s remaining 72 runs came off his bat, while the right-hander also scored 83 runs in an unbroken stand of 116 with Australia Cameron Green, who finished 33 not out.

Allen is only the fourth KKR player to score an IPL century, following West Indian Sunil Narine, India’s Venkatesh Iyer and fellow New Zealander Brendon McCullum.

Delhi, meanwhile, were strangely meek with the bat. They were 74-1 in the eighth over but stumbled to 142-8, taking only 11 runs in five overs from the 12th to 16th despite not losing a wicket. Opener Pathum Nissanka made 50 off 29.

Delhi drop to eighth in the table on eight points and are struggling to make the play-offs with three games to go.

KKR were winless across their first six matches but have now won four in a row.

They have nine points in seventh – three fewer than Royal Challengers Benglauru, Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans who are third, fourth and fifth respectively. (ESPNcricinfo)

 

The post IPL 2026: Blazing Allen fires KKR to victory over DC appeared first on News Room Guyana.

Hundreds of already processed passports are piling up at Immigration offices across the country, with officials warning that applicants are failing to return to collect their documents.

Deputy Chief Immigration Officer Stephen Telford said the backlog has reached concerning levels, despite continued applications from citizens.

“Currently we have hundreds of passports that were already printed, that persons would have applied for and those persons have not returned to uplift those passports,” Telford recently told the News Room.

He disclosed that at the Fort Wellington passport office alone— the newest in the system— more than 100 passports remain uncollected.

At the Leonora office, over 300 passports are still sitting idle, while Central Georgetown accounts for the largest share, with more than 1,500 passports waiting to be picked up.

“Persons are applying yes but they are not coming to uplift,” Telford said, adding that many only return when they urgently need identification for travel or business.

The remains for this is not specific, but Telford said persons eventually show up when the need arise for the document.

“It’s up until they realise that oh they supposed to pick up back their passport that they come or if they decide to travel or if they go to do a business and want a form of ID then they come to pick up their passport,” he said.

This, Telford said is one of the of several ongoing challenges for the passport system, alongside a growing number of applications for newborn babies.

He noted that parents are now applying for passports for infants as young as five days old following policy changes.

“…Five days in the baby life they are here applying for a passport for that baby because we are no longer allowing babies to be on their parents passport, every citizen is entitled to their own passport,” he explained.

Telford is therefore urging applicants to collect their passports promptly once processed, warning that the backlog continues to strain operations across the system.

The post Hundreds of passports sitting unclaimed across Guyana appeared first on News Room Guyana.

Renowned international lawyer Paul Reichler delivered a forceful closing argument on Friday before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Venezuela of failing to provide evidence in its long-running border dispute with Guyana and relying instead on what he described as “passionate rhetoric” and historical narrative.

The case concerns the long-disputed 160,000-square-kilometre Essequibo region, a resource-rich territory that makes up the majority of Guyana’s landmass and has been at the centre of a century-old legal and diplomatic conflict.

Opening his submission, Reichler repeatedly questioned the strength of Venezuela’s case, arguing that it had not responded to Guyana’s documentary record.

“Where is the evidence?” he asked, telling the court that Venezuela had been given multiple opportunities to respond but had instead relied on argumentation and historical interpretation rather than contemporaneous documentation.

He said the evidentiary record presented by Guyana remained “unanswered and unchallenged,” and that it directly contradicted Venezuela’s claims over sovereignty of the territory.

A significant portion of Reichler’s argument focused on what he called Venezuela’s “self-serving narrative” of history.

He rejected Venezuela’s framing of itself as a victim of colonial-era injustice, instead arguing that the documentary record showed Venezuela had, at various points, actively sought arbitration over the territory and later accepted the outcomes.

Reichler told the court that Venezuela’s interpretation of events reversed the roles of “victim and aggressor,” and that it had no evidentiary basis in the historical record.

The lawyer defended the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the boundary between then-British Guiana and Venezuela, arguing that Venezuela had presented no proof that Spain or Venezuela had ever occupied the disputed territory.

He referenced historical maps and archival records presented by Guyana, stating they demonstrated continuous occupation of the region by Dutch and later British authorities, not Spanish or Venezuelan control.

Reichler also rejected claims that subsequent agreements, including the 1966 Geneva Agreement, nullified the 1899 award.

He argued instead that the agreement preserved existing legal positions pending a final settlement, rather than replacing or invalidating the arbitral ruling.

According to Reichler, Venezuela’s interpretation of the agreement was inconsistent with its text and with prior legal understandings acknowledged by the court.

In a broader critique, Reichler dismissed Venezuela’s portrayal of itself as a leading anti-colonial voice in the region as “inconsistent with the historical record.”

He argued that Venezuela’s actions over the decades were driven by strategic interest in the resource-rich territory rather than principles of decolonisation.

The hearing formed part of a week-long session at the ICJ in The Hague, where both Guyana and Venezuela are presenting final arguments in a case that could determine the legal status of the disputed Essequibo region.

Guyana has asked the court to confirm the validity of the 1899 boundary settlement, while Venezuela continues to challenge the court’s jurisdiction and insists the matter should be resolved through negotiations.

A final ruling from the ICJ is expected in the coming months.

 

 

The post ‘Where is the evidence?’ – Guyana says Venezuela’s arguments at ICJ only passionate rhetoric appeared first on News Room Guyana.

Local physiotherapists are considering the creation of a Guyana Strength and Conditioning Association following their recent participation in the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association’s Accredited Strength and Conditioning Trainer programme.

Physiotherapist Jana Edghill said the proposed association aims to bring together professionals and individuals interested in improving athletic performance through modern Strength and Conditioning practices.

“The idea is to unify individuals in enhancing evidence-based Strength and Conditioning practices across the country,” Edghill told News Room.

Key goals of the association will include aligning athletes with international best practices in sports performance, supporting professional development and training opportunities, building local capacity in strength and conditioning and creating a unified network of practitioners committed to athlete development.

“We just want to provide some sort of structure when it comes to this aspect of sports. We want to enhance professional development, create a space where there is access to certification and educational opportunities for capacity building.”

“It’s about bringing standards, regulations and guidelines as it relates to Strength and Conditioning to ensure safe and effective training processes.”

Acknowledging the evolving nature of sport and the scientific approach, Edghill said it is important local athletes are equipped with the knowledge and resources to adapt to the ever-changing sporting landscape.

“We can provide some sort of systems that would improve training to better contribute to their performance and reduce their injury rate, working closely with our national sport bodies and educational institutions,” Edghill added.

People interested in joining the initiative can contact Edghill on +592-712-3255 by the end of May for more information.

In February this year, the National Sports Commission (NSC) held a specialised Physiotherapist workshop as part of its continued efforts to strengthen athlete care and medical support across the country’s expanding sports sector.

The initiative was formalised following a collaborative meeting between the NSC and the Ministry of Health’s Disability and Rehabilitation Services Department, headed by Dr. Ariane Mangar.

The forum brough together physiotherapists, sport administrators, coaches, and medical personnel from multiple disciplines, creating a platform for knowledge exchange and practical learning.

The workshop, which had 90 registrants, moved beyond basic first aid, tackling complex physiological issues, such as Injury Mechanics, Acute Management, Physical Prep and Elite Standards.

The post Local physiotherapists mull formation of Strength and Conditioning Association appeared first on News Room Guyana.

The penultimate night of action in the inaugural Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport/East Bank Inter-Village Football Tournament continued to serve up absorbing play with Kuru Kururu and Grove turning back the challenges of their opponents to contest the final on Saturday night (May 9) at the Eccles EE Ground.

Both semi-finals were gruelling encounters; Kuru Kururu storming back from a goal down to beat Herstelling 3-1 via kicks from the penalty mark, while Grove needled Agricola in the opening game, which was affected by a power outage 15 minutes into the first half and lasted for about 40 minutes.

This delay resulted in both captains Domini Garnett (Grove) and Solomon Austin agreeing to reduce the game to 70 minutes. It was soon after the resumption that Grove defender, Trevor Jones found the space and range to slot one past Agricola’s custodian, Andel Mohanlall, and as it turned out, it was the golden goal in the 17th minute.

The exchanges between the two villages were end to end as Grove sought to defend their advantage and Agricola constantly went after the equalising goal. Agricola were able to smother the efforts of the tournament’s leading goal scorer, Domini Garnett (six goals) in their defensive third, but it did not matter for Garnett.

The night’s main attraction produced a humdinger of a clash as the lads from the Soesdyke Linden Highway, like Grove, maintained their unbeaten run in the tournament with a come from behind win.

Herstelling took the lead in the 24th minute through a Jesus Perez goal and defended that lead up until the 65th minute when Kevin Scott scored his third goal of the tournament to restore parity to the game.

At the end of full-time the scores was locked at 1-1 and it remained the same after extra time was exhausted. Kicks from the penalty mark did not go well for Herstelling as they missed three of four opportunities onteh other hand, Kuru Kururu converted three of their five shots to book a date with Grove on Saturday night in the championship match.

At stake will be G$1M for the winner with the losing finalist receiving G$500,000. The winner of the third-place clash between Agricola and Herstelling, will earn G$250,000 and fourth place, G$150,000.

The MVP of the tournament will cash in on G$100,000 with G$80,000 each set aside for the Highest Goal Scorer and Best Goalkeeper.

Gratitude is being extended to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Housing, National Sports Commission, Bounty Farm Ltd., Fitness Express, Star Rentals, Trophy Stall, NAMILCO and Republic Bank for their partnership which has made this tournament possible.

The post Grove and Kuru Kururu to clash in MCY&S/East Bank Inter-Village final appeared first on News Room Guyana.

See below the full statement from the Ministry of Education: 

The Ministry of Education has launched an immediate investigation into an incident which occurred earlier today at the Tuschen Secondary School, leaving two students injured.

The injured boys were promptly transported to the De Kinderen Regional Hospital, where they were treated by medical staff and subsequently discharged.

The student perpetrator is facing expulsion from the school and was taken into police custody, while a teacher allegedly involved in the incident has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a thorough police investigation.

Sonia Parag, Minister of Education, visited the injured boys and their families at the hospital earlier today.

Also present, to ensure a coordinated response, were the Regional Health Officer, the Regional Education Officer, and the school’s headteacher.

In addition to the police and education investigations, the Childcare and Protection Agency of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has been informed to ensure the welfare of all parties is addressed.

The Ministry of Education remains firmly committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all students and teachers, and continues to follow established standard operating procedures to maintain a secure and conducive learning environment for everyone.

The post Student facing expulsion, teacher on administrative leave after two injured in secondary school attack appeared first on News Room Guyana.