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Guyana on Wednesday adopted the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) initiative as part of efforts to improve the skills and knowledge of medical professionals, particularly those in far-flung communities.

Funded by Mount Sinai, the initiative allows healthcare providers, particularly in remote areas, to present cases to a network of colleagues and specialists, receiving guidance on diagnosis and treatment. The approach is expected to build confidence and improve decision-making among healthcare workers.

Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony said the programme is designed to complement investments in infrastructure by ensuring healthcare workers are better equipped to manage complex cases.

“We have to complement what we are doing with infrastructure with upgrading people’s knowledge and we feel one of the fastest ways of doing that is to ensure we have this peer to peer kind of interaction,” Dr. Anthony said.

The programme will be delivered through Guyana’s expanding telemedicine platform, but through a different approach. It will follow a model rolled out in other countries such as Kenya. The Georgetown Public Hospital and the Ministry will be the first to utilise it, then other institutions.

The first engagement will commence on Thursday with a focus on hypertension. Dr. Anthony said the programme was long-awaited, with discussions between the ministry and Mount Sinai supporting the infrastructure work at the newly built hospitals.

Dr Rachel Vreeman, from Mount Sinai, Guyana’s international partner, said Project ECHO has already demonstrated success in other countries by helping healthcare workers deliver consistent, high-quality care, even in rural settings.

“This can really be an incredible way for every clinician to have connection into the kind of support and learning and answers that you will find useful. I’ve found as a clinician myself, that project ECHO is a place where I could bring cases and questions and really have incredible input from experts,” she said.

Doctors, medexes and other healthcare workers will be able to actively engage with the platform as part of a broader effort to build capacity.

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Two days after falling overboard during a fishing trip, 28-year-old Aladdin Dookie of Number 77 Housing Scheme, Corriverton, Berbice, was found dead.

Reports state that on March 21 at around 17:59 hours, Dookie, who was the captain of the boat, along with three others, was fishing near Orealla Village on the Corentyne River in Berbice.

According to the information gathered,  while trying to start the engine by pulling the choke, Dookie accidentally fell overboard after leaning too far over the side of the boat. He was seen going underwater and has not resurfaced since.

In response to the tragic incident, a search party was organized to comb the area for Dookie, but he was not found.

Dookie’s wife, Amrita Singh, told the News Room that around 13:30 hours on Tuesday, she was informed that her husband had been found. She said Dookie’s body was spotted floating near Siparuta, not far from Orealla.

According to Singh, the police were notified, and they traveled to the area to retrieve the body. A postmortem examination is expected to determine the cause of death.

Singh recalled that Dookie left home on Wednesday, March 18th, and was expected to spend five days. She said the last time she spoke to her husband was on Thursday at noon, and he promised to return her call. Singh added that she tried to call him but couldn’t get through.

“Me husband wasn’t a bad person, he always provide for us. If is the last food he get, he ah make certain he wife and pickney eat and left he self without,” the grieving woman stated.

Singh further said, “seven years now me husband do fishing work and nothing like this never happen. Me glad if me husband could’ve return alive.”

She expressed that with her husband’s passing, the family’s main breadwinner, it will be difficult for her and their four children to manage in the future.

Dookie leaves to mourn his wife and their children—daughters, ages nine and one year five months; and sons, ages six and four.

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On Monday, March 23, 2026, upon application by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), the Honourable Chief Justice (ag) Navindra Singh granted a Detention Order in favour of SOCU, pursuant to section 37A of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act, Cap. 10:11 (‘AML/CFT Act’).

The Order permits SOCU to detain 4018.15 pennyweights of Gold valued at over eighty million, nine hundred eleven thousand, seven hundred sixty-five Guyanese Dollars (G$80,911,765.00); and Currency, in the sum of eighty-one million one hundred one thousand two hundred Guyanese dollars (GY$81,101,200.00), (“the properties”), being properties of Sebastiao De Olivera Moura and GAGO Gold Inc. (“the Respondents”).

On February 7, 2024, following a joint operation conducted by SOCU, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Guyana Gold Board (‘GGB’), and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (‘GGMC’), SOCU obtained several Detention Orders from the High Court to detain the said properties until May 6, 2025. However, before the Orders elapsed, then Chief Justice Roxane George ordered the release of the properties on April 3, 2025. On April 4, 2025, SOCU instituted five (5) counts of criminal charges for money laundering against Sebastiao De Olivera Moura in contravention of section 3(1)(c) of the AML/CFT Act.

On November 26, 2025, following an Order of then Honourable Chief Justice Roxane George dated November 25, 2025, SOCU returned the properties to the Respondents, but later re-seized them. Following the re-seizure of the assets on November 26, 2025, SOCU applied to the Court for a Detention Order to detain the said properties on the basis that they are tainted property and proceeds of crime; are derived from money laundering; that there is a real risk of the assets dissipating if not preserved; and that the assets are inextricably linked to and required as evidence in the ongoing criminal proceedings in the Magistrate’s Court.

Despite a heated court battle being led by defence attorneys Latchmie Rahamat and Naresh Poonai, the chief Justice in his decision granted the detention order for the properties, Chief Justice Singh ruled that “the fact is, the Property was physically returned as ordered by the Court. In addition, in ordering the release of the Property, Chief Justice George [as she then was] did not make a finding or adjudicate on whether or not the Property was tainted property. There being no such adjudication with respect to the Property, the Applicant is entitled to seize the Property under section 37A of the AMLFCTA.”

The Honourable Chief Justice further determined that the Respondents have not raised any viable defence to SOCU’s detention application, and that “the Applicant has set out cogent evidence demonstrating that it has reasonable grounds to seize the Property and is justified in seeking detention Orders for same.”

The Court awarded costs to SOCU in the sum of GY$500,000.00 to be paid on or before April 23, 2026.

SOCU was represented by Attorney-at-Law, Mr. David Brathwaite, while the Respondents were represented by Attorneys-at-Law, Mr. Naresh Poonai and Ms. Latchmie Rahamat. (SOCU press release)

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A guest at the Quamina Street Guest House in Georgetown is counting his blessings after he was forced to jump from a window to escape a fast spreading fire that destroyed the building in the early hours of Wednesday.

The fire occurred at around 02:21 hrs at the Quamina Guest House located at Lot 125 Quamina Street, Georgetown.

According to Fire Chief Gregory Wickham, after the Guyana Fire Service received the call, three fire tenders were dispatched to the scene.

Despite efforts by firefighters to contain the blaze, the three-storey wooden and concrete structure was completely destroyed.

Two persons sustained minor burns and were treated at the hospital.

One of the victims, Merrick Andrews, recounted to the News Room the terrifying moment he was forced to leap for his life.

He told the News Room that he had been lying in bed when he heard people outside shouting that there was a fire.

“I went and peep through the window and I hear this man downstairs shouting that one of the rooms on fire,” Andrews said.

He explained that he initially attempted to make his way downstairs to alert the receptionist, who he said usually sleeps at that time, since the grilled stairway was the only exit.

However, heavy smoke quickly filled the stairwell.

“When I run downstairs smoke just caught me right on the stairs and I decided to turn back,” he said. “I ran back upstairs and when I peep through the window there was a large fire break out on the window,” Andrews said.

Andrews realised he had to act quickly.

“I said you know what this is a life and death situation. I didn’t even think twice, I jump down… I think I passed out because that is the last thing that I remember,” he said.

Returning to the scene later that morning, he said the extent of the destruction left him shaken but grateful to be alive.

“When I came back here this morning I realise the devastation that the fire cause. I had no idea that it was so bad… I mean there is a lot of damage here but we can always recover that. Our life is more important,” Andrews said.

The Guyana Fire Service has since launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.

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The Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC) is set to launch a strategic overhaul of its grassroots racing circuit with the “Kart Revival” event, scheduled for March 29 at the 555 Speedway on Thomas Lands and Albert Street from 14:00h.

The initiative marks a calculated move to modernise Guyana’s motorsport infrastructure by adopting international competitive standards and revitalising the talent pipeline that feeds the region’s professional racing tiers.

In a bid to transition away from traditional local formats, the GMR&SC is introducing a structured race-day hierarchy modelled after North American and European circuits.

According to GMR&SC Technical Advisor Stefan Jeffrey, the event will move beyond isolated heats to a progressive format:

• Qualifying: Drivers set times to determine the starting grid for the pre-final.
• Pre-Final: A preliminary race where finishing positions dictate the grid for the main event.
• Final: The climactic race where the grand prize is contested.

“Our idea now is to introduce the younger generation of motorsport and drivers into a more worldwide standard of running an event,” Jeffrey stated. “You, as a driver, now need to basically drive smart.”

The “Kart Revival” is expected to feature approximately 60 competitors across various classes. The entry list reflects a broad demographic shift in the sport, ranging from:

• Cadets: New faces and the youngest entry-level drivers.
• Juniors & Seniors: Established young talents progressing through the ranks.
• Veterans: Experienced drivers returning to the karting roots of the sport.

In addition to four-wheel action, the club is trialling Supermoto bike racing as a potential permanent fixture in future programs to broaden the event’s appeal.

The event has secured significant backing from the Guyanese private sector, led by Ming’s Products and Services, with additional sponsorship from Guyoil, Castrol, and ENet. This corporate interest underscores the perceived value of motorsport as a developmental platform within the South American nation.

Organisers have announced that admission will be free to the public, aiming to maximise community engagement and cultivate a new generation of spectators.

The GMR&SC views this revival as a critical step in sustaining the long-term viability of local racing.

By focusing on the “grassroots” level, the club aims to preserve karting’s accessibility while ensuring a disciplined, professionally managed environment for the nation’s emerging athletes. (Modified GMR&SC Press Release) 

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More than 200 driver’s licences should be suspended as authorities move to strictly enforce the demerit point system against repeat traffic offenders.

During an interview with the News Room on Wednesday, Traffic Chief Mahendra Singh said this move should force drivers to take the e-ticketing system and traffic regulations more seriously.

According to Singh, by the end of Wednesday, the process of forwarding information for legal review and formal action against offenders will begin.

“By the end of today (Wednesday), more than 200 persons, I will be taking the information using the demerit point system, which has been in law since 2014, I will be writing for legal advice and proceed to the agency that is the licensing authority to have their license suspended,” Singh explained.

Singh said the legal basis for the action is clearly outlined in existing legislation, which provides for licence suspension once a driver accumulates 10 or more demerit points, whether tickets are paid or challenged in court.

“ I am doing precisely that because it seems as if unless we do these things in a strict way person/s keep taking us for granted,” Singh said.

He noted that licence suspensions are not unprecedented, pointing out that several drivers have already been penalised for serious traffic violations captured through the Safe Road Intelligence System.

“Licenses were suspended previously for dangerous driving and a few other offences… We have at least 21 suspended for period from 6 months to 12 months right now. These are from persons who contested in court and were found guilty resulting in the suspension but the cases emanated from the safe road intelligence system,” Singh further explained.

The pending suspensions, however, mainly involve motorists who repeatedly paid speeding tickets without contesting them.

“200 suspensions pending are for persons who were speeding and their tickets were paid,” he said, adding that some offenders have amassed a large number of violations.

“Some people have as much as 14 tickets paid some as much as 21 tickets,” Singh said.

According to the Traffic Chief, the current list includes drivers with five or more tickets, though many have accumulated even higher numbers.

“200 pending is for persons with five and more tickets for now. These are individuals,” he said.

Singh emphasised that technological improvements now allow the Guyana Police Force to track and consolidate offenders’ records more efficiently.

He added that once the Guyana Revenue Authority is engaged, the listed drivers will be formally notified of the offences, the relevant legal provisions and the period of suspension.

“Once GRA (Guyana Revenue Authority) is engaged the license holder will be notified of the offence committed the law reference the demerit point system and here now their licenses will be suspended for whatever period,” Singh said.

Drivers whose licences are suspended will be required to surrender them and follow a reinstatement process after the suspension period ends.

“Naturally, the licenses have to be surrendered and suspended and when the period is close to conclusion another procedure is engage reinstating that license to be back in force,” Singh told the News Room.

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The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has granted a stay of ongoing extradition proceedings against Azruddin and Nazar Mohamed and set April 21, 2026, at 9:00 hrs for the hearing of their appeal.

The decision came on Wednesday during a case management hearing before Justice Winston Anderson, President of the CCJ, along with Justices Maureen Rajnauth-Lee and Chantal Ononaiwu.

The stay effectively pauses the committal hearing currently before Magistrate Judy Latchman in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

In addressing the matter, Justice Anderson observed that the case carries a clear element of urgency.

“Can we all agree that urgency is a desired objective?” he asked, as the court moved to establish an expedited schedule.

All parties agreed to an aggressive timetable aimed at resolving the matter swiftly.

In the procedural decision, the court ordered that the application for special leave to appeal would be heard together with the substantive appeal.

This means the CCJ will both determine whether to grant leave and decide the full appeal during the same hearing on April 21.

All sides, including attorneys representing the State and the Mohameds, agreed to this approach.

The court outlined a strict schedule for filings leading up to the hearing:

The case involves a challenge to the legality of the extradition proceedings and the role of State authorities, including the Minister of Home Affairs, who issued the Authority to Proceed, being biased in initiating the process.

Attorneys for the Mohameds argue that the proceedings are unlawful and risk causing serious injustice, while the State maintains that the process has been properly conducted and should proceed without interruption.

The defence arguments have so far failed in Guyana’s High Court and Appeal Court and is now before the CCJ.

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PRESS RELEASE || The National Sports Commission (NSC) has expressed deep sadness at the sudden passing of Roberto Osborne, Vice–President of the Guyana National Domino Federation, describing his death as a significant loss to the sport and the wider sporting community.

According to reports, Osborne passed away unexpectedly after retiring to bed on Monday evening.

He was discovered unresponsive the following day, sending shockwaves throughout the domino fraternity and beyond.

Osborne was widely respected as a long-serving and dedicated member of the local domino community.

Over the years, he contributed immensely to the development of the sport, serving in multiple capacities at both the national level and within the Georgetown sub–division.

His commitment and passion for domino helped to strengthen the sport’s structure and foster a sense of unity among players and administrators alike.

Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle, described Osborne’s passing as a major blow, noting that his contributions went far beyond administrative duties.

“Roberto Osborne’s passing is a tremendous loss to domino in Guyana. He was a committed servant of the sport who gave of himself tirelessly to ensure its growth and organisation,” Ninvalle said.

Ninvalle also extended heartfelt condolences on behalf of the NSC to Osborne’s family, friends, and the entire domino community during this difficult time.

 “This is a painful moment, and we stand in solidarity with all those grieving his loss,” Ninvalle added.

The NSC noted that Osborne’s legacy will endure through the many players and officials he mentored and the structures he helped to build within the sport.

His dedication serves as a reminder of the vital role administrators play in sustaining and advancing Guyana’s sporting disciplines.

As tributes continue to pour in, the local domino community mourns the loss of a stalwart whose impact will not be forgotten.

(SOURCE: National Sports Commission)

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Mark Anthony Williams, a resident of Morashee Village, East Bank Essequibo, died on Tuesday after he was crushed by a tree while working in a mining pit.

According to a Police release, preliminary enquiries revealed that Williams was working in a mining pit at Three Miles, Mango Landing, along with other workers, when heavy rain and high winds began. At about 15:00 hrs, a tree reportedly fell into the pit and struck Williams, causing injuries to his head. He was taken out of the pit in an unconscious condition and was later found to be unresponsive.

The body is being escorted out of the area to a mortuary for official pronouncement and examination.

Investigations are in progress.

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A consortium comprising Indian and overseas business entities has successfully bought full ownership of Royal Challengers Bengaluru franchise for an eye-watering sum of about USD 1.78 billion (INR 16,660 crore approx.).

The “all-cash” deal was announced by the United Spirits Limited (USL), the existing owner of the RCB teams in the IPL and WPL.

As per a media release issued by USL, its board has approved the sale of the franchise to a consortium comprising Aditya Birla Group, the Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures and Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE. After this deal, USL said, both RCB teams, which were being run by its subsidiary Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited, will now be “owned and operated” by the consortium.

That it is a phenomenal sum of money can be understood from the fact that it exceeds the combined value of the Lucknow and Ahmedabad IPL franchises – INR 12,715 crore (about $1.69 billion) – that the BCCI sold for in 2021.

Incidentally, the consortium was not yet formed in February when at least eight investors had made the shortlist for RCB, whose men’s and women’s teams are the current champions in the IPL and the WPL.

Last November, global alcohol and beverage giant Diageo, which owns USL in India, said in its filings to India’s market regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) that it was conducting a “strategic review” of its investment in RCB. Diageo said cricket was a non-core area for the company and it was aiming to close the sale by March 31 this year.

The next step will involve the deal being ratified by the BCCI as well as the Competition Commission of India before the consortium formally takes charge of the franchise.

Among the eight original franchises when IPL started in 2008, the Bengaluru team was the second-most expensive at the time, bought for USD 111. 6 million by Vijay Mallya-owned United Breweries Group. In 2023, RCB owners bid 901 crore (USD 110 million approx.) to buy the Bengaluru franchise in the WPL, making it the third-most expensive among the five women’s teams.

In a media statement, the acquiring consortium said that Aryaman Birla, who played as a batter for Madhya Pradesh and was also part of Rajasthan Royals squad in IPL, would be its chairman, while Satyan Gajwani of the Times of India Group would be the vice-chairman. The consortium said it was “proud to become custodians” of RCB.

“RCB’s championship-winning culture, its deep connection to Bengaluru, and one of the most passionate fanbases in world sport make this an extraordinary opportunity,” the consortium said. “We are committed to taking RCB to new heights, on the pitch and beyond.”

Praveen Someshwar, managing director and CEO at USL, said RCB “has grown into the most prominent and commercially successful franchise” in the IPL and the WPL. “Guided by its ‘Play Bold’ philosophy and a strong competitive spirit, it has built a globally recognised brand and a passionate fan base,” he said. “We are excited for the future of RCB under the stewardship of the new owner. As Sports enters a new phase of growth in India & globally, we believe this is in the best interest of the franchise and our stakeholders.”

The consortium itself is an alliance of a diverse set of investors who are well-established in their fields. Aditya Birla Group is a renowned global conglomerate with diverse interests from metals to cement to fashion to retail. Bolt Ventures is owned by prominent sports investor David Blitzer, who has ownership stakes in Crystal Palace (Premier League), the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), New Jersey Devils (NHL), Washington Commanders (NFL), Cleveland Guardians (MLB) and Real Salt Lake (MLS) in his vast portfolio.

Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager, dealing in real estate, private equity, credit, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, secondaries and hedge funds. The Times of India Group is a media giant in India and also has ownership stakes in both MLC and London Spirit teams in the Hundred. (ESPNcricinfo) 

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