Daily Archive: Sunday, June 21, 2020

AFC member and former Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin today stood by his contentions that claims by APNU+AFC of electoral fraud were exaggerated and meant to fool coalition supporters.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said yesterday he would announce new restrictions on visas within a couple of days to block the entry of certain foreign workers and protect Americans struggling with a job market devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.

BEIJING,  (Reuters) – Chinese researchers have started a second phase human trial of a possible coronavirus vaccine, the Institute of Medical Biology at Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (IMBCAMS) said on Sunday, in efforts to further assess effectiveness and safety.

(Jamaica Gleaner) COVID-19 has crippled travel to several destinations, cancelled thousands of conferences and disrupted millions of lives, but Demetrius Moye and Tanisha Bradley weren’t about to allow the global pandemic to derail their wedding.

(Trinidad Express) Three murders were recorded yesterday. Dead are Kerron “Kayo” Prince, 34, of Olton Road, Arima; Christopher Williams, 26, and Gabriel Joseph, 30, both of Petit Valley.

(Trinidad Guardian) Instead of presenting Stephon Mc Leod with a gift as the nation celebrates Father’s Day on Sunday, the family are instead mourning the death of the 40-year-old man and his toddler who were ambushed and shot on Friday night in Tunapuna.

Guyana’s Court of Appeal is set to rule tomorrow on the challenge that has been mounted to prevent the Guyana Elections Com-mission (GECOM) from using the results of the recount from the March 2nd elections to make a final declaration.

With the election recount results showing a loss for the incumbent APNU+AFC, the owner of the Liliendaal property where a billion-dollar infectious diseases hospital has been erected and the contractors involved could face a long wait for payment and searing questions as the winner of the polls, the PPP/C has raised a flurry of accountability issues about the project.

A youth held for questioning about the death of teenager Melissa Soman, whose body was fished out of the Berbice River on Thursday, has told investigators that she jumped overboard after he launched an attack on her and the owner of the boat they were travelling in at the time.

No novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing has been done in recent days due to “problems” at the National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL).

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Former Test opener Philo Wallace has urged West Indies tour selectors to hand Chemar Holder his debut in the first Test against England next month, contending the uncapped speedster can shock England and lay the foundation for a series win.

Dexter Douglas, President of Guyana Basketball Officials Council (GBOC), said yesterday that the ongoing International Federation of Association Basketball (FIBA)/Caribbean Basketball Council (CBC), ‘Referees Online Training Programme, is ideal for aspiring referees as well as coaches and players.

De facto Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence has backpedaled on a decision to relax non-curfew COVID-19 restrictions in regions Five and Eight.

Former educator and author Joyce Sinclair, who earned a reputation for serving the public sector with distinction, died at her Queenstown, Georgetown home yesterday morning.

The athletes of Running Brave, Guyana’s premier track and field club will be out in their numbers to compete in meets planned for later this year providing that certain objectives are met to guarantee their safety.

Lawyers have advised the United TT Football Association (TTFA) to cancel their meeting which was billed for yesterday, as the situation involving the former TTFA executive and FIFA is still in court.

Junita Gomes, the Kato Village, Region Eight woman who was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour more than a year ago, has undergone a successful “lifesaving” surgical procedure to drain the fluid from her brain.

Seam bowling/batting all-rounders have mostly enjoyed playing in English conditions. There is always something on offer for those who can swing the ball or those who embrace the holding job while the front-line seamers are taking a breather. 

Committed to ensuring the administration of justice even in a time of crisis, the judiciary’s response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is not an isolated one, but a concerted regional effort aimed at continuity of services.

He has so far scored five test centuries and all-rounder Roston Chase will be looking to register his sixth Test when the West Indies take on England in a three-match series next month.

The remedial works being undertaken at the Mabaruma Solar Farm and supervised by the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) have progressed into the hybrid power system’s testing phase, Agency Head Mahender Sharma has said.

The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is currently replacing a pipeline at Cemetery Road, George-town, after a 14-inch transmission line there ruptured recently, causing flooding of the cemetery and the disruption of the water supply to some city residents.

(Reuters) – All-rounder Shoaib Malik has been allowed to join the Pakistan squad in England late after spending time with his immediate family, whom he has not met for five months due to the COVID-19 crisis, the country’s cricket board (PCB) said yesterday.

Los Angeles Lakers president and controlling owner Jeanie Buss on Friday shared on social media a photo of a racist and misogynistic letter she received recently “so that everyone can see the hate is real and living out there.”

Nigerian born nurse Ishaku Zechariah is one of the many health workers who are on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19 in Guyana.

Torrential rains have not had a great impact on the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region with the exception of farmers and some infrastructure, the Regional Executive Officer (REO) Carl Parker has said.

The police are trying to find three masked bandits who allegedly robbed a contractor of $300,000 in cash shortly after he returned home from an East Bank Demerara (EBD) bank on Friday afternoon.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Former West Indies captain Daren Ganga is of the view that the Caribbean side won’t get over England easily in the upcoming three-Test series, even though it has an exceptional pace bowling unit.

John’s (not his real name) gait is confident, his shoulders are arched, and he smiles as he greets me, giving the sense that all is well.

The police on Tuesday unearthed just over 12 pounds of suspected cannabis that was buried at a Prince William Street, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara property.

ZADAR, Croatia, (Reuters) – World number one Novak Djokovic romped into the final of his own exhibition tournament after winning both opening singles at the Adria Tour in Croatia’s coastal resort Zadar yesterday.

Across the world people are protesting the murder of George Floyd by the police in the United States.

Three years have passed since 62-year-old Krishnoutie (only name) was killed in a fatal accident along the Met-en-meerzorg Public road and her family is still waiting for justice.

(Reuters) – Webb Simpson delivered a putting master class to grab the lead and Nick Watney withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19 at the second round of the RBC Heritage in South Carolina on Friday.

At a time when the world needs happiness and hope, the ‘We Are One.

The Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary-Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ ADA) is clearing canals, among other interventions, to ensure that farmers on the West Coast of Berbice have access to adequate irrigation water for the autumn crop, according to the Department of Public Information (DPI).

(Reuters) – Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said yesterday he had tested positive for the new coronavirus.

Among the most valued achievements of the Caribbean Press, while it flourished between 2009 and 2015, was the reprint of the early volumes of Kyk-Over-Al.

(Reuters) – Torino captain Andrea Belotti had a penalty saved in a 1-1 draw at home to Parma as Serie A finally resumed following a three-month coronavirus stoppage yesterday.

KINSHASA (Reuters) – The Democratic Republic of Congo’s high court yesterday found the president’s chief of staff guilty of embezzling $48 million in public funds and sentenced him to 20 years in jail, the lead judge said.

“The rain wet me through and through. You see, I had to take off me socks today.

The National Insurance Scheme (NIS) yesterday denied a claim by the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) that it has taken a decision not to honour claims for sickness or accident benefits made by sugar workers.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – NFL players should avoid engaging in group workouts as COVID-19 cases are rising again in the United States, the medical director of the sport’s players association said yesterday.

Almost a week after retracting its announcement of an amnesty, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has said that beginning from Monday the municipality will not charge interest on general rates and taxes for 2020.

Dear Editor,  Our children remain vulnerable to child sexual abuse. More so, in the face of this global pandemic.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Nearly 50,000 people have died from the coronavirus in Brazil, the world No.

Before the North American premiere of “Wasp Network” at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last year, director Olivier Assayas appeared to introduce the film to the audience.

The Los Angeles Clippers will sign center Joakim Noah for the remainder of the season, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Saturday.

The Government Technical Institute (GTI) will soon be launching a six-week virtual preparatory course for prospective Diploma or Certificate programme students who do not have the required grades at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level for admittance.

BAMAKO (Reuters) – West African regional bloc ECOWAS yesterday called on Mali to re-run some of its contested local elections and convene a government of national unity after anti-government protests swept the capital Bamako.

The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) has launched virtual pride events set to take place over a three-week period in celebration of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer (LGBTQ) pride.

Dear Editor, Fellow Guyanese, brothers and sisters and friends of Guyana, do all that you can to turn away from violence in any form – verbal abuse or physical harm.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – Six-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton is launching a commission to help motorsport engage more young people from black backgrounds and drive diversity.

Dear Editor, If you want to predict the growth and development of a country, just look at its institutions.

How do chess games end? In a previous article it was stated that the principal aim of chess was not to swap pieces, but rather to checkmate the King.

Telecoms provider Guyana Telephone &Telegraph Company (GTT) has announced that its Blaze internet service has been extended to cover residents of Green Acres Providence, on the East Bank of Demerara.

(Reuters) – The U.S. National Institutes of Health said yesterday it has halted a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 patients.

Dear Editor, Mr Dominic Gaskin, executive member of the Alliance for Change (AFC) and former minister of the APNU+AFC coalition government, has distinguished himself by publicly sharing his opinion that Mingo’s declarations were acts of fraud done on behalf of the coalition.

CAPE TOWN, (Reuters) – Cricket South Africa has been forced to postpone its trial of three-team cricket after failing to win government backing for the original date of June 27 over concerns about preparations following the COVID-19 pandemic.

LONDON (Reuters) – Three people were killed and another three seriously injured when a man went on a stabbing rampage in the English town of Reading yesterday, though police are not currently treating the incident as terrorism.

(Trinidad Express) Police are investigating the shooting deaths of a man and his two-year-old daughter on Friday night.

The early years Local rehabilitation services began 71 years ago in then British Guiana in a small room under the X-ray department at the Georgetown Public Hospi-tal (GPH).

APNU will not succeed in its efforts to reverse the results of the recount; and shared governance will not be achieved by the light touch of a Madame Chancellor/President or on the rubble of burnt out ballot boxes.

Dear Editor, I read and I hear of electoral developments, and what is clear is that there is no country.

The insights of others continually add to our understanding of what is going on and how the world works. 

Introduction In today’s column I continue this extended appraisal of the likely future impacts of the 2020 global general crisis (as I have described this term in previous columns) on Guyana’s infant oil and gas sector.

The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has missed its sugar production target for the first crop of 2020 by almost 9,500 tonnes, according to the main sugar workers’ union, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU).

(Reuters) – Verona scored twice in the first half hour but had to hang on for a 2-1 win over Cagliari yesterday as Serie A produced a VAR controversy on its first day of action since the coronavirus stoppage.

HARARE (Reuters) – A Zimbabwe court yesterday released health minister Obadiah Moyo on bail following his arrest the previous day on allegations of corruption regarding a $60 million deal to procure COVID-19 tests and equipment.

SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Chile yesterday increased its estimate of cases and deaths caused by the coronavirus while a labor union at state-owned Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, confirmed that a second company employee had died in the pandemic.

In what must be seen as an act of desperation, Sophia resident Ms Eslyn David filed an application in the Appeal Court on June 18 seeking to prevent Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield from submitting his final report to the Elections Commission.

Today, June 21, is International Yoga Day and there is no better time to highlight the benefits of including yoga and Pilates into your training routine. 

On certain occasions, I use the space in this column to deal with a pressing subject using the expertise of someone proficient in that field. 

MADRID (Reuters) – Spanish novelist Carlos Ruiz Zafon, whose book “The Shadow of the Wind” sold more than 15 million copies, has died of cancer aged 55 in Los Angeles, his publishing house said on Friday.

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – A letter written by Vincent van Gogh and fellow artist Paul Gauguin describing visits to brothels and discussing the future of art has been sold at auction for 210,600 euros ($237,700)*.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Filmmaker Ava DuVernay is urging writers, dancers, poets and other artists to help make the names of abusive police officers as well known as their victims.

MUMBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Indian stand-up comic Vasu Primlani does not shy away from her sexuality in her gigs – even though until very recently, being gay put her at odds with the law.

(Reuters) – A mysterious 68-million-year-old fossil found on Seymour Island off Antarctica’s coast that looked like a deflated football has turned out to be a unique find – the second-largest egg on record and one that may have belonged to a huge marine reptile that lived alongside the dinosaurs.

(SciDev.Net) – All markets selling ‘high risk’ meat should be closed to stop future infectious disease outbreaks, a conservation organisation says.