Daily Archive: Thursday, August 27, 2020

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance,  Gail Teixeira, today, announced that President Irfaan Ali, in pursuance of the powers conferred upon him by Article 69 (1) of the Constitution of Guyana, has issued Proclamation Number 1 of 2020 declaring Tuesday, September 1, 2020 as the date for the sitting of the Twelfth Parliament.

Environmental Protection Agency Director Dr.Vincent Adams was today sent on immediate leave.

Yuri Garcia Dominguez and Ateeka Ishmael, the principals of Accelerated Capital Firm Inc (ACFI), the company which has been at the centre of a huge suspected Ponzi scheme investigation over the last week, today appeared at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court and virtually before the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court to answer a series of charges.

The APNU+AFC coalition appears to be organizing another mass gathering in contravention of the ongoing protocols to mitigate the spread of the COVID19 disease.

(Trinidad Express) The female Venezuelan teens who left a quarantine facility before being cleared for discharge, no longer had symptoms for the virus.

(Trinidad Express) A POST-MORTEM done on the body of a 71-year-old woman found dead at her Sangre Grande home on Tuesday concluded that she died after being stabbed multiple times.

(Jamaica Gleaner) While most Jamaicans support the removal of Queen Elizabeth II as head of State, the country’s two main political parties are still bitterly divided over the issue.

(Jamaica Gleaner) As the first black woman to be awarded a PhD in neuroscience at the University of Rochester (UR), Monique Mendes crossed over into the less than three per cent of black women neuroscience PhDs in the United States.

KENOSHA, Wis.,  (Reuters) – Peace returned to Kenosha, Wisconsin, for a night but shockwaves from the police shooting that paralyzed a Black man reverberated across the United States, further polarizing the presidential election campaign and bringing major sports to a halt.

HOUSTON, Texas, (Reuters) – Hurricane Laura made landfall early today in southwestern Louisiana as one of the most powerful storms to hit the state, with forecasters warning it could push a massive wall of water 40 miles inland from the sea.

 (Trinidad Express) With more Covid-19 cases and fewer available hospital beds, the Ministry of Health’s admissions and discharge policy for COVID-19 patients has changed.

(Trinidad Guardian) Prisons Commissioner Dennis Pulchan has revealed that they are now facing a major challenge as some 28 prison officers have tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the administration to place another 231 officers in quarantine.

Underscoring the importance of contract sanctity to investors, ExxonMobil yesterday hinted that it was willing to discuss with government the local content areas it can give more to but drew the line at any renegotiation of the controversial 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA).

Yuri Garcia Dominguez and Ateeka Ishmael, the principals of Accelerated Capital Firm Inc (ACFI), the company which has been at the centre of a huge suspected Ponzi scheme investigation over the last week are scheduled to appear in court today.

As the police continue to probe the alleged fraud surrounding the March 2 General and Regional elections, Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo and three of his assistants, one of whom was arrested yesterday, remain in police custody.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Unbeaten Trinbago Knight Riders churned out their fourth straight win here yesterday when they trounced St Lucia Zouks by six-wickets under Duckworth-Lewis-Stern but the result was overshadowed by Dwayne Bravo’s historic 500th wicket in Twenty20s.

A team of doctors on Saturday successfully performed Guyana’s first skull transplant giving a 23-year-old single parent a new lease on life.

The fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic continues as Confederation of Central America and the Caribbean (Concacaf) has opted to cancel the Caribbean Club Championship and the Caribbean Club Shield football competitions.

“It started off with mild flu-like symptoms. A little itchy throat, sore throat, and then I had headache, all which started off as mild but as the days went by, the symptoms became more severe and the fever got hotter and then I started suffering from shortness of breath,” were the words of 29-year-old Luwana Allicock, who spent two weeks in a special care unit at the Lethem Regional Hospital due to the severity of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) symptoms that she experienced.

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack SC has filed an application seeking to have struck out, the more than $50M suit for damages for defamation brought against her by Magistrate Alex Moore. 

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua– Cricket West Indies (CWI) selection panel has named an eighteen (18) member T20I squad for the Sandals West Indies Women’s Tour of England 2020.

NICE, France, (Reuters) – Thibaud Pinot left 2019’s Tour de France in tears after his hopes of victory were wrecked by injury with Paris in sight, but the Groupama FDJ rider is determined to make the most of a favourable route to become the first French winner in 35 years.

In addition to indicating their interest for Guyana to participate in the COVAX initiative, which currently has the world’s largest and most diverse COVID-19 vaccine portfolio, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has also held talks with India and Russia regarding the vaccines that they are developing.

(Reuters) – When Barcelona confirmed they had received a request from Lionel Messi’s lawyers informing them he wanted to terminate one of soccer’s longest-standing relationships, the owners of Europe’s biggest clubs would have raised a collective eyebrow.

A Texila American University lecturer and former University of Guyana valedictorian drowned while at a pre-birthday celebration at Parika Backdam on Sunday, two days before he would have celebrated his 32nd birth anniversary.

Faced with claims that it was derelict in its duty relating to regulatory oversight which allowed for alleged Ponzi scheme company, Accelerated Capital Firm Inc (ACFI) to bilk locals of over US$20M, Governor of the Bank of Guyana (BoG), Gobin Ganga, yesterday said the company’s activities are outside of its remit.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Veteran all-rounder Dwayne Bravo became the first bowler in the history of Twenty20s to take 500 wickets, when he dismissed Rahkeem Cornwall in yesterday’s Caribbean Premier League contest at Queen’s Park Oval.

(Reuters) – Serena Williams was sent spinning out of the Western and Southern Open by Maria Sakkari Tuesday after the Greek rallied from a set down to beat the 23-times Grand Slam champion 5-7 7-6(5) 6-1 and reach the quarter-finals.

Thirty-three new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) were recorded by the Ministry of Health (MoH) yesterday bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 1,093.

(Reuters) – Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers said Americans should do better and demand better treatment following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday.

With an increased number of workplace-related accidents and deaths within the last three years, Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton has committed to establishing regional Occupational Health and Safety and Labour offices across Guyana.

The Indiana Pacers fired coach Nate McMillan yesterday after four seasons.

Dear Editor, More and more I am developing a better understanding of the reasons why companies, political parties, groups fail, and even why some governments fail.

Chayanne Parboo, the three-year-old girl from the Pomeroon district who departed Guyana for the United States on February 3 to seek medical attention for leukemia, may be returning home in time for Christmas as her cancer is said to be in remission.

PORT ARTHUR, Texas,  (Reuters) – Hurricane Laura may be the most powerful storm to crash into the Louisiana coast when it makes landfall in the early hours of today, bringing the potential for catastrophic damage and what forecasters called an “unsurvivable storm surge”.

(Reuters) – The National Basketball Association postponed three playoff games scheduled for  yesterday after the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted Game 5 of their playoff series against Orlando Magic in protest over racial injustice.

With the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases rising in Region Four, the Ministry of Health is moving ahead with plans to isolate patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms at the recently commissioned $1.6 billion Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal.

Dear Editor, I refer to the Letter to the Editor in the Stabroek News of August 26th, 2020 ‘I call on GBTI to revert to the $35 ATM fee’ penned by Mr.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Two thousand five hundred fans will be allowed into Brighton & Hove Albion’s Amex Stadium for a pre-season friendly against Chelsea on Saturday after the British government announced pilot events for the return of spectators to elite sport.

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has made provisions to have a twenty-three-year-old man medevaced to the city today where he is expected to undergo treatment for  possible deep vein thrombosis.

WELLINGTON,  (Reuters) – A New Zealand court sentenced a man who killed 51 Muslim worshippers in New Zealand’s deadliest shooting to life in prison without parole, the first time such a sentence has been handed down in the country.

Allegations of alleged unusual activity between GuyOil staff and Guyana Defence Force (GDF) personnel over fuel led to “appropriate” actions being taken and the matter is also being investigated by the police.

Dear Editor, With the greatest respect, there are those who are concerned about organisations (anywhere); how they are structured, and manned; how employees are recruited and are compensated.

The two suspects and the alleged mastermind who were arrested in the investigation into the disappearance and murder of Canada citizen, Nicholas Ramkissoon Jaipaul are expected to be charged before the end of the week.

SAO PAULO,  (Reuters) – Authorities from Brazil’s Minas Gerais state are seeking a freeze on nearly $5 billion in assets from miner Vale SA as a partial payment to cover economic and other damages from last year’s deadly Brumadinho dam disaster.

Dear Editor, I would like to express my profound delight at the tempo of the new government which is of, by and for the people of Guyana, as they seek to fix our broken country.

PARIS, (Reuters) – Guy Niv says he will have goosebumps when he pedals off from the start in Nice on Saturday to become the first Israeli rider to compete in the Tour de France.

BUENOS AIRES,  (Reuters) – A group of former Latin American heads of state has joined a chorus of demands to delay a vote on who will head the region’s main development finance lender, part of growing opposition to the first-ever U.S.

SOUTHAMPTON, England, (Reuters) – England’s hard-earned test series wins over the summer with a blend of youth and experience show the side’s drive to be the number one team in the world, according to captain Joe Root.

KENOSHA, Wis., (Reuters) – Investigators of a shooting by a white police officer that left a Black man, Jacob Blake Jr.,

Dear Editor, In his `Guyanese gone out’ column (Aug 23), Dave Martins penned vacuous praise to Donald Harris, father of Kamala Harris, the Democrat Vice Presidential candidate.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar and Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal on Tuesday assured West Bank Demerara residents that their water needs will be addressed in keeping with the principle of equality.

Former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) captain Orwain Sandy who killed his partner Reona Payne back in 2018 has appealed the life sentence he was handed earlier this month.

BUENOS AIRES, (Reuters) – Meltwater could undermine the walls of ice holding back Antarctica’s glaciers, scientists reported yesterday, a finding that underscores concern about the potential for a significant sea level rise.

SANTIAGO AND LIMA,  (Reuters) – U.S. pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson has added Chile, Argentina and Peru to the Latin nations where it plans to conduct Phase III trials for its vaccine against COVID-19, the company confirmed yesterday.

(Reuters) – The rule stating that two riders or staff members testing positive for the coronavirus will lead to the exclusion of a team from the Tour de France is likely to be shelved, team members said yesterday.

When the UK-based Independent reported last week that the Carter Center was launching its first-ever United States election initiative, the announcement might have come as a surprise to many.

Dear Editor, The position of the new Administration towards the Exxon contract should be seen as positive.