Daily Archive: Friday, April 17, 2020

Five parties that contested the recent general elections today expressed disappointment with the GECOM Chair’s decision for no more than 10 work stations for the recount of votes.

Fallout from a US lobbyist’s report on behalf of APNU+AFC continues as the Ministry of the Presidency was this afternoon forced to state that President David Granger is Guyanese and not a US citizen as stated in the document.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has commended GECOM Chair, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh on her decision today to move forward with the recount of votes cast at the March 2nd  general elections.

The number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Guyana has risen to 63, with 18 new cases being recorded in this week alone, Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence announced this afternoon.

(Trinidad Express) As of yesterday, 38,000 people had applied for the Salary Relief Grant provided by the Government to ease the hardship suddenly inflic­ted on them by the COVID-19 pandemic.

GECOM Chair Claudette Singh today decided on 10 work stations for the recount of ballots from the March 2nd elections.

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry today said that a fully-empowered government needs to be in place to grapple with the COVID-19 threat and this would only be possible with a quick end to the elections crisis through a recount of votes.

Schools will not be re-opened on April 20 and will remain closed until further notice, according the National COVID-19 Task Force.

BOGOTA, (Reuters) – In the 14 years he has worked on ambulances, Dr.

BEIJING/SHANGHAI,  (Reuters) – Nearly 1,300 people who died of the coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan, or half the total, were not counted in death tolls because of lapses, state media said on Friday, but Beijing dismissed claims that there had been any kind of cover-up.

JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) – The COVID-19 pandemic will likely kill at least 300,000 Africans and risks pushing 29 million into extreme poverty, the U.N.

(Trinidad Guardian) “One day you will give away your last breath.

Due to the evolving global health concerns regarding COVID-19 and lockdown measures implemented by the Government of India to contain the spread of the pandemic, the IPL Governing Council of the BCCI has decided that the IPL 2020 Season will be suspended till further notice. 

(Trinidad Guardian) Television personality Ian Alleyne has withdrawn his emergency lawsuit over being detained after allegedly receiving an official discharge from the Caura Hospital, earlier this week. 

Volleyball in the Guyanese context is one of the lesser-known sports; it has a tiny following.

(Jamaica Gleaner) It has been roughly a month since most major sporting events around the world have been either suspended, postponed, or cancelled because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

(Reuters) – European soccer’s governing body (UEFA) is working on a proposal that could see the remainder of the Champions League condensed into a week-long mini-tournament with the final taking place on Aug.

CAPE TOWN, (Reuters) – South Africa seamer Lungi Ngidi has hailed the impact of bowling coach Charl Langeveldt following a stunning return to form in limited overs series against England and Australia at the end of the 2019-20 season.

There had been a lengthy and politically contentious period leading up to the March 2 general elections.

MELBOURNE,  (Reuters) – Cricket Australia (CA) said on Thursday it has decided to furlough the majority of its staff on reduced pay until the end of the financial year to cope with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends following these preoccupations in order to reduce the chances of contracting COVID-19: ●  Avoid large events and mass gatherings.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has fast-tracked the process of financial aid for member associations who need help during the COVID-19 pandemic, says president Victor Montagliani.

As the number of positive novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Guyana continues to rise, the caretaker government yesterday announced that the distribution of relief hampers to the vulnerable has been suspended as the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) is being reorganised to improve its response to the pandemic.

By Darren Schulte March 16, 2020 In many infectious diseases, the immune system’s reaction to a virus, bacteria, or other pathogen can cause greater harm to the infected individual than the pathogen itself.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie has said that the Government’s decision to reject the use of the Cuban antiviral drug Interferon Alpha 2B to treat persons battling COVID-19 at this time was made after consultations with experts in the public-health sector.

(Reuters) – Anthony Joshua has said a blockbuster fight for the undisputed world heavyweight title with Tyson Fury is needed to determine a single dominant figure in the division.

A West Coast Berbice woman was last evening stabbed to death by her former partner in Ithaca Village, West Coast Berbice.

Eloise had followed close family members into teaching, going back at least two generations.

BERN,  (Reuters) – Many female footballers are at risk of losing their livelihoods due to the global soccer shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a report by global players’ union FIFPRO said yesterday.

The performance of candidates in this year’s CAPE® examinations have shown declines in some subjects and gains in others.

Facing questions over the hiring of a United States (US) lobbying firm to push the claim that the opposition is seeking to stage a coup, Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency Joseph Harmon yesterday maintained that no taxpayer funds are being used for the campaign and that it is the APNU+AFC coalition’s incensed supporters who are funding it.

It would not be in the least surprising if it turned out to be a widespread assumption that the discipline of teaching is essentially a straightforward (not undemanding but straightforward in terms of what teaching demands of the teacher) discipline.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Alex Carey is content being Australia’s preferred white-ball wicketkeeper but hopes to be “good enough” one day to break into the test squad.

Canadian airline, WestJet Airlines, has announced that it is offering relief flights home for Canadians citizens who are stuck here because of the closure of airports over the coronavirus.

Our education system, more correctly, our society as a whole, is currently close to its wit’s end as to how to push back against what has been a near complete loss of control, no less, over basic good order in the state schools system.

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – The United States Tennis Association expects to make a decision about the U.S.

Director General of the Ministry of Presidency Joseph Harmon yesterday maintained that the Foreign Secretary Carl Greenidge has not been fired.

By the end of today, the world is expected to finally have a clear indication on the next step in Guyana’s protracted 2020 General and Regional Elections (GRE) when the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) publicizes the timeline and other logistical arrangements for the holding of the national recount.

The National Interest The euphoria of Independence and the exuberance accompanying the celebration of statehood in May 1966 were eclipsed a few months later by the ominous report that the Venezuelan National Armed Forces had occupied the Guyanese portion of the Island of Ankoko in the Cuyuni River in what is now the Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region.

As the Caribbean continues on its quest to develop further competitiveness on the international stage, it remains imperative that consideration be given to the role of ‘new generation’ content areas such as Animation and Game Design.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) yesterday announced new timings effective today for ferry services travelling from Parika to Leguan, Supenaam, Bartica and Wakenaam.

MUMBAI, India, CMC – West Indies T20 superstars contracted to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year will have to wait for their big pay day, with the 2020 season officially suspended until further notice due to growing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Reuters) – Batting great Sachin Tendulkar famously said “if people throw stones at you, turn them into milestones” — a motto almost perfectly encapsulated by the cricket career of Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.

The Commonwealth observer group which was accredited to the March 2 General Elections yesterday urged that GECOM undertake the long-awaited recount of votes in full compliance with the Representation of the People Act and a credible manner.

Business (This interview was provided at the request of the Guyana Review) GR: Can you give us your own assessment of the impact which the political climate has had on the business environment?

TOKYO,  (Reuters) – Olympics organisers must reduce costs related to the postponed Tokyo Games by focusing on the “must-haves”, IOC Coordination Commission chief John Coates said following a remote meeting with Japanese planners yesterday.

U.S interests in Latin America and the Caribbean are diverse and include economic, political, security, and humanitarian concerns.

Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency Joseph Harmon yesterday revealed that financial arrangements are still being worked out for works progressing to transform the former Ocean View Hotel into a hospital for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients.

Declaring that “time is of the essence,” and that “the constitutional clock is ticking,” the Bar Council of the Guyana Bar Association (GBA) has issued a call for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to expeditiously enable an accurate and transparent declaration of results from the March 2nd elections.

Follow the money! The catchphrase, which was popularised by the 1976 docudrama film “All the President’s Men,” came ‘to life’ after being uttered at the 1974 Senate Judiciary Committee hearings by Henry E.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – President Donald Trump laid out new guidelines yesterday for U.S.

Dear Editor, The private sector is increasingly a more outspoken and formidable presence in the public domain. 

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Barbados and West Indies left-hander Omar Phillips has been forced to wait even longer before he can return home, after the Australian state of Victoria extended its state of emergency for another four weeks, in response to the continued spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Jamaica will be looking to tap into International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial support amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Finance Ministry yesterday said.

By Sandro Gallea March 3, 2020 Reprinted from The Scientific American In recent months, the novel coronavirus COVID-19 has emerged as a health challenge of international concern.

BRASILIA,  (Reuters) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro fired his health minister yesterday after clashing with him over how to fight the new coronavirus, and again called for states to end stay-at-home orders that he said were hurting the economy.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,  CMC – Track and field’s regional governing body, NACAC, said it did not anticipate any major issues arising after the 49th CARIFTA Games was pushed back until next year because of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The shoreline of the Kitty seawall is once again reeking due to deposits of seaweed.

Dear Editor, The vile events that continue to unfold following the March general election which has been hijacked by the PNC and its willing APNU/AFC/GECOM accomplices in order for the party to cling to power must give global leadership pause to seriously consider drafting and establishing an international treaty that would govern the process and declaration of election results held anywhere in the democratic world.a

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,  CMC – A proposal that a single arbitrator be appointed to hear the dispute between FIFA and the ejected executive of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has been rejected by football’s world governing body.

By Barrington Braithwaite To understand the social considerations that helped to sow the seeds of urban crime in some areas of George-town (particularly during the nineteenth century) you have to reflect, considerably, on the political circumstances of the period, the stereotypes that fashioned the ‘haves and have-nots’, which had its roots in European stereotypes.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – A senior cybersecurity official with the Federal Bureau of Investigation said yesterday that foreign government hackers have broken into companies conducting research into treatments for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.

(Trinidad Guardian) A 26-year-old labourer has been committed to stand trial for the 2015 murder of Guyanese national Ashanti Debidin.

Dear Editor,  A classmate of mine was kind enough to send me a link to information on the coronavirus which has global figures.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Tough restrictions are now in place for business process outsourcing (BPO) operations over heightened concern that call centres are hubs for community transmission of COVID-19 even as it has been revealed that another firm has shuttered because an employee might have been exposed.

When, in May 2015 the United States ‘super major’ ExxonMobil handed us the news that beneath our territorial waters lay oil & gas riches beyond our (and perhaps even their) expectations, the knowledge altered our outlook as individuals, families, communities and as a nation, in an unprecedented way.

(Jamaica Observer) KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton has confirmed an additional 18 cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Jamaica.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund yesterday said the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, combined with other problems in recent years, meant Latin America and the Caribbean would likely see “no growth” in the decade from 2015 to 2025.

Convicted prisoner, Christopher Punch, who escaped from the Mazaruni prison just over a month ago after he asked to be released to urinate in some bushes near to where he was carrying out labour duties, has been recaptured.

Dear Editor,  The Coronavirus may have effectively stopped all sports and games, globally, but we in Guyana can never be stopped.

MUMBAI,  (Reuters) – American teenager Coco Gauff says she struggled to deal with the hype and mental pressure brought on by her rapid rise in the tennis world and that she had to rediscover her love for the game after becoming depressed.

“Thanks to the President’s Leadership…” PNC War room: Dire concerns, challenges Compared to the real or contrived confidence, exuberance and positive positions regarding the polls before March 02, this first war-room emergency session since election day was sombre, somewhat gloomily uncertain.

(Reuters) – Gilead Sciences Inc’s shares surged 16% in after hours trading on Thursday following a media report detailing encouraging partial data from trials of the U.S.

Despite once being touted as “the breadbasket of the Caribbean,” and recognized today as a food secure nation, many Guyanese still suffer from hunger and undernourishment.

Part 87   Introduction According to the international press, Guyana will be the fastest growing economy in 2020.

Locked in our homes as we are for the duration, some of us may be overcome by the urge to embark on a thorough decluttering, and create a clear, orderly space in our living quarters.

(Jamaica Observer) MONTEGO BAY, St James — President of the Egg Industry Association Roy Baker says the shutdown of hotels due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has wiped out a third of the egg market, which he said represents almost seven million eggs per month.

Dear Editor,  We should be prepared for the disastrous consequences of isolation which is necessary during the pandemic of Covid-19.

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – The United States Tennis Association expects to make a decision about the U.S.

The management of the SleepIn Group of Hotels, in keeping with the now-established guidelines that form part of the pushback against the coronavirus, has decided to close the pool bar and dine-in restaurant to the public, but retain its take-out services.

Contact tracing to find persons who were in contact with those who were infected with COVID-19 has commenced in Region Ten as two cases of the disease were recently confirmed in the region.