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Max Verstappen climbed up from 17th on the grid to win the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, one of his greatest victories taking him to the brink of a fourth world title.

Rival Lando Norris of McLaren had a difficult race, finishing sixth after a couple of key errors, to fall 62 points adrift off Verstappen with 86 still available in the final three races.

Verstappen will become world champion if he leaves the next race at Las Vegas on 23 November with a lead of at least 60 points.

Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly took the final two podium places to transform Alpine’s season and move the team up from ninth in the constructors’ championship to sixth.

A chaotic, incident-strewn, wet race that involved a red flag, two safety car periods and a series of crashes and incidents will be remembered for a victory that was not only Verstappen’s 62nd, but one of the greatest wet-weather victories of all time.

Just as remarkably, it was his first win since the Spanish Grand Prix in June, and it owed everything to a driver at the top of his game, and a team making the right strategic decision at the right time. (BBC)

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Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL) on Sunday started its new direct flight between the Ogle Airport, Guyana and Paramaribo, Suriname.

Passengers can benefit from the direct flight twice weekly, that is, on Sundays and Fridays.

“Caribbean Airlines has deep roots in Guyana… Guyana is one of our most important markets,” the company’s Country Manager for Guyana and Suriname, Renatha Marshall said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sunday.

According to her, the company believes it is important to expand and respond to market needs. As such, the new direct service was introduced.

Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill, Ministry of Tourism Industry and Commerce Oneidge Walrond, CAL’s Country Manager for Guyana & Suriname Renatha Marshall and other officials and stakeholders at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new direct flight (Photo: News Room/ November 3, 2024)

It was previously noted that the new route will be served by CAL’s ATR 72-600 aircraft, offering convenient travel options for passengers between the two South American nations.

On Sundays, Flight BW 383 will fly from Ogle, Guyana to Suriname. It departs at 09:55 hrs, and arrives at 12:05 hrs. Then Flight BW 384 will fly from Suriname to Ogle; it departs at 12:50 hrs (Suriname Time), arrives at 13:00 hrs.

On Fridays, Flight BW 383 will fly from Ogle, Guyana to Suriname, departing at 10:45 hrs, arriving at 12:55 hrs. Flight BW 384 will fly from Suriname to Ogle, Guyana, departing at 13:50 hrs (Suriname time), and arriving at 14:00 hrs.

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill on Sunday noted that there is already a direct flight, along the same route, offered by Trans Guyana. However, the CAL aircraft is bigger and offers flyers more options for travel.

Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill, Ministry of Tourism Industry and Commerce Oneidge Walrond, CAL’s Country Manager for Guyana & Suriname Renatha Marshall and other officials and stakeholders at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new direct flight (Photo: News Room/ November 3, 2024)

According to him, Guyana and Suriname are collaborating on many projects so both economies can benefit from increased attention. He believes the introduction of this service helps facilitate seamless travel and business between the neighbouring countries.

Similarly, Tourism Minister Oneidge Walrond spoke of the greater attention being placed on Guyana’s tourism sector. And she opined that private investments in the sector reflect that growing attention.

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McLaren’s Lando Norris took pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in a chaotic, crash-strewn qualifying session in which Max Verstappen was 12th.

The Red Bull driver has a five-place grid penalty for the grand prix later on Sunday so will start 17th, although he may vault up if some of the damaged cars cannot start the race.

Mercedes driver George Russell snatched second place alongside Norris, with the RB of Yuki Tsunoda third, ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and RB’s Liam Lawson.

The session was punctuated by five red flags for heavy crashes involving, in order, Williams’ Franco Colapinto, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, both Aston Martin drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, and Williams’ Alex Albon.

Verstappen was left fuming about the delay in throwing the red flag for Stroll’s crash in the second session, which he believed had allowed other drivers to knock him out of the top 10 because the session was not resumed.

And Norris himself came close to being knocked out in the first session – he was in the drop zone before jumping up to 15th, the final car to progress, with his final lap.

That time, though, knocked out Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who qualified 16th.

Norris said: “There was a lot going on. I was struggling a lot at the start of the session, I worked on it a lot in the session. A little surprised to be on pole but a good result for us.”

Verstappen complained that the delay had allowed other drivers to demote him out of the top 10.

“I find it unbelievable,” Verstappen said. “The car goes into the wall, broken. It’s clearly destroyed, but they wait 30-40 seconds and the others can complete their lap times and of course the ones behind cannot.

“The car hits the wall, it needs to be a straight red, I don’t understand why it needs to take 30, 40 seconds for the red flag to come out. It’s so stupid to talk about. It’s ridiculous.”

In fact, a review of the session suggests it did not make a difference to Verstappen.

He was lying 10th when Stroll crashed, after a poor single lap following a restart after the red-flag period for Sainz’s accident earlier in the session.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crossed the line to bump Verstappen down to 11th just two seconds later – well within the normal margin for a yellow flag to become a red after a heavy crash.

Leclerc ended up qualifying sixth, with Albon – who had been second before his crash – dropping down to seventh, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Alonso and Stroll.

It remains to be seen whether Aston Martin and Williams, who have two damaged cars, can repair both in time for the race, and if they cannot which driver will be chosen. (BBC) 

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During a meeting on Saturday with shrimp farmers from Region Six at the Albion Sports Complex, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha disclosed that phase one of the brackish water shrimp pond programme was approximately 75 percent completed.

He said while the initial project is almost complete, additional farmers have expressed an interest in getting involved in the programme.

“So far, we were able to complete about 75 percent of the ponds. Initially, we had a list of about 80 farmers from Region Six. This was for phase one of the project. We added some additional farmers to the list who will be a part of phase two of the project. When we’ve completed phase one, we’ll start work on the additional ponds,” he explained.

Timely interventions in the sector by the Irfaan Ali-led Administration have resulted in massive increases in brackish water shrimp production.

Before the government’s intervention, shrimp farmers were producing approximately 9,000 kilograms monthly. Farmers are now producing approximately 98,000 kilograms monthly.

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha while engaging shrimp farmers from Region SIx (Photo: MoA/ November 2, 2024)

Minister Mustapha said that additional machines were procured to assist with executing the project. He also disclosed that an additional machine will be procured for the project next year.

While noting that the government was investing in the sector and production has increased, Minister Mustapha said that the price for brackish water shrimp has also increased. This, he noted, should not be the case.

“We are investing a lot of money; taxpayers’ money; to develop these ponds but the consumers are not receiving any benefits. Before the project, one bucket of shrimp was being sold for just about $25,000. Now, I’m being told it is being sold for as much as $45,000. This should not be the case and we cannot continue like that. So, this is something we’ll be looking at because we are assisting you but we also need the consumers to benefit from this initiative,” he noted.

In 2023, Guyana earned approximately $1.8 billion from the production of brackish water shrimp due to the government’s heavy focus on increased food production and economic growth. This represents a 49 percent increase when compared to the 548,900 kilograms produced over the same period in 2022.

From January to November 2023, approximately 815,496 kilograms of shrimp were produced. Minister Mustapha stated that the production of brackish water shrimp, which is being conducted along the Corentyne Coast, has continued to produce massive outcomes since its commencement.

He also said that the project will soon commence in Regions Five and Two. He also said that the Vannamei Prawns project has also commenced in Region Five and that the government will soon produce feed and larvae for the industry. This, he explained, will improve the quality and quantity of shrimp being produced (Ministry of Agriculture press release)

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The Courts Optical Pee-Wee Trophy is heading to Region One as Santa Rosa Primary School became the first team from the hinterland to win the Under-11 School Football Championship.

Their thrilling triumph was achieved on Saturday evening when they edged a determined and talented unit from Marian Academy.

Michael Harris scored the decisive goal in the dying minutes of extra time, sending shockwaves of cheers from parents and other supporters at the Ministry of Education Ground, Carifesta Avenue.

The young lads continued a strong showing by hinterland teams in recent tournaments by Petra Organisation, as their seniors—Santa Rosa Secondary—won the Milo U-18 tournament in 2023.

In the third-place playoff, St. Pius Primary edged past St. John the Baptist Primary 3-2.

Marian Academy came up just short

Jovanie Wright, Dontay Kowlessar, and Emmanuel Forte scored for St. Pius, while Kareem Welcome and Kriston Chandler netted for St. John the Baptist.

The tournament was a showcase of young talent, with players like Jovanie Wright, Dontay Kowlessar, and Kareme Welcome emerging as top performers.

Santa Rosa’s Linden James was named both MVP and Best Goalkeeper, while their coach, Earl Richard, was recognized as the Best Coach.

The tournament, now in its 11th year, was approved by the Ministry of Education and supported by the National Sports Commission, Stena Drilling, MVP Sports, and Sterling Products Limited.

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Farmers from the Upper Corentyne area will soon commence several projects to bring all available land into productive use, further boosting the region’s production.

Approximately 30,000 acres of land including privately held areas near Moleson Creek in Upper Corentyne were earmarked for infrastructural development for agriculture-related activities.

During a meeting with farmers on Saturday, Agriculture Minister, Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha officially formed a committee to manage the implementation of the programme.

Last October, Minister Mustapha accompanied Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo to the Upper Corentyne to meet with farmers to discuss the government’s developmental plans for the area. The Vice President disclosed that the government had allocated $2 billion in the budget for infrastructural development aimed at enhancing land productivity.

While in the region, Minister Mustapha set up the committee which comprises representatives from Coops and private cane farmers in the Upper Corentyne area.

He disclosed that the private cane farmers had approximately 10,000 acres of while the various Coops from the area had varying amounts, totaling approximately 30,000 acres.

He explained that while some farmers indicated that they wanted to recommence cane farming, other farmers expressed interest in other areas.

“Some farmers indicate that they want to go back to cane, some farmers indicated that they want to start planting corn, while some are looking at the other crop that we want to start, like hemp. So, we want to start work as soon as possible. This project is long in the making so I am looking to start from the Upper Corentyne side, Molsen Creek end coming down. Some of the farmers wanted to start back growing cane because, you know, we started to do cane cultivation once again at Skeldon. This year, we will plant 1,500 hectares. By next year we’re looking to plant up to 5,000 hectares, but we have to start the program” he explained.

Three private cane farmers along with representatives of coops from El Dorado, Landless, Leeds Pioneer, Baba Grant, Friendly Farmers, Babylon, Hunter’s Scheme, and Johannesburg were appointed to serve on the committee. Senior officers from the Guyana Rice Development Board, the Guyana Livestock Development Authority, the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute, and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority will also have roles in the committee.
The committee will be chaired by the Ministry’s Director General, Madanlall Ramraj.

Minister Mustapha also established another committee to oversee the operation of various pumps in the region. This committee will be chaired by Regional Vice Chairman, Zamal Hussain, and comprises representatives from the Water Users Associations, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, the Guyana Rice Development Board, and local farmers (Ministry of Agriculture press release)

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Once celebrated primarily for its agricultural contributions, the Essequibo Coast—affectionately dubbed “Cinderella County”—is transforming into a burgeoning tourism hotspot.

The shift was highlighted during the launch of Tourism Awareness Month 2024 at the picturesque Mainstay Lake, where regional officials and community members gathered to embrace a new vision for economic growth.

Regional Chairman Vilma Da Silva, who also serves as the president of the Region Two Tourism Association, emphasized the region’s welcoming spirit and the potential for tourism to enhance local livelihoods.

“As you journey from Georgetown and cross the Essequibo River, the tranquility of Region Two envelops you. We are proud of our agricultural heritage, but it’s time to embrace tourism as a significant economic driver,” Da Silva stated.

The theme for this year’s tourism month: ‘A People-Centred Tourism Product: Elevating Our Profile’, captures the essence of a collective effort to showcase what Region Two has to offer.

Da Silva noted that while agriculture remains vital, the region’s natural beauty and cultural richness present unique opportunities for tourism development.

During her speech, Da Silva advocated for a balanced approach that marries agriculture with tourism.

“We are accustomed to a single way of life, but the tide is changing. With the rise of agritourism, visitors can experience the bounty of our organic produce firsthand, enhancing their connection to the land,” she explained.

The region boasts vast agricultural landscapes and several lakes, which are ripe for exploration and leisure activities.

With new investments in infrastructure and accommodations, Da Silva revealed that Region Two is witnessing a surge in tourism interest.

“Our small hotel industry is experiencing a boom, many weekends we are fully booked. This clearly demonstrates the demand for more lodging options,” she shared.

“We must work together as hoteliers, taxi drivers, and boat operators to ensure that visitors feel safe and welcomed. Quality services are essential for our reputation as a tourist destination,” Da Silva urged.

Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Kamrul Baksh, also spoke at the event, highlighting the growth of tourism in Region Two and the support from authorities.

“Today is a historic day—not only for the launch of Tourism Awareness Month 2024, but because of the energy emanating from the newly formed Association, which is doing phenomenal work,” he remarked.

Baksh underscored the importance of people in the hospitality industry, emphasizing that government initiatives are underway to facilitate investment in local communities.

“We’ve seen immense interest in hospitality training, with over 300 people already signed up,” he noted, indicating a commitment to skill development for a thriving tourism sector.

He also praised the region’s cleanliness and the hospitality shown by local residents.

“The level of hospitality in Region Two is exceptional, and it’s crucial that we maintain the cleanliness of our surroundings,” Baksh added.

As the momentum for tourism in the Essequibo Coast builds, the upcoming month of activities promises to engage locals and visitors alike in celebrating the region’s potential.

Workshops, community events, and training sessions are planned to cultivate skills in the hospitality sector and refine tourism offerings.

Baksh concluded with an optimistic vision, stating, “Together, we can elevate Region Two’s profile as a premier tourism destination, showcasing our unique culture, organic agriculture, and stunning landscapes.”

With the right support, he believes the region has not only immense potential but is also on the path to realizing that potential incrementally.

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New Zealand sealed a historic 3-0 series clean sweep over India with a thrilling 25-run win on day three of the third and final Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

It is India’s first clean-sweep defeat in a home Test series since South Africa’s 2-0 win in 2000, and their first ever in a series of three Tests or more.

New Zealand had never won a Test series in India and had not won a single Test for 36 years before their eight-wicket win in the series opener in Bengaluru.

“It’s seriously special first of all to win a Test match here at this historic ground, but also to win a series 3-0,” said Black Caps batter Daryl Mitchell, who scored 82 in the first innings.

“It’s something you dream of. To come over here and actually achieve it is pretty special against a world-class Indian team.

“We’re just a bunch of Kiwis taking on the world.”

Chasing 147 for the win, the hosts were skittled out for 121 during the afternoon session, with spinner Ajaz Patel taking 6-57.

India looked on course for an even heavier defeat when they slipped to 29-5, before a punchy half-century from Rishabh Pant gave them hope.

But Pant’s dismissal for 64 shortly after lunch saw New Zealand regain a grip on the match that they never relinquished.

Pant was given not out on the field but the decision was overturned by the TV umpire, who decided after several replays that the ball had brushed his bat before clipping the pad on the way through to wicketkeeper Tom Blundell.

That left India reeling on 106-7 and they added just 15 runs for the final three wickets, with Patel wrapping up the win to end with match figures of 11-160.

New Zealand had begun the day on 171-9 but added just three runs before Patel was dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja, who took 5-55 to end with match figures of 10-120. (BBC)

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The Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) proudly inaugurated the Brava Guyana Open on November 2, 2024, drawing an unprecedented number of golfers from the United States, Canada, Barbados, Trinidad, Fiji, Mexico and Suriname, among other countries.

This event has set a new milestone for the club, reflecting LGC’s growing international reputation and commitment to promoting inclusivity, progress, and empowerment within the sport.

Lusignan Golf Club president, Anasha Ally

In her opening remarks at the preceding evening’s cocktail reception, LGC President Anasha Ally expressed her pride in the club’s achievement and acknowledged the collective dedication that made this event possible.

“This tournament has attracted a record total of 97 participants, and I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to the exceptional team that worked tirelessly to make this event a reality. This achievement is a testament to our club’s commitment to inclusivity, progress, and the empowerment of women in the sport of golf,” Ally noted.

She further emphasised LGC’s core values of sportsmanship, integrity, and respect, urging all members and participants to uphold these principles throughout the event.

The Brava Guyana Open marks the third year of partnership between LGC and Brava, a collaboration that has strengthened the club’s mission and enhanced its stature within the regional golfing community.

Candacy Toney, Brava’s Public Sector Lead

Candacy Toney, Brava’s Public Sector Lead, reaffirmed the company’s support for the tournament and encouraged players to embrace the spirit of competition and camaraderie, saying, “To the players, I encourage you to have fun, and may the best man and woman emerge victorious.”

Also addressing attendees at the reception, Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., reiterated the government’s commitment to enhancing the Lusignan Golf Club’s facilities and its role in the community.

Ramson outlined plans to provide the club with upgraded equipment to improve the course and mentioned initiatives aimed at integrating the club with the surrounding communities, including a vision to transform LGC into a country club that could offer additional amenities such as restaurants and other sports facilities.

“With the new communities developing in Lusignan, I will do my utmost to merge them with the Lusignan Golf Club, so the club may experience a transformation into a more inclusive and vibrant hub,” Ramson stated, encouraging the LGC to begin preparing for the expected growth in membership.

Defending champion Avinash Persaud in action on the opening day at Lusignan

The opening day of the Brava Guyana Open featured spirited performances from enthusiastic golfers who eagerly took to the course in the spirit of friendly competition.

Feedback from both members and visitors has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the club’s welcoming environment and the high standard of the event’s organization.

The Brava Guyana Open will continue throughout the weekend, offering participants a thrilling display of skill and sportsmanship.

This record-breaking event is not only a celebration of golf but also a reflection of Lusignan Golf Club’s dedication to fostering a community that values inclusivity, respect, and the shared enjoyment of the sport. (Press Release from the Lusignan Golf Club)

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