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Trevaughn Waldron and Eslyne Gomes claimed the marquee titles as Archery Guyana’s 2026 National Indoor Championships concluded following two days of high-stakes precision at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

The event, which saw 56 archers register, making it the largest indoor tournament in the federation’s history, showcased the rapid expansion of the sport across the country, driven by a significant influx of youth talent.

In the heavily contested Recurve Men’s division, Waldron produced a composed performance under pressure to capture gold, outlasting Mehandra Chatargum and Purshotam Sharma, who secured silver and bronze, respectively.

The Recurve Women’s title went to Gomes, who topped the podium ahead of silver medallist Karin Onica Toppin and bronze winner Roshini Boodhoo .

In the high-powered Compound division, Gerard Mekdeci demonstrated exceptional technical consistency to walk away with the senior men’s national crown, fending off strong challenges from Anand Mangra and Errol Toppin.

The Barebow disciplines proved equally competitive, with Nolan Gray securing the senior men’s title and Shianne Affonso-Simon prevailing in a tightly fought women’s division.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) President Godfrey Munroe lauded the federation’s structural progress.

“Archery Guyana must be commended for its organisation, discipline, and unwavering commitment to athlete development,” Munroe said, addressing the packed arena.

The tournament also highlighted the sport’s burgeoning youth base. In the Under-18 divisions, Saifullah Gani and Samiyyah La Cruez dominated the Recurve categories . Gani took gold ahead of Keziah Archer, while La Cruez led a competitive field to win the women’s junior title over Fatima Gani.

The junior Compound category was an outright sweep for the Pro Archers club, spearheaded by a gold-medal performance from Ravish Singh, followed by brothers Nicholas and Timothy Sukhu.

The federation took substantial steps to modernise its local operations for this year’s championship. In a bid to prepare local archers for international pressure, officials introduced a newly acquired, World Archery Americas-approved TS digital timer and electronic signalling system .

Scoring was managed via the globally recognised IANSEO software, providing real-time live updates to spectators throughout the weekend .

Archery Guyana President Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon praised the tournament’s execution and hinted at broader sports science frameworks on the horizon.

“We are incredibly grateful to our competition committees and volunteers who made this historic turnout a reality,” Persaud-McKinnon stated, before announcing upcoming plans to launch mandatory vision screening and bloodwork monitoring initiatives aimed at optimising high-performance development for national athletes.

National Judge and Director of Shooting Ryan McKinnon, alongside judges Robert Singh and Afzal Karim, oversaw the event to ensure strict adherence to World Archery standards.

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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) won, and yet it didn’t feel like a win. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lost, but it didn’t feel like that either. In a nutshell, that’s how Friday night went in Hyderabad as RCB secured a top-two finish – they finished No. 1 – despite a 55-run defeat, while SRH remained third.

On the back of half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan, SRH posted a monster total of 255, but had to restrict RCB to 166 or below for a chance to move into the top two. Rajat Patidar’s 56, Venkatesh Iyer’s 44 and Krunal Pandya’s unbeaten 41 ensured there were no blushes for RCB even as they finished the league stage with a defeat.

That left the top three teams all on 18 points, with Gujarat Titans sandwiched between the two teams at No. 1 and No. 3. Eventually, it came down to net run-rate to decide which team would go to Qualifier 1, and which team would play the Eliminator. (ESPNcricinfo) 

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See below the full release from the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning: 

The Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning hereby advises the public that investigations concerning allegations of labour and occupational safety and health violations involving Indian nationals employed at EKAA HRIM Earth Resources continued today.

An inter-agency meeting comprising officials from the Ministries of Legal Affairs, Home Affairs as well as, Human Services, led by the Ministry of Labour & Manpower Planning, assembled at the Ministry and met with the workers and representatives of the company. The acting Indian High Commissioner was also present and engaged in this process.

During the course of the consultations, the management of EKAA HRIM Earth Resources committed to disbursing all outstanding salaries and wages due, on or before the 27th of May, 2026. Further, both sides raised other matters, for which they have undertaken to supply additional supporting documentation, in the new week.

In this regard, the Ministry emphasises that the process remains ongoing and continues to be guided by the principles of due process, and compliance with the laws of Guyana.

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Read full statement from Caribbean Airlines:

From June 1, 2026, the airline will discontinue service on the Dominica, St. Kitts and Ogle to Suriname routes. Additionally, the airline will reduce frequency to Martinique and Guadeloupe to twice weekly.

Customers holding bookings on affected services beyond applicable discontinuation dates, will be contacted directly by Caribbean Airlines or via their travel agents.

Affected passengers will be:

* Offered re-accommodation on alternative regional services where feasible.

* Alternative itineraries via Caribbean Airlines and partner connections.

* Full refund of the unused portion of their ticket, or

* Retention of the ticket value as future travel credit, subject to fare conditions.

Caribbean Airlines is actively working towards concluding a codeshare agreement with a regional airline partner. Once finalized and approved, the agreement will provide customers with access to a wider network of destinations through coordinated schedules, seamless connections and integrated ticketing arrangements.

In keeping with standard aviation and regulatory practices, Caribbean Airlines will undertake the necessary operational, regulatory and customer support processes to facilitate a smooth transition.

Caribbean Airlines remains committed to maintaining strong regional connectivity through a sustainable and commercially responsible network, while continuing to focus on operational reliability, customer experience and long-term financial stability.

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President Dr Irfaan Ali Friday afternoon said 353 schools countrywide have been reporting cases of misbehaviour by students, citing rising gang activity, cyber bullying, substance use and vaping; he said consultations will soon be underway to determine the way forward in addressing these issues.

The President Ali said cyber bullying was often the trigger for wider incidents among students.

“A lot of these things start with cyber bullying,” he stated.

He said the scale of the issues has become alarming, with Region Four accounting for the highest share of reported cases.

“This is a big problem,” Dr Ali told a press conference in Georgetown.

Ali said 41% of reported cases were in Region Four, followed by Regions Six, Three, Five and Ten, though he noted population size was a contributing factor.

Among schools identified as facing higher levels of behavioural challenges were Diamond Secondary, Soesdyke Secondary, East Ruimveldt Secondary, Linden Foundation Secondary, Canje Secondary and Bartica Secondary.

The president said authorities were launching a public consultation focused in part on cyber bullying, particularly through social media.

He said the effects were spilling beyond school compounds and contributing to wider emotional harm among students.

“What we’ve also seen, and based on the reports and analysis, you have a lot of copycat behavior. You have…humiliation and trauma.”

He said authorities were responding with greater inter-agency coordination, expanded counselling services, confidential reporting mechanisms, stronger parental and community involvement, and policy reforms.

Ali also pointed to a broader social dimension, including the underrepresentation of male teachers and the need for stronger mentoring programmes involving fathers and community leaders.

“Now this of course has become a very complex issue,” he said.

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President Dr. Irfaan Ali confirmed that the first set of disbursements from the new Guyana Development Bank will be made soon, as the government plans to table the necessary legislation at the next sitting of the National Assembly.

At a press conference on Friday, President Ali told reporters that the technical work needed for the establishment of the bank has wrapped up. And soon, it will become operational.

“The development bank is on track. We are hoping to have the first set of disbursements soon, as soon as we get past the legislative aspect,” he noted.

The proposed Guyana Development Bank is expected to provide up to $3 million in zero-interest, low-collateral financing, primarily targeting youths, women-owned businesses, persons with disabilities, and small entrepreneurs who often face challenges accessing financing from traditional commercial banks.

President Ali said the bank will be operational in all regions, as the government hopes to empower Guyanese.

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Guyana has deployed additional security assets along its western border and is working with international allies following recent armed attacks on Guyana Defence Force patrols along the Cuyuni River, President Irfaan Ali said on Thursday.

The move comes after Guyana earlier this month accused armed men operating from the Venezuelan side of the border of attacking GDF patrols in separate incidents along the Cuyuni River, further escalating tensions amid the longstanding border controversy over the Essequibo region.

“As you know, we have addressed this with our allies. We have addressed this diplomatically with Venezuela,” Ali told reporters at a press conference in Georgetown.

Ali said authorities were also examining reports of other shootings to determine whether the incidents were linked.

Guyana is using intelligence gathered with support from international partners as part of that assessment, he said.

“You know we had a case of the ICJ anyhow, so we are very watchful.”

Ali declined to provide operational details on the additional deployments but said Guyana remained confident in its ability to secure its territory.

“But we are confident about protecting our sovereignty and our borders.”

The president also said the government was advancing its border patrol strategy, including integrating community-based policing efforts into broader border monitoring and intelligence operations.

He said the initiative, first launched in Region Nine, was still in the assessment phase as authorities determine how best to tailor deployments to different border challenges.

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Guyana plans to achieve nationwide CCTV surveillance coverage by 2030, integrating cameras, drones and smart sensors into a broad national security network, President Irfaan Ali said on Thursday.

Ali said the surveillance system would be linked to a wider digital security architecture designed to improve crime detection, traffic monitoring and emergency response.

“We intend by 2030 to have all of our country fully covered,” Ali said.

He said the plan would see over 20,000 CCTV cameras being set up countrywide.

The system would include interconnected CCTV cameras, intelligent traffic systems, sensor-enabled infrastructure and aerial surveillance tools capable of tracking suspect movements.

Ali said authorities are also exploring technology that would allow law enforcement to reconstruct a vehicle’s movements across multiple locations over a 72-hour period.

The president said drone technology could be deployed rapidly to monitor incidents, sensitive locations and fleeing suspects.

The surveillance push is part of Guyana’s broader effort to modernise public infrastructure as rapid economic expansion transforms the country.

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President Dr. Irfaan Ali on Friday said letters have been sent to about 1,600 individuals, as part of efforts to scrutinise how their driver’s licenses were acquired and to crack down on irregularities.

“The Traffic Chief sent out 1,600 letters to persons who they are interested in to find out how they acquired their driver’s licenses,” President Ali said at a press conference in Georgetown.

These moves come as the government forges ahead with the rollout of a smart traffic management system.

In April, President Ali said a list of persons linked to irregularities in the driver’s licensing system would be published soon. The persons named on that list would be asked to explain themselves, he said then.

There were earlier warnings from him t that persons who did not follow the proper process to obtain licences would be given six weeks to surrender themselves or face prosecution, licence suspension, and public exposure. These warnings were made, the President said, as a technology-driven audit found serious problems in the system. One issue was that people got practical certificates without passing the theory test.

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Amid allegations about the treatment of Indian nationals employed at the Region Seven quarry run by EKAA HRIM Earth Resources Management, the company has refuted the claims made.

At a press conference held at Cara Lodge in Georgetown on Thursday, company representatives denied that passports were confiscated and that workers were subjected to poor accommodation and inadequate meals.

Company representative Karthick Muthuvel maintained that salary obligations — including statutory remittances to the Guyana Revenue Authority and the National Insurance Scheme — had been met up to the end of March, and that payments for April and May remain outstanding but are to be settled. Muthuvel also said allegations of forced labour are “false and deeply irresponsible,” noting that no employee was compelled to remain at the site in Batavia. It was also explained that the passport were lodged at the company office at the behest of the employees, reportedly for safekeeping.

Meanwhile, EKAA’s Shiva Kumar addressed the death of worker Sekhar Chhetri, who reportedly died on May 12. The company representative said he died of a heart attack. Kumar said Chhetri’s remains are being embalmed and will be repatriated to India, with arrangements handled by Memorial Gardens.

On the question of repatriation, Yoganand Persaud, former chief labour officer who is providing consultancy services to the company, explained that the company would pay for an employee’s flight back to India after 24 months of work. If the work contract was terminated before that by the employee, they would have to pay for their flight back to India.

To move forward now, the company representatives urged the workers to engage them. Persaud assured the workers that their complaints would be individually addressed.

“We have to get each one of the workers to deal with each one, because each contract is different,” Persaud said.

Guyana’s Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning is investigating the matter. In a release issued earlier this week, the ministry said passports have been returned to the 38 workers who raised the complaints.

Subject Minister, Keoma Griffith, told reporters that the investigation now involves his ministry and the Ministries of Human Services and Home Affairs because of the seriousness and scope of the claims, which include allegations of withheld passports, unsafe working conditions, outstanding payments, and other labour violations.

According to Griffith, investigators are examining workers’ contracts, safety conditions, living arrangements, and allegations of unpaid salaries and overtime.

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