Mikel Blair, a 23-year-old motorcyclist, died on Thursday after he was involved in an accident at the junction of Winter Place and Croal Street, Georgetown.
Police Headquarters said Blair and another motorcyclist, 27-year-old Tavel Jonas, were involved in the accident which occurred at about 17:55 hrs.
A report was made to the Brickdam Police Station (Operations Room), informing ranks of the accident. Traffic ranks were immediately notified and responded where they visited the said location but there was no evidence or signs of an accident.
The ranks subsequently received information from the Georgetown Public Hospital Police Outpost that two males, who were believed to be involved in an accident, were presently at the GPHC’s Emergency Unit.
When ranks proceeded to the hospital they met the two motorcyclists. Blair was unconscious and was being treated by doctors; he subsequently died at about 19:00 hrs. His body was taken to the hospital’s Mortuary awaiting a Post-Mortem Examination.
Meanwhile, the other motorcyclist, Tavel Jonas, suffered a fractured right leg and was treated and later admitted as a patient in a stable condition.
Bandits on Thursday robbed Zhenz Sh Fa, a 50-year-old Chinese businessman, at his Regent Street, Georgetown boutique.
Police Headquarters said the suspects were two identifiable men; one was armed with a handgun. They robbed Zhenz of an undisclosed amount of cash.
A guard from Swat Protection Services was on duty on Thursday, sitting in a chair next to the southern boutique door. At the time of the incident, the boutique was open for business and customers were inside shopping when the two suspects came on a red and black motorcycle (registration number unknown).
The men stopped in front of the boutique, came off the motorcycle, and approached the security guard.
The pillion rider was armed with a handgun. They searched the guard and took away a ‘Toy Gun’ he had in the waist of his pants.
The suspects then ordered everyone in the boutique not to move. The rider pulled open the cashier drawer and took out the day’s sales (cash), at which point Zhao Peiming, a male Chinese National and labourer employed with the victim, rushed up to the suspect who had the gun.
The suspect discharged a round, which hit Zhao on his right thigh. The suspects then immediately ran out of the boutique, went onto the motorcycle, and rode away in an eastern direction.
Zhao was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he is seeking medical attention. His condition is stable.
One 9mm spent shell was found at the scene. Several CCTV cameras were seen in the area and these are being reviewed. Efforts are presently being made to locate the suspects as investigations continue.
Six months after Jonathan Gomes lost his life in a tragic accident, his mother is still awaiting answers about what transpired and is hoping for justice for her son.
The man’s family is also waiting on a Police report needed to process insurance claims for the car.
Gomes, a 27-year-old resident of Tucville, Georgetown, died on May 23 when he reportedly lost control of his car and collided with a truck on the Columbia Public Road, Mahaicony.
Police said that he was speeding when he overtook several vehicles proceeding in the same direction at a right bend in the road but soon ended up in the path of the truck. However, his family believes that the truck driver may have erred too.
Jonathan’s mother, Audrey Gomes spoke with the News Room about the prolonged delay in securing the report.
“I cannot get a Police report for the past six, seven months, even the insurance is trying to get the police report and they can’t get a report either,” Audrey said.
Audrey spoke about her frustration and heartbreak, highlighting the challenges of navigating the system in pursuit of justice for her only son.
“This [was] my only son, he never been in no trouble or anything. My children does work hard, I ain’t had no trouble. I am in so much pain, I have no feeling.
“I am trying to be calm because I am working with Guyana and you gotta be patient with everything,” Audrey said.
The woman claimed that the truck driver allegedly fled the accident scene but the Police report disputes this. According to the report, Ramdeen was arrested after the accident.
Audrey questioned why the driver wasn’t charged too.
Meanwhile, Regional Commander Kurleigh Simon confirmed that the investigation into the accident has been completed, and legal advice sought from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The Commander told the News Room that the DPP recommended that an inquest be conducted to determine whether the driver will face charges.
When questioned about the delay in providing the Police report, Commander Simon stated that requests for such reports must be submitted to the Commissioner of Police.
“I cannot say if a request of report was made. To the best of my knowledge, I cannot recall seeing a request,” Simon said.
Audrey, who has been traveling back and forth from the United States, while pursuing her studies, said she has been tirelessly seeking answers at the Mahaicony Police Station but has received no satisfaction.
This is according to the Director General of the Ministry of Health, Dr Vishwa Mahadeo during a graduation ceremony at Northwest Secondary School last Thursday.
Director General of the Ministry of Health, Dr Vishwa Mahadeo
These investments represent the government’s continuous dedication to ensuring hinterland residents also have equitable access to services.
Dr Mahadeo said, “Our people of the hinterland deserve the same level of care, the same quality of care and the same access to care as the persons on the coast. That is the mandate of the People’s Progressive Party Government.”
In 2022, $100 million was expended to upgrade the health facilities across the region. Another $200 million was spent in 2023 and $500 million was allocated this year.
New health facilities were opened at Baramita, Khan’s Hill, Imbotero, Five Star, and Tassawini.
Dr Mahadeo reported that the region now has six ambulances, 12 all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), 14 boats and engines, two pickups, and two buses, delivering better healthcare services to the people.
The region currently has 13 telemedicine sites, significantly alleviating the need for the residents to travel long distances to access basic care.
Some of the individuals from Region One who recently graduated
He disclosed that the health facility at Port Kaituma will soon have a digital X-ray and a functioning theatre, alleviating long travels to Georgetown for surgeries.
A digital X-ray will soon be installed at the health facility at Matthew’s Ridge.
The director general explained that the health facility at White Water will soon become a polyclinic, with funds from the regional budget and the ministry.
Additionally, works are ongoing to upgrade the Baramita health facility to a cottage hospital.
Back in February, two health posts were reopened in the communities of Koko and Wallaba.
With the massive infrastructure ongoing on health facilities, the government is also ensuring that the facilities are staffed with qualified individuals to provide top-notch patient care.
In line with this objective, the region now has 84 healthcare professionals, operating room technicians, nursing assistants and community health workers, delivering quality services in their communities, following a recent graduation ceremony (Republished from the Department of Public Information)
Deepti Sharma turned in a superb all-round performance to help India seal the ODI series 3-0 in Vadodara. She first took 6 for 31 as West Indies folded for 162.
Then with India in choppy waters, Deepti provided a calming influence with an unbeaten 39 to the team home by five wickets.
While Deepti dug in for the hard grind, aided with luck when she was dropped by Hayley Matthews at slip on 21, Richa Ghosh lent the finishing touches.
Having walked in to bat with India 129 for 5, Ghosh allayed fears of a collapse by hitting one four and three sixes in her brisk 11-ball 23.
This included back-to-back sixes off legspinner Afy Fletcher to see off India’s chase.
Under leaden skies, and on a surface that got progressively tougher to bat on with the odd ball keeping low and turning big, West Indies were left to rue another poor batting performance.
Barring Chinelle Henry and Shemaine Campbelle, who put together 91 for the fourth wicket, there was little else of note from the batting unit.
The collapse began in the very first over when Renuka Singh removed Qiana Joseph, with a faint tickle down leg, and the in-form Matthews with a superb in-ducker four balls later.
When Deandra Dottin was bowled attempting a hack into the leg side to Renuka, the visitors were 9 for 3 in the fifth over. Renuka with finish with a four-for eventually, coming back later to clean up the lower order amid the Deepti show.
Under the shadow of a collapse, Henry, playing her first ODI of the series, rebuilt the innings.
She struggled to get bat to ball early on, pottering to 3 off 17. Then from nowhere, she brought out a release shot for six off debutant left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar to get going.
During the course of her third half-century, Henry played some neat little cuts and glides.
Deepti Sharma acknowledges her six-for•Dec 27, 2024•BCCI
At the other end, Campbelle showed positivity against spin. She took the attack early to legspinner Priya Mishra, hitting her for three boundaries in her second over.
After using her feet to launch into two stunning drives – one down the ground and the other through cover – she rocked back to pull Mishra for a third as she dropped short.
This 91-run stand for the fourth wicket appeared to have revived the visitors as much as it frustrated India. This is when Deepti came into the game and made a telling contribution.
Campbell was consumed by a rush of blood as she was lulled into the big shot by Deepti, only for Pratika Rawal to take a comfortable catch at long-on.
In the following over, Zaida James was caught superbly at slip by Harmanpreet as Deepti had her driving from the rough.
It could’ve been a triple-strike for India but for Renuka dropping the simplest of return catches via a leading edge to reprieve Aaliya Alleyne on 0. Alleyne would make only 21, though, falling to a tame chip to short midwicket.
Alleyne’s wicket came hot on the heels of Henry’s dismissal for a third ODI half-century when she was out bowled by a straighter one. West Indies went on to lose their last 5 wickets for 21.
India’s reply began in nervous fashion as they lost Smriti Mandhana and Harleen Deol early in the power play against the moving ball.
Pratika Rawal too missed out on a great opportunity to build on a solid foundation from her first two ODIs when she holed out to mid-on in an attempt to hit out against Matthews’ offspin.
India captain Harmanpreet then picked the pieces up and put together a fantastic exhibition of cover driving.
Having begun with two fours off her first five deliveries, she went on to pierce a packed off-side ring to hit Dottin for three fours in the ninth over to quickly take to 23 off 13.
Harmanpreet looked in rip-roaring form when she played back to be bowled by a skidder from Afy Fletcher.
The wicket briefly galvanised the visitors, but India weren’t to be denied as Deepti, Jemimah Rodrigues and Ghosh all played neat hands to see them home. (ESPNcricinfo)
Steve Smith continued his revival with a magnificent century as he and Australia’s bowlers put the hosts firmly on top against India after day two of the fourth Test in Melbourne.
After ending a run of 26 Test innings without a ton in the third Test in Brisbane, Smith followed up with a belligerent 140 to help Australia post 474 in their first innings.
It was the 34-year-old’s 34th Test century and moved him up to joint seventh on the all-time list, in a five-strong group that includes Brian Lara and Sunil Gavaskar.
Smith’s knock included a crucial 112-run partnership for the seventh wicket with captain Pat Cummins, who hit 49.
Smith was eventually dismissed in bizarre fashion when he charged Akash Deep and the ball hit the pads off an inside edge before rolling into his leg stump.
India skipper Rohit Sharma’s poor run of form with the bat continued when he fell for just three off the bowling of Cummins at the start of India’s reply.
The Australia skipper then bowled KL Rahul with a beauty just before tea to leave India reeling on 51-2.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli steadied the innings with a partnership of 102 before a desperate mix-up saw Jaiswal run out for 82.
Scott Boland then removed Kohli for 36 and Deep for a duck as India limped to 164-5 at the close, still trailing by 310 runs. Before Jaiswal’s dismissal, they had been going along handily at 153-2.
The five-match series is level at 1-1, with both sides looking to win it 3-1 to guarantee a place in the World Test Championship final. (BBC)
See below the full release from the Government of Guyana:
Today at noon, His Excellency the President Dr. Mohammed Irfaan Ali received a telephone call from the President and Chair of the United States Export-Import (EXIM) Bank, Ms. Reta Jo Lewis.
The EXIM Chair informed President Ali that the Board of EXIM has approved the loan for the Gas-to-Energy (GtE) Project valued at over $526 million at their Board Meeting held earlier today having completed the thirty-five day congressional notice period.
The GtE Project is slated to deliver 300MW of Power to the grid when completed, expanding the supply of electricity, cutting the carbon footprint per kilowatt hour, and reducing energy costs to consumers by 50 percent.
His Excellency expressed to Chairman Lewis and the EXIM Bank as well as all other US Government agencies and authorities involved, including Ambassador Theriot and her team at the US Embassy in Guyana, the Government’s strong appreciation and thanks for the approval granted and for the confidence shown in this GtE project and in Guyana.
President Ali also commended the Guyana team at the Office of the President, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Guyana Embassy in Washington DC, whose work helped secure this important outcome for our country.
See below the full release issued by the US Embassy in Georgetown on Thursday (Dec 26):
Today, the Board of Directors at the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) approved more than $526 million to the Ministry of Finance of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to support a gas-to-energy project.
The half-billion-dollar financing from today’s approval will support the construction of a state of the art natural gas separation plant, a 300 MW combined cycle gas turbine power plant, and services related to the gas supply pipeline located at Wales, West Bank Demerara. This project will allow Guyana to transition to more reliable and cleaner energy for consumers and businesses by using natural gas to generate electricity. The project will also enable Guyana to strengthen its energy security by doubling the country’s installed electric capacity and unlocking economic growth potential for local Guyanese companies of all sizes. The United States Embassy is proud of this historic project and partnership.
“I am extremely pleased that the Board of Directors approved today’s Gas-to-Energy Project,” said President and Chair Reta Jo Lewis. “I am especially proud to continue to support Bank priorities and charter mandates along with projects that align with the Administration’s economic, energy, and national security priorities.”
The financing will support a U.S. joint venture involving Lindsayca, a Texas-based company, and Puerto Rican small business, CH4 Systems, and services provided by ExxonMobil. This work is being conducted by U.S. and Guyanese companies. 85% of the 500 employees currently supporting this project on site are Guyanese.
Ambassador Theriot said, “I am thrilled that the Board has approved the financing for this groundbreaking project.” She added, “By working with U.S. companies, Guyana will benefit from a first-in-class power plant where quality and safety are at the forefront. We look forward to even more transformational projects where U.S. and Guyanese companies can partner for the benefit of the Guyanese people.”
About EXIM:
The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) is the nation’s official export credit agency with the mission of supporting American jobs by facilitating U.S. exports. To advance American competitiveness and assist U.S. businesses as they compete for global sales, EXIM offers financing including export credit insurance, working capital guarantees, loan guarantees, and direct loans. As an independent federal agency, EXIM contributes to U.S. economic growth by supporting tens of thousands of jobs in exporting businesses and their supply chains across the United States. Learn more at
www.exim.gov.
With his family and well-wishers watching along from the Queens Sports Club balcony, Zimbabwe’s veteran batter Sean Williams celebrated his fifth Test ton in Bulawayo to give the hosts the upper hand at the end of the first day’s play of the Boxing Day Test against Afghanistan.
Considered Zimbabwe’s best player of the turning ball, Williams not only negated Afghanistan’s spin challenge comfortably but also dominated the bowlers to finish unbeaten on 145.
His control percentage of 90 on a surface that offered decent turn right from the start of play displayed just that, with the inexperienced Afghanistan bowling attack – it was missing Rashid Khan for the Test owing to personal reasons – looking both deflated and bruised by the end of it.
Walking in at the start of the second session to face his first ball with Zimbabwe at 92-2, Williams relied on his footwork to get on top of the bowling.
Usually a frequent sweeper, Williams, on this occasion, took to the cuts, drives and pulls to shepherd the Zimbabwe innings.
With Afghanistan not offering anything too full knowing Williams’ love for the sweep, he countered the bowlers’ lengths by rocking back or going on to the front foot with equal ease.
When Williams charged down the track, he lifted sixes over long-on and long-off. When he hung back, he created the time to slap boundaries through the off side.
Williams’ enterprising batting earned him a half-century in 58 balls, and a century off 115.
But Williams’ innings wasn’t the only one to help Zimbabwe finish the day on an imposing 363-4.
Opener Ben Curran, one of three Zimbabwe debutants and one of six across the two XIs, set the tone early with 68 off 74 balls.
He welcomed fellow debutant Azmatullah Omarzai into Test cricket with a boundary off the allrounder’s first ball in the format, before unleashing ten more boundaries.
Curran was the majority contributor in a 43-run opening partnership with Joylord Gumbie (9), and a 49-run second-wicket stand with Takudzwanashe Kaitano (46), but fell to teen debutant AM Ghazanfar in the last over before lunch after a wrong’un sneaked through his defence to knock his stumps back.
Kaitano and Dion Myers (27), batting at No. 5, could not make full use of their starts, but their time in the middle ensured Zimbabwe lost just one wicket apiece in the two sessions after lunch.
With Williams, Kaitano added 78 for the third wicket, while Myers put on 50 for the fourth.
Myers’ dismissal in the 56th over, out caught and bowled by Ghazanfar for his second strike, brought in Zimbabwe’s captain Craig Ervine at No. 6, and he made certain that Afghanistan finished the day with way more questions than answers.
With Williams showing how to score freely, Ervine dug in and quietly brought up his sixth Test fifty with a leg-side dominant innings.
Ervine’s knock was chanceless, unlike Williams, who, when on 124, needed the aid of a no-ball from Zahir Khan to continue batting.
However, Ervine’s 56 in an unbeaten partnership of 143 for the sixth wicket was equally crucial for Zimbabwe to stamp their dominance on the day.
Play was called off five overs before the scheduled stumps owing to bad light, with Zimbabwe ending the day with a run rate of 4.27.
Their dominance also quietened the collective apprehensions Zimbabwe fans had over the absence of the experienced pair of Sikandar Raza and Richard Ngarava in the XI.
Raza had taken to X (formerly Twitter) on the afternoon of the first day to appeal to fans to “let’s just support the boys on the field”.
Given their first-day effort, those concerns appear to have eased for now. (BBC)
Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, has announced a comprehensive overhaul of the main access road along the Essequibo coast, citing its deteriorating condition and the increasing traffic load.
Speaking on Monday at a contract signing ceremony in Region Two, Minister Edghill outlined the urgent need for the revamp and detailed an innovative approach to minimise disruption during construction.
Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill at the contract signing ceremony in Region Two
“We are looking at getting the entire Essequibo coast road redone.We are looking at the methodology where the asphalt that is there right now could be dug up, milled through a process, mixed with fresh asphalt, and relayed almost immediately,” the minister explained.
He also announced works to be executed on three bridges along the coast. A senior engineer has already assessed the structures, and tenders are in progress.
“We are at the selective tendering stage, and we expect awards to be made by the end of the year,” he said.
Attendees at the contract signing ceremony in Region Two
The minister acknowledged that while most roads in populated areas have been addressed, a few costly projects remain.
“We prioritised roads in areas where people live, attend school, visit clinics, and access community centres…Early next year we will tackle the remaining roads,” the public works minister assured.
Region Two is the only region awaiting the final batch of road awards.
Small contractors were assured that they will benefit from the projects (Republished from the Department of Public Information)
Director General of the Ministry of Health, Dr Vishwa Mahadeo
Some of the individuals from Region One who recently graduated
The health post that was reopened at Wallaba
Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill at the contract signing ceremony in Region Two
Attendees at the contract signing ceremony in Region Two