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All rights reserved Log in for full access to stabroeknews.com Only one active session is allowed per subscriber MIAMI (Reuters) – New dad Max Verstappen showed he could be even faster as a father after storming to pole position at the Miami Formula One Grand Prix ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris on Saturday Days after the Red Bull driver and partner Kelly Piquet welcomed daughter Lily the four-times champion set a blistering lap of one minute 26.204 seconds around the Hard Rock Stadium The pole was an immediate and impressively firm response to being demoted to last in the wet earlier sprint race following a 10 second penalty for an unsafe release in the pitlane and collision with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli “Clearly it didn’t make me slower as well so that’s the positive,” said Verstappen “We can throw that out of the window as well for people mentioning it.” winner in Miami last year after Verstappen also secured pole for that race was 0.065 slower and possibly taking comfort in the knowledge that no driver has won from pole at the track since the race debuted in 2022 the 18-year-old who became the youngest ever pole sitter in the sprint qualified third fastest with McLaren’s championship leader Oscar Piastri completing the second row in fourth trimming second-placed Australian Piastri’s advantage to nine points and now has a great chance to make further inroads I was hoping it would slow him down,” joked the Briton “Max did a Max lap once again and I can’t fault him I’m happy and excited for tomorrow.” George Russell qualified fifth for Mercedes with Williams’ Carlos Sainz sixth and teammate Alex Albon seventh to make up for the disappointment of being demoted from the points in the sprint Max’s race pace has been surprisingly good recently,” said Russell “We talk a lot about McLaren but Red Bull are still strong Hopefully a bit more rain will spice things up a bit.” Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start eighth after missing the sprint race due to a crash on the way from the pitlane to starting grid and Esteban Ocon qualified ninth for Haas with Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda 10th came swiftly back down to earth when he qualified only 12th for Ferrari We are only six races in but we are struggling big time,” said the 40-year-old Jack Doohan made it to the second phase and outqualified Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly for the first time with 14th place Haas rookie Ollie Bearman qualified last while Aston Martin had another disappointing session with Fernando Alonso but Piastri then made it a McLaren one-two in phase two with every likelihood of continuing that way in the final shootout Verstappen ripped up the script to secure his third pole in six races and second in a row as well as becoming the first driver to take a repeat pole in Miami A FREE roundup of top news from Guyana you might otherwise miss (Reuters) In TNT Sports’ latest move since acquiring 10 years of French Open broadcasting rights for $650 million the company revealed Saturday that Venus Williams will join its team of broadcasters for the Grand Slam tournament that begins May 25 The 44-year-old Williams is a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion who reached the French Open singles final in 2002 and competed in the event as recently as 2021 Williams joins a star-studded cast that includes Andre Agassi It’s all part of TNT Sports’ comprehensive plan to cover the French Open in a similar fashion as the men’s NCAA basketball tournament TNT Sports will feature live matches on TNT during the two-week event at Roland Garros in Paris but live coverage also will be presented on TBS and truTV Studio shows will be hosted throughout the day on truTV to go with match and “whiparound” coverage even if they’re being simulcast on TNT The French Open’s women’s singles final is scheduled for June 7 with the men’s singles final slated for June 8 Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz are the defending champions Maziki Thame is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Government Editor’s Note: A shorter version of this article appeared in the Jamaica Gleaner Voices of clergy and women’s rights veteran unite to demand human rights policing and police accountability at an April 29th peaceful protest organised by Jamaicans for Justice in Kingston Could not recognize the faces standing over me They were all dressed in uniforms of brutality who the Jamaican government celebrated in February say about the police dressed in masks and balaclavas in their daily operations today Would he agree with the Prime Minister’s assessment that the rise in police killings are “understandable” make of what Police Commissioner Blake says is an “amazing transformation” of the police force The constabulary was originally set up to keep Black people in place at the bottom of Jamaica’s social hierarchy Their conduct and the role they play in the broader social structure are important indicators of how far Jamaica is from a colonial condition wherein Blacks Indians and other non-whites were deemed disposable The state of policing also indicates the extent to which democracy is under threat or thriving Militarism goes hand in hand with authoritarianism While democratic values include popular participation in decision-making checks on the power of governments and the protection of people’s rights and freedoms militarisation of states threatens democracy by way of the expansion of the power of security forces to use violence against the people and curtail their means to participate in public life and enjoy rights and freedoms Security forces are not neutral players in the state we are witnessing the rise of militarisation and authoritarianism El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele enacted a state of exception (SOE) in March 2022 that limits constitutional protections and grants unlimited powers to Salvadoran armed forces to arrest people suspected of being gang members critics of his government and land and water defenders El Salvador now has the highest rate of incarceration in the world with 3 in 100 men in prison and penitentiaries running at over 300% capacity The state has relied on mass detentions and mass trials and there have been over 350 deaths in state custody since the SOEs We have seen Donald Trump attempt to legitimize Bukele tied to the US disappearing migrants into El Salvador’s mega prison is part of his justification for creating a police state inside America and militarisation of the Americas The history of US militarisation in the region is long the blockade against Cuba and a ”War on Drugs” that led to the mass incarceration of Blacks including Latin American and Caribbean people the US’s most “like-minded partner” in the region finds commonality in positions on Haiti and Venezuela they are deemed criminals and quickly returned to a hostile environment Holness has said it is time to launch a global war on gangs promotes the “Bukele Model” in spite of Amnesty International’s warning that what the Salvadorian government “calls peace is a mirage that pretends to conceal a repressive system” that disregards “already invisible people” Faced with Trump’s heightened deportations across the region the Jamaican government did not speak in defence of its citizens as did other leaders who insisted that they be treated with dignity The Prime Minister warned that with our transformed forces “You will either meet a judge or your maker if you come back to Jamaica and violate our laws and create havoc.” Holness was expressing a stance that built on a direction of militarisation of the state The awesome power of the security forces has been made more so in recent years in Jamaica According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Jamaica’s military spending moved from USD 133.3 mil in 2016 to USD 284.3 mil in 2019 SIPRI’s 2019 Yearbook reported that “The three biggest relative increases in military spending between 2017 and 2018 were by Burkina Faso (52 per cent) Jamaica (40 per cent) and Armenia (33 per cent).” The jump in military spending coincided with the introduction and perpetuation of the use of States of Emergency (SOE) between 2018 and 2020 They only waned after the Supreme Court deemed their use to be an overreach of executive powers after 5 men who had been detained  between 177 and 431 days filed cases against the government In defence of SOE’s the Minister lauded their capacity to buttress the force The government has been expanding the role of the army in policing militarizing police practices and passing or attempting to pass draconian legislation or sentencing related to crime such as the expansion of mandatory minimum sentences In addition to the SOE’s and the establishment of Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO’s) which brought the military into active policing and occupation of communities there have been high level appointments of military figures to public office notably Lieutenant General Rocky Meade as Permanent Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister after the failed attempts to push him into the post of Cabinet Secretary in 2022 and Major General Antony Anderson’s appointment as Police Commissioner and then as Jamaica’s ambassador to Washington Reminiscent of Hugh Shearer’s infamous directive to the police to shoot first and ask questions later Horace Chang has repeatedly told the police to shoot to kill when confronted with armed criminals how do we understand the reasons for crime and violence in Jamaica and does this stance address those do we trust that police encounter armed criminals when they shoot to kill Injuries from police shootings decreased by 21 per cent in 2024 with 78 people injured compared to 99 in 2023 The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) has reported that 189 people were killed by the security forces in 2024 building on a five-year increase since 2019 when fatal shootings had reached their lowest point in two decades at 86 the police killed an average of one person a day with 81 people killed in 90 days but re-intensified in April Some Jamaicans have applauded the force in their recent “success” in bringing down homicide rates It has been achieved alongside or some would say due to the killing of 9 people with mental illness last year Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) has implored the public to reject what they called a defacto shoot-to-kill policy particularly regarding allegations of extrajudicial killings could undermine officers’ morale and reverse progress in crime reduction.” The Police Federation Chairman Arleen McBean argued that the JFJ would be “true terrorists” if they did not defend the police at their protest carried out on April 29 is used alongside criminal by Trump and Trumpists to describe anyone his government wants to target The JCF gave notice that it would deploy the force to monitor and ensure order at the protest supporters of the JFJ’s position called for human rights policing said no to “police outlaws” and called for the removal of masks and balaclavas and for the wearing of body cameras in police operations All people do not experience the development of militarisation in the same way it is they who must face the police and military and be curtailed in their movements by the curfew Salvadorians marked the third anniversary of SOEs with protests A protester told the media Bukele was criminalizing poverty and his collaboration with the Trump administration was xenophobic we might seek to eliminate it and current trickle-down economics does not do that Jamaica’s violence problem is not just a problem of bad behaving men It is tied to an understanding of masculinity whereby performing violence is a route to status and power in a society where prospects for achieving them is very limited and also highly valued Prospects are limited by a socio-economic structure where inequality is entrenched and expanding and violence is turned inward and directed from the state The history of violence in independent Jamaica is tied to party politics and the practice of turning poor communities into garrisons and neighbours into enemies thus mobilizing poor Blacks into political violence Players in that process became increasingly independent of the party system in the neoliberal period but remained connected to criminalized economies if we want real solutions to crime and violence we must examine the nature of the political economy and who it disadvantages in tandem with the ways in which the social order constructs the poor as criminal and treats them as disposable Jamaica may not yet have come to terms with the values of democracy human rights or the equality of human beings This is part of the challenge of decolonization and it shows in the approach to security in Jamaica understood in terms of high value for rights and freedoms citizens would seek to zealously curtail the authority of the state to use violence as a way to manage its people Guyana Defence Force FC (GDF) delivered a commanding performance on Saturday night dismantling Ann’s Grove United 8-0 in the second match of a double-header at the National Training Centre in Providence as part of the ongoing Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) Elite League The lopsided victory was headlined by a brace each from Ian Dooker and Shemar Scott as GDF asserted complete dominance from start to finish Dooker opened the scoring in the 8th minute and added another just before halftime in the 45th bookending a powerful first half for the military side Shemar Scott continued the scoring in the 20th minute and capped off the rout with his second in the 88th putting the final stamp on a clinical team display Keron Spencer added his name to the scoresheet in the 33rd minute while Chris Macey found the net in stoppage time (45+ minutes) with Malcolm Miggins (60 minutes) and Jeffrey Pereira (64 minutes) joining the goal parade The victory significantly boosts GDF’s momentum in the Elite League showcasing their attacking prowess and depth while Ann’s Grove United were left reeling (Reuters) – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Saturday that U.S President Donald Trump had proposed sending U.S troops to Mexico to combat drug trafficking but said she had rejected that offer because “sovereignty is not for sale.” Sheinbaum’s comments were in response to questions about a Wall Street Journal report published on May 2 that said Trump was pressuring Mexico to allow deeper U.S military involvement against drug cartels to combat trafficking across the shared border ‘How can we help you fight drug trafficking Army come in to help you,’” said Sheinbaum who was speaking at a university event near the capital on Saturday sovereignty is loved and defended,” the president said adding that while the two countries can collaborate “we will never accept the presence of the United States military in our territory.” National Security Council (NSC) said in response to a Reuters request for comment that Trump had been “crystal clear that Mexico must do more to combat these gangs and cartels and the United States stands ready to assist and expand the already close cooperation between our two countries.” The council spokesperson added that Trump had worked closely with Sheinbaum to achieve the “most secure southwest border in history” “dangerous foreign terrorist organizations continue to threaten our shared security and the drugs and crime they spread threaten American communities across the country,” the spokesperson said The White House did not immediately respond when asked by Reuters whether Trump had raised troop deployments with Sheinbaum would take unilateral military action if Mexico failed to dismantle drug cartels The two leaders have had several calls in recent months to discuss security issues Sheinbaum went on to explain that during one of the calls she had asked Trump for help to prevent weapons from entering Mexico from the United States that fuel violence and trafficking The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that tension between the two leaders rose towards the end of an April 16 telephone conversation when Trump pushed to have U.S armed forces take a leading role in tackling Mexican drug gangs that produce and smuggle fentanyl to the U.S designated the Sinaloa Cartel and other Mexican drug cartels as global terrorist organizations which some analysts have warned could be a stepping stone to such military action Airborne surveillance of Mexican drug cartels by the U.S as part of efforts to collect intelligence to determine how to best counter their activities Sheinbaum has since proposed a constitutional reform aimed at adding protections to Mexico’s national sovereignty originally scheduled for completion on August 9 When questioned by opposition Member of Parliament Annette Ferguson in a written submission to the National Assembly during the sitting on Monday last “This contract is currently in liquidation at 0.05% per day Minister Benn responded that the cost of the building is $198,236,062 the percentage of work completed for the project was about 60% A total of $91,817,500 has been paid on the project as of that date which includes a 15% advance payment of $29,735,409 made in 2022,” he stated Unlock 1 week of unlimited access for just $5 and our iOS & Android apps as a subscriber and Victory Valley Royals recorded contrasting wins when the ‘One Guyana’ Basketball League continued at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Homestretch Avenue Jermaine Slater top scored for the victor with 20 points Trevor Smith was the next best scorer with 18 points Garfield Benjamin recorded a game-high 27 points in the loss while the combination of Marvin Mars and Malcolm Mickel contributed 18 and 13 points LONDON (Reuters) – Bournemouth won away at Arsenal for the first time in the Premier League on Saturday and completed a memorable double to boost their chances of playing in Europe next season thanks to a second-half fightback en route to a thrilling 2-1 win Aston Villa beat Fulham 1-0 to improve their hopes of finishing in the league’s top five and qualifying for the Champions League while Leicester City defeated fellow relegated side Southampton 2-0 to end their nine-game drought without a goal at King Power Stadium Everton’s emotional farewell to Goodison Park continued with an entertaining 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town as the relegated visitors came from two goals down to rescue a point Arsenal’s preparations for their huge Champions League second leg against Paris St Germain on Wednesday took a huge blow after Bournemouth’s Evanilson and Dean Huijsen scored in quick succession Declan Rice gave the Gunners the lead in the 34th minute rounding goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and producing an accomplished finish on his 100th Arsenal appearance but Dean Huijsen gave Bournemouth a deserved equaliser in the 67th minute before Evanilson bundled home eight minutes later to complete the turnaround “Massive disappointment,” Gunners captain Martin Odegaard told Sky Sports “It is too chaotic and too sloppy from us but we have to use today to be ready and beat PSG on Wednesday.” Bournemouth move up to eighth in the table which could be enough for European football next season who have just two league wins from six games three points above third-placed Manchester City “First of all we knew that we have never got a point here and that motivated us more We’re a team that always give our all,” Huijsen told Sky Sports “It’s a really important three points for us.” Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans headed home John McGinn’s 12th-minute corner Tielemans almost set up a second goal for Ollie Watkins and was narrowly wide with a superb curling effort on the stroke of halftime as Villa returned to winning ways and extended their unbeaten home league run to 17 games Villa remained in seventh place with three games left but they are now level on 60 points with Nottingham Forest and Chelsea “Europe is very important for the club and for our progress to try get another UEFA trophy,” Villa boss Unai Emery told the BBC “Champions League is our dream — we are so motivated to be there again.” Defeat was a big blow to Fulham’s own European hopes leaving them ninth and potentially lower after other results this weekend Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy finally gave home fans something to cheer about with his 199th goal for the Foxes ending a home goal drought that stretched back to December 8 Playing in his penultimate home game for the Foxes Vardy struck in the 17th minute when he latched onto Bilal El Khannouss’s cross and fired home The 38-year-old announced recently he would leave Leicester at the end of the season after 13 years “There’s only one man to do it best that’s Jamie with a great finish with his left,” Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy told Premier League Productions “He broke that cycle and gave us that lift.” Jordan Ayew also scored to secure Leicester their fifth win of the season while bottom side Southampton have 11 points and only three games left to avoid being the joint-worst team in Premier League history Beto and Dwight McNeil put Everton 2-0 up in the penultimate game at the famous old ground before the club move to a new home on the banks of the River Mersey next season But a stunning strike from Julio Enciso and a late header by George Hirst brought Ipswich level as Everton failed to convert their chances to put the game to bed and had to settle for a 15th draw of the campaign Everton moved to 14th place in the table with 39 points from 35 games It was the last Saturday 3pm kick-off at Goodison Park some 132 years after the first with the final game at the grand old stadium against Southampton on Sunday May 18 “We wanted to finish (at Goodison Park) on as high with two wins not doing that today makes the last one against Southampton even more important,” McNeil told PLP a 42-year-old gold miner of Awarewaunau Village was granted bail in the sum of $50,000 when he appeared before Magistrate Omadatt Chandan at the Lethem Magistrate’s Court charged with assault causing actual bodily harm Sam was not required to plead to the indictable charge when it was first read to him the Administration of Justice Act was applied allowing the matter to be dealt with summarily The charge was then re-read to him and he pleaded not guilty Bail was granted on the conditions that he reports to the Aishalton Police Station every Friday at 10:00 hrs until the matter is concluded keeps the peace and refrains from contacting any of the witnesses in the matter The case has been adjourned to 14th May 2025 The victim was present in court when the matter was heard by police of the Aishalton Police Station at Marudi Backdam Waramuri and Charity won the Region #1 and #2 divisional crowns when the Blue Water Shipping U-15 Girls’ School Championship commenced Waramuri emerged the victor following a perfect record of three wins They then defeated Santa Rosa by the aforesaid score (Reuters) – Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka won her first WTA title since triumphing at the 2021 Australian Open after beating Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan 6-1 7-5 in the final of the L’Open 35 de Saint-Malo – a WTA 125 tournament on clay It was the 27-year-old Japanese player’s first WTA title since she became a mother in July 2023 Osaka struggled with her lack of power and accuracy as she failed to progress beyond the second round of any Grand Slam last year who reached the third round of the Australian Open in January before retiring due to injury is set to feature in the main draw of the French Open later this month – GGMC probe found major breaches by officers The removal of small miners from claims at Arnik triggered an investigation by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) which found procedural violations and misconduct by GGMC staff involved in the removal and recommended disciplinary action against them who were not allowed to return to their claims have since secured the services of attorney Nigel Hughes and are confident of prevailing in court The Luzes alleged that there was a conspiracy involving GGMC officials and heavily armed private security acting for powerful investors The miners said that they began their venture in 2023 locating five claims (Luz #1-5) on previously abandoned plots at Arnik they received field verification from GGMC Mines Officer Alvin Graham in December 2023 and again in July 2024 after briefly abandoning and relocating the claims in April 2024 due to procedural requirements They were operating dredge SDL#19219 on Claim Luz#2 NEW DELHI (Reuters) – The euphoria around the 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi has not died down yet and India appear to have unearthed another teenage batting sensation in Chennai Super Kings opener Ayush Mhatre Rajasthan Royals batter Suryavanshi smashed a 35-ball hundred in an Indian Premier League match against Gujarat Titans to become the youngest centurion in men’s T20 cricket drawing rich praise from the game’s greats including Sachin Tendulkar fell short of a hundred against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Saturday but Chennai head coach Stephen Fleming cannot stop gushing after the opener’s 94 off 48 balls Everything that we like about a modern-day T20 player,” Fleming told reporters after Bengaluru beat Chennai by two runs it’s the temperament and being able to execute in a trial and then on the big stage That’s what I’m most impressed with.” “It’s one thing to have a lot of shots but to be able to execute that game plan on a big stage in front of some of the biggest players in the world is what I admire.” Mhatre came into the side only after an elbow injury cut short skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s season and has scored 163 in four innings with a strike rate of 185 Former New Zealand captain Fleming marvelled at the skill-sets of both Suryavanshi and Mhatre “It’s extraordinary to watch that fearless approach But you’ve got to have skills as well.” “It doesn’t matter whether you’re 14 The innings that we’ve seen being played “It shows maturity beyond their years but it shows a skill set that is quite daunting “I worry a little bit about the Under-19 opposition They’ll come up against two pretty handy openers when a World Cup comes around.” LONDON (Reuters) – British counter-terrorism police have arrested eight men including seven Iranians in two separate operations in what the interior minister called some of the biggest investigations of their kind in recent years were arrested on Saturday over a suspected plot to target specific premises London’s Metropolitan Police said on Sunday without naming the site were arrested in West London and the English towns and cities of Swindon There was no information on the nationality of the fifth man “We are exploring various lines of enquiry to … identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter,” Commander Dominic Murphy who heads London police’s Counter Terrorism Command Iran’s embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment Three Iranian nationals aged between 39 and 55 were also arrested in London on Saturday in a second operation that was not related to the first They were detained for suspected involvement in foreign power threat activity under the National Security Act – legislation which came into force in 2023 to counter hostile states’ actions in the UK “These were two major operations that reflect some of the biggest counter state threat and counter terrorism operations that we have seen in recent years,” interior minister Yvette Cooper told reporters “This reflects the complexity of the kinds of challenges to our national security that we continue to face,” she said The arrests come at a time of intense scrutiny of suspected Iran-backed activities in Britain Domestic spy chief Ken McCallum saying last year that since 2022 officers had responded to 20 Tehran-backed plots that potentially posed lethal threats to British citizens and residents an Austrian national was convicted of carrying out “hostile reconnaissance” against the London headquarters of Iran International a broadcaster which is critical of Iran’s government a British journalist of Iranian origin who worked for Iran International was stabbed in London The government has placed Iran on the highest tier of its foreign influence register requiring Tehran to register everything it does to exert political influence in the UK The Alliance for Change (AFC) has called on the government to conduct an independent investigation into the shooting death of Keon Fogenay who was killed by a policeman on April 7 during protest action in Linden over the shooting death of Ronaldo Peters There had been widespread riotous behaviour during which the Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge was blocked with debris fires set and missiles hurled at law enforcers Leader of the Party Nigel Hughes stated that “the murder of Keon Fogenay …..at Half Mile Not a single charge has been brought against the police officer who was observed shooting Mr Fogenay to death It is now almost three weeks since that incident and we believe that there is evidence in the possession of the Guyana Police Force for them not only to have concluded the investigation A 31-year-old woman of Vergenoegen Squatting Area was found with some 1,360 grammes of suspected cannabis  According to a release from the Guyana Police Force Corporate Communications Unit during a police operation in Regional Police Division #3 on Saturday ranks intercepted a bus at the Vreed-en-Hoop junction and a search unearthed a gift bag and haversack the bags were found to contain three large transparent plastic bags with a quantity of leaves A 23-year-old man was on Wednesday sentenced to 18 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to an armed robbery charge Videsh Persaud appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Georgetown Magistrates Court Persaud robbed Abigail Valentine of a cellphone valued at $35,000 and a bag valued at $8,000 Persaud pleaded guilty to the charge and told the court he had returned the stolen items to the victim Valentine clarified that he only did so after being apprehended by public-spirited citizens Taking into consideration his early guilty plea and the fact that it was his first offense Magistrate Azore sentenced Persaud to 18 months’ imprisonment (Jamaica Gleaner) Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness today lauded the upbringing of sprint icon Usain Bolt and praised the contribution of his parents Holness was paying tribute to Wellesley Bolt whose thanksgiving was held today at the Falmouth Seventh-day Adventist Church in Falmouth and every Jamaican is grieving at this time with Usain and his family,” Holness said in a brief address it was because of my parents.’ I am sure it would have taken Usain’s village to raise him Wellesley Bolt died at a Corporate Area hospital on March 31 after a period of illness He was a former labourer at the Jamaica Coffee Board a shopkeeper in the Sherwood Content community in Trelawny and a member of the Board of Governors at the Waldensia Primary School in Sherwood Content He was an influential figure in his son’s track and field stardom This was a point also noted by Culture and Sport Minister Olivia Grange lauded Wellesley Bolt for supporting his son in all his sporting endeavours and for being a pillar of strength in his family and his community Other tributes during today’s funeral included speeches and musical items from members of Bolt’s family along with representatives of the Jamaica Union of Seventh-day Adventists (Reuters) – OPEC+ will accelerate oil output hikes and could bring back to the market as much as 2.2 million barrels per day by November five OPEC+ sources said as the group’s leader Saudi Arabia seeks to punish some fellow members for producing above quotas OPEC+ shocked oil markets in April by agreeing a bigger-than-expected output hike for May despite weak prices and slowing demand OPEC’s de facto leader Saudi Arabia designed the move to punish Iraq and Kazakhstan for poor compliance with production quotas as Riyadh signalled it was unwilling to prop up the market any longer The developments take place days before U.S President Donald Trump is due to visit Saudi Arabia to discuss an arms package and a nuclear agreement Trump has repeatedly asked OPEC+ to pump more oil to help ease gasoline prices as he faces inflation pressures at home The shift in Saudi policy suggests the kingdom wants to expand its market share a major change after five years spent balancing the market through deep output cuts which includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies such as Russia is cutting output by almost 5 million bpd or 5% of global demand The cuts were agreed in various stages since 2022 to support the market and many cuts are due to remain in place until the end of 2026 OPEC+ agreed to gradually phase out the 2.2 million bpd voluntary part of total cuts by the end of September 2026 but decided in April to accelerate this process from May The group agreed another big output hike for June on Saturday taking the total it plans to release in April OPEC+ will maintain the trend and will likely agree in June to release another 411,000 bpd in July the five OPEC+ sources briefed on the matter said Saudi Arabia repeated its warnings against poor compliance on Saturday the Saudi government’s communications office and the office of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak did not immediately reply to a request for comment The group will likely approve accelerated hikes for August Kazakhstan and other laggards do not improve compliance and fail to deliver compensation cuts the voluntary cuts will be unwound by November referring to the 2.2 million bpd portion of cuts by eight members Kazakhstan defied OPEC+ last month when its energy minister said he will prioritise national interests over those of the OPEC+ group when deciding on oil production levels Kazakhstan’s April oil output exceeded its OPEC+ quota despite a 3% fall Oil prices fell to a four-year low in April below $60 per barrel on accelerated OPEC+ hikes and as Trump’s tariffs raised concerns about a global slowdown News of accelerating hikes will weigh on oil prices until compliance improves ExxonMobil Guyana-led consortium achieves milestone in under five years Guyana – ExxonMobil Guyana and its Stabroek block co-venturers today announced they reached 500 million barrels of oil produced from Guyana’s offshore Stabroek block Their industry-leading pace of development enabled this production milestone less than five years after Guyana became an oil-producing nation “Our unrivaled success in developing Guyana’s oil resources at an industry-leading pace cost and environmental performance is built on close collaboration with the government of Guyana suppliers and contractors,” said ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge “We remain committed to Guyana for the long-term and look forward to continue delivering for the country.” Hess and CNOOC have committed nearly US $55 billion to develop six government-sanctioned projects on Guyana’s offshore Stabroek block The first three projects – Liza Phase 1 Liza Phase 2 and Payara – are averaging more than 650,000 barrels of oil per day in production Plans are in place to grow production capacity to more than 1.3 million barrels of oil per day by the end of 2027 when the ExxonMobil Guyana-led consortium anticipates having all six projects up and running offshore.  Oil production will generate tens of billions of dollars of revenue and significant economic development for Guyana more than US $5.4 billion in oil revenues and royalties have been paid into the Guyana Natural Resource Fund. More than 6,000 Guyanese support the Stabroek block operations which is nearly 70% of the industry workforce locally ExxonMobil affiliate ExxonMobil Guyana Limited is operator and holds 45% interest in the Stabroek block and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25% interest Stay up to date with the latest news and information Subscribe to our newsletter Ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) have joined participants from 26 partner nations and organisations at Teteron Barracks sponsored by the United States Southern Command focuses on enhancing regional readiness through joint training across land Naval units from participating countries are also taking part in the exercise contributing to combined maritime operations and cooperation among regional Coast Guards GDF Coast Guard ranks are currently engaged in watermanship training to sharpen their maritime operational skills GDF personnel have participated in a range of tactical exercises as well as joint MEDEVAC and Search and Rescue/Man Overboard (SAR/MOB) training alongside the U.S is serving as the Commander of the Combined Task Force is captained by Lieutenant Commander Ronald McIntyre while Lieutenant Commander Kendrick Rodney serves as the Executive Officer of the ship A total of 10 officers and 37 other ranks are representing the GDF at the exercise a 19-year-old painter and 25-year-old fish vendor Jamal Small called ‘Lucky’ were refused bail when they appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Fabayo Azore charged with  breaking and entering and larceny It was alleged that on Monday 28th April 2025 James and Small broke and entered the business place of Jin Bao Lin at Hunter Street between West Front Road and Mandela Avenue Georgetown and stole a quantity of groceries alcohol and snacks valued at $500,000 property of Jin Bao Lin The prosecution highlighted the seriousness of the offence and the penalty it attracts as the reason for objecting to bail the matter was adjourned to the 28th May 2025 (Trinidad Guardian) Moments after 32 members of her government were sworn in at President’s House—and with most of her Cabinet seated behind her—Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced that her first priority would be to dismantle the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority (TTRA) After declaring that it is time for “boots on the ground” and for her government to “get to work” “We have to reform a lot of pieces of legislation to repeal the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority Act,” she said to cheers from the crowd The legislative framework governing the TTRA was passed by an act of Parliament in December 2021 The TTRA was the former PNM administration’s attempt to restructure the State’s tax collection regime and was intended to replace the Inland Revenue Division (IRD) and Customs and Excise Division (CED) And it was touted as a major asset in generating funds for the State In addressing the Parliament on February 24 “With an estimated domestic tax gap of up to $10 billion is actively seeking to address this fiscal vulnerability and close the tax gap by improving the efficiency and efficacy of the country’s revenue collection.” The United National Congress (UNC) has previously said it was against the TTRA underscoring that it will lead to severe job losses and put too much control into the hands of the Minister of Finance challenged the TTRA’s implementation all the way to the Privy Council that matter was dismissed in September 2024 But Persad-Bissessar told members of the media yesterday that a major mission of this new Government would be to find new revenue streams Asked how that would be done without the TTRA new Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo said “There are other streams of revenue available but before I comment on what we are going to do I want to take an assessment of what is there Pressed on why the Government is rejecting the TTRA outrightly “Let the Attorney General deal with that.” TTRA chairman: Too early to comment on PM’s statement chairman of TTRA Nigel Edwards told the Sunday Guardian that it was premature to say anything and we will need to articulate her position a little bit further I really don’t want to preempt where the PM is going I would really like to give the Minister of Finance and PM the opportunity to have their say before I make any other statements.” Edwards could not say how much taxpayers’ money has been pumped into the TTRA so far Asked if the announcement came as a surprise to him “I think what the PM has said is not inconsistent with what was said in the early part of the campaign.” Persad-Bissessar said Minister of Finance Davendranath Tancoo has also been mandated to find out what is the state of the treasury “before we can run off to make sure we don’t just talk the talk” My Minister of Finance and Minister of Planning will put their heads together and let us see what we can do.” Guardian Media reached out to former finance minister Colm Imbert yesterday Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles-Robinson did not respond to messages whose body was controversially discovered in the pool of the Double Day Hotel in Tuschen has decided to proceed with her funeral as scheduled tomorrow despite ongoing efforts to secure a second autopsy confirmed the decision to the Sunday Stabroek yesterday explaining that the family’s applications for a second post-mortem examination were not treated as urgent by the relevant authorities “Our family will continue to push for an international investigation,” Lewis stated “but we will lay Adriana to rest as planned.” Lewis urged the public to respect the family’s wishes for a peaceful burial “It has been brought to our attention that persons are planning to protest and stop the burial… We do not agree to or condone this action.” “Honour Adriana and the wishes of her family had formally written to both the President of Guyana and the Medical Council of Guyana requesting urgent clearance for Trinidadian pathologist Dr Hubert Daisley to conduct a second autopsy Wade argued that there was precedent for such a licence to be expedited citing previous instances where approval was granted without a formal application In a letter to the Medical Council’s Secretary Daisley’s qualifications were already on file and that only a virtual meeting remained to finalize the process “The goal has always been to ensure the examination is conducted before the scheduled burial on May 5,” Wade stated warning that the family would consider legal action if the matter was not addressed within 12 hours A separate letter was also sent to President Irfaan Ali requesting the involvement of international agencies including the FBI Wade questioned the capacity of the Guyana Police Force to conduct a credible and independent investigation and urged external support to ensure transparency and closure for the family The push for a second autopsy follows a highly anticipated forensic examination conducted on April 28 at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corpora-tion (GPHC) Collins (Delaware) – concluded that Adriana died by drowning they were unable to determine the exact time of death due to the body’s state of decomposition confirmed that no signs of physical or sexual trauma were found on the body and that there was no evidence of forceful drowning or foul play The result came after days of rampant speculation that she might have died due to foul play At the press conference at State House expanded on the findings He said that “the objectives were to identify signs of trauma document the post mortem examination through photographs and videography Upon completing the procedure the forensic pathologists ruled out signs of physical and sexual trauma on Ms Younge’s body Younge’s relatives were briefed following the examination and informed of the medical cause of death the pathologists were unable to provide an exact time of death The relatives were also informed that the pathologists ruled out theories of forceful drowning followed by the disposal of the body in water.” In a 20-minute broadcast on Friday  night on state TV NCN that interrupted regular programming Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony stated that the autopsy that had been done on Monday by three eminent pathologists had unanimously agreed that the cause of death was drowning He said that all questions were answered to the satisfaction of the family He noted that on completion of the process to the satisfaction of the family of Adriana the body had been handed over to the family and was no longer under the protection of the police he said that questions would arise as to what a new autopsy would preside over Dr Anthony noted that toxicological and histopathology examinations are still to be conducted in New York after which a final report would be issued He warned against “elements out there” who want to delay the process to what end he was unsure of and Ricky Andrews appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court yesterday before Magistrate Fabayo Azore on a charge of murder Persaud and Andrews were not required to plead storage and offloading (FPSO) has arrived in Guyana’s Stabroek block in preparation to begin operations in the ExxonMobil-operated Yellowtail field and Prosperity as the fourth FPSO in Guyana's most prolific block which is home to more than 11 billion bbl of recoverable oil One Guyana entered drydock at Singapore’s Keppel yard in 2023 and has since undergone advanced construction and outfitting including the installation of mooring structures and riser balconies With an overall storage volume of 2 million bbl and a processing capacity of 250,000 B/D of oil and 450 MMcf/D of natural gas One Guyana is expected to boost output in the country to 940,000 B/D ExxonMobil is producing 650,000 B/D in Guyana via its existing fleet of FPSOs in the Liza and Payara fields which controls all offshore production in the country to develop the Yellowtail and Redtail fields Production from the Yellowtail project is expected to begin later this year following the completion of installation and well activities the supermajor will deploy the Errea Wittu and Jaguar FPSOs in the Uaru and Whiptail developments Whiptail is expected to begin production in 2027 ExxonMobil is also seeking approval for its seventh and eighth projects—Hammerhead and Longtail—that are expected to enter operation in Guyana in 2029 and 2030 the company projects production will more than double to 1.3 million B/D with a capacity ceiling of 1.7 million B/D December 2024 marked 5 years of Exxon production in Guyana Since ExxonMobil announced first oil at its Liza Phase 1 project in 2019 Guyana has become the third- largest oil producer in the world on a per capita basis The Houston-based supermajor's Guyanese projects are considered among the world's most successful and efficient with an estimated breakeven cost below $30/bbl—lower than ExxonMobil's Permian Basin cost of supply The FPSOs also have a smaller emissions footprint than 75% of global oil and gas-producing assets “Our unrivaled success in developing Guyana’s oil resources at an industry-leading pace and environmental performance is built on close collaboration with the government of Guyana ExxonMobil operates the Stabroek block with a 45% interest and CNOOC Petroleum holds the remaining 25% interest the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ flagship magazine presents authoritative briefs and features on technology advancements in exploration and production ISSN: 1944-978X (Online)ISSN: 0149-2136 (Print) The opportunity to produce a film in Thailand came unexpectedly It all started with a phone call from an Australian director whom Melissa ‘Vanilla’ Roberts had worked with in the past and after several meetings and calls over a period of six months Rising to fame back in 2005 with her single which featured Ice under the Kotion Rhythm Medley video attached to Kross Kolor Records label Roberts has established herself as a leading lady in Guyana’s music fraternity With her background and connection in television and behind-the-scenes work in music videos Roberts studied Motion Picture Arts in Barbados at the University of the West Indies and is making the best use of such studies in her filmmaking career now Her latest achievement is as a film producer on “Cherry Corpse” which is set against the haunting backdrop of war-torn Vietnam and tells the story of a passionate young American meditation teacher whose dream of establishing a peace retreat spirals into chaos and death as fear and distrust consume her followers The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) is yet to issue an official statement regarding the fire which destroyed both the Double Day Hotel and the house of its owner All efforts made to contact the Chief Fire Officer Gregory Wickham for a comment proved futile Efforts made to contact the Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn for a comment also failed The two fires occurred on the morning of April 24th and it is most unusual that the GFS has not said anything about them The hotel was set on fire moments after the body of 11-year Adriana Younge was found in the swimming pool The owner’s house which is located several streets away from the hotel was subsequently set on fire The owner was identified as Bhojnarine Bhola the businessman who was shot in the eye on Tuesday by police at his home in Wismar Linden recounted to Stabroek News on Friday the events that transpired on the night of the incident “We have a business in the yard and the house is split in two I’m on one side of the yard and my husband’s brother is on the other side My husband left to lock up the shop and then he was talking to his brother and I heard the commotion outside I went behind a concrete wall because I heard gunshots and then I heard my husband shout to me and my son to stay down because police shooting at our house” Nikkisha stated that a group of boys had run into their yard and that she hid under a bed and shortly after heard a gunshot that came from nearby and then her husband screamed out “the police shoot me in meh eye!” “My husband had peeped out by the door and as soon as he peeped out he was shot in his eye.” Nikkisha disclosed that the gunshot burst the eye and that is the reason why they couldn’t perform the surgery here my brother-in law took him to a police vehicle on the corner and they drove away Two men have been held after cannabis was found in a barrel from the United States A release from the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) yesterday said that the interception was made at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Laparkan Cargo Shed on Wednesday at Ogle Machaia Andrews of Lot 274 Section “B” Non Pariel and Lemme Campbell of 229 Section “C” Enterprise were arrested and escorted to CANU’s Headquarters along with the quantity of cannabis The BBC World Service yesterday announced that it had  taken the “difficult decision” to postpone the upcoming recording of World Questions: Guyana the programme which was due to record in Georgetown on Tuesday 6 May A release on April 10th  from the BBC had framed the intended debate as follows: “Vast offshore oil and gas reserves are transforming the nation Guyana is now the fastest growing economy in the world But amid territorial tensions with neighbouring Venezuela and environmental concerns will oil prove to be a blessing or a curse And how should the oil revenues be best spent?” Gail Teixeira – Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance – The People’s Progressive Party/Civic Aubrey Norton – Leader of the Opposition – People’s National Congress Reform Party Ayodele Dalgety Dean – Businesswoman and civil society activist Anand Persaud – Editor-in-Chief – Stabroek News The dust has finally settled at the Triple R Rodeo Ground but the cheers still echo; the Rupununi Ranchers’ Rodeo 2025 wrapped up a weekend of thrilling contests At the heart of it all stood a dynamic duo Kimberly and Judah Kenyon of Saddle Mountain Ranch newly crowned GBTI Rupununi Ranchers’ Rodeo Queen and King 2025 Kimberly Kenyon didn’t just defend her title With a powerful 1st Place finish in the Bareback Bronco Kimberly earned a consecutive crown and cemented her status as one of the finest cowgirls in Rupununi history was just as formidable in the men’s events With a commanding 1st Place in Bareback Bronco Judah claimed the title of GBTI Rodeo King 2025 Already a two-time titleholder from 2016 and 2018 Judah’s triumphant return showcased not only his enduring skill but the legacy of the Kenyon family was among the earliest crowned Rodeo Kings in the region While Guyana has risen four places in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) from 77 in 2024 to now 73 out of 180 countries according to the latest report released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) evaluates press freedom conditions worldwide and rankings are determined based on the organisation’s independent assessment of each country’s media environment “Press freedom is defined as the ability of journalists as individuals and collectives to select and disseminate news in the public interest independent of political and social interference and in the absence of threats to their physical and mental safety,” according to RSF and its panel of experts The International Court of Justice (ICJ) – known as the World Court – yesterday acceded to a request by Guyana for a provisional measure against Venezuela’s announced plan to conduct elections in Essequibo the ICJ said: “Pending a final decision in the case the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela shall refrain from conducting elections which the Co-operative Republic of Guyana currently admi-nisters and over which it exercises control.” The ICJ also reaffirmed earlier provisional measures contained in its order of December 1st 2023 when Caracas was about to conduct a referendum related to Essequibo (Reuters) – The brilliant blue waters thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle where brutal World War Two clashes once unfolded is again on the frontline as China and the United States and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region The democratic island nation of just 17,000 people hosts American-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the U.S military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace It is also a key piece of the Second Island Chain a string of strategically located islets that America is fortifying in an effort to deny China access to the Western Pacific that outsized strategic value has made Palau the target of a concerted influence campaign by individuals with ties to the Chinese government court records and land filings reviewed by Reuters as well as interviews with more than 20 diplomats and local law enforcement officials the once-sleepy island nation has been transformed into a hub of illegal activity money laundering and prostitution allegedly linked to Chinese individuals and syndicates This activity has brought with it a gruesome killing – including the transporting of a corpse in a suitcase – and a well-orchestrated kidnapping whose target is believed to be in a Chinese prison after having been forcibly smuggled out of Palau by boat Some of these Chinese individuals have cultivated close ties to senior political figures on Palau according to two intelligence reports distributed to Palauan officials by the local U.S These individuals have also allegedly facilitated meetings between Chinese officials and Palauan politicians a Chinese official associated with the United Front Work Department the body that oversees Beijing’s foreign influence activities didn’t respond to questions about the alleged meeting An effort also appears to be underway to block the expansion of U.S which include radar stations and airstrips built to service military aircraft A review of land records by Reuters reveals that Chinese businesspeople and Chinese-linked businesses have leased land overlooking or adjacent to some of these American military facilities says China is using the same tactics in Palau that it has deployed elsewhere in the Pacific Sitting in an office packed with baseball memorabilia and Palauan carvings of dugongs he warns that Beijing is using organized crime to infiltrate Palau buy the backing of political leaders and establish a foothold on the island “We’ve seen the playbook over and over again throughout the region and it’s been very effective,” Ehrendreich said in an interview and try to destabilize the society through drug and human trafficking and other crime And it’s easy to do when you go one by one through these little countries that you can overwhelm.” Claims that China is undermining Palau’s stability or interfering in its elections “are far-fetched and completely fabricated nonsense,” a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said in response to questions from Reuters Who wants to turn Palau into a strategic military outpost?” the spokesperson added side to stop smearing and slandering China … and stop provoking trouble in the region.” which is geographically closer to China than any other Pacific Island nation is also one of the few countries that still formally recognize Taiwan China has spent decades successfully persuading countries not to recognize democratically governed Taiwan Asked about Palau’s relationship with Taipei the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson urged countries that “still maintain so-called ‘diplomatic relations’ with the Taiwan region not to be blindly arrogant and stubborn.” didn’t respond to questions for this story Speaking at a think tank in Sydney earlier this month he addressed the issue of crime on the island: “Drugs all of these kinds of activities have a way of undermining the political structure,” he said they end up influencing politicians and things that go on in Palau.” A tangled web of Chinese influence efforts and illicit activity emerges from the U.S intelligence reports and other documents reviewed by Reuters and from interviews with local law enforcement officials who has been one of the island’s most vociferous advocates for China the senate has passed resolutions criticizing U.S while he has personally advocated for expanded ties with China because we need a lot of help with infrastructure,” Baules told Reuters He added that Palau should drop its recognition of Taiwan Baules has allegedly built relationships with Chinese investors who runs a technology company that lists state-controlled research centers and universities in China as partners on its website Sun flew to the island with several associates and $119,000 in cash and three Palauan law enforcement officials When Sun was questioned by customs officials for failing to disclose the money Baules called one customs officer to ask for his release “These guys are my friends,” Baules allegedly said and added that they were in Palau to lease land The officials said Sun was released after paying a fine Palau’s Land Court has no records of a transaction between Baules and Sun Baules said he doesn’t recall the incident Sun didn’t respond to questions sent to his company Baules pleaded guilty to heroin trafficking in 1989 Corporate records reviewed by Reuters show that his family operates a local business called Fuji Restaurant which Palauan authorities have linked to Chinese criminal activity The family rented out space in the building between 2018 and 2020 to Chinese brothels masquerading as massage parlors according to legal filings related to another case that were submitted by Palau’s anti-corruption office None of the Baules family face charges in that case Baules insisted that the brothels were massage parlors it’s their business,” he said of the Chinese businesspeople his family rented space to The address of Fuji Restaurant was also on a package of methamphetamine that was intercepted at Manila airport last year according to local press reports in the Philippines The reports stated that the intended recipient was a Chinese man in Palau Based on an estimate from local law enforcement officials the stash had a street value of at least $83,000 telling Reuters he was the target of a smear campaign aimed at ruining his name The senate leader also has ties to prominent Chinese figures on the island the president of Palau’s Overseas Chinese Association which promotes the interests of Chinese residents on the island Baules has leased land to Tian for a hotel Tian runs Tian participated in training courses in Beijing and Nanjing that were organized by the Chinese government for overseas Chinese leaders according to promotional material from three pro-Beijing Chinese diaspora groups The course in Beijing was run by a group under the authority of the United Front Work Department the body that oversees China’s foreign influence efforts The course in Nanjing was attended by United Front officials Tian didn’t reply to questions sent to a lawyer who has done legal work for him Baules described Tian as “a good guy.” The authorities “have not filed any case against him,” Baules said one from last November and the other undated also assert that Chinese businesspeople gave tens of thousands of dollars in cash to politicians ahead of elections last year in Palau a Chinese citizen who is secretary of Palau’s Overseas Chinese Association agreed to donate $20,000 to Thomas Remengesau Jr Oilouch won and is now Palau’s vice president Wang didn’t respond to questions for this story The intelligence reports describe the donations as “illegal” or “illicit” campaign funding the country’s anti-corruption prosecutor said political donations by foreign nationals are illegal in Palau “The only evidence my office has received is via anonymous sources,” she said “The corruption is just pervasive,” added Hutzler in part because law enforcement lacked resources Oilouch told Reuters he had “never received a penny” from a foreigner for his political campaigns but as vice-president he was “actively removing” himself from all cases Remengesau said accusations he had received donations from Chinese businesspeople were “ridiculous.” People in Palau “know that I don’t mix government with business.” The family of at least one top politician has benefited from American investment in Palau A company registered under the name of the father of Surangel Whipps Jr. has been awarded at least 41 Department of Defense contracts worth approximately $6 million according to a Reuters review of a federal database This makes the company one of the largest commercial Palauan beneficiaries of U.S who is Whipps’ brother-in-law and ran against him for the presidency last year said “conflict of interest” situations should be avoided Whipps didn’t respond to questions about the contracts said that “given the small size of Palau and the significant role of the Whipps family’s businesses in this country contracting and procurement with them is inevitable.” Palau feels as if it has been transplanted from the United States which administered the country’s 300 or so islets for half a century after capturing them from Japan in World War Two The former colony won independence in 1994 but remains deeply tied to and dependent on the U.S Many locals speak with an American accent after having spent years working in the U.S – or the “mainland,” as many Palauans refer to it Palauans can work without a visa in the U.S due to a treaty called the Compact of Free Association Similar agreements bind the island states of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands to the U.S the compacts give Washington responsibility for defending these territories and funding large parts of their governments gets exclusive military access to vast swathes of the Pacific The connections to America are particularly resonant on Palau’s southern islands of Peleliu and Angaur The two isles were sites of bloody World War Two battles in which more than 12,000 U.S soldiers were killed or wounded while trying to displace Japanese troops the blackened and rusted remnants of Japanese tanks and fortifications can still be seen today Many of the 100 or so residents of Angaur have relatives serving in the American military law permits citizens of Palau and two other former colonies in the Pacific to enlist like Americans residents have nicknamed their island “the United States of Angaur.” military announced plans to build radar facilities in Angaur and other Palauan islands to disperse its forces in anticipation of a strike by China on American strategic hubs like Guam and to monitor air traffic in the region without tying up ships or aircraft to do so Angaur began attracting attention from Chinese entities Multiple media outlets reported that in 2019 a former leader of the powerful Chinese triad called 14K visited Palau with the goal of leasing land on Angaur and opening a casino there Foreign nationals cannot purchase land in Palau but they can lease it for decades-long periods as a leader of the triad and sanctioned him for leading an entity engaged in “corruption.” The sanctions notice alleged that he was a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference a largely ceremonial advisory body of China’s parliament A photo published in local media shows Broken Tooth meeting with Remengesau Remengesau said he wasn’t aware of Broken Tooth’s identity during their meeting but you have to be polite and give them the time of day,” he said Broken Tooth’s efforts were stymied when Palauan officials learned he was a triad leader The former triad boss didn’t respond to questions sent to a lawyer who has represented him in criminal cases Angaur residents interviewed this month said no Chinese nationals have succeeded in acquiring land there show that Chinese individuals have leased large swathes of communally owned land on Angaur the president of the Overseas Chinese Association has acquired roughly 280,000 square meters of land on Angaur including a large plot abutting the island’s airstrip subsequently announced plans to develop a radar station next to the airstrip Another set of land registry documents show that an investor named Zhuang Cizhong leased a further 380,000 square meters of land near the airstrip Tian and Zhuang’s holdings amount to about 8% of Angaur’s landmass Neither appears to have developed the land Angaur legislator Vereen said he felt “a hundred percent betrayed.” Lease records and interviews with environmental regulators also reveal that a company connected to the Prince Group coastal monitoring station in the Palauan region of Kayangel Lease records and a visit to the site by Reuters revealed that another company connected to the Prince Group is also developing a piece of land near Palau’s airport Corporate filings show that the local agent in Palau for one of these companies is Rose Wang She is a former vice president of Palau’s Overseas Chinese Association according to the association’s social media Wang was among prominent diaspora Chinese representatives to attend celebrations in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China Wang and the Prince Group didn’t respond to questions for this story Some of the companies tied to the Prince Group in Palau were first flagged in a recent report by Pacific Economics an American consultancy that has studied foreign investment in Palau said the leases were almost certainly strategic “All around there are various plots of land that are now being leased to Chinese interests,” he said of Angaur “I don’t think it’s any coincidence at all that it happens to be physically close to our projects.” was “how they maybe are able to keep an eye on what we’re trying to do here.” China’s foreign ministry didn’t respond to specific questions about the land leases hundreds of foreign nationals from China and Southeast Asia have travelled to Palau to work in online gambling and scam centers Despite regular busts by Palauan law enforcement there has been a boom in methamphetamine trafficking and violent crime according to local media reports and a law enforcement official who described CCTV footage of the incident Two men got out and seized a Chinese expatriate named Chen Liyan They bundled Chen into their car and drove to a marina packed with private boats on the outskirts of town Palau’s government later learned that China had issued an arrest warrant for Chen a local law enforcement official told Reuters The reports said China had offered a bounty of roughly $68,000 for Chen The official told Reuters that China had informed them Chen was now imprisoned in the Chinese province of Jiangxi Chen’s disappearance is still under investigation in Palau His kidnapping is one of several recent incidents that have spooked locals a Chinese man named Fang Ye disappeared from the American Pacific territory of Saipan where prosecutors accused him of smuggling methamphetamine according to Palauan police files reviewed by Reuters where he took an upstairs room at an apartment building in central Koror a Chinese boat captain and longtime Palauan resident A tenant of the room below later told police that she heard noises “like a bowling ball rolling across the floor,” which continued for at least 40 minutes In CCTV footage from that evening reviewed by Reuters three men – whom investigators identified as Fang and two associates – can be seen carrying a suitcase to a car at least two of the men drove into the Palauan wilderness with the suitcase A local Palauan spotted the men and reported them to police – who later discovered the suitcase with boat captain Li’s dead body According to a written briefing prepared for Palau’s president the killing was motivated by a dispute over a drug smuggling route between Saipan and Guam Fang was arrested and accepted a plea deal in which he did not contest a manslaughter charge He has since been extradited back to Saipan where he pleaded guilty to methamphetamine trafficking Reuters was unable to contact Fang or a legal representative Palauan authorities have taken some steps in recent months to combat Chinese organized crime President Whipps empowered his national security advisor to scrutinize visa applications and renewals The advisor subsequently barred at least 91 people from the country according to a review of government lists of prohibited people “Whether that organized crime is government-sanctioned or whether it’s just those individuals we need to work together to stop them,” Whipps said about the country’s crime problem during his recent visit to Sydney But we hope that they understand that that decision is a sovereign decision and no country tells us who we should be friends with.” Ehrendreich lauded the Palau crackdown as evidence of “a new level” of the island’s willingness and ability “to start dealing with their Chinese organized crime problem.” has spooked residents who wonder whether the latest measures will be effective Some also worry about getting caught between the two superpowers military presence in Palau is a good thing,” said Vereen who works as a boat operator at the radar facility on Angaur Palauans still remember from World War Two how they can be drawn into a ferocious conflict “We’re afraid that we’ve painted a big bullseye on our island,” he said administrator and a volunteer/ church activist Michella Abraham-Ali just marked 25 years in radio broadcast and was honoured by the Guyana Press Asso-ciation (GPA) with a Lifetime Achievement Award which she did not expect given that she is not a member of the GPA and she does not see herself as a journalist but rather “I was surprised and humbled when I received that invitation to be recognised What I have been doing over the years was for radio and radio programming I present the news produced by the newsroom notwithstanding there are multimedia journalists,” Abraham-Ali told Sunday Stabroek in a recent interview “I have been given a lifetime award from the GPA but that does not mean I am perfect and will not make mistakes in the future three times or more especially if it is an area I am not familiar with I also turn to some professionals in the legal or health or other areas who I would like to acknowledge A 12-member jury yesterday found Shawn Small not guilty of the 2020 murder of security guard following a trial before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the High Court in Demerara Small had been accused of murdering Dass during the course of a robbery on November 11 at the Medi-Care Pharmacy on New Market Street He was later discovered by one of his sons and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he succumbed to his injuries six days later lived on lands passed down through generations – raising children and building homes – all without legal titles that chapter of uncertainty came to a joyful end More than 70 elated families gathered for a simple yet meaningful ceremony where they were officially handed land transports for the very lands they and their foreparents have occupied for decades The emotional milestone marked the beginning of a new era for the residents – one of security but none of us had a paper to prove it,” said one grateful resident I finally have something to pass on to my children.” The stock price of Sterling Products Limite (SPL) rose 0.802 percent on the sale of 617 shares while the stock price of Demerara Tobacco Company (DTC) fell 0.168 percent on the sale of 182 shares the stock price of Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (BTI) fell 0.059 percent on the sale of 145 shares while the stock price of Demerara Bank Limited (DBL) fell 0.032 percent on the sale of 60 shares the stock price of Caribbean Container Inc (CCI) Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) and Republic Bank Limited (RBL) remained unchanged on the sale of 128; 30,749 and 527 shares respectively The Ministry of Labour has launched an investigation into the death of 20-year-old firefighter Voshaun Manbodh as an occupational health and safety matter according to a representative of the ministry Manbodh succumbed to injuries sustained during firefighting efforts at the Mae’s Schools blaze in February of this year the young fireman was at the building when a wall collapsed on him He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) The Ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health Department has begun groundwork on the investigation which will examine the circumstances leading up to Manbodh’s fatal injuries while on duty “We are treating this as a workplace fatality and have commenced our investigation to determine if there were any breaches of occupational health and safety standards,” the official told the Sunday Stabroek members of Manbodh’s family said they were not aware that an investigation by the Ministry of Labour had begun but expressed their support for the probe “Anything that helps to bring clarity and improve safety for others The ministry’s move adds another layer to the ongoing scrutiny surrounding the fireman’s death which has already been the subject of a detailed internal investigation by GPHC following concerns raised by his family the GPHC stated that Manbodh died from secondary complications linked to traumatic injuries complicated by an underlying chronic illness The hospital had ordered an independent probe into his care after complaints were made by his family The GPHC report found no evidence to support claims that Manbodh had fallen from his hospital bed the independent panel concluded that his death resulted from “a complex complication arising from his acute trauma in conjunction with underlying chronic disease,” identifying multiple bleeding ulcers as the cause The panel also pointed to systemic gaps in trauma care but found no indication of intentional negligence GPHC announced several corrective measures including mandatory interdisciplinary case reviews for trauma patients and enhanced training in trauma management best practices Manbodh was the first fireman in many years to have succumbed following injuries fighting  a fire This national holiday is intended to commemorate the accomplishments of trade unions and the labour rights – including occupational safety and health rights – recognised Guyana’s rapid oil-driven economic development has witnessed a monumental increase in public and private projects Public works include the new Demerara Harbour Bridge various road construction and repair initiatives Private works encompass multiple offshore development projects including the operations of the accompanying floating production storage and offloading vessels and the construction of numerous hotels since  Donald Trump assumed the Presidency on what might well emerge as his Administration’s two principal economic policy planks These economic initiatives are respectively 1] the Administration’s purported New Energy Policy drill] and 2] its Tariff Proclamation and Annexes [designated as Liberation Day] I have become increasingly of the view that these Trump-driven economic policy initiatives will drive the global order to a tipping point where uncertainty feeds full blown economic crises and corruption so that the incompetence and fallacies in these economic policy initiatives could gain the upper hand