Daily Archive: Thursday, August 6, 2020

Wilfred Rambarran, the owner of the property on which the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal is located, is claiming $13m per month in rental since April this year.

Lenox Shuman, the Leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) will be the first Member of Parliament for the list-joinder parties which hold one seat in Parliament.

BEIRUT,  (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron toured Beirut’s shattered streets today, two days after a giant explosion, with crowds demanding the end to a “regime” of politicians they blame for corruption and dragging Lebanon into disaster.

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI, (Reuters) – China’s Vivo will not be the title sponsor of this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said today, amid a growing backlash against Chinese companies in India.

(Trinidad Guardian) Pupils preparing for the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) examination will do their work at home from today until the August 20 test – and bars and restaurants are now the biggest COVID-19 risk.

Nineteen ministers were added to the administration of President Irfaan Ali yesterday and among them are some veterans who have served in previous PPP/C’s administrations and also quite a few new faces.

President Irfaan Ali has appointed a special technical team to conduct a rapid financial and management review of key state agencies including GuySuCo and the power company.

No portfolio was assigned for Prime Minister Mark Phillips yesterday when President Irfaan Ali named 19 ministers of his government but he stated that when that area of responsibility is made public it would reflect one that is “weighty.”

Urging his newly-appointed ministers to be results-oriented and transparent, President Irfaan Ali said yesterday that part of his Government’s immediate agenda is constitutional reform, electoral reform and other aspects of governance such as the revamping of the security sector.

British High Commissioner Greg Quinn has issued a call for reconciliation among all political parties following the recently concluded controversial elections, five months after Guyanese went to the polls.

As coronavirus cases continue to rise in Guyana, the total case count yesterday surpassed 500.

With much work ahead, the new Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Charles Ramson Jr.

Computer scientist and teacher Vickram Bharrat was yesterday appointed Minister of Natural Resources and will head the oil & gas industry, underscoring that with the sector expected to be this country’s top revenue earner, his priority will be the establishment of a Petroleum Commission.

With plans afoot to formulate a structure for the possible return of football, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) will host a meeting today with several members under its umbrella to discuss pertinent issues at the entity’s section-K Campbellville headquarters.

PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, recently sworn in as Vice President expressed yesterday gratitude to the supporters of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) for their backing over the past months leading up to the party’s victory and said that the country is now faced with the “uphill” task of rebuilding.

With consultations still ongoing in an effort to identify a Minister of Finance, the PPP/C government will in the meantime utilise the skills of former President and current Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on financial matters, President Irfaan Ali announced yesterday.

President of the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) Frankie Farley in the aftermath of Guyana’s showing at the just concluded 2020 FIDE Online Olympiad said the federation’s main aim at this point is to create an enabling environment locally where players can begin to embrace competing in virtual spaces. 

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) is currently looking for eight COVID-19 case tracking consultants, who will be expected to work within the various regions of the country.

In an effort to facilitate the smooth transfer of local players between during the covid-19 pandemic, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has opted to extend the 2020/2021 pre-season transfer window to August 23rd.

Preparations for the inauguration ceremony for Guyana’s 9th Executive President, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, scheduled to be held on Saturday at the National Cultural Centre, have begun.

MANCHESTER, England, (Reuters) – Babar Azam struck a fluent unbeaten half-century as Pakistan closed a rain-shorted first day of the first test against England on 139 for two at a gloomy and wet Old Trafford yesterday.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Pace bowling legend Sir Andy Roberts believes a lack of proper planning by West Indies following their win in the opening Test at Southampton, led to their poor form in the remaining matches and their eventual series defeat to England.

New Minister of Education Priya Manickchand yesterday said that the safety and reopening of schools is of “paramount importance”.

The Cuyuni/Mazaruni region (Region Seven) has now recorded more than 100 cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) with the indigenous community of Batavia recording a sudden increase.

Head of the local organising committee for the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 tournament Douglas Camacho, and head of public relations and communications Peter Miller, reiterated the importance of testing players and officials for covid19 before arriving in TT for the annual event.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,  CMC – Batting icon Brian Lara yesterday shot down rumours he had tested positive for COVID-19.

Dear Editor, In my Friday column of twenty-seven years, I’ve been somewhat consistent in announcing my decision and desire to keep my personal and social distance far from PNC leader, Retired Brigadier Granger.

Two fishing trawlers belonging to Pritipaul Singh Investments Limited yesterday afternoon collided with the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), dislodging two of the bridge’s anchors.

The 19 fraud charges over the sale of state lands in the ‘Pradoville 2’ Housing Scheme instituted against Dr.

BRASILIA, (Reuters) – Expiring emergency payments to millions of low-paid Brazilians and the likely restoration of growth-choking austerity measures, as unemployment rises, risk torpedoing growing optimism that Latin America’s economy may not tank as much as feared.

Dear Editor, The imbroglio (using a mild word) is at last over.

Dear Editor, This note is to extend best wishes to Irfaan Ali as he begins his new innings as the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Andrew Richardson has embraced his new role with Barbados Tridents, and hopes he can help the reigning Caribbean Premier League champions chart a winning strategy in the upcoming campaign.

Addressing the members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) one day after the swearing in of Guyana’s 9th Executive President, Irfaan Ali, Chief of Staff (Ag) Brigadier Godfrey Bess declared that all members of the GDF are “now subjected to the new Commander-in-Chief’s directives.”

BEIRUT, (Reuters) – Lebanese rescue teams pulled out bodies and hunted for missing people yesterday from the wreckage caused by a massive warehouse explosion that sent a devastating blast wave across Beirut, killing at least 135.

GOIANIA, Brazil,  (Reuters) – Chief Aritana Yawalapiti, one of Brazil’s most influential indigenous leaders who led the people of Upper Xingu in central Brazil and helped create an indigenous park there, died on Wednesday from COVID-19, his family said in a statement.

ANCHESTER, England, (Reuters) – Former Europa League winners Manchester United booked a quarter-final spot in the tournament after their second-string side laboured to a 2-1 home win over LASK Linz yesterday to seal a 7-1 aggregate rout of the Austrian side.

Dear Editor, Permit me the space, please, to share something of a personal note. 

MUMBAI,  (Reuters) – India’s federal investigative agency will probe the death of a Bollywood actor, its top prosecutor said on Wednesday, the latest twist to a murky case that was reported as a suicide and has dominated Indian social media for over a month.

GUATEMALA CITY,  (Reuters) – U.S. prosecutors charged Guatemalan former Economy Minister Asisclo Valladares yesterday with helping launder nearly $10 million in cash from drug traffickers and a corrupt politician.

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) has donated over 40,000 rapid testing kits to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to help contain the spread of the novel coronavirus disease in Guyana.

Dear Editor, This writer at the time of writing this letter is residing at Lot WD 107 Government Quarters, Post Office Street – Leonora, West Coast Demerara and my neighbours are President Irfaan Ali to the east and former Regional Chairman of Region Three, Julius Faerber to the West.

(Reuters) – Rafa Nadal believes this year’s U.S. Open champion will still feel like a Grand Slam winner despite the tournament losing some glamour due to the withdrawal of top players amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spaniard said yesterday.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – The Trump administration said yesterday it was stepping up efforts to purge “untrusted” Chinese apps from U.S.

BRASILIA, (Reuters) – Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled yesterday that President Jair Bolsonaro’s government must adopt measures to stop the spread of novel coronavirus to the country’s vulnerable indigenous communities.

Luka Doncic capped a 34-point, 20-rebound, 12-assist triple-double with an inside basket to break a tie with 1:57 remaining in overtime Tuesday afternoon as the Dallas Mavericks outlasted the Sacramento Kings for a 114-110 victory at HP Field House inside the NBA bubble near Orlando.

Former Government Minister Simona Broomes, who alleged that she was threatened at her home earlier this week said that the assault allegation levelled against her driver/bodyguard is “untrue”.

Dear Editor, The euphoria which Guyanese are presently caught up in is most understandable after what the country has gone through during the last five months.

QUITO,  (Reuters) – Ecuador said yesterday that China has agreed to allow supervision of its fishing vessels near the Galapagos Islands, after their presence spurred concerns about possible environmental impacts on the ecologically sensitive region. 

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – U.S. regulators have assured scientists that political pressure will not determine when a coronavirus vaccine is approved even as the White House hopes to have one ready ahead of the November presidential election, the country’s leading infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci said yesterday.

In August 2018, a 15-year-old Stockholm schoolgirl began a protest in front of the Swedish parliament building, vowing to continue until her government met the carbon emissions target agreed by world leaders in Paris, in 2015.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – U.S. Open singles winners will receive $850,000 less prize money this year, the United States Tennis Association said yesterday, with first-round prize money increasing.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Edgar Thomas is now the head of the Presidential Guard Service, a unit which is responsible for the security of both the President and Prime Minister.

Dear Editor, Please allow me to respond to Mr. Frederick Kissoon’s letter `It is not difficult to measure ethnic distribution of income and wealth’ (SN, 23/07/2020) in which he offers a sincere apology for calling myself and Dr.

Newly-appointed Minister of  Health Dr Frank Anthony yesterday stated that the recently commissioned  $1.6b infectious diseases hospital is a “shell” and major work needs to be done at the hospital and in the health sector to better Guyana’s response to COVID-19.