Daily Archive: Friday, April 3, 2020

Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence today announced a one-month lockdown effective from today over the coronavirus during which only essential services will be allowed to operate along with other enterprises subject to restrictions.

Organisation of American States (OAS) Secretary-General Luis Almagro today tweeted support for the decision by the Guyana Elections Commission to undertake a recount of the March 2nd General Elections and offered observer support.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – New York suffered its deadliest single day from the novel coronavirus, with 562 additional deaths in the last 24 hours for a total of 2,935 fatalities, by far the most of any U.S.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – Bill Withers, a soulful singer best known for the 1970s hits “Lean on Me,” “Lovely Day” and “Ain’t No Sunshine,” has died at age 81 from heart complications, Rolling Stone magazine reported on Friday, citing a statement from his family.

The Guyana Elections Commission this morning formally agreed that a recount of votes for the March 2 general elections will proceed for all regions.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO) Dr. Karen Gordon-Boyle today announced that up to April 2nd, the number of confirmed novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Guyana had increased from 19 to 23.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Popular dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel has lost his appeal against his murder conviction.

(Jamaica Star) Finger-pointing, bad-mouthing, and even threats of arson were hurled at a woman in Clarendon on Thursday after residents learnt that she has tested positive for the new coronavirus – COVID-19.

TOKYO,  (Reuters) – Fujifilm Holdings Corp said it has developed a new, faster test for the novel coronavirus that that causes the COVID-19 disease, reducing the time of results delivery to about two hours.

BEIJING/NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – Global cases of the new coronavirus have shot past 1 million with more than 53,000 fatalities, a Reuters tally showed today, as death tolls kept soaring in the United States and western Europe while the world economy spiralled disastrously.

PARIS,  (Reuters) – French high-school school students will not sit the traditional ‘baccalaureat’ (bac) exam this summer due to the coronavirus, the education minister said on Friday, an unprecedented move that highlights the scale of disruption caused by the pandemic.

More than a month after the March 2nd general elections, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has promised that a decision will be made today on the way forward in the protracted process which has triggered political gridlock.

President David Granger yesterday announced that from midnight tonight all places of entertainment including bars and restaurants are to be closed from 6 pm to 6 am as part of measures to reduce community spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) yesterday took up the case of Guyana’s elections stalemate and called on GECOM to fulfil its constitutional mandate for a credible tabulation of votes and warned that any government sworn-in here without a transparent process would lack legitimacy.

US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch yesterday defended statements by her and high-level State Department officials calling for a credible vote count here as upholding “bedrock” principles of good governance and practising good diplomacy.

With written submissions from the parties already laid over, the Court of Appeal will this morning begin hearing oral arguments in the appeal filed by APNU+AFC candidate Ulita Grace Moore, who is challenging the Full Court’s decision earlier this week to discharge injunctions which had halted preparations for a recount of votes cast at the March 2nd polls.

The Pan American Health Organisa-tion/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) announced yesterday that following a re-evaluation the number of projected cases in Guyana could reach as much as 20,000 by May 5, 2020.

After a short-lived release, Marcus Bisram was yesterday remanded to prison once again after Magistrate Renita Singh complied with a directive from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and reopened the preliminary inquiry into the murder charge against him at the Whim Magistrate’s Court. 

In light of the presence of the coronavirus (Covid-19) in the country, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) wants the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to  suspend its operations while providing financial support for its sugar workers.

ATHENS (Reuters) – Athletes already qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will need to be picked again by their respective National Olympic Committees to compete at the postponed Games in 2021, the International Olympic Committee said yesterday.

The royalty payment for January from the Liza-1 well operations in the offshore Stabroek Block will see Guyana getting around US$1.2 million as ExxonMobil and its partners lifted some 1,025,305 barrels of crude, according to the Ministry of Finance’s calculations.

LONDON (Reuters) – Tony Lewis, co-inventor of the Duckworth-Lewis method for settling weather-affected cricket matches, has died aged 78.

Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence yesterday urged persons to protect themselves from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by covering up their mouths and noses when leaving their homes.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt has painted a challenging portrait of the governing body’s finances, pointing to a shortage of working capital as a continued problem while underscoring the need to secure sustainable revenue streams.

ROME (Reuters) – Football will be totally different when it eventually resumes after the coronavirus outbreak, the head of global soccer body FIFA Gianni Infantino said yesterday.

A warning from the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) about the consumption of “wild meat” in the face of the global coronavirus pandemic outbreak could compel large numbers of Guyanese to set that particular preference aside at least for as long as the virus persists.

Maintaining that it did not submit expired HIV testing kits to the Ministry of Public Health, Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc.

In recognition of the difficulties many of its clients are currently experiencing because of the coronavirus, the Institute of Private Enterprise Development Limited (IPED) will waive all late fees generated after February 29 and suspend the penalty interest for late or deferred installments.

LONDON (Reuters) – Tennis may not return until 2021 after the coronavirus pandemic caused the cancellation of the entire grasscourt season and most of the claycourt campaign, All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) chief executive Richard Lewis said yesterday.

With the halt of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)-supported school meals programme for children in Latin America and the Carib-bean, the UN organisation wants regional governments to implement measures to support schoolchildren whose families “have greater difficulties in accessing food,” and ensure that children’s access to nutritious food is maintained, in the current conditions of emergency associated with the global coronavirus pandemic.

Dear Editor, I direct this letter to President David Granger and the Chair of GECOM Justice Claudette Singh.

MUMBAI, India, CMC – West Indies’ Twenty20 stars could find themselves excluded from this year’s Indian Premier League, if a plan by some stakeholders goes forward which would allow the lucrative tournament to come off in spite of the growing threat from the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

If high inventories of oil and continually declining prices are providing huge headaches for even the most powerful companies in the global oil & gas sector, these days, this applies doubly for Guyana’s western neighbour, Venezuela, believed to possess the single largest oil reserves in the world.

A minibus driver was yesterday granted bail after denying a charge of dangerous driving.

Dear Editor, A few things have become abundantly clear over the past month, but bear repeating at this time, the one-month anniversary of the March 2, 2020 elections:  (1) the Granger-led APNU+AFC coalition have no intention of willingly relinquishing power; (2) despite her public utterances and affidavit filed in the High Court, GECOM Chairperson, Ms.

(Reuters) – England’s limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan says giving fans the chance to watch live cricket on television, even if the matches took place without spectators, would help boost morale during the coronavirus pandemic.

By António Guterres Secretary-General of the United Nations Only by coming together will the world be able to face down the COVID-19 pandemic and its shattering consequences.

Business houses across the world, including here in Guyana, have been, seemingly with little if any public or official urging, throwing in their lot in support of what now, is a frantic global effort to roll back the tide of the coronavirus menace. 

A man accused of stealing over a million dollars in phone credit and other valuables was yesterday remanded on an armed robbery charge.

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – The Trump administration yesterday looked set to join local officials in advising Americans to wear masks when venturing out during the still-exploding coronavirus pandemic, as the U.S.

Dear Editor, Kindly permit me space in your newspaper to comment on a growing concern about wearing facemasks.

In what has become a full-blown ‘chess game’ between the US administration and the government of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, as Washington persists in its exertion of pressures in an effort to force the collapse of the ruling administration in Caracas, the Russian oil giant Rosneft PJSC has hastily sold its assets in Venezuela to the Russian government in order to evade US sanctions that continue to be imposed on external entities still doing business with the government in Caracas.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Controversial entertainer Vybz Kartel and his three murder co-convicts will be vindicated this morning when their appeal ruling is handed down, say two members of the high-level legal team representing the men.

LONDON (Reuters) – Premier League clubs should face a windfall tax unless they tackle the “obscene situation” of players earning fortunes during the coronavirus crisis while other employees take pay cuts, the head of a parliamentary committee said yesterday.

TOKYO/NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – Oil prices retreated on Friday after massive gains, while stocks in Asia edged down, as doubts grew over an oil price deal between Saudi Arabia and Russia that U.S.

Dear Editor, The captain has long since jumped ship. Jumped or was pushed.

(Reuters) – Oil producer Apache Corp and its joint venture partner Total SA said yesterday that they made their second significant oil discovery of the year in a closely watched area off the coast of South America’s Suriname.

The post-election crisis in the country has negatively contributed to the business climate, the Guyana Manu-facturing and Services Association (GMSA) has said, as it called for a democratic and timely resolution to the present impasse.

(Reuters) – European football, currently at a standstill because of the coronavirus, is focusing on a restart in July and August with clubs and leagues being told that stopping competitions should “really be the last resort.”

(Trinidad Guardian) Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley faced the harsh reality mourners now face as only five persons could attend his eldest brother’s funeral on April 2, to prevent the spread of the COVID -19 virus.

Dear Editor, It has been suggested by some that race and racial voting is the problem in Guyana.

LIMA,  (Reuters) – The Lima Group regional bloc said yesterday it “appreciated” a new U.S.

(Trinidad Guardian) Although Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says police have no power to shut down banks and supermarkets, Commis-sioner of Police Gary Griffith maintains his officers can intervene in situations where too many people are congregating to save lives during the current “Stay-at-Home” COVID-19 measures.

MADRID (Reuters) – Atletico Madrid have temporarily cut players’ and coaches’ wages by 70% in order to cope with the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but guaranteed a full salary for their other employees, the Spanish club said yesterday.

Kitco Market Data Gold Prices for the three day period ending Thursday April 2, 2020

LONDON (Reuters) – The association representing England’s professional footballers denied on Wednesday that it has blocked wage deferrals for players during the coronavirus stoppage but said that clubs should pay all staff if they could afford it.

Dear Editor, As a former member of the Central Executive Committee of the People’s National Congress, Minister of the Government and representative of the Guyanese Overseas, I have been moved to make the following statement regarding our current situation.

(Reuters) – The 2021 World Games have been pushed back by a year to avoid clashing with the Tokyo Olympics which were rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic, World Games organisers said yesterday.

*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.

OTTAWA,  (Reuters) – Canada faces “a critical week” in fighting the coronavirus, a senior official said yesterday, as the death toll jumped and the most populous province said residents should brace for a stark scenario.

(Trinidad Guardian) Moving to quell public outcry as the government moves to release 388 prisoners from the nation’s prisons, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi yesterday assured that all prisoners will be medically checked before any release takes place.

Dear Editor, Reference is being made to Stabroek News’ article `Caretaker gov’t sold prime city land to BK International a week before March 2 polls’. 

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 871’s trading results showed consideration of $7,698,040 from 36,714 shares traded in 12 transactions as compared to session 870’s trading results which showed consideration of $1,524,037 from 16,604 shares traded in 8 transactions.

(Trinidad Express) As of yesterday afternoon, the Health Ministry reports the following: Number of samples submitted to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for testing for COVID-19 638 Number of samples which have tested positive 94 Number of deaths 5 Number of persons discharged 1 The Ministry of health provides the following update: * Four additional persons have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Covid-19 epidemic has intruded into all departments of life, and education has not been exempt. 

-The Virus, The Holy Father, The church The old PNC – (People’s National Congress) – friend accosted me.

Notwithstanding the fact that small and micro enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in the economic life of most countries, particularly in the instances of developing countries like Guyana, the history of the Business Support Organisations (BSO) in Guyana which includes the Private Sector Commission (PSC), has not, as a matter of policy, reflected in their pursuits, a commitment to providing sustained support for what we in Guyana deem to be small and micro enterprises.

Guyana has recorded its fourth coronavirus related death; nineteen confirmed cases and is projected to see fourteen hundred cases.

LISBON,  (Reuters) – Portugal’s health authorities have ordered French outsourcing firm Teleperformance SE to temporarily shut one of its Lisbon call centers, which remained open after some workers tested positive for coronavirus.

(Reuters) – The coronavirus has been a far deadlier threat in New Orleans than the rest of the United States, with a per-capita death rate much higher than in New York City.

(Trinidad Guardian) The ANSA McAL Group of Companies has recorded a profit before tax (PBT) of TT$1.036 billion for the year ended 2019, up by 2 per cent when compared to previous period’s PBT of TT$1.017 billion.