Black Immigrant Daily News
File photo –
A Carenage man was gunned down on Wednesday night.
Initial police reports say, at about 11 pm residents of Abbe Poujade Street heard gunshots and later found the body of Victor “Hard Lash” Mills on the road.
Police have not yet ascertained a motive for his killing.
NewsAmericasNow.com
Black Immigrant Daily News
File photo –
TWO men were gunned down on Wednesday night in what police suspect was revenge for killing a neighbour’s cow.
Dead are Sheldon “Reddo” Lewis and Sean Dalipsingh, 36.
Police reported that at about 10 pm they were told about a shooting at Tractor Pool Road, Wallerfield, Arima.
When they arrived, they found both men face down in a house with multiple gunshot wounds.
Nine 9mm spent shell casings and two 40 calibre spent shell casings were found at the scene.
Police said, about an hour before they received the call neighbours heard gunshots and only checked when they felt it was safe to do. It was then they found the men’s bodies and notified the police.
Police suspect the men were murdered because they killed a farmer’s cow.
They said the men killed the cow on Tuesday after it ate their crops, and kept the meat for themselves.
Cpl Bushel of the Region II Homicide Bureau is continuing investigations.
NewsAmericasNow.com
Black Immigrant Daily News
The High Court has ruled in favor of ExxonMobil, through subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), being granted leave to join a case brought by two Guyanese citizens against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the oil company’s exploration activities.
The two citizens, Danuta Radzik and Sinikka Henry, had moved to the High Court seeking orders to quash EPA’s decision to renew ExxonMobil’s environmental permit for its Liza Phase 1 operations.
“The applicants allege that the permit is unlawful as Esso had not done a new Environmental Impact Assessment before being granted the renewal of the permit. They are, therefore, claiming orders to quash the issue of the permit and to prohibit the renewal of the permit without Esso doing a new EIA,” a case brief explained.
“The applicants also seek an order closing Esso’s Liza Phase 1 petroleum operations immediately. The EPA’s defence is that the law does not require a new EIA to be done, as one has already been done when the permit was originally issued and it would, therefore, be superfluous to require a new EIA to be done every time a permit is renewed, although a previous one had been done.”
Despite the claimants seeking orders that would have a detrimental impact on Exxon, the oil company was not named as a party in the case. According to Exxon, this is only the latest such case, where proceedings have been filed that would impact it, but it has not been made a party to defend itself.
“Esso has had to file proceedings to be made a party on each occasion and on every occasion, the High Court has agreed that it has a sufficient interest to justify this,” it was explained in the case brief. As such, Exxon had filed a Notice of Application to be added to the case. Arguments were heard on October 12.
On October 17, High Court Judge Damone Younge ruled that Exxon, as the holder of the permit and thus liable to suffer financial loss, should be added to the case as a party to the matter with sufficient interest.
“Her Honour ordered that Esso be made a party and that the papers be amended to reflect this and served on Esso. Esso has been given 14 days to file and serve its Affidavit in Defence, and the matter is now adjourned to 12th January, 2023. Her Honour also ordered that Esso is not to recover costs against Radzik and Henry if their application is refused,” the case brief stated.
EEPGL is being represented by Attorneys-at-Law Andrew Pollard, SC; Edward Luckhoo, SC; Eleanor Luckhoo and Ashley Henry. Meanwhile, Radzik and Henry are being represented by international lawyer and activist Melinda Janki and Abiola Wong-Inniss. The EPA is represented by Frances Carryl. Back in May, the EPA had renewed the Environmental Permit for the Liza Phase 1 Project within the Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana, for another period of five years. The permit strictly prohibits routine flaring and venting, and specifies that flaring is only permissible during commissioning, start-up, and special circumstances.The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres). Exxon, through EEPGL, is the operator and holds 45 per cent interest in the block. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds the remaining 25 per cent interest.
The company is currently undertaking four production projects – Liza 1, Liza 2, Payara, and Yellowtail in the oil-rich block. It is estimated that when the Yellowtail development project comes on stream, production will climb to 810,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2027. The US oil major anticipates at least six FPSOs in operation by 2030.
NewsAmericasNow.com
Black Immigrant Daily News
STATEMENT BY THE CARIBBEAN COURT OF JUSTICE ON PREMATURE
UNAUTHORISED PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF THE RESULT OF A JUDGMENT
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribbean Court of Justice, like some other apex courts, has a practice of sending advance copies of its judgments to all the lawyers representing the parties to a case. Typically, these advance copies are provided to each counsel within 24 hours of the formal issuance of the judgment. The intent is to give the lawyers an opportunity not to re-litigate the dispute but to comment on any perceived errors in the draft. The advance copies are clearly marked “CONFIDENTIAL” and counsel are warned to treat with them in the strictest confidence pending the delivery of the judgment.
The Court was extremely disappointed to learn that, in a case in which the Attorney General of Guyana was a party, on the Attorney General’s Facebook account there was published, before the formal delivery of the judgment, the result of the litigation.
At the formal sitting to pronounce the judgment the following day (yesterday Wednesday 19 October), the presiding judge, Honourable Justice Wit, drew the attention of Counsel for the Attorney General to the obvious breach. Counsel readily acknowledged the unauthorised Facebook post and issued on behalf of his client, a full and unqualified apology. The Court has also been advised that the Attorney General, the Honourable Mohabir Anil Nandlall, has also issued an apology on his Facebook page for what was apparently a reckless error on the part of a staffer.
The premature, unauthorised disclosure of the result of the litigation is inexcusable. It betrays the confidence of the Court and, given the fact that it emanated from the Facebook account of the person holding the office of Attorney General, it serves to bring the entire administration of justice into disrepute.
The Caribbean Court of Justice prides itself on the measures it takes to enhance its integrity, impartiality and independence. The judges and staff of the Court will continue to work diligently, incessantly, to build the public’s trust and confidence in the Court. In an effort to ensure that the highest standards of confidentiality and probity are maintained, the Court will continuously keep under review, its policy of sending advanced copies of its judgments to attorneys.
NewsAmericasNow.com
Black Immigrant Daily News
The Government will soon be responding to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), which has written it identifying March 2023 as the soonest date the secretariat can carry out Local Government Elections (LGE).
GECOM Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh had written to Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall advising him that based on GECOM’s work plan, March 13, 2023 was the earliest date that LGE could be held.
Contacted on Wednesday, Dharamlall confirmed that he received the letter from GECOM. According to him, a response to the letter will be forthcoming “soon”.
According to the Local Authorities (Elections) Act, Chapter 28:03, elections are held according to the date set by the Minister. The workplan in question was arrived at by Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Vishnu Persaud, who was tasked by GECOM with coming up with a work plan for the holding of LGE.
At first, that work plan was supposed to be limited to this year end. However, that has since had to be extended amid successive weeks of what has been described by the Government-nominated GECOM Commissioners as delaying tactics at Commission meetings.
More than $750 million has been set aside in Budget 2022 for the preparations to be undertaken by GECOM for the hosting of LGE this year. This money is part of an overall $4.1 billion allocation to GECOM in Budget 2022, and was examined and approved by the National Assembly during its consideration of the 2022 Budget Estimates.
Included in the $783 million for LGE is a more-than-$300 million increase in “other goods and services purchased”, which jumped from $250.8 million in 2021 to $575.9 million in the 2022 Budget.
GECOM only recently concluded its Claims and Objections exercise, which captured more than 3000 new applicants who will be eligible to vote as of October 31, 2022, as well as a total of 18 objections to names on the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE). Additionally, there were more than 1800 requests for transfers.
LGE, which are usually due every two years, were last held in 2018. At the last LGE in November 2018, the then People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Opposition had secured 52 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs). This followed the holding of the LGE in 2016, during which the PPP/C also claimed the majority of the LAAs.
The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), the main Opposition political party, meanwhile remains tight-lipped on its participation in the next LGE and its minority coalition partner, the Alliance For Change (AFC) is yet to communicate their joint contesting of the polls.At a press conference on Tuesday, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton was questioned about the APNU’s participation at the LGE, as GECOM continued its preparation for the hosting of the polls.
However, he maintained that the party would not divulge its participation or lack thereof, as he explained, “The question of elections has to do with strategy and tactic, and we think strategically we don’t need to say it at this time. We know what we need to say at our membership. We know we have to do – our preparation. We will do that. But we will decide at the right time what we say in terms of participation or non-participation.”
NewsAmericasNow.com
Black Immigrant Daily News
– Advertisement –
Prime Minister Hon. Philip J. Pierre, on October 18, held an audience with members of the board of directors for the St. Jude Hospital. Board members and the Prime Minister engaged in fruitful dialogue and exchanged views on St. Jude Hospital operations.
The Prime Minister also apprised board members on his Administration’s plans to transfer St. Jude Hospital operations out of the George Odlum Stadium to more suitable facilities.
Hon. Pierre deployed more than XCD $1 million to undertake remedial works on the George Odlum Stadium to address some of the more urgent occupational issues affecting St. Jude Hospital workers and patients.
More from Rehani Isidore:
SOURCE: Office of the Prime Minister
– Advertisement –
NewsAmericasNow.com
Black Immigrant Daily News
Work is ongoing on a National Gas Strategy that, according to President Dr Irfaan Ali, will help to open up new opportunities for trade and energy security between Guyana and its bilateral partners.
On Tuesday, the President, in a joint press conference with British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller, OBE, spoke about opportunities for trade. Noting the importance of energy security, the President said that the National Gas Strategy being worked on would open up new opportunities for trade.
“We have some natural gas fields. We have not completed the natural gas strategy. But in that strategy, more opportunities will be opened up. And I had specific discussions with [then] Prime Minister Boris [Johnson], on how we can integrate and to encourage the UK – Government and Private Sector – to be part of the energy transformation for Guyana,” he said.
Added to this are Guyana’s oil blocks, some of which will go on auction soon as the Government finalises fiscal terms for them. According to President Ali, blocks have been set aside for Government-to-Government partnership.
“And as you know, we have some blocks that we’re going to auction off. I think very soon we’re going to move to the auctioning of some blocks. And we have some blocks that are set aside for what is termed Government-to-Government partnership. We’re looking at all our strategic partners with these blocks,” the President added.
The gas-to-shore project, which is pegged at more than US$1 billion, will feature approximately 220 kilometres of a subsea pipeline offshore from the Liza Destiny and Liza UnityFloating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels in the Stabroek Block to Wales, West Coast Demerara.
Upon landing on shore, the pipeline will continue for approximately 25 kilometres to the Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) plant to be constructed at Wales. The pipeline would be 12 inches in diameter and is expected to transport some 50 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of dry gas to the NGL Plant, but has the capacity to push as much 120 mmscfd.
The main feature of the gas-to-shore initiative is a power plant that will generate 250 to 300 megawatts of power using natural gas from offshore, which will significantly reduce the cost of electricity in Guyana. The aim is to deliver rich gas by the end of 2024 for the power plant while the NGL facility is slated to be online by 2025.
The gas-to-shore project, which has a 25-year lifespan, is expected to employ up to 800 workers during the peak construction stage, as well as some 40 full-time workers during the operations stage, and another 50 workers during the decommissioning stage.
Currently, Guyana, Suriname, and Brazil are in talks on the establishment of an energy corridor and unlocking the potential for a series of manufacturing and industrial developments. Other Caribbean nations, such as Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, are also looking to tap into this initiative.
Back in June at the Suriname Energy, Oil & Gas Summit & Exhibition, President Ali had disclosed that a regional energy strategy that would connect the oil and natural gas producers in the region was being crafted.
At the time, the Guyanese Leader had said that while Guyana, Suriname and Brazil had already started talks on combining their ability to create an energy corridor and unlock the potential for a series of manufacturing and industrial developments, Trinidad is also interested in working along with them in unlocking some of this potential.
There has been talk of an energy corridor for some time, with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) conducting both baseline and pre-feasibility studies. Guyana is, in fact, a party to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)on the Northern Arc (Arco Norte) Interconnection Project which seeks to evaluate the feasibility of possible collaboration on the energy transmission system for the electric interconnection of Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and the northern cities of Brazil.
NewsAmericasNow.com
Black Immigrant Daily News
– Advertisement –
Acting Police Commissioner Crusita Descartes-Pelius underscored the value of teamwork in crime-fighting during the first press conference since her appointment.
She spoke of the need for teamwork with her executive and support for the rank and file of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force while highlighting the need for collaboration with other agencies to make crime-fighting a success.
The Acting Police Commissioner declared that fighting crime is not the sole responsibility of the police.
In this regard, she looked forward to working with all agencies to make crime-fighting easier and transform Saint Lucia into a better place for all.
– Advertisement –
“I have the full cooperation of my executive and I feel I have the cooperation of the rank and file of the organisation,” Descartes–Pelius stated.
However, she disclosed that resources might pose a challenge in fighting crime.
At the same time, Descartes-Pelius observed that gun violence is a serious issue.
“We have all our crime-fighting strategies to deal with this issue. We are hoping that with other stakeholders we can make this challenge easier. The force will get the relevant training required to empower our officers – the men and women of the organisation to effectively deal with this phenomenon,” the Acting Police Commissioner told Wednesday’s news conference.
– Advertisement –
NewsAmericasNow.com
Black Immigrant Daily News
Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 19, 2022 (SKNIS): In the face of threats by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to invade Taiwan (Republic of China) and take the country by force as its own, Taiwan’s President, H.E. Dr. Tsai Ing-wen says that Taiwan will defend itself.
In her National Day address on October 10 in front of the Presidential Palace in Taipei, President Tsai said: “Over the past few years, we have stepped up defense reform and increased our defense budget each year in order to strengthen our national defense capabilities and resilience. Through our actions, we are sending a message to the international community that Taiwan will take responsibility for our own self-defense, that we will not leave anything to fate, and that we will work with our allies to jointly maintain security and stability in the region.”
The first female leader of Taiwan said that the south-eastern Asian country had made significant strides and that “Our domestic efforts to build aircraft and ships have achieved significant results in recent years, with our indigenous submarine project also progressing as planned. Just two weeks ago, Taiwan’s first domestically developed and constructed 10, 000-ton landing platform dock Yushan was officially delivered.”
She also said that Taiwan is making concerted efforts to enhance its military capabilities and train its military personnel in advancing the country’s defense self-sufficiency.
“Forming a military force that can effectively respond to the demands of modern warfare and building an overall mobilization capability that integrates the military and the public are issues that demand our immediate attention. We must ensure that our preparations, supplies, and personnel can be resiliently, accurately, and promptly deployed to address any situation, whether in times of peace, disaster or war,” President Tsai said.
She added: “But most importantly, we must all rally around a common purpose and broaden public awareness of our self-defense needs. Protecting our territory and safeguarding our nation has never been the work of the military alone. Every citizen is a guardian of our nation. In recent times, we have seen Taiwanese of all ages and genders, including young parents, senior citizens, and students without military experience, take it upon themselves to participate in classes on community defense, first aid, and information awareness. This is the true meaning of collective participation in national defense.”
President Tsai emphasized that upholding peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is the joint responsibility of both sides. She said the Taiwanese people have no room for compromise on their national sovereignty and free and democratic way of life and that they will defend these values.
“The Beijing authorities should not make any misjudgement on account of Taiwan’s vigorous democratic system. They must not mistake that there is room for compromise in the Taiwanese people’s commitment to democracy and freedom and thus attempt to divide Taiwanese society by exploiting the fierce competition between our political parties. This way of thinking and acting is of no benefit to cross-strait relations and will only push our two sides further from each other,” she said.
“I want to make clear to the Beijing authorities that armed confrontation is absolutely not an option for our two sides. Only by respecting the commitment of the Taiwanese people to our sovereignty, democracy, and freedom can there be a foundation for resuming constructive interaction across the Taiwan Strait,” said President Tsai at the 111th National Day of the Republic of China and the 73rd National Day since the Republic of China government relocated to Taiwan.
NewsAmericasNow.com
Black Immigrant Daily News
Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 19, 2022 (SKNIS): Jalen Monzac and Iana Franks were introduced as the new CARICOM Youth Ambassadors (CYAs) for St. Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, during an induction ceremony held at the Department of Youth Empowerment.
CARICOM Youth Ambassadors (CYAs) are a regional network of young Caribbean nationals mandated by CARICOM Heads of Governments to advocate for and educate young people about regional priorities such as AIDS and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.
Director of Youth Empowerment, Pierre Liburd, who served as a CYA in the early 2000s, said that the opportunities presented to the young people through this programme are extremely beneficial.
“Once you apply yourself and remain focused on the objectives which are to truly, honestly, represent young people – their dreams, aspirations, views and positions and you articulate that through the decision-making processes that you will be exposed to at the national, regional, and often international level you will do yourself, the young people and the nation proud,” Mr. Liburd said.
Junior Minister responsible for Youth Development, the Honourable Isalean Phillip, congratulated the duo on their appointment. She said that the staff at the Department of Youth Empowerment are extremely excited to work with the team and looks forward to hearing their ideas.
“I hope that you both have that fire and that spark and are ready to really take the ideas that you have as young leaders and be able to impact your communities,” the Junior Minister stated.
Honourable Phillip added that she previously served as a Commonwealth Youth Ambassador and established valuable networks that still exist today.
“I want to encourage you and look forward to your leading engagements because we are here to do work,” she said. “The future is bright, and I have every confidence in both of you based on my own interactions.”
The CYAs will serve for the next two years. They will be supported by a corps of ambassadors made up of 11 young persons.
NewsAmericasNow.com
