Daily Archive: Friday, May 29, 2020

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) today recounted 82 boxes from the March 2nd general elections, according to commissioner Sase Gunraj.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Labour and Social Security Minister Shahine Robinson has died after ailing with cancer for some time.

(CWI) ST JOHN’S, Antigua – The Board of Directors of Cricket West Indies (CWI) met via Teleconference on Thursday, May 29.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has called on President David Granger to state unequivocally that he will accept the  recount of the ballots currently underway as the only basis for a final result from the March 2nd general elections.

The long-awaited results of the March 2 General and Regional Elections will finally be declared on or before June 16.

(Trinidad Express) Satyam Harrilal who was sentenced to eight months in prison for impersonating a medical doctor while at the San Fernando General Hospital, would not have had access to treat any patients.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Fifteen-year-old Anchovy High School student Kaylia Pinnock is in desperate need of help to get medical attention for a grade two brain tumour, which has left her facing an uncertain future and plunging her mother, Velma Latchman, into a state of despair.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – Police in Minneapolis released a CNN reporter who was led off in handcuffs along with his film crew while reporting live on television early this  morning during violent protests in the city.

(Reuters) – Twitter hid a tweet by U.S. President Donald Trump behind a warning on Friday, accusing him of breaking its rules by “glorifying violence” in a message that said looters at protests in Minneapolis would be shot.

(Trinidad Guardian) In what was the most vicious attack on the local media by a sitting Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley yesterday accused the two largest media companies of not being independent but rather dancing to the tunes of their owners.

(Trinidad Express) He has entertained Trinidad and Tobago, and the world, for decades with his powerful renditions of traditional chutney, bhajans and Indian classical songs.

(Trinidad Express) Businessman Derek Chin has said the Government did not ask him to pick up Krissa Bissoon from The Bahamas.

GECOM commissioners are wrangling over how much time should be spent considering controversial observation reports before making a final declaration of the results for the March 2nd general elections and Chairperson Claudette Singh will likely have to cast the deciding vote on the matter.

Following an absence of more than one year and subsequent exclusion from the maiden CONCACAF Gold Cup Campaign, Golden Jaguars International Colin Nelson stated that he is uncertain of his future with the National Men’s Programme.

The Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) and the National Sports Commission (NSC) are willing to assist the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) to bring home the quartet of boxers stranded in Cuba.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) is proposing that citizens who are being conditionally repatriated to Guyana should be allowed the option of being quarantined at home for two weeks with the penalty of a $100,000 fine should they commit a breach.

NEW DELHI, India, CMC – Delhi Capitals chairman, Parth Jindal, believes the return of the Indian Premier League would help boost the morale of a nation fighting to contain the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

A young Lusignan woman is now dead after a Route 44 minibus and another vehicle collided yesterday morning at Liliendaal, along the Rupert Craig Highway.

(Field Level Media0 Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry says that, following the NBA Board of Governors call scheduled for today, he expects a vote “early next week” before moving toward playoff games being played in Orlando in July.

The National COVID-19 Taskforce has rejected a request from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to approve additional workstations for the National Recount currently underway at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).

(Reuters) – The Naismith Basketball Memorial Hall of Fame said on Thursday the enshrinement ceremony for the Class of 2020, a group that includes the late Kobe Bryant, has been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While some sectors have not been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, others have been hard hit, according to the Private Sector Commission (PSC), which has recommended that government consider buying crops to support farmers and to distribute to citizens who may need food.

As the coronavirus (COVID-10) pandemic continues to pose a threat to food security in the region, several Caribbean nations have met to discuss methods to protect its supply.

The Public Health Ministry yesterday reported 11 new COVID-19 cases following the testing of 59 more persons.

(Jamaica Observer) KINGSTON, Jamaica — Cleon Smith, the coach of Jamaica senior women’s cricket team, has died.

A recent article published in the name of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is suggesting that the impact of the COVID-19 virus could cause rice to be a critical factor in the food security of as much as 30 per cent of the world’s population.

MANCHESTER, England, (Reuters) – The Premier League season will restart on June 17 provided all safety requirements have been put in place, the league said yesterday  after meeting with all 20 clubs.

Government-nominated GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander yesterday addressed the claim by APNU+AFC that a number of unstamped ballots detected during the National Recount had been cast by members of the disciplined services on February 20.

Local small businesses affiliated with the country’s Small Business Bureau (SBB) will be breathing a sigh of relief over last week’s announcement that they can anticipate some measure of financial relief from government in the light of the current slowdown of the country’s economy and the attendant reduction in commercial activity arising out of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – Daniel Ricciardo had discussions with Ferrari over a possible move to the Italian Formula One team before opting for McLaren, the Australian said yesterday.

Canadian-owned Guyana Goldfields Inc (GGI) says it has produced over 28,000 ounces of gold for the first quarter of 2020 with a net earnings of over US$2 million compared to an equivalent loss for the first quarter of 2019, a gain which was driven by higher gold prices.

If the economic strain being imposed on countries in poor regions like the Caribbean is creating pressures for an accelerated reopening of the business sectors in the respective countries in the wake of the onset of COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) is still urging caution arising out of concerns that a poorly-timed return to ‘business as usual’ could have a disastrous downside.

Heavy and continuous rainfall is anticipated in the next 24 hours over Guyana, according to the National Weather Watch Centre.

(Reuters) – The John Deere Classic scheduled for July in Illinois, which was supposed to be the fifth event of the circuit’s revamped schedule, has been cancelled due to state-related challenges regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the PGA Tour said yesterday.

President David Granger sees Guyana as one of many small states needing robust systems and structures both domestically and regionally, to preserve lives and livelihoods as it battles the COVID-19 pandemic.

ROME,  (Reuters) – Italy’s top-flight Serie A soccer league has been given the go-ahead to restart on June 20 following the novel coronavirus stoppage, Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora said yesterday.

An international market for marijuana that had been ‘flying’ just a few months ago is now slipping into decline and prospects for the future of the Jamaican market now appears to be ‘going soft’ according to sources close to the industry, including the Director of the island’s Cannabis Licensing Authority Delano Seiveright.

Dear Editor, Unfortunately, since I last wrote, further controversies seem to have arisen regarding the electoral count.

World Health Organization (WHO) current estimates of the worth of counterfeit medicines traded globally now stand at around 73 billion euros, according to a March 2020 background briefing paper on the subject published by one of the world’s largest manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, the German company, Bayer.

(Reuters) – The Boston Marathon, originally scheduled to be held in April and then postponed until September because of the COVID-19 pandemic, has now been cancelled for the first time in its history, organisers said yesterday.

With close to 50% of the 200 residents of the state-run Palms Geriatric Home tested for the novel coronavirus disease, efforts are continuing to ensure all of them are tested.

Dear Editor, Reference is made to the missive by the learned Attorney General (AG) Basil Williams titled `It is for GECOM to resolve irregularities in observation reports’ (SN May 27). 

Even as fruit and vegetables remain prohibitively expensive in many countries, “public support for cereals and sugar, combined with private marketing and clever packaging, is encouraging a transition to unhealthy diets in low and middle-income countries.”

(De Ware Tijd) The opposition VHP and Abop have started negotiations to form a new coalition government even as the final results of Suriname’s elections which show defeat for the incumbent Desi Bouterse are still being awaited.

MELBOURNE, Australia,  CMC – Cricket Australia have pencilled West Indies into its summer programme and says they are confident they can pull off the itinerary amidst the threat posed by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The protest actions by workers of the Uitvlugt sugar estate factory continued yesterday morning  but they were dispersed by the police.

Albertha Hicks, née Burrows, is celebrating her 100th birthday today among close family members who gathered to celebrate this notable milestone.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – The suspense over the fate of this year’s Twenty20 World Cup in Australia continued yesterday after the International Cricket Council (ICC) deferred all discussions to its next board meeting on June 10.

MINNEAPOLIS, (Reuters) – Minnesota’s governor activated the National Guard yesterday to help police restore order following two days of violent protests in Minneapolis city over the death of a black man seen in graphic video footage gasping for breath as a white officer knelt on his neck.

By Nicholas Deygoo The novel coronavirus is a black swan type of event, one that no one could have and would have predicted at the end of 2019.

Dear Editor, I have read with more than glancing interest a letter in Wednesday’s Stabroek News by Professor Ken Danns who sarcastically said that he does not recall the name of the PPP/C’s Presidential Candidate.

WELLINGTON,  (Reuters) – Women’s sport might need a generation to get back recent gains if it is left “by the wayside” during the COVID-19 pandemic as organisations focus on getting men’s competitions back on track, the head of a New Zealand women’s advocacy agency told Reuters.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said he will introduce legislation that may scrap or weaken a law that has protected internet companies, including Twitter and Facebook, in an extraordinary attempt to regulate social media platforms where he has been criticized.

By Nina Moeller Associate Professor, Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University JM Pedersen Honorary Research Fellow, Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University Reproduced from World Economic Forum April 29th, 2020 There are growing fears that COVID-19 may wreak havoc in the Amazon.

Dear Editor, Recently, I walked past someone I know without recognizing him. 

Although many in the beauty business have been forced to close their doors due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, some are still working to support themselves and their families while adopting measures to keep themselves and their clients safe.

HONG KONG,  (Reuters) – Hong Kong told the United States to keep out of the internal debate over new national security laws being imposed by China, and warned that withdrawal of the financial hub’s special status under U.S.

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) yesterday said it was mourning the loss of Clarence Chue, “another reputable career individual who made an indelible mark in Guyana’s tax administration”.

MELBOURNE,  (Reuters) – Australia will host India at their Gabba stronghold in the opening match of the four-test series and Adelaide will stage the nations’ first pink ball test, but Perth has missed out on a match in the lucrative tour.

BRASILIA,  (Reuters) – President Jair Bolsonaro slammed Brazil’s Supreme Court yesterday for investigating an alleged disinformation and intimidation campaign by his supporters, as a political crisis deepened amid the country’s accelerating COVID-19 outbreak.

Dear Editor, These days, the appeal I made some time ago, and the position taken by the likes of Dr.

April 22 will be the next timeline that Venezuela’s President Nicholas Maduro will be mindful of in pursuit of his long-running quest to fend off Washington’s efforts to remove his administration from office.

Dear Editor, On Thursday morning, I turned on the laptop to be greeted by the sharp concerns of the CMO, Dr.

(Reuters) – Surrey County Cricket Club is looking into the possibility of hosting matches at The Oval with a reduced capacity of around 6,000 fans when the COVID-19 shutdown ends, its chief executive Richard Gould has said.

The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) will be re-opening its Camp and Robb streets retail location on June 1, 2020, to better serve its customers.

CARACAS/WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – The United States is preparing to charge the wife of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in coming months with crimes that could include drug trafficking and corruption, four people familiar with the case told Reuters.

The onset of the coronavirus has sent a sharp reminder to both governments and citizens in developing countries of the importance of information technology, not just as part of the broader developmental infrastructure, but as an essential tool in the execution of important responsibilities at the levels of communities and families, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the local technology firm, Starr Computers, has told Stabroek Business.

(Trinidad Express) An AK-47 assault rifle fitted with a sniper scope and a drum magazine was seized this morning following a shoot-out between the police and a man once dubbed the country’s most wanted.

De facto Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton yesterday expressed condolences on the passing on Wednesday of architect Lennox Hernandez.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – India is not at risk of losing hosting rights for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup despite its cricket board’s failure to secure a tax exemption for the event, a key BCCI official has told Reuters.

RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) – Norway’s Equinor ASA , Brazil’s Dommo Energia SA and Anglo-French firm Perenco are among at least six oil producers that have registered coronavirus cases among employees or contractors at facilities off the coast of Brazil, according to industry and regulatory sources.

(Trinidad Guardian) Police Commissioner Gary Griffith said yesterday that approximately 75 officers are being closely monitored by police for suspected criminal activity.

Dear Editor, There is currently a devastating locust plague which started in the Middle East that is moving across Eastern Africa and parts of Asia.

Kitco Market Gold Prices for the three day period ending Thursday May 28, 2020

A resident of Charity, Essequibo Coast, is calling on the relevant authorities to implement stricter measures for owners of animals who allow them to wander along the roadways, following an accident on Saturday afternoon that could have caused her and the other occupant of her car PSS 8374 to be injured.

While Guyana still labours to arrive at an election result which should have been declared two months ago but which the incumbent coalition is going to great lengths to try and amend, Suriname went to the polls on May 25, and the outcome is already clear.

(Reuters) – The Venezuelan navy said it escorted a fourth tanker bringing Iranian fuel through its waters yesterday, while the United States called the shipments to the gasoline-starved country a distraction from problems facing President Nicolas Maduro.

The Iron Lady’s long count, plus… Could it be political immaturity, inspired by an ageing mind, which prevents me from ever accepting the PPP’s Mohamed Irfaan as President of our Guyana Republic?

“While we need organizing that is anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist, our organizing must also be anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic, and against all forms of exploitation, subordination and discrimination.”

From what we know of the nature of the gold mining industry and those parts of the country where gold is mined, the reports of COVID-19 disruptions to mining operations come as no surprise.

PARIS, (Reuters) – French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said France was “very concerned” by the spreading of COVID-19 in French Guiana, an overseas administrative region of France, notably in view of the way the crisis is being handled in neighbouring Brazil.

*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.

Dear Editor, Every day they scrape the bottom of their barrel of absurdities and pull up whatever comes to hand.

PRAGUE, (Reuters) – World number 12 Petra Kvitova returned to court dressed for the French Open but was happy to triumph in the women’s draw at an all-Czech tournament yesterday as the sports world starts to slowly return from the novel coronavirus shutdown.