Daily Archive: Sunday, March 22, 2020

In a second statement in less than a week on the Guyana crisis,  Sir Shridath Ramphal has applauded the statement by Dominic Gaskin on the need for a new form of governance and has called for democracy and the rule of law to prevail.

Shanta’s The Puri Shop today announced a temporary closure until further notice.

BRASILIA,  (Reuters) – Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has denied the country’s healthcare system will collapse next month, contradicting his own health minister as the number of confirmed cases in the country rose above 1,000.

(Trinidad Guardian) Hours after the pastor of the Bethel ‘The House of God’ in Freeport made the decision to suspend services indefinitely and not proceed with the planned weddings at the church’s compound today, they received a bomb threat.According

(Trinidad Express) A Palo Seco man was found hanging in a holding cell at the San Juan Police Station on Saturday.

(Trinidad Express) As of Sunday morning, the Health Ministry reports the following:Number of samples submitted to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for testing for COVID-19 = 298 Number of samples which have tested positive = 50  Forty of these positive cases came from the group of nationals who recently returned from a cruise.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Health and Wellness Ministry has clarified comments by the health minister in an interview with The Sunday Gleaner about frontline workers and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

(Jamaica Gleaner) The Government has changed the order restricting incoming passengers at air and sea ports making exceptions for some Jamaicans.

(Jamaica Gleaner) The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) would be ready for a general election next February if the outbreak of the coronavirus is brought under control by mid-year.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – Countries can’t simply lock down their societies to defeat coronavirus, the World Health Organization’s top emergency expert said today, adding that public health measures are needed to avoid a resurgence of the virus later on.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) could be “overwhelmed” by the coronavirus like the Italian health system in just two weeks, Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned today in the face of rising numbers of deaths.

(Trinidad Guardian) The Couva Hospital is now on total lockdown after receiving 40 new patients who have tested positive for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) yesterday.

Saying it was “alarmed” at the developments surrounding the tabulation of votes from the March 2 polls the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), a member of the governing A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition, yesterday joined calls being made for a verified recount of ballots cast in all electoral districts, which it said is permitted under the constitution.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Calls from sporting organisations for this year’s Tokyo Olympics to be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic gathered pace yesterday with USA Track and Field (USATF), the French Swimming Federation and Brazil’s Olympic Committee the latest to join the throng.

Private schools shuttered in light of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are providing lessons to their students online while for public schools, the Minis-try of Education (MoE) has resources on its website and has also shared links to educational websites on its Facebook page.

A Bush Lot Village, West Coast Berbice butcher shop was torched late Friday night in an attack that its owners believe was politically-motivated. 

With the threat of the novel coronavirus (CoviD-19) mounting with each day, the Georgetown section of the Academy Training Center (ATC), has officially halted all training sessions in an effort to thwart the spread of the disease.

When Celestine Butters started working at the Guyana Marketing Cooperation (GMC) at the age of 20 she felt it was just a stepping stone to bigger and better things, but 43 years later she is still in the corporation’s employ and continues to enjoy the work she does.

Opposition-nominated elections commissioner Robeson Benn has alleged that he was verbally abused and threatened while at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Headquarters yesterday morning and he has since written to Commissioner of Police Leslie James voicing his concerns about the encounter.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – West Indies white-ball captain Kieron Pollard says players should use the break from competition, prompted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, to reflect on their careers and how they can do better.

Rejecting the controversial vote count that was initially declared by Region Four Returning Officer (RO) Clairmont Mingo, AFC executive and former Business Minister Dominic Gaskin on Friday said there needs to be a full investigation to determine if there was wrongdoing by Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) officials in connection with the integrity of Statements of Poll (SOPs) or the tabulation of results from the March 2 elections.

West Indies Under-19 left-arm spinner, Ashmead Nedd believes that his performance at  the Youth World Cup earlier this year in South Africa is just the stepping stone in his career.

Whether you’re practicing social distancing, in self-quarantine or going about your business as normal, it’s hard to ignore that the current times are a bit fraught.

 Berbice’s Trophy Stall under-15 and its female team, received kudos from the president and executives of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) after both teams were triumphant in their respective Guyana Cricket Board (GCB).Inter-County

Some persons have decided to self-isolate as a precaution against contracting the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after five cases have so far been confirmed in the country.

By Dr Lystra Fletcher-Paul As the COVID 19 pandemic rapidly unfolds around the world and particularly the Caribbean, people are now awakening to the new reality of the far-reaching impacts that this pandemic will have on their lives in the future.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Football’s local governing body says the coronavirus outbreak had brought Jamaica’s domestic and international programme to a “standstill”, and it was anxious to resume its itinerary once health authorities gave the all clear.

Police are currently searching for a driver who struck and killed a 61-year-old man along Brickdam last night.

Sans Souci, a community on the north-western coast of Wakenaam Island, is home to approximately 200 people, many of whom are farmers and fishermen.

Dear Editor, I wish to thank Ms Sherlina Nageer for her queries concerning a statement attributed to me last week in your newspaper about measures the Ministry of Public Health can implement to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in Guyana.

World literature has never failed to provide insights into politics and the human condition. 

A pedestrian was struck down and killed in a hit-and-run accident along Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown early yesterday morning.

(BBC) Juventus and Argentina forward Paulo Dybala and former Italy captain Paolo Maldini have tested positive for coronavirus.

Dear Editor, In his weekly columns over the past year in particular, Henry Jeffrey has laid out the pitfalls and challenges inherent in Guyana’s mainly bi-communal society, starkly visible at the time of national elections.

“My workplace ain’t give us anything. They just telling we to wash we hand and be careful but nothing to wash we hand with.

An accident on the Supply Public Road in February has left a 12-year-old girl bed-ridden and unable to speak.

(BBC) Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton says he has undergone a period of isolation after recently being pictured with actor Idris Elba, who has tested positive for coronavirus.

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Nearly one in four Americans were under orders to close up shop and stay at home yesterday, as lawmakers in Washington neared a deal that could pump a record $1 trillion into the economy to limit the economic damage from the coronavirus.

Last week we discussed the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the most contagious pandemic since the Spanish flu 100 years ago.

Dear Editor, The ink in my pen has been overflowing on my desk over the past three weeks because I have been resisting the temptation to write on our current political situation.

In an effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), health officials in Region Three have created screening stations at the region’s two main hospitals.

(BBC) Former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz died yesterday after being hospitalised with coronavirus.

QUITO (Reuters) – Ecuador’s health and labor ministers resigned yesterday, just hours after officials announced the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus had shot up to over 500 in the country.

The bad news is that the coronavirus can remain on myriad surfaces for long periods, which means that it is possible to contract it even if you do not come into direct contact with someone who has it.

Dear Editor, In light of the outbreak of COVID-19, no permits are being issued for public dances, parties and other social events, but bars and night clubs continue to operate as normal.

(Reuters) – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should review plans to go ahead with the Tokyo Olympics during the coronavirus pandemic and ensure dialogue with athletes, the Sport and Rights Alliance (SRA) and the World Players Association (WPA) said yesterday.

In an effort to support the national response to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) is donating approximately 12,000 litres of alcohol-based sanitising cleaner to vulnerable institutions, including homes for the seniors and orphans.

The international 2020 FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament began on Tuesday amid some unprecedented measures related to the coronavirus pandemic.

NAIROBI/JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Angola, Eritrea and Uganda confirmed their first cases of coronavirus, while Mauritius recorded its first death as the virus spreads across Africa despite measures by governments to hold it back.

(Trinidad Express) Nine has turned into 49. As of yesterday, this was the total number of COVID-19 coronavirus cases recorded in Trinidad and Tobago.

In an effort to prevent and reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Scotiabank Guyana has introduced a new policy which addresses social distancing.

Dear Editor, The US Secretary of State Michael Richard Pompeo needs to immediately implement the consequential sanctions against the individuals who have openly flouted and breached the laws of Guyana to actively undermine the democratic process in order to prevent the winner of Guyana’s General and Regional elections, which were held on March 2, 2020, from leading the Government of Guyana.

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – The coronavirus pandemic is restricting the fight against anti-doping, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has said while issuing new guidelines to continue testing of athletes ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Last Update: 624.29                            Movement: -0.28% Current Update: 622.53                      YTD Movement 2.73% LUCAS STOCK INDEX The Lucas Stock Index (LSI) fell 0.28% during the third period of trading in March, 2020.

(Reuters) – Grammy-winning country singer Kenny Rogers died late on Friday night at the age of 81, his family said yesterday.

Introduction Last week’s column wrapped-up my evaluation of Guyana’s first Report on Petroleum Production and Revenues (RPPR). 

(Barbados Nation) The number of coronavirus cases in Barbados increased to 14 overnight and the island is in stage 2 of the National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan.

Just as the Elections Commission (“the Commission”) was getting its act together, gingerly tiptoeing its way to a decision to recount the votes cast in the general and regional elections held on March 2, Ulita Moore, a candidate for the APNU+AFC in the regional elections, caused to be filed a case in court seeking a variety of declarations and orders against the Commission.

Readers may want to know why this space again this Sunday lacks its usual text.

We live in troubled times. The outcome of the election which took place on March 2 should have been clear and accepted by all parties a few days later.

Dear Editor, After continuously writing about the lackadaisical attitudes of our leaders as it relates to providing adequate service to us, I was not surprised when I read that the IMF are saying that Guyana is one of the countries least prepared to tackle COVID-19.

RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) – The Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) called for this year’s Tokyo Olympics to be suspended because of the coronavirus yesterday and proposed they be held on the same dates in 2021.

Over the years, I have put my head down, as we say in Guyana, in several other countries.

The operators of the New Oriental Guyana Restaurant in New York have lost their liquor licence for serving patrons in violation of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s order barring eating and drinking on its premises, according to a New York Daily News report.

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – As cities go into lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus, officials from the United States to France are scrambling to protect homeowners and renters from homelessness.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The movie musical “Cats” on Monday dominated the Razzie Awards for the worst movies of 2019, winning six trophies including worst film, screenplay and director.

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – As Extinction Rebellion climate activists began preparing for a fresh year of protests in 2020, their chief concerns ranged from potential new police and legal restrictions on street protests, to how to boost their own numbers, diversity and effectiveness.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Inside the stout fins of a fish that prowled the shallow waters of an estuary in what is now eastern Canada about 380 million years ago, scientists have found what they call the evolutionary origins of the human hand.

JOHANNESBURG (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Whenever people walked by the overgrown bowling green in Johannesburg’s working-class Bertrams neighborhood, they saw an eyesore.

SÃO PAULO, (SCIDev.Net) – Babies exposed to malaria in the womb can suffer low birth weight and miscarriages, but a new study has found a common arthritis drug could put an end to the scourge of placental malaria.

(SciDev.Net) – Analysing how coronavirus impacts genders differently could be key in fighting the disease, say public health experts.

BEIJING (Reuters) – A new Chinese medium-lift rocket, part of a family of launch vehicles meant to support most of China’s launch missions in future, failed on its debut flight, the official news agency Xinhua reported.

TBILISI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – As coronavirus closes churches, synagogues and mosques worldwide, religious leaders are taking faith online to ensure God’s word gets to the millions marooned by the pandemic.

ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Catastrophic crop failures caused by extreme weather in just one country could disrupt global food supplies and drive price spikes in an interconnected world, exposing how climate change threatens global stability, researchers said on Friday.