Yearly Archives: 2024

Killing of Hamas chief in Iran stirs fears of retaliation Aug 01, 2024 News Palestinian group Hamas’ top leader, Ismail Haniyeh speaks during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, March 26, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo CAIRO/DUBAI, July 31 (Reuters) – Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran early on Wednesday morning, an attack that drew threats of revenge on Israel and fuelled further concern that the conflict in Gaza was turning into a wider Middle East war. The Palestinian Islamist militant group and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed Haniyeh’s death. The Guards said it took place hours after he attended a swearing-in ceremony for Iran’s new president. Although the strike on Haniyeh was widely assumed to have been carried out by Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government made no claim of responsibility and said it would make no comment on the killing. Haniyeh was killed by a missile that hit him “directly” in a state guesthouse where he was staying, Khalil Al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, told a news conference in Tehran, quoting witnesses who were with Haniyeh. “Now we are waiting for the full investigation from the (Iranian) brothers,” Al-Hayya said. Haniyeh, normally based in Qatar, had been the face of Hamas’s international diplomacy as the war set off by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7 has raged in Gaza. He had been taking part in internationally-brokered indirect talks on reaching a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave. The assassination occurred less than 24 hours after Israel claimed to have killed Hezbollah’s most senior military commander in the Lebanese capital Beirut in retaliation for a deadly rocket strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Two Lebanese security sources said on Wednesday that the body of Hezbollah operations chief Fuad Shukr had been found in the rubble of a building hit by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Netanyahu made no mention of Haniyeh’s killing in a televised statement on Wednesday evening but said Israel had delivered crushing blows to Iran’s proxies of late, including Hamas and Hezbollah, and would respond forcefully to any attack. “Citizens of Israel, challenging days lie ahead. Since the strike in Beirut there are threats sounding from all directions. We are prepared for any scenario and we will stand united and determined against any threat. Israel will exact a heavy price for any aggression against us from any arena,” he said. The latest events appear to set back chances of any imminent ceasefire agreement in the nearly 10-month-old war in Gaza between Israel and the Iran-backed Hamas. Hamas’ armed wing said in a statement Haniyeh’s killing would “take the battle to new dimensions and have major repercussions”. Vowing to retaliate, Iran declared three days of national mourning and said the U.S. bore responsibility because of its support for Israel. ISRAEL INVITES ‘HARSH PUNISHMENT’, KHAMENEI SAYS Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel had provided the grounds for “harsh punishment for itself” and it was Tehran’s duty to avenge Haniyeh’s death. Iranian forces have already made strikes directly on Israel earlier in the Gaza war. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer told a briefing with journalists that Israel was committed to Gaza ceasefire negotiations and securing the release of Israeli hostages held by Palestinian militants in Gaza. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at an event in Singapore, sidestepped a question on Haniyeh’s killing, saying a ceasefire deal in Gaza was key to avoiding wider regional escalation. He told Channel News Asia that the U.S. had neither been aware of nor involved in the killing. Qatar, which has been brokering talks aimed at halting the fighting in Gaza along with Egypt, condemned Haniyeh’s killing as a dangerous escalation of the conflict. “Political assassinations and continued targeting of civilians in Gaza while talks continue leads us to ask, how can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on other side?” Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on X. Egypt said Haniyeh’s assassination showed a lack of political will on Israel’s part to calm tensions. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the killing and Palestinian factions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank called for a strike and mass demonstrations. In Israel, the mood was buoyant as Israelis welcomed what they saw as a major achievement in the war against Hamas. Residents in besieged Gaza feared Haniyeh’s death would prolong the fighting that has devastated the enclave. “This news is scary. We feel that he was like a father to us,” said Gaza resident Hachem Al-Saati. MESHAAL IS LIKELY SUCCESSOR TO HANIYEH Haniyeh’s most likely successor is Khaled Meshaal, his deputy-in-exile who lives in Qatar, analysts and Hamas officials said. Under Meshaal, Hamas emerged as an ever more important player in the Middle East conflict due to his charisma, popularity and regional standing, analysts said. Meshaal narrowly survived an attempt on his life in Jordan ordered by Netanyahu in 1997. Appointed to the top Hamas job in 2017, Haniyeh moved between Turkey and Qatar’s capital Doha, escaping the travel curbs of the blockaded Gaza Strip and enabling him to act as a negotiator in the truce talks or to talk to Hamas’ ally Iran. Three of his sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike in April. His deputy Saleh Al-Arouri was killed in January by Israel, leaving Yehya Al-Sinwar, the Hamas chief in Gaza and the architect of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and Zaher Jabarin, the head of the group in the West Bank, in place but in hiding. That assault by Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israeli communities and some 250 people were taken to Gaza as hostages, Israeli tallies say. In response, Israel launched a ground and air offensive in the coastal enclave that has killed more than 39,400 people, according to Gaza health officials, and left more than 2 million facing a humanitarian crisis. No end appears to be in sight for Israel’s campaign there as the ceasefire talks falter. Related Similar Articles

Govt. seeks over $40B more in supplementary spending Aug 01, 2024 News Kaieteur News – On the back of its record $1.146 trillion budget, the Irfaan Ali Government has returned to the National Assembly for over $40B more to plug into the failing Guyana Sugar Corporation, boost electricity supply and build roads and improvement water systems in the hinterland. Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service Dr. Ashni Singh on Wednesday presented Financial Papers Numbers 1 and 2 of 2024 to the National Assembly. According to a press release from his ministry, Financial Paper Number 1 for which the Minister is seeking approval caters for Supplementary Estimates (Current) in relation to advances made from the Contingency Fund totalling $8.6 billion for the period 2024-04-01 to 2024-07-30 while Financial Paper Number 2 caters for Supplementary Estimates (Current and Capital) totalling $32.2 billion for the period ending 2024-12-31. Among the major sectors is electricity where a total of $16 billion is being sought for the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) of which $4 billion is under Financial Paper 1 and a $12 billion Supplementary request in Financial Paper 2, the release stated. “It would be recalled that President Irfaan Ali had announced that Government would be absorbing the impact of rising fuel prices on the cost of services provided by electricity companies to ensure that it does not translate to higher electricity prices for Guyanese,” according to the release. Additionally, the ministry said government is seeking a supplementary approval of $1.1 billion for additional resources to support electricity companies in Linden, Lethem, Mabaruma and Matthews Ridge. Importantly, the Government has implemented several measures to mitigate the rising cost of fuel including the removal of the Excise Tax on this commodity since March 2022 resulting in over $80 billion in savings to citizens annually. Further, to bring greater reliability in terms of the supply of power being provided by GPL, in May this year, 36-megawatts of power was added to the national grid through an agreement with the Turkish Company Karpowership. Another sector under which Government is seeking approval for a supplementary sum is the agriculture sector including a sum of $9.5 billion for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) as part of the Government’s continued efforts to revitalise the industry in line with its commitment to the country and to re-energize local communities devastated by the unconscionable actions of the country’s former Governing party – A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Coalition. The former administration under its tenure closed several sugar estates during the period 2015-2020.  This sector had traditionally been one of the major sectors of the country’s economy upon which many citizens depend for their livelihood. Additionally, in Financial Paper Number2, Government is seeking a supplementary sum of $2.3 billion to settle outstanding payments owed to numerous suppliers of goods and services to a number of Government agencies over the years. Financial Paper 2 also caters for a sum of $1.6 billion under the Ministry of Public Works for Sea and River Defence works, $297.4 million to support the operations of the Transport and Harbours Department, $159.2 million for the completion of the Bartica Stelling and $680.5 million to facilitate critical upgrades to Ferry Vessels. Further, as Government continues to improve connectivity across the country especially in the infrastructure sector, Government is seeking an additional $904 million for the construction and rehabilitation of hinterland roads and $600 million for the completion of infrastructure for the critical supply of water to these far-flung communities. Related Similar Articles

Kartel freed! Aug 01, 2024 News – Dancehall star, co-accused set free by Court of Appeal KINGSTON, Jamaica— Entertainer Vybz Kartel and his co-accused were set free Wednesday after the Court of Appeal ruled against retrying them for the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams. Dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel The judgment was handed down a short while ago. The decision was made by a three-judge panel, including Justices Marva McDonald-Bishop, Paulette Williams and David Fraser. Before the ruling, an abbreviated summary was provided for the sole purpose of assisting members of the public with understanding the matter. The full judgement will be made available at www.courtofappeal.gov.jm Vybz Kartel, real name Adidja Palmer; Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell; Kahira Jones; and Andre St John were convicted of the September 2011 murder of Williams. Lawyers representing the quartet made an appeal to the local Court of Appeal in 2020, but their convictions were upheld. The accused’s appeal was then taken to the United Kingdom-based Privy Council, and on March 14, 2024, their murder convictions were overturned on the grounds of juror misconduct. The Privy Council also remitted the case back to the Jamaica Court of Appeal to decide whether there should be a retrial. Related Similar Articles

Six firms bid to design and supervise construction of elderly home at Enmore Aug 01, 2024 News Kaieteur News – Six consultancy firms have submitted bids to provide design and supervision services for the construction of the New Care Centre for the Elderly to be located at Enmore, East Coast Demerara (ECD). The bidders according to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) are: Engineering & Agricultural Consultants, Phoenix Industries, Kalitech Inc., GY Procurement & Engineering Services Inc., Sizwe Jackson Consultancy Service, and   Origin Investments. The construction of the elderly home is a project being undertaken by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security During the presentation of the 2024 National Budget by Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh it was disclosed that the government is investing in a number of services for the elderly. This year, he said that a number of specific interventions are targeted at improving the quality of life of the elderly. As a result, $172M has been set aside to build the New Care Centre home for the elderly. Below are the companies and their bids: Ministry of Human Services and Social Security Consultancy services for the design and supervision of New Care Centre for the Elderly at Enmore, East Coast Demerara. Office of the President Expansion of Main Office at Camp and Church Street. Guyana Energy Agency Operations and maintenance of four solar PV Mini Grids in Region Nine. Office of the Prime Minister Procurement of server for Public Affairs Department. Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development Rehabilitation of Stabroek Market sanitary block. Supply and installation of new compactor bins. Supply and delivery of new testing equipment. Ministry of Amerindian Affairs Supply and delivery of one new 250 KVA Diesel generator for Moraikobai, Region Five. Supply and delivery of one reconditioned canter truck. Supply and delivery of 27 all-terrain vehicles (ATV). Ministry of Natural Resources Procurement of Data Management Services for Guyana’s Exploration and Production Data. Related Similar Articles

Govt.’s hiding of oil companies’ interest rate a major blow to citizens – AFC Aug 01, 2024 News Kaieteur News – Former Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Dr. Vincent Adams has once again called out the government for hiding the interest rates being recovered by ExxonMobil saying it is a major flaw in managing the sector. Former EPA Head and AFC member Dr. Vincent Adams. He made the comments last Friday at the Alliance For Change news conference. Adams was asked to state their position on the government’s refusal to join the rest of the oil- producing world on capping the interest rates. Adams said: “Well all of that comes in part of the negotiations and the other thing is we do not even know what the interest rates are. So that is one of the major flaws in how this government is managing this oil sector. There is no transparency whatsoever you would think… the question has been asked by the newspapers, all the major newspapers in the country, what’s the interest rate that we are paying Exxon or wherever the money is coming from…That has never been revealed so we do not know what the interest rate is.” He added, “It should have been made public, everybody should have known, rather than speculating and trying to back calculate stuff. So I do not know, what the interest rate is, I do not know if it’s better than some capped. Let’s say if we cap it at 10%, I do not know if our interest rate would never go above 10% or whatever that number is.” The AFC member is of the belief that what needs to be done is “of course to approach Exxon to renegotiate this contract to make sure the interest rate will be one of the consideration that we will have to look at in terms of our financial well-being.” The AFC has been saying over the years that they support making the interest rates public so that citizens can have an idea of what is being recovered by the oil companies. Last November, this publication reported Dr. Adams flying the government for the lack of transparency in the interest rates which ExxonMobil is charging Guyana for its multibillion-dollar investment in the country’s oil sector. It must be noted that several countries including neighbouring country, Suriname do not allow oil companies to charge interest on their investments. Previously, VP Jagdeo said Guyana was paying a rate to Exxon as this is a standard practice for a return to be generated on a company’s equity. “Regardless of whether you make the financing in the form of a loan or equity, you have to get a rate return. There is a cost of capital and that is how it is,” Jagdeo asserted. Despite multiple attempts by this newspaper to clear the air on this issue however, the government has refused to tell the nation how much interest was being charged on the companies’ investments. ExxonMobil and its partners, Hess and CNOOC each make annual equity contributions to support the Stabroek Block operations. Consequently, the companies each receive an interest on the financial investments. This rate of return, though justified by Jagdeo remains a mystery, although this country’s resources are being used to pay those companies. ExxonMobil is free to recover the interest, expenses and fees incurred on loans for the development of the resources in the Stabroek Block, without consent from the Minister responsible for Petroleum.  This is outlined in the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) Guyana signed with ExxonMobil and Co-Venturers, Hess and CNOOC.  Annex ‘C’ of the Agreement, specifically in Section 3.1, which governs costs that can be approved without the Minister’s approval states: “…interest, expenses, related fees incurred on loans raised by the Parties comprising the Contractor for Petroleum Operations and other financing costs provided that such expenses, fees and costs are consistent with market rates.” The government, despite repeated requests, has been reluctant to disclose the interest rates being charged by the developer. Related Similar Articles

$3B dairy farm facility to reduce country’s dependency on imported dairy products Aug 01, 2024 News Chief Investment Officer and Agency Head of Guyana Office for Investments, Dr. Peter Ramsaroop, (left) along with Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) Komal Samaroo Kaieteur News – In its efforts to boost local production, create jobs, and reduce the country’s dependency on imported dairy products, the Government of Guyana on Tuesday handed over an investment agreement to the Demerara Dairy Inc. (DDI) for the establishment of a $3 billion state-of-the-art dairy farm and milk processing facility. The agreement was signed by the Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr. Ashni Singh and handed over by Guyana’s Chief Investment Officer and Agency Head of the Guyana Office for Investment, Dr. Peter Ramsaroop to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) Komal Samaroo, the Department of Public Information (DPI) reported. According to a press statement released by Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest), the investment is in collaboration between Tropical Orchard Products Company Limited, a subsidiary of Demerara Distiller Limited (DDL), and LG Group, an Israeli company. This partnership which underscores the potential for international cooperation to drive local industry development and economic growth aligns with President Irfaan Ali visions to cut Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM’s) food import bill by 25 percent by 2025. The Go-Invest facilitated this investment, and has ensured that the project aligns with national development goals and maximizes benefits for the local economy. The farm which will be located at Moblissa, Region 10, will be home to 925 animals, including 500 milking cows and 415 heifers. Each milking cow is expected to produce 10,000 liters of milk annually, ensuring a robust supply of raw milk processing. The scope of the project is comprehensive, including the cultivation of 250 hectares of field crops, the construction of a 22-tonne per day animal feed centre, and a 13.7 tonnes per day raw milk dairy farm.  Additionally, the processing plant located at Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD), will have the capacity to produce 19.2 tonnes or 18,600 liters of premium milk products daily. The release further stated that the facility which is expected to create significant employment opportunities is projected to generate 70 direct jobs and an additional 150 indirect jobs, thereby contributing to the local economy and improving livelihoods. The DDI project will complement existing local investments in the dairy sector, such as the Amaya Milk Company. “Since its inception in 2023, the Amaya Milk Company has been producing high-quality bottled milk and delicious paneer, which have quickly become popular in local shops and supermarkets,” Go-Invest said in its press statement. To this end, by boosting local dairy production, the initiative supports national goals of   self-sufficiency and sustainability in food production. The dairy farm and processing facility is poised to become a cornerstone of Guyana’s dairy industry, producing high-quality milk products for local consumption. Related Similar Articles

GWI to spend $99M to drill another well at Onderneeming after spending over $100M to drill two wells Aug 01, 2024 News The Onderneeming Water Treatment Plant being constructed in Region Two. Kaieteur News – After spending over $100 million to drill two wells at Onderneeming in Region Two, the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) is set to spend approximately $99,522,179 to drill a third potable water well there. The National Procurement and Tender Administration Board’s (NPTAB) website disclosed that the contract was awarded to Zeco Group of Services Inc. In October 2023, NPTAB announced that an $85,791,376 contract was awarded to Morris Jeffrey Enterprise to drill and construct a well in Onderneeming, and in April this year, another $194,344,860 contract was awarded to C&H Engineering and Construction Company Inc. to drill yet another well at Onderneeming and at Parika in Region Three. Both projects are being executed by the GWI, an agency which falls under the Ministry of Housing and Water. The drilling of wells, and setting up of water supply systems across the country is aimed at increasing treated water coverage to 90 percent on the coast by 2025. It was reported that the drilling of wells at Onderneeming is to complement the Water Treatment Plant that is being constructed there. In June, the Ministry of Housing and Water said that works on the Onderneeming Water Treatment Plant are advancing steadily, marking a significant step towards improving water accessibility and quality for residents along the Essequibo Coast. Once completed, the treatment plant is expected to benefit over 4,000 households, serving approximately 20,000 individuals from Taymouth Manor to Supenaam. Subject Minister, Collin Croal during his visit at the project site noted the importance of the ongoing project stating, the Essequibo Coast currently lacks access to treated water. It was noted that the Onderneeming Treatment Plant is the first of two major investments planned to enhance water infrastructure in the region. The treatment plant will focus on removing iron content from the water, ensuring cleaner and safer drinking water for residents, while the wells are set to boost the water supply in the region. The $1.2 billion Onderneeming Water Treatment Plant is being constructed by Toshiba Water Solutions. Minister Croal had also expressed satisfaction with the project’s progress, highlighting its anticipated completion by the last quarter of the year. Related Similar Articles