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First Son Zayd Ali has raised $9 million in his second-ever lemonade sale. The funds were immediately handed over to eight animal shelters and organisations.

The event was held this afternoon on the lawns of the State House, where hundreds of people gathered to enjoy an afternoon in the sun with several planned activities for the children.

During the presentation ceremony, Zayd thanked everyone who supported the sale.

“This is my lemonade stand and I really need money for the animals…thank you to everyone that supported,” the first son said with encouragement from his mother.

First Lady Arya Ali also spoke to those who had gathered for the presentation.

“I must commend our supporters, we have raised an amount of nine million dollars. We have eight animal organisations, so it worked out well, and we are willing to give each one of them a million dollars,” she said.

The animal welfare organisations will also receive cat and dog chow along with bags of rice to help support their cause.

“Today I am elated. I am so proud of Zayd. I’m so proud of everyone that came out today, and yes, we gave a voice to the voiceless,” Mrs Ali said.

She also encouraged the beneficiaries to continue the good work they have been doing.

“Continue to do the tremendous work you are doing, I know it’s not an easy job, but I want to say thank you, and you are doing amazing. You know you have my support 100%,” the first lady added.

The organisations that received a million dollars each were Hope for Animals, Tails of Hope, Rosewood Foundation, Ravina’s Rescue, Paws for Cause, Pawsome Oasis Inc., Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Furball and Friends Foundation Inc.

“It is a very good initiative, especially for me. I am glad for it, because Linden has a lot of strays and this donation will help me to offset some of the spray and neuter expenses…I am grateful for the opportunity,” said Anita Narine of Furball and Friends Foundation Inc. from Linden, as she spoke with DPI.

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Information (DPI) also spoke with some of the patrons at the event who were happy to support such a worthy cause.

“It is a great idea of his because I didn’t think anyone had come up with something like this, which is good…the timing, doing it is great because school is closed and the kids could get to come out and take part in whatever activities. There are a lot of activities going on here too, which is good,” said Natasha Alli, who came out with her family.

Aasfa Mohabir also attended the event with her son.

“I think it is a fabulous initiative by the first son of Guyana, and all proceeds, as you know, go to helping animals. I think that’s a phenomenal initiative because pets mean so much to kids, and I am happy to be here and support and drink some lemonade,” she told DPI.

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After both suffering defeats in their first game of the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League, Guyana Amazon Warriors faced off with Central Stags at Guyana National Stadium, Providence, with the home side chalking up their first win by an emphatic 66 runs.

Stags captain Tom Bruce won the toss and inserted the home side, but despite early success it wasn’t long before he may have been ruing his decision.

Matthew Forde provided the early breakthrough when he had opener Johnson Charles neatly caught behind after which Blair Tickner cleaned up Moeen Ali to have the home side in early trouble. Then came the Warriors fight back with the bat.

Eventual Player-of-the-Match Rahmanullah Gurbaz anchored the innings from the top of the order for the Warriors with an impressive 58 from 47 balls, which included three fours and two sixes.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (right) and Jewel Andrew of Guyana Amazon Warriors run between the wickets during the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League T20 match between Central Stags v Guyana Amazon Warriors at Providence Stadium on July 11, 2025 in Georgetown, Guyana. (Photo by Ashley Allen – GSLT20/Global Super League via Getty Images)

A partnership of 84 runs between Gurbaz and Jewel Andrew proved the decisive one of the match.

Andrew, the 18-year-old West Indian batter- of whom none other than Shai Hope recently said “The world will be amazed by his talent”- struck a classy 45 off just 29 balls before a being run out by Forde.

A total of 158-6 for the Warriors felt like a par total, but with only three Stags players reaching double figures in a stuttering innings that saw wickets fall regularly, it turned out to be more than enough to get the home side their first victory of the tournament.

Veteran South African spinner Imran Tahir was the pick of the Warriors bowlers with 4-23, but it was a team performance with ball in hand as Dwaine Pretorious impressed with 3-18 and David Wiese chipped in with 2-13.

They rattled through the Stags batting card and consign them to 92 all out and a hefty defeat that sent them to the root of the table and the Warriors to the top as the GSL gets into full swing. (GSL)

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Activists of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) have filed an official Police complaint after an incident in which supporters of the recently launched WIN party, led by businessman Azruddin Mohamed, were seen pulling PPP flags from a vehicle and throwing them on the ground, which was caught on video.

Guyana’s main elections law, the Representation of the People Act, addresses disorderly conduct at political meetings. It states that anyone who “acts or incites any other person to act in a disorderly manner for the purpose of preventing the transaction of business for which the meeting was called together shall be guilty of an illegal practice.”

The confrontation, which occurred in the presence of Mohamed — who is the WIN party’s presidential candidate — is being described by PPP activists as a “direct provocation and bullyism as seen by associates similar to encounter with GRA”. The supporters are seen in video removing the flags from the vehicle and discarding them on the roadside, while Mohamed was standing nearby.

Mohamed reportedly encouraged his supporters to prevent the PPP activists from carrying out their political work.

The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) recently reminded all political leaders of their duty to set a tone of respect, restraint, and unity before, during, and after the elections. Among other things, it urged political leaders to consistently call on their supporters to refrain from acts of provocation, intimidation, or hostility towards others.

The PPP activists have also filed a complaint with the ERC.

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The Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) said five persons were arrested after ranks found five parcels of cocaine in motor cars at Turkeyen.

CANU, in a release, said an intelligence-led operation was conducted on Wednesday in the vicinity of Turkeyen. Two motor cars were intercepted, and several parcels containing a “whitish powdery substance suspected to be cocaine” were found.

Subsequently, five persons were arrested and taken to CANU headquarters along with the suspected narcotics. When tested, the substances were found to be cocaine, amounting to 16.784 kilogrammes.

CANU said investigations are ongoing.

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See below the full statement issued by the Guyana Police Force in response to a statement issued by the Hughes, Fields and Stoby law firm: 

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) wishes to respond to a statement earlier today by Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes, in which he contends that Magistrate Judy Latchman, who is presiding in the ongoing court matter of the Police vs. Marlon DaSilva, for the murder of Kenesha Vaughn, had ordered that all the evidence that the prosecution intends to rely on must be provided to the court and the defence by the 12th May 2025.

In a statement on his personal Facebook page, Hughes said the Magistrate’s directions were communicated to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) on the 30th of April 2025 by way of a letter from his firm, Hughes, Fields and Stoby.

Kenesha Vaughn case: Nigel Hughes’ law firm ready to prosecute but says Police causing delays

However, his erroneous contention is that after the directions of Magistrate Latchman, “the Guyana Police Force still had not provided Hughes Fields and Stoby with all of the evidence and sought to provide additional statements as late as the 26th June 2025, a date long after the date on which statements were ordered to be provided by the Magistrate”.

However, a Senior State Counsel at the DPP Chambers related to the police that a request was made by Hughes on the 30th of April, 2025, was complied with, and the requested documents were obtained by Hughes’ Law Office on the 9th of May, 2025, THREE days ahead of the date set by the Magistrate.

This fact is in stark contrast to the misleading contention by Nigel Hughes. Therefore, Hughes has blatantly attempted to mislead the public by stating that he sought additional statements as late as 26th June 2025.

In addition, reports are that just yesterday, one of Hughes’ associates contacted a police witness at the court and informed the rank that she would seek an adjournment since her senior was not going to be present in court.

The Guyana Police Force wishes to reiterate that, in the ongoing ‘trial’ of the Police vs. Marlon DaSilva, for the murder of Kenesha Vaughn, the matter is NOT being prosecuted by the Police.

In fact, Hughes applied to the Director of Public Prosecutions and was granted a Fiat to appear for the Prosecution. Therefore, Hughes and his associates have had sole conduct of the prosecution of this matter since the 17th day of March 2025.

The GPF will raise this issue with the DPP to have the Fiat revoked since the private prosecutor has clearly demonstrated an inability to successfully move the prosecution forward.

Finally, for the capital offence of murder, this state of affairs is unacceptable.

The post Guyana Police Force responds to Hughes, Fields & Stoby statement  appeared first on News Room Guyana.

Dr Asha Kissoon, who defied her political partners and refused to vacate her seat in the National Assembly, has said she has no apologies for what she did.

Her decision, she explained, was driven by being stonewalled and berated by those who were supposed to support her. Refusing to be a puppet, she said she fought for her place in the National Assembly and kept it, arguing that to hand it over would have been dangerous.

“I need to remind people that this is politics, not church,” she told the News Room on Friday.

Dr Asha Kissoon offers ‘no comment’ after accused of blocking seat in Parliament

She said her decision has since been justified, as her replacement would have come from ANUG, which has now teamed up with Azruddin Mohamed, who, along with his father and their businesses, has been sanctioned by the United States.

Dr Kissoon stressed that she was not paid, coerced, or asked by the ruling PPP to hold on to her seat, reasoning that with a majority, the PPP did not rely on her vote for anything.

Dr Kissoon’s TNM party, together with the LJP and ANUG, had contested the 2020 general elections as one; when the election results showed their combined votes only secured them a single seat, they agreed to rotate it.

LJP’s Lennox Shuman went first, and next it was ANUG’s turn. But it was ANUG that decided to let TNM go next, and Dr Kissoon took up the seat and served as Deputy Speaker.

The parties had agreed that any contributions in the National Assembly would be collectively decided.

However, Kissoon said that once she entered the National Assembly, she did not receive the promised support. She said she would submit motions, bills and other information but received no feedback.

So when it came time to vote on issues in the National Assembly, she went ahead. She said the first time she did so, she was rebuked and told she didn’t have permission to vote.

Dr Kissoon said that was the turning point when she decided it was in the country’s best interest to remain in the seat.

So, Dr Kissoon said, she decided to play the game — and would do it all over again.

“I have accepted that I broke the agreement, but I am okay with the decision I made.”

(more…)

Jaipaul Sharma, a former member of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) coalition, on Friday revealed that he has now joined the Alliance for Change (AFC) and will be a candidate for the September 1, 2025 General and Regional Elections.

“I’m so pleased to be in his leadership because I personally believe that the best of the presidential candidates, including the incumbent, is Mr. Nigel Hughes,” Sharma said at an AFC press conference.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hughes said the experienced Sharma is a key part of the party’s plan to put forward a “broad coalition of interests” meant to help the country advance.

In the previous APNU+AFC government, Jaipaul Sharma was a Minister within the Ministry of Finance. His party, Justice For All Party (JFAP), was part of the APNU coalition.

In 2020, Sharma reportedly resigned from politics. In 2021, he formed the Equal Rights and Justice Party (ERJP) and rejoined the APNU coalition.

Meanwhile, businesswoman Kerri Gravesande-Bart was introduced as another new AFC candidate at Friday’s presser. She highlighted her interest in advocating for women, particularly in the business sphere.

The post Jaipaul Sharma joins AFC appeared first on News Room Guyana.

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is proposing to spend an additional $400 billion in its first budget, should it be elected to office after the September 1, 2025 General and Regional Elections.

Party leader and Presidential candidate, Aubrey Norton, said the spending on personal and household incomes will amount to no more than 30% of the party’s national budget for its first term in office. That equates to about $400 billion, Norton said. This, therefore, means that APNU will present a $1.33 trillion budget.

Here’s how some of the $400 billion will be spent:

• $100 billion will be spent to raise salaries
• $40 billion to raise the income tax threshold to $400,000
• $53 billion to increase the old-age pension from $41,000 (current sum) to $100,000
• $9 billion for the student stipend programme for tertiary institutions
• $25 billion for the childcare allowance programme

These ventures amount to $227 billion. Other investments, Norton said, will be made to provide support to citizens.

This breakdown of the party’s intended spending was provided at its weekly press conference on Friday. This came after numerous criticisms were hurled at the party for what has been seen as an exorbitant increase in the spending bill.

Norton and other candidates, namely Juretha Fernandes and Ganesh Mahipaul, pushed back against those concerns.

In the first instance, Norton said Guyana expects increased oil revenues from new and forthcoming FPSOs (the oil platforms offshore).

He said too, “Oil productions will more than double over the next three years, adding another $4 to 5B to government revenues by 2027. Some of these funds will be prudently invested, through the Natural Resource Fund, to earn income on international stock markets.”

He also claimed that the APNU government will be saving more as it intends to stamp out corruption that costs the State purse hundreds of billions of dollars. In fact, Fernandes said about $200 billion could be saved, should the APNU coalition be able to root out corruption from public projects.

And how else will the APNU government earn besides depending on oil money? Well, Norton said a sustainable agricultural plan for each administrative region is in the works.

Elections 2025: APNU launches 2025 campaign with big spending pledges

Earlier this year, General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, cautioned against the opposition’s lack of economic foresight and the feasibility of their lofty promises heading into the 2025 elections.

He noted that these new promises echoed the vague slogan used during the 2015 campaign: “The Good Life for Everyone.”

“It’s the same vague promise they made in 2015, and it’s no different this time,” he said, while questioning the opposition’s ability to craft a practical economic plan.

“They never, in a single way, talked about how the country will earn more, about the diversification of the economy, creating the incentives for investment that will expand job opportunities… none of that. Their philosophy is precisely what got us in the situation, in the 90s,” he said, reflecting on Guyana’s history as a bankrupt country, and one of the poorest in the western hemisphere.

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Months after the new automated electric ticketing system was introduced, a total of 4,330 e-tickets have been issued to date, Traffic Chief Mahendra Singh confirmed on Friday.

The figures were clarified by Singh, hours after Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken stated that 889 e-tickets were issued between January and May, 2025.

“Between January and May, 2025, 889 e-tickets were issued through the Safe Road Intelligence Safety System, a reflection of enhanced enforcement and smarter policing,” Hicken said at the Guyana Police Force 186th Anniversary Awards Ceremony held at the Officers’ Mess, Eve Leary.

However, the News Room subsequently engaged Singh and he provided the updated statistics.

The automated system, officially launched on April 7, 2025, currently operates at ten locations. 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.

The post Over 4,300 e-tickets issued to date- Traffic Chief appeared first on News Room Guyana.

In the third game of the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League at Guyana National Stadium, Providence, Hobart Hurricanes XI defeated Dubai Capitals by seven wickets with 18 balls remaining.

Hurricanes captain Ben McDermott won the toss and inserted the Dubai outfit even though the Capitals had seen success defending a target in the first match of this year’s (GSL).

A score of 141-8 felt below par and so it proved, the Hurricanes knocking off the runs in some comfort to get their campaign off to a winning start.

Things started well for the capitals, Sediqullah Atal blitzed 25 from nine balls, clearing the boundaries for two sixes before Mohammad Nabi cleaned him up, Fabian Allen clinging on to a steepling catch as the batter sought another maximum but mistimed the stroke.

Allen then dismissed Niroshan Dickwella for 12 with his slow left arm tweakers and Nabi popped up again to pocket dangerman Shakib Al Hasan for just seven to leave the Capitals stuttering on 55-4 after seven overs.

Shakib had just passed 7,500 runs in T20s with a six off Nabi but then fell the very next ball caught behind by McDermott. Success and failure in cricket are happy bedfellows.

A rain shower delayed proceedings, but it was much the same for the Capitals once the players re-took the field.

They eventually made it up to a competitive total of 141-8 thanks to some lower order runs from Kadeem Alleyne (14), Jesse Bootan (18) and Dominic Drakes (11).

Both Nabi and Allen finishing on identical figures of 3/21 before Hobart Hurricanes XI made short work of the chase.

A 78 run partnership between Hobart Hurricanes XI’s captain and opening batter Ben McDermott and number 3 Macalister Wright broke the back of the Capital’s total.

Zinc cheeked leg-spinner Qais Ahmed spun a wonderful ball through McDermott’s defences to deprive him of a half century, a fizzing delivery pitching on middle and knocking back the off stump to bowl him for a well-made 48 off 24 balls that included five fours and three muscular sixes.

Southpaw Australian batter Jake Doran joined Wright in the middle as they cruised towards the finish line, Wright made it to his 50 off 47 balls but couldn’t see his side over the line with just a handful of runs needed.

The Hurricanes were never in danger though and chalked up the win just moments later in brilliant Providence sunshine. McDermott was named Player of the ​ Match. (GSL)

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