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Police are probing the murder of 38-year-old gold miner, Mark Benn of Blueberry Hill, Linden, who was allegedly murdered late Thursday night at Big Mara Mara Backdam, Puruni River, Region Seven.

The suspect, Dexter Agrian, a 41-year-old excavator operator of Second Avenue, Bartica, has since been arrested and remains in custody.

According to Police Headquarters, investigations revealed that Benn had arrived at the Backdam earlier that day and later visited a shop owned by dredge operator Floyd Paul, where he was seen drinking and socialising with two Venezuelan women, including 35-year-old Fabiana Garcia.

Agrian later joined the group, buying drinks and spending the evening with them, Police added.

However, around 23:00 hrs, Benn reportedly asked Garcia for sexual favours, which she refused, saying he was too intoxicated. Benn then allegedly became annoyed and disconnected her cellphone, which had been playing music.

Agrian then intervened and pulled Benn away, but the miner rebuked him.

Moments later, Police said the suspect allegedly drew a 13-inch double-edged knife from his waist and chopped Benn behind the head, causing him to collapse. He then delivered another blow to Benn’s neck, almost severing it.

After the attack, the suspect reportedly walked away and returned to his camp. The shop owner immediately contacted Police.

When arrested and cautioned, Police Headquarters said Agrian reportedly told officers: “Sir, I drink couple well Guinness and I can’t remember exactly what happened.”

Police have since retrieved the murder weapon believed to have been used in the crime. Investigations are ongoing.

 

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Aubrey Norton, the former Leader of the Opposition who led APNU to Guyana’s 2025 elections, on Friday said he will not seek the Presidency again.

Instead, Norton told reporters that he will make way for ‘fresh blood’ to assume leadership positions in the National Assembly and will focus on rebuilding the party.

Norton was the Presidential Candidate for the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) coalition in the 2025 General and Regional Elections. He also served as Opposition Leader in the last Parliament.

However, he confirmed on Friday that he won’t be going back to Parliament.

“I hope that is an indication that I have no intention of running for the presidency in the future, and so I see the task at this as repairing the party for the future,” Norton said.

The APNU Chairman opined that he has served at the Parliamentary level already and should now give that space to someone else. a

APNU suffered a significant blow in the recent elections, securing only 12 seats in the National Assembly. It was outperformed by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), which secured 36 seats; with this, the PPP/C again formed the government, and President Dr. Irfaan Ali was re-elected for a second term. Meanwhile, the newly formed We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party got 16 seats.

Terrence Campbell to lead APNU’s new Parliamentarians 

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Guyanese cyclist Briton John has earned a ‘wildcard’ selection to compete in the prestigious 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda.

The event, scheduled from September 21-28, will mark the first time the championships have been held on the African continent.

John, a former national champion for his We Stand United club, departed Guyana today, September 12, for a week-long training stint in New York, organised by Guyana Cycling Federation President Horace Burrowes.

This will be John’s second time competing at the championships as an elite rider. He has also represented his country twice in these championships at the junior level.

More than 100 of the world’s top professional riders will compete in the 2025 championships. Despite the fierce competition, John is optimistic about his chances.

“I think I am always racing in the heat, so I stand a good chance,” he told News Room Sport. “It is a hard race, but weather-wise, I’m confident.”

John recently returned from a month of stage racing in French Guiana, where he achieved notable success.

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Businessman Terrence Campbell is expected to head to the National Assembly as part of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) opposition, joining 11 other candidates from the party.

APNU Chairman Aubrey Norton named the party’s Parliamentarians at a press conference on Friday. He also revealed that Campbell “will be leading the APNU Parliamentary group.”

Aside from Campbell, the other APNU Parliamentarians are: Juretha Fernandes, Ganesh Mahipaul, David Hinds, Sharma Solomon, Vinceroy Jordan, Nima Flue-Bess, Saiku Andrews, Coretta McDonald, Riaz Rupnarain, Dexter Todd, and Sherod Duncan.

Norton, who served as Guyana’s last Opposition Leader, said he will not be returning to Parliament. He told reporters that his focus will be on rebuilding the party.

APNU suffered a massive blow at the 2025 General and Regional Elections, mustering only 12 seats in the National Assembly. The newly-formed We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, led by Azruddin Mohamed, is now Guyana’s main opposition.

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Phil Salt scored England’s fastest T20 century on a record-breaking night at Old Trafford as the hosts levelled the series with an 146-run win over South Africa.

Salt reached three figures off just 39 balls, beating Liam Livingstone’s record of 42 balls against Pakistan in 2021, and finished unbeaten on 141 off 60 balls, surpassing Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s 124 as the highest individual score by an England batter in a T20 international.

His fourth T20 hundred contained 15 fours and eight sixes and propelled England to 304-2, their highest total in the format and the highest score in a T20I between two full-member nations.

Jos Buttler played his part, blitzing 83 runs off 30 balls as part of a 126-run first-wicket partnership with Salt, while there were handy supporting knocks from Jacob Bethell (24 off 10) and captain Harry Brook, who brought out several of his trademark tumbling boundaries in an entertaining 41 not out (21 balls).

In reply, Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton smacked 50 runs off 22 deliveries to briefly silence Old Trafford as South Africa threatened an unlikely chase.

However, Jofra Archer struck twice in the fourth over and later took a catch off Sam Curran to reduce South Africa to 58-3 and knock the stuffing out of their innings.

Archer finished with 3-25 while Curran returned economical figures of 2-11, although Bjorn Fortuin’s 16-ball 32 provided some late cheer for the visitors, who were bowled out for 158.

The series decider will take place at Trent Bridge on Sunday. (BBC)

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Pakistan bundled out Oman for 67 as they opened their Asia Cup campaign with a crushing 93-run win in Dubai.

Mohammad Haris’ 66 from 43 balls took the two-time champions to 160-7 from their 20 overs before they dismissed Oman in 16.4.

Although Pakistan were not entirely comfortable, it was the fourth big win for the major international sides early in this year’s tournament, after India dismissed United Arab Emirates for 57 in a nine-wicket win and Afghanistan and Bangladesh beat Hong Kong by 94 runs and seven wickets respectively.

Opener Saim Ayub and captain Salman Agha were both out for first-ball ducks, while Pakistan failed to kick on from 102-2 after Haris dragged on to left-arm spinner Aamir Kaleem, who took 3-31, in the 13th over.

Oman, who qualified for the last T20 World Cup and will play in the Asia qualifier for a place at the 2026 tournament next month, reached 41-2 in reply, but lost their next seven wickets for 10 runs and the remaining eight for 26.

Seamer Faheem Ashraf took 2-6, wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem 2-7 and Ayub 2-8 with his off-spin.

Pakistan, who left former captains Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan out of their squad, play rivals India in Dubai on Sunday. (BBC)

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See below full release from the Office of the President: 

September 12, 2025, Georgetown, Guyana — Today, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali met with Permanent Secretaries and Deputy Permanent Secretaries to share his government’s vision and set clear expectations for their roles in advancing national development.

President Ali emphasized that his administration will move swiftly to modernize the delivery of government services through a fully digitized framework, with a strong focus on customer service, efficiency, transparency, and results-driven performance. He underscored that this transformation must remain people-centered, with reliability, efficiency, and timely delivery as the guiding principles.

As part of the first phase of the transition in his second term, the following appointments have been made:

• Mrs. Sharon Roopchand-Edwards – Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Mr. Roger Rogers – Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce
• Ms. Duan Ellis – Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture
• Dr. Erica Forte – Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Human Services and Social Security

The President noted that additional announcements regarding Permanent Secretaries and other senior government officials will be made in the coming days.

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Traffic Chief Assistant Commissioner, Mahendra Singh said the Safe Road Intelligence System has been helping to reduce reckless driving on Guyana’s roadways but opined that greater cooperation from all stakeholders is needed.

In a recent interview with the News Room, Singh said thousands of tickets for offences have been issued already but payments are a challenge. He explained that those payments are largely made at the discretion of drivers.

Without warrants being issued for unpaid tickets or ex-parte trials being conducted in court, he said further, more drivers aren’t deterred from reckless or poor driving habits.

Traffic Chief, Assistant Commissioner Mahendra Singh.

For him, drivers must feel “intimidated” by the system to understand they cannot continue business as usual on the roads.

Meanwhile, Singh said the ticketing system, which relies on 14 operable pieces of equipment, is being still being rolled out and currently lacks the full coverage needed to restrict speeding motorists and enable smarter traffic management.

“If it was covered in that way, it would restrict the ability of the motorist to speed; it would enable us to do more smart traffic management without conflict or prejudice. The safe road intelligence system will save lives,” Singh recently told the News Room.

The automated system was officially launched on April 7, 2025. It was developed primarily to monitor speeding. However, it also detects a range of other offences, including tinted windows, coloured lights, and failure to wear seat belts.

The system is calibrated by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) and is supported by recent amendments to the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act, Chapter 51:02.

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Guyana and Brazil have begun moving toward the implementation of the International Road Transport Agreement (IRTA), which will regulate the movement of passengers and cargo between the two countries.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Home Affairs hosted a webinar, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil and the Embassy of Brazil in Georgetown, to provide stakeholders with critical guidance on the processes and requirements to operate under the new agreement.

The session outlined step-by-step procedures for obtaining licences, appointing legal representatives, and complying with customs and security protocols.

Stakeholders seeking to transport passengers or goods along the international route must first apply to the Ministry of Home Affairs to be registered as a transport operator. This is according to the ministry’s research officer, Gavin Lewis.

Applicants are required to submit the IRTA Form 1; company and owner Tax Identification Numbers (TIN); vehicle registration, road licence, and certificate of fitness; international third-party insurance; company registration and details of a legal representative.

Once submitted, applications undergo a thorough review. Documents are verified by the Guyana Revenue Authority, after which a security check is conducted. Upon clearance, the Ministry issues an original licence, granting the company legal permission to operate in Guyana. Only licensed vehicles will be authorised for the international route.

Lewis explained that the original licence is valid for one year only, and is non-transferable. Companies must apply for complementary licences from the National Transport Agency within 120 days of receiving the original permission.

False or misleading information in applications will result in immediate denial or cancellation of licences.

While the requirements for passenger and cargo transport are largely similar, additional details are required for cargo operators, including; service details such as scheduled routes; vehicle specifications and the type and quantity of goods expected to be transported.

All vehicles must comply with the regulations of both Guyana and Brazil. Carriers are also required to submit advance customs declarations specifying the cargo.

Lewis confirmed that several applications have already been received from Brazilian operators in both passenger and cargo services.

Under the IRTA, three fixed International Bus Service Routes for passenger transportation between Brazil and Guyana have been established:

The three routes are Lethem, Guyana to Boa Vista, Brazil (return), which will operate twice daily; Lethem, Guyana to Manaus, Brazil (return), which will operate once daily; and Georgetown, Guyana to Boa Vista, Brazil (return), which will operate once daily.

In addition to their Guyanese driver’s licence, drivers of the buses must possess an International Driving Permit as issued by the Licence Revenue Office, Guyana Revenue Authority.

The fare structure will be determined by the Ministry of Home Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works and the Transporting Firms.

Meanwhile, cargo drivers are not required to have special certification unless they are transporting hazardous materials, such as gasoline.

Brazil will accept insurance issued in Guyana, provided that the policy covers both Guyana and Brazil.

The security requirements for cargo will depend on the nature of the cargo and will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the relevant authority.

 

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President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Dr. Irfaan Ali on Thursday conferred the Joint Services Medal on several officers and ranks for their exceptional service during ‘Operation Plexus’, the national security operation mounted around the 2025 General and Regional Elections.

The awards recognized several men and women who stood guard at polling stations, patrolled communities, and ensured peace and stability between August 20 and September 8, 2025.

“Elections are the lifeblood of democracy. Because of your vigilance, passion did not become provocation, and decisions did not descend into disorder. For this we thank you, for this we honour you, and for this history will remember you,” President Ali told the ranks at a simple ceremony.

President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Dr. Irfaan Ali on Thursday conferred the Joint Services Medal on several officers (Photo: Office of the President/September 11, 2025)

The President emphasised that the medals symbolise the nation’s gratitude for their bravery, commitment, and meritorious service.

The ceremony brought together heads of the joint services, senior officers, and awardees in what President Ali described as a “modest appreciation” for those who ensured that domestic peace and national defence went hand in hand.

“Peace and stability at home are not just about the absence of conflict; they are about the presence of order,” President Ali said.

President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Dr. Irfaan Ali on Thursday conferred the Joint Services Medal on several officers (Photo: Office of the President/September 11, 2025)

Meanwhile, Chief of Defence Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Omar Khan praised the joint services for their efficiency and coordination during the operation. He noted that despite an attempted attack on democracy when Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) officials were being escorted on the Cuyuni River, the ranks’ drills and vigilance prevented disruptions and injuries.

“I have no doubt that in future operations we will continue to deliver the kind of service and security the people of Guyana deserve,” Brigadier Khan said.

Operation Plexus concluded with an After Action Review aimed at consolidating lessons learned and strengthening future operational posture.

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