Daily Archive: Friday, March 20, 2020

AFC executive and former Business Minister Dominic Gaskin today said he doesn’t “buy” the controversial Region Four figures which were declared by Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo and which are now the subject of a raging elections crisis.

In congratulating Organisation of American States (OAS) Secretary General  Luis Almagro on his re-election today, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has cited Guyana’s electoral process as one of the challenges now facing the organization.

(Jamaica Observer)  Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced three more confirmed cases of COVID-19.

(Jamaica Star) Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced that, Jamaica’s air and sea ports will be closed to incoming passenger traffic, effective 11:59pm Saturday March 21, 2020 for a period of 14 days.

(Jamaica Gleaner) After being on suspension for 18 years, fifty-nine-year-old police constable Newton Bentley was on Thursday freed by the Court of Appeal of perverting the course of justice.

The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) today said that in the drive against the Covid-19 pandemic, all seaports in Guyana will be closed from tomorrow to international vessels with the exception of merchant ships.

The Carter Center observer team this afternoon announced it was leaving Guyana.

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO,  (Reuters) – Brazil declared a state of emergency today, freeing up funds for the federal government to fight a coronavirus crisis that has hurt the popularity of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s government.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told cafes, pubs and restaurants across the country to close tonight and to stay shut indefinitely to help slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.

Roman Catholic bishops of the Caribbean today urged those responsible for the verification process of the March 2nd general elections to bring it to an early completion.

(Jamaica Observer) Foul play and the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been ruled out in the death of a 39-year-old American woman whose body was discovered in her hotel room at RIU Montego Bay by workers on Wednesday.

(Jamaica Star) A Westmoreland man was beaten by angry members of a household, after he broke into their house in the Frome community and stole two bottles of rubbing alcohol and a can of Lysol spray.

(Jamaica Gleaner) A Westmoreland woman seen in a viral video being punched repeatedly by her boyfriend has reportedly told police investigators that she does not wish to press criminal charges against him.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Jamaica has confirmed another case of the Coronavirus. This has pushed to 16, the number of confirmed cases.

MUMBAI/CHENNAI,  (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – People suspected of having the coronavirus in India have received hand stamps and are being tracked using their mobile phones and personal data to help enforce quarantines, raising concerns about privacy and mass surveillance.

(Trinidad Guardian) Parliament will today enforce regulations under the Public Health Ordinance (PHO) that will give Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh power to shut down bars, casinos, members’ clubs and restaurants across the country during the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The bodies of a couple bearing multiple stab wounds were discovered at Wismar, Linden on Wed-nesday evening and a suspect who had threatened one of the victims has been arrested in connection with the crime.

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Rudy Insanally has written President David Granger urging him to remain faithful to his promise for a recount of votes from the March 2nd general elections and warning of the seriousness of repercussions were the international community to place sanctions on Guyana.

The Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) has inked a historic agreement to be a member of the inaugural ‘Caribe 3×3 Under 19 League Championship’, which is tentatively scheduled to be staged in Barbados in January 2021.

Six of the ten political parties which contested elections in Region Four have welcomed the call for a recount of votes and called for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to facilitate the security of all the ballots cast on March 2, 2020.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), now over the initial shock of being taken over by the world governing body for the sport, is challenging the move in court.

Brazil has restricted land travel across the border with Guyana at Lethem as it has intensified its response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

TOKYO (Reuters) – A plane carrying the Olympic torch from Greece will arrive today on Japan’s northwestern coast ravaged by a 2011 tsunami, but the welcome ceremony will have no spectators, amid worries that the Games could be cancelled over a coronavirus pandemic.

India yesterday said that it is crucial that Guyana’s electoral processes are credible and fair.

The Full Court of the High Court on Monday dismissed an appeal which was brought by Minister of Finance Winston Jordan, who had been found guilty of criminal contempt and ordered to be imprisoned for 21 days for non-payment of over US$2.2 million owed to Trinidad company Dipcon.

(Reuters) – World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe said yesterday that moving the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to September or October due to the coronavirus outbreak was a possibility but it was too soon to take a decision on whether to cancel the Games.

SOFIA (Reuters) – Briton Anthony Joshua’s world heavyweight title defence against Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev will be postponed by several months due to the coronavirus outbreak, the IBF’s mandatory challenger said yesterday.

Several Chinese businesses in central Georgetown have temporarily closed their doors due to fears over the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which has compounded a slowdown caused by the post-elections political crisis.

LONDON (Reuters) – Monaco cancelled its showcase Formula One Grand Prix, the sport’s most famous and glamorous race, in another high-profile casualty of the coronavirus epidemic yesterday.

A New Amsterdam, Berbice man has  succumbed to head injuries sustained during a fight with a fellow resident earlier this month.

In response to the global coronavirus threat,  Deme-rara Distillers Limited (DDL), took the decision this week to postpone until further notice, the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled to be held on Friday April 3, 2020.

(Reuters) – United States backstroke specialist Jacob Pebley has called on USA Swimming to postpone June’s Olympic trials and lobby for the Tokyo Games to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On March 14, 2020 Region Four Returning Officer (RO) Clairmont Mingo denied the requests by eight of the ten parties that contested the March 2 general and regional elections for recounts and this is now a  major source of contention.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Jamaica Scorpions batsman Jermaine Blackwood is angling to get back into the West Indies squad and believes his performance in the Regional Four-Day Championship thus far could get him there.

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Bharrat Jagdeo has challenged President David Granger to publicly say he will not be sworn in on the basis of the declarations made last week by Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo.

BELGRADE (Reuters) – The Serbian government is set to press charges against the country’s Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic for breaking his mandatory 28-day coronavirus quarantine, the state Tanjug news agency said yesterday.

The African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) has declared itself undeterred by threats of international sanctions and committed to a resolution of the current elections crisis via a verified recount of all electoral districts as legally permitted under the Constitution, under the supervision of CARICOM in chronological order from one to ten.

BERN (Reuters) – Swiss club FC Sion have dismissed nine players, including captain Xavier Kouassi and former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder Alex Song, after the country’s league was halted indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Presidential candidate of Change Guyana, Robert Badal is adamant that President David Granger must provide leadership and take Guyana out of its current electoral dilemma.

Continued focus by the US super major, ExxonMobil, on further developing oil production offshore Guyana is one of the priority pursuits of the company’s immediate-term investment plans, against the backdrop of its recent disclosure of plans to sustain capital expenditure levels of between US$30 billion and US$35 billion through to 2025.

Weeks after the boom of a crane belonging to John Fernandes Limited, crash-ed into a section of the Georgetown Municipal Abattoir, the city council and the company have yet to meet on a way forward.

(Reuters) – Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart, three members of the Philadelphia 76ers organisation and two Los Angeles Lakers players have tested positive for COVID-19, Smart and the teams announced yesterday.

Guyana and the rest of the Caribbean are hunkering down as best they can in response to the arrival of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the region.

At 20, Alexandra Willabus concedes that where her future is concerned she is still straddling fences.

By Chinese Ambassador to Guyana Cui Jianchun The cases of COVID-19 and number of countries affected are continuously rising around the world.

Dear Editor, Firstly, we would like to commend the Government on some of the early measures that it has enacted to curb the spread of the highly transmissible COVID-19 infection namely temporary closures of borders and schools.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) on Wednesday announced the suspension of its 2020 domestic season, which will see its highly anticipated inaugural T20 franchise competition being postponed until next year.

Even after having made it clear that its multi-billion dollar budget for the next five years takes high-priority based on its ongoing oil recovery operations offshore Guyana, the US oil company ExxonMobil is seemingly rethinking its operating strategy, going forward, on account of the raging coronavirus pandemic that is now menacing key sections of the global economy.

Dear Editor, I am writing to express my deepest concerns in relation to the container movement dilemma.

A man was on Wednesday charged with a carjacking in which a taxi driver was thrown from his vehicle by two men pretending to be passengers.

(Field Level Media) The NBA is instructing its teams to close their training and practice facilities effective today and until further notice, ESPN reported yesterday.

Pronouncements as to just where Guyana’s oil and gas industry is heading and just how long it will take for the country to leave a significant footprint on the sector as big as at least some of the members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) continue to flow thick and fast even as ExxonMobil continues to ramp up the country’s oil production levels.

(Reuters) – China’s state-controlled oil company CNOOC Ltd is scheduled to load in the coming days its first cargo of crude from Guyana’s offshore Liza oil project, the South American country’s Director of Energy Mark Bynoe said.

Dear Editor, Justice Claudette Singh is one of our nation’s distinguished daughters.

(Reuters) – Brazilian soccer clubs have joined the fight against coronavirus by offering their stadiums and training grounds to authorities.

(Reuters) – Manchester United will keep paying their casual staff even if the season’s remaining Premier League games are cancelled or played in empty stadiums because of the coronavirus pandemic, the club said yesterday.

Bizarre stories of thousands of tourists marooned on cruise ships in various parts of the world, prevented from disembarking at various ports on account of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus could be just the tip of the iceberg insofar as the longer-term impact of the virus on the global tourism sector is concerned if World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)-envisaged longer-term impact of the virus on the sector is even remotely realistic.

Dear Editor, I have two letters to the Press which I did not send for publication because I believed that David Granger was beginning to show honesty, integrity, courage and respect for the voice of the people expressed on March 2, 2020.

In an effort to assure the public that the health and safety of its staff and clients remain their primary concern, the Guyana Lands & Surveys Commission (GL&SC) has announced a series of protocols to mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Guyana.

LOS ANGELES/WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – California issued an unprecedented statewide ‘stay at home” order yesterday for its 40 million residents and Washington warned Americans to return home or stay abroad indefinitely, as the number of coronavirus deaths in the country hit 200.

(Reuters) – Latin America’s major airlines sharply curtailed international flights yesterday because of the coronavirus outbreak as Panama and Colombia imposed month-long travel bans and the largest carrier cut the salaries of 43,000 employees.

Kitco Market Data Gold Prices for the three day period ending Thursday March 19, 2020

Dear Editor, All Guyanese, especially those in positions of authority, globally and locally, must speak up now, boldly and clearly, that the days of rigged elections are over.

Two police constables on Tuesday testified in the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the charge against Kwayana Fernandes, who is accused of the murder of taxi-driver Owayne Lynch.

(Trinidad  Guardian) Police continue their search for Palmiste businessman Wade Charles, whose burnt rental car was found after he went missing on Tuesday.

RIO DE JANEIRO,  (Reuters) – Confirmed coronavirus cases in Brazil surged past 600 yesterday, more than doubling in two days, as a diplomatic spat over the disease’s origins between President Jair Bolsonaro’s son and the Chinese ambassador threatened relations with Brazil’s top trading partner.

(Reuters) – English soccer will be suspended until at least April 30 due to the coronavirus crisis, but the current season can be extended indefinitely, the English game’s governing bodies said in a joint statement yesterday.

Dear Editor, Pray for precisely what you want and manifestation will be immediate.

A mechanic who agreed to compensate a man he was charged with stabbing has been given an extension of the time granted for him to make the payment.

(Barbados Nation) A person who travelled from Barbados is among three who tested positive for COVID-19 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

(Field Level Media) Three members of the Philadelphia 76ers organisation have tested positive for coronavirus, the team announced yesterday.

PORT-AU-PRINCE,  (Reuters) – Haiti’s government yesterday declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak, closing the borders of the Americas’ poorest nation and imposing a curfew after authorities detected the first two cases of infection.

*Prices only represent the average Wholesale Farmgate and Retail Prices at the above mentioned markets and are NOT prices set by the Guyana Marketing Corporation or Ministry of Agriculture.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – U.S. oil prices rose 20% today, recouping some losses from a sell-off that drove prices to near 20-year lows, but analysts saw the rebound as a brief reprieve, anticipating more weakness as the coronavirus outbreak takes its toll on global demand.

In the wake of our still unraveling political crisis, the peace of mind we’ve been struggling to retain is now being threatened by the increasing danger of the world’s most recent pandemic.

Dear Editor,  I have studied the various revelations of the recent general and regional elections of Guyana.

(Reuters) – The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said in a statement it has asked FIFA for permission to begin the qualifying rounds for the 2022 World Cup in September.

Not even the keen national attention which, at this moment, is focussed on Guyana’s political circumstances, has been able to cause the nation to overlook the fact that having ‘done its rounds’ elsewhere, the coronavirus has paid us a decidedly unwelcome visit.

(Trinidad Guardian)  Two more people have tested positive for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), taking the total of infected individuals in Trinidad and Tobago to nine.

Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) yesterday announced that the company has put a number of measures in place to ensure the stable delivery of water to its customers amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

There are some things in life that are so preposterous they seem beyond belief.

RENTON, Washington,  (Reuters) – Doctors in Seattle have been reduced to making their own face masks out of sheets of plastic, after a global shortage of medical protective gear has hit Washington state, an epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.

– What? His Excellency see, hears us all? Hoping to be brief but politically pointed today.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 869’s trading results showed consideration of $225,429 from 2,709 shares traded in 4 transactions as compared to session 868’s trading results which showed consideration of $9,065,090 from 68,198 shares traded in 19 transactions.